Puppet MastersS


Popcorn

N. Korea calls for 'epochal change' in war preparations


The Defense Post
Wed, 15 May 2024 15:36 UTC
KimJ
© STR/KCNA via KNS/AFPFILE: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivering a speech at the Ministry of National Defense in Pyongyang
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for an "epochal change" in war preparations by achieving arsenal production targets during his inspection of a tactical missile system, state media reported Wednesday.

It comes as analysts say the nuclear-armed North could be testing and ramping up production of artillery and cruise missiles before sending them to Russia for use in Ukraine.

During his inspection of the tactical missile weapons system on Tuesday, Kim expressed "great satisfaction over the production results registered by the defence industrial enterprises" this year, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said in a dispatch.

Kim "particularly stressed the need to bring about an epochal change in the preparations of the KPA for war by carrying out the munitions production plans for 2024 without fail," it added.

Comment: Whilst the tone of North Korea's announcements can often seem rather exaggerated, considering its acquisition of nuclear weapons to its supply of munitions to Russia, it has shown its ability to follow through on a number of occasions; much to the chagrin of the West:

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Bad Guys

Turkey thwarts ANOTHER coup attempt, Interior Minister vows justice after 'plot against president Erdogan'


Daily Sabah
Wed, 15 May 2024 15:25 UTC
Ali Yerlikaya
© AAInterior Minister Ali Yerlikaya speaks at an event in Ankara, Türkiye, April 29, 2024.
Amid allegations of a new coup attempt against the government and president, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya issued a lengthy statement on Wednesday. Yerlikaya said they would destroy "the conspiracy" and bring the culprits to justice.

Three high-ranking police officers, including the deputy police chief of the capital Ankara, were recently suspended in an investigation into a plot against the government and politicians. Media reports claimed that three men attempted to ensnare prominent politicians in a graft probe by employing a secret eyewitness. Allegations were eerily similar to a plot by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which utilized its infiltrators in law enforcement and judiciary to topple the government in 2013 by fabricated allegations against government officials in a graft probe.

Yerlikaya said in a social media post that they would destroy "plots and traps" against the president, government and politicians through "tactics of FETÖ and through collaboration with terrorist groups and criminal gangs."

Comment: Meanwhile it seems similar efforts continue against Georgia's government: Georgian parliamentary committee approves 'foreign influence' bill

And today over in Slovakia: PM Fico in 'life-threatening condition' after assassination attempt

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Bad Guys

Best of the Web: Slovakia's PM Robert Fico in 'life-threatening condition' after assassination attempt


Al Jazeera
Wed, 15 May 2024 14:51 UTC
fico
Slovakia prime minister taken to hospital as President Zuzana Caputova condemns 'brutal and ruthless' attack.
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico is in a life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting, according to his official Facebook page.

"He was shot multiple times and is currently in a life-threatening condition," read a message posted on Wednesday on Fico's social media account.

"At this moment, he is being transported by helicopter to Banska Bystrica, because it would take too long to get to Bratislava due to the necessity of an acute intervention. The next few hours will decide," it added.

Earlier, reports on local media said that Fico was hit four times in the stomach outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova in the afternoon. Police sealed off the scene and a suspect has been detained, according to the Dennik N news outlet and TA3, a Slovakian TV station.

Comment: The Washington-EU establishment has loathed Fico since he was elected. The following reports are from just the past 6 months: A statement following the shooting:


Notable comments from Fico regarding the contrived coronavirus crisis and vaccinations:


Analysis of the assassination attempt:



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Tsunami

Seeds of chaos: Here's why Africa can't trust Western 'security guarantees'

Maxwell Boamah Amofa
RT
Tue, 14 May 2024 18:10 UTC
The conference of Berlin, as illustrated in Illustrirte Zeitung.
© WikipediaThe conference of Berlin, as illustrated in Illustrirte Zeitung.
Military agreements with the US and former colonial powers fail to deliver what they are supposed to

The threat of terrorism continues to weigh heavily on many African countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Libya, Mali, Somalia, and Sudan, among others. Active Salafi-jihadi organizations, particularly those linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, aggravate the destabilizing effects of these conflicts.

Over the years, Western military engagements with Africa have been portrayed as counterterrorism measures to promote peace and regional stability. However, a thorough examination exposes a concerning trend.

Sierra Leone's first lady, Fatima Maada, said in response to an interview question on the effects of colonization: "The kind of mineral resources we have in our country is enough to take care of everybody in that country but unfortunately, we are not given the free will to make decisions on our mineral resources. There's always big brother who decides and when you fight and say no, we are not going to do this, they use the system to stop you. It's either they set you up with the opposition and they will be supporting the opposition against you from the back or they cause unnecessary chaos in your country. They will do things to make you not functional and of course, any country that doesn't have peace, cannot develop."

Comment: Since Africa is home to close to about 1.4 billion people, substantially more than the Golden Billion of the US and allies, the Africa and its new trends is a space to watch. Below are more recent articles:

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Putin

Putin to visit China this week - Kremlin


RT
Tue, 14 May 2024 09:04 UTC
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, March 21, 2023.
© Sputnik / Alexey MaishevChinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, March 21, 2023.
The trip will focus on fostering strategic partnership, with a number of agreements expected to be signed

Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China later this week to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the Kremlin has announced. It will be the Russian leader's first foreign trip of his new presidential term.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Kremlin said that the state visit at the invitation of the Chinese leader is scheduled for May 16 and 17. During the summit, the two leaders "will discuss in detail the entire range of issues of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction" between Moscow and Beijing, as well as determine key directions for the further development of Russian-Chinese ties.

Putin and Xi will also discuss the "most pressing international and regional issues," the Kremlin added. The leaders are expected to sign a joint statement and a number of bilateral documents, the announcement said, without giving further details.
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Attention

Western elites want to prosper at the expense of others - Putin


RT.com
Wed, 15 May 2024 02:58 UTC
The Russian president has previewed his China trip by championing "mutual respect" among nations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
© Gavriil Grigorov / SputnikRussian President Vladimir Putin presides over a government meeting in Moscow on May 10, 2024.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has set the stage for his state visit to China by praising efforts by Moscow and Beijing to build a "just, multipolar world order" as Western leaders try to retain global dominance by disregarding the sovereign interests of other countries.

In an interview with Xinhua News Agency that was published on Tuesday, Putin said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping had achieved the strongest Russia-China relations in history by relying on "the principles of equality and trust," as well as mutual respect for each sovereign nation's interests. He contrasted that approach with Western attitudes toward other nations.

"Earth is the cradle of humanity, our common home, and we are all equal as its inhabitants," Putin said. "I am convinced that this view is shared by most people on the planet."

However, he added, "US‑led Western elites refuse to respect civilizational and cultural diversity and reject centuries-old traditional values," and "have usurped the right to tell other nations whom they may - or must not - make friends and cooperate with."

They seek to ensure their well‑being at the expense of other states, just like in the old days, and resort to neo-colonial methods to that end," Putin said.
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Mail

Moscow slams UK's 'desperate lies'


RT
Tue, 14 May 2024 11:30 UTC
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
© Sputnik / Sergey BobylevFILE PHOTO: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has accused Russia of attempting a "nuclear escalation" and cutting off gas supplies to the West

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is brazenly deceiving the public by accusing Moscow of trying to bring about nuclear escalation and weaponizing its energy resources to suffocate the West, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

On Monday, Sunak warned Western nations at a meeting of the Policy Exchange think tank that, if Russia succeeds in Ukraine, they "might be next." He further accused Moscow of "recklessness," claiming that it "has taken us closer to a dangerous nuclear escalation than at any point since the Cuban Missile Crisis."

Comment: The UK must want this war very badly. Shortly after there was from Britain:
Ukraine can use British weapons to strike Crimea - defense secretary

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Big Bomb

Ukraine can use British weapons to strike Crimea - defense secretary


RT
Tue, 14 May 2024 13:11 UTC
Crimean Bridge
© Sputnik / Konstantin MihalchevskiyFILE PHOTO: Crimean Bridge

Russia has threatened retaliation for any attacks with UK-supplied arms against its territory

Ukraine can use any weapons supplied by the UK to launch strikes on Russia's Crimean Peninsula, British Defense Secretary Grant Shappsconfirmed to journalists on Tuesday. London considers the region, which joined Russia in 2014 following a referendum, to be an "integral part of Ukraine," he said.

Russia has already warned that it could retaliate to any strikes by attacking British military targets in Ukraine and beyond.

Comment: The statements from Sunak confirms less and less veiled, what Andrew Bridgen was saying about the UK being at war with Russia:

Maybe Russia moving forward in Ukraine forces the hands of the Western elites to go increasingly public even against their will, and reinforce the idea, once again, that it is all Russia's fault. If people will believe that story, it will be more easy to mobilize public support in the UK to officially send some soldiers, mainly young men, and let them die.

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Star of David

Israel's war has always been against Palestinian civilians

Lucas Leiroz
Strategic Culture Foundation
Tue, 14 May 2024 18:22 UTC
Rafah tanks
© IDFIsraeli forces enter Rafah Crossing
Destroying Hamas was never in the plans of the Zionist state, which is aware of its military weakness, with the sole objective of provoking the massacre of innocents in Palestine.

Israel is entering Rafah. After Hamas announced its willingness to negotiate a ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar and Egypt, Zionist forces invaded Rafah, where more than 1.5 million Palestinian civilians seek shelter after having their homes destroyed during the brutal bombings by Tel Aviv. Israeli tanks advance in the region, in parallel with strong air attacks, generating terror and panic among local residents.

The operation in Rafah was already expected by many experts. Strategically, it does not seem interesting or profitable for Israel to launch this type of mobilization, considering that many civilian casualties will occur in the hostilities, and, in this way, the international image of the Zionist regime will be further damaged. The U.S., which is Israel's biggest ally, has already made it clear that it does not support Netanyahu's measure, which shows how the regime is isolated internationally, acting without diplomatic support from its own partners.
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Nuke

Iranian Politician Says Tehran Might Already Have Nukes


Iran International
Fri, 10 May 2024 00:00 UTC
Ardestani
© UnknownLawmaker Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani
Iran might already possess a nuclear weapon, an insider politician in Tehran said on Friday, after remarks by a senior foreign policy figure the day before about a possible change in nuclear policy.

Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, re-elected to parliament in March, conveyed to the Rouydad 24 website his belief that Iran's decision to risk attacking Israel in April stemmed from its possession of nuclear weapons.

Moreover, he drew attention to remarks by Kamal Kharrazi, senior foreign policy advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Thursday, who said that Tehran will change its nuclear doctrine if Israel attacks its atomic facilities. For years, the Islamic Republic has insisted that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful, despite enriching uranium to 60-percent purity, which can only have a weaponization purpose.

Ardestani was quoted as saying:
"In my opinion, we have achieved nuclear weapons, but we do not announce it. It means our policy is to possess nuclear bombs, but our declared policy is currently within the framework of the JCPOA. The reason is that when countries want to confront others, their capabilities must be compatible, and Iran's compatibility with America and Israel means that Iran must have nuclear weapons."
Clearly putting Iran in the same trench as Russia, Ardestani added:
"In a climate where Russia has attacked Ukraine and Israel has attacked Gaza, and Iran is a staunch supporter of the Resistance Front, it is natural for the containment system to require that Iran possess nuclear bombs. However, whether Iran declares it is another matter."

Comment: On the world stage and damned politely, Israel has been given notice.

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