Puppet MastersS


Attention

Germany's Schaeuble gives ultimatum to Greece: Reform or leave Eurozone


RT
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 13:51 UTC
Schauble on Greek budget
© Gregor Fischer / AFP / Getty Images
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told Greece to carry out unpopular reforms if it wants to stay in the Eurozone, ruling out debt relief for Athens. The warning may signal yet another emergency in the continent already beset by multiple crises.

As Eurozone finance ministers prepare to meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss short-term debt relief for Greece, Schaeuble delivered an ultimatum to Athens: the country, which already has a staggering €330 billion ($349 billion) debt burden, must reform or face an exit from the EU.

"Athens must finally implement the needed reforms," Schaeuble told Bild am Sonntag on Sunday. "If Greece wants to stay in the euro, there is no way around it - in fact completely regardless of the debt level."

Comment: Greece is back in the spotlight. Here are the consequences:
Consequences

If Greece does not get debt relief, the IMF said it would drop out of the program.

If the IMF drops out of the program, Germany will have to pony up more money.

At one point the IMF worried about Greece having debt to the tune of 110% of GDP. Now, 140% seems acceptable and the IMF is even willing to wait until 2030 for such progress.

Schäuble's Game

Schäuble has caught the IMF bluffing several times on such threats. Schäuble has caught Greece bluffing countless times.

Flashback May 24, 2016: Germany Calls IMF's Bluff and Wins: Greece Screwed Again

Nonetheless, Schäuble's timing appears to be perfect. Angela Merkel will not exactly be pleased if the IMF drops out of the Troika at this moment given all that is going on with Italian banks, the Italian referendum, Beppe Grillo, and Marine le Pen.


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Clipboard

Jill Stein's Wisconsin recount backfiring? Donald Trump nets 3 additional votes

Alex Christoforou
The Duran
Sun, 04 Dec 2016 00:00 UTC
trump wisconsin
Clinton gained 3 votes. Trump gained 6 votes. Net Trump gain of 3 votes on Day 2.

The Wisconsin recount vote is not turning out quite how Jill Stein, Hillary Clinton or George Soros had hoped.

With day 2 now in the books, Donald Trump has moved ahead by a three more additional votes.

After a second day of wasting everyone's time and money, Wisconsin now has Trump ahead by an additional three votes.

Comment: There's still time for Killary's cronies to pull some strings, all in the name of freedom and democracy of course.

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Dollars

Turkey needs trade with Russia & China in local currencies


Yahoo
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 10:55 UTC
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
© AP Photo/ Presidential Press Service/Kayhan OzerTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country was moving towards allowing trade with Russia, China and Iran to be conducted in local currencies, as he continues his efforts to strengthen the falling lira.

"If we buy something from them, we will use their money, if they buy something from us, they will use our currency," he said, ahead of a trip by Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to Russia for meetings on Tuesday.

Erdogan -- who previously said discussions were underway with Moscow, Beijing and Tehran on the issue -- added that instructions related to this proposal had been given to the central bank.

Erdogan repeated a call for Turks to convert the euros, dollars and other foreign currency "under their pillows" into Turkish lira during a speech in the central city of Kayseri.

"Our Turkish lira is blessed," he told a cheering, flag-waving crowd after opening a museum in the city named after his predecessor and long-time friend Abdullah Gul.

Comment: See: Turkey wants to reach $100billion in trade with Russia by 2023

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Bad Guys

Netanyahu to discuss to Trump about West's 'bad' nuclear deal with Iran


RT
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 09:37 UTC
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu
© ReutersDonald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says he will speak to Donald Trump about the West's "bad" nuclear deal with Iran after he becomes president. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry defended the deal at a separate conference.

"Israel is committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. That has not changed and will not change. As far as President-elect Trump, I look forward to speaking to him about what to do about this bad deal ," Netanyahu told the Saban Forum, a Washington conference on the Middle East, via satellite from Jerusalem on Sunday.


"The problem isn't so much that Iran will break the deal, but that Iran will keep it because it just can walk in within a decade, and even less... to industrial-scale enrichment of uranium to make the core of an arsenal of nuclear weapons," Reuters reported Netanyahu as telling the forum.

Under the deal between Iran and six major world powers, including the US, Tehran agreed to reduce the number of its centrifuges by two-thirds, cap its uranium enrichment below the level needed for bomb-grade material, reduce its enriched uranium stockpile from around 10,000 kg to 300 kg for 15 years, and agreed to international inspections. In return, the Western countries agreed to lift international sanctions on Iran.

Comment: See also:

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Document

Leaked memo exposes Theresa May's crackdown on 'corrosive' government insiders


RT
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 00:59 UTC
A woman enters Number 10 Downing Street in London, Britain
© Toby Melville / ReutersA woman enters Number 10 Downing Street in London, Britain.
A memo has warned public officials that Theresa May has threatened to sack them for disclosing sensitive information, as leaks are "corrosive" and undermine trust in the cabinet. Ironically, the paper was leaked to the press just days after being issued.

Prime Minister Theresa May had demanded immediate action to prevent Whitehall officials from leaking internal documents to the media, Sir Jeremy Heywood, the cabinet secretary, wrote to government employees, the Mail, to whom the memo was leaked, reported on Sunday.

"Ministers, permanent secretaries and senior officials set the tone in an organization and no amount of process will make up for an environment where leaks are accepted. If leaders think they are the necessary cost of open ways they are mistaken," the Heywood memorandum reads, as cited by the paper.
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Wall Street

The eurodollar market: It all starts here

Chris
Capitalist Exploits
Fri, 02 Dec 2016 00:30 UTC
CME market traders
This is the first part of a series of articles (I don't know how many, I'm not done yet) designed to explain what is easily THE most important, albeit poorly understood (even by professionals) market on this ball of dirt.

Eurodollars: What Are They?

To best explain what Eurodollars are we start with the English language.

You see, while English belongs to the Brits it is at the same time the undisputed, undefeated heavyweight champion of the world's languages. You can be in Marrakesh, Ulan Bator, or Shanghai, and buy yourself a cold beer, swear at a taxi driver, and discuss the weather with a lady called Mei at the train station - all without changing language once.
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Snakes in Suits

British humor? UK uses museum tanks, civilians to simulate 'Putin launching WWIII'


RT
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 00:09 UTC
Russian soldiers participating in a live fire tactical exercise
© Valery Titievsky / SputnikRussian soldiers participating in a live fire tactical exercise.
Soviet-designed tanks from a museum and civilian contractors played invading Russians in a simulated invasion of NATO member Estonia staged on UK's Salisbury Plain, British tabloids reported, claiming it was "as close as possible" to reality in "every detail."

The drill pitted the British Army against "Russians invading Estonia," The Sun and the Mail on Sunday reported, citing Army sources and featuring photos from the event.

Playing the part of the "invaders," were"Gurkhas and civilians found using a recruitment agency" - a move motivated by cuts in the Army, the reports said. The "enemies" were wearing "distinctive blue uniforms and were equipped with AK-47 semi-automatic rifles, which Putin's troops carry."
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Document

Mainstream media's Russian 'fake news' narrative kills real debate - Spectator deputy editor


Sputnik
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 00:04 UTC
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani
© Lucas Jackson / ReutersIran’s President Hassan Rouhani
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said December 4 that his American counterpart Barack Obama should not sign an extension of US sanctions against Tehran, because it would be a violation of the Iran nuclear deal.

On December 1, US senators unanimously voted for the extension of what the US considers non-nuclear-related sanctions on Iran for 10 more years. The bill, which will expire December 31 if not signed, was sent to Obama.

According to Rouhani, Obama is "obliged" to let the sanctions expire. "We are committed to an acceptable implementation of the deal but in response to non-commitment, violation or hesitation in its implementation, we will act promptly," he reportedly said.
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Attention

Italy's PM Renzi cedes defeat and plans to resign after decisive 'No' vote in constitutional referendum


RT
Sun, 04 Dec 2016 23:54 UTC
Matteo Renzi
© Andreas Solaro | AFP | Getty Images Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announces his resignation during a press conference at the Palazzo Chigi after the results of the vote for a referendum on constitutional reforms, on December 4, 2016 in Rome.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi says he takes full responsibility for the crashing defeat at the referendum he proposed, which would have reduced the powers of the Senate. Renzi intends to send in his resignation on Monday.

"The experience of my government ends here," Renzi said in a televised news conference, adding that his defeat was "extraordinary clear."

"I have lost and I say it out loud," he said, the Guardian reported.

Renzi said he took full responsibility for the "extraordinarily clear" defeat and that on Monday afternoon he would convene his cabinet and then hand in his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella.

According to Italy's Interior Ministry, some 70 percent of Italy's eligible voters took part in the referendum, after more than two-thirds of polling stations reported their results. An exit poll conducted by the Piepoli Institute/IPR for RAI television estimated that 40.9 percent voted "Yes," while 59.1 percent voted "No." RAI projections indicate that voters in only three of Italy's 20 regions cast ballots to approve the reform, while in 17 regions the proposal was rejected.

Comment: For more on the referendum: Significant events in Austria and Italy on December 4th

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Map

Jihadis on the ropes: Syrian army about to split E. Aleppo into two pockets, again

Alexander Mercouris
The Duran
Sun, 04 Dec 2016 22:58 UTC
aleppo
© syria.liveuamap.comScreencap of the new pocket forming
Syrian army advances in eastern Aleppo bring Syrian army closer to slicing Jihadi pocket in two, triggering its final collapse.

Further reports of Syrian army advances suggest that the fighting in Aleppo may be drawing to an end with Jihadi resistance in eastern Aleppo close to collapse.

It seems that over the course of the day Syrian troops have recaptured two more districts west of Aleppo airport - Karam al-Jazmati and Karam al-Tarab - bringing them within 2 km of the Aleppo citadel in the centre of the city, which throughout the Syrian conflict has remained in the possession of the Syrian army, as a salient of the western section of the city which has always been under the Syrian army's control.

Following these latest advances it is now confirmed that the Syrian army now controls more than half of the former Al-Qaeda controlled pocket of eastern Aleppo.
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