Puppet MastersS


Attention

Aleksandr Kadakin, Russian ambassador to India dies in New Delhi, age 67


RFE/RL
Thu, 26 Jan 2017 00:00 UTC
Aleksandr Kadakin
© file photoAleksandr Kadakin, Russian ambassador to India
Russia's Foreign Ministry says the country's ambassador to India, Aleksandr Kadakin, has died in New Delhi at the age of 67. Russian state news reports said Kadakin's death on January 26 was the result of heart failure.

Kadakin, who served for more than two decades as a Russian diplomat, had been the Russian ambassador to India since 2009. He also had served at the New Delhi post from 1999 to 2004.

He was Russia's ambassador to Nepal from 1993 to 1997 and the ambassador to Sweden from 2005 to 2009.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said "Russian diplomacy has lost one of its utmost professionals who selflessly devoted himself to promoting the interests of our country abroad."

The Russian foreign service has suffered several losses in its top echelon in recent weeks. Moscow's ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was assassinated on December 19 in Ankara. Andrei Malanin, Russia's top diplomat in Greece, was found dead on the floor of his Athens apartment of apparent natural causes on January 9.

Comment: Three Russian diplomats dead in just over a month's time. It does make one wonder if there is more to this, given at least one was assassination. See also:

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Dollars

Abbas' affairs advisor: Palestinian Authority received Obama's final aid payout of $221m


RT
Thu, 26 Jan 2017 21:09 UTC
Obama Kerry Abbas
© Only Simchas
The much-discussed $221 million transfer to Palestine authorized by Barack Obama just hours before Trump was sworn into the presidency has already reached West Bank and Gaza, an advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has claimed.

"We have already received the last sum assigned by Obama's administration. They have transferred this money," Husam Zomlot, strategic affairs advisor to the Palestine president, told RIA Novosti in an interview on Thursday. When asked to clarify whether he was speaking about the $221 million payment, the Palestinian official answered in the affirmative. The decision was made in Washington "several weeks ago," he added.

The transfer of the money coming from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has been widely discussed since the last-minute announcement last Friday, when then-US Secretary of State John Kerry formally notified Congress of the decision. Although Congress had initially approved the funding, at least two Republican lawmakers had placed it on hold, which isn't legally binding but generally respected.

There have been reports the new State Department was reviewing the delivery of the funds, and the money would not be sent until the Trump administration approved it. The payout had been frozen by Trump, the Times of Israel reported on Wednesday, citing a senior Palestinian source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Having claimed that the money did in fact reach the Palestinian Authority, Zomlot said it "hope[s] that Trump's administration will carry on with the policy [toward Palestine] that their predecessors had." He didn't comment on the internal political discussions in the US on the financial aid to West Bank and Gaza, saying that so far there is nothing to talk about. "Once they [the US] announce a new position [on the matter], we will react," he told RIA.

Comment: See also:

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Hourglass

UK shifts policy, now accepts Assad could run for reelection


RT
Thu, 26 Jan 2017 20:47 UTC
Boris Johnson
© PABoris Johnson: A 'follow the leader,' leader.
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says Britain has changed its stance and now believes Syrian President Bashar Assad could potentially be allowed to run for president if there was a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

"It is our view that Bashar al-Assad should go, it's been our longstanding position. But we are open-minded about how that happens and the timescale on which that happens," Johnson told the Lords International Relations Committee on Thursday, according to The Guardian.

The statement came a day before British Prime Minister Theresa May meets with recently inaugurated US President Donald Trump in Washington, which means all sides interested in peaceful settlement of the long-lasting conflict in Syria could reconsider their views on the matter.

There is a need to be "realistic about the way the landscape has changed" and to take a fresh look at the situation, Johnson said. "We are getting to the stage where some sort of democratic resolution has got to be introduced," he added.

"I would hope it would be possible to have a plebiscite or an election which is properly supervised by the UN and in which all the 11 million displaced persons, including the 4 million who are outside Syria now, are fully entitled to vote," he said.


Comment: How bloody generous of him. Good luck with that.


Comment: So...the British puppets talked themselves into a war on Syria, hitched onto the US' deadly farce, helped launch ISIS, have now seen the new tide come in, and so: Assad can stay, Russia ain't so bad, kill ISIS (for real) with Russia and buddy up to Iran. Makes your head spin. Another example of the Trump Effect?

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War Whore

Gorbachev: Amid new arms race, Putin & Trump must spearhead int'l law banning nuclear war


RT
Fri, 27 Jan 2017 15:11 UTC
Mikhail Gorbachev
© Grigory Dukor / ReutersMikhail Gorbachev, former Soviet leader
Former Soviet leader Michael Gorbachev called on Russia and the US to join forces in ruling out a disastrous global conflict, urging Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump to draw up a UN Security Council resolution banning nuclear war.

In an Op-Ed for Time magazine published on Thursday, the first and the last President of the Soviet Union painted a grim picture of the state of the world, calling it "too dangerous." Specifically, Gorbachev drew attention to the burgeoning defense spending which, he believes, has prompted a new round in the arms race with potentially disastrous consequences.

"No problem is more urgent today than the militarization of politics and the new arms race," he wrote.
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Stop

Syrian opposition rejects Russia's draft of new constitution


RFE/RL
Thu, 26 Jan 2017 00:00 UTC
Yahya al-Aridi
© YouTube.comYahya al-Aridi, member of opposition delegation to Astana talks
Syria's opposition has rejected a Russian proposal on a new constitution for the country, reports say.

Moscow says the draft, presented during a meeting with Syrian rebels at peace talks this week in Kazakhstan, was based on ideas from the Syrian government, opposition, and regional powers. But Bloomberg quoted Yahya al-Aridi, a member of the opposition delegation to the Astana talks, as saying on January 25, "We told them that the Syrians are the ones who are entitled to write the constitution."


Comment: The draft, according to Alexander Lavrentiev, was written to help speed up the process and give it more impetus. "In no way do we want to interfere in the drafting and adopting of the basic law of the constitution of the country," he said. "We believe that the Syrian people must lead this process."


"The Russians put the draft on the table and we didn't even pick it up," an unidentified source from the rebel delegation earlier told AFP. "We told them we refuse to discuss this."

At the end of the Astana negotiations on January 24, Russia, Iran, and Turkey said they would jointly enforce a fragile three-week cessation of hostilities in Syria.

Moscow and Tehran back President Bashar al-Assad's government in the six-year civil war, while Ankara supports the opposition.

Moscow has announced that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would hold talks with Syrian opposition representatives in Moscow on January 27, but it was unclear who would attend.
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Network

Trump to have phone call with Putin on Saturday, wants to work with Russia to "knock the hell out of ISIS"


RT
Fri, 27 Jan 2017 14:50 UTC
trump
© Mark Makela / Reuters
In an interview to Fox News on Friday, Trump said it would be to the advantage of both Russia and the US to mend ties and pool their efforts in the fight against terrorism.

Speaking to Sean Hannity of Fox News, US President Donald Trump said that he looks forward to speaking with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

"He called me after I won, but I haven't had a discussion, but I understand we will be having a discussion soon," Trump told Hannity.

On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Trump and Putin will have a phone conversation on Saturday.

Trump again reiterated his intention to pursue good relations with Russia, pointing out that it would be mutually beneficial and would allow both sides to step up the fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS, ISIL).
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Rose

The new boss: Trump's White House 'charm offensive' a contrast to solitary Obama

John T. Bennett
Roll Call
Wed, 25 Jan 2017 14:11 UTC
trump meeting
© Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump delivers opening remarks during a meeting with, from left to right, Wendell Weeks of Corning, Alex Gorsky of Johnson & Johnson, Michael Dell of Dell Technologies and other other business leaders in the Roosevelt Room at the White House January 23, 2017 in Washington, DC.
New president wants 'strong bonds with congressional leaders'

Eric Schultz, a senior aide to then-President Barack Obama, delivered the line with a perfect deadpan. The delivery, including the glance toward reporters, summed up the Obama administration's view about hobnobbing with Congress.

"On Thursday, the president and first lady will attend the Congressional Ball at the White House," Schultz said on Dec. 2, pausing for a second before delivering the punchline — "one of our favorites." Reporters gathered in the White House briefing room responded with a combination of knowing chuckles, groans and hoots.

It conjured up a scene from the 2013 White House Correspondents' Dinner when Obama revealed his feelings about socializing with lawmakers.

"Some folks still think I don't spend enough time with Congress," Obama joked at the annual gala. "'Why don't you have a drink with Mitch McConnell?' they ask. Really? Why don't 'you' get a drink with Mitch McConnell?"

Fast forward nearly two months from Schultz's telling remark. The new president, Donald Trump, spent his first two full days of work doing what his predecessor rarely did. Trump used the White House, its many ornate rooms and the power of the Oval Office, to chat up senior lawmakers from both parties, and to impress corporate executives and union workers.

Obama clung to his senior staff and thick briefing books. But Trump kicked off his tenure with what amounts to a charm offensive, bringing in CEOs and congressional leaders on Monday and Tuesday.

Comment: Trump playing to his strengths here. But it will only work if he can show himself to be actively taking on board what he hears in his 'listening tours'. Time will tell.

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Info

Ukrainian Navy holds border defense exercises in Black Sea


Sputnik
Fri, 27 Jan 2017 14:17 UTC
Ukrainian sailor
© AFP 2016/ GENYA SAVILOV
The Ukrainian navy has carried out border control exercises as part of ongoing drills in the Black Sea, the navy's press service said Friday.

The drills, taking place to the east of Crimea, kicked off on Wednesday following tactical missile exercises in the Kherson Region, bordering Crimea.

"The Ukrainian Naval Forces continued exercises in the northwestern part of the Black Sea in the Odessa and Mykolaiv Regions. Ships, boats, naval aviation and armored vehicles are involved. Participating troops are working on tasks to practice strengthening state border controls along dangerous stretches and protecting important state objects, as well as taking control of major transport communications, ensuring anti-sabotage defenses and other tasks," the navy said in a statement.
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Info

French frontrunner Fillon rocked by probe handing opening to rivals

Helene Fouquet and Mark Deen
Bloomberg
Thu, 26 Jan 2017 14:01 UTC
Francois Fillon
© Marlene Awaad/Bloomberg
The French presidential campaign saw its first major scandal break on Wednesday when prosecutors opened a probe into front-runner Francois Fillon.

The national financial prosecutor started a preliminary criminal investigation into Fillon's employment of his wife as a parliamentary aide starting in 1998. Satirical weekly Canard Enchaine reported a day earlier that Penelope Fillon collected a public salary totaling about 500,000 euros ($537,000) over multiple years without actually doing any work.

For 62-year-old Fillon, who pollsters have made the clear favorite since he won the Republicans' nomination in November, the consequences are potentially far-reaching. The lifelong politician has vaunted his probity as one of his main qualifications for office.
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Star of David

Expanding occupation: 153 settler homes approved in E. Jerusalem, 11,000 more planned


RT
Fri, 27 Jan 2017 13:47 UTC
Israel settlements
© Ronen Zvulun / Reuters
Israel has given green light to 153 additional settler homes in the occupied East Jerusalem after 2,500 housing units were approved in the West Bank. Another 11,000 buildings are expected to receive building permits, according to Jerusalem's deputy mayor.

Israeli authorities are expanding plans for housing development on occupied Palestinian territory which is considered illegal by international law. The move comes after the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, who has voiced strong support for Israel, and dismissed criticism of the controversial settlement policy, which the previous White House administration maintained.

The permits by a city planning committee had been put on hold due to pressure from Barack Obama's administration, Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Meir Turgeman said, according to The Times of Israel.
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