Puppet MastersS


Beaker

Ukraine violated Chemical Weapons Convention - Russian MOD


RT
Tue, 09 Jul 2024 10:48 UTC
Igor Kirillov
© Vladimir FedorenkoThe commander Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Protection Forces, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov
A facility has been found near the Donbass town of Avdeevka that was used to produce the highly toxic hydrogen cyanide, Moscow has said

Russia has found evidence that Ukraine has violated the Chemical Weapons Convention, a top military commander stated on Monday.

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who leads Russia's chemical and biological defense forces, said engineering troops had discovered a laboratory that was apparently used to produce hydrogen cyanide - an extremely dangerous and highly toxic agent used as a chemical weapon during World War I.

The facility is located near Avdeevka, a fortified Donbass town liberated by Russia in February, the general claimed. The improvised laboratory itself was found inside a partially destroyed building in an industrial area, which also had a chemical processing plant. The facility had a rotary evaporator and several chemical reactors. Protective clothes, including US-made gas masks and Polish hazmat suits, were allegedly found at the site.

According to Kirillov, samples taken from the facility and analyzed in Russian military laboratories contained traces of sulfuric acid and sodium cyanide, which can be used to produce hydrogen cyanide. Traces of cyanide anions - poisonous chemical compounds of the cyano group - were on multiple equipment, the general claimed.

Comment: It isn't just Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov who is saying this. Much has been discovered in recent years about the US's massive bioweapons program. See also:

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Tank

NATO state could shoot down Russian missiles - Zelensky


RT
Tue, 09 Jul 2024 07:01 UTC
Vladimir Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk sign an agreement during a meeting in Warsaw, Poland on July 8, 2024.
© Sergei GAPON / AFPVladimir Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk sign an agreement during a meeting in Warsaw, Poland on July 8, 2024.
Warsaw says the details of the new security pact with Kiev need to be cleared with the US-led military bloc

A newly signed pact between Warsaw and Kiev contains provisions that would allow Poland to shoot down Russian missiles and drones in Ukrainian airspace, Vladimir Zelensky has said.

Zelensky spoke in Warsaw on Monday, after signing the security deal with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The government in Kiev has been making bilateral pacts with NATO member states over the past several months, in lieu of formally joining the US-led bloc.

Comment: The timing for the agreement came just a day before the NATO Summit in Washington that takes place 9-11 July. It is likely the content of the agreement will be discussed, as well as what red lines are next to be crossed.

Other possible topics are what NATO can give Ukraine. According to the same source, NATO won't give Zelensky what he wants - AFP (referring to NATO membership), there are hopes for a few more weapons:
When it comes to specific NATO commitments, Zelensky is reportedly poised to receive a promise of new air-defense system deliveries, with other measures to assist Ukraine to be put on "a firmer footing."

According to one diplomat, a promise of new air defenses, in the absence of other substantive commitments, could allow Zelensky to declare the summit a victory for Kiev. "What would you want more? Nice words in a declaration that don't mean much or military support?" the source added.
"A firmer footing" could related to Zelensky claiming he has several brigades that are underequipped.

Also a subject for discussion could be: Ukraine asks West for submarines.
The head of the Ukrainian navy added that the country does not need large submarines, as "they are useless in the Black Sea."

"Locating only near Odessa means having nothing, we should look further, spread the fleet throughout the Black Sea and use its entire area," he said, expressing hope that Ukraine would turn "from a coastal state into a maritime power."
This is how some of these people are thinking! But behind the begging for more weapons, there is another reality, which is corruption. The positive interpretation of the corruption in Ukraine is that the money that have gone elsewhere has saved a few lives in the conflict, alternatively the negative interpretation is that if there was not the temptation of gaining easy money, but a genuine concern among the elite for the welfare of the Ukrainian people the conflict would have been ended long ago.

Here is a review of the Ukrainian corruption achievements:

A focus on the corruption in Ukraine, overlooks the corruption among the Western sponsors of the conflict. This might be more elusive, but can we believe it does not exist?

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Yoda

Why did Viktor Orban apparently defy the EU to visit Moscow?

Fyodor Lukyanov
RT
Mon, 08 Jul 2024 23:23 UTC
orban putin hungary russia meeting
© SputnikRussian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a meeting at the Kremlin
Hungarian PM clearly decided it was worth offending many of his allies in order to focus minds on possibility of peace

The sudden appearance of Viktor Orban in Moscow this week shows how firmly everyone is entrenched in their positions. Something that is, in principle, normal and natural becomes a sensation, even a scandal. A personal visit by a third party to actors engaged in conflict, to explore all possibilities for resolution, is a practice that guarantees nothing, means nothing special, and is totally normal. However, the moralizing fervor of the liberal international order sees such a tried-and-tested approach as unacceptable. It is not an about solving the problem, it's about punishing the guilty.

The end result with this week's shuttle diplomacy became much ado about nothing, as the outcome of the Hungarian prime minister's trips showed.

Comment: Orban expands on his goals in this interview with Welt. Even thought the interviewer tries to bait Orban with some of the big lies about the Ukraine conflict, Orban skillfully bats them away. A statesman of the old school:



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Robot

Ain't goin' nowhere: 'Firmly committed' Biden pens letter to congressional Dems who want him to drop re-election bid

Diana Glebova
New York Post
Mon, 08 Jul 2024 21:25 UTC
biden step down stay in race
© ReutersPresident Joe Biden insisted to congressional Democrats Monday that he is “firmly committed” to staying in the 2024 presidential race.
President Biden insisted to congressional Democrats Monday that he is "firmly committed" to staying in the 2024 presidential race — while making no direct mention of his disastrous debate performance or concerns about his age and cognitive health.

The letter, which instead largely focused on bashing former President Donald Trump, came after four more senior House Democrats called for the 81-year-old commander-in-chief to end his re-election bid following a private call with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Sunday.

"Now that you have returned from the July 4th recess, I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump," Biden wrote in his letter, which was addressed to "fellow Democrats."

Comment: Even money Jill 'Lady Macbeth' had a hand in that letter. Probably Hunter too. No Presidential Pop, no immunity.





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Network

Xi Jinping meets Orban


RT
Mon, 08 Jul 2024 03:15 UTC
Victor Orban and Xi Jinping
© X / PM_ViktorOrban
The Chinese leader has welcomed the Hungarian prime minister to Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping has held a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is in Beijing on what he has dubbed a "peacekeeping mission," Xinhua reported on Monday morning.

"China is a key power in creating the conditions for peace in the Russia-Ukraine war. This is why I came to meet with President Xi in Beijing, just two months after his official visit to Budapest," Orban wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Comment:
From the same source:
7 Jul, 2024 22:47
Orban makes surprise visit to China
The Hungarian PM has landed in Beijing following his visits to Kiev and Moscow last week

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has arrived in China as part of his "peace mission" tour, following meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev.

The Hungarian premier confirmed he is in China with a photo of Deputy Foreign Minister Hua Chunying greeting him at the airport and a brief post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday morning, saying: "Peace mission 3.0 Beijing."

News of a possible visit to Beijing was first reported by the Hungarian news portal 444, which wrote on Sunday that Orban was "scheduled to arrive in the Asian country at dawn on Monday."

Last week, Orban traveled to Kiev, where he met with Zelensky in an effort to persuade him to consider ceasefire talks with Moscow. The Hungarian PM then embarked on a surprise visit to Moscow, which, according to his office, was part of Orban's "peacekeeping mission."

Orban and Putin engaged in several hours of discussions aimed at finding the "shortest way out" of the conflict in Ukraine. The Hungarian leader, however, admitted that Moscow and Kiev remain "very far apart," noting that Zelensky "didn't like" his proposals much.

Orban's surprise trip to Russia drew criticism in Kiev and among fellow EU leaders, but the Hungarian PM stressed that "establishing contact" is crucial to resolving the conflict, and argued that he does not require an EU mandate to promote peace. Hungary, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, is one of the few bloc members, alongside Slovakia, that maintains neutrality and refuses to send weapons to Ukraine.

The visit to Beijing comes after Hungary canceled "at short notice" a meeting between Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock.
See also:
NATO threatening global peace and stability - China
Editorial from Hungary's Orbán: The point of NATO is peace, not endless war
Orban's surprise visit to Moscow sparks fury in Brussels: Key takeaways from Hungarian PM's 'peace mission'
Orban visits Moscow: I don't need a mandate to promote peace
Orban urges Russia-Ukraine ceasefire during surprise visit to Kiev, as Hungary assumes EU-presidency

Victor Orban flies directly from China to the NATO Summit in Washington that is held 9 - 11 July. Here there is likely to be a lot of consternation from some members, perhaps also serious questions and attempts to blackmail him, but a few will likely admire his courage and initiative, like the PM of Slovakia: Leader of EU state expresses 'admiration' for Orban's Moscow visit

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Bad Guys

Flashback Chuck Schumer's brother Robert works for firm behind Bragg's Trump lawfare

Margot Cleveland
The Federalist
Tue, 04 Jun 2024 20:57 UTC
chuck schumer democrat senate corrupt
© Senate Democrats/Flickr/Cropped/ CC By 2.0Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Following Donald Trump's conviction in Manhattan last week, Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer proclaimed, "The undeniable fact is Donald Trump went through the same legal process that all Americans go through, he was tried according to the facts and the law, and he was found guilty by a jury of his peers."

Nothing could be further from the truth, and Schumer knows it because his brother's law firm, branded the "Biden-Era N.Y. Power Center" by Bloomberg, spurred the indictment of the former president.

Sen. Schumer's brother, Robert Schumer, is a partner in that law firm, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison. As I detailed Monday, Paul, Weiss granted three highly paid attorneys leaves of absence to join the Manhattan district attorney's office in its targeting of Donald Trump. And Alvin Bragg's prosecution of the former president came about only after the intentional leaking of a resignation letter from Mark Pomerantz, one of the Paul, Weiss attorneys on loan to the DA.

Comment: The future fallout for these shady-dealing "lawyers" may be very uncomfortable. This piece was published a month ago. Joe Biden's subsequent debate meltdown and Trump's surge in the polls (one hopes to the point where any attempt to cheat is overwhelmed) may make them sitting ducks in the next Trump administration.

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Arrow Up

Iran announces presidential election winner


RT
Sat, 06 Jul 2024 03:44 UTC
Masoud
© Vahid Salemi/APMasoud Pezeshkian at a campaign rally in Tehran, Iran, July 3, 2024
Heart surgeon-turned-politician Masoud Pezeshkian will succeed the late Ebrahim Raisi.

Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian has won Iran's presidential election, securing 53.3% of the vote and defeating his conservative rival Saeed Jalili, the national election authority announced on Saturday.

With all ballots counted, Pezeshkian secured 16.4 million votes, while Jalili received 13.5 million votes, Press TV reports. Turnout was 30.5 million, or 49.8% of the 61 million eligible voters, according to a final update at 6:45 am local time (3:15 GMT).

The snap election was called after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province on May 19. According to Iranian law, a candidate needs to garner at least 50% plus one vote; thus, after no candidate achieved this in the first round on June 28, the election headed into a runoff between the top two candidates.

Pezeshkian, 69, is a heart surgeon-turned-politician who served as health minister in the 2000s and as first deputy speaker of parliament from 2016 to 2020. Jalili, 58, was Tehran's negotiator during nuclear talks with world powers.
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Stop

Le Pen pledges to block troop deployment to Ukraine


RT
Fri, 05 Jul 2024 19:30 UTC
LePen
© Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket/Getty ImagesFrance's RN party leader Marine Le Pen
The right-wing party National Rally will also prohibit Kiev from using French weaponry on Russian soil.

France's right-wing National Rally (RN) party will block potential troop deployments to Ukraine and bar Kiev from using French-supplied weaponry to strike Russian soil should it emerge victorious in the parliamentary elections and secure the office of prime minister of the country, Marine Le Pen, the former long-time leader of the party, has said.

She made the remarks on Thursday in an interview with CNN ahead of the second round of voting scheduled for Sunday. The final say on the potential deployment of French troops to Ukraine belongs to the prime minister, and the stance of President Emmanuel Macron does not actually matter in such cases, she suggested. Over the past few months, Macron has repeatedly mulled the idea, using increasingly belligerent rhetoric on the Ukrainian conflict.

Le Pen stated:
"If Emmanuel Macron wants to send troops to Ukraine and the prime minister is against it, then there are no troops sent to Ukraine. The prime minister has the final say."
Her party in power would also bar Kiev from using French-supplied weapons to conduct strikes on Russian soil, Le Pen said, arguing that the permission to do so makes Paris "co-belligerent" in the conflict.
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Arrow Up

Iran to continue to 'Look East' under new presidency: expert

Zhao Yusha
Global Times
Sun, 07 Jul 2024 09:38 UTC
Pezeshkian
© VCGNewly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visits the shrine of the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini Tehran, Iran • July 6, 2024
Tehran's road to improve ties with West 'not easy'

Iran will continue its "Look East" policy and consolidate its collaboration with both China and Russia, even though the newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian may put more effort into repairing ties with the West, said a Chinese expert after Iran's "reformist candidate" won the election on Saturday.

"You created an opportunity for Iran and brought back hope and joy to the atmosphere of dissatisfaction, distress, and melancholy in society. I am grateful to all of you," Pezeshkian said during a speech Saturday at the Mausoleum of the late Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, where he pledged allegiance to the ideals of the Islamic Revolution, according to Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Pezeshkian also thanked Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei for opening up the stage for a more competitive and healthier presidential election, according to IRNA.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday sent a message to Pezeshkian, congratulating him on his election as president of Iran.
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Arrow Up

French elections: Former president François Hollande elected to Parliament


Le Monde
Sun, 07 Jul 2024 08:07 UTC
Hollande
© Stephanie Lecocq/ReutersFormer Socialist president François Hollande, candidate for the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire alliance in Corrèze, arrives to vote in the first round of the parliamentary elections, in Tulle • June 30, 2024
Hollande, who had been president when Macron emerged onto France's political scene, won a majority of votes cast in his constituency, running against both the far-right Rassemblement National candidate and incumbent right-wing MP Francis Dubois.

France's former Socialist president François Hollande, running under the colors of the left-wing New Front Populaire (NFP) alliance in his old constituency, was elected to the Assemblée Nationale in the second round of parliamentary elections, on Sunday, July 7. With 43.29% of the vote, Hollande beat the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) candidate Maïtey Pouget (31.43%) and the incumbent Les Républicains (LR, right) MP, backed by President Emmanuel Macron's coalition, François Dubois (25.28%),who had refused to withdraw his candidacy despite coming third in the first round.

Hollande had come out on top in the first round in the 1st constituency of the central French department of Corrèze, with 37.63% of votes cast, against the far-right party's candidate (30.89%), and the incumbent right-wing MP (28.64%). His candidacy to become an MP had surprised many, including among the Socialists' leadership.

Comment: Hollande: A standout mentor for 'contemporary' presidents.

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