Puppet MastersS


Rocket

President of Iran: 'We built - are building - and will build missiles'


RT
Sun, 29 Oct 2017 13:04 UTC
Rouhani and missiles
© Evening Standard
Iran will not back down and stop producing missiles and stockpiling or "using" any weapons to defend itself, as this does not violate any international deals, President Hassan Rouhani said.

Speaking on state TV Sunday, the defiant president said that Iranians "have built, are building and will continue to build missiles," which, according to Rouhani, does not violate international agreements. "We will produce any weapons of any kind that we need and stockpile it and use it at any time to defend ourselves," Rouhani added. The statement comes as tensions between Tehran and Washington grow and the rhetoric becomes harsher.

On Thursday, the US House of Representatives almost unanimously voted for new sanctions on Tehran's ballistic missile program. The document - the Iran Ballistic Missiles and International Sanctions Enforcement Act - was introduced in March.

"A key Iranian strategy is to enhance their ballistic missile capabilities to further their regional hegemonic ambitions," Congressman Scott Taylor said. According to him, the bill targets and undercuts Iran's attempts "by identifying and sanctioning the companies, banks, and individuals assisting Iran's missile programs."


Comment: "Hegemonic ambitions". Really? Iran is not the county with over 1000 military bases around the world. And Iran is not the country threatening others with nuclear obliteration.


Comment: Israel's lackey is conflating concepts to serve a geopolitical end game of demonizing and provoking Iran.

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Binoculars

Tehran: UN nuclear watchdog chief to meet with Iranian leadership


RFE/RL
Sun, 29 Oct 2017 12:43 UTC
Amano
© unknownInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano
The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has arrived in Tehran for talks with senior Iranian officials, as opposition from the United States threatens to undermine a landmark international agreement to limit Iran's nuclear program.

Yukiya Amano, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), "will focus on the IAEA's verification and monitoring of Iran's implementation" of the 2015 accord, the IAEA said on October 25. The visit comes amid a dispute between Washington and Tehran over U.S. President Donald Trump's decision this month not to certify Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers.

Trump, in a long-awaited Iran-policy speech on October 13, assailed Tehran as a "rogue regime" and threatened to walk away from the deal if what he called "serious flaws" are not fixed. He slammed Tehran for what he said are violations of the "spirit" of the agreement, in part for its continued testing of ballistic missiles and its support for extremists in the Middle East.

The U.S. Congress now has fewer than 60 days to decide whether to reimpose economic sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under the deal.
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Network

Viktor Orban: 'Soros network' plots creating 'a Europe of mixed population'


RT
Sun, 29 Oct 2017 19:05 UTC
JunckerSoros
© Olivier Hoslet / ReutersEU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and U.S. financier George Soros
A network run by American-Hungarian financier George Soros has vast influence over EU bodies in Brussels and nurtures the creation of a "Europe of mixed population" by encouraging immigration, Hungary's Prime Minister has argued.

Speaking to Radio Kossuth Friday, Viktor Orban launched yet another verbal attack on George Soros, calling him a 'political puppet master' having vast influence over EU's top institutions.

Soros' people have infiltrated the European Parliament and other bodies of the 28-member bloc, Orban claimed, seeking to create "a Europe of mixed population" and have Budapest "condemned and forced to change its migration policy."

More than 200 members of European Parliament have been listed by Soros' "empire" as "friends to the network," Orban went on. "There are quite a few of them in the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee [LIBE], including Hungarians," he said.

Orban, who will seek a fourth term as Hungary's Prime Minister next year, said he has directed the country's secret services to investigate the "Soros empire" and "to expose it to the public." "By employing the national security services, the Soros network that strives to influence European life should be exposed," Orban said. "Who are these Hungarians who are participating in this process from here, within Hungary?" he asked.

Comment: See also:

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Magnify

Cindy Sheehan interview: 'Anti-Russian campaign is horrible'

David Walsh
World Socialist Web Site
Mon, 23 Oct 2017 00:00 UTC
Cindy Sheehan
© Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox - blogger
On October 19, WSWS journalist David Walsh spoke to Cindy Sheehan, the antiwar activist whose 24-year-old son, Casey, was killed during the Iraq War in early April 2004.

A little over a year after this tragedy, in August 2005, Sheehan came to prominence when she set up an antiwar camp, Camp Casey, outside George W. Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. The month-long protest focused the attention of large numbers of people, in the US and around the world, on the human cost of the neocolonial invasion and occupation of Iraq.

When, in May 2007, the Democrats in Congress facilitated the authorization of an additional $100 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Sheehan was outraged. In an open letter May 26 to the congressional Democrats announcing her departure from that party, she wrote, "You think giving him [Bush] more money is politically expedient, but it is a moral abomination and every second the occupation of Iraq endures, you all have more blood on your hands."

Recently on her blog, Sheehan denounced actor/director Rob Reiner and actor Morgan Freeman for their video, announcing the formation of the "Committee to Investigate Russia." This organization, which includes extreme right-wingers and assorted warmongers, was formed, according to the foul video, to help "Americans understand the gravity of Russia's continuing attacks on democracy." Freeman intones, "We have been attacked. We are... at war," and proceeds from there.

In her comment, Sheehan recounted her experience with Reiner and his wife, Michele, who approached her in 2005 and attempted to bring her into the Hillary Clinton for president camp. As she noted on her blog and below, when she rejected that attempt, they ultimately reneged on their promises of assistance.

Sheehan concluded her piece, "Reiner et al, are enemies of truth; they are enemies of peace; they are enemies of true democracy; they should be exposed and shamed."

Comment: Cindy Sheehan offers clarity and integrity in the face and fist of mainstream political persuasion and message.

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Magnify

House Intel Committee will examine financial records of firm responsible for Trump-Russia dossier


RT
Sat, 28 Oct 2017 23:14 UTC
Glenn Simpson
© Heavy.comGlenn Simpson
The US House Intelligence Committee has reached agreement to obtain the bank records of the Washington-based research firm Fusion GPS, responsible for the infamous Trump-Moscow collusion dossier which has reportedly been partly funded by the Clinton campaign.

The congressional panel will get access to Fusion GPS bank account records as part of its investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election, Jack Langer, a spokesman for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, said in a statement Saturday.

On Friday, a federal judge had given an unnamed bank more time to respond to the Committee's subpoena to Fusion GPS, AP reported.

Earlier, Republican-funded journalism website, The Washington Free Beacon, confirmed it has been paying Fusion GPS from the fall of 2015 to the spring of 2016 for research on then presidential candidate Donald Trump. However, the website insisted the enquiry had no Russian angle at that time.

Nevertheless, alleged collusion between Trump and the Russians became the focus of the research after it was then taken over by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) later last spring, and handed over to former British spy Christopher Steele to drive forward.

Comment: See also: Detailed timeline shows when Clinton and DNC started the 'Russian Dossier' - bears sole responsibility for it

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Info

First charges reportedly filed in US probe into so-called Russian election meddling - UPDATE: Rumors say Manafort targeted


RFE/RL
Sat, 28 Oct 2017 17:42 UTC
Robert Mueller
© Reuters
U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has filed charges for the first time against an unidentified target of his investigation into Russian meddling in last year's U.S. presidential election, media reported late on October 27.

CNN and Reuters, citing anonymous sources who were "briefed on the matter," reported that a federal grand jury in Washington approved the first indictment in the Mueller investigation, which was launched in May under a mandate from the Justice Department to maintain independence in addressing possible violations of law by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.

CNN, the first to report on the indictment, said the nature of the charges was "unclear." It said they were still sealed under orders from a federal judge, and plans were made on October 27 for anyone charged to be taken into custody next week, possibly as soon as October 30.

Comment: Jack Posobiec claims his DC sources tell him Manafort will be charged for something related to a bad condo/real estate deal - unrelated to the Trump-Russia probe.





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Cut

Twitter vs. RT: Time to hit the corporate refresh button on the social media monopoly?

Adam Garrie
The Duran
Sat, 28 Oct 2017 13:58 UTC
Twitter versus RT
The war on RT: A childish crusade pushing a dangerous agenda
News producers, like authors, musicians, painters, photographers and other people in creative or current events trades, often do not take into account how the technology used to convey one's content, often dictates the very nature of the context itself.

Consider how the invention of magnetic tape recording created a boom in the sales of symphonic music, because the supreme fidelity of such tapes allowed a more accurate recreation of the sound of a live concert vis-a-vis previous formats, which were rendered instantly obsolete. Consider how the advent of television led to film makers changing the way films were made, forcing studios, directors and producers to offer new enticements to people including more visually and sonically impact stimuli in the cinema.

It was the invention of increasingly inexpensive and portable video-tape records as well as broadcast satellites that led to a revolution in how people consumed the news. The age of printed papers and news reels which needed to be filmed, developed and then physically distributed, were at once made obsolete by the ability to broadcast sound and picture from multiple parts of the globe, all at one time.
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Black Cat

Detailed timeline shows when Clinton and DNC started the 'Russian Dossier' - bears sole responsibility for it

Chuck Ross
The Daily Caller
Sat, 28 Oct 2017 17:54 UTC
Hilldossier cover
© Unknown
There has been much confusion in the media - and thereby, the public - about who funded the infamous Trump dossier. Some outlets have incorrectly reported that Republicans began financing the dossier before the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee took over last Spring.

But that is incorrect. Democrats are solely responsible for the dossier, which was passed around by their research firm, Fusion GPS, to Beltway reporters and select lawmakers during the heat of the presidential campaign.

Here is the definitive timeline of how it all transpired.

Comment:

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Cult

US pushing for Saudis to rebuild Raqqa - danger that Wahhabi radicalist may be put in charge

Whitney Webb
MintPress News
Fri, 27 Oct 2017 16:59 UTC
raqqa destroyed
© Asmaa Waguih/Associated PRessA traffic roundabout in the city of Raqqa, Syria, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. U.S.-backed fighters were removing land mines and clearing roads in the northern city a day after commanders said they had driven ISIS from its de facto capital.
With the U.S. intent on freezing the Syrian government out of the Raqqa rebuilding process, it has now looked to the Saudis for funding and planning. The Saudi point man for the project is a known anti-Shiite sectarian, espousing much of the belief system of the ousted Daesh terrorists.

The fight to free the Syrian city of Raqqa from Daesh (ISIS) - by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by U.S. special forces - has all but ended. With Raqqa now under SDF control, the question has become how to rebuild the former Daesh stronghold. The reconstruction of Raqqa will undoubtedly last longer than the siege to free it, as thousands of U.S. air and artillery strikes pounded much of the city into rubble. During August alone, a U.S. coalition bomb, missile or artillery round was fired into Raqqa on average every eight minutes.

Unable to deny its role in the city's rather destructive "liberation," the U.S. government has claimed that it will lead the way in clearing the rubble it created and restore basic services, such as water and electricity that were cut off during the bombardment. Last Tuesday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters, "We will assist and take, essentially, the lead in bringing back the water, electricity and all of that."
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Arrow Up

Rare blend of intelligence and integrity: Why Vladimir Putin deserves a Nobel Peace Prize

Robert Bridge
Strategic Culture Foundation
Thu, 19 Oct 2017 00:00 UTC
putin
For many years, and despite all evidence to the contrary, the Western media has forwarded the inane idea that Vladimir Putin ranks in the same club with some of history's most loathsome creatures, up to and including Hitler.

The reality is that the Russian leader has done more to promote the cause of global peace and security than any other Western leader in recent times. That explains why he is the object of such intense scorn.

Putin's rise as a statesman of the first magnitude began, oddly enough, with the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 on the United States. Since that day, Washington has taken advantage of that national tragedy to achieve specific geopolitical ends, the majority of them - coincidentally or not - diametrically opposed to Russia's own national security. Moscow, for its part, was expected to serve as nothing more participatory than a captive audience to the US war machine as it began its destruction tour through the Middle East, most notably in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In late 2013, the tide began to turn, as the violence began to roost on Russia's doorstep. Kiev had suddenly erupted in protests against the government of then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, whose only crime had been to suspend the implementation of an association agreement with the European Union.

Comment: See also:

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