Puppet MastersS


Bulb

Russian senator pledges to discuss Syria at upcoming global parliamentary gathering


RT
Fri, 17 Feb 2017 15:37 UTC
moscow damascus conference
© Vladimir Trefilov / SputnikTelevised conference between Moscow, Damascus and Astana organized by Rossiya Segodnya Information Agency
The head of Russia's upper house Committee for International Relations wants to discuss Syria at the upcoming session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union - a global inter-parliamentary forum - in order to gain the coordinated support of the world community.

"I propose to come up with a joint initiative of yet another discussion concerning Syria that would emphasize the support to the Geneva and Astana processes. These are the processes that gained momentum after our October discussion, they require separate attention from us and consolidated support from the international parliamentary community," Konstantin Kosachev said during a televised conference between Moscow, Damascus and Astana organized by Rossiya Segodnya.

The TV link was dedicated to the inter-parliamentary dialogue on a peaceful settlement in Syria in the light of the recent talks on the issue in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

Kosachev also noted that despite the international community having paid significant attention to the events in Syria, it was extremely difficult to obtain truthful information about events there.
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Handcuffs

DOJ included on target list of President Trump's probe into leaks

Sara A. Carter
Circa
Fri, 17 Feb 2017 15:24 UTC
Michael Flynn
© Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press
National security adviser Michael Flynn has resigned amid allegations he misled then-Vice President-elect Pence about the extent of a conversation he had with the Russian ambassador.

President Donald Trump said Thursday he's pressing for a full investigation into the intelligence leaks that led to the ouster of former National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and Circa can confirm that one of the agencies that they're looking at is the Department of Justice .

The scope of persons and agencies that would have had access to the information contained in the transcribed phone calls is relatively small and would include DOJ officials as well, several U.S. officials told Circa.

The leaks, which were reported in detail by The Washington Post, regarded the relatively short phone conversation between Flynn and Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak.

Despite calls from some Democrats and Republicans to investigate Flynn, the FBI announced Thursday that they would not be investigating him. Sources close to Flynn told Circa he was willing and ready to speak to anybody or any committee about his conversation and that he broke no laws.

Comment: More than one government department has its knives out for Trump.

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Yoda

"Natural process": Despite media speculation, Putin downplays governor resignations


RT
Fri, 17 Feb 2017 15:32 UTC
putin russian governors
© Mikhail Klimentiev / SputnikRussian President Vladimir Putin meeting with the former governors of the Russian regions of Buryatia, Karelia, Perm, Novgorod and Ryazan
Russian President Vladimir Putin has assured governors who have recently resigned that he will personally help them to apply their experience and skills for Russia's benefit, and asked them to help their successors to settle in as soon as possible.

"Rotation [of staff] is an absolutely natural process, it is self-explanatory. I'm sure that you can apply your abilities in other fields of work. I intend to help your experience and knowledge of the situation in particular regions and in the country as a whole to be put to effective use," Putin said at a meeting with the former governors of the Russian regions of Buryatia, Karelia, Perm, Novgorod and Ryazan.

"I rely on you to support your successors with your knowledge and experience as well as your ideas on what should be done in the nearest future, so that we don't lose the development rate in the regions that you have been heading," he added.
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Info

Greece puts its foot down: 'Not a euro more' from its austerity-impoverished population


RT
Fri, 17 Feb 2017 15:24 UTC
People in Greece
© Yiannis Kourtoglou / Reuters
European Union officials are urging Greece and its creditors to strike a financial aid deal for the country quickly to safeguard economic recovery. However, Athens has refused a demand from its creditors for more austerity measures.

The Greek government said it would not ask for "a euro more" from its impoverished citizens.

Failure to agree on debt relief and economic reforms raises doubts over the future of the €86 billion Greek bailout program, with new aid withheld until the talks move from deadlock.

Comment: It will be interesting to see how the negotiations proceed now that Greece has hired the Rothschilds: Greece plans to hire Rothschild as debt adviser

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Chess

Concerned Juncker says EU must not let US push it to increase military spending


RT
Fri, 17 Feb 2017 14:49 UTC
tanks in Zagan, Poland, January 30, 2017
© Kacper Pempel / Reuters
Europe mustn't be pushed by the US to increase its military spending, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said. Modern politics is also about humanitarian assistance and development, not only "raising defense spending," he added.

"It [increasing military spending] has been the American message for many, many years. I am very much against letting ourselves be pushed into this," Juncker said, speaking on the sidelines of the international Munich Security Conference on Wednesday.

Juncker added that he does not like "our American friends narrowing down this concept of security to the military."
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Red Flag

Lockheed Martin CEO Robert Harward turns down Trump offer of National Security Advisor


RT
Fri, 17 Feb 2017 15:17 UTC
Robert Harward
© U.S. Military / WikipediaRobert Harward
The Trump administration's staffing problems continue, as retired Vice Admiral Bob Harward turned down an offer to be President Trump's national security advisor, replacing General Michael Flynn. The circumstances surrounding Harward's decision are still unclear.

Following Flynn's sudden departure after just 24 days on the job, Trump's first choice to fill the vacant seat rejected the offer on Thursday. Harward told the Associated Press that the decision was "purely a personal issue," and said the White House was "very accommodating to my needs, both professionally and personally."

He explained that he is "in a unique position finally after being the in military for 40 years to enjoy some personal time."

A White House official told CNN that Harward refused the position due to financial and family reasons, but sources close to Harward attribute his decision to the increasingly difficult situation in the White House.
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Gold Coins

Alan Greenspan warns 'the eurozone isn't working', recommends gold investments


RT
Fri, 17 Feb 2017 14:56 UTC
Alan Greenspan
© Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
The imbalances in the economic strength of euro area countries make the continued function of the single currency area a primary concern, said former US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan in an interview with the World Gold Council.

He suggests the inequality is largely down to a north/south geographical divide which means the division between the northern and southern EU countries is too big. The bloc's more prosperous nations such as Germany consistently fund the deficits of those in the south, and that simply can't go on, said Greenspan.

"The European Central Bank (ECB) has greater problems than the Federal Reserve. The asset side of the ECB's balance sheet is larger than ever before, having grown steadily since Mario Draghi said he would do whatever it took to preserve the euro," he said.

"And I have grave concerns about the future of the euro itself... The eurozone is not working", added Greenspan.
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TV

'Wearing insults with a badge of honor': CNN's president is proud of its anti-Trump stance


RT
Fri, 17 Feb 2017 15:04 UTC
Zucker and Trump
© ReutersJeff Zucker, president of CNN and U.S. President Donald Trump.
CNN's Jeff Zucker has gone on the offensive defending against President Donald Trump's attacks of being "very fake news," saying the aggressive anti-Trump agenda only serves to boost his employees' morale and they wear it as "a badge of honor."

Zucker's remarks to Politico came just as Trump had wrapped up a heated press conference Thursday, during which he sparred with the network's Jim Acosta.

Acosta's bout with Trump related to the freshly-elected president having branded CNN as "fake news." Trump actually only ended up telling the CNN host: "I'm changing it from 'fake news' to 'very fake news'."

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Cards

Mattis: US not in a position right now to collaborate with Russia militarily


RT
Fri, 17 Feb 2017 14:13 UTC
james mattis
© Francois Lenoir / ReutersUS Defense Secretary James 'Mad Dog' Mattis. Brussels, Belgium, February 16, 2017
As President Donald Trump repeatedly stressed the need to get along with Russia, two of his top Cabinet members were abroad, saying the US is ready not for closer ties until Moscow "proves" its commitment to international agreements.

On Thursday, Secretary of Defense James Mattis said at a NATO meeting in Brussels, Belgium that the US isn't ready to collaborate militarily with Russia against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) or other threats.

"We are not in a position right now to collaborate on a military level, but our political leaders will engage and try to find common ground or a way forward so that Russia, living up to its commitment, can return to a partnership of sorts here with NATO," Mattis said.

"Russia's aggressive actions have violated international law and are destabilizing," he added.

Before the US is willing to work with its former Cold War rival, "Russia is going to have to prove itself first," Mattis said. "The point about Russia is they have to live by international law just like we expect all nations on this planet to do."
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Piggy Bank

Russia to clear entire USSR debt by year-end


RT
Fri, 17 Feb 2017 14:42 UTC
69th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, 1989, Moscow
© SputnikCelebrating the 69th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, 1989, Moscow
Moscow will pay off the balance of the debt inherited from the Soviet Union this year, Izvestia daily reports, quoting sources in the Russian Ministry of Finance.

Last week, the Finance Ministry said it had cleared the $60.6 million debt to Macedonia. This means that the last debt of the Soviet Union is $125.2 million to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Both countries were formed after the breakup of Yugoslavia and won the right to reclaim part of the Soviet debt.

"The agreement has taken a long time to get ready, a preliminary agreement has been signed. The final version just needs signing, it's a matter of a few months. It will be a single tranche through VEB [Russian state bank of foreign economic affairs]. There are no difficulties there, the question will be resolved by the summer," a source in the Russian Finance Ministry told lzvestia. The debt will be paid off within 45 days after the agreement is signed, the source said.

Comment: Could this be part of the reason for the hostility towards Russia?

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