Puppet MastersS


Dominoes

Russia's Duma considering forcing foreign media outlets to register as foreign agents


RT
Tue, 14 Nov 2017 17:01 UTC
dw office berlin
© Tobias Schwarz / Reuters"Deutsche Welle" (DW) office in Berlin
A new Russian bill regulating mass media would not automatically register foreign media outlets as foreign agents, but their refusal to do so would prevent them from working in Russia, one of the key sponsors of the legislation has said.

Deputy Duma Speaker Pyotr Tolstoy (United Russia) told Interfax on Tuesday that the new draft would not automatically mark all foreign mass media as foreign agents.

"No, the criteria used in the bill [for identifying foreign agents] are having foreign owners among the company's shareholders or any money transfers from a foreign state or foreign state agencies - even when this happens through an intermediary company registered in Russia," the lawmaker said, noting that the list of the criteria can still be expanded.

Comment: As the saying goes, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. The Americans can hardly complain about this since it would have never happened if they weren't trying to get rid of RT and Sputnik as alternative media sources in the US.

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Megaphone

Will they ever stop saying "Putin invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea?"

Chris Kanthan
Russia Insider
Mon, 13 Nov 2017 09:46 UTC
Crimea referendum
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it" - Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minister. This is perfectly applicable to the accusations about Russia and Putin regarding Ukraine. Every pundit and politician keeps repeating the mantra that Putin invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea. However, like many big lies, this narrative quickly falls apart under objective scrutiny.

Putin did not "invade" Crimea in 2014. Russia has a naval base in Sevastopol, Crimea, and thus it's normal for Russian soldiers to be in Crimea.

Crimea wasn't even truly a part of Ukraine. It was known as the "Autonomous Republic of Crimea" after the dissolution of the USSR.

Putin did not "annex" Crimea. Crimea had a referendum and the people overwhelmingly (>95%) chose to go with Russia.

Why the referendum was not "rigged": More than 75% of Crimeans speak Russian as their native language. Obviously they would choose to join Russia. There's also intense and overt anti-Russian racism in Ukraine. For example, since 2014, Ukraine has banned Russian TV stations, Russian social media, websites, etc.

Even without the ethnic factor, deciding whether to join Russia or Ukraine is a no-brainer - it's similar to asking a region if they want to be a part of the U.S. or Mexico.

Comment: 3 years later and they're still making these false claims. It's quite clear that the Crimea referendum was legit and the people voted to return to Russia. See also:

U.S. needs to stop lying about Crimea
Austrian opposition party chairman calls Crimea's reunification with Russia legitimate
Crimean gov't official: Russia's sovereignty over Crimea cannot be questioned by other states
Third anniversary of Crimean referendum: 'Everyone I spoke with in Crimea wanted to secede from Ukraine'

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Archaeology

Theresa May government 'smells of decline' as scandals and Brexit conflicts escalate


RT
Mon, 13 Nov 2017 20:34 UTC
Theresa May
© Reuters / Toby MelvilleTheresa May is facing a tough week after cabinet ministers resigned and the EU gave an ultimatum
Theresa May is heading into what looks like the toughest week of her career so far, with her cabinet crumbling and a coup closing in around Downing Street.

Dozens of Tories are lining up to agree to a vote of no confidence, according to reports over the weekend, while even May's allies are piling on pressure from behind the scenes. As many as 40 are believed to be backing calls for May to get the boot.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Environment Secretary Michael Gove have been turning up the heat by pushing the prime minister over Brexit. A leaked letter, reported to have been sent to May after the October conference, showed the pair have been working together to lean on the PM.
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Gear

NATO inadequate? EU launches its own military alliance


RT
Mon, 13 Nov 2017 13:27 UTC
EU military
© New York Times/KJN
The EU has moved a step closer towards having a joint military force by signing an agreement on a permanent command structure. PESCO, or Permanent Structured Cooperation, was signed by 23 members of the 28-strong European Union on Monday.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini supported the move, hailing it as an "historic moment." Backed by a €5-billion ($6.5-billion) EU defense fund, PESCO "will enable member states to use the economy of scale of Europe and in this manner to fulfil the gap of output that we have."

The agreement signed by 23 defense ministers in Brussels will come into force in December, after which members will be legally bound to participate in projects under PESCO.

Work on the agreement started last year amid uncertainty over the UK's decision to withdraw from the European Union, and US President Donald Trump's continued criticism of European NATO members for failing to deliver on defense-spending commitments.

European heavyweights Germany and France are leading the effort to bring the EU closer to having a permanent joint armed force. The UK, which has been opposing a pan-European military force for decades, is not part of the agreement. Denmark, Ireland, Portugal, and Malta opted out; while Austria, not a member of NATO, agreed to join at the last moment.

Comment: New stabilizer? Or an additional authoritarian layer binding countries to specific military mandates?

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Star of David

Netanyahu to US, Russia: Israel will continue 'acting in Syria'


RT
Mon, 13 Nov 2017 20:39 UTC
Netty
© AP/MintPress News
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says he has made clear to the US and Russia that Tel Aviv will continue to "act in Syria." It comes after Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin reaffirmed joint efforts to support a ceasefire in the Syrian region bordering Israel and Jordan.

"We are controlling our borders, we are protecting our country and we will continue to do so, "Netanyahu said in remarks to members of his right-wing Likud party Monday, as quoted by Reuters. "I have also informed our friends, firstly in Washington and also our friends in Moscow, that Israel will act in Syria, including in southern Syria, according to our understanding and according to our security needs."

His comments come after Trump and Putin released a joint statement Saturday, stating that Washington and Moscow had reaffirmed their joint efforts to stabilize Syria as its civil war continues to abate. This includes the expansion of a truce in the southwestern Syrian region which borders Israel and Jordan.

Comment: Netanyahu appears willing to antagonize a military response from Syrian allies to validate its argument of vulnerability to Iran, Hezbollah and the Shia militias.

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Nuke

UN confirms, again, Iran in compliance with nuclear deal amid calls to renegotiate P5+1


RT
Mon, 13 Nov 2017 22:12 UTC
Nuclear iran UN
© WTAP
Iran has remained within the limits of the 2015 nuclear deal struck with six world powers, a fresh report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said, amid new calls to renegotiate the strategic accord.

Iran "has not enriched" uranium above prescribed levels, stated the confidential quarterly IAEA document, issued Sunday and seen by AFP and Reuters. Tehran's stockpile of enriched uranium was under the agreed limit of 300 kilograms envisaged in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the IAEA added.

Iran is cooperating with the IAEA, as its inspectors experienced no barriers in gaining access to the desired nuclear sites in the country. The UN watchdog, previously, confirmed Tehran's compliance with the agreement on numerous occasions, underlining that it's being subjected to the "world's most robust nuclear verification regime."

Sunday's report was the first issued by IAEA after Donald Trump refused to recertify Iran's compliance with the accord in October, citing "multiple violations" by Tehran. The president gave Congress 60 days to consider whether the US should re-impose sanctions on Iran, even hinting at Washington's complete withdrawal from the deal. The US also imposed a fresh set of restrictions against the Islamic republic, unrelated to its nuclear program. Trump has been critical of the agreement, calling it "the worst deal ever" because, as he says, it affords Tehran unfair advantages.

Comment: A deal is a deal, and if the stipulations are met...it is a done deal.

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Attention

'Do not publish' documents reveal details of US-Mexico wall


RT
Mon, 13 Nov 2017 20:45 UTC
wall map
© Army Corp of Engineers
Newly released documents reveal details about the Trump administration's plans for a border wall in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. A May 2017 map produced by the US Army Corps of Engineers shows the wall will impact homeowners and wildlife sanctuaries.

Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and published by The Texas Observer show plans to build 33 miles of wall in 15 segments. Many are marked "Do not publish under FOIA."

The wall is slated to cut through three wildlife preserves, including the Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, and the National Butterfly Center, which announced in October that would sue the federal government to stop construction.

A 2.24-mile (3.6km) section of wall would impact a church and cemetery, as well as numerous homes. Another section of the wall would bisect an RV park, impacting "upwards of 100 homeowners," according to the document. "Nice RV park, many retirees live there permanently," the document's notes read.
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Mr. Potato

Best of the Web: Someone in Russia sent some tweets, Theresa May warns the entire Western world may crumble


RT
Tue, 14 Nov 2017 15:06 UTC
Theresa May
Sorry Theresa, it's gonna take more than flashing a bit flesh to convince people you're a normal human being.
Theresa May deployed two methods of distraction at the Lord Mayor's Banquet speech in London: a flash of prime ministerial shoulder flesh in a racy, lacy ensemble, and Russia. She warned that Western democracy could soon crumble due to some tweets and Photoshop.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May did offer reassurance to everyone in Britain: "I have a very simple message for Russia, we know what you are doing and you will not succeed."

You could hear the sigh of relief. With May showing she doesn't have a clue what she herself is doing, Britain can at least take solace in the fact she knows what someone else is up to.
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Dollar Gold

Post-9/11 war debt will cost US $8 trillion in interest alone!

Jason Ditz
MintPress News
Mon, 13 Nov 2017 14:29 UTC
US military
The cost of America's global war on terror has yet to be reckoned with, and there's a very good reason for that. By and large, the US has not been paying for all of these wars, but rather has been borrowing to pay for the conflict.

In the long run that's going to be expensive. Paying off the war is going to mean not only paying the prices of the conflict but the massive interest accrued in borrowing the cost of those wars.
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Star of David

Israel is seeking a 'leadership role' of the Sunni bloc as it agitates for war with Iran

Jonathan Cook
Jonathan Cook
Fri, 10 Nov 2017 00:00 UTC
leaked cable
Leaked cable shows Israel told diplomats to support Saudi Arabia's war of words with Iran and Lebanese group Hezbollah

Israel has instructed its overseas embassies to lobby their respective host countries in support of Saudi Arabia and its apparent efforts to destabilise Lebanon, a recently leaked diplomatic cable shows.

The cable appears to be the first formal confirmation of rumors that Israel and Saudi Arabia are colluding to stoke tensions in the region.

Sent by the Israeli foreign ministry and disclosed by Israel's Channel 10 news this week, the cable demanded that diplomats stress Iran and Hezbollah's engagement in "regional subversion".


Comment: See: Leaked Israeli diplomatic cable reveals Saudi-Israeli plans to provoke war with Iran and demonize Hezbollah


That closely echoes accusations Riyadh leveled against Tehran and the Lebanese faction in recent days.

Analysts have noted that diplomatic moves by Israel to intervene directly in a seemingly internal Arab matter are "very rare".

Comment: Whatever "clout" Israel has on the world stage is rapidly deteriorating. But even though her leaders know this, the pathological will for hegemony in the Middle East seems to go unabated...

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