Puppet MastersS


Quenelle

Wave of arrests follow Russian diplomat's murder, Turkish officials claim trail 'leads back to US'

Alexander Mercouris
The Duran
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 12:52 UTC
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
© AP Photo/ Presidential Press Service/Kayhan OzerTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Wave of arrests following Russian ambassador's murder points to Turkish authorities' belief of a conspiracy behind it. Turkish Foreign Minister Cavesoglu in conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly points finger at Gulen movement.

There has been a wave of arrests in Turkey of individuals allegedly connected to the murder of Andrey Karlov, Russia's ambassador to Ankara.

According to the Russian news agency TASS 13 people have been taken into police custody, including the assassin's parents and sister, six other suspects in the west port city of Izmir, and four other people in the assassin's home province of Aidyn.

Comment: Further reading: Pepe Escobar: Turkey's 'Sarajevo Moment' - Who Profits From Russian Ambassador's Assassination?

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Eye 1

John Kirby refuses to call murder of Russian ambassador an act of terrorism

Enrico Braun
Russia Insider
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 12:53 UTC
John Kirby
© Reuters TV / Reuters
The US spokesman refuses to call the murder of the Russian diplomat what it is

Since the cold blooded murder of Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, you'd think the United States would at least have the decency to condemn it as a clear act of terrorism. But it seems from this report in the Washington Examiner that that's wishful thinking:

Comment: Further reading: Russian ambassador in Ankara shot dead in gun attack (Updates)

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Bulb

Donald Trump removes Russia from list of US defense priorities

Sergey Gladysh
The Duran
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 02:50 UTC
According to a leaked Pentagon memo, Russia is not on the list of Donald Trump's defense priorities.

The priorities, as they have been outlined by the incoming Trump administration, include defeating ISIS, eliminating budget caps, developing a new cyber strategy, and finding greater efficiencies.

The memo, obtained by Foreign Policy, does not include any mention of Russia, which has been identified by senior military officials in the Obama administration as the No. 1 threat to the United States.

Leaked Pentagon Memo
Leaked Pentagon Memo
Foreign Policy reports that the memo, which is dated Dec. 1, was written by acting Undersecretary of Defense for policy Brian McKeon to employees in his office. In it, McKeon said the four-point list of priorities was conveyed to him by Mira Ricardel, a former Bush administration official and co-leader of Trump's Pentagon transition team.
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Wine n Glass

Best of the Web: Russian hacking accusation: This remarkable spasm of stupidity is destroying the web of lies about Russia

Charles Bausman
Russia Insider
Mon, 19 Dec 2016 00:00 UTC
trump putin
Inconceivable just a few short months ago
Russia has been scoring so many wins over the past weeks and months: routing the US and its ISIS-supporting allies in Syria, Trump winning, Rex Tillerson's nomination, Brexit, the Italian vote, the leading candidates in the French elections ... sometimes one has to pinch oneself when reading the morning news - how could it possibly be going so well after so many tough years?

Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, along comes another gift: this remarkable spasm of stupidity from the dark side - the neocon-dominated, big media / security state / rotten politician / axis of evil. By picking up this Russia hacking theme and running with it, they are unwittingly destroying their own carefully constructed web of lies about Russia, which they have so artfully woven over the years, and hoodwinked many Americans and Europeans into believing.
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Bullseye

Unable to face reality: Hillary's sore losers

Diana Johnstone
Counterpunch
Mon, 19 Dec 2016 00:00 UTC
reactions hillary loses election, hillary snowflakes
The true believers
If the 2016 presidential campaign was a national disgrace, the reaction of the losers is an even more disgraceful spectacle. It seems that the political machine backing Hillary Clinton can't stand losing an election.

And why is that?

Because they are determined to impose "exceptional" America's hegemony on the entire world, using military-backed regime changes, and Donald Trump seems poised to spoil their plans. The entire Western establishment, roughly composed of neoconservative ideologues, liberal interventionists, financial powers, NATO, mainstream media and politicians in both the United States and Western Europe, committed to remaking the Middle East to suit Israel and Saudi Arabia and to shattering impertinent Russia, have been thrown into an hysterical panic at the prospect of their joint globalization project being sabotaged by in ignorant intruder.

Donald Trump's expressed desire to improve relations with Russia throws a monkey wrench into the plans endorsed by Hillary Clinton to "make Russia pay" for its bad attitude in the Middle East and elsewhere. If he should do what he has promised, this could be a serious blow to the aggressive NATO buildup on Russia's European borders, not to mention serious losses to the U.S. arms industry planning to sell billions of dollars worth of superfluous weapons to NATO allies on the pretext of the "Russian threat".
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Chess

Stronger than ever: Russian-Iranian partnership not in danger despite Trump's hard line on Iran

Mark Nicholas
Russia Insider
Tue, 20 Dec 2016 22:56 UTC
Putin and Rouhani

Trump may pursue a reset with Russia but take a hard line on Iran. If so Moscow will not betray its newfound partnership with Tehran

Trump said he would give improving Russia relations a shot but was hardline on Iran throughout the campaign (albeit being careful not to commit himself to tearing up the nuclear deal).

Is he going to pursue a warming with Russia, while ratcheting up hostility towards Iran? If so will he try to convince Moscow to join him? It's possible.

If he does will Moscow forsake Tehran for Trump? Absolutely not.

The ties between the two nations shunned by the west have become too deep to throw away now.

Comment: The strategic partnerships between Russia, Iran and China have irrevocably changed the world order. The US must choose whether it will change its destructive course or watch on the sidelines as much of the world forges a new future of economic development and cooperation without the global hegemon.

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Mr. Potato

Good riddance: Michelle Obama ready to fade back into obscurity

Daniel Halper
New York Post
Tue, 20 Dec 2016 20:03 UTC
Michelle Obama Oprah Winfrey
© Amanda Lucidon/The White House
Michelle Obama is looking forward to getting her "anonymity" back.

The first lady complained in an interview that aired Monday night with Oprah Winfrey on CBS that her biggest sacrifice while Barack Obama served as president was giving up her ability to be anonymous.

But soon, she believes, that'll change.

"You know, there's nowhere I can go in the world and just sit at a table and have a cup of coffee and watch the world," Obama said in what is expected to be her final sit-down interview.

Oprah doubted Obama will get her anonymity back — but the outgoing first lady was insistent.

"Yes, I am. Now it's all gonna change," Obama said at the White House.

The politician's wife also said that she wouldn't be running for office.

Comment: Michelle Obama was the most embarrassing FLOTUS in history, and no one is sad to see her go. Here's a glimpse at her legacy as a complete waste of space in the White House:

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Pistol

Breaking news: 3 people shot and wounded at Islamic centre in Zurich, Switzerland

Darren Boyle
Daily Mail
Mon, 19 Dec 2016 19:43 UTC
Heavily-armed police arrived at the scene, pictured, and began searching for the gunman
Heavily-armed police arrived at the scene, pictured, and began searching for the gunman
Three people have been shot and wounded at an Islamic centre in Zurich, Switzerland.

Local media have reported that three people have been wounded at the religious building in the centre of the city.

There are no details yet as to the severity of the injuries or the motive behind the attack.

Zurich Police said several people had been hurt in the vicinity of the centre but would not release any more details.

It is understood the gunman has fled the scene and authorities have launched a manhunt.

An area surrounding the Islamic Centre was quickly sealed off after this evening's shooting
An area surrounding the Islamic Centre was quickly sealed off after this evening's shooting
Zurich police have not yet released any motive for tonight's shooting in the city
Zurich police have not yet released any motive for tonight's shooting in the city

Comment: The alleged attacker's body was found near the mosque, from an apparent self-inflicted wound. Zurich police say he had no apparent ties to either Islamic radicals or far-right extremists. The 24yo Swiss man apparently had "links to the occult", authorities say, because they found "corresponding symbols" at his home:
The culprit is said to have opened fire in the prayer room of a downtown Islamic center at 5:30pm on Monday evening, injuring three men aged 30, 35 and 56, explained Lentjes Meili at a press conference Tuesday.

Two of the three men shot at the Islamic centre were seriously injured, but all three are now in a stable condition, she said.

While not initially thought to be connected, the suspect is now believed to be behind a fatal stabbing of a 24-year-old man in a Schwamendingen playground on Sunday - the victim was apparently a friend of the perpetrator.

A few hours after the Islamic center shooting a body was discovered nearby on the Sihl near Gessnerallee and DNA evidence has confirmed it to be the perpetrator of the Schwamendingen stabbing.

Cantonal police understand the man shot himself after carrying out the attacks and have no reason to believe he is connected to a terrorist organization or, indeed, the truck incident in Berlin. They have found no evidence to suggest the perpetrator was undergoing psychiatric treatment.


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Attention

Site being considered for US embassy in Jerusalem is stolen Palestinian private property

Institute for Palestine Studies
Mondoweiss
Tue, 20 Dec 2016 20:01 UTC
The Jerusalem site formerly known as the Allenby Barracks, a possible location of the US Embassy
© Raphael Ahren/Times of IsraelThe Jerusalem site formerly known as the Allenby Barracks, a possible location of the US Embassy.
Kellyanne Conway, President-elect Donald Trump's campaign manager, has stated that relocating the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is a "a big priority" for the incoming administration. She added: "It is something that our friend in Israel, a great friend in the Middle East, would appreciate and something that a lot of Jewish-Americans have expressed their preference for."

Meanwhile, in a passage that has since been removed from the online article, the Times of Israel has reported that the Trump transition team "has begun exploring the logistics of moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv, and checking into sites for its intended new location," adding that the site being considered was formerly the location of the Allenby Barracks, the site of the British army's Jerusalem garrison during the Mandate.
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Arrow Down

War criminal Kissinger is the quintessential face of US imperialism


Press TV
Tue, 20 Dec 2016 19:56 UTC
Kissinger War Criminal
© Press TV
Henry Kissinger, the former US secretary of state and national security advisor, is a war criminal who killed millions of people and is a symbol of US imperialism, an American writer and political analyst says.

"He's the quintessential face of US imperial warmongering and of course wound up getting a Nobel Peace Prize," said Daniel Patrick Welch, a political commentator in Boston, Massachusetts.

Kissinger received the peace prize by killing two million people in East Asia, "which is what the Nobel committee seems to excel in," Welch told Press TV on Tuesday.

Kissinger, who was secretary of state and national security advisor during the Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford administrations, remains an influential foreign policy voice at the age of 93.

Asked how Kissinger received the Nobel peace prize, Welch replied that the usual way: Killing two million people in Southeast Asia and then being forced to stop and rewarded for it after five years.

During an interview with CBS that aired Sunday, Kissinger said President-elect Donald Trump could accomplish "something remarkable" in American foreign policy, calling the incoming president "a phenomenon."
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