Puppet MastersS


Chess

Silk Road implementation: Putin to visit China as Moscow, Beijing expand trade, economic ties


RT
Sun, 20 Nov 2016 09:41 UTC
President Vladimir Putin (2nd L) chatting with China's President Xi Jinping (2nd R) at the start of the ABAC and APEC Leaders' Dialogue at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Lima
© Stringer / APEC PERU 2016 / AFPPresident Vladimir Putin (2nd L) chatting with China's President Xi Jinping (2nd R) at the start of the ABAC and APEC Leaders' Dialogue at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Lima
Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed plans to visit China in May 2017 at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Peru. Putin praised the rapid development of trade, industrial and high-tech ties between Moscow and Beijing.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the two-day Asian-Pacific Economic Forum (APEC) on Saturday. Putin said he has accepted an invitation to take part in events related to the implementation of Silk Road Economic Belt project, a large-scale initiative unveiled by Xi in 2013 that envisages the integration of trade and investment in Eurasia.

"You invited me to come to China in May for events related to the implementation of your Silk Road - the One Belt, One Road - initiative ... We checked the schedules and look forward to acting on the invitation," Putin told Xi at the meeting.

Commenting on the rapid development of Russian-Chinese economic cooperation, Putin referred to the 25 intergovernmental agreements in economy, investment and nuclear industry signed during a recent meeting between Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang that took place in St. Petersburg in early November. During the meeting, Medvedev and Li agreed to establish a joint Russia-China venture Fund and set a target to increase trade volume to the equivalent of $200 billion in the next 3-7 years.


Comment: Russia, China sign mega trade deals, hope to see $200bln in trade per year in next 3-7 years


"Everything we are doing is not in vain because we record improved dynamics of trade and economic ties," Putin said, adding that this especially concerns products with high degree of processing and high technology manufacturing.

Comment: Further reading:

Read More...
Heart - Black

Terrorists shoot civilian protesters in Aleppo: 27 killed, 40 wounded


South Front
Sat, 19 Nov 2016 00:00 UTC
Aleppo civilian protests
© wykop.pl
Despite terror of militants, residents of the eastern districts of Aleppo do not stop their protests and attempts to break into safe areas of the city, the TASS news agency reported, citing spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Major General Igor Konashenkov.
"Using automatic arms, militants opened fire on protesters in Haidari district without warning. Seventeen people, including two teenagers of 13 and 15 years old, were killed at the scene; more than 40 others were wounded. Terrorists detained and took away in an unknown direction about a dozen of men, whom they considered as 'organizers' of the stir. At the same evening all of them were shot dead," Konashenkov said.
Read More...
Info

Duterte to Putin at APEC summit: Western nations start wars they are scared to fight themselves


RT
Sat, 19 Nov 2016 21:27 UTC
Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte
© Michael Klimentyev / SputnikRussian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has met Vladimir Putin for the first time at the APEC summit in Peru, praising his Russian counterpart's leadership skills and blaming the West for "bigotry," terrorizing smaller nations and warmongering.

The two leaders met in the Peruvian capital, Lima, on Saturday to discuss the development of Russia-Filipino relations.

Putin welcomed a chance to talk with Duterte, recalling that the two nations are celebrating 40 years of diplomatic ties.

"This time span is short in the terms of history, but we have been able to do a great deal for developing relations of comprehensive partnership and increased confidence," TASS cited the Russian leader as saying.
Read More...
Snakes in Suits

French presidential favorite says 'I'm no Hillary Clinton'

Reuters
Yahoo! News
Fri, 18 Nov 2016 21:18 UTC
Alain Juppe
© REUTERS/Regis Duvignau
The man opinion pollsters tip to become France's next president said on Friday it would be an error to compare him to Hillary Clinton, who was widely expected to become U.S. president but lost to Donald Trump.

"I am not Hillary Clinton," poll frontrunner Alain Juppe said. "And France is not America."

The 71-year-old former prime minister was speaking on public radio ahead of a primary election ballot his conservative Les Republicains party and its allies hold on Sunday. That contest, involving a second, run-off vote on Nov. 27, will pick a candidate for the presidential race.

He is up against other heavyweights including ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy and another former prime minister, Francois Fillon, respectively second- and third-placed in polls of the likely outcome of that primary.
Read More...
Wine n Glass

Israel first, or not? Steve Bannon's Breitbart is formally pro-Israel, but attracts 'anti-Semites'

Robert Mackey
The Intercept
Wed, 16 Nov 2016 20:22 UTC
steve bannon
Meet Steve Bannon, Trump's 'gamemaker'
Since Steven Bannon is going to be one of the president's most senior aides, he and the website he runs, Breitbart News, deserve an unusual amount of scrutiny. But Breitbart, the site Bannon calls "the platform for the alt-right," read ardently by white supremacists and anti-Semites, has launched a campaign to shut down critics who say that its longtime director is himself an anti-Jewish racist.

The Breitbart counter-offensive has come in a string of articles published this week in which Jewish writers and editors argue that Bannon cannot possibly be an anti-Semite, as his ex-wife told a court, since the site he ran until August strongly supports Israel and its far-right, nationalist government.


Comment: What matters to Israel is never far from the question of what matters to the USA!

Is Bannon 'with Israel', or not?

Is Trump 'with Israel', or not?

Much drama to look forward to over the next few years!

Read More...
Windsock

No big surprise, Erdogan 'disillusioned' with Obama's policies


RT
Sat, 19 Nov 2016 08:21 UTC
Erdoandobam
© Newsweek
The Obama administration has failed to take the threats Turkey is facing seriously, including the war in Syria and resulting inflow of refugees, the country's president complained, saying he has become "disillusioned' with US policy in the region. "We have addressed these issues; discussed them with President Obama and Vice President Biden. They failed to rise to the occasion and handle these issues seriously. This is quite upsetting for us," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told CBS program 60 Minutes.

"Let me be very frank in my remarks. I've been known for my candor. I wouldn't speak the truth if I said I was not disillusioned, because I am disillusioned," he added. The interview is to be aired later this week.

Turkey's relations with the US have soured over several issues, including Washington's support of Kurdish militias in Iraq and Syria and refusal to extradite self-exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Erdogan accuses of masterminding July's failed military coup in Turkey. For its part, Washington has criticized Turkey's crackdown on alleged members of the Gulen movement that has followed the coup.

Erdogan's concerns may be addressed by the incoming Trump administration, however, as some of the priorities voiced in the Republican president-elect's campaign, such as stemming the uncontrolled influx of refugees and ramping up the fight against terrorists in Syria, are in line with the Turkish leader's.

Michael Flynn, who is slated to lead the Pentagon under President Trump, has also argued that the US should not provide safe haven to Gulen, whom Flynn has called a radical Islamist pretending to be a moderate.

Comment: Time's running out on Obama's influence and policies. He's a goner. The one surety is circumstances are going to change which might effect a Gulen extradition. What is less sure is any upcoming changes in Erdogan and his tantrum tyranny.

Read More...
Mr. Potato

Saying goodbye to Obama's clowns

Adam Garrie
The Duran
Sat, 19 Nov 2016 20:55 UTC
Obama's clowns
The blood soaked policies of the Obama administration is no laughing matter. Nevertheless, some of his most trusted political aids are.

On their surrealistic 1974 concept album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, the musical band Genesis performed a song called The Grand Parade Of Lifeless Packaging. I can think of no better title for the key figures of the Obama administration who will soon be parading their way out of a job.

But in the spirit of Donald Trump putting America back to work again, I think I may find a derelict building somewhere in Manhattan and open up a comedy club. I've already got the acts all lined up.
Read More...
Brick Wall

Merkel declares Europe-US free trade deal is dead


RT
Fri, 18 Nov 2016 14:36 UTC
Merkobama
© CNN.com"Psssst...I have to tell you...TTIP is, you know, sort of dead!
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has acknowledged the EU's new free trade agreement with the US is no longer possible with the election of Donald Trump, who opposes the deal.

"The EU and the US are the two largest trading regions and I have always been very committed to the conclusion of a trade agreement with the USA. We have done well, the negotiations cannot be finished now, but we will stick to what we have achieved. I'm sure we'll come back to it someday," the chancellor said following the meeting with US President Barack Obama during his valedictory European tour.

The US president-elect has criticized international trade agreements, campaigning on a promise to scrap them once he is elected. International trade deals take jobs away from American workers and hurt the country's competitiveness, according to Trump.

The European Union and the United States started talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) three years ago. The deal would create the world's biggest free trade market of 850 million consumers.

Germans stop TTIP
© teleSUREU halts talks with USA
TTIP met with mass protests in Europe, with opponents arguing the deal would ruin the bloc's standards in key areas as healthcare, labor market, welfare and environment.

A similar free trade deal with Canada, known as CETA, has also met opposition. Over 160,000 people across Germany protested the deal in September.

Both agreements promise to improve trade by lowering tariffs and bureaucratic hurdles and provide a wider base of consumers for goods. But opponents of TTIP and CETA say that only big businesses will benefit at the cost of health and environmental standards. The deals would allow corporations to sue elected governments for policies that affect their revenues.

Comment: TTIP is dead, may it rest in pieces.

See also:

Read More...
Briefcase

Trump University lawsuits have settled for $25M


RT
Fri, 18 Nov 2016 21:24 UTC
Schneiderman
© Brendan McDermid / ReutersNew York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman
President-elect Donald Trump has reached a settlement agreement with the state of New York in the Trump University lawsuit, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has announced. Plaintiffs will receive restitution from the $25 million payout. The settlement is a "major victory" for the more than 6,000 victims of Trump's "fraudulent university," Schneiderman said in a statement.

As part of the settlement that ends three outstanding lawsuits against Trump, every victim will receive restitution, and the president-elect will pay the state of New York up to $1 million in penalties "for violating state education laws," Schneiderman said. It wasn't clear whether Trump admitted any wrongdoing.

The settlement reportedly covers all three lawsuits against Trump University: two class-action suits in California and the case brought by Schneiderman, a source told Reuters. There was some overlap between the New York and California cases.

During the campaign, Trump frequently vowed not to settle the case.

Comment: 500 dismissals, 451 victories, 38 loses. Not too bad for all that.

Read More...
Snakes in Suits

Hawkish John McCain stands in the way of Trump's rapprochement with Russia

Alexander Mercouris
The Duran
Sat, 19 Nov 2016 20:46 UTC
John McCain
Senator McCain's senior position and his well-known hawkish views make him a powerful enemy of Trump's rapprochement with Russia.

As Donald Trump considers his cabinet options and moves to restore relations with Russia, one powerful obstacle he will face is Senator John McCain, the Chair of the Senate's Armed Services Committee, and one of the most hawkish figures in the US political establishment.

McCain's extreme hostility towards Russia and its President Vladimir Putin, is well known and has continuously found expression, for example in his outspoken support for the Maidan movement in Ukraine. The origins of this hostility, which appear to be visceral, are not so clear.
Read More...