Puppet MastersS


Mr. Potato

Flea climbing an elephant's backside: Ukraine threatens Russia with war if gas transit stops


RT
Thu, 26 Apr 2018 21:29 UTC
kiev march euromaidan
© SputnikA march in Kiev to mark the anniversary of the beginning of Euromaidan
Kiev has warned Moscow of 'geopolitical consequences' if Gazprom ceases gas transits through the territory of Ukraine.

"If there is no transit through the territory of Ukraine, then the likelihood of a full-scale conflict between Russia and Ukraine is also increasing. European politicians need to understand not only the economic consequences for Ukraine, but also geopolitical consequences for the whole world," the commercial director at Ukraine's main gas company Naftogaz Yuri Vitrenko told the 112 Ukraine TV channel.

The gas-transit contract between Kiev and Moscow expires in 2019. Gazprom said on Tuesday that the contract will not be extended under any circumstances. The company added that the gas transit may remain, but only if Ukraine provides the necessary conditions for it.
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Better Earth

Hungary's 'return home' migration and Middle East investment policies supported by Syrian government


Sputnik
Thu, 26 Apr 2018 17:09 UTC
hungary syria
© Sputnik / Michael Alaeddin
Hungary's decision to fund the construction of a hospital in Syria and its calls for the European Union (EU) to rebuild the war-torn country instead of encouraging migration have been met with support from the Syrian government, according to a governmental source in Damascus.

The Syrian government backs Budapest's approach to handling and ending the migrant crisis, a source in the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) told Sputnik reporter and columnist Suliman Mulhem on Thursday.

"We fully support Hungary's efforts and approach to helping Syrian migrants return home, instead of destabilizing Syria with sanctions and encouraging Syrians to flee to Europe, as the EU has done," the source told Sputnik on the condition of anonymity.

Comment: Russia is also in agreement; as are a growing number of countries from the EU to the US - it's just the bizarre beauracrats in the West who seem to believe that mass migration is a good thing, when neither the host country nor, for the most part, the refugee's and the migrants themselves, seem to agree. Also check out SOTT radio's: The Truth Perspective: Weapons of Mass Migration: Interview with Michael Springmann on Europe's Migrant Crisis

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Rose

No more war: Two Koreas agree on complete denuclearization


RT
Fri, 27 Apr 2018 09:45 UTC
Moon Jae-in, Kim Jong Un
© ReutersSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
A new era of peace is beginning, according to a declaration signed by the leaders of North and South Korea after their first meeting in over a decade. Both nations are aiming to completely denuclearize the Korean peninsula. "South and North Korea affirmed their shared objective of achieving a nuclear-free Korean peninsula through complete denuclearization," reads the declaration signed by the leaders of the two countries, as cited by Yonhap. "There will be no more war on the Korean peninsula, and a new age of peace has opened," the document adds.

The two sides also agreed to hold multi-party talks, involving the US and China, in their push for a full-scale truce. Pyongyang and Seoul are also to have high-level military talks in May. In an ambitious statement after the signing ceremony, Kim said he hopes that the two Koreas will reunite. The states separated after the WWII and have remained hostile since the Korean War ended with an armistice, rather than a peace treaty, in 1953. "Terminating the current state of the truce and establishing a firm peace regime is a historic task that [the two Koreas] can no longer delay," the leaders pointed out.

Comment: Kim left a note in the guest book of the "peace house", before a meeting behind closed doors began: "A new history starts now. An age of peace from the starting point of history."

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Light Sabers

Best of the Web: 'Let us build a better world': Historic meeting between North and South Korea leaders kicks off


RT
Fri, 27 Apr 2018 09:56 UTC
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shakes hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in
© Host Broadcaster via ReutersNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un shakes hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, April 27, 2018
The much-awaited summit between Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in has begun in the "truce village" of Panmunjom. It is the first time the leaders of the two nations sat down for talks in over a decade.

The first inter-Korean summit since 2007, when Kim's late father Kim Il-sung met then-South Korean leader Roh Moo-hyun, is drawing all the eyes, coming ahead of the highly anticipated meeting between Kim and US President Donald Trump.

North Korea's nuclear program, whose rapid advancement triggered belligerent threats from the US President, ramping up tensions in the peninsula to the boiling point in late 2017, is expected to dominate the Friday meeting, which is taking place less than a week after Pyongyang announced a freeze of all nuclear and missile exercises and a closure of a major test site.

The meeting is also of a high symbolic value. By crossing the South Korean border on foot to be greeted by Moon on the other side, Kim makes history, becoming the first North Korean leader to set foot on South Korean soil since the war between the two ended in 1953.


Comment: North Korea's leader further suggested that they hold regular summits:
"Let us meet more often. Let us build a better world," Im Jong-seok quoted Kim as saying at a briefing after the first round of talks ended in the border village of Panmunjom

According to Seoul, Kim told Moon that Pyongyang "won't interrupt your early morning sleep anymore," referring to missile tests.

Moon, in his turn, offered, among other things, to link the railroads of the two countries, the spokesman said.

He said the two countries continue working on a joint statement.

"Both sides decided to continue working discussions on drawing up a joint declaration. If the statement appears, it will be signed and jointly published by the two sides' leaders," the spokesman said.
Let's watch that historic moment one more time...



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Bad Guys

Ominous bill restricting criticism of Israel sneaks through South Carolina Senate

Alison Weir
If Americans Knew Blog
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 14:08 UTC
South carolina senate
South Carolina State Representative Alan Clemmons, a real estate attorney who has been called “Israel’s biggest supporter in a U.S. state legislature,” tells Representatives that his bill won’t interfere with free speech. Many experts disagree.
The South Carolina Senate has recently passed legislation that changes the definition of anti-Semitism to include criticism of Israel, and then applies this new definition to college campuses in a manner that experts say will impede free academic inquiry. The U.S. gives Israel over $10 million per day, and Congress frequently approves increases to that amount; restricting discussion on this issue could serve to bolster and increase these expenditures.

The legislation codifies a definition of anti-Semitism that significantly changes the meaning of the word, and it requires the state's colleges to use this new definition when determining whether an action is "discriminatory" and therefore prohibited. This new definition declares statements that are critical of Israel - even when factual- "anti-Semitic" and therefore impermissible.

A bill on this passed in the state House of Representatives, but when promoters failed to pass it in the state Senate, they resorted to a parliamentary maneuver that may have broken their own rules. They inserted the text at the last minute in South Carolina's 545-page General Appropriations bill, which is considered a "must-pass" bill because it is required for state government to function. The insertion is on page 348, sandwiched between a section on "Statewide Higher Education Repair and Renovation" and a section that specifies the amount of money appropriated to one of the state's colleges.

Comment: Those opposing the bill have every right to be concerned. It is quite evident Israel has in the past done what it can in perception management, playing 'anti-semitism' card to diffuse any criticism of it or its policies such that they are allowed carte blanche to disregard international law and continue with its oppressive policies. The introduction of such a bill into state colleges serves to further that aim, shutting down dialogue where it's needed even more. See also:

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Jet1

US strategic bombers fly close to S. China Sea as tensions over Taiwan mount - China says the situation is under control


RT
Fri, 27 Apr 2018 09:36 UTC
U.S. bomber B-52
© Ints Kalnins / ReutersU.S. bomber B-52
The US Air Force has said that its B-52H bombers returned from a training mission they conducted near the disputed South China Sea, a resource-rich waterway that China lays claim to along with Taiwan and several other countries.

The nuclear-capable US strategic bombers were scrambled from Andersen Air Force Base in the US territory of Guam on Tuesday and proceeded to the "vicinity of the South China Sea" for a drill, the US Air Force said on Thursday, as cited by Reuters. The B-52s then took a turn to Okinawa, a Japanese island several hundred kilometers from China, where they joined USAF F-15C Strike Eagle fighter jets on a training mission before returning to Guam.

Commenting on the flyover, the US Air Force stressed that the mission was entirely "in accordance with international law" and was necessary "to maintain the readiness of US forces" that have been present in the region since 2004.

Comment: The Chinese Air Force has stated that the country's fighter jets, reconnaissance planes and bombers have taken part in "combat drills" around Taiwan as part of a series of exercises "to strengthen its capacity to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Speaking at a monthly press conference, Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said that the Chinese military had introduced into service the DF-26 intermediate range ballistic missiles, dubbed "Guam killer" in Chinese media for its ability to attack the US naval base in the Pacific Ocean both with a conventional or nuclear weapon.

"The series of operations we are carrying out is directed against Taiwan independence forces and activities in the island. Their purpose is to prevent that the Taiwan independence forces' plot damages the welfare of the Taiwanese people. If the independence forces continue to wantonly take rash actions, we will take further action," Qian said.


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Black Cat

SOTT Focus: A Question for Mrs May: Did Britain Really Drop Bombs on a Chemical Weapons Facility?

Rob Slane
The Blogmire
Thu, 26 Apr 2018 03:51 UTC
bombed out building
© Hassan Ammar/Agence France-PresseA Syrian soldier films the damage to the Syrian Scientific Research Centre which was attacked by US., British and French military strikes in Barzeh, near Damascus, Syria.
On April 14th, shortly after the United Kingdom, United States and France bombed the sovereign country of Syria, on the basis of unproven allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Douma on 7th April, the British Prime Minister, Theresa May made the following comment in her official statement:
"Together we have hit a specific and limited set of targets. They were a chemical weapons storage and production facility, a key chemical weapons research centre and a military bunker involved in chemical weapons attacks. Hitting these targets with the force that we have deployed will significantly degrade the Syrian Regime's ability to research, develop and deploy chemical weapons" [my emphasis].
It seemed to me when I heard these words - and the passage of time has not altered this impression - that Mrs May was admitting to one of two actions, either of which ought to see her removed from office.

Comment: The same questions needs to be asked of Presidents Trump and Macron.

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Star of David

SOTT Focus: March of Return: Israel's Officially Sanctioned Use of Deadly Force Against Palestinians Delivers Deadly Blow to Its Credibility

Corey Schink
Sott.net
Fri, 27 Apr 2018 00:04 UTC
protest gaza snipers
© ReutersMassacre in Gaza
In early 2018 a Palestinian by the name of Ahmad Abu Artema reportedly posted on his Facebook page his personal vision for thousands of Palestinians to march in honor of the 42nd anniversary of Land Day, which commemorates the first time a mass movement of Palestinians protested peacefully for their right to return to their ancestral homes. The original march was shrouded in violence, but Artema had a vision of a different way that Gazans could air their legitimate grievances, and many Gaza shared it.

Artema's vision was simple: that Israelis and Palestinians could live together, as one people. Artema stated:
"If you want my personal opinion, I don't believe in liberation [of land in Israel]. I believe in ending the apartheid system in Israel like the end of the apartheid system in South Africa, and we live all in one democratic state," Artema said in an interview in Gaza City. "I want to live with Israelis."
As the Facebook post went viral and organizers began to work towards making it a reality, a decision was made to decrease tensions by camping out hundreds of meters from the Israeli border, celebrating, marching, and 'creating a new culture'.

Artema's noble ideals however were not viewed as such by the Israeli government and military. Since March 20th, nearly 3,000 Palestinians have been injured and - at the time of writing - 39 have been killed as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) turned Palestinians peaceful protests into a bloody shooting gallery. Let's not kid ourselves - the 'March of Return' has been yet another macabre step in the slow eradication of Palestine and its people. Perhaps what differentiates it from others before it is that the world is watching as the IDF picks off protesters (and members of the media) in broad daylight. On this occasion, there were no 'military targets' that later 'turned out to be schools, or farms, or factories'. The Israeli authorities have provided little justification for their use of deadly force against transparently civilian targets.
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Mr. Potato

US intelligence uses "social media sites" as its proof that there are cargo flights from Iran to Syria, assumes they must be flying in weapons

Barbara Starr
CNN
Wed, 25 Apr 2018 10:57 UTC
cargo flight iran air
US intelligence is monitoring a series of cargo flights from Iran into Syria that the US suspects may be carrying weapons systems into Syria for potential use by Bashar al-Assad's regime or Iranian forces, CNN has learned.

An administration official confirms to CNN that the flights took place and the US and Israel are both concerned the cargo could potentially include weapons that could eventually be used to threaten Israel.


Comment: Since when was Syria threatening Israel? War Propaganda: The false BBC report that gave Israel the excuse to attack Syria


While weapons shipments into Syria are not uncommon, these flights involving Iran have caught the attention of US intelligence because they occurred in the days after the April 13 US airstrikes on Assad regime targets. Rhetoric between Iran and Israel has also escalated in recent weeks over Tehran's involvement in areas of Syria that can be used to potentially launch missiles or aircraft that could target Israel.

Comment: See: Joe Quinn on PressTV: 'Macron in Washington to Convince Trump Not to Break Iran Deal'

Also check out:

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Cow Skull

'Crocodile tears': Boris Johnson slammed over hypocritical tweet on Yemen deaths


RT
Thu, 26 Apr 2018 12:20 UTC
Yemeni malnourished child
© Mohammed Hamoud / GettyA Yemeni malnourished child gets medical treatment as he lies in his mother's hands in the country's capital Sana'a.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has been accused of "sickening hypocrisy" after tweeting he is "saddened" by news of Yemeni civilians being killed by the Saudi Arabia-led bombardment of the country.

Up to 20 people were reported killed after a Saudi-led coalition airstrike targeted a wedding party in Hajja, a northern province of Yemen, on Sunday. The bride was among the dead.

Another attack on Saturday in the Mouza district, a western area of the country near the city of Taiz, killed another 20 when a fighter jet bombed a bus carrying commuters.

The UK has licensed £4.6 billion (US$6.4 billion) worth of arms to the Saudis since they intervened in the civil war in support of the Yemen government.

Comment: Boris Johnson never misses an opportunity to say or do something incredibly stupid or damaging to the world at large. His continued employment as Foreign Secretary of the UK is a testament to that nation's utterly immoral, pathological and idiotic approach to governance and foreign policy. Good god - they couldn't do better than to get this buffoon on the job!?

See this short survey of BoJo's many egregious blunders:

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