Puppet MastersS


Recycle

Scrap heap next? Britain's flagship aircraft carrier catches fire en route for repairs

HMS Queen Elizabeth
The blaze was the latest in a long line of malfunctions to befall the HMS Queen Elizabeth

Britain's HMS Queen Elizabeth has caught fire while docked in Scotland to unload ammunition prior to having its propeller shaft repaired. The propeller issue had caused the £3 billion ($3.85 billion) warship to miss NATO's largest exercise in decades last month.

The blaze broke out while the carrier was docked at Glenmallan on Friday night, a Royal Navy spokesperson said on Saturday. "A minor, isolated fire on HMS Queen Elizabeth was quickly brought under control and extinguished," the spokesman told the UK Defence Journal.

The HMS Queen Elizabeth was unloading ammunition at the time of the incident. From there, it is due to head to the port of Rosyth to undergo repairs to its starboard propeller shaft coupling.

Comment: The British navy like the whole Western leadership is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

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Yoda

Best of the Web: Why the US is trying to imprison Assange: Report from inside the Court

julian assange
© Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by A. MakkiThe prospect of the United States- a foreign government- imposing its laws on British soil to snatch a foreign journalist should scare anyone who is serious about press freedoms
Richard Medhurst is a British journalist who has covered Julian Assange's extradition case from inside the court since 2020. In this article, he explains what took place in the latest hearings, why the United States is trying to extradite the WikiLeaks founder, and why everyone should care.

Julian Assange is an Australian journalist in the United Kingdom, and the founder of WikiLeaks. He published documents that were given to him by a US soldier called Chelsea Manning, which showed US war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan, and much more.

The United States want to extradite Assange from the UK to America, and put him on trial for publishing these classified documents. They are threatening him with 175 years in prison.

The reason this case is so serious is because it essentially makes journalism illegal.

Jet3

NATO states will break F-16 pledge to Ukraine - NYT

FILE PHOTO: A Royal Norwegian Air Force fighter jet in the air.
© AFP / Jan LanghaugFILE PHOTO: A Royal Norwegian Air Force fighter jet in the air.
Kiev will only receive six out of the 45 fighter jets promised by the end of spring, the paper reports

NATO member states will not be able to fulfill their pledge to send 45 F-16s to Ukraine, as the bloc's drive to provide Kiev with US-designed fighter jets is marred by "confusion and chaos," the New York Times has reported.

The administration of US President Joe Biden allowed America's European allies to arm the Ukrainian military with fourth generation F-16 aircraft last spring, with Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and Belgium jointly vowing to supply 45 planes.

However, only the Danish authorities have so far announced a timeline for the arrival of the jets in Ukraine, the NYT said in an article on Monday. Copenhagen says Kiev will receive six F16s in late spring, with another 13 coming later in the year and in 2025.

Comment:
These planes are not invincible in any way:
Indian military confirms to press that IAF MiG-21 shot down Pakistani F-16
Yemeni Houthis claim downing of Moroccan F16 jet
Apart from the Ukrainian pilots not being ready in large numbers to take over the donated planes, what hides behind "confusion and chaos"? Is it real, an excuse, or both?


SOTT Logo Radio

SOTT Focus: NewsReal: End of Empire: Angry Biden, Divider-in-Chief & Macron's Grande Armée to 'Defeat' Russia?

biden state union macron russia newsreal
© Sott.net
Biden's aggressive, hopped-up 'State of the Union' speech inadvertently revealed the state of the American union: fatally fractured. With 10 million migrants pouring into the US during his term, in service of stuffing the ballot boxes and packing the military, this desperate 'Late Rome' attempt to maintain the political status quo in perpetuity is destined to fail.

The unanimous self-delusion two years ago that Ukraine was going to 'defeat' Russia has given way to bitter acknowledgment that Russia is going to win... 'unless we do something fast!' In the meantime waves of drone-strikes are daily targeting Russian cities, and Russian counter-strikes are picking off the best war machines the West has 'gifted' Ukraine.

Macron is STILL talking about 'doing a Napoleon', this week speculating - to the Polish foreign minister's delight - that French troops could soon be in Odessa, and meeting Moldova's PM to 'guarantee their security', fully aware that there are TWO pro-Russian regions within tiny Moldova that would welcome entry into the EU/NATO about as much as Donbass Russians.

Final topics in this week's NewsReal: Texas governor Gregg Abbott's suspicions about the Smokehouse Creek wildfire (the largest-ever in that state), the comprehensive defeat of government proposals to 'equalize' Ireland's constitution, and the revolution in Haiti being falsely portrayed as 'cannibal gang warfare'.


Running Time: 01:51:54

Download: MP3 — 76.8 MB


Light Sabers

Iran, Russia, China start joint naval exercise in northern Indian Ocean

Dena destroyer  iran navy
© TasnimIran’s domestically designed and manufactured Dena destroyer
Naval forces from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Russia and China will start a combined naval exercise in the northern tip of the Indian Ocean, where various divisions of their militaries will conduct large-scale maritime maneuvers.

The main stage of the naval war game, dubbed Maritime Security Belt 2024, will kick off on Tuesday.

The naval and airborne units of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, together with their Chinese and Russian counterparts, will participate in the joint naval drills. Naval delegations from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Oman, Pakistan and South Africa have taken part as observers in the exercises.

The Maritime Security Belt 2024 naval drills are meant to beef up security and its fundamentals in the region, enhance multilateral cooperation among the participating countries, and to demonstrate the goodwill and ability of the participants to jointly safeguard global peace and maritime security.

Comment: See also:


People

Poland's foreign minister says sending NATO troops to Ukraine 'not unthinkable'

Ukrainian servicemen prepare their weapons during a military training exercise near the front line in the Donetsk region, on Feb. 23, 2024.
© Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty ImagesUkrainian servicemen prepare their weapons during a military training exercise near the front line in the Donetsk region, on Feb. 23, 2024.
Radoslaw Sikorski, Poland's foreign minister, said that the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine should not be ruled out.

Poland's foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Friday that it's "not unthinkable" for NATO forces to be deployed to Ukraine after French President Emmanuel Macron issued a similar warning that prompted backlash and backpedaling from other leaders.

Mr. Sikorski made the remark during a panel discussion in the Polish parliament in Warsaw on March 8, held to mark the 25th anniversary of Poland's accession to the trans-atlantic defense pact.

"The presence of NATO forces in Ukraine is not unthinkable," Mr. Sikorski said, per a translation of his remarks by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Comment: Western leaders, yet again, reveal their complete lack of common sense.
And Russia is, once again, showing they're the only adults in the room, through patience and offering to negotiate. One wonders who is more reasonable and who thinks more about the consequences of their action. The Western leaders appear more like miffed children in a playground than leaders.

See also:


Bad Guys

Liz Cheney, January 6 committee deep-sixed exonerating evidence of Trump's push for National Guard

liz dick cheney
© Bill Clark/CQ Roll CallLike father, like daughter, and not in a good way.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney looks on as his daughter Rep. Liz Cheney takes the oath of office, Jan. 3, 2017.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney's January 6 Committee suppressed evidence that President Donald Trump pushed for 10,000 National Guard troops to protect the nation's capital, a previously hidden transcript obtained by The Federalist shows.

Cheney and her committee falsely claimed they had "no evidence" to support Trump officials' claims the White House had communicated its desire for 10,000 National Guard troops. In fact, an early transcribed interview conducted by the committee included precisely that evidence from a key source. The interview, which Cheney attended and personally participated in, was suppressed from public release until now.

Deputy Chief of Staff Anthony Ornato's first transcribed interview with the committee was conducted on January 28, 2022. In it, he told Cheney and her investigators that he overheard White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows push Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to request as many National Guard troops as she needed to protect the city.

Comment: The whole affair smells to high heaven.


People 2

Saying "Hamas just needs to surrender" is saying "We'll kill kids until we get what we want"

biden
© unknownUS President Joe Biden
Of the many awful warmonger comments President Biden made in his State of the Union address Thursday night, arguably the worst was when he reiterated the US empire's position that it is fine and good for the IDF to keep murdering Gazan civilians until Hamas bows to all of Israel's demands.

Biden did this by lamenting the "heartbreaking" death and starvation of civilians in Gaza while in the same breath stating that Hamas could end all of this violence by laying down arms and surrendering those responsible for the October 7 attack. Biden said:
"Israel has a right to go after Hamas. Hamas ended this conflict by releasing the hostages, laying down arms — could end it by — by releasing the hostages, laying down arms, and surrendering those responsible for October 7th.

"This war has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of whom are not Hamas. Thousands and thousands of innocents — women and children. Girls and boys also orphaned. Nearly 2 million more Palestinians under bombardment or displacement. Homes destroyed, neighborhoods in rubble, cities in ruin. Families without food, water, medicine."
"It's heartbreaking," added Biden, referring to the genocide that he himself is actively backing and could choose to end at any time.

Explosion

Fearful electioneering turbo charges Western warmongering

TrumBden
© The Duran/Mark Pekmezian/KJNThe Grenade vs The Cone
Western political leaders are digging a deeper hole for their eventual collapse.

Western states are facing an acute political crisis whereby their established governing parties and leaders are fighting for survival amid a grave loss in legitimacy in the eyes of their electorates.

In the United States, incumbent President Joe Biden is vying for reelection in November with historically lowest poll numbers ever for an occupant of the White House.

Meanwhile, across the European Union, governing parties and leaders are braced for a drubbing from parliamentary elections in June.

The roots of this unprecedented loss of legitimacy among Western political establishments are manifold. But surely one cause is the rank hypocrisy of Western leaders that has now been laid bare. How can political figures expect to have any moral authority when they are seen to be inveterate liars and shamelessly corrupt?

Western governments and their servile media lecture about "democracy", "human rights" and upholding "law and order". They claim to be motivated by such principles in their support of Ukraine against alleged Russian aggression. Yet these same governments are complicit in the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza through their unwavering support for the Israeli regime.

Western leaders have been fatally exposed and compromised by the conflict in Ukraine and Gaza. The contradiction is terminal.

Comment: We may all be dumbfounded how quickly Biden's poll numbers resurrect from the 'dead'.


Cruise Missle

First fatal attack on shipping by Yemen's Houthi rebels escalates risk for reeling Mideast

houthi attack shipping fatalities
© DVIDS/Handout via ReutersAn aerial view of the Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze following a Houthi missile attack at sea, March 6, 2024, in this handout photo.
The first fatal attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on shipping threatens to further sever a crucial maritime artery for global trade and carries with it risks beyond those just at sea.

Already, the White House is warning that there will be a response to Wednesday's attack on the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier True Confidence in the Gulf of Aden. What that will look like remains unclear, but the U.S. has already launched round after round of airstrikes targeting the Houthis, a rebel group that has held Yemen's capital since 2014, and more are likely on the way.

However, a wider economic, humanitarian and political impact is looming from the attack. It also further highlights Yemen's years-long war, now overshadowed by Israel's grinding war on Hamas on the Gaza Strip that may reach into the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, raising the danger of worsening regional anger.

Comment: AP also writes that three Red Sea data cables have been cut as Houthis launch more attacks. Israel boasts of being one of the most advanced high tech countries in the world, so despite the Houthi's denial, it seems an elegant and inexpensive way to hinder their enemy . . . .
Three cables under the Red Sea that provide global internet and telecommunications have been cut as the waterway remains a target of Yemen's Houthi rebels, officials said Monday. Meanwhile, a Houthi missile attack set a ship ablaze in the Gulf of Aden, but caused no injuries.

What cut the lines remains unclear. There has been concern about the cables being targeted in the Houthi campaign, which the rebels describe as an effort to pressure Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis have denied attacking the lines, however.

While global shipping has already been disrupted through the Red Sea, a crucial route for cargo and energy shipments from Asia and the Middle East to Europe, the sabotage of telecommunication lines could further escalate the monthslong crisis.

The cut lines include Asia-Africa-Europe 1, the Europe India Gateway, Seacom and TGN-Gulf, Hong Kong-based HGC Global Communications said. It described the cuts as affecting 25% of the traffic flowing through the Red Sea. It described the Red Sea route as crucial for data moving from Asia to Europe and said it had begun rerouting traffic.

[...]

In early February, Yemen's internationally recognized government in exile alleged that the Houthis planned to attack the cables. The lines appeared to have been cut on Feb. 24, with the organization NetBlocks noticing internet access in the East African nation of Djibouti suffering from interruptions two days later. Seacom serves Djibouti.

[..]

The Houthis insist their attacks will continue until Israel stops its combat operations in the Gaza Strip, which have enraged the wider Arab world and seen the Houthis gain international recognition.