Puppet MastersS


Attention

Insane war-maniac Lindsey Graham says the US should "destroy North Korea itself"


RT
Tue, 01 Aug 2017 16:49 UTC
Lindsey Graham
The top US Senate Democrat has called on President Donald Trump to block Chinese business deals until Beijing gets more aggressive toward Pyongyang, while a leading Republican hawk is talking about destroying North Korea itself.

Foreign policy in the US is squarely in the domain of the executive branch. However, the Senate recently sought to limit Trump's options by passing a bill imposing sanctions on North Korea, Iran, and Russia that the president could not undo without congressional approval.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-North Carolina) is now saying that Trump told him personally he would be willing to go to war in North Korea.

Comment: Graham is making it clear as day who the madman is. When an individual incites violence on a local scale, he's hauled off to jail. When a politician does it, he's given a national platform from the media and consistently re-elected. These guys deserve a padded room!

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Cross

Sunday School at the White House: "Most evangelical" cabinet in history attends weekly Bible studies program

Jennifer Wishon
CBN News
Mon, 31 Jul 2017 16:54 UTC
Ralph Drollinger
A spiritual awakening is underway at the White House.

Some of the most powerful people in America have been gathering weekly to learn more about God's Word, and this Trump Cabinet Bible study is making history.

They've been called the most evangelical Cabinet in history - men and women who don't mince words when it comes to where they stand on God and the Bible.

Ralph Drollinger of Capitol Ministries told CBN News, "These are godly individuals that God has risen to a position of prominence in our culture."

They're all handpicked by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

"I don't think Donald Trump has figured out that he chained himself to the Apostle Paul," Drollinger laughed.

Comment: It probably wouldn't be such a bad idea if Trump chained himself to Paul - but the Paul of his actual letters, not the creation of the evangelists. For example: "Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others" (Phil. 2:4). Paul probably would have had some choice words for modern evangelicals were he around today. People like Drollinger are convinced they are doing "God's work", but the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and chances are if you think you know "God's will", you're deluding yourself. The result is just another ponerogenic movement, like the Dominionist "C Street Family".

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Gear

Iran delegation: US violated nuclear deal, advises "appropriate response"


Tasnim News Agency
Tue, 01 Aug 2017 16:38 UTC
Hassan Rouhani
The Iranian committee monitoring the JCPOA implementation came up with a detailed plan on Monday to take measures in response to a bill the US Congress has passed to impose new sanctions on Tehran.

The Iranian delegation monitoring the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany), convened in Tehran on Monday to discuss a recent US Congressional bill imposing new sanctions against Iran.

Senior Iranian officials in the meeting, chaired by President Hassan Rouhani, were briefed on reports by the Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) about the latest status of the US bill and its consequences.
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Dominoes

After CIA stops funding, terrorists defect to Assad's army


Sputnik
Mon, 31 Jul 2017 16:07 UTC
daesh
© REUTERS/ Omar Sanadiki
The ending of the Central Intelligence Agency's covert bankrolling of Syrian insurgent groups has produced a truly bizarre development - a number of rebels have defected to President Bashar al-Assad's forces, in a clear demonstration of just how fundamental US taxpayer dollars were to the war.

A number of fighters hailing from the Revolution Commando Army - formerly the New Syrian Army - abandoned their posts and defected to the government side during the week commencing July 24.

The group not only received CIA funds, but was also trained by US special operations personnel, under the direction of Pentagon.
The Amazon Washington Post fabricated the facts on my ending massive, dangerous, and wasteful payments to Syrian rebels fighting Assad.....

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017
CIA backing of the NSA/RCA was long-suspected - in 2016, observers noted fighters belonging to the group were equipped with US-made small arms and tactical terrain vehicles other rebel groups typically lacked - although it was only when US President Donald Trump canceled the program it was effectively officially confirmed.
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Briefcase

Qatar: Complaint filed with WTO, challenges Gulf trade blockade


RT
Tue, 01 Aug 2017 09:18 UTC
Qatar
© BBC
A wide-ranging legal complaint has been filed by Qatar with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Monday to challenge the trade boycott by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, according to the director of Qatar's WTO office Ali Alwaleed al-Thani. Al-Thani told Reuters "we've given sufficient time to hear the legal explanations on how these measures are in compliance with their commitments, to no satisfactory result."

By formally "requesting consultations" with the three countries, Doha triggered a 60-day deadline for them to settle the complaint or face litigation at the WTO and potential retaliatory trade sanctions.

"We have always called for dialogue, for negotiations, and this is part of our strategy to talk to the members concerned and to gain more information on these measures, the legality of these measures, and to find a solution to resolve the dispute," al-Thani added.

Comment: Qatar is responding with the tools that are available. A two-year period for litigation may prod the players to find wisdom and circumstances to modify. Whatever the outcome, this rupture has created a defining moment not easily navigated nor forgotten.

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Eiffel Tower

Nowhere to 'go': France mandated to provide sanitation facilities to Calais migrants by Conseil d'Etat


RT
Mon, 31 Jul 2017 14:57 UTC
migrant camp
© Daily Sabah
The French government must provide migrants sleeping rough in the city of Calais with water and sanitation facilities, the country's highest administrative court has ruled. Authorities have warned that could lead to emergence of new 'Jungle'-type camp.

The Conseil d'Etat (Council of State) upheld a June 26 ruling by a lower court in Lille, which ruled that the state must supply migrants with running water, toilets and showers.

The Interior Ministry and the city of Calais previously appealed the court's ruling, claiming that providing such services would lead to new 'Jungles', referring to the notorious migrant camp that was bulldozed in the port city last October.

The Council of State said in a Monday statement that poor conditions currently being experienced by migrants in the city "reveal a failure by the public authorities that has exposed these people to inhuman or degrading treatment," Reuters reported. "These shortcomings are a serious and unlawful infringement on a fundamental freedom," it continued, stating that the lower court had been within its rights to rule that the government must provide migrants with water and sanitation facilities.

Comment: You break it, you fix it or at least take responsibility for it. Have the French forgotten their part in creating the migrant problem? Have they stopped colluding with Western imperialism that does Israel's bidding? Have they yet to understand that the refugee and migrant exodus is part of a plan to destabilize Europe? Providing toilets are the least of their problems. The whole situation is one big flusher.

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Colosseum

Sports must go on: Qatar to be ready for 2022 World Cup despite blockade


RT
Mon, 31 Jul 2017 10:02 UTC
Unfinished stadium
© Ibraheem Al Omari / ReutersIt's all a game.
Doha says the Saudi-led economic and political boycott will not affect the country's preparations to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup even though the coalition has cut off construction supplies.

The emirate now needs to invest more than projected in replacing neighboring suppliers, catching up with an ambitious plan to erect eight stadiums, rail roads and build a brand new city before the world's most watched tournament.

"For every challenge we face, there are solutions that keep popping up. We are working with our contractors to make sure we actually deliver long-term supply chain solutions, and alternatives," Secretary General of the Qatar World Cup Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy Hassan Al-Thawadi said in an interview with Bloomberg.

Qatar has reportedly replaced Saudi steel with Malaysian, while Oman provides materials initially ordered in the UAE. Chinese suppliers have stepped into the breach with a broad range of construction materials with Qatar building facilities to build bleachers. At the same time, suppliers from boycotting countries are reportedly rerouting supplies via Oman.

''The World Cup is a do-or-die project for Qatar. It's a matter of prestige, and national pride and they are fully invested in it, so I don't see work for the project being stopped," said Adel Abdel Ghafar, visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center, as quoted by the agency.

Comment: Saudi Arabia and the UAE have shot themselves in the economic foot while other countries are stepping into a windfall. Win or lose, all we know for sure is the games are afoot and they will play out - be the field level or not.

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Pistol

CNN goes down in flames with 'exclusive' report on Russia arming the Taliban

Jared Keller
Task & Purpose
Thu, 27 Jul 2017 00:00 UTC
Taliban guys maybe
© CNN Screenshot
On July 25, CNN published an alarming report: Two videos obtained exclusively by the cable news network appear to suggest that the Russian government is covertly arming the Taliban fighters that have slowly returned to Afghanistan since the end of NATO combat operations there in 2014.

The report, authored by Nick Paton Walsh and Masoud Popalzai, states that two separate groups of Taliban fighters have received "improved weaponry ... that appears to have been supplied by the Russian government," including heavy machine guns, sniper rifles, and the ubiquitous Kalashnikov assault rifles that are a staple of black markets across the planet. If authenticated, these "exclusive videos" of unknown origin obtained by CNN would confirm growing accusations from U.S. and Afghan military officials that Moscow is arming the very enemy it spent a decade fighting during the Soviet-Afghan War.

The news ricocheted across the media ecosystem, shared indiscriminately and uncritically by many highly influential journalists and researchers; veterans organization VoteVets even shared the story with the sober assessment that "Trump's good buddy Putin appears to be arming the Taliban in Afghanistan with upgraded weapons."

There's only one problem: CNN's report falls apart after the headline.
Man w guns
© CNNScreenshot from CNN report suggesting Russia is providing arms to the Taliban.

Comment: Another CNN grandstand based on a desired outcome rather than logic, investigation and facts. Fantasy, written as current events and left unchallenged, eventually rewrites history according to the believer.

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Attention

Ottawa examines claim Saudi Arabia used Canadian-made weapons against own citizens


RT
Tue, 01 Aug 2017 12:10 UTC
Canadian transport
© Terradyne Armored Vehicles / FacebookTerradyne Armored Vehicle: Gurkha
Ottawa said it is investigating local media reports claiming that Saudi Arabia deployed Canadian-made combat hardware against its own civilians. Opposition and human rights groups are calling on the government to suspend arms exports to Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia launched a military operation against suspected militants in Shia-dominated Awamiya in the Eastern Province in May. The ongoing mission has resulted in casualties, both among police and local residents, Reuters reports, citing witnesses and activists.

Reports that Saudi Arabia is using Canadian-produced military vehicles against its own citizens later emerged in the Globe and Mail newspaper in July. The Canadian outlet claimed that photos and video distributed on social media pointed to the use of the country's equipment in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province.

Mark Hiznay, associate director of the arms division of Human Rights Watch, confirmed to the Globe and Mail that the vehicles in the pictures are Gurkha Armored Vehicles, built by Ontario-based Terradyne Armored Vehicles.

Comment: Integrity versus money. You can control to whom you sell something. You can't control how and for what purpose it is used.

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Telephone

US VP Pence and Venezuela's Leopoldo Lopez phone conversation

Rachel Roothroyd-Rojas
Venezuelanalysis
Sun, 30 Jul 2017 01:06 UTC
Leopoldo Lopez
© La Voz de MichoacánVice President Mike Pence • Leopoldo Lopez
US Vice-President Mike Pence had a telephone conversation with the convicted right-wing Venezuelan politician Leopoldo Lopez Friday, the White House has confirmed.

In an official press release, the office of the Vice-President said that the two politicians talked about the "dire situation" in Venezuela, while Pence expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people on behalf of the Trump administration.

Right-wing leader Lopez is a controversial figure in Venezuela. In 2015 he was given a 13-year nine month jail sentence for his role in leading violent anti-government protests the previous year which led to the deaths of 43 people. He was released on house arrest in July 2017 on health grounds, but has since called for more protests to remove the elected leftist government from office.

During Friday's conversation, the VP also went on to "praise Mr. López for his courage and outspoken defense of Venezuelan democracy" and reiterated several recent demands of the US government, including "free and fair elections" and the cancellation of elections this Sunday to choose delegates to the National Constituent Assembly. Those elected to the assembly will be responsible rewriting the country's 1999 Constitution.

The constitutional initiative was put forward by the national government as a way to bring peace to the polarised country, where violent anti-government unrest has raged for almost four months, costing the lives of 115 people to date. Nonetheless the opposition has boycotted the initiative as "unconstitutional" and vowed to disrupt the vote.

Both the US and Canada have also strongly opposed the constitutional rewrite. On Wednesday, the US Treasury Department moved to sanction 13 high ranking officials in the Venezuelan government and military, citing opposition to Sunday's ANC elections.

Comment: A 'telling' conversation between Pence and Lopez. Washington is removing relatives of its diplomats - what does that say to you about the times ahead in Venezuela and the US's culpability for what unfolds?

See also:

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