Puppet MastersS


USA

UPDATE: Yahoo questions US govt's alleged order to secretly scan emails, ACLU files motion


RT
Thu, 20 Oct 2016 13:28 UTC
Yahoo email smoking
© sky32.ddns.net
Yahoo has urged the US government to disclose national security orders Washington allegedly issued to obtain user data. It comes after a Reuters report claimed that Yahoo built a software program to search customers' emails for specific US intelligence.

The letter to Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper was released on Yahoo's website on Wednesday. "We urge your office to consider the following actions to provide clarity on the matter: confirm whether an order, as described in these media reports, was issued; declassify in whole or in part such order, if it exists; and make a sufficiently detailed public and contextual comment to clarify the alleged facts and circumstances," the letter read.

The company called for an explanation of "under what set of circumstances" the US authorities obtained users' private information. "Citizens in a democracy require such information to understand and debate the appropriateness of such authorities and how the government employs them."

According to Yahoo, the report "set a stronger precedent of transparency for our users and all citizens who could be affected by government requests for user data. As we've said before, recent press reports have been misleading; the mail scanning described in the article does not exist on our systems." Timothy Barrett, a spokesman for Clapper's office, confirmed to Reuters that the DNI head had received a letter and "will respond to Yahoo directly."

Comment: See also: UPDATE:

RT
The secret court order issued to Yahoo that allowed the US government to obtain user data was presented as a national security issue. This means that the nature of the court order will remain a secret for the foreseeable future.
[...]
The court order was issued under Title I of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, according to Reuters. This implies that the target could have been an agent of a foreign power and gives the government the right to collect transmissions between foreign powers and their agents.

Title I is often used for wiretapping a phone number of specific email account. The surveillance of Yahoo is the first publicly known use of the email tap.

In response to the continued silence about the court order, 30 advocacy groups sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper, urging for the declassification of the search the government was conducting. Among them are the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Brennan Center, Human Rights Watch and numerous others.

The American Civil Liberties Union has joined the push to pressure Clapper to reveal what the government was looking for, filing a motion in the surveillance court to unseal the Yahoo order.

In September, millions of Yahoo users were very upset to learn that government surveillance could have been privy to their emails. As users tried to flee the service following the revelation, Yahoo asked the government for permission to explain why a court order had been issued, or at least what the government was looking for.

Obama administration officials held a meeting last week with members of Congress and their staffers to explain the nature of the court order to Yahoo. While it is known that government surveillance was looking for a digital signature in emails, there is no information on what exactly it may have been.

Yahoo has attempted to give its users the transparency they've been demanding in the matter. Last week, the company made public a letter sent to Clapper, demanding the disclosure.

"We urge your office to consider the following actions to provide clarity on the matter: confirm whether an order, as described in these media reports, was issued; declassify in whole or in part such order, if it exists; and make a sufficiently detailed public and contextual comment to clarify the alleged facts and circumstances," the letter said.


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Eye 1

Down the memory hole: Ukraine's delusional politicians say Soviet Union started WW2

Bryan MacDonald
RT
Wed, 26 Oct 2016 20:10 UTC
russian soldiers WW2
© Peter / Sputnik Soviet soldiers crossing a river. The North-Western Front.
Kiev is trying to re-write history to create the impression that Ukraine was uniformly a victim of a Russian-controlled USSR. This is simply not true. The old shared state wasn't always dominated by Russians and Ukrainians played major roles.

In case you missed it, last week, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's Parliament, approved a document which states how the USSR was responsible for the outbreak of World War II. Yes, that Soviet Union, the same one which was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1941, during Operation Barbarossa, and lost anywhere between 25 and 40 million people as a result of the conflict, depending on who you believe.

That the Rada these days exhibits more theatricality than its famous London drama school namesake is a given. But do MPs seriously expect people to swallow the notion of how the USSR, which incidentally was allied with Britain, France and the USA against the Germans, bears responsibility for the war's commencement?

It seems they do. And they are trying to rope in the Polish and Lithuanians to legitimize their factual modification enterprise. Indeed, given the characters running the show in Vilnius and Warsaw these days, it's not inconceivable that they might succeed in their mission. Although in the latter's case it would be weird to facilitate the heirs of a mindset shared by the perpetrators of the Volyn and Galician massacre where up to 100,000 Poles were butchered by Ukrainian radicals in 1943. Incidentally, Ukraine has just censored a new Polish movie about the carnage.

Comment: Further reading

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Network

Russia and Turkey now sharing intelligence data


Sputnik
Wed, 26 Oct 2016 19:54 UTC
turkish soldiers
© AFP 2016/ BULENT KILIC
Commenting on the recent reports that Russia has started exchanging intelligence data with the Turkish Army to ensure the effectiveness of Ankara's Euphrates Shield operation in Syria, retired Turkish Air Force Lt. Gen. Erdogan Karakus told Sputnik that the move signals major changes in Turkish foreign policy.

Russia has already started sharing its intelligence data with the Turkish army, which will ensure the effectiveness of Ankara's Euphrates Shield operation in Syria, Russia's Izvestia newspaper reported on Monday.

According to the newspaper, the agreement was reached during recent negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Defense and Security at the Federation Council (upper house of parliament) Franz Klintsevich told the newspaper that Turkey quietly joined the intelligence sharing pool created by Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran.

Comment: This should pretty much put to rest any speculation that Ankara is at risk of coming to the aid of the terrorists in eastern Aleppo. Russia would not develop such close ties with them if there was a risk Turkey would basically go to war against the Syrian army, and thus the Russians as well. In all likelihood, Erdogan is acting within certain clearly defined limits in northern Syria.

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Dollar Gold

The Queen gets £1m reimbursement for Brexit despite the Treasury having a £16bn financial black hole

Jessica Gay
The Canary
Wed, 26 Oct 2016 19:45 UTC
The Queen
© The Canary
Leaked documents reveal that the Treasury now faces a £16bn financial black hole in our finances. But despite this, the government has promised to reimburse our super-rich Queen £1m for the money she'll lose out on when leaving the EU.

The leaked documents

A series of leaked documents, posted on the government's website in error, has revealed that the Treasury faces a black hole of up to £16bn this year. Due to a combination of poor economic decisions and increased levels of borrowing, this means that the UK's deficit is well behind the 27% forecast reduction rate.

With the uncertainty of the global financial market, this black hole is only likely to increase. As The Canary previously reported, many global banks are again stockpiling gold. This is to secure their assets and ensure their currency can be backed up in case of an emergency. During Gordon Brown's reign, however, the UK sold off the majority of its gold, meaning the UK's currency isn't supported by any assets. If a global financial crash were to come, this would prove devastating.
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Network

Cyberattack on Belgian media outlets claimed by Syrian Cyber Army


RT
Mon, 24 Oct 2016 21:12 UTC
Syrian Cyber Army
© www,syrian-cyber-army.net
Several Belgian media outlets announced that they had fallen victim to a cyberattack. A Syrian hacker group claimed responsibility, saying the attack was retaliation for the Belgian air force bombing a village near Aleppo.

A number of Belgian media websites, including De Standaard, RTBF, Het Nieuwsblad, Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Belang van Limburg, reported they have been subjected to a coordinated DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attack on Monday afternoon, which temporarily shut down their sites. The attack was claimed by a group calling itself the Syrian Cyber Army, as punishment for the media helping to cover up their government's actions in Aleppo.
"We attacked the Belgian media that hide the work of its air force in Syria," a statement on their website reads. "We call on the international community to support us in shaming the Belgian authorities, who orders the killing of dozens of civilians in the town of Hassadjek near Aleppo on October 18, and caused damage to civilian infrastructure," the Syrian hackers wrote. "Instead of strikes on Daesh [Islamic State], the international coalition led by the United States targets only civilians and deceives the international community about its goals in Syria."

Comment: Belgium is falling right in line with the US: Proof doesn't matter; 'blame Russia' for everything.

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Brick Wall

Two years later, still no investigation into the suspicious death of American journalist Serena Shim

Eva Bartlett
The Duran
Wed, 26 Oct 2016 18:02 UTC
Serena Shim
© nsnbc internationalSerena Shim, American journalist
October 19 marks two years since the very sudden and suspicious death of American journalist Serena Shim near Suruç, Turkey, close to the Syrian border. Although all signs point to foul play, indeed murder, by Turkish intelligence, until now the US government has neither conducted nor demanded an inquiry into the events of the alleged car accident which Turkish officials say was the cause of Shim's death, let alone offer condolences to the family.

Serena Shim was at the time reporting on Ayn al-Arab (Kobani), from the Turkish side. She was, in her own words, one of the first, if not the first, on the ground to report on ,"Takfiri militants going in through the Turkish border". These include not only ISIS but also terrorists from the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA). As Shim's sister Fatmeh Shim stated in 2015, "She caught them bringing in ISIS high-ranked members into Syria from Turkey into camps, which are supposed to be Syrian refugee camps."

Serena Shim's January 2013 expose, Turkey's Pivotal Role in Syria's Insurgency: PressTV Report from Inside Turkey, showed footage of what she estimated to be 300 semi-trucks "awaiting militants to empty them out"; included testimony explaining how Turkey enables the crossing of foreign terrorists "freely" into Syria; spoke of the funneling of arms via the Incirlik US Air Base in Turkey to terrorists in refugee camps or on through to Syria; and highlighted the issue of terrorist training camps portrayed as refugee camps, guarded by the Turkish military. Shim named the World Food Organization as one of the NGOs whose trucks were being used to funnel terrorists' arms into Syria, and stated this in her last interview, just one day before being killed.


Comment: It seems evident Shim was too close to revealing the true situation and the players involved. It is a tragedy that the price was her life.



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USA

An open letter from Vladislav Krasnov, Ph.D. and Obama's official reply


Russian & American Goodwill Association
Mon, 24 Oct 2016 00:00 UTC
Obama and Krasnov
© Fitzgerald Griffin Foundation/Russia InsiderPresident Obama, Vladislav Krasnov, Ph.D
An Open Letter to Barack Obama

Dear Mr. President:

As your presidential duties will soon expire, I want you make sure your Nobel Peace Prize is deserved: Please instruct your officials to return to the path of negotiations with Russia, be it the Syrian crisis, the lapse of the plutonium nuclear arms control deal or Ukraine.

By so doing, you will bequeath to your successor—whomever it might be—a solid foundation on which to build a healthier and more peaceful Planet Earth. The United States should re-commit to the policy of non-interference in domestic affairs abroad that our Founding Fathers consistently proclaimed and adhered to. Instead of imposing our cherished values of "free-market" and "democracy" abroad, let us rely on the wisdom of a man who risked the reputation of a "traitor" when he defied King George's war on American colonies.

Comment: Obama's letter says it all: the entrenchment of America in its own hubris.

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Bomb

Aleppo: New militant shelling strikes residential area, four injured


RT
Tue, 25 Oct 2016 19:19 UTC
section map Aleppo
© google
Militants entrenched in the eastern part of Aleppo have carried out another artillery attack, injuring at least four civilians in the western part of the city, RT's Murad Gazdiev reports. Militant groups once again targeted West Aleppo's Hamdaniya district, as they continued to shell residential areas controlled by the government forces. Tuesday's attack came just a day after three people were killed, including a child, and 28 more injured in another attack on Hamdaniya and Salahuddin neighborhoods. The latest shelling occurred about 10am local time (07:00 GMT), reported Murad Gazdiev, RT's correspondent at the scene. He also visited Aleppo University hospital, where the victims of the most recent militant attack were being treated.

Militants and terrorists that took up positions in eastern Aleppo have been constantly and indiscriminately shelling the western part of the city. On October 18, at least three people were killed and dozens injured when the Jamiliya neighborhood was shelled.

The attacks come as Russia and Syrian government forces initiated a humanitarian pause by halting their air strikes a week ago. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the city did not witness any Russian or Syria air strikes for a week.

Officers from the Russian reconciliation center and Syrian authorities also helped 48 women and children to leave the rebel-held area on Monday and provided them with necessary aid. Meanwhile, militants repeatedly sabotaged the ceasefire efforts by shelling humanitarian corridors and killing civilians. Moscow has been assisting Damascus in its battle against Al-Nusra terrorists, who have turned eastern Aleppo into a militant stronghold.


Comment: See also:

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Handcuffs

Dems could be up on charges for inciting Trump rally violence

Edmund Kozak
Lifezette
Mon, 24 Oct 2016 18:05 UTC
violence against trump supporters
Criminal defense attorney says both DNC and Clinton campaign guilty of 'numerous' crimes

Undercover videos, released this week by conservative activist group Project Veritas, show Democratic operatives conspiring to incite violence at Trump rallies — and may be enough to warrant a federal investigation.

Hillary Clinton has already faced one FBI investigation for her use of a private server to transmit and store emails while she was secretary of state, and now her campaign could face a second one into the Democrats' long tradition of violent agitation.
"This is not just about inciting riots, which is bad enough, it is also about a confessed conspiracy to try to steal an election through violence."
"There is sufficient factual predicate to open an investigation" into the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign's involvement in the conspiracies described in the videos, Brady Toensing, a white-collar criminal defense attorney, told LifeZette.

"The potential crimes admitted to on the tapes are numerous," Toensing said. "There are civil rights violations and the crime of inciting a riot. But all you need is one, and then a conspiracy to commit any of these crimes is itself a federal felony, which on its own comes with up to five years in prison," he added. "There are also numerous potential state law violations and civil causes of action."

Comment:
"In the beginning the organizer's first job is to create the issues or problems." ― Saul D. Alinsky, "Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals."
Killary was one of Alinsky's protégés and actually wrote her thesis on his political model.

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USA

The Circus of Liars - America's Three Rings of Evil Clowns

Phil Butler
New Eastern Outlook
Wed, 26 Oct 2016 18:19 UTC
White House news conference
© Jen PsakiPresident Obama holds news conference at the White House.
As an American, someone raised to believe truth and justice will prevail, I am appalled at the foreign and domestic policies of my country's government. The level and scope of the deceit with which the Obama administration has laid out onto the world stage is embarrassing. For the first time in my 61 years I realize why some figures in our history were ashamed of being known as American. Our leaders have shamed us, done irreparable damage to our heritage and our legacy as a people, and still most of my countrymen sit idle. America today reminds me of a traveling circus, three rings of evil clowns entertaining a peanut gallery of onlookers. Or are we participant clowns?

For over the better part of Barack Obama's presidency we've witnessed the most respected nation transformed, step-by-step, into one of the most dreaded empires the world has ever known. 300 million people, all their ancestors, and their future generations will pay the overwhelming cost of Obama's mistakes and malfeasance in office. While I do not personally believe this man is evil, I am sure the people behind him are. The lies, the impact, the unbelievable devastation these people have unwrapped, it spells the end of a perfect dream for humanity. I wonder as I type this, how many people reading it will realize how true my words are.

John Kirby, the spokesperson for the US Department of State is a prototype for all that is wrong with our nation. He is a mirror reflection of Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in turn a further reflection of Barack Obama and the people who stand behind. They lie, cheat, steal, kill, maim, or at best coerce in order to achieve goals their constituency (the people) have no inkling of. All of us knew politicians have always been liars and crooked, but the degree to which we can be betrayed is unheard of today. This press conference on the alleged bombing of Aleppo hospitals by Russia, it is damning, damnable evidence of what I am saying. This is, of course, if one watches intently and then reasons. Compare what Kirby says, with what you have seen or read from the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times. Measure the tone and content of this unique message. Bear with me, and I'll help you convict these warmongers of their crimes.
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