Puppet Masters

China's retaliatory tariffs on $60bn of US products kicks in

RT
Sat, 01 Jun 2019 13:43 UTC

China's tariffs targeting $60 billion of American imports have taken effect as part of a tit-for-tat response to Washington's trade war which saw Beijing slapped with extra levies on $200 billion worth of exports back in May.

Over 5,000 US products coming into China will now face a 25 percent import tax instead of the usual 10 percent. Higher tariffs will target a range of food products, including cooking oils, frozen vegetables, wine and beer, in addition to industrial minerals and chemicals, textiles and clothing. Consumer items ranging from home appliances to condoms will also be subjected to increased import duties, as will jewelry, metal products, and machinery parts.

China's actions, which were announced last month, came in response to the US tariff hike on $200 billion in Chinese imports after bilateral talks seeking to avert a full-blown trade war failed.

Signal to Pakistan? India lifts air traffic restrictions imposed after recent flare-up

RT
Sat, 01 Jun 2019 13:36 UTC

Planes are seen at the New Delhi airport on a smoggy day

India has lifted all the restrictions that were imposed on air traffic back in February over the surge in hostilities with Pakistan. The move is apparently a signal to Islamabad to further de-escalate the tensions.

The decision to lift all the restrictions was announced by the Indian Air Force on Friday. Air traffic above India has been limited since February 27.

India is ready to open 11 entry points on the border with Pakistan, but that will only happen if Islamabad lifts its own air traffic restrictions as well, local media reported, citing sources with the IAF.

The move comes shortly after Pakistan extended its airspace restrictions until June 15.

"This basically is a signal from India that we are willing to lift restrictions and that Pakistan should reciprocate," an unnamed official told The Times of India.

Reports indicate DOJ preparing to launch antitrust probe into Google

RT
Sat, 01 Jun 2019 13:26 UTC

Google risks falling under scrutiny again as the US Department of Justice (DOJ) gears up to investigate the IT giant after studying its ads and search policies, new reports say.

The DOJ is considering launching an antitrust investigation into Google, the Wall Street Journal wrote on Friday, citing sources. The story was quickly confirmed by several other media outlets.

The agency had reportedly decided to gear up against the Silicon Valley-based company after receiving several complaints, referred to it by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It is unclear what stage the government's move is at, as some sources said the DOJ was making "early steps" in launching the probe, while others told reporters that it was "exploring" whether to do it.

Comment: More on Google's dominance:

The Geography of War: No Iraq...? No Iran!

Brett Redmayne-Titley
Sott.net
Sat, 01 Jun 2019 10:39 UTC

No other country in the Middle East is as important in countering America's rush to provide Israel with another war than Iraq. Fortunately for Iran, the winds of change in Iraq and the many other local countries under similar threat make up an unbroken chain of border to border support. This support is only in part due to sympathy for Iran in the face of the latest bluster by the Zio-American bully.

In the politics of the Middle East, however, money is at the heart of all matters. As such, this ring of defensive nations is collectively and quickly shifting towards the new Russo/Sino sphere of economic influence. These countries now form a geo-political defensive perimeter that, with Iraq entering the fold, make a US ground war virtually impossible and an air war very restricted in opportunity.

If Iraq holds, there will be no war in Iran.

'Respect normal energy dealings': Beijing rejects US threat over Iranian oil vessel

South China Morning Post
Wed, 29 May 2019 11:15 UTC

© www.wakentsu.com/MarineTraffic.com
Hong Kong has been told not to offer any services to Pacific Bravo by the Americans, who believe the oil tanker is heading towards the city.

Beijing has dismissed Washington's warning to Hong Kong not to provide services to a vessel carrying Iranian oil, saying "normal energy dealings" between the international community and the Middle East nation are reasonable, lawful and should be respected.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman reiterated its opposition to America's "long arm jurisdiction" and "unilateral sanction" in a statement issued to the Post on Wednesday.

"China has all along opposed unilateral sanctions and so-called long arm jurisdiction," the spokesman said.

The response came as the Hong Kong government dropped hints it would not heed Washington's requests.

Comment: See also:

Orthodox crescent of instability

South Front
Thu, 30 May 2019 12:00 UTC

The US continues its practice of creating zones and lines of chaos in key regions of the world. In the 2000s, it started a campaign to create an arc of instability stretching from Northern Africa to the east of the Central Asia. Now, more and more signals appear showing that there is a new project - to create a crescent of instability in Eastern and Southeastern Europe.

These campaigns actively exploited the religious factor in an attempt to undermine and discredit traditional religious systems. In the case of the Middle East, the target is Sunni Islam. It is being targeted by instigating various Islamic sects. In Eastern and Southeastern Europe, various artificial schismatic groups are used to combat the canonical Orthodox Church. In both cases, foreign powers have also been exploiting and supporting exotic sects, new-age-style beliefs and other "neo-liberal" constructs.

On May 24, U.S. Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople to discuss the upcoming visit of the patriarch to Washington and the role of Constantinople in Ukraine and "across the wider Orthodox world".

Comment: Ideally the dark players would like to usurp religion, but they'll settle for outright chaos and the rupture of over a millenia of tradition:

Also check out SOTT radio's: The Truth Perspective: The Stoic Roots of Christianity: Self-Transcendence Through Meaning and Responsibility

Portugal becomes first Eurozone country to issue debt on China's market

Silvia Amaro
CNBC
Sun, 30 Jun 2019 03:10 UTC

© Horacio Villalobos | Corbis News | Getty Images
QUELUZ, PORTUGAL - DECEMBER 05: The President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

Portugal has become the first ever euro zone country to issue bonds denominated in the Chinese yuan.

Known as "Panda" bonds, that's yuan-denominated debt issued by a foreign sovereign issuer, the sale will take place Wednesday and Thursday. The southern European country announced last week its intention to sell 2 billion yuan ($289 million) worth of bonds with a maturity of three years.

These Panda bonds will not be the first in the European Union, with Poland issuing government bonds on the Chinese market in 2016 and Hungary in 2018.

Portugal's Finance Minister Mario Centeno told CNBC that the issuance is a "positive step in managing Portugal's external debt in the medium term."

Comment: And the slow but steady shift to the East continues:

Malaysia demands actual evidence proving Russia shot down MH17

Free Malaysia Today
Sat, 01 Jun 2019 09:49 UTC

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad says the probe into the MH17 plane tragedy seems to be concentrated on trying to pin it on the Russians and this is not a neutral kind of examination.

The Malaysian government wants strong evidence to show that Russia is responsible for the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 tragedy in 2014, said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today.

He said Malaysia accepted the investigation report of Holland but only up to the point where the plane was brought down by a missile made by Russia.

Mahathir said while the government agreed that the plane was brought down by a Russian missile, it cannot be certain that the missile was launched by Russia.

Comment: Also see: Malaysian PM slams US foreign policy, proposes pan-Asian gold-backed currency

Duterte slams 'bossy' Washington for breach of arms deal, says 'US has no honor!'

RT
Sat, 01 Jun 2019 09:49 UTC

The US administration is not true to their promises, President Rodrigo Duterte stressed, still angry about Washington bailing out on a small arms shipment to its former territory under the pretext of human rights violations.

"The US is something else, too bossy. Their lieutenants talk like generals. That's why I don't listen to them. They do not have a word of honor," Duterte said in Tokyo, Japan on Thursday, recalling how Washington halted the planned sale of 26,000 assault rifles for the Philippines' national police in 2016.

The US State Department's refusal to sell assault rifles to Manila, under the pretext of concerns about the country's human rights record amid its ongoing war on drugs, has forced Duterte to seek new suppliers - namely, China and Russia. After receiving the arms shipments from both countries, Manila expressed interest in further diversifying its supplies and is considering the purchase of patrol boats, armored vehicles and even submarines.

Malaysian PM slams US foreign policy, proposes pan-Asian gold-backed currency

RT
Sat, 01 Jun 2019 09:49 UTC

Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad has floated the idea of creating a gold-backed common trading currency for all of East Asia, slamming regional currency exchange as "manipulative" and criticizing the US's heavy-handed foreign policy.

"In the Far East, if you want to come together, we should start with a common trading currency, not to be used locally but for the purpose of settling of trade," Mahathir said at the Nikkei Future of Asia conference in Japan, suggesting the currency be "based on gold because gold is much more stable" and warning that promoting any one country's currency over others would result in conflict. Exchange rates would be based on the country's economic performance and not subject to the volatility of forex markets.

"Currency trading is not something that is healthy because it is not about the performance of countries but about manipulation," Mahathir added. The gold-backed currency would not be used within any one country, but would help protect regional trading from predatory speculators - and from the vicissitudes of the dollar, which he said unfairly held the rest of the world hostage.

Comment: Also see: Malaysia demands actual evidence proving Russia shot down MH17

New Lt. Governor of Virginia Winsome Sears: "We're going to have safer neighborhoods, safer communities, and our children are going to get a good...

parzival

Bill Gates is going to be the one with the uncertain future,,, * New Lt. Governor of Virginia Winsome Sears: "We're going to have safer...

parzival

The more we hear about adverse affects the more we will merely shrug. It's a catch 22. Is that an asteroid trail in the photo?

sass

Welcome to the new normal. The more sensory exposure we have about such things, the less it is an issue.

sass

more misbehaving phuqqin' jewzskies starring on the sott; speaks for itself

Jibrish

Puppet Masters

China's retaliatory tariffs on $60bn of US products kicks in

Signal to Pakistan? India lifts air traffic restrictions imposed after recent flare-up

Reports indicate DOJ preparing to launch antitrust probe into Google

The Geography of War: No Iraq...? No Iran!

'Respect normal energy dealings': Beijing rejects US threat over Iranian oil vessel

Orthodox crescent of instability

Portugal becomes first Eurozone country to issue debt on China's market

Malaysia demands actual evidence proving Russia shot down MH17

Duterte slams 'bossy' Washington for breach of arms deal, says 'US has no honor!'

Malaysian PM slams US foreign policy, proposes pan-Asian gold-backed currency

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