Puppet MastersS


Quenelle - Golden

Eurosceptics pushing for Italian minister to become next president of the European Commission - Salvini to replace Juncker?


RT
Thu, 18 Oct 2018 21:04 UTC
salvini Junker Italy European Union
© REUTERS / Remo Casilli; REUTERS / Francois LenoirMatteo Salvini (L) Jean-Claude Juncker (R)
Matteo Salvini, the controversial Italian interior minister, is being encouraged by fellow nationalist politicians to run for the office of the President of the European Commission, which is currently held by Jean-Claude Juncker.

"It's true, friends from different European countries have asked me, suggested it," Salvini said when asked during an interview with La Repubblica daily. "It is nice that they see me as a point of reference for the people's defense, even outside Italy."

Salvini, the 45-year-old leader of the rightwing North League, has risen to pan-European prominence after forming a government as part of a counterintuitive coalition with the leftist Five Star Movement. The two opposing forces were brought together on a platform of anti-establishment Euroscepticism and Italian nationalism. While he would not commit to running for the office during the interview and said instead he would have to think about it, the suggestion clearly highlights his leadership among right-wing forces in Europe.

Comment: Salvini might just pull it off. He is pushing back for Italy against the barmy regime ruling the European Union. His stance on migrants and fiscal policy have made him very popular with Italians, and European citizens more generally. He is finding fellow travelers in France, Austria, and especially Hungary, who agree with him on the imperative to defend national interests first.

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Star of David

Top Palestinian officials arrested by Israel: Suspected of abducting US citizen for selling Jerusalem Arab property to Israeli


Times of Israel
Mon, 22 Oct 2018 16:32 UTC
Israel security forces
© Associated Press/Majdi Mohammed/FileIsraeli security forces
Victim, who also has Israeli ID card, believed to have angered Palestinians by helping sell Arab home in Jerusalem's Old City to Jewish buyers

Two top Palestinian officials arrested by Israeli forces over the weekend were held on suspicion helping abduct a Palestinian resident of Jerusalem, who was also a US citizen, their lawyers said on Sunday.

Israeli forces arrested Palestinian Authority Jerusalem Governor Adnan Ghaith and Jihad Faqih, the Jerusalem director of the PA General Intelligence Services, on Saturday, but declined to say why.

However, the two are suspected of having assisted in abducting a resident of Jerusalem two weeks ago, who has since been held by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, their lawyers told the Reuters news agency. Both men deny the charges.
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Attention

CCTV shows Saudi decoy wearing Khashoggi's clothes - report claims MBS spoke on phone with Khashoggi before his murder


RT
Mon, 22 Oct 2018 16:37 UTC
khashoggi decoy
© CNNJournalist Jamal Khashoggi (L) pictured outside the embassy before his disappearance. A man identified as Mustafa al-Madani (R), wearing Khashoggi's clothes hours later
An unnamed senior Turkish official has told CNN that one of the 15-man hit squad that allegedly murdered Jamal Khashoggi was a doppelgänger who left the Saudi Consulate in the slain reporters' clothes moments after the killing.

"You don't need a body double for a rendition or an interrogation," the official reportedly told CNN. "Our assessment has not changed since October 6. This was a premeditated murder and the body was moved out of the consulate."


Surveillance footage allegedly provided by Turkish authorities to CNN purports to show Khashoggi's lookalike, named as Mustafa al-Madani, leaving the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul via the rear entrance, wearing the journalist's own clothes that he wore on October 2. Madani also dons a fake beard and glasses to appear more like his alleged victim.

Comment: It's starting to appear as if the Saudi hit team really thought they could get away with this. That makes it slightly less likely that this was a frame-up with the purpose of tarnishing MBS's PR image. That's not to say the murder was premeditated. It still may have been accidental - but the presence of a decoy at least implies they were prepared for Khashoggi's death as a possibility.

And MBS's denials are wearing a bit thin, too, if this latest allegation proves to be true:
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman phoned Jamal Khashoggi and tried to convince him to return to Riyadh, just moments before the dissident journalist was killed in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate, a new report claims.

The prince contacted Khashoggi shortly after he was detained inside the consulate, Turkish pro-government paper Yeni Safak reported on Sunday, citing its own sources. According to the publication, Mohammad bin Salman, known in the West by his initials MBS, attempted to convince the journalist over the phone to return to his homeland, Saudi Arabia. Once close with the Saudi elites, Khashoggi fled the kingdom last year in fear of possible prosecution.

The journalist declined the prince's offer to fly to Riyadh, thinking he would be arrested and killed there, and was then murdered by the Saudi hit-team after the talk with MBS ended, the paper wrote.
Perhaps MBS wasn't expecting Khashoggi to deny his 'request' as Crown Prince. It's not hard to believe MBS's henchmen then took matters into their own hand, not wishing to displease His Grand Eminence. Or maybe MBS is just arrogant enough to think he could get away with it. In fact, that may be the case:
As the disappearance of Mr. Khashoggi escalated into a diplomatic crisis, Prince Mohammed was shocked by the backlash. He couldn't understand why Mr. Khashoggi's disappearance was such a big deal, according to people who recently interacted with the prince.
...
On Oct. 10, eight days after Mr. Khashoggi went missing, Prince Mohammed called Jared Kushner, the adviser and son-in-law to President Trump, according to people briefed on the phone conversation.

Why the outrage, Prince Mohammed asked in English.
...
The prince's confusion soon turned into rage. "He was really shocked that there was such a big reaction to it," said a person close to the royal court. "He feels betrayed by the West. He said he would look elsewhere and he will never forget how people turned against him before evidence was produced."


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Attention

Trump threatens aid cuts to Central American nations failing to stop migrant caravan


RT
Mon, 22 Oct 2018 14:09 UTC
Migrant caravan October 2018
© Reuters / Uselei MarcelinoMigrants holding a Honduran flag march through Mexico en route to the US
As a thousands-strong 'caravan' of migrants makes its way towards the US' southern border, President Trump took to Twitter to threaten to cut off foreign aid to Central American governments and deploy the military to the border.

"Sadly, it looks like Mexico's Police and Military are unable to stop the Caravan heading to the Southern Border of the United States," Trump tweeted on Monday. "Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in. I have alerted Border Patrol and Military that this is a National Emergency. Must change laws!"


Originating in Honduras two weeks ago, the 'caravan' has since swelled in numbers, and thousands of migrants are now marching through Mexico in a mile-long, ten-abreast convoy. Believing their odds to be greater in numbers, the migrants have already passed through Guatemala and have another 1,600 miles to go through Mexico until they reach the US' southern border.

Comment: Does Trump have a plan to counter the actions of those who have 'produced' the caravan?

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Cut

Israel calls Jordanian reclamation of leased farmland 'unacceptable', seeks to renegotiate deal


RT
Mon, 22 Oct 2018 16:08 UTC
Israeli shepherd
© AFP / Menahem KahanaIsraeli shepherd
Jordan has announced its intention to reclaim full sovereignty over farmland leased to Israel as part of the 1994 peace treaty. Calling such a change "unacceptable" after so many years, Israel has vowed to renegotiate the deal.

"We are practicing our full sovereignty on our land," King Abdullah II said Sunday, announcing the Kingdom's intention to opt out of parts of the peace treaty which permitted Israelis to use 405 hectares of their farmland. In an "era of regional turmoil," the King stressed, "our priority in these regional circumstances is to protect our interests and do whatever is required for Jordan and the Jordanians."

Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994, part of which included handing over lands to Tel Aviv for 25 years which Amman can claim back if it cancels the existing arrangement. The territories in question are known in Arabic as al-Baqura and al-Ghamr, and Naharayim and Zofar in Hebrew.

The agreement is automatically renewable unless either Tel Aviv or Amman gives a year's notice to terminate the deal. The deadline for renewing the leases within the one year's notice is set for this Thursday, October 25.

Comment: Jordan King Abdullah II to abandon part of 1994 peace treaty with Israel on land lease

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Chart Pie

Afghan leaders claim voter turnout shows rejection of Taliban ideology


RFE/RL
Mon, 22 Oct 2018 15:48 UTC
afghan voters
© Wakil Kohsar / AFPAfghan election observers check the voting results put on display at a polling center after ballots in the country's legislative election were counted in Kabul on October 22.
Senior Afghan officials have praised voters who cast ballots in weekend parliamentary elections that were plagued by violence and organizational problems, saying the turnout shows that Afghans are rejecting the ideology of Taliban militants.

"The Taliban wanted to build a stream of blood, but the Taliban was defeated and the Taliban's thoughts and ideas were rejected," Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah told a cabinet meeting on October 22.


Comment: The Taliban have hardly been defeated. They still control large swathes of Afghan territory.


Around 4 million out of 8.8 million registered voters in a country of more than 30 million cast their ballots over the two-day voting at more than 4,500 polling centers across the country, according to election authorities, despite deadly militant attacks in which dozens of people were killed and delays caused by technical and organizational problems.


Comment: A good start, perhaps, but still a sad turnout - despite all the problems hampering the election. Around 13% of the population voted.


The Taliban had issued several warnings in the days leading up to the poll demanding the more than 2,500 candidates for the lower house of parliament withdraw from the race and for voters to stay home.

Preliminary results of the parliamentary elections, which were seen as a key test of the government's ability to provide security across the country, were expected to be released on November 10 at the earliest. Final results will likely be out sometime in December, an election commission spokesman has said.

Comment: It's sad, really. 4 million out of 30 million voted. After 17 years of war, Afghanistan is still no closer to democracy, despite the U.S.'s efforts at regime 'transformation'. When will they realize it really wasn't any of their business in the first place? When will they just get out and let the Afghans decide for themselves? Compare and contrast: the U.S. destroyed Afghanistan. Russia stabilized Syria. Maybe the U.S. is doing it wrong?

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Russian Flag

Putin signs decree allowing Russia to target Ukrainian companies with counter-sanctions


RT
Mon, 22 Oct 2018 13:52 UTC
putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree allowing Russia to target Ukrainian companies and individuals with sanctions in response to Ukrainian sanctions against Russia, the Kremlin website reported on Monday.

The decree was issued as "a response to unfriendly actions of Ukraine" related to the introduction of sanctions against citizens and legal entities of Russia, as well as "in order to protect national interests," according to the website.

The Russian government was ordered to "determine the lists of individuals and legal entities in respect of which special economic measures are applied", and "identify special economic measures applicable to individuals and legal entities."

Comment: Those countries who have misguidedly imposed sanctions on Russia are feeling the pinch while Russia has thrived in the face of adversity. By spiting Russia at the behest of its US masters, Ukrainians will now suffer more hardships at a time when the country is already in economic free fall. More from Vesti News:



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Bullseye

Dissident Saudi prince: 'King Salman ordered Khashoggi's death and Mohammed bin Salman carried it out'


Middle East Monitor
Fri, 19 Oct 2018 02:00 UTC
King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
© Saudi Press AgencyKing of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during a cabinet session in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 19 October 2018
Dissident Saudi Prince Khalid bin Farhan Al-Saud has demanded King Salman bin Abdulaziz to abdicate the throne in favour of his brother Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz after the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi; an incident that has provoked international outrage.

Prince Khalid bin Farhan, who lives currently in Germany, said: "King Salman's royal line should not be imposed as a fourth kingship. Your brothers were kings, and you also became one. It is not Saudi Arabia's absolute fate that one of your grandchildren becomes the ruler, and then the rest of your offspring monopolises the throne afterwards. Among the Saudi Royalty, there are highly cultivated, and humane princes with a good educational level and they are popular outside and even inside the ruling family."

During an interview with the German DW TV, The Saudi prince also stated: "Your brother Ahmed bin Abdulaziz is highly ethical, and you are aware of this, not only you but the whole royal family and the Saudi people realise it. So, the wise thing to do, if you have any wisdom left, is to abdicate the throne in his favour and save what remained of your dignity."

Comment: Is a well-deserved shake-up in the works for the inimitable House of Saud? Probably not without a lot of blood-letting. One thing's for sure however, this story will have many deep ramifications for the Saudi Empire, probably for a long time to come.

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Cards

Political Chaos: Australia government suffers Wentworth by-election defeat and lose majority


BBC
Sat, 20 Oct 2018 00:00 UTC
Australia's governing coalition has lost its one-seat parliamentary majority after a by-election in Sydney.
Kerryn Phelps
© GETTY IMAGESIndependent candidate Dr Kerryn Phelps pictured after her poll victory in Sydney
Kerryn Phelps, a local doctor and popular independent candidate, comfortably won the Wentworth seat.

"This win tonight should signal a return of decency, integrity and humanity to the Australian government," she told supporters.

Australia has had six prime ministers in eight years, and now faces further uncertainty.
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Arrow Down

Khashoggi Fallout: Business titans fight shy of Saudi's trillion-dollar charm offensive

Rob Davies
The Guradian
Sat, 20 Oct 2018 00:00 UTC
Riyadh is investing widely to wean itself off oil: but the dark allegations about the fate of dissident Jamal Khashoggi put its ambitious economic plan in peril
Tim Cook with Saudi MBS
© Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesTim Cook, left, chief executive of Apple, shows Mohammed bin Salman round the company’s HQ.
When Mohammed bin Salman was touring the UK and US earlier this year, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia - and its de facto ruler - could have relied almost exclusively on businesses backed by the kingdom's money.

Landing in London, "MBS" might have dispensed with his chauffeur-driven car, travelling into the capital by Uber, while his aides finalised his itinerary on smartphones powered with chips designed by Cambridge-based ARM Holdings. After glad-handing bank chiefs in the City, any investment plans they discussed could have been further developed using cloud office app Slack.

Comment: See also:

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