Puppet Masters

Putin replaces top Russian prosecutor with investigative official

Mike Eckel
RFE/RL
Tue, 21 Jan 2020 11:19 UTC

Russia's top prosecutor, Yury Chaika, who as one of the most powerful law enforcement figures in the country oversaw a raft of politically charged criminal investigations, will leave his position after nearly 14 years in office.

The Kremlin said on January 20 that President Vladimir Putin had nominated Igor Krasnov, who has served as deputy chairman of the Investigative Committee, to replace Chaika as prosecutor-general.

Russia's upper house of parliament must formally vote on Krasnov's nomination, though an affirmative vote is all but guaranteed.

Krasnov is little-known outside of Russian law enforcement circles. However, the Investigative Committee, which has been run by Putin ally Aleksandr Bastrykin since it was created in 2007, is considered a rival law enforcement agency that has clashed in the past with the Prosecutor-General's Office.

Chaika, 68, was serving as justice minister in June 2006 when he was named to the position of prosecutor-general, taking over for Vladimir Ustinov.

At Davos, Trump warns against believing 'prophets of doom', just before Green Greta takes to the stage

Quint Forgey
Politico
Tue, 21 Jan 2020 07:36 UTC

President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned the international community against heeding the advice of environmental activists — dismissing them as fearmongering "prophets of doom" who will cripple global economies and strip away individual liberties in what he described as a misguided mission to save the planet.

Trump, in his opening address at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, said:

"This is not a time for pessimism. This is a time for optimism. Fear and doubt is not a good thought process because this is a time for tremendous hope and joy and optimism and action.

"But to embrace the possibilities of tomorrow, we must reject the perennial prophets of doom and their predictions of the apocalypse. They are the heirs of yesterday's foolish fortune tellers. And I have them, and you have them, and we all have them. And they want to see us do badly, but we don't let that happen."

The president's repudiation of climate change activists before the assembly of business executives and foreign leaders represented yet another high-profile break between his administration and other Western powers regarding the grave nature of the threat.

"They predicted an overpopulation crisis in the 1960s, mass starvation in the '70s, and an end of oil in the 1990s. These alarmists always demand the same thing: absolute power to dominate, transform and control every aspect of our lives. We will never let radical socialists destroy our economy, wreck our country or eradicate our liberty."

Comment: Trump's so-called 'long vacillation' on 'well-established science' linking human activity to global warming is grossly exaggerated. This statement is more revealing of Politico's bias and its clueless readership's embrace of a slick and 'well-established disinformation campaign'. Trump knows the difference and isn't afraid to say so.

'Upping the ante'? Instead of seeking nukes, Iran threatens to quit Non-Proliferation Treaty

RT
Mon, 20 Jan 2020 15:19 UTC

By threatening to leave the landmark Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Iran wants to renew pressure on Europe rather than get a nuclear weapon, because that would invite US raids and alienate Russia and China, analysts told RT.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned that the country will leave the NPT if European states file a complaint with the UN Security Council over Iran not following the 2015 nuclear deal. Under the NPT, states that don't have nuclear weapons can't get them in the future.

"Iran's warning is real. But it doesn't mean that Iran is going to get nuclear weapons," Hamidreza Azizi, an assistant professor of regional studies at the Tehran-based Shahid Beheshti University, told RT.

"Based on the logic that has prevailed in the Iranian domestic discourse, it's a move to show Iran's ability to act independently, and to take steps in continuing our nuclear program independently."

Britain, France and Germany formally lodged a dispute procedure against Iran last week. This can eventually trigger a UN Security Council vote to reimpose international sanctions on Tehran.

Comment: Iran is feisty. By trotting out all kinds of possible actions as leverage, the onus is on other countries to play fair and square and live up to their agreements. Could be a smart move, but only if it works.

Putin sends proposed constitutional amendments to parliament

RFE/RL
Mon, 20 Jan 2020 16:17 UTC

Russian President Vladimir Putin has submitted a package of proposed constitutional amendments to parliament, after announcing last week a surprise overhaul of the country's political system.

Putin had suggested numerous revisions to the constitution during his state-of-the-nation address on January 15, prompting speculation that the shakeup could help keep the 67-year-old former KGB officer in power beyond the end of his fourth presidential term in 2024.

The proposed amendments include giving parliament the power to name the prime minister and limit the president to only two terms in total -- instead of two successive terms, according to the bill posted on the website of the Kremlin-controlled lower house, the State Duma, on January 20.

It also proposes transferring some powers from the presidency to state bodies such as the State Council, which would be transformed from an advisory body to an organ that would shape domestic and foreign policy, as well as social and economic development, according to the amendments.

The sweeping reform would also give the constitution a clear priority over international law.

Comment: See also:

Documentary: Shokin heavily investigated Burisma, but media supports 'saint' Biden's bogus claims

RT
Tue, 21 Jan 2020 16:01 UTC

© Global Look Press/ZUMAPRESS/REUTERS/Sergii Kharchenko/Mike Blake/Nazar Furyk
Viktor Shokin • Joe Biden • Yuriy Lutsenko

The Ukrainian prosecutor who Joe Biden pushed to oust had six cases against Burisma but they fizzled out after he left, a new documentary shows challenging the narrative by the former vice president that the media failed to check.

When Joe Biden lobbied Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to replace Viktor Shokin with Yuriy Lutsenko in 2015, his entourage claimed that Shokin had failed to thoroughly investigate corruption, and by pushing for his replacement "saint" Biden even acted against his family's interests.

But the second episode of the documentary series 'UkraineGate: Inconvenient facts' produced by French investigative journalist Olivier Berruyer, founder of popular anti-corruption and economics blog Les Crises, shows information that undermines this narrative.

Comment: See also:

Biden campaign warns media: Don't spread 'debunked' claims of his activities in Ukraine... or else!

RT
Mon, 20 Jan 2020 22:18 UTC

Comment: Or else what, old man?

Joe Biden's presidential campaign has issued a warning to the media cautioning journalists against spreading what he called "debunked" theories about his controversial role in having a Ukrainian prosecutor removed from office.

In the memo first reported by NBC News, Biden's campaign accuses President Donald Trump of "spreading a malicious and conclusively debunked conspiracy theory" that the former VP engaged in wrongdoing when he pressured Ukraine to fire former Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin.

Biden has previously bragged about his role in having Shokin fired, even admitting on camera that he presented an ultimatum to Ukrainian authorities, threatening to withhold a billion-dollar loan guarantee unless the prosecutor was given the boot. It emerged later that Biden's own son Hunter sat on the board of the Burisma energy company which Shokin had been investigating for corruption.

The memo, described as "unusual" by NBC News, demands that "any media organization referencing, reporting on, or repeating" claims that Biden engaged in wrongdoing "must state clearly and unambiguously that they have been discredited and debunked by authoritative sources."

Comment: Politicians think the public will believe anything they tell them. A significant portion proves this to be correct - but what are the rest of us to do, pretend we didn't see Biden implicate himself in stonking corruption on camera??

Trump replaces another Russian adviser as NSC turnover continues

Jennifer Jacobs, Nick Wadhams
Bloomberg News
Sat, 18 Jan 2020 08:50 UTC

© 1 Former NSC senior director European/Russian affairs Andrew Peek VOA Persian/H.Cho
Former NSC senior director European/Russian affairs Andrew Peek

The top Russia expert on President Donald Trump's National Security Council has left his post after about three months, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Andrew Peek, the NSC's senior director for European and Russian affairs, was escorted from the White House grounds on Friday, two of the people said, asking not to be identified because they weren't authorized to discuss personnel matters. A spokesman for the NSC declined to comment, citing the same reason. Peek also declined to comment.

Axios reported earlier Saturday that Peek was placed on administrative leave pending a security-related investigation.

Peek is the third departure from the position in less than a year. The NSC has been marked by turbulence and turnover over Trump's three years in office, as the president has repeatedly sought national security advisers more in-line with his own ideology.

Comment: Given Mike Bloomberg is a Democratic presidential candidate, Bloomberg News spins negative on Trump-related reporting.

Russian deputy FM Ryabkov: BRICS to accept new member states and create new payment systems

RT
Tue, 21 Jan 2020 09:04 UTC

The BRICS group of emerging economies, which is comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is open to welcoming new member countries, according to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

Russia is focused on activities on the BRICS+ platform, which "makes it possible for interested countries to find ways to cooperate with the group's members," said Ryabkov, adding: "This is why it is possible to talk about the expansion of BRICS as a goal for the future."

According to Ryabkov, the Russian Sherpa in the five-nation trade bloc,

"BRICS' existence is important in terms of creating new positive elements in the economic, social and scientific development of our countries, as well as for other areas of development."

The group of five countries represents more than 40 percent of the world's population. In line with efforts to boost trade, members are working on the integration of payment systems, increasing payments in national currencies, as well as the establishment of an independent channel on information exchange. It was earlier reported that BRICS states are set to create a new joint payment system called BRICS Pay that will be similar to existing Apple Pay and Samsung Pay services.

Keiser Report: Gold fund manager predicts US dollar will collapse this year

RT
Tue, 21 Jan 2020 15:03 UTC

Central banks have been buying massive amounts of gold over the last 50 years, purchasing a historic high of 374.1 tons in 2019. The unprecedented shift has been seen by many as a move away from the US dollar.

The interesting thing, according to Egon von Greyerz of GoldSwitzerland.com, is that not every country is buying gold. He told RT's Keiser Report that mainly Eastern central banks have been piling up the shiny metal. "We are talking about Russia and China, Turkey, Poland, and Hungary."

Russia and China are the ones that are "really seeing what's happening," he says. "They know that the dollar is going to collapse."

According to Greyerz, China, which didn't reveal its true position of gold holdings, "might... have 20,000 tons that they have gathered over a long period of time."

"Russia and China see that the dollar days are counted, and I agree with that totally. At some point it [dollar collapse] should happen this year and I think it will. We are going to see the dollar collapse and that would be very serious for the world and of course very serious for the United States," he says.

Iraqi security source: Three missiles struck 'Green Zone' close to US embassy

Sputnik
Tue, 21 Jan 2020 20:34 UTC

Tensions in the region have escalated recently following the killing of Iran's top military commander Qasem Soleimani in the US targeted attack on the Baghdadi International Airport on 3 January.

Three rockets have fallen in the Green Zone near the US embassy in Baghdad, an Iraqi security source reported.

"Three missiles landed in the area close to the US embassy in the 'green zone' in Baghdad, air raid sirens are heard from the embassy", the source said.

Comment: Sputnik further reports the attack was launched from the southeast area of Baghdad:

Iraq's Joint Operations Command said on Tuesday that the three missiles, which landed near the US embassy in the so-called green zone overnight, had been launched from the southeastern Baghdad district of Al-Zafraniya.

"The Baghdad Operations Command found rocket launching sites in the Al-Zafraniya district," the military said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi ordered to start an investigation into the incident.

A few more hints the US is no longer welcome in Iraq?

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Puppet Masters

Putin replaces top Russian prosecutor with investigative official

At Davos, Trump warns against believing 'prophets of doom', just before Green Greta takes to the stage

'Upping the ante'? Instead of seeking nukes, Iran threatens to quit Non-Proliferation Treaty

Putin sends proposed constitutional amendments to parliament

Documentary: Shokin heavily investigated Burisma, but media supports 'saint' Biden's bogus claims

Biden campaign warns media: Don't spread 'debunked' claims of his activities in Ukraine... or else!

Trump replaces another Russian adviser as NSC turnover continues

Russian deputy FM Ryabkov: BRICS to accept new member states and create new payment systems

Keiser Report: Gold fund manager predicts US dollar will collapse this year

Iraqi security source: Three missiles struck 'Green Zone' close to US embassy

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