Puppet MastersS


Eye 1

CIA's spy HQ in Frankfurt, source of Trump - Russia 'ties'

Matthew Allen
Russia Insider
Sat, 11 Mar 2017 18:53 UTC
CIA's Frankfurt Spy HQ under scrutiny as Russia's Alfa Bank claims "manipulated" data came from "mainland Europe"

Consulate General of the United States of America
It could all unravel in Frankfurt
Evidence suggests that alleged "ties" between Putin and Trump could have been manufactured in Frankfurt, Germany by the CIA.

The "Vault 7" Wikileaks dump of more than 8,000 CIA files confirmed that the American consulate in Frankfurt, Germany is a "base for covert and overt CIA operatives. It also provided a window into how American spies operate in Europe and - most importantly -- why Frankfurt has been so valuable for a specialized form of computer espionage."

Here's where things get interesting.

U.S. media outlets are peddling a story about "odd" links between Russia's Alfa Bank and the Trump Organization. The allegation is that unusually high internet traffic was recorded between the two institutions.

Comment: Further reading: WikiLeaks Vault 7 CIA hacking release: Highlights and updates

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Arrow Down

The slow tick of financial collapse: Are we witnessing the weirdest moment in economic history?

Brandon Smith
Alt-Market
Wed, 08 Mar 2017 17:55 UTC
floating building
It is an unfortunate reality that most people tend to be oblivious to massive sea changes in geopolitics and economics. You would think that these events would catch the immediate attention of everyone as they happen, but usually it is not until they realize that the microcosm of their personal lives is subject to the consequences of the macrocosm that they wake up and take notice.

There are, however, ways to train yourself to pick up on signals within the news cycle and within political and financial rhetoric; signals that indicate a great shift is perhaps on the way. Sometimes these initial signs are subtle, sometimes they are as subtle as a feminist slut-walk. I would point out that over the next few months there are dangerous correlations so numerous and blatant in the economic sphere that I would almost rather watch a marching gaggle of frumpy feminists wearing nothing but electrical tape than bear witness to the mayhem that is about to strike the unwitting public.

What am I talking about? Well, let's go through the list...

Federal Reserve Meeting March 14-15th

As my readers know well, I have been warning since before the election that the Fed would use a Trump presidency as an opportunity to pull the plug on near-zero interest rates and remove a primary pillar supporting stock markets — stock buybacks made possible by free overnight loans to numerous banks and corporations. Without QE and low interest rates the equities bubble will inevitably implode.

Corporate earnings certainly aren't holding up stocks, neither is GDP or consumer spending. The Fed is the only determining factor of the ongoing bull market. Anyone who claims otherwise is probably a mainstream analyst or overzealous day trader with a vested interest in keeping the illusion going.
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Newspaper

'Hell' in Aleppo and 'collateral losses' in Mosul: Hypocrisy of the Western narrative


Sputnik
Sat, 11 Mar 2017 17:36 UTC
Fatima
© Sputnik/ Nour Melhem
German expert in Arab studies, Michael Lüders has recently published an article revealing the hypocrisy of western mainstream media narrative in covering operations on the liberation of Aleppo and Mosul. Sputnik Deutschland observer Tilo Gräser commented on the revelations in Lüders' article.

"Wars are told, no different than stories. The respective tales determine the image in our minds, our view of conflicts. We know or we believe to know who is guilty and who is not, who are the goodies and who are the baddies," Michael Lüders writes in his recent article "The War in Syria and the Blind Spots of the West" for political magazine Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik.

In the case of Syria, he says, the prevailing point of view imposed by the mainstream media that the criminal Assad regime is waging war against its own people, supported by the no less unscrupulous rulers in Moscow and Tehran.
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Passport

Trump invites Palestinian leader Abbas to Washington 'very soon'


RT
Sat, 11 Mar 2017 09:31 UTC
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. President Donald Trump
© ReutersPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. President Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump has invited Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the visit the White House "very soon." The invitation came during the first conversation between the two leaders since Trump entered the Oval Office.

"President Trump has extended an official invitation to President Abbas to visit the White House soon to discuss ways to resume the political process, stressing his commitment to a peace process that will lead to a real peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis," said Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah, according to the official Palestinian WAFA news agency.

Trump insisted that any Israeli-Palestinian agreement be through direct negotiations, according to the White House.

"The President emphasized his personal belief that peace is possible and that the time has come to make a deal," the White House said in a statement Friday. "The President noted that such a deal would not only give Israelis and Palestinians the peace and security they deserve, but that it would reverberate positively throughout the region and the world."
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Treasure Chest

Assad opens doors for China to restore Syria 'in every sector with no exception'


Sputnik
Sat, 11 Mar 2017 17:20 UTC
damaged buildings in Aleppo
© REUTERS/ Omar Sanadiki
China can take part in reconstruction work in every sector of Syria's economy when the country starts a comprehensive rebuilding program after its six-year conflict ends, Syrian President Bashar Assad said Saturday.

"So, in which sector? In every sector. I mean, China can be in every sector with no exception, because we have damage in every sector," Assad said in an interview with Chinese Phoenix Television, published by the SANA news agency.

Chinese experts are already working in the country, he added, listing urban reconstruction as the main priority for future projects.
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Fire

A growing tinderbox in the south. Is there a Korean crisis ahead?

Caleb Maupin
New Eastern Outlook
Fri, 10 Mar 2017 17:03 UTC
THAAD missels korea
As the first military hardware associated with the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, commonly called THAAD, arrives in the southern region of the Korean Peninsula, the tensions around and within the region seem to be escalating. A number of ongoing crises in South Korea are starting to take their toll, and could have regional and global implications.

The most prominent source of tension is the new missile system being erected in cooperation with the United States. The narrative in US media surrounding THAAD is that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, smeared as "the crazy North Koreans," are threatening to destroy the Republic of Korea located in the south. The new missile system is said to simply be a mechanism for protecting a vulnerable, democratic US ally, that faces being wiped out. Mark Toner of the US State Department described the erection of THAAD as "frankly a response to a threat."
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Attention

Iraqi commander: US forces evacuated ISIL commanders from Western Mosul


FARS News Agency
Thu, 09 Mar 2017 17:03 UTC
US helicopters
Commander of Asa'eb al-Haq Movement affiliated to the Iraqi popular forces of Hashd al-Shaabi said that the US forces have carried out a rapid heliborne operation and evacuated two commanders of ISIL terrorists from Western Mosul in Northern Iraq.

Javad al-Talaybawi said that the US forces carried out the heliborne operation in one of the Western neighborhoods of Western Mosul, evacuating two senior ISIL commanders to an unknown location after the commanders came under siege by Iraqi government forces in intensified clashes in Western Mosul.

"Americans' support and assistance to the ISIL is done openly to save their regional plan in a desperately attempt," al-Talaybawi underlined.

Comment: This report makes one wonder how Baghdadi is so elusive: Perfect timing: ISIS caliph al-Baghdadi magically evades US bombs — again

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Telephone

Has the corner turned in the Trump-Russia wiretap scandal?

Alexander Mercouris
The Duran
Fri, 10 Mar 2017 16:39 UTC
Trump
© www.globallookpress.com
Ceasing of leaks following wiretap allegations suggests at least a pause in the war between the President and his opponents.

It is now almost a week since President Trump tweeted his incendiary allegation that former President Obama had had his phone bugged.

Since then there have no more leaks seeking to discredit the President or to destabilise his administration, whilst the demands for the resignation of Jeff Sessions, his Attorney General, seem to have stopped. Whether this is only a temporary respite or whether a real corner has been turned remains to be seen.

At this point I feel it might be useful to say something about two claims that have been made by the President's opponents since he made his claim. These are

(1) that the President's officials are staying silent and are failing to speak out in support of what the President said; and

(2) that the President has provided no evidence to support his claim.
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Info

Good luck with that: UN envoy urges Taliban to join 'peaceful' negotiations in Afghanistan


RFE/RL
Fri, 10 Mar 2017 16:20 UTC
Afghanistan violence
The United Nations' envoy for Afghanistan said the country's problems cannot be solved through military means and he urged Taliban militants to enter peace talks.

The March 10 comments by Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General's special representative for Afghanistan, as Taliban fighters have seized new ground in some parts of the country, and imperiled the weak central government in Kabul.

Аmid the uptick in fighting, U.S. commanders have sent an increasing number of special forces troops to assist Afghan forces. General Joseph Votel, who heads U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Forces Committee March 9 that he was considering asking for more U.S. troops.


Comment: Top US general calls for 'a few thousand' more troops, blames Russia for Taliban resurgence


Comment: Yamamoto's comments seem to be falling on deaf ears: Afghan Defense Ministry supports decision to bring in more NATO troops

Plus the Taliban serve as the new propaganda threat supported by Russia: Fake News: Is Russia helping the Taliban? No, but let's say 'yes'

This new propaganda provides more fuel to the Afghan fire: US Commander John Nicholson: Fight against Taliban in Afghanistan is a stalemate

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Dig

Turkey's Agency of Disaster and Emergency Management plans to construct new town in Syria's Al-Bab


Fars News Agency
Wed, 08 Mar 2017 16:11 UTC
al-Bab city in Aleppo
Turkey's Agency of Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD) said it plans to build a new town just to the North of al-Bab city in Aleppo to accommodate a sum of 80,000 people, a plan that has already received criticism for what experts call "its suspicious demographic and political objectives".

The Arabic-language Enab al-Baladi news website quoted Othman Sultan, an engineer working for the project, as saying that Nadhah region North of al-Bab has been selected as the ultimate site for building this new town.

He added that the town will have two districts; one with 400 buildings stretching over a 2km area, and another one that will be comprised of 311 four-story buildings.

According to Sultan, the first district will include four schools and the second one will have three. Also a grand mosque, two prayers rooms and a hospital will be built in every district.

This is while, Hamza Tekin, a journalist with close links to the Turkish government, confirmed Sultan's remarks, and said construction of the town will take 6 months.
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