Puppet MastersS


Pistol

NZ adopts harsh gun control measures after Christchurch massacre... to cheers and jeers in US


RT
Thu, 21 Mar 2019 18:06 UTC
Jacinda Ardern
© Reuters / Edgar SuNew Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern
New Zealand has rolled out a ban on military-style semi-automatic and assault rifles following last week's massacre in Christchurch, which saw 50 people killed at two mosques in the worst mass shooting in the country's history.

High-capacity magazines and parts used to convert other weapons into the banned guns are also banned under the new laws, which PM Jacinda Ardern expects to take effect by April 11. A buyback scheme will also be put in place for weapons on the banned list.

"On 15 March our history changed forever. Now, our laws will too," Ardern said at a press conference on Thursday. New Zealand follows the example of Australia, which banned all semi-automatic weapons following a 1996 mass shooting in Port Arthur that killed 35 people.

The most pronounced reactions came from Americans, many of whom believe similar laws are soon to be introduced stateside. Whether they want those laws is another matter entirely.

Democratic pols praised the move, while gun control advocates looked westward with envy. Republicans were repulsed. Reports of New Zealanders voluntarily turning in their guns came in for particular derision.

Many worried that the Christchurch shooting and subsequent crackdowns - on guns, on speech, even on watching the livestreamed video of the slaughter - are a form of dress rehearsal for a planned US clampdown.
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Star of David

Trumps says time for US to fully recognize Israel's 'sovereignty' over stolen Golan Heights


RT
Thu, 21 Mar 2019 17:56 UTC
The golan heights
Israel seized the Golan Heights during the 1967 War
US President Donald Trump has said that the time has come for the United States to "fully recognize" Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, seized from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967.

In a tweet on Thursday, Trump said the Golan Heights are "of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel" and to "regional security." His decision will be seen as a diplomatic coup for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The move comes after the US State Department dropped the word "occupied" in relation to the Golan Heights in its annual human rights report for 2018 last week. Responding on Twitter, Netanyahu thanked Trump for "boldly recognizing" Israel's sovereignty over the land.

Comment: Recognition may be one thing. Actually hanging on to the theft may be another. The UN and the majority of the world are squarely on Syria's side. Assad has made it clear he will never acquiesce to Israel stealing Syrian territory, which was one of Israel's goals in aiding terrorist groups operating in Syria. Will it lead to yet another war? There are more reasons than "security" for Israel desperately trying to keep the Golan:

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Gold Bar

Citigroup to sell Venezuelan gold after Caracas misses buyback deadline due to US asset grab - deposit the difference to blocked US accounts

Patricia Laya and Jennifer Surane
Bloomberg
Wed, 20 Mar 2019 17:55 UTC
maduro gold
© Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg
Citigroup Inc. has settled a Venezuela gold swap transaction and plans to sell the metal it received as collateral while also depositing about $260 million into a U.S. account formerly controlled by President Nicolas Maduro's central bank, according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter.

After Venezuela's Central Bank missed a March 11 deadline to buy back gold from Citigroup for nearly $1.1 billion as part of a financing agreement signed in 2015, the difference in price from when the gold was acquired to current levels will be deposited into an account, said the people, who asked not to be named speaking about a private transaction.

The development represents another financial blow to the embattled Maduro regime. It won't be able to access the cash deposited in the U.S. account and could ultimately see the money be handed over to the parallel government being formed opposition leader Juan Guaido.

While Maduro has managed to maintain a stranglehold on power on the ground -- he still controls the military, the courts and government bureaucracy -- Guaido is leveraging the support he has from dozens of countries to slowly seize Venezuela's financial assets abroad. Guaido, who's seeking to topple the autocratic Maduro, has wrested control of Houston-based refiner Citgo Petroleum Corp from Petroleos de Venezuela SA and is also taking over diplomatic real estate. More importantly, he has gained access to cash, which he's vowing to use to relieve a humanitarian crisis at home.
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Star of David

Israel arrests 22yo Palestinian woman for a Facebook post


Middle East Monitor
Wed, 20 Mar 2019 17:54 UTC
arrest
© Shehab NewsIsraeli forces arrest a Palestinian woman at a military checkpoint in Hebron
Israeli occupation forces arrested a 22-year-old Palestinian woman at a military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron after she posted a comment on Facebook on Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Isra'a Hammad Abu Sneineh was detained at the Abu Al-Rish military checkpoint near the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.

According to the Asra Media Office, Abu Sneineh was arrested at the military checkpoint located at the main entrance to the Old City, west of the Ibrahimi Mosque, as a result of a Facebook post she wrote about Al-Aqsa Mosque.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners' Centre (PPC), Israel had arrested more than 500 Palestinians, including women and children, as a result of their social media posts by May last year.
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Radar

'Possible misinformation': Analyst calls US bluff on imminent test of 'DEATH RAY' with 'tiny' budget


RT
Thu, 21 Mar 2019 17:27 UTC
death ray
© AFP / US AIR FORCE / Jim ARAOS
The Pentagon wants $300 million to experiment with a space-based direct energy weapon for intercepting ballistic missiles - but the request may be deliberate misinformation, in the spirit of the Reagan-era 'Star Wars' program.

The US military has vowed to boost its space infrastructure, keeping ahead of Russia and China as they develop anti-satellite capabilities. Most of Washington's effort is to provide more redundancy and to ensure that, if either of the two adversary nations were to start shooting down American satellites, enough would remain in orbit so that American troops on the ground are not left without communications and intelligence. But the Pentagon also wants cool new toys that -hypothetically- would kill ballistic missiles during boost phase.

The 2020 budget proposal asks for $304 million for space-based anti-missile weaponry, including powerful lasers and neutral particle beams, Defense One reported. Most of the money is to be poured into the latter project, which is supposed to result in an experiment sometime before 2023.
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Sherlock

Senior Ukrainian official launches probe into Clinton 2016 election meddling


Sara Carter
Wed, 20 Mar 2019 10:15 UTC
clinton
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko said he opened an investigation into alleged attempts by Ukrainians to interfere in the United States' 2016 presidential election on behalf of Hillary Clinton.

In an interview that aired Wednesday with The Hill's TV, John Solomon Lutsenko said,"today we will launch a criminal investigation about this and we will give legal assessment of this information."

The probe is based on a claim from a member of the Ukrainian parliament that the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), Artem Sytnyk, was working to benefit Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.

Comment: The Hill reports:
Senior Ukrainian official says he's opened probe into US election interference Tweet Share More

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko told Hill.TV's John Solomon in an interview aired on Wednesday that he has opened a probe into alleged attempts by Ukrainians to interfere in the United States' 2016 presidential election.

[...]

Lutsenko is probing a claim from a member of the Ukrainian parliament that the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), Artem Sytnyk, attempted to the benefit of the 2016 U.S. presidential election on behalf of Hillary Clinton.

A State Department spokesman told Hill.TV that officials aware of news reports regarding Sytnyk.

"We have always emphasized the need for deep, comprehensive, and timely reforms that respond to the demands the Ukrainian people made during the Revolution of Dignity: an end to systemic corruption, faster economic growth, and a European future for all Ukrainians," a department spokesperson told Hill.TV.

"We have consistently said that Ukraine's long-term success and resilience depends on its commitment to reform, in particular the fight to address corruption. To succeed, Ukraine needs committed government officials and strong anti-corruption institutions. The United States is committed to engaging with our partners in Ukraine, including on efforts to roll back the persistent corruption that continues to threaten Ukraine's national security, prosperity, and democratic development."

Hill.TV has also reached out to the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, NABU, and Clinton's spokesperson for comment.

"According to the member of parliament of Ukraine, he got the court decision that the NABU official conducted an illegal intrusion into the American election campaign," Lutsenko said.

[...]

Solomon asked Lutsenko about reports that a member of Ukraine's parliament obtained a tape of the current head of the NABU saying that he was attempting to help Clinton win the 2016 presidential election, as well as connections that helped release the black-ledger files that exposed Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's wrongdoing in Ukraine.

"This member of parliament even attached the audio tape where several men, one of which had a voice similar to the voice of Mr. Sytnyk, discussed the matter."


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Star of David

MoveOn asks 2020 Dems to boycott AIPAC: Is the 'third rail' of US politics finally gone?


RT
Thu, 21 Mar 2019 15:36 UTC
Netanyahu AIPAC
© Jose Luis Magana/Associated PressIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the 2018 American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference, at Washington Convention Center, March 6, 2018, in Washington.
Influential progressive activist group MoveOn.org has a favor to ask 2020's army of Democratic presidential candidates: steer clear of the AIPAC conference. Do not pass Go; do not collect hefty campaign checks.

The activist organization with ties to controversial billionaire George Soros called on the growing swarm of Democratic candidates to boycott the pro-Israeli lobbyist conference, long considered a rite of passage for American politicians. While AIPAC itself only spent about $3.5 million lobbying last year, its influence lies in matching wealthy donors with favored candidates, "bundling" enormous sums to those it believes will do the most to advance Israel's aims stateside.

Comment: One might wonder why a Soros-funded organization has sicced itself on AIPAC at this point in time? However, Soros himself has been a long-time critic of AIPAC. From 2007:

Obama rebuffs Soros after he calls for "liberation" from pro-Israel lobby

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Chess

Trump slams 'radical left' social media companies, vows to investigate Facebook - UPDATE

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Wed, 20 Mar 2019 10:08 UTC
trump
© AP Photo/ Evan Vucci
President Trump on Tuesday said that he would be "looking into" a report that his social media chief, Dan Scavino Jr. has been censored by Facebook.

Scavino - who manages several of the president's and White House's social media accounts, reported being blocked from responding to someone's question over the social media platform - asked Facebook "WHY ARE YOU STOPPING ME from replying to comments followers have left me - on my own Facebook Page!!??"

Comment:

UPDATE 21/3/19: Facebook apologizes and restores Scavino's account:
Facebook has issued an apology to White House Social Media Director Dan Scavino after temporarily blocking his ability to post for several hours on Monday because he ran afoul of its bot detectors.

In an official statement, the social media giant claimed that its algorithm had mistaken Scavino for a robot account after he publicly complained that he was unfairly targeted.

"In order to stop automated bots, we cap the amount of identical, repetitive activity coming from one account in a short period of time, such as @mentioning people," the tech giant said, adding that these caps can produce unintended collateral damage.

"We've been in touch with him and have apologized for the inconvenience."

Scavino's blocking also caught the attention of US President Donald Trump who said he would look into accusations of anti-conservative bias on social media platforms.

"There's discrimination, there's big discrimination," Trump said during a joint press conference with visiting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. "Something's happening with those groups of folks that are running Facebook, and Google, and Twitter, and I do think we have to get to the bottom of it."

Facebook has strenuously denied accusations of liberal bias that have been repeatedly directed at the social media behemoth. The accusations have come from within the company too. Last year, an employee called the company a liberal "monoculture that's intolerant of different views."


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X

Twitter admits shadowban on Federalist co-founder's Lisa Page tweet with lame excuse: "To keep people safe"

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Thu, 21 Mar 2019 14:32 UTC
sean Davis the Federalist editor
© NewsMaxSean Davis
Twitter has admitted to shadowbanning a tweet by The Federalist co-founder Sean Davis in order to "keep people safe."

Tweeting a passage last week from former FBI attorney Lisa Page's Congressional testimony discussing the FBI's rush to find connections between the Trump campaign and Russia, Davis pointed out the irony of Hillary Clinton's campaign employing former UK spy Christopher Steele, a foreign national, "working with Russians to obtain damaging information about Donald Trump."

Comment:

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Sherlock

SOTT Focus: Christchurch Terror Attack: Mass Censorship, Mystery Shooters, And The Globetrotting Lone Gunman

Niall Bradley
Sott.net
Thu, 21 Mar 2019 13:55 UTC
christchurch terror attack
Censorship has been put into effect like never before in the aftermath of the multi-site terror attacks in Christchurch last Friday. There's no other word for what governments and Internet corporations have instituted. New Zealand and Australian Internet Service Providers have been blocking access to video-hosting sites, forums and other websites that mirrored, in part or whole, the 17-minute long video footage 'lone gunman' Brenton Tarrant recorded from a GoPro camera attached to his head-gear, along with footage of the aftermath of the shooting at the Linwood mosque, and copies of Tarrant's 'manifesto'. Media outlets and social media platforms globally have followed suit. The Internet has effectively been 'bleached' of this evidence (though it's not entirely gone, if you're prepared to look hard enough for it).

Tarrant's video in particular has been "classified by the Chief Censor's Office as objectionable," under a 1993 New Zealand law, meaning Kiwis face prison time and a $10,000 fine for 'downloading a copy of it' or 'distributing' it. The government has been leaning heavily on ISPs to block websites until they have removed it while, globally, several million iterations (including just links to it) have been removed by all media outlets and all social media platforms - and not just by Facebook, YouTube and Twitter; it's also gone from BitChute and similar lesser-known video-hosting platforms. New Zealand Police have also been demanding personal data on users who even discuss Tarrant's 'manifesto' or video.

Though ostensibly done out of consideration for the victims of the attacks and their families, to 'protect children and the vulnerable from seeing these images', and to not 'give the attacker the attention he wants', no such 'clean sweeps' have previously been conducted following the many gruesome mass shootings and bombings in terror attacks around the world, particularly those in non-Western countries. All these years 'ISIS' and affiliated terrorists have enjoyed full use of Western social media platforms to share footage of their crimes - footage which is then typically shown by corporate media outlets, complete with running commentary (just search 'Charlie Hebdo massacre' or 'ISIS beheadings' on YouTube) - but now suddenly it's imperative that all "objectionable materials" relating to this event be excised from global consciousness. Why would that be the case?

Comment: See also: 'Clash of Civilizations' Arrives in New Zealand: 49 Massacred by Multiple Gunmen During Multi-Site Terror Attack in Christchurch

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