Puppet MastersS


People

Xi Jinping to Vladimir Putin, 'Our friendship is unbreakable'

Alexander Mercouris
The Duran
Thu, 27 Apr 2017 14:25 UTC
Putin and Xi Jinping
Chinese President Xi Jinping sends personal message of friendship to Russian President Putin on China's behalf, scotching attempt by US to make trouble between them.

Russia's President Putin has met in the Oval Hall of the Kremlin with Li Zhanshu, Director of the General Office of the Communist Party of China, and chief of staff of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The meeting was held directly after Li Zhanshu held talks with his Russian counterpart Anton Vaino, who is the head of the Russian President's Executive Office and who is President Putin's chief of staff.

I have previously explained who Li Zhanshu is, and why his visit is important, and the likely reason for his visit, which is the ongoing attempt by the Trump administration to cause trouble between China and Russia, and China's and Russia's concern to squelch any mistaken impressions which might be caused by that attempt.

That in turn explains the way the Chinese and the Russians - undoubtedly by pre-arrangement - used Li Zhanshu's meeting with Putin to publicise a personal message from President Xi Jinping to Putin. The Kremlin's transcript of Li Zhanshu's words reads as follows
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Yoda

Zakharova: White Helmets support terrorism in Syria and work directly with Jabhat al-Nusra to cover up crimes


TASS
Thu, 27 Apr 2017 16:16 UTC
Zakharova
© Mikhail Dzhaparidze/TASS
The White Helmets organization active in Syria, which claims to be a humanitarian NGO, in fact supports terrorists and covers up their crimes, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

"The White Helmets not only feel at home on territories controlled by Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State (terror groups outlawed in Russia) but also openly express positive attitude towards them, provide information and even financial assistance to them," she said. "There is documentary evidence proving that White Helmets members participated in some operations carried out by Jabhat al-Nusra, as well as covered up the signs of civilian executions."

Zakharova pointed out that there were videos showing Syrian troops being tortured and executed in the presence of White Helmets members, while eyewitnesses said that they were also involved in looting, fact manipulation and staged scenes of medical assistance being provided to civilians. At the same time, the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman added that the western media was ignoring this information.

"The White Helmets members' behavior in Syria's Khan Shaykhun on April 4 is particularly worth mentioning," she went on to say. "It was the reportedly irrefutable evidence provided by them that gave the US a pretext to carry out an act of aggression against the Syrian Shayrat airbase on April 7," Zakharova said.

She noted that the Swedish NGO Doctors for Human Rights had accused the White Helmets of falsifying information about their humanitarian work in Syria by producing staged videos. "They analyzed a video and came to the conclusion that the people in the video were dealing with kids who were under the influence of drugs, rather than trying to provide them with medical assistance," Zakharovs stressed.
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Eiffel Tower

Marine Le Pen is the only candidate representing France

Paul Craig Roberts
Institute for Political Economy
Wed, 26 Apr 2017 16:13 UTC
“Nacionalni interesi, sigurnost i izravna demokracija” su temelj programa Marine Le Pen
© Associated Press
Marine Le Pen is the only candidate for the French presidency who represents France. All the rest represent Washington and the EU. Why are the French people so slow to see the obvious facts? France died with Charles de Gaulle. He was the last French president.

Washington, of course, hated De Gaulle, because he would not let France be part of the American Empire. He kept France out of NATO. De Gaulle understood that NATO was unnecessary as a military alliance, as there was no threat of a Soviet invasion of Europe. NATO was Washington's way of absorbing Europe into the American empire. Stalin himself had made it crystal clear that there would be no Soviet invasion when he eliminated the neoconservatives of his time who wanted to establish Soviet hegemony over the world. "Socialism in one country," declared Stalin as he killed off the Soviet neoconservatives.
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Radar

Taliban vows to 'harass, kill or capture' enemies in fresh spring offensive in Afghanistan


RT
Fri, 28 Apr 2017 16:05 UTC
Taliban militant
© Mohammad Shoib / Reuters
The Taliban has announced the launch of a "spring offensive" in Afghanistan, warning that its enemies, including foreign troops, will be "targeted, harassed, killed, or captured." The Interior Ministry responded by issuing its own warnings to militants.

Operation Mansouri, named after the Taliban's former leader who was killed in a US drone strike in 2016, will target foreign forces with "conventional attacks, guerrilla warfare, complex martyrdom attacks, [and] insider attacks," according to a statement quoted by AFP.

"The enemy will be targeted, harassed, killed or captured until they abandon their last posts," the statement continues.
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Star of David

Former Israeli defense minister confirms Israeli cooperates with ISIS in Syria

Richard Silverstein
Tikkum Olam
Sun, 23 Apr 2017 15:45 UTC
ISIS soldier and flag
A former defence minister's confirmation of Israeli collaboration with IS in Syria shows just how cynical Israel’s motives and choices can be
When you bomb an ally, you apologize. When you bomb an enemy, you don't. What does that make ISIS to Israel?

In the midst of complaining about the Islamist threat to Israel and the world, Bibi Netanyahu conveniently forgets that his own country enjoys a tacit alliance with ISIS in Syria. It is an alliance of convenience to be sure and one that's not boasted about by either party. But is not terribly different from one than Israel enjoys with its other Muslim allies like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States.

Bogie Yaalon served as defence minister in the current Israeli government till he had a falling out with Netanyahu in May 2016. Now Yaalon plans to form his own party and run against his former boss. Unfortunately for him, he's not polling well and doesn't appear to be much of a political threat.
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Attention

Trump says 'major, major' conflict with North Korea possible as he reviews his first 100 days

Stephen J. Adler, Steve Holland and Jeff Mason
Reuters
Fri, 28 Apr 2017 15:46 UTC
Donald Trump
© REUTERS/Carlos Barria
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday a major conflict with North Korea is possible in the standoff over its nuclear and missile programs, but he would prefer a diplomatic outcome to the dispute.

"There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely," Trump told Reuters in an Oval Office interview ahead of his 100th day in office on Saturday.

Nonetheless, Trump said he wanted to peacefully resolve a crisis that has bedeviled multiple U.S. presidents, a path that he and his administration are emphasizing by preparing a variety of new economic sanctions while not taking the military option off the table.

"We'd love to solve things diplomatically but it's very difficult," he said.

Comment: Trump also expressed how hard being president is: Trump on 100 day presidency: 'I thought it would be easier'

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Binoculars

Seeing Russian spies everywhere: Maxine Waters claims Senator Jason Chaffetz may have Kremlin connections

Alex Christoforou
The Duran
Fri, 28 Apr 2017 00:00 UTC
maxine waters
Maxine Waters sees Russian spies everywhere.

The Duran has chronicled Waters' outrageously dumb comments extensively with laughter and a bit of shock, realizing that such stunning stupidity is coming from a US lawmaker.

Two weeks ago Waters told the HuffPost that tensions in Syria are "phony", as she believed that Trump and Putin are "putting on a show".

Maxine Waters took to her favorite liberal left fake news channel, MSNBC, to provide the world with more humorous Russia paranoia, by stating that US Senator Jason Chaffetz may have Kremlin connections.

Comment: Oh the irony: Auntie Maxine is leading the charge to drain the swamp that sustains her

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Bullseye

Tweeting with bombs - Trump's first 100 days in office represents a continuity of US imperial hegemony

Nile Bowie
RT
Fri, 28 Apr 2017 15:28 UTC
trump
© Jonathan Ernst / ReutersPresident Donald Trump arrives to board Air Force One to depart Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia
As US President Donald Trump prepares to mark 100 days in office, the administration's foreign policy approach has become a painful disappointment to anyone with mildly optimistic expectations Washington would take a more realist approach to its role in the world.

In no time at all, Trump has strayed from the 'America First' rhetoric on the campaign trail and reversed course in a remarkable way. His decision to launch cruise missile strikes against Syria's government on painfully a pretense, humiliatingly revealed to China's leader over a piece of chocolate cake, is the picture of volatility.

Establishment pundits who had bogusly derided Trump as a Russian stooge christened him "presidential." Buoyed by this bipartisan support for militarism, the Pentagon dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb in a distant corner of Afghanistan, likely without Trump's direct approval as part of his policy of giving the military a freer hand to act.

Far from "isolationism" or a realist repositioning of American foreign policy, Trump represents the continuity of endless warfare and US militarism's pursuit of global hegemony, different in perhaps only it's cruder, more impulsive presentation and televised set pieces with higher explosive yields.
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Attention

Trump on 100 day presidency: 'I thought it would be easier'

Jesse Byrnes
The Hill
Fri, 28 Apr 2017 15:34 UTC
Trump
© Reuters/Brian Snyder
President Trump reflected Thursday on life inside the White House, remarking that he thought being president would be easier than past business experiences.

"I loved my previous life. I had so many things going," Trump said during an interview with Reuters. "This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier."

Trump reflected on his first 100 days as president — the first public office the New York real estate mogul has held — following his upset victory over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in November.
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Arrow Down

Lame excuse: Belgium claims vote to appoint Saudi Arabia to UN Women's Rights Commission due to diplomatic mix-up


RT
Fri, 28 Apr 2017 15:22 UTC
Belgium's PM Charles Michel
© Remo Casilli / Reuters Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel
Belgium's vote in favor of appointing Saudi Arabia to a United Nations women's rights commission was due to a regrettable diplomatic mix-up, said Prime Minister Charles Michel, after the decision sparked a firestorm of criticism at home.

"If we could do it again and if we would have the chance to discuss it at government level, I of course would have argued that we not approve this," Michel told parliament on Thursday.

"I regret the vote," he added.

Comment:

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