What is Henry Kissinger Up To?
Paul Craig Roberts
The English language Russian news agency, Sputnik, reports that former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is advising US president-elect Donald Trump how to “bring the United States and Russia closer together to offset China’s military buildup.” https://sputniknews.com/politics/201612271049024500-kissinger-trump-russia/
Iran successfully test-fired its long-range surface-to-air S-200 missile system during a military exercise in the southern Persian Gulf region on Wednesday. Wednesday was the third and final day of Modafean-e-Aseman-e-Velayat 7 (The Defenders of Velayat Skies 7) war-games which involved Iran’s Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). Since Monday when the drills started, the Iranian air defense warned several fighter jets and drones belonging to the U.S. navy not to approach the airspace of the military exercise.
Just over a week after the botched German response to the worst terrorist attack on German soil in years, when a Tunisian rammed a truck into a Berlin Christmas market killing 12, AP reports that German prosecutors said Wednesday that they have detained a Tunisian man they think may have been involved in last week's truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.
The 40-year-old Berliner, who wasn't identified, was taken into custody on Wednesday morning after police raided his apartment and work place in Berlin's district of Tempelhof, the prosecutor's office statement says.
In the latest snub of president Obama and the US State Department, on Wednesday Turkey and Russia reached an agreement for a ceasefire in Syria, Turkey's foreign minister said, and according to Anadolu News Agency, will aim to put it into effect by midnight. Anadolu, citing sources, said the two countries have reached a consensus that will be presented to participants in the conflict on expanding the ceasefire that was established in Aleppo earlier this month.
Israel says it is “reducing” ties with those nations who voted for last week’s UN Security Council resolution demanding a halt to their settlement expansion on Palestinian territory. On Tuesday Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said that Israel was “temporarily reducing” visits and work with embassies, without elaborating further.