Puppet MastersS


Bomb

America's proxy army kills three in Peshawar, Pakistan


BBC News
Tue, 23 Sep 2014 04:31 UTC
auto-rickshaw
© www.dawn.comPolice officials stand beside a mangled auto-rickshaw at the site of a suicide bomb.
At least three people have been killed in a bomb attack in Peshawar in northwest Pakistan, officials say. Nine others were injured in the blast which took place in the morning near the city's railway station.

Officials said a convoy of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) was the apparent target. Peshawar has borne the brunt of militant attacks in recent years but violence has dropped dramatically since a military offensive in June.

If the convoy is confirmed as the target it would be the first major attack on the military in Peshawar since the assault was launched against militants in their stronghold of North Waziristan.

The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says grenade attacks and targeted killings have already resumed in the city. Peshawar police chief Ijaz Khan told the media that 45kg of explosives had been packed in a vehicle which was remotely exploded.

wreckage
© www.dawn.comFrontier Corps vehicle involved in the attack.
Mushtaq Ghani, information minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of which Peshawar is the capital, said a woman was among the three dead in the blast.

Television pictures showed the charred and twisted frame of an Frontier Corps vehicle which was still on fire. Reports said one FC soldier was among those killed.

The dead woman was said to be travelling in an auto-rickshaw which was also hit by the explosion, and parts of its engine were strewn across the road.

Comment: Another source stated the number of wounded were 13, two of which were civilians. The presumed target appeared to be Brigadier Khalid Javed, the second senior officer in the FC force. Peshawar is the gateway to the seven semi-autonomous tribal regions and has been under a military push to clear out militants, including Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban and foreign fighters Uzbeks and Uighurs, from their hideouts and retake the territory.

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Quenelle

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa denounces U.S. plans to intervene in Latin America countries


teleSUR
Sun, 28 Sep 2014 10:12 UTC
The Ecuadorean president said that the new Obama-sponsored leadership centers are an obvious plan to intervene in democratic Latin America countries
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© ReutersEcuador's President Rafael Correa
Ecuador's President Rafael Correa criticized on Saturday a new U.S. government plan to intervene and weaken Latin American governments.

Correa said that Obama's intention to create six innovation centers for educating new "leaders" in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, and Asia, was clearly intended to interfere with Latin American countries.


Comment: As expected, they don't plan on stopping with eastern Europe and the Middle East, they plan to control everything.


"What they want is to intervene in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, because they say we attack freedom of speech; but go and see for yourselves who are the owners of media in United States," said Correa.

On Tuesday President Barrack Obama said that his government will support civil society in countries where freedom of speech and association are threatened by the governments.


Comment: Complete insanity, everything Obama says shows complete disregard for objective reality.


"We're creating new innovation centers to empower civil society groups around the world," said Obama during his speech in a plenary session of the Clinton Open Initiative. "Oppressive governments are sharing worst practices to weaken civil society. We're going to help you share the best practices to stay strong and vibrant."


Comment: Right. What Obama means is that they will be sponsoring groups that will work on destabilizing governments not aligned with US interests.


President Correa hit back "This is part of the conservative restoration: the insolent announcement of intervention in other countries." He added "Let us live in peace and respect the sovereignty of our countries."
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Dollars

Hong Kong "Occupy Central" movement financed by NED


Moon of Alabama
Mon, 29 Sep 2014 09:29 UTC
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© Unknown
Some organized "student groups" in Hong Kong tried to occupy government buildings and blocked some streets. The police did what it does everywhere when such things happen. It used anti-riot squads, pepper spray and tear gas to prevent occupations and to clear the streets.

The "western" media are making some issue about this as if "western" governments would behave any differently.


Comment: We only need to recall the various reports of police brutality in America or their actions in Ferguson, Missouri.


The alleged issue in question is the election of new Hong Kong chief executive in 2017. According to Hong Kong's basic law, which was implemented when Britain gave up its dictatorship over the colony, there will be universal suffrage - everyone will be allowed to vote - but the candidates for the position will have to go through some pre-screening by a commission. This is what China had promised and this is what the students, falsely claiming that China is backtracking from its promises, want to change.

Peter Lee aka Chinahand has an excellent piece on the issue at Asia Times Online. But Lee is making one mistake in that he does not consider outside influence:
Occupy Hong Kong decided to light it, starting with a class boycott and demonstrations organized by the Hong Kong Federation of Students. And, since I'm never afraid to mix a metaphor, the Hong Kong government poured fuel on the fire by pepper-spraying and teargassing it.
Who really "decided to light this"? To me the protests, and the "western" reporting about it, have the distinct smell not of tear gas but of some expensive Color Revolution perfume of "western" origin.
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Star of David

Bibi's Canadian shill: Harper's Nobel Peace Prize nomination slammed as 'outrageous'

Mychaylo Prystupa
Vancouverobserver.com
Mon, 01 Sep 2014 00:00 UTC
"You don't know whether to laugh or cry," says the Canada Palestine Association in Vancouver, in reaction to B'Nai Brith's nomination of Stephen Harper for a Nobel Peace Prize

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PM Harper arrives in Israel for first official visit - PMO Photo
Strong reaction to a national Jewish organization's nomination of Prime Minister Stephen Harper for a Nobel Peace Prize continues to mount.

On Friday, the head of B'nai Brith Canada announced his intention to put forward Harper's name for the world's most prestigious peace prize, for his "outstanding moral leadership" in support of Israel during its conflict with Hamas militants in Gaza.

"Moral clarity has been lost across much of the world, with terror, hatred and antisemitism filling the void," said Frank Dimant, CEO, B'nai Brith Canada, in a statement.

"More than any other individual, he has consistently spoken out with resolve regarding the safety of people under threat - such as opposing Russian aggression and annexation of Ukrainian territory - and has worked to ensure that other world leaders truly understand threat of Islamic terrorism facing us today," Dimant added.

The news was more than a representative of the Canada Palestine Association could bear.

"With nominating him, you don't know whether to laugh or cry," said Hanna Kawas, Vancouver chairperson of the organization, on Sunday.

"It's outrageous."
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Bulb

Russia to pass law forbidding foreigners from owning more than 20% of any media outlet


RT
Fri, 26 Sep 2014 04:22 UTC
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© RIA Novosti / Ramil SitdikovAn employee at the cutting room of the Ostankino TV Center
The Russian Duma has passed the final reading of a law forbidding holders of foreign passports from controlling or owning more than 20 percent of any media outlet. The law, proposed just ten days ago, will extensively affect Russia's publishing sector.

"The freedom of the press is guaranteed by our Constitution, and won't be affected," said Mikhail Margelov, one of the 430 deputies who voted to support the law, with only two voting against.

"The law is designed to protect our national interests, to safeguard the sovereignty of our media, and our country."

"The information war against Russia has its own laws, and has forced our hand," said Vadim Dengin, one of the authors of the new legislation, which was proposed by the three minority parties in the Russian parliament.

If, as expected, the law ratified by the upper chamber of the Russian parliament and Vladimir Putin, it will come into force in January 2016, though existing foreign-owned companies will have until 2017 to re-organize their ownership structure. Media that violate the law can be shut down, although not without a court order.
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Dollars

Fracking company in UK offers citizens bribes for right to frack on their property


RT
Mon, 29 Sep 2014 04:04 UTC
Image
© AFP Photo / Ben StansallDemonstrators carry placards as they gather for an anti-fracking protest in London
Activists accuse fracking firm Ineos of taking a "bribes and bulldozers" approach to shale gas exploration in the UK, as it offers affected landlords and communities a 6 percent future profit share.

In a bid to replicate the industry's progress in the US, where the sharing of shale gas profits is commonplace, Ratcliffe hopes to incentivize landowners and residents to agree to fracking in their neighbourhoods.

"We think this is a game changer for Britain," Ratcliffe said in a company statement. "Giving 6 percent of the revenues to those living above our shale gas operations will give them a real stake in the success of the venture and encourage the development of the whole shale gas industry".

His offer would amount to £375 million for residents in an exploration area over the lifetime of the project, divided between £250 million for homeowners and landowners directly above the wells and £125 million for nearby communities.

Ineos calculates that each of the 200 wells in an exploration area would generate £1.3 million for home and land owners and £600,000 for the community.

The offer to locals is more generous than the 1 percent figure the industry has already committed to.

Landowners, environmental groups and a stricter planning system have delayed the fracking agenda in the UK.

Comment: UK residents may wish to take a minute and think about the consequences of fracking before taking the Faustian deal:

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Eye 2

Spreading Freedom: U.S. airstrikes in Syria bomb grain silos killing civilians and destroying food


RT
Mon, 29 Sep 2014 03:46 UTC
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© AFP Photo / Sami AliSyrians check a damaged house, reportedly hit by US-led coalition air strikes, in the village of Kfar Derian in the western Aleppo province on September 23, 2014
US-led coalition airstrikes destroyed grain silos and other targets in parts of northern and eastern Syria dominated by Islamic State, killing civilians while only wounding ISIS fighters, according to an organization monitoring war in Syria.

The overnight bombings hit mills and grain storage facilities in Manbij, a militant-held town in northern Syria. Coalition forces possibly mistook the structures for Islamic State holdings, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Monday.

The US military responded to the claims later Monday morning, according to Reuters, saying that Islamic State vehicles were adjacent to the grain storage facility, and that there is no evidence of civilian casualties.


The United States and Arab allies have conducted airstrikes against Islamic State and other jihadist groups in Syria since last week, and in Iraq since last month. The stated goal of the coalition's bombing campaign is to cripple Islamic State operations, including bases, combat forces, and supply lines. Islamic State, an Al-Qaeda splinter group that reportedly has as many as 30,000 fighters in the region, has come to control large areas of Syria and northern Iraq since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011. The group is also known as ISIS or ISIL.
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Che Guevara

Indian PM Modi's US Visit: India as center of BRICS countries threatens US global hegemony


RT
Mon, 29 Sep 2014 17:25 UTC
Narendra Modi
© AFP Photo / Don EmmertPrime Minister Narendra Modi of India speaks to supporters during a community reception September 28, 2014 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Washington's hegemonic position is being threatened by a new global movement that is fast becoming reality, with the BRICS group being a very important component of creating a truly multipolar world, Don DeBar, of CPR News, told RT.

On Sept. 26, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the US for his first official visit after a nine-year visa ban over allegations that he failed to stop anti-Muslim rioting when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat. In 2005, he was denied entry to the US under a 1998 law barring entry to foreigners who have committed "particularly severe violations of religious freedom."

As part of his five-day trip, Modi addressed the UN General Assembly. He will also meet with the CEOs of 17 multinationals, including Google, Boeing, IBM, PepsiCo and MasterCard, and a have private dinner with US President Barack Obama. Modi's visit promises to be extremely important for the future development of Indian-US relations.

Comment: The US government may well find that their ability to dictate is finally coming to an end with the emergence of the BRICS countries - and it is well past time:

10 major outcomes of BRICS summit
Collapse of the Empire: Washington has lost friends and influence in the BRICS
BRICS creation signals shift towards new "global architecture"

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Red Flag

NYT columnist David Brooks' son serves in IDF

Philip Weiss
MondoWeiss
Wed, 24 Sep 2014 23:31 UTC
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David Brooks
From the Jewish Journal two days ago. "David Brooks' son is in the Israeli army. Does it matter?"
One of the more interesting nuggets buried in a long, Hebrew-language interview with New York Times columnist David Brooks in the recent Ha'aretz magazine is the revelation, toward the very end, that Brooks's oldest son serves in the Israel Defense Forces.

"Brook's connection to Israel was always strong," the article reports. "He has visited Israel almost every year since 1991, and over the past months the connection has grown even stronger, after his oldest son, aged 23, decided to join the Israel Defense Forces as a "lone soldier" [Ed. Note: a soldier with no immediate family in Israel].

"'It's worrying,'" says Brooks, 'But every Israeli parent understands this is what the circumstances require. Beyond that, I think children need to take risks after they leave university, and that they need to do something difficult, that involves going beyond their personal limits. Serving in the IDF embodies all of these elements. I couldn't advise others to do it without acknowledging it's true for my own family.'"
This is now the third Times reporter/writer whose son has gone into the Israeli Defense Forces. Famously Ethan Bronner, of course - whose son's service was disclosed not by the NYT but by EI - and a third person I will not identify (I know the individual personally, the beat didn't involve the Middle East, the son left before long).

Comment: A journalist is expected to be unbiased and objective in their reporting. It's clear that David Brooks, among many other "journalists", is anything but objective in his Middle East coverage, and the revelation that his son serves in the Israeli army should have been made clear to all readers of the New York Times. He should be removed from covering the Middle East.

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Yoda

Former Czech president & prime minister says what every sane person is thinking: "US/EU propaganda against Russia is really ridiculous"


Russia Insider
Sat, 27 Sep 2014 23:26 UTC
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© UnknownVaclav Klaus - has a reputation for cutting through the nonsense
Vaclav Klaus, longtime president and prime minister of the Czech Republic who is still highly popular, is one of the most respected and outspoken conservatives in Europe.

He has a reputation for straight talk and brilliance. The English magazine The Spectator publishes an interview with him in this week's issue by Neil Clark entitled "The Lies Europe Tells About Russia".

Klaus bemoans EU bureacracy bloat, EU non-market economic policies, and the "tragic misunderstanding ... on same-sex marriages and all that stuff about family."
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