Puppet MastersS


Cross

EU 'risks dying if it loses direction' - Pope Francis


RT
Sat, 25 Mar 2017 17:10 UTC
Pope Francis poses in the Sistine chapel during a meeting with EU leaders
© Osservatore Romano/ / ReutersPope Francis poses in the Sistine chapel during a meeting with EU leaders at the Vatican March 24, 2017
The Pope has condemned the rise of nationalism and anti-immigrant populism in Europe and has urged EU countries to show unity, as representatives from the 28-nation bloc gather to mark the 1957 Treaty of Rome.

March 25 marks 60 years since six countries - Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, West Germany and the Netherlands - signed the treaty, setting up the European Economic Community (EEC), which later gave rise to the European Union in 1991. Though the union is often credited with bringing peace and prosperity, recent challenges such as rising unemployment, austerity, Brexit and the ongoing migrant crisis have threatened the European project.

As 27 EU heads of state gathered to mark the occasion, Pope Francis addressed them in the Vatican, warning them not to lose focus.
Read More...
Light Sabers

Russia and China call UN Security Council's bluff by proposing investigation into chemical weapon use in Iraq

Rudy Panko
Russia Insider
Sat, 25 Mar 2017 17:00 UTC
unsc meeting
Russia and China have teamed up once again in the U.N. Security Council — and this time they called a rather embarrassing bluff.

On Friday, Moscow and Beijing proposed that a United Nations panel investigating chemical weapons use in Syria be extended to Iraq, a proposal that was immediately rejected by the U.K.

This came as a bit of a shock, because earlier the Security Council had expressed "unanimous concern" about Islamic State's use of chemical weapons in Iraq.
Read More...
Question

SOTT Focus: US 'Spring Storm', Ukraine Weapons Depot Explosion, Russia Snap Military Exercises Crimea: Connection?

Joe Quinn
Sott.net
Sat, 25 Mar 2017 18:02 UTC
Explosion Waffenlager Balakleja Charkiw Ukraine
© AP Photo/ Efrem LukatskyWeapons depot explosion in Kharkiv.
Has anyone noticed how the mainstream media tends to dispense 'news' stories to the public as if they were isolated incidents unconnected to anything else? Silly question, I know. After all, you're probably reading SOTT.net for that very reason (among others). There were a few significant events over the past week concerning Crimea and the ongoing geopolitical 'war' between the USA and Russia that fit this pattern of media obtuseness to a 'tee', with no context or dot connecting whatsoever, despite the fact that the connections were just screaming to be made.

First, the American landing ship, the USS Carter Hall, with marines on board, crossed the Bosporus Strait and arrived in the Black Sea last Friday for "joint drills with the Romanian Navy." As can be seen from video released of the exercises, these were on a large scale and involved other landing craft like hovercraft, not to mention air support from military jets.

Read More...
Yoda

Lavrov: Montenegro joining NATO shows it has succumbed to Washington's ultimatum

Richard Brandt
Russia Insider
Sat, 25 Mar 2017 16:52 UTC
Sergei Lavrov
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Montenegro's plan to join NATO shows that the country has "succumbed to the ultimatum of either Russia or NATO", according to reports.

Lavrov also noted that Montenegro's decision jeopardizes economic and political cooperation with Russia.

According to Lavrov:
"Montenegro has succumbed to the ultimatum - either Russia or NATO and decided to ignore the economic aspect and to sacrifice relations with Russia. Let the Montenegrin and NATO leaders have this decision on their conscience."
Next week the U.S. Senate is expected to ratify Montenegro's bid to join NATO.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson described Montenegro's membership as "strongly in the interests of the United States."

For a better understanding of what Lavrov means by Washington's "ultimatum", read this recent landmark speech that he gave about the changing landscape in geopolitics.
Read More...
Briefcase

Trump walks: Moving on to tax reform as House fails vote on Trumpcare

Ricky Twisdale
The Duran
Sat, 25 Mar 2017 15:53 UTC
trump
Donald Trump applies 'Art of the Deal' tactics as he walks away from health care reform - for the time being

A day after US president Donald Trump threatened to walk away from the negotiating table if the House of Representatives failed to vote on the health care reform bill he backed, he has made good on his promise.

Trump gave a press conference in the oval office late on Friday, announcing he was moving on to tackle tax reform.

Read More...
Gold Coins

Russia sees continued economic success, Russian Central Bank cuts key rate to 9.75%

Alexander Mercouris
The Duran
Sat, 25 Mar 2017 00:00 UTC
russian economy
© Sputnik/Anton Denisov

As inflation plunges and economy strengthens Russian Central Bank signals further interest rate reductions are pending.

A few weeks after the Russian Central Bank indicated that it was unlikely to cut its key rate before mid year, a cluster of good economic news have caused it to shave its key rate down today from 10% to 9.75%.

To be clear, this is a token cut that will not by itself make any difference to the state of economy. Its importance is that it clearly signals that more cuts are on the way. That may in itself act as a spur to growth, consolidating the recovery.

The state of Russia's economic statistics is at the moment one of confusion, with Rosstat - Russia's state statistical agency - admitting what many people - including myself - always suspected, that it had previously seriously overestimated the severity of the recent recession, which was significantly shorter and shallower than it had previously said. Rosstat is now in the process of undertaking a comprehensive review both of its methodology and of its earlier calculations. However this process is far from complete, so it is difficult at present to give a precise picture of the current state of the economy.
Read More...
Star of David

Senior Hamas member assassinated, Israel blamed - Hamas threatens 'to act'


RT
Sat, 25 Mar 2017 15:46 UTC
Hamas recruits
© Mohammed Salem / ReutersYoung Palestinians loyal to Hamas
Hamas has vowed retaliation following the death of a prominent member, who was shot near his home in the Gaza Strip on Friday. He had been serving a life sentence in Israel before being released in a prisoner swap in 2011.

Mazeh Faqha suffered four gunshot wounds to his head and was later pronounced dead in Tell al-Hama neighborhood of the Gaza Strip. It is understood that the perpetrators managed to flee and are now on the run. In the aftermath of the assassination, Gaza police cordoned off the scene and set up checkpoints hunting for suspects.

Iyad al-Bozum, Gaza's Interior Ministry spokesman, said an investigation into the circumstances of his death has been launched, without elaborating on possible affiliations and motives of the attackers.

While the search for the attackers continues, Hamas was quick to point to Israel as the only possible benefactor from the death of the official, accusing the Israeli authorities or its "collaborators" of being behind the assault.

"This assassination does not serve anybody but the [Israeli] occupiers, it is of no interest to the other parties," Khalil al-Haya, Hamas deputy chief in Gaza, said as cited by AFP.
Read More...
Heart - Black

Oklahoma senator resigns after being arrested for engaging in child prostitution


The Free Thought Project
Sat, 25 Mar 2017 15:28 UTC
Oklahoma state senator
© The Free Thought Project
The Oklahoma state senator charged last week with felony child prostitution resigned Wednesday, though Ralph Shortey's exit will not change the balance in the Republican-dominated state Senate.

Ralph Shortey, R-Oklahoma City, was arrested last week and charged with hiring a 17-year-old boy for sex after meeting him on Craigslist.

Police charged the 35-year-old married father of four with engaging in child prostitution, engaging in prostitution within 1,000 feet of a church, and transporting a minor for prostitution — all felonies.
Read More...
Footprints

Bernie Sanders solidifies his geriatric legacy by issuing a Twitter fatwah against Putin


Russia Insider
Mon, 20 Mar 2017 15:33 UTC
Sanders and Clinton
Never again
We'll keep this short.

Russia Insider always had a soft spot for Vermont Senator and "socialist" Bernie Sanders.

Yes, he supported the destruction of Yugoslavia; yes, he championed a wide range of dumb ideas.

But there was something magical about the way this frumpy Vermont grandpa exposed Hillary Clinton as a walking political joke.
Read More...
Wolf

Democrats flip the script on Republicans: Trade places on war and McCarthyism

Robert Parry
Consortium News
Thu, 23 Mar 2017 15:13 UTC
adam schiff
Adam Schiff, McCarthy wanna-be
The anti-Russia hysteria gripping the Democratic Party marks a "trading places" moment as the Democrats embrace the New Cold War and the New McCarthyism, flipping the script on Republicans.

Caught up in the frenzy to delegitimize Donald Trump by blaming his victory on Russian meddling, national Democrats are finishing the transformation of their party from one that was relatively supportive of peace to one pushing for war, including a confrontation with nuclear-armed Russia.

This "trading places" moment was obvious in watching the belligerent tone of Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee on Monday as they impugned the patriotism of any Trump adviser who may have communicated with anyone connected to Russia.

Ranking Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, acknowledged that there was no hard evidence of any Trump-Russia cabal, but he pressed ahead with what he called "circumstantial evidence of collusion," a kind of guilt-by-association conspiracy theory that made him look like a mild-mannered version of Joe McCarthy.
Read More...