SOTT
SIGNS
OF THE
TIMES
OF THE
TIMES
Welcome to Sott.net
The World for People who Think
Puppet MastersS
We are joined by Glenn Greenwald, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and one of the founding editors of The Intercept. His latest article is headlined "WashPost Is Richly Rewarded for False News About Russia Threat While Public Is Deceived." In it, he writes, "Any story that bolsters the prevailing D.C. orthodoxy on the Russia Threat, no matter how dubious, is spread far and wide. And then, as has happened so often, when the story turns out to be false or misleading, little or nothing is done to correct the deceitful effects."
© UnknownDid the Clintons just signal the start of a purple color revolution in the U.S.?
Mrs. Clinton, accompanied by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and their daughter, Chelsea, received several ovations from the sold-out audience as she arrived, and then another round of applause when she was acknowledged by the cast after the show.
"There's a lot of really awesome famous and notable people here today," the actress Patrice Covington, who gave the farewell speech on behalf of the cast after the show, said to the audience. "I'm not going to call all of them out — I know you already know them," she said, before pausing, looking in Mrs. Clinton's direction, and waving at her mischievously. At that, the audience erupted into a new, loud round of applause.
Read more
© Claudia HQ / YouTube
CCTV footage of a gunman who shot and wounded the unnamed US consular employee have been posted on the US Consulate's Facebook page.
One of the videos shows the moment of attack. The gunman awaits the official near the exit of an underground parking. When his car stops at a barrier, the attacker pulls out a gun and shoots a single bullet into windshield, apparently wounding the consular employee, and then runs away.
Comment: Update: Mexico arrests US citizen thought to be behind attack on American diplomat
A suspect in the brazen broad light shooting attack on a US consulate official in Mexico has been arrested and it's emerged he's a US citizen who will be deported to face inquiry at home, Mexican authorities have announced.
"A US citizen was identified and detained for his presumed involvement in the case. This person will be deported to the United States, to determine his legal situation," Sputnik quoted a statement released by the Mexican Federal Attorney General's Office on Sunday.
The official was shot while in his car at a parking lot in Guadalajara on Friday. The victim suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, according to Reuters citing a source.
The consulate employee was later identified as Christopher Ashcraft, according to an unnamed Mexican security official, cited by Reuters. The victim is recovering at a local hospital in a stable condition.
The identity of the suspect, as well as the motive remain unknown. Mexican authorities said that their investigation is ongoing.
US Secretary of State John Kerry thanked the Mexican government for its "swift arrest of suspect in attack on USCG Guadalajara colleague."
© Siegfried Modola / Reuters
The report from NGO Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID), an organization that fights corporate misconduct, says there has been a "repeated failure of the UK regulatory authorities [to stop the corrupt practice] over a 10 year period."
It says action has never been taken to "prevent assets acquired through corrupt means being traded on the London markets," despite warnings from the UN and compliance watch lists.
In September of 2016, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC (Och-Ziff), a large Wall Street hedge fund, with conspiracy to violate anti-bribery laws. It described the practices of Och-Ziff as "bribery in its purest form."
The DOJ investigation detailed bribes of tens of millions of dollars that had been paid to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) officials in order to secure investments for the fund in diamonds and mining.
© REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Reince Priebus said Trump believed Russia was behind the intrusions into the Democratic Party organizations, although Priebus did not clarify whether the president-elect agreed that the hacks were directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"He accepts the fact that this particular case was entities in Russia, so that's not the issue," Priebus said on "Fox News Sunday."
Comment: This mainstream news article is so full of anti-Russian rhetoric that there is no room for any balanced reporting. Disgraceful.
AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile
In late September, the US approved the sales of Boeing fighters worth a total of around $7 billion to Kuwait and Qatar. First mooted around two years ago, the deals had been held up by the US government due to Israeli concerns and in order to smooth the way for nuclear talks with Iran.
The same month, a $38-billion Israeli arms package over the next 10 years - the largest of its kind ever - was finalized and signed.
The news about those contacts was a real scoop hitting the headlines of all mainstream media outlets. In late November, the State Department approved another transaction- the acquisition of 70 AGM-158B JASSM-ER (extended range) missiles for Poland. The deal undeservedly failed to attract much attention. In fact, it matters much and changes a lot.
Comment: Remember, this is the same country that put its entire government on the same plane and they all opted to fly in stormy weather.
© SANA / ReutersSyria's President Bashar Assad.
Assad said that a Syrian government delegation is ready to leave for the Russian and Turkish-brokered negotiations in Astana, Kazakhstan, as soon as is necessary.
"We announced that our delegation to that conference is ready to go when they define... when they set the time of that conference. We are ready to negotiate everything, anything, it's fully open, there's no limit for those negotiations."
However, the question remains over whom they are going to talk to, Assad added.
"But who's going to be there from the other side? We don't know yet. Is it going to be the real Syrian opposition - and when I say 'real' it means it has grassroots in Syria, not Saudi ones or French ones or British ones - it should be Syrian opposition to discuss Syrian issues. So, the viability or, let's say, the success of that conference, will depend on that point," the Syrian president told French media, as cited by the Sana news agency.
Comment: Assad is very likely to remain as Syria's leader. He has the people's support. The Russians had no interest in saving Assad personally, just maintaining the integrity of the country.
- The 10 worst lies that the West tells about Syria
- The Syrian people will never accept a deal that removes Assad from power
- Why Bashar al-Assad remains popular among the Syrian people
- Syria Dispatch: Most Syrians Support Assad, Reject Phony Foreign 'Revolution'
- Assad: Syrian conflict is 'between Cold War & WWIII' with no proposals for a political solution
© AFP 2016/ Nazeer al-KhatibFighters from the Free Syrian Army monitor the area during battles against IS group jihadists near the town of Qabasin, located northeast of the city of Al-Bab
Kuweires, an outpost previously besieged by Daesh and liberated in November 2015, is set to become the springboard for the offensive.
The Turkish military, Turkish-back Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces, the Kurdish Rojava forces and the Syrian army are all currently converging on Daesh-held al-Bab.
© Illustration 21WIRE’s Shawn Helton‘KNOWN WOLF?’
At the moment, there is still no clear motive for the shooting attack and no evidence linking the suspect to terror. However, officials have yet to rule out the possibility of terrorism.
The timing of this shooting attack cannot be overstated, as there was a major US intelligence review over an alleged Russian hack influence on America's 2016 election that was scheduled on the very same day...
NOTE: It only took a matter of hours for the Fort Lauderdale shooter's back story to emerge.
Comment: TMZ acquired footage of the moment Santiago opened fire in the airport:
Comment: Is there a deeper reason for Killary attending a Broadway show titled The Color Purple? There was certainly plenty of discussion on the color purple when both Clintons wore purple during her farewell speech after getting whipped in the presidential election. It does not seem like the choice of show to attend is merely random. See also: