Puppet MastersS


Bad Guys

Chancellor Merkel meets Saudi King without hijab, talks business, not women's rights


RT
Mon, 01 May 2017 01:16 UTC
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) standing next to Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud.
© Saudi Royal Palace / ReutersGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) standing next to Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel waived the legal requirement to wear a head covering in public during her one-day visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, but discussions centered on business cooperation and the complex geopolitics of the region.

Merkel also did not wear a hijab during a previous tour of the region in 2007, and more recently, neither have Hillary Clinton, in her role as Secretary of State, nor Theresa May, during her first official visit to the Middle Eastern state as Prime Minister earlier this month.

While Saudi men do not usually acknowledge women in public, Merkel greeted King Salman and other top officials from the House Saud with handshakes as a lavish luncheon banquet was laid on in her honor.

Merkel recently backed a law banning the wearing of full-face Islamic veils in government jobs in Germany.

Comment: See also:

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Play

President al-Assad: Stopping outside support to terrorists and reconciliation among Syrians are means to restore security to Syria - video


Syrian Arab News Agency
Thu, 27 Apr 2017 13:56 UTC
Bashar Al-Assad interview
Damascus, SANA-President Bashar al-Assad affirmed that the objective of the American and western allegations about chemical weapons is to support terrorists in Syria.

President al-Assad added in an interview given to Venezuelan Telesur TV that the solution in Syria should be through stopping outside support to the terrorists and reconciliation among the Syrians.

Following is the full text of the interview;
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Attention

Russia proposes creation of four de-escalation zones for reduction of tension in Syria


Sputnik
Mon, 01 May 2017 14:26 UTC
Homs building destroyed
© Sputnik/ Mikhail Alaeddin
Russian proposals on de-escalation in Syria envisage the creation of four zones of reduction of tensions in the country, with safety lines along them with checkpoints and monitoring centers, paper with Russian proposals, given to opposition members and seen by Sputnik, reads.

The warring parties would not be able to use any weapons in these zones.

"Russia proposes creating four zones of reduction of tensions in Syria: in Idlib province, north of the city of Homs, in Eastern Ghouta and in the south of Syria," the paper reads.

Comment: Moscow beating Trump to the punch with "safe zones"? Could be!

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Info

Three Chinese warships make 'goodwill' port call in Duterte's Philippines hometown


RT
Mon, 01 May 2017 14:17 UTC
Chinese sailors stand at attention onboard a Chinese naval ship
© Lean Daval Jr / ReutersChinese sailors stand at attention onboard a Chinese naval ship during a visit to Davao city, southern Philippines April 30, 2017.
Three Chinese warships have docked in Davao City, starting a three-day "goodwill visit" to President Rodrigo Duterte's hometown, where it will stage "confidence-building" activities between the Chinese and Philippines navies.

China's destroyer Chang Chun, the frigate Jin Zhou and replenishment ship Chao Hu will stay docked at the Sasa Wharf in Davao City until Tuesday. Leading the Chinese naval delegation is Deputy Commander of the East Sea Fleet, Rear Admiral Shen Hao.

Philippines Navy officials staged a welcoming ceremony on arrival, and held a health and security briefing for the visitors. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to personally visit the Chinese flotilla on Monday.
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Radar

Japan deploys warship to protect US vessel and authorized 'minimum' use of firepower


RT
Mon, 01 May 2017 14:07 UTC
Izumo military helicopter carrier of the Japan
© Toru Hanai / ReutersThe Izumo military helicopter carrier of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
Japan has reportedly deployed a helicopter carrier and authorized it to use weapons, if necessary, to escort and protect a US supply vessel. The mission, performed under the country's expanded military doctrine, marks the first such mission since WWII.

Defense Minister Tomomi Inada ordered the Izumo Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter carrier to protect a US Navy supply ship, which is heading towards the Pacific to resupply the American armada sent by Donald Trump to keep North Korean nuclear ambitions at bay, sources told Kyodo news.

The Japanese helicopter carrier is set to depart Yokosuka port in Kanagawa Prefecture on Monday to escort the US Navy supply ship from waters off the Boso Peninsula, near Tokyo, to the area off Shikoku, one of the four main islands of Japan.

Comment: Also a French Mistral ship arrived in Japan: French Mistral helicopter carrier with 2 British rotorcraft arrives in Japan

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Bad Guys

Not a good idea: US mobilizing a fleet of missile capable drones to 'blitz North Korea'

Patrick Knox
The Sun
Mon, 01 May 2017 13:33 UTC
drone
© AFP 2017/ Bonny Schoonakker
Top brass warn US running out of munitions after non-stop raids on ISIS

The US has mobilised a fleet of missile capable drones to blitz North Korea amid warnings it is running out of bombs to hit ISIS.

The Grey Eagle drones are designed to carry Hellfire missiles and have reportedly been deployed in South Korea as war looms with the North after Kim Jong-un's third missile test fire this month.

The deployment is part of a built up of military ordered by US President Donald Trump.

Already the US has deployed Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) systems aimed at shooting down Kim Jong-un's ballistic missiles.

Comment: Further reading:

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Bad Guys

Jihadi White Helmets claim 8 'volunteers' were killed in Syrian air strikes


RFE/RL
Mon, 01 May 2017 13:33 UTC
White helmets terroristen
The Syrian civil defense group known as the White Helmets said eight of their volunteers have been killed in an air strike on their office in rebel-held Hama Province.

White Helmets officials in Hama on April 29 said an air strike on their offices in the city of Kfar Zeita killed eight members. They said five bodies had been recovered from the rubble and rescue workers were searching for the others.

The U.K-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitoring group, said the death toll was likely to rise.

Comment: Volunteers for Al Qaeda's support group were killed in anti-terrorist raids. But the world's supposed to be heart-broken?

Further reading:

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Toys

US State Department Has Finally Realized Nikki Haley Needs Adult Supervision

Riley Waggaman
Russia Insider
Sun, 30 Apr 2017 13:37 UTC
Nikki Haley
© CNN
We all knew this day would come.

It only took a few months for ascendant Waffle House waitress Nikki Haley to drive US diplomacy off a cliff.

That's quite an accomplishment, considering how batshit crazy US foreign policy is.

But apparently Nikki's daily antics — ranging from inventing her own position on Syria to making up stuff that the Russians never said — are too much even for the State Department.

In terms of US diplomacy, the bar was set pretty low to begin with. But Haley has managed to lower standards to below sea level.
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Bad Guys

Beijing hires Erik Prince as guardian of the New Silk Road

F. William Engdahl
New Eastern Outlook
Mon, 01 May 2017 12:46 UTC
Erik Prince
© Larry Downing / ReutersErik Prince
The Chinese government newspaper, Global Times, made public that a Hong Kong-based company called Frontier Services Group (FSG) will build two operational bases in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Southwest China's Yunnan Province. Xinjiang and Yunnan provinces are at the heart or geographical pivot of China's vast, developing One Bridge, One Road high-speed rail, port and energy pipeline infrastructure undertaking. What is notable about Beijing's engaging this FSG security company, is its chairman.

The Chairman and principal operating executive of Frontier Services Group is the world's most notorious mercenary, Erik Prince, founder of the now-defunct Blackwater Security. In an interview with the London Financial Times, Prince recently described his work with China stating, "We're not serving Chinese foreign policy goals, we're helping increase trade." He added, "China trading with its neighbors and building infrastructure brings only benefits. We're not serving Chinese foreign policy goals, we're helping increase trade." Prince goes on to insist, "This is not a Chinese version of Blackwater. FSG is a logistics company; we are not a security company. None of our people have been or will be armed. But security management is certainly part of the logistics process."
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Propaganda

Fake News Alert: 4Chan tricks Independent into believing 'OK' gesture is symbol for white power

b
Moon of Alabama
Mon, 01 May 2017 12:46 UTC
Fake News
© DDL Gambaro
The British daily Independent falls for a hilarious prank. It interprets some random lines on a picture of the Okay-gesture as a political message. Having thus failed it builds on its own stupidity to smear other outlets and journalists.

The anonymous Internet message board 4chan.org is well known for hilarious stunts played on ignorants and naive Internet novices.
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