Puppet MastersS


Info

Friend or foe: Trump's negative attitude may actually be good for China


RT
Fri, 02 Dec 2016 14:10 UTC
Donald Trump and China flag
© Reuters / Global Look Press
During his election campaign, Donald Trump constantly painted China as enemy number one of the US, a notion which won him votes. This attitude has impacted China, but not in the way he intended - China may profit from it after all.

While the US public is still trying to pin down which of Trump's campaign promises will actually become policy, China has already benefited from his declarations, for instance, by securing ties with Russia and regional partners when faced with the prospect of the next US President severing them. Trump's future decisions, if he sticks to his own words, may affect the Asian powerhouse even more - and for the better, as RT's Emily Siu discovered:
Read More...
Stormtrooper

US Navy: 2 warships 4k troops, arrive in Mediterranean Sea


RT
Fri, 02 Dec 2016 11:14 UTC
USS Wasp (LHD 1)
© U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Nathan WilkesUSS Wasp (LHD 1)
Four-thousand US sailors and marines from the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) have arrived in the Mediterranean Sea after transiting the Suez Canal, according to a release from the US navy.

The group, which is comprised of an amphibious assault ship, the USS Wasp (LHD 1), and an amphibious dock landing ship, the USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41), rejoined the operations of the US 6th Fleet Thursday, according to Wasp ARG commander Captain F. Byron Ogden.

"After completing our time in 5th Fleet, the Wasp ARG will now be supporting the maritime security mission in the Mediterranean Sea. This sea lane is vital to our global economy, and it remains secure because of the strong relationships between the navies that operate together here," Ogden said in the release.

The Wasp re-entered the US 6th fleet after spending more than three months supporting Operation Odyssey Lightning (OOL) with precision airstrikes from 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) aircraft in Sirte, Libya.

Comment: See also: Western aggression: US Navy planning permanent deployment in Mediterranean

Read More...
Footprints

UN final ruling: London, Stockholm must end 'arbitrary detention' of Julian Assange

Claire Bernish
The Free Thought Project
Fri, 02 Dec 2016 01:58 UTC
UN-Assange
© thefreethoughtproject.com
In a stunning win for Wikileaks, London and Stockholm must end the 'arbitrary detention' of the organization's founder Julian Assange after the United Nations rejected an appeal by the U.K. of a previous ruling as "not admissible."

"Now that all appeals are exhausted I expect that the UK and Sweden will comply with their international obligations and set me free," Assange said in a statement following the ruling. "It is an obvious and grotesque injustice to detain someone for six years who hasn't even been charged with an offence."

In February, the U.N.'s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found Assange to be arbitrarily detained in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London due to actions of both Britain and Sweden, and each government should ensure the Wikileaks founder's human rights.


Comment: That the UK and Sweden rejected the UN decision, "writes a pass for every dictatorship to reject UN rulings. Dangerous precedent for the UK/Sweden to set", as was stated by Edward Snowden. The US will not be any more accommodating or concerned with legal precedence in its dogged pursuit of Mr. Assange who enlightened the public by exposing coverups on Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Guantanamo Bay and the US State Department and the Clinton emails. Mr. Assange is free to come out of the woods, but the angry hunters have taken aim and will shoot him down.

Read More...
Info

US-led coalition loses key French aircraft carrier due to maintenance


Sputnik
Fri, 02 Dec 2016 13:50 UTC
Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier
© AFP 2016/ PATRICK BAZ
The Charles de Gaulle, France's lone aircraft carrier, is set to return to France this December for scheduled maintenance, a move that could deal a blow to the US-led coalition against Daesh.

Refueling and maintaining the massive flattop cannot be delayed any longer, according to French officials, but France is intent on assisting the effort against Daesh in other ways. "Daesh is enduring tremendous pressure," Rear Admiral Olivier Lebas said, adding, "it's very important to maintain this high pressure to take advantage of this positive momentum in the theater."
Read More...
Info

More hurdles to go: Turkey's parliament ratifies agreement with Russia on 'Turkish Stream' gas pipeline


RT
Fri, 02 Dec 2016 13:37 UTC
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak (L) shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Berat Albayrak
© Osman Orsal / ReutersRussian Energy Minister Alexander Novak (L) shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Berat Albayrak after signing an agreement in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016.
The Turkish parliament has ratified a deal with Russia regarding the construction of a natural gas pipeline dubbed 'Turkish Stream.'

The Grand National Assembly of Turkey voted 210 in favor of the agreement, with only seven opposing and six abstentions.

The bill was endorsed by the parliament on Tuesday, just days before Prime Minister Binali Yildirim is scheduled to arrive in Russia for a state visit.
Read More...
Attention

Thousands of civilians trapped inside rebel-held parts of Aleppo, as Syrian forces advance


RT
Fri, 02 Dec 2016 10:39 UTC
Syrian residents fleeing eastern part of Aleppo walk through a street in Masaken Hanano, a former rebel-held disctrict which was retaken by the govt forces last week
© AFP 2016/ George OURFALIANSyrian residents fleeing eastern part of Aleppo walk through a street in Masaken Hanano, a former rebel-held district which was retaken by the govt forces last week
As Syrian government forces continue their advance in eastern Aleppo, thousands of civilians still remain trapped inside parts of the city controlled by the militants who are apparently blocking them from reaching humanitarian corridors, RT's Lizzie Phelan reports.

While fighting continues to intensify as the Syrian army aims to retake neighborhoods occupied by Al-Nusra Front terrorists and other militant groups, thousands of civilians still remain trapped in the midst of hotspots unable to break away.

More than one-third of the militant-held eastern half of Aleppo has been retaken over the recent days, including a youth housing complex, located right next to a humanitarian corridor.

Though thousands are reported to be desperately trying to get out of the areas which are under the control of either Islamists or the "moderate" armed opposition, the corridor at no time appears to be crowded with people, Phelan reports from Aleppo. Few reports that make it outside of the occupied areas and Syrian troops say that people are being prevented from leaving by the militants.

Some 6,500 civilians fled the newly-freed but still dangerous Aleppo areas on Wednesday alone, and the number of people in urgent need of shelter, food and medical attention is only expected to grow in the coming days.

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Jet1

Turkish airstrikes kill US, German military officers in Aleppo


FARS
Fri, 02 Dec 2016 09:31 UTC
Fighter jet
© FNAThe Manbij Military Council announced that two of its foreign military men have been killed in Turkish airstrikes on the Kurdish forces' positions in Northern Syria.
"Michel Israel from the US state of California, also known as Robin Akri, and Antoun Lesjek, also known as Vazana Juan, from Germany were killed in the Turkish air raids on Kurdish positions in the Western part of Manbij city on November 26," the council announced.

The council declined to reveal any further detail about the two, including their mission in Northern Syria. Both the US and German armies have deployed spies and military trainers in Northern Syria.

In late November, Spokesman of Manbij Military Council Sherfan Dervish voiced his forces' readiness to fight against the ISIL terrorists and Turkish army in Aleppo province in Northern Syria.

"After the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) left Manbij, the city's military council is ready to repel any possible attack by the ISIL and Turkey," Dervish told FNA.

He noted that the SDF's mission in Manbij ended as per an agreement signed by the two sides, adding that the SDF forces have returned to their previous positions.
Read More...
Chess

Russia lays out new Foreign Policy Concept


RT
Fri, 02 Dec 2016 03:23 UTC
Moscow
© Anton Golubev / Reuters
President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree approving Russia's new Foreign Policy Concept. The document specifies Moscow's position on key global issues, highlighting its relations with the US, EU, China and other countries.

Published on Thursday, the concept is now in force, replacing the previous one from 2013. Moscow's "views on core principles, priority directions, aims and tasks of the Russian foreign policy" are stated in the document of almost 40 pages.

Saying that Russia pursues an independent foreign policy based both on national interests and respect for international law, the concept states that Moscow's policy is "open, foreseeable" and "shaped by centuries" of Russia's historic role in the development of global civilization.

"Russia is fully aware of its special responsibility for maintaining security in the world both on global and regional levels, and is aimed at cooperative actions with all concerned states in the interest to solve common issues," the document says.

Moscow calls for "creation of a broad international anti-terrorist coalition, firmly based on a legal framework, and effective and systematic cooperation among states," the document says. No "double standards" should have a place in such a coalition, which should become the main force to fight global terrorism.
Read More...
Attention

President François Hollande throws in the towel, won't seek re-election

Adam Nossiter
The New York Times
Thu, 01 Dec 2016 00:58 UTC
François Hollande
© Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty ImagesFrench President François Hollande leaves the stage after a speech aboard the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
Battered by months of dismal approval ratings and a stubbornly high unemployment rate, President François Hollande of France announced Thursday night that he would not compete in next year's election.

The unprecedented decision opened up and energized France's presidential race even as it added further turmoil to the country's unsettled politics. It also injected new uncertainty into the political dynamic of Europe as far-right and populist forces are gaining strength across the Continent, as well as in the United States.

Mr. Hollande had kept France in suspense for months over whether he would seek another term, turning his choice into a kind of national guessing game.
Read More...
Bad Guys

New Great Game: China Urges Turkey to Extradite Embassy Bombing Suspects to Kyrgyzstan, Major Powers Vie for Afghanistan

Christoph Germann
New Great Game
Wed, 30 Nov 2016 00:46 UTC
China Urges Turkey to Extradite Embassy Bombing Suspects to Kyrgyzstan

kygyzstan
Three months after the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek was hit by a suicide car bomber, Kyrgyz authorities are still trying to catch several suspects accused of ordering, financing and preparing the attack.

The trace leads to Turkey, but Kyrgyzstan's suspect list has left more questions than answers.

On September 6, Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security (GKNB) identified the suicide bomber as an ethnic Uyghur carrying a Tajik passport with the name Zoir Khalilov. According to the GKNB, he was a member of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) in Syria.

The Kyrgyz state security service said that Uyghur terrorist groups in Syria affiliated with Jabhat al-Nusra were behind the bombing. Emissaries of al-Nusra allegedly organized and financed the attack through Sirojiddin Mukhtarov, the leader of Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ), a predominately Uzbek group which pledged allegiance to al-Nusra last year.
Read More...