Puppet MastersS


Attention

South Korea President Park impeached in corruption scandal and mass protests

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 13:05 UTC
Park Geun-hye
Overnight, political turmoil migrated to Asia after South Korean lawmakers voted 234-56 to impeach President Park Geun-hye over accusations of bribery, abuse of power and violating her constitutional duties, setting the stage for her to become the country's first elected leader to be expelled from office in disgrace.

The impeachment motion was carried by a wider-than-expected margin in a secret ballot in parliament, meaning more than 60 of Park's own conservative Saenuri Party members backed removing her. The votes of least 200 members of the 300-seat chamber were needed for the motion to pass. The Constitutional Court must now decide whether to uphold the motion, a process that could take up to 180 days.

"I solemnly accept the voice of the parliament and the people and sincerely hope this confusion is soundly resolved," Park said at a meeting with her cabinet, adding that she would comply with the court's proceedings as well as an investigation by a special prosecutor.
Read More...
Laptop

Georgia accuses DHS of attempted hack of election database post election

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 17:30 UTC
Department of Homeland Security
© The Hill
Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp is anxiously wondering, as are we, why someone with a Department Of Homeland Security IP address would try to hack into his State's voter registration database. Even though DHS offered cyber security help to states prior to the election, the Wall Street Journal notes that Georgia was one of the states that specifically denied assistance.
The secretary of state of Georgia is asking the Department of Homeland Security to explain what appears to be an attempted breach of the state's voter registration database by someone in the federal government.

In a letter to Department of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson dated Thursday, Georgia's Secretary of State Brian Kemp said the state had discovered an unsuccessful attempt to breach the firewall of state computer systems. That attempt was linked to an IP address associated with DHS, he said.

"At no time has my office agreed to or permitted DHS to conduct penetration testing or security scans of our network," wrote Mr. Kemp, a Republican. "Moreover, your department has not contacted my office since this unsuccessful incident to alert us of any security event that would require testing or scanning of our network."

The alleged attempted intrusion by the federal government on a state computer system responsible for election security was detected by a third-party security firm working for the state of Georgia. The attempt was unsuccessful, according to the state. The computers also house information about company incorporations.
According to a letter written by Kemp to DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, the attempted intrusion occurred 1 week after the election on November 15, 2016 at 8:43AM and came from an IP address associated with DHS (216.81.81.80).
Kemp letter
© ZeroHedge
Read More...
Attention

Human Rights Watch: US may be complicit in Yemen 'war crimes'


RT
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 09:35 UTC
Destroyed house in Yemen
© Anees Mahyoub / Reuters
The US may be complicit in "atrocities" that are taking place in Yemen as part of the Saudi-led military operation, a recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report suggests.

More than 160 people were killed over a one-month period in airstrikes in Yemen, carried out by the Saudi-led coalition using bombs and missiles bought from the US, the New York-based human rights activist group said Thursday. HRW also urged the imposition of an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia over the war in Yemen.

"The Obama administration is running out of time to completely suspend US arms sales to Saudi Arabia or be forever linked to Yemen wartime atrocities," Human Rights Watch researcher Priyanka Motaparthy said.

The Saudi-led coalition allegedly used US weapons in "unlawful attacks," including "the two of the war's deadliest incidents," the group said. The two attacks mentioned were the March 15 attack on Mastaba market, which claimed lives of 97 civilians, and an October 8 attack on a funeral hall in Sana'a, in which at least 100 people died and more than 500 were wounded.


Comment:

"Both attacks appear to have been war crimes," the report says.

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Arrow Up

Russian MoD: Nearly 8,500 civilians flee militant-held areas of Aleppo


RT
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 09:15 UTC
People, who evacuated the eastern districts of Aleppo, carry their belongings as they arrive in a government held area of Aleppo
© SANA / ReutersPeople, who evacuated the eastern districts of Aleppo, carry their belongings as they arrive in a government held area of Aleppo
Some 8,400 civilians have been evacuated from the militant-held districts of eastern Aleppo over the past 24 hours, Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that military specialists continue to sweep mines and explosives in war-ravaged areas.

A temporary suspension of Syrian Army military operations in Aleppo over the last 24-hour period has allowed for the organized evacuation of some 8,461 civilians, including 2,934 children, from areas of East Aleppo that remain under militant control, the Russian Center for Reconciliation said in a statement.

In the meantime, the center added, Russian sappers continue mine and IED removal activities in the districts, completely clearing an area of some 60,000 square meters.

Military specialists have also demined and restored Aleppo's central water pumping station to a functional condition, as well as two power plants, two schools and two mosques.

Comment: See also: Aleppo: World's biggest hostage crisis comes to an end - but the fake news continues

Read More...
Bad Guys

Operation 'Euphrates Shield': Turkey deploys 300 elite commandos in Syria


RT
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 09:08 UTC
Turkish commandos
© Atilla Subaşı / YouTube
Some 300 elite Turkish commandos have reportedly joined Operation Euphrates Shield in Syria to help the Free Syrian Army's offensive against Islamic State terrorists and Kurdish militias that Ankara is engaging on a foreign soil.

The special forces troops of the 11th Command Brigade were airlifted to Syria from Cardak Military Airport in Turkey, a source familiar with the matter told Turkey's Anadolu News. No further details have been provided.

Turkish forces crossed into Syria on August 24, under the pretext of targeting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) positions along the border. Turkey has been supporting the Free Syrian Army (FSA) on the ground. As IS fighters melted away, however, Turkish troops involved in Operation Euphrates Shield clashed with the YPG militia, part of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

After months of fighting, Turkey has helped the FSA clear some 1,800 square kilometers (694 square miles) of terrorists in northern Syria. Having liberated the town of Dabiq, FSA advances were stopped near the town of Al Bab, where ISIS continues to hold the city.

"So far, about 1,800 square kilometers, from Jarabulus to Azaz, and south to Azaz, and up to the Al Bab region has been completely cleared of terrorists," presidential spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said Thursday. "It is very important to act very carefully in [the northwestern city of] Al Bab especially due to the large Daesh [IS] terrorist organization [munitions] stock there."

Comment: See also: Turkey's ground offensive into Syria caught Washington 'off guard'

Read More...
Heart - Black

UN brands Israeli bill to legalize settler units as 'unequivocally illegal'


Press TV
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 01:26 UTC
This October 22, 2016, photo shows a general view of the illegal Israeli settlement of Revava, near the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.
© APThis October 22, 2016, photo shows a general view of the illegal Israeli settlement of Revava, near the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.
The United Nations has condemned as "unequivocally illegal" a recent Israeli bill to legalize some 4,000 settler units in the occupied West Bank, saying the move would be in contravention of international law.

In a Thursday statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein called on elements inside the Israeli regime to revise their support for the bill, which would retroactively grant legal status to settler units built on private Palestinian land.

"Israel, as the occupying power, must respect the private property of Palestinians, regardless of whether or not compensation is provided," Zeid said in a statement, warning that if enacted, the bill would have far-reaching consequences.

Israel has built thousands of illegal settler units for over half a million Israelis in the occupied West Bank.

The international community regards all settlements as illegal. The Tel Aviv regime has, however, continued to expand its illegal construction activities, defying warnings that the move could hamper the so-called Middle East peace talks.
Read More...
Newspaper

Clinton to Congress: Take action against 'epidemic of fake news' that told the truth about me


Press TV
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 01:08 UTC
Defeated US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a portrait unveiling ceremony for outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), on Capitol Hill December 8, 2016 in Washington, DC.
© AFPDefeated US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a portrait unveiling ceremony for outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), on Capitol Hill December 8, 2016 in Washington, DC.
Defeated US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has called on Congress to take action against the "epidemic of malicious fake news" that she said represents a "danger" to the "lives of ordinary people."

"Let me just mention briefly one threat in particular that should concern all Americans," Clinton said on Thursday speaking at a ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, honoring retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. "Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike — especially those who serve in our Congress."

"The epidemic of malicious fake news and false propaganda that flooded social media over the past year — it's now clear the so-called fake news can have real-world consequences," she added.


Comment: Yeah, and it nearly got Clinton elected.

Read More...
Eye 2

Persian Gulf Arab states shedding crocodile tears: Syria


Press TV
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 01:00 UTC
Persian Gulf Cooperation Council leaders pose for a group picture during a summit in the Bahraini capital Manama on December 6, 2016.
© AFPPersian Gulf Cooperation Council leaders pose for a group picture during a summit in the Bahraini capital Manama on December 6, 2016.
Syria's Foreign Ministry has criticized the Persian Gulf littoral states over their inability to take independent decisions, heavy reliance on foreign powers and enmity towards the Syrian government and nation.

The ministry, in a statement released on Thursday, said the Syrian nation and army soldiers, who are recording straight victories against Takfiri terrorist groups and their regional and international sponsors, take no notice of the "crocodile tears shed by the advocates of sham democracy" and their agents in the Persian Gulf region.
Read More...
Moon

West using 'Russia threat' as pretext to destabilize Europe: Lavrov


Press TV
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 00:52 UTC
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) is welcomed by his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the 23rd OSCE Ministerial Council organized by Germany’s OSCE Chairmanship in Hamburg, Germany December 8, 2016.
© ReutersRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) is welcomed by his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the 23rd OSCE Ministerial Council organized by Germany’s OSCE Chairmanship in Hamburg, Germany December 8, 2016.
Russia's foreign minister has denounced Western powers for destabilizing Europe under the "myth of a Russian threat."

Sergei Lavrov was speaking at an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) conference in Hamburg, Germany, on Thursday.

He urged all OSCE nations to take "a map of the continent and together look at what's where and what belongs to whom," referring to the NATO expansion towards Russia.

Moscow sees NATO's enlargement in eastern Europe since the Cold War as a threat to its security.
Read More...
Cheeseburger

Get to know Trump's selection of fast-food exec Andrew Puzder for Labor Secretary


RT
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 23:23 UTC
Andrew Puzder
© Fred Prouser / ReutersAndrew Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants
Fast-food executive Andrew Puzder has been picked as Labor Secretary by president-elect Donald Trump. The head of a major fast-food holding company has been a harsh critic of raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Puzder was a major campaign contributor to help get Trump elected. He runs CKE Restaurants, the holding company of Hardee's and Carl's Jr.

The fast-food leader has been critical of raising the federal minimum wage, arguing that it would increase costs for consumers and lead to fewer jobs. He is supportive of Trump's plan to lower taxes for corporations and the wealthy, and loosening regulations for business. He believes those measures would lead to job creation.
Read More...