Puppet MastersS


Handcuffs

One third of Turkey's judicial branch affiliated with Gulen movement, says top judicial official


PresTV
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 15:55 UTC
Ismail Rustu Cirit
© Photo by Anadolu news agencyChairman of the Turkish Supreme Court Ismail Rustu Cirit delivers a speech during a ceremony at the Supreme Court of Appeals in Ankara, Turkey, on September 5, 2017.
A high-ranking Turkish judicial official says almost one-third of the country's judicial staff have been affiliated to the movement of US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the Ankara government accuses of having masterminded the failed July 15 coup attempt.

On Tuesday, Chairman of the Supreme Court Ismail Rustu Cirit described it as "discouraging" that members of the Turkish judicial institution have had a role in acts of terror.

"There is nothing more confidence-shaking for the society than to see almost one-third of judges and prosecutors, who are supposed to be entirely trustworthy, have been involved in terrorist activities," Cirit commented.

During the July 15 botched putsch last year, a faction of the Turkish military declared that it had seized control of the country and the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was no more in charge. The attempt was, however, suppressed a few hours later.

Comment: Remember, when you hear 'Gulen', just replace that with 'US intelligence' and you'll get a picture of just how deeply the US has influenced Turkey's governance.

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MIB

Understaffed Intelligence Committees lean on ex-spies to oversee spy agencies

Tim Johnson and Ben Wieder
McClatchy
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 17:47 UTC
The seal of the Central Intelligence Agency at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va.
© Carolyn Kaster/Associated PressThe seal of the Central Intelligence Agency at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va.
Lawmakers assigned to oversee the sprawling U.S. intelligence apparatus rely strongly on a staff that in recent years has included scores of onetime spooks, analysts and lawyers who previously worked at the spy agencies under scrutiny.

According to a comprehensive analysis by McClatchy, at least one-third, and perhaps far more, of the professional staff members who carry out the work of the House and Senate intelligence committees are themselves veterans of the agencies that the two panels oversee.

That reliance raises questions about how effectively the two oversight committees carry out supervision of a swelling intelligence empire that now employs some 107,000 people with a combined budget projected to reach $78.4 billion next year.

Some national security experts see little problem as long as the spy agencies thwart any repeat of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks - and so far, the agencies have succeeded. Their triumphs are secret, and largely unheralded.
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Arrow Up

Putin calls out US folly - 'Low political culture' of American leaders

Finian Cunningham
Sputnik News
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 17:35 UTC
President Vladimir Putin
© AP Photo/Wu HongRussian President Vladimir Putin attends the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries on the sideline of the BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China, Sept. 5, 2017.
Speaking at the BRICS summit this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin deplored the "low political culture" of American leaders.

"It is difficult to dialogue with such people," said Putin, adding: "You can do nothing about it."

Less diplomatically, what the Russian president was lamenting is this: the incorrigible stupidity of US leaders.

To say that is not merely about making a facetious swipe at American politicians. Far more seriously, it points to how difficult and dangerous international relations are when a major party is so evidently obtuse to reason and facts.

As if to illustrate the point, while Putin was castigating American low political culture, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, was opening her mouth to release more of her habitually inane remarks.

Haley told the UN Security Council on Monday that North Korea "was begging for war" and she affected a hilariously innocent pose, saying: "War is never something the United States wants."

What? This is from an envoy whose country has been in a state of permanent war over the past two decades, and which at times has been bombing seven countries simultaneously in flagrant violation of international law.

For the American envoy to make such a patently false rendering of reality is beyond stupid. It is dangerously delusional. This is what Putin was referring to when he said it is difficult to dialogue with such people. It's like trying to reason with someone who's psychotic.
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Info

Russia drafts UN Security Council resolution to send peacekeepers to eastern Ukraine


RT
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 17:12 UTC
UN peacekeeper
© Reuters
Russia has proposed a draft resolution to the UN Security Council on sending UN peacekeepers to eastern Ukraine, to provide security for the OSCE monitoring mission after President Putin voiced the idea.

Russia has introduced a draft resolution to the UN Security Council (UNSC) on the establishment of a UN mission that would provide security for Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitors working in eastern Ukraine, the Russian UN envoy, Vasily Nebenzya, told journalists.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Foreign Ministry to submit the draft after voicing the idea at a press conference following the three-day BRICS summit in the Chinese city of Xiamen.

"I consider the presence of peacekeepers, or rather people who would provide security for the OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] mission, absolutely appropriate, and see nothing wrong with it," the Russian leader said.
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Bad Guys

A 'conspiracy theory' no more: Google is the NSA's branch of information warfare

Phil Butler
New Eastern Outlook
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 16:18 UTC
google cia nsa
Google wants to be Big Brother's eyeballs on you. All us Internet gurus knew this since before the NSA was found out spying on everybody. But now the Mountain View boys are more determined than ever to filter your information, and to obliterate any semblance of truth reaching people.

If I had led into an article with that paragraph even five years ago, I'd have been instantly labeled a "conspiracy theorist" or worse. How about now dear reader? Is the idea the technocrats and their huge monied handlers want to run you crazy? I didn't think so. But if you need proof beyond the obvious, Google'S 160-page handbook tells us all exactly how they plan to spoon feed us only "their" news. The lengthy handbook is a heavy read for the average person, but the book does lay out an Orwellian machination unlike anything seen since the Nazi propaganda machine of Hitler. Pay close attention to the "instructional" on page 108 where Google dictates who does and does not meet rating criteria. The section under Fails to Meet (FailsM) is a steamrolling of the free press, and suggested hiding certain kinds of sites:
"Pages that directly contradict well established historical facts (e.g., unsubstantiated conspiracy theories), unless the query clearly indicates the user is seeking an alternative viewpoint."

Comment: The above is not a surprise to the keen information warrior. It should be noted that even with the vast resources of the NSA, CIA, etc. that they've gone into overdrive in trying to maintain their hold on information. In doing so, they continually reveal themselves to a growing portion of the population.

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Info

Putin explains reluctance to reveal presidential campaign plans


RT
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 15:44 UTC
Vladimir Putin
© Grygory Sysoev / Sputnik
Vladimir Putin has said that he does not want to announce his plans concerning the 2018 presidential elections because this could paralyze all political and administrative work in the country.

"I have said it before and I can say it again - as soon as they announce election campaigns in our country, everyone immediately stops working. I know this firsthand," the Russian president told reporters at a press conference after the BRICS summit in China.

"This is because they all start thinking about what will happen after the elections, who will be working where. But we have to work right now, everyone in his place, be active and never let your attention get away from your field of work," Putin added.

"I am sure that those who want to participate in the presidential elections will announce this in the time that is set in the law."
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Info

BRICS consider expanding construction of high-speed Eurasian railway

Adam Garrie
The Duran
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 15:20 UTC
High speed train
The issue which will be discussed during the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia seeks to pool the strength of the BRICS with the ambition of One Belt-One Road.

China's One Belt-One Road trading and commerce initiative has seen China extend high speed rail and modern highway networks in its own country as well as in that of neighboring Pakistan. The ever expanding China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a testament to the power of modern infrastructure projects to unite Asian partners.

Transporting goods across Russia's expansive territory is a further goal of One Belt-One Road. The practical realities of easily achieving this are largely predicated on constructing ultra-modern railways which would begin in China, travel through Russia, with a terminus in Europe.
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Info

China cracks down on cryptocurrencies with halt on initial coin offerings


RT
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 15:08 UTC
CoinDesk app
© Yuya Shin / Reuters
Beijing has outlawed raising funds through launches of token-based digital currencies or so-called initial coin offerings (ICOs). The ban means trading and usage of all cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, could now be illegal in China.

The People's Bank of China (PBOC) said in a statement ICOs are "essentially a form of non-approved illegal public financing behavior and raises suspicions of illegal selling of notes and bills, illegal securities issuance, illegal deposit-taking, financial fraud, illegal direct marketing and related criminal activity."

It added that individuals and organizations that have completed ICO fundraisings should make arrangements to return the money.
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Footprints

Key Trump aide's departure said to leave West Wing 'off-balance'

Shannon Pettypiece and Jennifer Jacobs
Bloomberg
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 14:56 UTC
Keith Schiller
© Mandel Ngan/Agence France-PresseFormer Trump bodyguard Schiller leaving for security business
President Donald Trump's allies are worried that the most damaging of the many recent departures from his White House may be that of Keith Schiller, a little-known former bodyguard who's one of the president's closest confidants outside his family.

Schiller is leaving the White House soon to return to the private security business, according to three people familiar with his plans, for a job that will pay far more than his $165,000 government salary. His title, director of Oval Office operations, hardly begins to describe his importance to Trump, who is "crushed" by his planned departure, according to one person close to the president.

Multiple people interviewed described Schiller as an emotional anchor for the president in a White House often marked by turmoil. Schiller has worked for Trump for nearly two decades, and within the West Wing he serves as the president's protector, gate-keeper and wing man, according to people close to Schiller and Trump. Most of the people requested anonymity to candidly discuss relationships between the president and his aides.

"He's a confidant and friend," said Stuart Jolly, a former national field director for Trump's presidential campaign. Trump "trusts Keith, and Keith trusts him. Trust is a really big deal at that level."

Comment:

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Star of David

Israel's 'Submarine Affair' scandal continues to send shock waves through political and security establishment


Sputnik
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 15:02 UTC
netanyahu
© AP Photo/ Dan Balilty
Like the submarines and ships involved, it is a scandal that continues to send shock waves through Israel's political and security establishment. The probe into Tel Aviv's multi-million-dollar purchases of naval vessels from Germany - also known as Case 3000 - has now taken another dramatic twist.

A former Israel minister and the former deputy head national security adviser, Avriel Bar-Yosef, have been questioned on September 4, 2017, in connection with alleged financial illegalities. It later emerged that a political media adviser of a sitting minister has also been quizzed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's former bureau chief, David Sharan, was arrested on Sunday, September 3, on suspicion of accepting bribes in the highly-embarrassing case.
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