Puppet MastersS


Red Flag

Home Sec. Amber Rudd refusing to disclose spending projects of UK's shadowy £1bn conflict fund to MP's


RT
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 16:34 UTC
White helmets
© Thaer Mohammed / AFPThe White Helmets walk amid the debris in a rebel-held neighborhood of Aleppo.
Ministers trying to find out what the government's shadowy £1 billion (US$1.22 billion) conflict, stability and security (CSS) fund is being spent on say they are being given the runaround by Home Secretary Amber Rudd.

During a session of the joint committee on national security strategy held on Monday, Rudd named the Syrian White Helmet 'rescue' organization as one recipient, but evaded questions about what other nations and groups received a share.

Former Tory defense chief Lord Hamilton told Rudd that he had become aware that the committee was "responsible to parliament for the CSS fund," but that MPs had been told the nations being handed cash were not to be revealed.

Comment: A couple of reasons why the UK government may be attempting to avoid further scrutiny:

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Bad Guys

Stephen Hawking claims Corbyn 'a disaster' - should step down


RT
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 16:48 UTC
Stephen Hawking
© Reuters/Mike HutchingsTheoretical physicist Stephen Hawking
Renowned theoretical physicist and Labour supporter Stephen Hawking has called on the party's leader Jeremy Corbyn to stand down, branding the socialist a "disaster."

The professor had previously been supportive of the Labour leader, but has grown disillusioned with Corbyn's leadership.

"I regard Corbyn as a disaster," Hawking said in an interview with the Times.

"His heart is in the right place and many of his policies are sound but he has allowed himself to be portrayed as a left-wing extremist.

"I think he should step down for the sake of the party."

The iconic scientist has been increasingly vocal about his politics over the last few years, standing against National Health Service (NHS) privatization, backing his local Labour candidate and arguing against Brexit.

The staunch 'Remainer' was mocked by the British tabloids over his Brexit position, particularly after the professor argued that Britain's European Union withdrawal was "too complex" even for him.

Comment: Perhaps it would be better if Hawking sticks to science. Corbyn's policies resonate with the majority of British citizens.

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Snakes in Suits

Poroshenko begs Hague to arrest Putin in final attempt to avoid being lynched by neo-Nazis

Richard Brandt
Russia Insider
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 16:48 UTC
A firefighter douses a fire in Avdiivka, Ukraine
© AFPA firefighter douses a fire in Avdiivka, Ukraine.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Kiev's decision to appease the ultra-nationalists who are illegally blockading East Ukraine has resulted in a severe energy shortage and seized assets and tax revenues — compliments of the Donbass republics.

In other words: Kiev shot itself in the foot, and to make matters worse, the ultra-nationalists are now preparing to march on Kiev.

Ukraine's most powerful neo-Nazi leader (and commander of his own rune-bedazzled punitive battalion) has already announced that he intends to dissolve the Rada and dethrone Poroshenko.
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Eye 1

Your whole life is hacked: Wikileaks reveal on CIA surveillance shows no area of your life is private anymore


RT
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 16:45 UTC
wikileaks
© AFPAccording to the preliminary release, the CIA has the capability to hack, record and even control everyday technology used by billions of people around the world
The major takeaway from the latest WikiLeaks dump centers around the terrifying, 'all-seeing-eye' surveillance project codenamed 'Weeping Angel.' The CIA appears to have taken espionage to a whole new level if WikiLeaks' initial analysis is accurate.

According to the preliminary release, the CIA has the capability to hack, record and even control everyday technology used by billions of people around the world.

These include smartphones, tablets, smart TVs and even vehicles with remote control navigation systems.

On these devices themselves, the CIA can allegedly hack into some of the world's most heavily encrypted social media and communications platforms such as WhatsApp, Weibo, Confide, Signal and Telegram before any encryption can even be applied.
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Георгиевская ленточка

Russia's position in the Mediterranean prompts all Libya's factions to seek Moscow's help


RT
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 16:15 UTC
destruction of Sirte, Libya
© Manu Brabo/Associated PressSirte, Libya
All major forces engaged in the power struggle in Libya have been interested in winning Russia's support due to Moscow's rising influence in the Middle East and the Mediterranean, Lev Dengov, who heads a contact group on intra-Libyan settlement comprising officials from the State Duma and the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Radio Sputnik.

"Libya needs support at the moment. In particular from Russia since everyone understands that Russia has improved its stance in the Mediterranean. Following the Syrian scenario everyone understands that Russia has strengthened its geopolitical positions and is the key dialogue partner on the matter," he said.

Dengov also said that "everyone wants to see Russia on their side," referring to key forces embroiled in the Libyan conflict.

"We have met [tribal leaders] recently. They told us that they want Russia to support them. In January, we went to the Libyan city of Misrata, home to several key stakeholders. They were the ones who organized the operation to destroy Daesh in the city of Sirte," he said, adding that one Libyan field commander told them that dialogue with Russia could be a success since not a single Russian has spilled Libyan blood and vice versa.

Comment: Russia's centuries of diplomatic experience will go a long way to easing Libya's suffering. That is, if the U.S. can stay out of the way. The neocons are sure to try to meddle in the talks.

The Truth Perspective: Libya Ruined: Interview with Sheikh Khalid Tantoush - Introduced by James & JoAnne Moriarty

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Light Sabers

Sessions threatens to fire US attorneys who refuse to enforce new Trump travel ban


RT
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 16:31 UTC
travel ban protest
© Noah Berger / Reuters
Several Democratic state attorneys general are mulling legal challenges to President Donald Trump's new travel ban, but Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said the Justice Department will defend and enforce it, hinting he may fire US attorneys who refuse.

Trump issued an executive order on Monday, imposing a 90-day travel ban on citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, effective March 16. The order is intended to replace the January 27 travel ban that sparked widespread protests and was quickly blocked by the courts after complaints from several attorneys general from Democratic-leaning states.

Several Democratic attorneys general have already voiced opposition to the new ban, and said they were considering challenging it in court. Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, the face of the legal challenge to the first ban, said Monday he was "carefully reviewing the new executive order to determine its impacts on Washington state and our next legal steps."

"By rescinding his earlier executive order, President Trump makes one thing perfectly clear: His original travel ban was indefensible — legally, constitutionally and morally," Ferguson said in a statement. "The president has capitulated on numerous key provisions blocked by our lawsuit, including bans on Green Card holders, visa holders and dual citizens, an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees, and explicit preferences based on religion."
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Info

No choice: Erdogan backs down on Manbij

Alexander Mercouris
The Duran
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 16:37 UTC
Erdogan
Following US and Russian troop deployments to Manbij Turkey backs off plans to attack the town.

Following the parallel deployments of Russian and Turkish troops to the Kurdish controlled Syrian town of Manbij, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim is reported as saying that Turkey has no intention of attacking the town.

This reverses previous statements of Turkish President Erdogan, who had spoken of Manbij as Turkey's next objective following the capture from ISIS of the Syrian town of Al-Bab.

Yildirim is being reported as saying at a political rally in Sinope, Turkey:
We do not consider the scenario, under which the Syrian army would enter Manbij, as negative one. The Kurdish self-defense units are leaving the city. The Syrian land must belong to the Syrians.
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Stock Down

Brazil's economy enters worst recession in its history


RT
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 16:18 UTC
child Brazil
Latin America's largest economy Brazil has contracted by 3.6 percent in 2016, shrinking for the second year in a row; statistics agency IBGE said on Tuesday. It confirmed the country is facing its longest and deepest recession in recorded history.

Data shows gross domestic product (GDP) fell for the eighth straight quarter in the three months to December, down 0.9 percent from the previous quarter. The figure was worse than the 0.5 percent decline economists had forecast and left the country's overall GDP down 3.6 percent for the full year following a 3.8 percent drop in 2015.

"In real terms, GDP is now nine percent below its pre-recession peak," Neil Shearing, chief emerging markets economist at Capital Economics, told the Financial Times.

Comment: But remember Brazil's contracting economy was blamed on President Roussef! The current deeply corrupt political class has hailed neo-liberalism as the solution. It's not a leap to predict that things will only continue to get worse for Brazil.

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Safe

Vault 7: WikiLeaks publishes 'entire hacking capacity of the CIA'


RT
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 16:07 UTC
CIA logo
© Saul Loeb / AFP
WikiLeaks has published what it claims is the largest ever batch of confidential documents on the CIA, revealing the breadth of the agency's ability to hack smartphones and popular social media messaging apps such as WhatsApp.

A total of 8,761 documents have been published as part of 'Year Zero', the first in a series of leaks on the agency that the whistleblower organization has dubbed 'Vault 7.'

In a statement WikiLeaks said 'Year Zero' revealed details of the CIA's "global covert hacking program," including "weaponized exploits" used against company products including "Apple's iPhone, Google's Android and Microsoft's Windows and even Samsung TVs, which are turned into covert microphones."
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Chess

Russian and Italian political parties sign pledge to promote cooperation and peace


RT
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 16:06 UTC
Putin ASEM forum
© Aleksey Nikolskyi / SputnikRussian President Vladimir Putin meeting the head of the Lega Nord party, Matteo Salvini, at the ASEM forum.
Russia's parliamentary majority United Russia party and Italian Euroskeptics Lega Nord (North League) have signed an agreement pledging to promote peace and cooperation with respect to other nations' traditions and interests.

United Russia MP and the member of the State Duma International Relation Committee Sergey Zheleznyak told reporters about the agreement on Tuesday.

"We are confident that most problems that exist in Europe and in the world require dialogue, broad discussion and a search for solutions. In this, our parties can give an example to other political forces on what a responsible approach to realization of international cooperation should look like," Zheleznyak said.

He added that he was confident that Russian and Italian voters wanted to live in peace and safety and wanted to have an opportunity to work and cooperate with all nations and peoples without any damage to their own national traditions and interests.
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