Puppet MastersS


Bad Guys

'Used as human shields': Survivors of Algeria hostage crisis recall brutality and terror


RT.com
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:16 UTC
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© Reuters / StringerRescue workers carry the coffin of one of the hostages killed during a hostage crisis in a gas plant at the hospital in In Amenas January 21, 2013
In the wake of Algeria's In Amenas crisis, the hostage death toll rose to almost 60. The survivors have revealed tales of shocking brutality - captives were used as human shields, forced to wear explosive jackets and witness to horrific executions.

On Monday, Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal announced that 37 foreigners of eight nationalities were among those killed.

The four-day ordeal at the In Amenas gas plant in the Sahara Desert ended Saturday - several US, British, French, Japanese, Norwegian, Romanian and Algerian workers were reported dead or missing. Many of the survivors have spoken with the press, recounting horrific tales of the abuse and murder of hostages.

Philippine survivor Joseph Balmaceda witnessed foreign hostages being used as human shields to protect the militants. He described one Japanese hostage being draped with explosives, while he and others had their hands tied with cables.
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Target

French troops retake central Malian strongholds in push for 'total reconquest'


RT.com
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:13 UTC
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© AFP Photo / Issouf SanogoFrench and Malian soldiers arrive in the city of Diabaly on January 21, 2013
French troops retake the central Malian towns of Diabaly and Douentza after Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian declares that France's ultimate goal is the "total reconquest" of Mali.

Early Monday morning, French and Malian troops entered the frontline towns of Diabaly and Douentza to little or no resistance. Residents said that rebels occupying the towns had abandoned them on the eve of France's advance. In Douentza the advance was preceded by air strikes.

The recent push came amid news that militants were beginning to abandon their positions to regroup in the northern mountainous region of Kidal, 1,500 kilometers from the French and African forces' arrival point in Bamako.

A French commander, identified only as 'Colonel Frederic,' warned that the conflict in Mali may continue for some time. Diabily had recently been subjected to French air strikes as it was a base for the majority of Malian rebels south of the towns of Mopti and Sevare. The "situation in the vicinity of Diabaly was confused for the moment," Colonel Frederic said, adding that more information was needed to estimate the length of time it would take to resolve the conflict.
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Eye 2

CIA's free reign on targeted killing: Pakistan exempted from agency's drone 'playbook'


RT.com
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:06 UTC
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© AFP Photo / US Air Force
A new CIA manual that limits the agency's ability to use drones and creates strict guidelines for targeted killings is being finalized. Pakistan was exempted from these restrictions in a compromise between the CIA, State Department and the Pentagon.

The Washington Post has revealed that John Brennan, the counter-terrorism adviser nominated by President Obama to be the next head of the CIA, has agreed to temporarily exempt the spy agency from the new manual's guidelines, which attempt to codify the use of drones to kill Al-Qaeda members, other terrorist organizations and even US citizens.

The manual sets out stricter standards and rigid rules for the use of US drones. Some of the guidelines include requirements for White House approval of drone strikes and the involvement of multiple agencies, such as the State Department, in adding new names to kill lists.

However, none of these stringent rules apply to US drone attacks in Pakistan, which started under President George W. Bush.
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Vader

Beijing slams U.S. over island dispute comments


RT.com
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:01 UTC
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© Photo: AFPA handout picture taken by the Japan Coast Guard on Saturday shows a Chinese Marine Surveillance ship cruising inside waters around the disputed islands known as the Senkaku islands in Japan and the Diaoyu islands in China, in the East China Sea
Beijing has spoken out against Washington's warning to China not to challenge Japan's control of disputed islands in the East China Sea - a brewing argument between the two Asian countries that has intensified in recent months.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed its displeasure a day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton assured Tokyo of American support for its territorial rights and warned China against any unilateral action in the dispute.

On Friday, Clinton in a press conference meeting with the Japanese Foreign Minister did not mention China directly but said she wanted the dispute to be resolved peacefully.

"Although the United States does not take a position on the ultimate sovereignty of the islands, we acknowledge they are under the administration of Japan," Clinton said, adding "we oppose any unilateral actions that would seek to undermine Japanese administration, and we urge all parties to take steps to prevent incidents and manage disagreements through peaceful means."
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Star of David

Israeli teachers paid for military recruitment


RT.com
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:58 UTC
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© AFP Photo / Jack GuezIsraeli army recruits
Israel is encouraging and financing a new form of patriotism by offering bonuses to high school teachers who succeed in motivating students to do their army service. The move has sparked a wave of criticism of the Ministry of Education.

The initiative by the Ministry of Education that circulated in schools last year outlined the new policy of granting end of year bonuses to full-time teachers in Israel's schools based on "achievements in learning", "social achievements", and "achievements in values".

The top 40 per cent of schools with a "high rate of enlistment for military, national or civil service" will receive funds to award their teachers with bonuses, according to the circular obtained by the Christian Science Monitor.

Those ranked among top ten percent will receive funds to grant bonuses in the amount of $2,160, while an equivalent of $1,620 will be paid for the next 10 per cent.
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Dollars

Investigation ordered after Spanish politicians got 'salaries' from private companies


Raw Story
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:55 UTC
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Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy attends a national executive meeting of the Popular Party (PP) in Madrid on January 21, 2013.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy ordered Monday an internal investigation into the finances of his centre-right Popular Party which was shaken by allegations of under-the-table payments to party officials.

"To dispel any doubts he has ordered a deep and exhaustive internal investigation regarding the party's finances and the way that Popular Party staff are remunerated," party secretary general Maria Dolores de Cospedal told a news conference following a meeting of party officials.

The results of the internal investigation will be submitted to an external audit, she added.

The centre-right newspaper El Mundo reported Friday that senior members of the party, which Rajoy has led since 2004, had received undeclared salaries, mainly from private companies, over a 20-year period.
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Sherlock

Two Canadian 'Islamists' found dead in Algeria hostage carnage, Siege toll rises to 80, Officials suspect terror operation planned BEFORE Mali invasion

Lamine Chikhi
Reuters
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 10:19 UTC
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Al Qaeda's latest bogeyman, brought to you by SITE Intelligence. Black al Qaeda flag - check. One-eyed terrorist - check. Bin Laden beard - check. Gun - check. Turban - check. Terrorist-type green jacket - check. Conclusion? Be afraid, be very afraid.

Algerian special forces have found the bodies of two Canadian Islamist fighters after a bloody siege at a desert gas plant, a security source said on Monday, as the death toll reached at least 80 after troops stormed the complex to end the hostage crisis.

Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal is expected to give details later in the day about the siege near the town of In Amenas, which left American, British, French, Japanese, Norwegian, Filipino and Romanian workers dead or missing.

The Algerian security source told Reuters that documents found on the bodies of the two militants had identified them as Canadians, as forces scoured the plant following Saturday's bloody end to the crisis.

Veteran Islamist fighter Mokhtar Belmokhtar claimed responsibility for the attack on behalf of al Qaeda, and an official Algerian source has said the militants included people from outside the African continent, as well as Arabs and Africans.

Comment: Two 'Canadian Islamists' reminds us that Belmokhtar is wanted by the Canadian government for abducting two Canadian 'diplomats' in 2008...

Islamist hostage-takers led by bandit who abducted Canadian diplomats

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Bad Guys

U.S. government arming itself while hindering citizens' right to arm themselves

Charles Hurt
Macedonia International News Agency
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:31 UTC
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Where is the liberal outrage? Where is the liberal suspicion about powerful, unchecked governments? Where is the liberal unflinching devotion to individual liberty?

We have a president who has radically reshaped the landscape of American government so that it is more of a behemoth than at any time in history and more involved in every aspect of our lives. It is also more unanswerable than ever before.

Now this president is issuing 23 new edicts aimed at curbing individuals' gun rights. At the same time, his federal agencies are stockpiling more and more weapons and ammunition.

And for what, exactly? To go hunting? To shoot the Chinese when they come to collect their debts? To shoot Mexicans tumbling over the Southern border? To shoot the Canadians?

Comment: Don't worry, Obama's "edicts" don't amount to much. 'Gun control' in terms of confiscating firearms isn't a realistic proposition. Listen to the latest SOTT Talk Radio broadcast on this very topic to find out why:

Gun Control USA: Do Guns Protect Civil Liberties?

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Question

Google chief Eric Schmidt's teenage daughter on 'very strange' North Korea visit


Raw Story
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:20 UTC
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Google executive chief Eric Schmidt
The teenage daughter of Google chairman Eric Schmidt has shed some light on her father's secretive trip to North Korea, writing a first-hand account of the visit to a "very, very strange" country.

In a blog posting at the weekend entitled "It might not get weirder than this", Sophie Schmidt provided a candid take on the controversial three-day trip earlier this month that was criticised by the US government.

Schmidt, 19, had accompanied her father on the visit as part of a delegation led by Bill Richardson, the former US ambassador to the United Nations.

On their return, the two men answered a few questions about the nature of the visit, but Sophie Schmidt's informal account was in many ways far more revealing.
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Cowboy Hat

Rapper Lupe Fiasco thrown out of inaugural party after criticizing Obama during performance

Arturo Garcia
Raw Story
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:12 UTC
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Rapper Lupe Fiasco was kicked off the stage during a party celebrating President Barack Obama's second inauguration on Sunday night after performing a song that both criticized the president and indulged in 9-11 conspiracy theories.

Footage posted online by Now This News shows Fiasco, the headliner at the Start Up Rock On private event, performing "Words I Never Said," which he released as a single two years ago. The song includes these lyrics, which can be heard in the video:
And these the same people supposedly telling us the truth
Limbaugh is a racist, Glenn Beck is a racist
Gaza Strip was getting bombed, Obama didn't say shit
That's why I ain't vote for him, next one either
I'm part of the problem
My problem is, I'm peaceful
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