Puppet MastersS


Pirates

Goldman Sachs faces criminal charges for helping billions vanish from Malaysian state fund


RT
Tue, 18 Dec 2018 17:34 UTC
goldman sachs
© Reuters / Lucas Jackson /FileA Goldman Sachs sign at the New York Stock Exchange
Malaysia filed criminal charges against Goldman Sachs and two ex-bankers over the multi-billion dollar looting of state fund, 1MDB. The US bank denies the accusation, claiming it was deceived by the previous Malaysian government.

The subsidiaries of the Wall Street banking giant and its former key employees, ex-chairman of Goldman's South East Asia, Tim Leissner, and ex-managing director, Roger Ng, are accused of giving false statements when helping to arrange bonds for 1MDB, Malaysia's Attorney General Tommy Thomas announced on Monday.

Malaysia says the accused wanted to misappropriate $2.7 billion from $6.5 billion in bonds, issued by 1MDB and underwritten by Goldman Sachs, in three separate offerings between 2012 and 2013.

Comment: Reuters adds:
Malaysia on Monday filed the charges in Kuala Lumpur against three Goldman Sachs units in connection with the bank's role as underwriter and arranger of three bond sales that raised $6.5 billion for 1MDB.

The charges were the first criminal action against the bank over its involvement in the scandal, which the U.S. Justice Department has estimated involved the misappropriation of $4.5 billion by high-level 1MDB fund officials and their associates between 2009 and 2014.

Malaysian authorities charged the Goldman units as well as former Goldman partner Tim Leissner, 1MDB employee Jasmine Loo and Jho Low, the Malaysian financier believed to be at the heart of the scandal, as part of their investigation into suspected corruption and money laundering at 1MDB, founded by former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak.

The alleged crimes carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison and fines of at least 1 million ringgit ($240,000), according to the charge sheets, seen by Reuters.

The charges name Goldman Sachs (Asia) LLC, a key U.S.-registered unit of the bank, as well as London-based Goldman Sachs International and Goldman Sachs (Singapore) PTE. The bank's Kuala Lumpur-based unit has not been charged.

The charges claim Goldman omitted key facts on the fund's management - including the role of Low, who is described as the "operator and key intermediary for 1MDB".

The charges also claim Goldman made untrue statements about the planned use of proceeds from a $3 billion bond sold in 2013.


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Stormtrooper

Out of control: US Special Ops command launches unprecedented investigation into troops' drug-smuggling, child abuse and murder

Carlo Muñoz
The Washington Times
Sun, 16 Dec 2018 17:30 UTC
special ops
They are among America's most elite military fighters, but a string of recent high-profile scandals and abuse allegations - including drug-smuggling, detainee abuse and murder - has put the U.S. special operations forces under unprecedented scrutiny, prompting a commandwide soul-searching.

Top officers at the Pentagon and the Florida-based U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) have issued a series of commandwide mandates to review and reinforce ethical and conduct standards, according to internal communications and memorandums obtained by The Washington Times.

The missives issued by Gen. Raymond A. "Tony" Thomas, head of Special Operations Command, and Owen West, head of the Pentagon's Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict directorate, are initiating an intensive three-month review starting Jan. 1 to reinforce "core values and their role in [special operations forces] culture," they state.

"The first step in any treatment program is admitting you have a problem. ... That is not lost on the senior leadership," a Special Operations Command official said in a recent interview.

Comment: Of course they end up committing violent crimes; they (and American society) are infused with the belief that they're exceptional, untouchable, and 'free' to do whatever the heck they want.

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Russian Flag

Russian military police: An effective peacekeeping force in Syria


Sputnik
Tue, 18 Dec 2018 17:16 UTC
Russian military police syria
© Agence France-Presse / George OurfalianMembers of the Russian Military police stand guard in the northern city of Manbij as Syrians who fled the city of Aleppo due to the fighting prepare to return to their hometown, on April 5, 2017
The Russian military police have established themselves as an effective structure in Syria and earned a good reputation among civilians for their peacekeeping efforts, the chief of the main directorate of the Russian Defense Ministry's military police, Lt. Gen. Vladimir Ivanovsky, said on Tuesday.

"According to the assessments of the leadership of the armed forces, local population, observers, the military police, first of all, have established themselves as a successful structure in conditions of these special objectives of humanitarian mission and peacekeeping operations," Ivanovsky told reporters at the Hmeimim air base after decorating those Russian military police officers who have completed their mission in Syria and are leaving for the home country.

Comment: The military police have shouldered much of the domestic security burden in Syria, freeing up the regular forces to aid the Syrian army.

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Eye 2

UN approves Ukraine's resolution to scapegoat Russia for their Azov sea violation, despite majority abstaining


RT
Tue, 18 Dec 2018 02:31 UTC
UN assembly
© Globa Look Press / Wang Ying / Xinhua
The UN General Assembly has voted for a Ukraine-sponsored draft denouncing "militarization" of the Azov and Black Seas. About half of member-states abstained and Moscow said it's like giving Kiev a blank check to scapegoat Russia.

Sixty-six countries voted in favor of the resolution and 19 against, while 72 countries abstained.

The resolution, brought forward by Ukraine, serves to accuse Russia of violating its sovereignty and territorial integrity by deploying military forces to Crimea. The document also accuses Moscow of restricting the freedom of navigation in the Azov Sea and condemns what Kiev sees as a similar ramped-up militarization in the Black Sea.


Comment: Crimea democratically voted to reunite with Russia, so Russia is merely deploying military within its own borders.


Before the vote, Syria and Iran proposed amendments to the resolution for more balance, which would have included a mention of the Minsk Agreements and Kiev's responsibility to abide by them. The agreements stipulate that both Kiev and the forces of the self-proclaimed breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine must observe a ceasefire, as well as withdraw troops and military hardware. Kiev also must ensure local elections take place in accordance with the law.

Comment: See also:

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Megaphone

Interview with 'Russian Roulette' co-author Isikoff reveals big problems with 'collusion' theory

John Ziegler
Mediaite
Sun, 16 Dec 2018 17:14 UTC
michael isikoff
One of the most dangerous aspects of journalism is that, when reporters specialize in a subject, they can easily become inherently invested in a narrative surrounding it which is the most popular or helpful to them personally.

When it comes to the investigation into Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election, it has always seemed to be a landscape ripe for confirmation bias to overtake a group of "experts" who are mostly very anti-Trump, as well as desirous that a story on which their opinion is greatly valued be perceived as the most significant political scandal of our time.

As someone who has long been on the fence about what really happened in this case (my basic position is that Donald Trump is guilty of serious offenses, probably obstruction of justice and perjury, but maybe not actual "collusion," depending on how that highly nebulous term is defined), I was really looking forward to my interview with famed Yahoo investigative reporter Michael Isikoff.
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Star of David

Presence of 4 Hezbollah tunnels near Israeli border confirmed by UN spokesman - two cross 'Blue Line'


Sputnik
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 16:53 UTC
hezbollah tunnels lebanon israel
© Associated Press/Mohammed ZaatariAn Israeli military digger works on the Lebanese-Israeli border next to a wall that was built by Israel in the southern village of Kafr Kila, Lebanon, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has confirmed the existence of all four of the tunnels that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) discovered along the border between Israel and Lebanon, UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Monday.

"Based on the UN's independent assessment, the peacekeepers have so far confirmed the existence of all four tunnels close to the Blue Line in Northern Israel," Dujarric said, referring to the UN-drawn line of demarcation between Israel and Lebanon. "UNIFIL at this stage can confirm that two of the tunnels cross the Blue Line."

Comment: The 'Blue Line' is not a border for political or diplomatic purposes, despite Israel's attempt to portray it as such.
[T]he IDF website continues to argue, incorrectly, that the Blue Line is a border, or a de facto border. It is not. Maybe, someday, it might become a border - or it might not. But for the time being, the Blue Line is nothing other than a demarcation line.

What it demarcates, according to the UNIFIL statement above (confirmed in the internally-contradictory IDF statement, here, which was written with a great deal of imprecision due in part to a certain linguistic laziness, and in part to impatience with any other views), is "the line towards which the IDF withdrew upon conclusion of Operation Litani in 1978, according to UN Security Council Resolution 425".

This confused, contradictory and confusing IDF statement also says, however, that "The Blue Line is an international border between Israel and Lebanon which was determined by the United Nations after the IDF withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000".

But, the United Nations does not determine international borders.
Israel's done a nice job of spinning out this story to detract from Bibi's political woes.

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Bad Guys

Canadian unit of US based General Dynamics warns Trudeau gov't that cancelling Saudi deal would cost billions of dollars in penalties

David Ljunggren
Reuters
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 16:58 UTC
General Dynamics LAV 6.0
© Justin Tang/Canadian PressA General Dynamics LAV 6.0 is seen behind people gathering around a scale model at the CANSEC trade show in Ottawa on May 30
General Dynamics Corp (GD.N) on Monday put pressure on Ottawa over the sale of armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia, warning that the federal government would incur "billions of dollars of liability" by unilaterally scrapping the deal.

The remarks by the Canadian unit of General Dynamics - which one defense expert called unusual - reflect increasing tensions over a $13 billion agreement that is becoming politically awkward for the Liberal government.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking in an interview aired on Sunday, said for the first time that he was looking for a way out of the deal.

Political opponents, citing the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi Arabia's involvement in the Yemen war, insist Trudeau should scrap a pact that was negotiated by the previous Conservative government.
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Ornament - Blue

Because...Russia: The BBC's one-size-fits-all bogeyman keeps on giving...even on the streets of France

Robert Bridge
RT
Tue, 18 Dec 2018 16:23 UTC
marianne bare breast yellow vest gilet jaune
© Reuters / Benoit Tessier
Given the rash of conspiracy theories leveled against Russia of late, it is no surprise that the BBC is deep-sea fishing for a Kremlin angle to explain the protests against the government of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Dear failing leaders of France, are basement-level ratings getting you down? Are violent riots spooking the tourists? Are running street protests at the height of the holiday season placing a drag on consumer spending? Have no fear because the BBC is here with a one-size fits all bogeyman to explain virtually everything. Please have a seat because the name alone will send shock waves of bone-chilling fear surging through your entire body.

This new and improved beast of burden to explain every uprising, lost election, accident and wart, popularly known as 'Russia' - a strategy rebuked by none other than President Putin as "the new anti-Semitism" - provides craven political leaders with a ready-made alibi when the proverbial poo hits the fan. Yes! It can even rescue Emmanuel Macron, who just experienced his fifth consecutive weekend of protests in the French capital and beyond.

Here is the real beauty of this new media product, which promises to outsell Chanel No.5 this holiday season. Reporting on 'Russia' does not require any modicum of journalistic ethics, standards or even proof to peddle it like snake oil to an unsuspecting public.

Comment: That the BBC is a state-funded propaganda arm of the British establishment explains a lot:

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Cult

NATO psychoanalysis: Schizophrenia

Patrick Armstrong
Strategic Culture Foundation
Sat, 15 Dec 2018 16:19 UTC
nato maniac
Just another week screaming at the sky at NATO HQ

Comment: This is the fourth article in a series by Patrick Armstrong.


NATO sorrowfully explains its problems with Russia on its official website:
For more than two decades, NATO has worked to build a partnership with Russia, developing dialogue and practical cooperation in areas of common interest. Cooperation has been suspended since 2014 in response to Russia's military intervention in Ukraine but political and military channels of communication remain open. Concerns about Russia's continued destabilising pattern of military activities and aggressive rhetoric go well beyond Ukraine.
None of this - of course - is NATO's fault: on the contrary NATO is concerned that
Russia's military activities, particularly along NATO's borders, have increased and its behaviour continues to make the Euro-Atlantic security environment less stable and predictable, in particular its practice of calling snap exercises, deploying near NATO borders, conducting large-scale training and exercises and violating Allied airspace.

Comment: A nice rundown on how Russophobia is whipped up and maintained by the Military-industrial Complex (on both sides of the Atlantic) through media psyops run by the intelligence services.

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Snakes in Suits

Financial elite bow to pressure from Moscow, allow Russian businessman to attend World Economic Forum in Davos

Henry Foy
Financial Times
Sun, 16 Dec 2018 16:30 UTC
Oleg Deripaska
© Jason Alden/BloombergAluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska
The World Economic Forum in Davos has bowed to pressure from Moscow and gone back on its decision to ban three Russian businessmen subject to US sanctions from the exclusive conference, following high-level diplomacy involving the Swiss government.

Russia had threatened to boycott January's event after its organisers barred aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska, industrialist Viktor Vekselberg and state bank head Andrei Kostin, who are all subject to wide-ranging sanctions imposed by Washington.

The about-turn by the prestigious mountain-top business and political conference is likely to irritate US authorities who have sought to use the sanctions to punish Moscow for "malign activities" including the annexation of Crimea and alleged meddling in the 2016 US election. It is a victory for the Kremlin and its attempts to show that Russia remains a powerful global player despite the western restrictions, which have been in place since 2014.
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