Puppet MastersS


No Entry

EU may not be 'right group' for Hungary - member state


RT
Tue, 23 Jul 2024 11:30 UTC
Elina Valtonen
The Finnish Foreign minister, Elina Valtonen
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen has said Budapest's views do not correspond with the bloc's official line

The EU may not be the "right reference group" for Hungary, considering the apparent divergence in views between Budapest and the bloc, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen has suggested. She accused Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban of giving the impression that he was representing the EU during his recent visits to Russia and China to discuss the Ukraine conflict.

Speaking after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, Valtonen stressed that Hungary - which currently holds the rotating EU presidency - is not entitled to represent the 27-nation bloc as its foreign policy views "do not correspond to the official line of the union."

"Of course, it is up to the individual country to do so," Valtonen told the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper. "But at some point, it may be worth asking whether the European Union is the right reference group if the ideas differ so fundamentally from our common values."


Comment: Our common values? What values exactly are they and are they as common and shared as they want people to believe?


Comment: The EU wants war at any cost, it seems. Yet the more they push that agenda, the more resistance there will be as it has real socio-economic consequences that EU citizens have to carry. This will inevitably lead to more nations wanting out of such a destructive union.

About the Finnish Foreign minister, Elina Valtonen:
Prior to entering politics in 2014, Valtonen spent 10 years in investment banking, as a director at Royal Bank of Scotland and as a senior analyst at Nordea.[6] She has developed a model for transforming the welfare state into a digital sharing economy, called the Life Account.[7] In 2018, she participated in a Bilderberg Meeting in Turin.
It appears that she fits the mold of a young globalist leader.

Read More...
Firetruck

German Foreign Ministry sets up 'crisis group' in case of Trump comeback - FT


RT
Mon, 22 Jul 2024 12:46 UTC
Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Germany
© Falko Siewert/Getty ImagesFILE PHOTO.
Officials in Berlin had reportedly been in denial about the GOP frontrunner's growing chances of becoming the next US president

The German Foreign Ministry has created a "kind of informal crisis group" to prepare for the potential return to the White House of Republican frontrunner and former US President Donald Trump, the Financial Times has reported. According to the British newspaper, Berlin is feeling increasingly isolated, fearing that a Trump presidency could jeopardize its export-oriented economy, as well as pulling the rug from under NATO's feet.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, US President Joe Biden announced that he would not seek reelection on November 5. The 81-year-old veteran politician was facing growing pressure from within the Democratic Party to step aside in the wake of his bungled performance during last month's debate against Trump.

Comment:

From the article:
Another major cause for concern in Berlin, the FT claims, is the prospect of a Trump administration reducing America's contributions to NATO, as well as its military support for Ukraine.
From the same source, there is an article that discusses what might happen if the Trump becomes president.
20 Jul, 2024 22:00
Ukraine crisis is EU's problem - Trump 'envoy'

Ukraine crisis is EU's problem - Trump 'envoy'Kiev is in the bloc's "backyard" and the ongoing conflict is its business, Richard Grenell says

Ukraine is in the EU's "backyard" and solving the ongoing crisis should be considered its responsibility, a close associate of US presidential candidate Donald Trump, Richard Grenell, believes.

Grenell, who held several senior diplomatic posts during Trump's first tenure and is now widely regarded as his "envoy" and likely pick for the Secretary of State, should the Republican win the elections, made the remarks in an interview with German tabloid Bild on Friday. Among other things, the diplomat suggested Ukraine was largely the EU's "responsibility" and not Washington's.

"It's in your backyard. If there was a war in Mexico, we would do most, if not all, of the job. And we certainly wouldn't ask the Germans for help if there was a war in Mexico," Grenell stated.

"There were no wars in Europe during Donald Trump's time in office," he pointed out, insisting that the continent had fared better during the previous president's administration.

Grenell also criticized the incumbent, Joe Biden, for his apparent lack of any effort to engage in diplomacy with Russia or talk to President Vladimir Putin.

"Biden has not spoken to [Putin] in three years. I think talking to people is a tactic. Not the goal, not the solution - but it gets us there," he suggested.

Grenell has been rather vocal about the Ukrainian conflict lately, floating a proposal earlier this month on how exactly the hostilities could be brought to an end. The diplomat said Ukraine should not become a member of NATO any time soon, and that transforming the country into a federation of sorts with more autonomous regions could be the key to ending the hostilities.

"Autonomous regions can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but you got to work through those details," Grenell stated during a Bloomberg News roundtable.

The proposal received a cold response in Moscow, with Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissing it as an attempt to re-imagine the long-defunct 2014-15 Minsk Agreements. The deal, which had provided a roadmap out of the conflict in then-Ukrainian Donbass, was ultimately revealed both by Kiev and its Western backers to be a mere ruse to buy time for arming Ukraine.

"Where were you, Rick, when the Minsk agreements dedicated to exactly this were on the table of the international community, and Russia did its best in support of them and called for finding a form of federalization of Ukraine to preserve its integrity?" Zakharova wrote in a Telegram post.
Among most EU Governments, Germany included, talks of peace in Ukraine are not popular. As an expression of the general trend, there was: EU wants to remove Hungary from presidency - Erdogan including:
Erdogan recalled his own meeting with Orban on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Washington earlier this month. The Hungarian Prime Minister had shared his plans to go and meet US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump as well, Erdogan said.

"The next day, they started to criticize Viktor Orban intensely. They said, "He said this, he said that, we do not agree with what Viktor said, what he said is not true."
Orban was deemed guilty of breaking ranks by visiting Kiev, Moscow, and Beijing to explore the possibilities for peace. Paying Donald Trump a visit was apparently the tipping point for a minor storm to break.

The NATO summit in Washington ended two days before the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. If they had known what they know now, would they have been more open to what Victor Orban intended to do?

No matter if it is economy or foreign policy, the "informal crisis group" set up in Germany will have a lot to talk about.

Read More...
Bad Guys

Officers abandoned roof where Trump would-be assassin took aim "because it was too hot" - whistleblowers

Hannah Nightingale
The Post Millennial
Mon, 22 Jul 2024 07:39 UTC
Senator Josh Hawley
"In fact, the whistleblower alleges that at least one individual was specifically assigned to the roof for the duration of the rally, but this person abandoned his or her post due to the hot weather."

Whistleblowers have revealed to Senator Josh Hawley that on the day of the attempted Trump assassination, law enforcement personnel were allegedly supposed to be stationed on the roof of the building where gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire, but abandoned the area citing concerns over the heat.

"Since my last correspondence to you on July 19, additional whistleblowers have contacted my office with troubling information about the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump," Hawley's letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas read.

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Bad Guys

EU wants to remove Hungary from presidency - Erdogan


RT
Mon, 22 Jul 2024 12:15 UTC
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives for the 2024 NATO Summit on July 10, 2024 in Washington DC.
© Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives for the 2024 NATO Summit on July 10, 2024 in Washington DC.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Ukraine "peace mission" has outraged the bloc's leaders

The European Union is looking for ways to remove Hungary from the bloc's presidency over Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Ukraine "peace mission", Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told media on Sunday.

Budapest currently holds the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, the body that defines the bloc's overall political direction and priorities.

Comment: Earlier, there was: Türkiye's Erdogan is teaching his NATO "allies" some unpleasant truths
See also: In 10 years, will people in the EU say that Orban was ahead of his time? Maybe, but for now the European media and politicians are gearing up for more defence spending and continued conflict.

Read More...
Gavel

What the top UN court's ruling means for Israel

Tarik Cyril Amar
RT
Sun, 21 Jul 2024 13:03 UTC
Soldier
© Israeli Army/AFPIsraeli soldier during military operations in the Gaza Strip • Conflict between Israel and Hamas
Though non-binding, the ICJ's rulings on the ongoing Gaza massacre strip away the Jewish state's ability to obfuscate its crimes.

The 15 judges of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest judicial organ of the United Nations, have issued what everyone agrees is a landmark finding. "Legal Consequences Arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem," is, in essence, a devastating condemnation of Israel's policies and crimes in the territories which it conquered more than half a century ago, as a consequence of the Six Day War of 1967, which it still holds today.

The ICJ finding also, inevitably, means (whether the judges intend it or not) that not only Israel's policy in these specific territories, but the Zionist project as such, is based on the irreparable injustice of violently depriving the Palestinians of their inalienable right to national self-determination. Make no mistake, this is not "merely" a blow to the crimes of Israeli occupation and annexation; it calls into question the foundations of Israel as a state, as it is built around the systematic defiance of justice, law, and elementary ethics.

One feature enhancing the impact of the ICJ finding is its comprehensiveness. The 80-page document is the outcome of a long and thorough process that started in late 2022, when the General Assembly of the UN requested what is known as an "advisory opinion." Detailed and closely argued, the findings are based, among other things, on the combined expertise of some of the best jurists in the world and hearings that involved almost 60 states. (Israel, clearly aware that its position was less than promising and generally contemptuous of international law, shunned the opportunity to state its case, which adds to the absurdity of its current rage over the result.)

Comment: One word: 'When"? Justice can't come soon enough.

Read More...
Star of David

Israel's 'long arm' will reach enemies anywhere - Netanyahu


RT
Sat, 20 Jul 2024 23:50 UTC
netifinger
© Chad Zwigenberg/APIsraeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu
The strike on Yemen was a demonstration of West Jerusalem's determination to punish any aggressor, the prime minister has warned.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised the Israel Defense Forces for carrying out a "precise and successful operation" over 1,700 kilometers away from the country's borders, which he says serves as a clear warning to all enemies of the Jewish state.

The Israeli military launched its first-ever direct large-scale air raid against Yemen on Saturday, targeting the port city of Hodeidah. The attack triggered a massive fire at the port's oil terminal and left at least 80 people injured, according to a preliminary tally by the health ministry in Sanaa.

Netanyahu, in a video statement released on Saturday evening, claimed:
"The port we attacked is not an innocent port. It was used for military purposes, it was used as an entry point for deadly weapons supplied to the Houthis by Iran.

"This strike comes in direct response to the killer drone attack yesterday that killed one person and injured several others a hundred yards from the US Consulate in Tel Aviv."
The Israeli leader spoke just several days before he is scheduled to give a speech before the US Congress in Washington, DC.

Comment: Israel strikes the port city of Hoedidah, Yemen, as response to Houthi militants:
The Israeli military on Saturday staged its first-ever direct large-scale air raid on the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, sparking a massive fire at the port's oil terminal and other facilities.

The strikes are a response to attacks on Israeli-linked civilian vessels, as well as long-range missile and drone strikes on the country by the Yemen-based Houthi militant group, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
blaze
© Ansarullah Media Center/AFPYemeni port city of Hodeidah, Yemen • July 20, 2024
"A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the area of the Hodeidah port in Yemen in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months."
Footage circulating online suggests the strikes were concentrated at the port's sprawling oil terminal, with multiple storage tanks seen ablaze.

The flames spread later on, with the burning fuel apparently leaking out of the ruptured tanks and producing single wall of fire. The attack is believed to have inflicted casualties on the ground, according to local media reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the strike later in the day, alleging that the port had been used by the Houthis to receive weaponry from Iran.

He also mentioned a recent drone strike on Tel Aviv, which killed one person and injured at least ten near the US Embassy branch office in the city. The drone attack was touted by the Houthis as a "significant military operation" with a new drone capable of "bypassing the enemy's interception systems."
See also:
Israel strikes Yemen port and fuel depot causing huge explosions, follows Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv

Read More...
No Entry

US Secret Service denied Trump extra protection - NYT


RT
Sun, 21 Jul 2024 11:36 UTC
SS agents
© Evan Vucci/APUS Secret Service agents surround the stage during Trump's campaign rally • Butler, Pennsylvania • July 13, 2024
The Republican presidential frontrunner narrowly avoided death when a would-be assassin opened fire on him during a campaign rally last Saturday.

The US Secret Service has acknowledged that it repeatedly denied Republican frontrunner and former President Donald Trump additional protection since he left office, the New York Times has reported, citing the agency's chief spokesperson. The official reportedly attributed the supposed security lapse to the service being overstretched.

Trump narrowly avoided death at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, when a would-be assassin's bullet clipped his ear as it whizzed past his head. Firing from a rooftop around 500 feet (150 meters) from the stage, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks killed one spectator at the rally and wounded two others before he was shot dead by Secret Service snipers.

In its article on Saturday, the New York Times quoted US Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi as admitting that the agency had turned down several requests for additional federal security assets sought by Trump's detail over the past few years. Its representative allegedly pointed out that the requests in question did not relate directly to the rally in Butler.

Comment: From slanted rooftop to slippery slope, Secret Service doesn't make the grade.

Read More...
Red Flag

Kennedy accuses US Democrats of 'rigging' nomination


RT
Mon, 22 Jul 2024 03:24 UTC
RobertFK
© Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesRFK Jr. campaign rally • Brazos Hall • May 13, 2024 • Austin, Texas
Endorsing the "monumentally unpopular" Kamala Harris is the easiest way to secure the war chest, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has claimed.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has accused the Democratic Party of "anointing a candidate hand-picked by elites" and urged them to return to an "open process" of selecting a nominee for the upcoming November elections — while also claiming that only he can beat former President Trump.

Following US President Biden's announcement on Sunday that he would not be seeking re-election, RFK Jr. commended him "for stepping down," saying that Biden's "infirmities were evident to any unbiased observer from the beginning."

RFK Jr., who initially entered the presidential race as a Democrat but dropped out after being blocked by the party from challenging Biden in the primaries, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday:
"It was this progressive deterioration — and his abandonment of Democratic Party principles — that prompted me to enter the race and ensure American voters had a viable, vigorous alternative to Donald Trump."
He then slammed the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for "rigging" the nomination process by getting "a monumentally unpopular vice president to step into President Biden's shoes," arguing that "it's the easiest way to hold onto the money," referring to campaign finance rules that make transferring funds from the incumbent president to his running mate possible during the election cycle.

Comment: Wake up RFK! The Dem Party is trying to rescue itself with its own incompetence.

Read More...
TV

BBC correspondent exposes 'collapse of journalistic norms' after 7 Oct


The Cradle
Mon, 22 Jul 2024 17:35 UTC
BBC palestine gaza
© ShutterstockBBC presenters interviewing Israeli guests consistently failed to interject when unverified claims were made on air following the events of 7 October.
Leaked emails published by Jadaliyya on 18 July reveal grievances expressed by BBC staff over the UK broadcaster's coverage of Israel's genocide of Palestinians in Gaza since 7 October.

In a 1 May email, BBC correspondent in Beirut, Rami Ruhayem, wrote to the broadcaster's Director General Tim Davie and several other departments of its news staff, detailing "evidence of a collapse in the application of basic standards and norms of journalism that seems aligned with Israel's propaganda strategy."

He highlights that BBC staff did not respond to "a mass of evidence-based critique of coverage" on 7 October and the days that followed.

"Instead of putting together mechanisms for a thorough examination of output, and for inclusive, respectful, and professional discussions guided by [BBC] standards and values, it appears management has opted to oversee a continuation of the editorial direction the BBC has taken since October," Ruhayem's email added.

Comment: Time and again the BBC have revealed themselves to be little more than the establishment's propaganda wing, and an increasing number of UK license payers know it. Dissatisfaction with the media entity has never been higher.

However it seems that even more exposes and scandals may be needed before the majority, once and for all, refuse to be forced to pay for the pleasure of being propagndised:

Read More...
AK47

SOTT Focus: Assassination Eye-witness: Police Are Lying About Rooftop Confrontation of Alleged Sniper

Benjamin Wetmore
The Gateway Pundit
Sat, 20 Jul 2024 15:29 UTC
crooks roof open window second building trump assassination
A reader sent in this image, which shows both the open window from the sniper location on the second floor, and the body of the alleged sniper on the roof with the rifle nearby.
"The guys on the second floor were watching - but they didn't do anything!"

Last Saturday, in Butler, Pennsylvania, President Trump was shot in the ear and narrowly saved from a fatal head wound from an assassin's bullet. Retired firefighter Corey Comperatore was fatally struck by a bullet, and two other pro-Trump rally-goers were seriously injured.

Over the last week, much of the federal narrative has broken down trying to explain the events. As the sniper's body was recovered on the roof of the American Glass Research company's warehouse in Butler, Pennsylvania, within a few days it emerged that snipers were in the second floor overlooking the sniper's body in an adjoining building.

One often-repeated part of the official story is that a Butler County Sheriff's Deputy climbed on top of the roof moments prior to the shooting to confront alleged shooter Thomas Crooks, and Crooks responded by pointing a weapon at the Deputy, who then fell off of an eight-foot ladder

Comment: Incompetence or setup? Police and SS were using different radio frequencies to "communicate".





Read More...