Puppet MastersS


Radar

Provocation: NATO trying to scare Russia near its borders with multiple war game exercises of enormous size named 'Sabre Strike'

Alex Gorka
Strategic Culture Foundation
Wed, 06 Jun 2018 00:00 UTC
NATO troops
This year, NATO has already organized about 100 exercises, 20 percent more compared to the same period in 2017. Saber Strike-2018, a large-scale US-led exercise involving 18,000 soldiers from 19 NATO members and partner nations, kicked off on June 3 to last till June 15. The scope of the exercise has been steadily expanding with every year. It was 11,000 troops in 2017, 9,000 in 2016, 6,000 in 2015, 4,700 in 2014 and 2,000 in 2013 - that's how a relatively small drill turned into the regular deployment of substantial force in the proximity of Russia's borders. Moscow expressed its concern about it at the NATO-Russia Council's session held on May 31.

The annual multination training event organized every year since 2010 is being held across the training areas in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Non-NATO countries taking part are Finland and Macedonia. Air assault landings are part of the scenario to hone the skills for launching offensive operations.

Sabre Strike is timed with Swift Response airborne drill in Latvia to culminate on June 8. It involves 800 paratroopers from US, Latvia, Lithuania, Israel and Poland.
Read More...
Laptop

Flashback Google executive, Eric Schmidt, says new algorithm will hide RT, Sputnik articles


Sputnik
Mon, 20 Nov 2017 13:36 UTC
Eric Schmidt
© AFP 2018 / DANI POZO
Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google's parent company, Alphabet, announced Saturday that the company will "engineer" algorithms that will make it harder for articles from Sputnik News and RT to appear on the Google News service.

"We are working on detecting and de-ranking those kinds of sites - it's basically RT and Sputnik," Schmidt said during a question and answer session at the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada. "We are well of aware of it, and we are trying to engineer the systems to prevent [the content being delivered to wide audiences]. But we don't want to ban the sites - that's not how we operate."

Comment: Google backs off (for now): Assures Russia media watchdog it won't change search algorithm to 're-rank' RT, Sputnik

Read More...
Better Earth

Trump calls for G7 inclusion of Russia ahead of summit

Julian Borger, Anne Perkins
The Guardian
Sat, 09 Jun 2018 05:24 UTC
Trump
© UnknownUS President Donald Trump
Donald Trump has called for Russia to be readmitted to the G7 club of world leaders, opening up a new rift with US allies who swiftly contradicted him at a contentious summit in Quebec.

Although there were smiles and handshakes between Trump and his counterparts from Europe, Canada and Japan, there was no sign by Friday night that they were any closer on the deeply divisive issues of trade, climate change and policy towards Moscow.

Trump made his comments on the way to the summit, saying: "Why are we having the meeting without Russia being in the meeting? Russia should be in the meeting, it should be a part of it."

In a Russian television interview due to be aired on Saturday, President Vladimir Putin said that dialogue with Trump could be "constructive". Trump is "a serious-minded person who knows how to listen to people and respond to their arguments. This leads me to believe that dialogue may prove to be constructive." The last meeting between Trump and Putin was a brief exchange in Vietnam last November.

In meetings on Friday with Emmanuel Macron of France and Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, a jovial Trump claimed to have good personal relations with the leaders, and claimed at his meeting with Trudeau: "We've made a lot of progress".

Comment: Sounds like the meeting from hell - so far. Leaders do not want to budge their comfort zone nor evaluate their biases, even if it is to eventually make 'a better deal' in the offing or reset the broken paradigm. See also: Apparently, in addition to saying that it would be good for the world for Russia's inclusion, Trump said, "We are looking for peace in the whole world, and not playing games".

Read More...
Russian Flag

Be it space, nuclear projects or North Korea, Putin-Xi meeting shows 'special relations'


RT
Fri, 08 Jun 2018 19:06 UTC
Xi and Putin
© Free Press KashmirChinese Premier Xi Jinping • Russian President Vladimir Putin
From space exploration to peaceful atomic projects to billion-dollar projects, the relations between Russia and China show "exemplary interstate relations," as Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping put it during their meeting in Beijing.

The Russian leader arrived in China on Friday and is set to stay there till June 10, taking part in the summit of the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member-states.

But before that, Putin and Xi showed unity on a number of issues. Moscow and Beijing have long enjoyed a rather predictable and pragmatic relationship, largely based on economic and strategic concerns. The sides have been steadily expanding their economic cooperation and are planning to make additional efforts to increase trade. The neighbors signed a number of agreements, including one on joint space projects.

Read More...
Bullseye

Angry Guardian cartoonist denies picture of Netanyahu, May and Palestinian medic is anti-Semetic


RT
Fri, 08 Jun 2018 11:40 UTC
Neti&May
© Toby Melville/ReutersPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu • Prime Minister Theresa May
Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell has strenuously denied his picture, depicting Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, UK PM Theresa May, and an image of murdered Palestinian medic Razan Al-Najjar burning in a fireplace, is anti-Semitic.

The cartoon was spiked by the Guardian's editorial staff. After which Bell wrote an angrily-worded email to his boss and Guardian editor, Katharine Viner, after claims from colleagues that his cartoon played on anti-Semitic tropes, report Buzzfeed.


Comment: There is a fine line between crude humor and just bad taste - regardless the anti-Semitism criticism. Did this artist step over that line? Was this anti-Semitic? Or was it disrespectful of the slain Palestinian medic?

And then this revealing answer:
"Why could you not use rubber bullets? ... Why did you have to kill them?" Netanyahu replied: "Hamas wanted the Jews to kill more. Their goal was to have as many casualties. Our goal was to minimize casualties."
Hogwash. Lies. Dodge. Deception. Perception management. Netanyahu is a master spin doctor, revealing a twisted pathological mindset.

Read More...
Arrow Up

Putin: Trump is a thoughtful person, our dialogue may be constructive


RT
Fri, 08 Jun 2018 18:59 UTC
PutinTrump
© Mikkhail Klementiev/SputnikThe President Whisperer.
US President Donald Trump is a thoughtful person who listens to others, said Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressing hope that the meeting between the two will be "constructive."

"He's a thoughtful person, he can listen to the person he's talking to and reacts to his arguments," Putin said of Trump in an interview with Russian journalist Sergey Brilyov that is to be aired on Saturday night.

Earlier on Friday, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS that the ministry is conducting preliminary work for a meeting between Putin and Trump. It still remains unclear, however, where and when such a meeting might take place.

Such a meeting is greatly needed since it would facilitate the process of fixing relations between the two countries, the official added. "The American side realizes the scale of problems, which have piled up as well" and understands that they "have to be solved," according to Ryabkov.

Comment: There is always an undercurrent with Trump, but in talks with Putin there is a chance it will be positive and beneficial.

Read More...
Question

World leaders try but fail to get Donald Trump

Z. Byron Wolf
CNN
Fri, 08 Jun 2018 00:00 UTC
Trumpcartoon
© Ellie Foreman-Peck
Imagine you're the leader of a major world power.

How do you deal with Donald Trump? None of them can figure it out.

They've tried flattery. They've sucked up to him. They've wined and dined him. They've golfed with him. Stayed at his private club and eaten his chocolate cake.

They've shaken his hand for as long as he wants. Over... and over... and over again.

They've thrown him military parades (which only makes him jealous).

They've tried to project strength against him, tried to play the alpha.

They've been extremely deferential.

They've taken his daughter out to dinner and championed her causes. They've pointed out the very long historical ties between their countries.

But none of it has worked.

Comment: In the current, stagnant, state of the nation and the world...it just might take an 'enigma' to shake things up enough to get people thinking and acting.

Read More...
Briefcase

In lieu of collusion, Mueller adds obstruction to Manafort indictment, charges Kiev businessman


RT
Fri, 08 Jun 2018 21:17 UTC
Paul Manafort
© InformPaul Manafort
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has charged former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his Kiev colleague with obstruction of justice, but nothing related to the 2016 election. The probe itself is under scrutiny for its costs.

Mueller cooked a big Friday nothingburger for the mainstream media in the form of a third amended indictment filed before the US District Court in Washington, DC. It names Konstantin Kilimnik, a Kiev resident with Russian and Ukrainian citizenships, as a co-conspirator of Manafort's in attempts to tamper with two potential witnesses at the upcoming trial.

"Mueller's 'witch hunt' snags another witch," proclaimed a Washington Post headline. One of the leading Russiagate voice in Congress, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California), declared that the indictment shows Manafort "worked with a Russian with reported ties to Russian intelligence" to subvert US laws. Yet the indictment itself doesn't show any connections to Russia - or the 2016 election.

Kilimkin was previously identified only as "Person A," in the March sentencing memo for Manafort's business partner Rick Gates. The memo says the FBI agents assisting Mueller "assess that Person A has ties to a Russian intelligence service and had such ties in 2016."

The claims are based on Kilimkin's studies at a Soviet foreign language institute in the 1980s. However, Kilimkin denied any connections to intelligence agencies in a 2017 interview with the US government outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. He also revealed that before getting involved with Manafort and Gates in 2005, he worked for the International Republican Institute, a US-funded "democracy promotion" outfit led by Senator John McCain (R-Arizona).

Comment: Looks like Mueller is trying to light the fire by pressuring Manafort -- on any and all counts -- to make a deal and spill 'something'. A Mueller last gasp?

Read More...
Snakes in Suits

Giuliani tells Tel Aviv Mueller is trying to 'frame' Trump

Ashe Schow
The Daily Wire
Thu, 07 Jun 2018 00:00 UTC
Rudi Giuliani
© Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesTrump lawyer Rudy Giuliani
Is President Donald Trump getting framed? That's what former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani - now Trump's lawyer - told an audience in Tel Aviv, Israel on Wednesday.

Speaking to a friendly audience at the Globes capital market conference, Giuliani insisted that Trump is "innocent" of whatever special counsel Robert Mueller's team is looking into. Further, he suggested the whole investigation has become a setup.

"There are a group of 13 highly partisan Democrats that make up the Mueller team, excluding him [and] are trying very, very hard to frame him, to get him in trouble when he hasn't done anything wrong," Giuliani said.

Mueller and his team have been investigating Trump and his campaign for nearly two years to see if there was any illegal collusion with the Russian government to rig the 2016 election in his favor. One year into the investigation, the FBI broadened their scope to include potential financial crimes unrelated to the election.

"They can't emotionally come to grips with the fact that this whole thing with Russian collusion didn't happen," Giuliani went on to say. "They are trying to invent theories of obstruction of justice."

Comment: Welcome to the 'love the spotlight, love to hear myself say whatever' Giuliani show. How long is Trump going to put up with this one?

Read More...
Bad Guys

Russian MoD spokesman: Daesh continues resistance in Syria only in US-controlled areas


Sputnik
Sat, 09 Jun 2018 20:57 UTC
American soldier
© AP Photo / APTVThis Saturday, April 29, 2017 still taken from video, shows an American soldier standing on an armored vehicle in the northern village of Darbasiyah, Syria
Pockets of resistance of the Daesh* terrorist group in Syria are located only in areas controlled by the United States, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday.

The statement comes as US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday that the Syrian President Bashar Assad had visited a "disaster" "upon his people in Syria" with the help of Russia and Iran, noting that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was the "the only organization at the time that was able to throw" Daesh* in Syria.

"As for the current situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, we recommend the Pentagon chief to examine the map showing the situation in this country. All remaining pockets of resistance of Daesh terrorists in Syria are located only in areas controlled by the United States," Konashenkov said.
Read More...