Puppet MastersS


Vader

Best of the Web: The biggest illusion about the Ukraine war the West refuses to acknowledge

Tarik Amar
RT
Thu, 02 May 2024 19:14 UTC
zelensky depressed
© Paula Bronstein/Getty ImagesUkrainian President Vladimir Zelensky
Despite what foreign leaders and commentators say - and really seem to believe - Russia is the one setting the tempo of the conflict

We are living through a remarkable Western anticlimax. The US has finally, after half a year of domestic wrangling, passed another large funding package of $61 billion for Ukraine. This money had been presented as decisive: either it would come through or Kiev would be unable to hold its crumbling frontlines against Russia and would lose the war soon, as Ukrainian President Zelensky himself warned.

That was the minimum sales pitch. The more aggressive hard sell went further, claiming that once the money would be added to a fresh mobilization drive in Ukraine, its re-armed and replenished forces would not only resist Russian pressure but turn the tables and, in the end, perhaps in 2025, win the war.

Both these sales pitches were very unrealistic, as marketing often is. Now that the funding is on its way, reality is reasserting itself. There is no surprise that Russian advances are continuing, while the Ukrainian position keeps deteriorating, as the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian military, General Syrsky, is admitting.
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Bizarro Earth

Haiti council appoints new prime minister as country continues to face gang violence


Fox News
Fri, 03 May 2024 18:56 UTC
Fritz Bélizaire
© Social mediaFormer Sports Minister Fritz Bélizaire has been appointed as Prime Minister for Haiti, April 30, 2024
Haiti's transitional council appointed Fritz Belizaire as prime minister to address rampant violence.

Haiti's newly installed transitional council chose former Sports Minister Fritz Belizaire as the country's prime minister Tuesday as it presses forward in its monumental task of trying to establish a stable new government amid stifling violence.

Belizaire replaces Michel Patrick Boisvert, the former minister of economy and finance who was the current interim prime minister. Belizaire is little known and even some members of the council didn't know him.

The nine-member transitional council, seven of whom have voting rights, was choosing a new prime minister and Cabinet in a bid to help quell gang violence that is choking the capital of Port-au-Prince and beyond.

Comment: An interview Mar 21, 2024 with two journalists actually on the ground in Haiti, which cuts through the above propaganda. Cohen and Ives give a detailed background on how the present situation has come about:

Haiti, facts and fiction w/ Dan Cohen and Kim Ives (Live)


Haiti announces state of emergency following mass prison break, gang boss vows to oust Prime Minister

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Attention

The Russia - Iran - China search for a new global security order

Pepe Escobar
The Cradle
Fri, 03 May 2024 18:35 UTC
While the collective west is in the grips of an existential legitimacy crisis, the RIC is devising its own security order to protect the rest of the world from the 'genocidals.'
Russia, China an Iran Leaders
© The Cradle
The Hegemon has no idea what awaits the Exceptionalist mindset: China has started to decisively stir the civilizational cauldron without bothering about an inevitable array of sanctions coming by early 2025 and/or a possible collapse of the international financial system.

Last week, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and his list of delusional US demands was welcomed in Beijing by Foreign Minister Wang Yi and President Xi Jinping as little more than an annoying gnat. Wang, on the record, stressed that Tehran was justified in defending itself against Israel's shredding of the Vienna Convention when it attacked the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

At the UN Security Council, China now openly questions not only the state terror attack on the Nord Streams but also the US-Israel combo's blocking of Palestinian statehood. Moreover, Beijing, just like Moscow recently, hosts Palestine's political factions together in a conference aiming to unify their positions.

Next Tuesday, only two days before Moscow celebrates Victory Day, the end of the Great Patriotic War, Xi will land in Belgrade to remind the whole world about the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese embassy by the US, UK, and NATO.

Russia, meanwhile, provided a platform for the UNRWA - the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees, which Israel has sought to defund - to explain to high representatives of BRICS-10 the cataclysmic humanitarian situation in Gaza, as described by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

In short, serious political business is already being conducted outside of the corrupted UN system, as the United Nations disintegrates into a corporate shell with the US dictating all terms as the largest shareholder.

Yet another key example of BRICS as the new UN: Russian Security Council chairman Nikolai Patrushev met in St. Petersburg with his Chinese counterpart Chen Wenqing on the sidelines of the 12th International Security Summit, congregating over 100 nations, including the security heads of BRICS-10 members Iran, India, Brazil, and South Africa, as well as Iraq.
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Attention

U.S. admits failed Africa strategy: But there's more!

Phil Butler
New Eastern Outlook
Fri, 03 May 2024 18:25 UTC
African Protesters
© New Eastern Outlook
As unlikely as it may seem, U.S. officials now admit the Biden administration's strategy of pressing Niger and other African countries to break off ties with Moscow is no longer working. What's more impressive, perhaps, is that the story was published in Axel Springer's Politico.

Whether or not the liberal order is preparing to chunk Joe Biden under the bus, or not, is a matter of conjecture. It is interesting, however, to read about U.S. failures in a news outlet now guided by German (or European) principles of operation. The German acquisition may be the reason for the distinction from hardcore Russophobia spewed by employees of former owner Robert Allbritton. Whatever the case, reporting that the U.S. has essentially lost a foothold on Chad, Central African Republic, Mali and Libya, and now Niger is a stunning admission.

U.S. troops will now be forced to leave Niger, according to this report and others. However, the most damning evidence my country has abused African nations comes straight from the mouth of a former CIA intelligence officer. Cameron Hudson told Politico:
"When all of these countries kicked out the French and turned inward, we then tried to pivot to become the peacemaker in the hopes that we could keep our presence there. All of that is clearly not working. We are now out. Russia is now in."
The larger story of U.S. neoimperialism is amplified in this statement. Calmly, a CIA expert on Africa spells out how America stepped into the role of French colonialists/opportunists/pirates. He went on to mirror what we've been saying for years now, that African nations no longer want to be "told what to do." Our role in Niger, in fact, across Africa and the world, could not be magnified more clearly. Politico quoted another U.S. official who punctuated this for us with his admission,
"There's a long history of the West telling African countries how to govern, and they're finally saying 'enough."
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Star of David

US State Department says Israeli units committed 'gross violations of human rights' PRIOR to Oct. 7

Ryan King
New York Post
Fri, 03 May 2024 18:07 UTC

Comment: But don't expect anything to be done about it.


IDF violations human rights Gaza
© AFP via Getty ImagesThe incidents in question took place prior to the Israel-Hamas war and outside of the Gaza Strip.
Five Israel Defense Force units committed "gross violations of human rights" outside of the Gaza Strip prior to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that killed hundreds, the State Department announced Monday.

Four of the IDF units have been "remediated" by Israel, a spokesman said, adding an unidentified fifth unit is still subject to review about whether the US should impose penalties — including cutting off military training, equipment and other aid.

"We continue to be in consultations and engagements with the Government of Israel. They have submitted additional information as it pertains to that unit," State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.

Under the Leahy Laws, the US is bared from assisting military units accused of violating human rights law.
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Sheriff

Yemen announces new 'fourth' phase of anti-genocide operation, includes blockade of Mediterranean Sea area


PressTV
Fri, 03 May 2024 17:21 UTC
yemen commander
This video grab shows spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces Yahya Saree addressing a pro-Palestine rally in the capital Sana'a on May 3, 2024.
The Yemeni army has declared the initiation of a fresh phase in Yemen's retaliatory operations, carried out in solidarity with the Palestinians facing the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza.

In a statement on Friday, Yahya Saree, a spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, announced "the commencement of the fourth phase of escalation."

The statement noted that the decision comes in solidarity with the Palestinians, amid an expected Israeli invasion of the southern city of Rafah where nearly more than half of Gaza's population of 2.4 million have sought shelter from Israeli strikes elsewhere in Gaza.

Comment: The escalation of this blockade occurs alongside other economic shifts of note:

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Cult

NATO accuses Russia of 'hybrid and malign' activities on alliance's territories


TASS
Fri, 03 May 2024 16:42 UTC
nato
© Getty Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance
The North Atlantic Treaty Organizations (NATO) has accused Russia of being behind 'hybrid and malign activities' on the territory of the alliance and it includes acts of 'sabotage and disinformation,' the organization's press service said in a statement on Thursday.

"NATO Allies are deeply concerned about recent malign activities on Allied territory," the statement reads. "These incidents are part of an intensifying campaign of activities which Russia continues to carry out across the Euro-Atlantic area, including on Alliance territory and through proxies."

Comment: Projection, unfounded allegations, and deflection, is par for the course for NATO and the West, however one wonders, given the myriad of unusual and suspect incidents of late - which reason would suggest originates from within the alliance itself - whether this announcement is intended to be a primer (falsely) assocating Russia with what will ultimately be an escalation of these kinds of incidents:

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Info

Donbass breakthrough, cluster munitions, and drone-proof tanks: The past week in the Ukraine conflict


RT
Wed, 01 May 2024 15:20 UTC
FILE PHOTO. A Russian T-72 tank near Avdeevka, Donetsk People's Republic, Russia.
FILE PHOTO. A Russian T-72 tank near Avdeevka, Donetsk People's Republic, Russia.
The past week in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has seen active combat continuing in multiple locations along the front line, with both sides exchanging long-range attacks, some of which have involved cluster munitions.

Moscow's troops made new gains in Donbass, with most of the active combat witnessed along the Orlovka-Tonenkoye-Berdychi line, which are villages northwest of the town of Avdeevka, liberated by the Russian military in mid-February. The line, stretching along a system of ponds and canals, has been breached by the Russian forces and is now largely under the control of the country's forces.

Comment: This infographic from the Russian media Argumenty I Fakty that shows the effect on humans located near a single explosion caused by devices containing from one to 20 kg of TNT. Red means high danger to life, the narrow band of lighter red is less, orange indicates the possibility of minor injury and green is safe. However, if anyone recall having been close to a strong firecracker, this illustration is probably on the optimistic side, as green zone would still give quite some ringing in the ears, assuming no shrapnel and debris are flying around.
Agumenty I Fakty
From the same source:
1 May, 2024 10:22
Russia hits Ukrainian military HQ - MOD
Earlier reports suggested that there had been three explosions in the center of Odessa

Russia has carried out a strike on the Ukrainian military headquarters commanding troops in the southern sector of the front, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has announced.

In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry said that the military installation, Ukrainian troops and hardware, were hit by combined air, missile and artillery strikes.

Earlier in the day, citing local resistance members, RIA Novosti reported that the Russian military had targeted a Ukrainian HQ in the center of the port city of Odessa. According to the report, three explosions occured in the area, with a particularly powerful one near the facility itself. The local resistance reported numerous ambulances flocking to the HQ, adding that the area had been cordoned off by the Ukrainian authorities.

The head of the Odessa regional administration, Oleg Kiper, has confirmed there was a strike in the city, which he said involved ballistic missiles and killed at least three people. However, he claimed that only civilian infrastructure had been damaged.

Russia has repeatedly said that it targets only military installations and facilities that support defense operations, insisting that it never targets civilian infrastructure.

RIA Novosti also reported, citing resistance fighters, that Russia bombed a Ukrainian troop deployment area in the suburbs of Kharkov, a city on the Russian border, adding that another attack destroyed a warehouse storing military hardware in the southern Nikolaev Region.

According to numerous reports, a pro-Russian resistance movement is active in at least several Ukrainian regions, gathering data and engaging in sabotage against Kiev's military.

The latest barrage comes after Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu pledged last month to intensify attacks on logistics hubs and warehouses with Western-supplied military equipment.
Odessa is an area where France has considered getting into the war more actively, though it may only be officially announced after the fact. There is also this article:
The Terror's Instigators: How NATO Generals Ignite Conflict
[...]
According to sources from the Foundation to Battle Injustice, a former high-ranking officer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff, and confirmed by a former MI6 officer, there are significantly more NATO soldiers and officers in Ukraine than officially reported. The estimated number is around 6,800, including 2,500 Americans, 1,900 Canadians, 1,100 British citizens, and about 700 French representatives. Moreover, approximately 13,000 foreign mercenaries are operating in Ukraine, carrying out orders from NATO's governing structures.
From the Wiki on cluster munition there is this background for what is written in the article:
On 7 December 2022, it was revealed that Ukraine was seeking access to US stockpiles of cluster munitions, due to a shortage of ammunition for HIMARS type and 155 mm artillery systems. The US has stockpiled its cluster munitions and had been considering the Ukrainian request. Ukraine claimed it would give them an edge over Russian artillery, as well as preventing depletion of other US and Western stocks.[95]

On 6 July 2023, U.S. president Joe Biden approved the provision of DPICM cluster munitions to Ukraine to help Ukrainian forces with the ongoing counteroffensive to liberate Russian-occupied southeastern Ukraine, bypassing U.S. law prohibiting the transfer of cluster munitions with a failure rate greater than one percent.[96] The weapon system could be used in both HIMARS and 155mm shell projectiles. Defense Department official Laura Cooper said that the munitions "would be useful, especially against dug-in Russian positions on the battlefield."[97] According to the Pentagon, Ukraine will receive an "improved" version of cluster munitions with a failure rate of about 2 percent, while the Russian cluster bombs fail at 40 percent or more.[98] However, according to a report prepared for Congress, experts in cleanup operations "have frequently reported failure rates of 10% to 30%."[99][100] The failure rate of cluster munitions used by Ukraine is reportedly as high as 20 percent.[101] Paul Hannon, of the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC), said the Biden administration's decision will "contribute to the terrible casualties being suffered by Ukrainian civilians both immediately and for years to come".[23]

On 10 July, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen warned Ukraine of using cluster munitions on Twitter writing: "It would be the greatest danger for Ukrainians for many years or up to a hundred years if cluster bombs are used in Russian-occupied areas in the territory of Ukraine," Sen further cited his country's "painful experience" from the Vietnam War that has killed or maimed tens of thousands of Cambodians.[102]

On the same day, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) released a study citing the use of cluster munitions from the Vietnam War. United States Army studies from that war showed that it takes approximately 13.6 high explosive shells for each enemy soldier killed. A shell firing DPICMs relied on average only 1.7 shells to kill an enemy soldier. RUSI used an example of a trench, a direct hit by a high explosive round will spread shrapnel "within line of sight of the point of detonation". This also reduces the wear and tear on the barrels of 155mm artillery weapons systems. [103]

On 16 July 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Russia had "sufficient stockpiles" of its own cluster munitions and threatened to take "reciprocal action" if Ukraine used US-supplied cluster munitions against Russian forces in Ukraine.[104]

On 20 July 2023, The Washington Post reported that Ukrainian forces had begun to use US-supplied cluster munitions against Russian forces in the south-east of the country, according to Ukrainian officials.[105]
The news about the conflict keep coming in fast and furious. Today there was:
3 May, 2024 10:04
Kiev has lost over 111,000 troops this year - Moscow
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has issued new estimates of Ukrainian military casualties


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Star of David

Israel's Finance Minister Smotrich calls for 'total annihilation' of Gaza

Julia Conley
Common Dreams
Wed, 01 May 2024 12:25 UTC
izrael
Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli finance minister
In just the latest example of a top Israeli official openly calling for the elimination of Gaza and the 2.3 million Palestinians who live there, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday demanded the destruction of cities and refugee camps in the blockaded enclave.

"There are no half measures," said Smotrich at a government meeting. "Rafah, Deir al-Balah, Nuseirat — total annihilation."

"'You will blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven,'" he added, quoting the biblical story of the nation of Amalek, whose people God commanded the Israelites to exterminate and which right-wing Israeli leaders have long invoked to justify the killing of Palestinians.

Comment: See also:

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No Entry

Turkey suspends all trade with Israel until it allows sufficient aid into Gaza


Andalou Agency
Fri, 03 May 2024 11:48 UTC
Gaza solidarity protest
© Chris McGrath/Getty ImagesA Gaza solidarity protest in Istanbul, Turkey.
In the second phase of restrictive measures, Türkiye suspended all export and import operations with Israel due to its "aggression against Palestine in violation of international law and human rights," the Turkish Trade Ministry announced late Thursday.

Previously, Türkiye restricted 54 product categories' exports to Israel on April 9, the ministry recalled, saying that despite this measure it is observed that the Israeli government continued its aggressive stance and the humanitarian tragedy in Palestine has worsened.

Comment: Since Israel appears intent on escalating its genocide of Palestinians with a Rafah offensive, it seems that one way for countries to exert reasonable and effective pressure on Tel Aviv, and its backers in the West, is via economic activity, but it remains to be seen whether other nations will follow suit:

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