Puppet MastersS


Pirates

Iraqi general: US not interested in eliminating ISIS - sees them as useful 'tool' to destabilize region


Sputnik
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 16:14 UTC
ISIS Estado Islámico Daesh
© REUTERS / Stringer
Baghdad is boosting security at its border with Syria in order to prevent terrorists from infiltrating the country. Speaking to Sputnik, General Dia al-Wakil, an Iraqi military strategic analyst, opined that the US-led coalition may use the terrorist group as a "tool" to further destabilize the region.

The US-led coalition is not interested in eradicating Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) because the group's existence can be used by the US to justify their military buildup in the Middle East, General Dia al-Wakil, an Iraqi military strategic analyst, told Sputnik Arabic.

"I do not believe that the international coalition wants to bring an end to terrorism in the region," he said. "Under the cover of the 'fight against terrorism,' US [military] forces can remain and strengthen here. Behind this are economic goals. Americans need oil and arms sales contracts. It is necessary for the American welfare."

The general expressed concerns that the terrorists could be transferred to Iraq under the US' "supervision." According to al-Wakil, Daesh is a "handy tool" that can be used "multiple times" by its backers.

"When necessary, personnel is simply transferred to a given point," the military analyst said. "We have already seen how terrorists moved throughout the region before the international coalition's very eyes. The last time was in July 2018, when 1,500 militants left Yarmouk, a suburb of Damascus, and moved to al-Suwayda province in southern Syria. They took only light weapons with them."
Read More...
Eiffel Tower

Another Macron critic has headquarters raided - First Le Pen, now Melenchon


RT
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 16:01 UTC
Jean-Luc Melenchon
© Twitter / Fabien RivesJean-Luc Melenchon
Former French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon's home has been raided by police, as part of an investigation into alleged misuse of EU funds that also targeted political firebrand and Macron critic Marine Le Pen.

The leader of France's left-wing La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) livestreamed the unannounced intrusion on Facebook, vowing to exact revenge on France's Minister of Justice Nicole Belloubet for the raid, which targeted his home as well as his party's headquarters.

Comment: While not as high-profile as Marine Le Pen, Melenchon has come in for a fair amount of grief from the French political elite. Macron is sending a strong signal by raiding Some of the rulings made by the Minister of Justice Nicole Belloubet who authorized the raid:

Read More...
Stock Down

Goldman Sachs says US sanctions policy against Russia is undermining dollar's reserve currency position


RT
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 15:54 UTC
dollar bill crumpled damaged
© Getty Images
Washington's aggressive policy against Moscow could be a sufficient reason behind the recent fall of the dollar's share of global central-bank reserves, according to economist at US multinational investment bank Goldman Sachs.

Russia's Central Bank has sold some $85 billion of its $150 billion holding of the US assets from April through June after the US Treasury Department announced new sanctions on Russian businessmen, companies and government officials, says Goldman's strategist Zach Pandl said, as quoted by Bloomberg.

At the beginning of April, Washington expanded its anti-Russian sanction list, including seven Russian tycoons, 12 companies and 17 senior government officials over alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.

Comment: Ya think?

Read More...
Star of David

New Australian PM 'open' to moving embassy to Jerusalem


RT
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 15:52 UTC
israel australia flags
© AFP / Jack Guez
Australia might soon follow in controversial US footsteps and relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the country's new prime minister hinted after discussing the issue with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

Arguing that a two-state solution has failed to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that his government is contemplating moving the Australian embassy to the Holy City, to somehow rejuvenate the negotiation process.

"We're committed to a two-state solution, but frankly, it hasn't been going that well, not a lot of progress has been made, and you don't keep doing the same thing and expect different results," Morrison said Tuesday morning, speaking from Parliament House.


Comment: He's right about that. But how moving the embassy to Jerusalem somehow works towards resolving the problem is baffling. Maybe Australia should go ahead and recognize all the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights as Israeli to "solve" the deadlock?


Crediting the former Australian ambassador to Israel, Dave Sharma, of bringing up the relocation issue to a public debate, Morrison noted that he remains "open-minded" about the "sensible"and "persuasive" possibility of following US President Donald Trump's controversial move. Establishing a permanent diplomatic presence in Jerusalem, the PM argued, will not impede the potential creation of independent state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel.

"You can achieve both" the two-state solution and Jerusalem being Israel's capital, he claimed. "Indeed by pursuing both you are actually aiding the cause for a two-state solution."


Comment: Keep telling yourself that... It's a great way to rationalize being controlled by the Israeli Lobby.

Read More...
Palette

Khashoggi case: Erdogan says Turkish investigators found surfaces newly painted in Saudi consulate

Alex Lockle
Insider
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 15:20 UTC
Trump Bin Salman Saudi glowing globe
© Saudi Press AgencySaudi King Salman with President Donald Trump and the US first lady, Melania Trump, at a new Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday suggested the Saudis might have covered up a murder in their Istanbul consulate, a dramatic new twist in the case of the missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
  • Investigators on Monday were allowed access to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, where Turkey has said a hit team of 15 killed and dismembered Khashoggi.
  • Erdogan said investigators found surfaces newly painted over, which could indicate an attempt to conceal evidence.
  • President Donald Trump on Monday said he talked to Saudi King Salman and had begun leaning toward the idea that "rogue killers," not agents of the Saudi state, killed Khashoggi.
  • Under increasing international pressure, Saudi Arabia is reportedly trying to piece together an alibi over Khashoggi's disappearance.
While US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was meeting with Saudi Arabia's leaders on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dropped a bombshell of a new twist in the investigation into the mysterious disappearance of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

According to Erdogan, Turkish investigators who searched the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul found surfaces there newly painted over.

Comment: The Murder of Jamal Khashoggi: Oil, Sanctions And The Anti-Trump Establishment

Read More...
Handcuffs

British PhD student detained in United Arab Emirates, charged with spying


RT
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 15:21 UTC
Matthew Hedges
© AFP / DETAINED IN DUBAIMatthew Hedges with his wife Daniela Tejada
Matthew Hedges, a Durham university PhD student, has officially been charged with spying for the UK government in the United Arab Emirates, leading to calls for Britain to "reassess their ties" with the Middle East Gulf state.

The 31-year-old student who, according to his wife, Daniela Tejada, was in the UAE to conduct interviews for his doctoral thesis on the impact of the Emirates' foreign and security strategy, has been charged with spying on behalf of a foreign state.

In a statement, the UAE government said: "The attorney general of United Arab Emirates confirmed today that Matthew Hedges, a British citizen, has been charged with spying for and on behalf of a foreign state, jeopardizing the military, economy and political security of the UAE."

Comment: The UAE looks to be taking a page from the US playbook in charging foreign nationals with spying to cover up their own misdeeds. When manipulative tactics are accepted by the public, no matter how absurd, they are free to be used in all manner of ways.

Read More...
Sheeple

Trapped in information bubbles? Consequences of the media's polarized Trump coverage


RT
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 15:14 UTC
cnn fake news
© Reuters / Joshua Roberts
Shrill media reports about Donald Trump's alleged praise of Confederate General Robert E. Lee underscore the president's deep-rooted racism, or America's fake news epidemic - depending on where you get your news from.

The recent soundbite controversy began after NBC claimed that Trump had heaped praise upon Lee during a speech - sparking an avalanche of indignation from liberal outlets. The network corrected its story two days later, conceding that its video report "lacked the full context for Trump's remarks."

Depending on who you ask, the incident proves that Trump is a white supremacist, or illustrates why the media can't be trusted.
Read More...
Horse

Chief spreading bull: Cherokee Nation rejects Elizabeth Warren's DNA results


RT
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 14:53 UTC
Sen. Elizabeth Warren
© Reuters / Yuri Gripas
The Cherokee Nation has rejected the DNA results of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D), which showed distant Indian ancestry. Warren, they say, "is undermining tribal interests with her continued claims of tribal heritage."

Warren has long been ridiculed by President Donald Trump for claiming Native American ancestry, with Trump dubbing her 'Pocahontas' and accusing her of claiming minority status for personal and career gain.

However, Warren looked set to silence Trump on Monday when she released the results of a DNA test showing "strong evidence" she may have had a Native American ancestor 6-10 generations ago.

Comment: Warren doesn't give a hoot about Native Americans or their culture. She just wants to use the minority label as political weapon against "oppressors".

Read More...
Chess

UN rights chief: Saudi diplomatic immunity must be waived over Khashoggi case


RT
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 14:08 UTC
Residence of Saudi Arabia's Consul General
© Reuters/Huseyin Aldemir (L) - Reuters/Picture Archive (R)Residence of Saudi Arabia's Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi
The UN's high commissioner for human rights has called to drop diplomatic immunity of Saudi officials to allow for a transparent investigation over the disappearance of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Michelle Bachelet made the plea on Tuesday as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo touched down in the Saudi capital Riyadh to talk to King Salman about Khashoggi's disappearance.

"In view of the seriousness of the situation surrounding the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi, I believe the inviolability or immunity of the relevant premises and officials bestowed by treaties such as the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations should be waived immediately," Bachelet said in a statement.

Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate building in Istanbul on October 2 in order to collect documents that would allow him to get married. He hasn't been seen since.

Comment: Previously:

Read More...
Bullseye

Rogue killers vs. state murder: Saudi head-choppers get benefit of doubt from Trump where Russia doesn't


RT
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 10:34 UTC
Trump and MBS
© Reuters / Jonathan Ernst
Washington has reacted with uncharacteristic calm following the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Instead of slapping Riyadh with sanctions and tearing up deals, Trump has refused to pin the blame on anyone.

Turkey has flatly accused Saudi Arabia of murdering and dismembering Khashoggi when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain marriage documents. That was the last time the dissident journalist was seen - and Ankara says it has audio and video proof that he was murdered inside the building.

Trump on the other hand has been more circumspect, even suggesting that perhaps "rogue killers" were responsible for the suspected murder - a theory he proffered to journalists at the White House shortly after a phone call with Saudi Arabia's King Salman.

But the mostly low-key reaction from the Washington to the disappearance provides a stark contrast to how both Trump and his predecessors have dealt with unproven accusations made against other countries - most notably Russia.


Comment: As Sputnick reports, comments regarding 'rogue killers' have been roundly denounced by Trump critics who noted he failed to cite reasons to support his ideas and have accused him of being a 'Saudi apologist'. Other news sources are reporting that the Saudi's are now planning to take responsibility for the journalists death. According to Haaretz (via CNN), Saudi Arabia is preparing a report conceding that Khashoggi was killed as part of an interrogation that went wrong, and was originally intended to lead to his abduction from Turkey. A New York Times source has claimed that Prince MBS had approved the interrogation / abduction. Given the dubious quality of CNN / NY reporting...it's best to take the news with a large grain of salt..

See also: The Murder of Jamal Khashoggi: Oil, Sanctions And The Anti-Trump Establishment

Read More...