Puppet MastersS


Chess

Putin resets Iraqi energy deals as Barzani steps aside


Al-Monitor
Sun, 29 Oct 2017 20:05 UTC
Russian President Vladimir Putin
© REUTERS/Sergei KarpukhinRussian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a session of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, Sept. 7, 2017
Russian steps, US misstep, in Iraq

Russian President Vladimir Putin repositioned himself as a key broker of Iraqi energy politics last week, while US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was scolded by the Iraqi government for his comments about Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU).

Given America's history and assets in Iraq, it seems a reach that Russia could be outflanking the United States in Iraq, as we suggested last week. But while Putin choreographs each move with a wary and calculating eye on Iran and the ever-shifting regional landscape, the United States limits its options by seeing every Iranian move as adversarial and in zero-sum terms, which only serves to frustrate Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who prefers that the United States and Iran not play out their hostility in Iraq.

So in the same week that Tillerson earned a rebuke from Abadi's office for saying "Iranian militias in Iraq" should "go home" - the prime minister's statement termed the PMU "Iraqi patriots" - Iraq and Russia signed an expansive energy and economic protocol. The agreement opened discussions of more favorable terms for Russian companies and contractors in Iraq involving electricity and hydropower plants, oil and gas fields, equipment and supplies. The protocol touched on Russian soft loans in support of these projects as long as Russia has the lead in building and running these plants and operations.

In addition to the Iraqi-Russian protocol, Rosneft announced that it would begin exploration and pilot production of its fields in Iraqi Kurdistan, which proved a minor irritant during Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's visit to Moscow on Oct. 23-25, as Marianna Belenkaya reports.
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Jet1

Watchdogs blast failing F-35 program, Pentagon acknowledges reports as accurate but says there's nothing to worry about


RT
Tue, 31 Oct 2017 18:51 UTC
F-35
© Pascal Rossignol / Reuters
The Pentagon has conceded that congressional watchdogs were "factually accurate" when they reported that the F-35 program is facing sustainability challenges but remain adamant that everything is under control.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report Friday, stating that the Department of Defense's (DoD) F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) is "facing sustainment challenges that are affecting warfighter readiness."

The review said the Pentagon's ability to repair F-35 parts at military depots are six years behind schedule, resulting in an average repair time of 172 days, twice the program's objective.

Comment: Incompetence seems to mark pathological organizations like white on rice.

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Eye 1

Six more US states join Hawaii's 'unconstitutional' travel ban challenge


RT
Tue, 31 Oct 2017 15:11 UTC
Travel ban
President Donald Trump's latest travel ban is facing another challenge in court, as six Democrat-majority states are seeking to intervene in Hawaii's lawsuit. California, Maryland, Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts and New York have jointly filed a motion to join Hawaii's lawsuit on the grounds that the ban is unconstitutional.

Comment: See also: US restarts visa processing after Hawaiian judge, again, blocks travel ban

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USA

SOTT Focus: Americans Love Perpetual Wars

Chris Kanthan
Sott.net
Tue, 31 Oct 2017 19:45 UTC
USA perpetual war
"With great power, comes great responsibility", that's a quote from the movie, Spiderman. The superpower known as America is a stranger to that concept however, because it can't stop waging incessant, futile wars. With the rapidity that change can occur in geopolitics these days, this callous American attitude can easily provoke a catastrophic global war. Although one can justifiably blame the elites for this debacle, equally culpable are the American people who loudly cheer or silently bless the perpetual wars. Selling a war in the U.S. is like giving out candies on Halloween.
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Propaganda

Russian media trolls Reuters' fake story: 'Sensation! Poroshenko dies in Syria'

Inessa Sinchougova
Fort Russ News
Tue, 31 Oct 2017 19:12 UTC
Reuters' fake story
The Reuters agency has recently run an article, claiming that the 131st Russian citizen has died in Syria since the beginning of 2017 - some of which were from private military companies (PMCs). While Russian private military companies do operate in Syria, and probably suffer some losses - this figure is considered unusually high. The below death certificate, allegedly signed by the Russian Consulate in Syria, was provided as Reuters evidence.

Reuters' fake document
Reuters' fake document
In the usual Reuters style, an "anonymous" Russian diplomat was cited as a source. Liberal, Ukrainian and other anti-Russian media enthusiastically picked up this story and published dozens of articles about Russia's "huge losses" in Syria.

At first instance, what stands out is the cause of death - "carbonization of the body." Carbonization occurs later as part of severe burns; medical professionals should in practice stipulate the cause of death itself and not post-mortum processes.
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Eye 2

Is 'terrorist' billionaire Soros preparing a new attack on Russia's national security?


Fort Russ
Mon, 30 Oct 2017 00:00 UTC
Soros
The famous financier George Soros has handed over $ 18 billion to the Open Society Foundation, which is included in the list of organizations that threaten Russia's national security.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Soros will not use these funds for speculation or investment in the market, as he has personal funds in the Soros Fund for this.

The Foundation itself argues that such infusions are necessary to ensure the functioning of the charity in the long run.

Soros is the founder and head of the hedge fund Soros Fund Management and is among the richest people in the world. Forbes estimates his fortune at $ 25 billion. At the same time, more than 100,000 people in the US, according to polls, recognize him as a terrorist because of his activities.

Comment: See also:

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USA

Same as the old boss - Trump's progress report one year later

John W. Whitehead
The Rutherford Institute
Tue, 31 Oct 2017 18:05 UTC
"Jesus! Where will it end? How low do you have to stoop in this country to be President? ... We've come to a point where every four years this national fever rises up - this hunger for the Saviour, the White Knight, the Man on Horseback - and whoever wins becomes so immensely powerful ... that when you vote for President today you're talking about giving a man dictatorial power for four years... The whole framework of the presidency is getting out of hand. It's come to the point where you almost can't run unless you can cause people to salivate and whip each other with big sticks. You almost have to be a rock star to get the kind of fever you need to survive in American politics." -Hunter S. Thompson, gonzo journalist
Donald Trump
© WSAZ
Here's the question I pose to you: has Donald Trump been a blessing or a curse to the architects of the American police state?

One thing is for sure: a year into his presidency, Trump hasn't done much to improve the lot of the American people.

The predators of the police state are still wreaking havoc on our freedoms, our communities, and our lives. The government still doesn't listen to the citizenry, it still refuses to abide by the Constitution, which is our rule of law, and it still treats the citizenry as a source of funding and little else. Police officers are still shooting unarmed citizens and their household pets. Government agents-including local police-are still being armed to the teeth and encouraged to act like soldiers on a battlefield. Bloated government agencies are still fleecing taxpayers. Government technicians are still spying on our emails and phone calls. Government contractors are still making a killing by waging endless wars abroad.

In other words, the American police state is still alive and well and flourishing.

Nothing has changed.

Rather than draining the corrupt swamps of Washington, as he repeatedly promised, Trump and his brand of reality TV politics have merely redirected our attention.

Trust me, the swamps are still stagnant with corruption.

Indeed, we are still the unwitting victims of a system so corrupt that those who stand up for the rule of law and aspire to transparency in government are in the minority. This corruption is so vast it spans all branches of government-from the power-hungry agencies under the executive branch and the corporate puppets within the legislative branch to a judiciary that is, more often than not, elitist and biased towards government entities and corporations.
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Network

Russia and China continue to bypass dollar dominance, extend currency swap agreement


RT
Tue, 31 Oct 2017 17:58 UTC
Yuan
© Petar Kujundzic / Reuters
Economic cooperation between Russia and China has been actively developing according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko. He says the sides are working to prolong the bilateral currency swap agreement.

"At present, financial regulators of the two countries are working on extending the bilateral currency swap agreement for the next three years," he said as Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev heads off on an official visit to China.

Prikhodko added that settlements in national currencies are gradually increasing. "In 2016, the share of national currencies in payments for exports of Russian goods and services amounted to 13 percent, imports, 16 percent. In the first quarter of 2017, these figures rose to 16 percent and 18 percent, respectively," he said.
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Padlock

Flashback Obama-appointed judge seals Fusion GPS bank records insulating Obama, Clinton, FBI


True Pundit
Sun, 29 Oct 2017 00:00 UTC
Judge Chutkan
© Diego M. Radzinschi / ALMU.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan
She donated campaign cash to Barack Obama. After his election, he appointed both her and her husband as judges. Looks like those moves are paying huge dividends.

The federal judge presiding over whether Congress gets to see the bank records behind the Trump Dossier company has placed the financial records under sealed protective order, effectively hiding them from the public and even most lawmakers. Only a select few lawmakers will get to see a select few GPS banking records.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is a long-time Barack Obama supporter and crony.

Her husband was appointed a judge by Obama too. And Chutkan also donated campaign funds to Obama prior to her and her spouse's appointments to the bench. Oh yeah, almost forgot: Her mother-in-law kicked in for Obama's presidential campaign too.

Fusion GPS itself has filed a motion to block the committee's attempts to subpoena its bank records, citing it would divulge the confidential client list of the company. Chutkan largely agreed. The mere fact that such a list could implicate Hillary Clinton and her former boss Obama is reason enough to believe Chutkan would opt on the side of The Swamp, in an effort to further protect Obama and his cartel which at this point may or may not include the federal judge who should have recused herself from the case.

Chutkan has a history of not recusing herself from cases with a direct and personal conflict so why would she stop now.

Comment: Judge Chutkan is the Obama gang's personal judicial linchpin.

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Arrow Down

Backfire! US attempted to refuel Iraq-Iran rift

MK Bhadrakumar
Indian Punchline
Thu, 26 Oct 2017 00:00 UTC
HaderalAbadi
© The Indian ExpressIraqi PM Hader al-Abadi
The US project to create rift between Iraq and Iran backfired just a couple of days of its launch from Riyadh on October 22 by the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Washington effectively sought out Saudi Arabia to project itself as counterweight to Iran in the Iraqi theatre, predicated on the presumption that Riyadh's offer to extend funding to 'rebuild' post-ISIS Iraq will be found irresistible by Baghdad. Washington fancied that Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is looking for ways to push back at Tehran, as his dependency on Iran's military support is diminishing with the defeat of ISIS.

Tillerson travelled to Riyadh in the weekend to be present as a special guest at the first inaugural meeting of the so-called Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Council. Things seemed to go well and Tillerson's remarks to the media exuded optimism. At a press conference in Riyadh, he said that the Saudi largesse will "strengthen Iraq as an independent and whole country... (and) this will in some ways counter some of the unproductive influences of Iran inside of Iraq." Tillerson then came to the point:
  • Certainly, Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fight against Daesh and ISIS is coming to a close, those militias need to go home. Any foreign fighters in Iraq need to go home and allow the Iraqi people to regain control of areas that had been overtaken by ISIS and Daesh that have now been liberated, allow the Iraqi people to rebuild their lives with the help of their neighbors. And I think this agreement that has been put in place between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iraq is a crucial element to assisting the Iraqi people to do that. (Transcript)

Comment: USrael is revealing its goals of 1) provoking Iran into confrontation and 2) fostering ongoing rifts and responses from those who will unwittingly set the stage.

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