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Target

Putin: Russian ambassador's murder provocation aimed at undermining peace process in Syria

Putin
© Sergey Guneev / Sputnik
The fatal attack on Russia's ambassador to Turkey, who was killed by a gunman on Monday, is "clearly a provocation" aimed at undermining both Russian-Turkish relations and the settling of the Syrian crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"This murder is clearly a provocation aimed at undermining the improvement and normalization of Russian-Turkish relations, as well as undermining the peace process in Syria promoted by Russia, Turkey, Iran and other countries interested in settling the conflict in Syria," Putin said in a statement on Monday evening.

The "only response" to the attack that Moscow "should offer" is "stepping up the fight against terrorism," the president added.

"The killers will feel it," Putin said.



Snakes in Suits

CIA Director John Brennan may face investigation for leaking 'Russian hacker' story to the Washington Post

CIA chief John Brennan
© flickr / cc / DonkeyHotey
Fox Business News discusses a potential investigation involving CIA Director John Brennan over whether he leaked information about the Russian hacking investigation to the media.

John Brennan takes his cues directly from Barack Obama, which means the entire CIA, Russian hack investigation, was initiated and conducted under Obama's direct order.

The Russian hack, media spin, has been and remains a political play. National security has very little to do with it.

Comment: More on this scandal: Honest news anchor Ben Swann destroys CIA Russia hack claims in under 5 minutes


Info

Iranian President unveils landmark Charter on Citizens' Rights

Hassan Rouhani
© AP Photo/ Iranian Presidency Office
A special official for supervising the implementation of the Charter provisions will be appointed.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani unveiled on Monday the Charter on Citizens' Rights, guaranteeing right to a fair trial, nationality, freedom of speech and movement among other basic human rights, local media reported.

"All the nation, each and every citizen should be regarded as equal before the law; no one would seek the status the oligarchic nepotism bestows upon its 'insiders' in flagrant violation of others' rights... this Charter was a promise which should have been fulfilled to address only a small part of the demands by the public," Rouhani said at the unveiling ceremony in Tehran as quoted by Iran's Tasnim news agency.

Comment: Hopefully this will result in one less thing the West can complain about Iran.


Info

Sudden Ukrainian offensive in Lugansk ends in heavy losses and retreat

Ukraine artilery fire
Since yesterday evening, reports have been incoming from the frontline in Lugansk that the Ukrainians have violated the Minsk Agreements for the nth time, this time shelling militia positions with artillery and attempting an offensive on the Uglegorsk and Debaltsevo fronts in the Lugansk People's Republic.

The attack has been halted, but firefights are ongoing. The attack was presumably being led by neo-Nazi volunteer battalions.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces shelled the residential area of Kalinovka near Debaltsevo 150 times with artillery prohibited by the Minsk Agreements before attempting to break through the defense positions of the Lugansk People's Militia.

Comment: PrivatBank news: Ukraine nationalizes Kolomoisky's PrivatBank that holds 36% of all domestic deposits


Snakes in Suits

Sam Brownback's links to anti-Putin cabal cost him a Trump Cabinet position

Sam Brownback and Donald Trump
Kansas Republican Governor Sam Brownback desperately wants a position in the Trump administration. However, with almost all of Trump's cabinet positions already spoken for, with the exception of Agriculture Secretary, it would appear that the uber-conservative governor and former U.S. senator may join New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, and former U.S. House Speaker on the also-ran list in Trump's political version of "Celebrity Apprentice."

What sunk Brownback's chances of moving from Kansas back to Washington, DC, was his chumminess with the political opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin while he served as a senator. In 2005, Brownback chaired the Congress's Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), also known as the Helsinki Commission. Brownback used his chairmanship to bash Putin's policies, especially with regard to Russian legal action taken against prominent Russian Jewish oligarchs, including former Yukos Oil chairman Mikhail Khodorkovsky, his partner Leonid Nevzlin, Mikhail Chernoy, and former Russian media moguls Boris Berezovsky and Vladimir Gusinsky.

Chess

'Clash of the Titans': As Trump-CIA showdown escalates, expect heads to roll

Donald Trump
German online media is reporting on the growing confrontation between the CIA and President-elect Donald Trump.

Citing the Washington Post, German Economic News related that the rank and file of the CIA is not sure if they will be able to work under President Trump:

The Washington Post, usually kept well informed by intelligence circles, is reporting great apprehension in the CIA over the president-elect. The Post cites an anonymous CIA man as saying, "I don't know what the endgame is. After the inauguration we will be in uncharted waters."

These reports come as the CIA, or elements of it in collaboration with the mainstream media, have virtually declared open war on the President-elect, attempting to discredit his election victory and either prevent his inauguration or handicap his influence by alleging serious interference by Russia in the election.

And it's not only Trump himself they are worried about. Trump's picks for national security advisor and CIA director are also provoking a serious backlash:

Star of David

Israel cannot decide if Russian presence in Syria is mildly good or very bad

Israeli tanks
Ben Caspit, an Israeli journalist with the Jerusalem Post and the Hebrew-language Maariv newspaper, has conducted a very interesting interview with an unnamed "high-ranking Israeli security official" for the Washington-based Al-Monitor paper. The interview largely centered on the question of how has Russia's intervention in Syria affected Israel's security and freedom of action in the region.

Firstly the unnamed official insists that Russia and Israel maintain a positive relationship in the region:
Asked about the relationship built up between Israel and Russia along the northern front, he said, "It is a very complex. It is a very sensitive relationship that is important to both parties. It certainly weighs in on the positive end of the scale, but that does not mean that there are no problems or complicated issues that must be resolved."

Stop

Tehran threatens retaliation if Washington nixes Boeing deal

Ground crew
© Jason Redmond / ReutersGround crew members escort a Boeing 737 MAX as it returns from a flight test at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington
Iranian officials have warned they will seek the return of "prepayments with interest" in a multibillion-dollar deal to buy dozens of Boeing jets if it is scuttled by Donald Trump's incoming administration.

A $16.6 billion contract for 80 passenger planes was sealed by the Islamic Republic and the US aircraft maker Boeing a week ago. It is the first deal between the two countries in almost forty years.

"Both [Tehran and Boeing - Ed.] were willing to reach a conclusion sooner, and fortunately it took place before the new government [in the US takes office]," said Farhad Parvaresh chief executive of state-owned airline Iran Air, as cited by the Wall Street Journal. "Both sides are committed, and there are scenarios in the contracts for violation of commitments or case of force majeure to deal with those cases."

Boeing wanted to close the transaction before the year-end so it could be included in its order book. President-elect Trump has criticized the company about the cost of building the next version of the Air Force One presidential jet.

Comment: While it should come as no surprise that the US Congress would vote for continued non-sensical sanctions against Iran, it will be interesting to see how closely Trump follows his own illogical anti-Iran rhetoric (should he make it to and past inauguration time).


Snakes in Suits

92yo Zimbabwean leader Mugabe endorsed to stand in next election

President Robert Mugabe
© Philimon Bulawayo / ReutersPresident Robert Mugabe
Zimbabwe's 92-year-old leader Robert Mugabe has been endorsed as his ruling party's presidential candidate for the 2018 national election.

The Zanu-PF party declared its support for Mugabe in the south-eastern town of Masvingo on Saturday, with the party's youth group suggesting that the longtime ruler should stay in power for life, AP reports.

Youth wing leader Kudzai Chipanga said Mugabe's birth certificate and ID should be changed to "President Robert Mugabe."

Various party members also sang the praises of their leader. Cabinet minister Supa Mandiwanzira made a pun using his name, saying: "I am not super, Mr President. It is you who is super."

Comment: See also:


Star of David

Ex-Mossad chief: World better not pry into how we decide to pull trigger on someone

Efraim Halevy
© CC BY-SA Eli Itkin/Wikimedia CommonsEfraim Halevy
In a world where terrorism can strike at any moment - where terrorists resort to stabbing, ramming attacks, and mass shooting - no one is safe from the threat of extremism. Recent terrorist attacks in Europe highlight the need to ramp up security - and many are pointing to Israel as a model. Surrounded by hostile countries and conflict zones, Israel has managed to contain the extremist threat. The Israeli Mossad is one of planet's top intelligence agencies and is known for its relentless pursuit of terrorists. How does Israel's mighty intelligence apparatus work against terrorism? How can peace be kept in a country where the enemy is waiting around every corner? We lift the lid on the counter-terrorism methods used by one of the world's top spy agencies with a former director of the Mossad - Efraim Halevy.

Comment: More 'revelations from Halevy: