Video - London - Australian Businessman, Dick Smith re Sweden & Julian Assange Arbitrary Detention

WikiLeaks Dick Smith Australian businessman & activist in London discussing Sweden's arms export, Sweden's relationship with the US & Aussie Journalist Julian Assange's arbitrary detention in the UK short and sweet video: 3:55 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONzuPKED5qc  more re:  Dick Smith This is the only thing I could handle watching so far.  Short, to the point, informative, & genuine.  Perfect.

Yemen re Iran - False Accusations, False Testimony, False Reports, Fake News & Iran Vilification

ꕤ Article SOURCE Gareth Porter Independent Investigative Journalist / Historian US National Security Policy Link | Source "How False Stories of Iran Arming the Houthis Were Used to Justify War in Yemen" Thursday, 31 December 2015 10:42 By Gareth Porter, Truthout | News Analysis Independent Investigative Journalist / Historian US National Security Policy Link | Source Summary March 2015 Bombing campaign initiated by Saudi Arabia + Gulf allies + US support Rationale for Saudi-led war on Yemen: Houthis portrayed as merely proxies of Iran Houthis allegedly armed by Iran (for years) allegations repeatedly echoed in press allegation not proven yet allegation REINFORCED by UN experts report UNSC PANEL OF EXPERTS - REPORT REPORT UN Security Council from:  Panel of Experts established  pursuant to Security Council resolution 1929 (2010) Link | UNSC Panel of Experts Report Report dated:  1 June 2015 Salomé  Zourabichvili (Coordinator Panel Experts) Mowaffaq al-Refai (Expert) Jonathan Brewer (Expert) Christian Kessler (Expert) Chunjie Li (Expert) Thomas Mazet (Expert) Kazuto Suzuki (Expert) Elena Vodopolavoa (Expert) RESULTS REPORT -- concluded Iran shipping arms to Houthi rebels in Yemen -- allegedly by sea, since at least 2009 HOWEVER -- investigation of x2 main allegations re arms by Yemen govt -- & cited by expert panel -- shows both allegations "CRUDELY CONSTRUCTED RUSES" -- President Saleh govt of Yemen -- claimed vessel (Mahan 1) seized Yemen waters Oct 2009 -- & that weapons found on-board (& Iran crew x5 convicted) WIKILEAKS CABLES 2010 -- (from US Embassy in Yemen) REVEALS -- 'arms onboard' was concocted by Yemen government -- US cable of 11 Nov. 2009 reported to WA that: -- Yemen govt failed to substantiate public claims -- cable stated:  'sensitive reporting' -- (ie US intelligence reports) -- convey that SHIP WAS CARRYING NO WEAPONS AT ALL -- given US knowledge, Yemen govt began changing story -- (subsequent US cable notes) --  Yemen changed story to: --  ship empty, so arms must have been delivered -- Article says, Pres. Saleh, Yemen -- hoped to use Iran arms story to get political support of US -- for war against Houthis (planned 'Op Scorched Earth') YEMEN ARMS - MASSIVE MARKET -- local arms market massive -- directly from Yemen military itself -- would explain where Houthis get arms from 2013 - JIHAN 1 (SHIP) -- seized Jan 23, 2013 -- arms on-board (true) -- but story of arms shipment from Iran is false -- joint patrol: Yemen Coast Guard & US Navy -- intercepted Jihan 1 ship -- cargo:  portable SAM (& misc. multiple other) -- weeks later, UN expert panel inspects arms seized -- 'Ministry of Sepah' labels found on arms boxes -- ie of former Iranian military logistics ministry -- but no evidence connecting this to Iran -- all crew & businessmen who arranged shipment from Yemen -- no evidence for manufacture in Iran -- allegations centred on testimony of Yemen crew -- but GPS evidence not cited by panel -- (as match for crew story) -- panel claimed it had no info re location of loading of arms WEAPONS UNDER DIESEL FUEL TANKS -- weapons hidden under diesel fuel tanks -- weapons could only be accessed after tanks emptied -- report fails to discuss the significance of this fact -- ie points to Yemen origin of arms 2013 - REPORT UNSC MONITORING GROUP -- on Somalia & Eritrea -- says Jihan 1 crew divulged to diplomatic source: -- ship headed for SOMALIA -- confirmed by unnamed Yemen official -- not disclosed to UNSC expert panel -- (per UN Monitoring Report) SOMALIA -- destination Somalia -- Jihan 1 commercial smuggling / not politically motivated -- smuggling diesel fuel from Yemen to Somalia - lucrative -- long-standing combo smuggling arms / Yemen to Somalia -- Somalia outlawed fuel import b/c of arms smuggling -- UN Monitoring Group report -- reveals series of arms shipments to Somalia (late 2012) -- before Jihan 1 seized -- similar weapons main Jihan 1 shipment -- report from Somalia (& own UNSC Monitoring Group) -- Yemen = source of weapons -- key evidence:  Bulgaria govt to UN Monitoring Group -- stating rocket propelled grenade rounds + other -- seized in Somalia -- Bulgaria made & delivered to Yemen armed forces 2010 Going by info in UNSC Monitoring Group Report -- arms on Jihan 1 belong to Yemen arms smugglers -- Yemen govt exploited the situation, after transit busted -- Yemen govt concocted the Iran story -- Yemen govt had Yemen crew feed UN panel concocted story UNSC Monitoring Group Report -- re Somalia & Eritrea -- problematic re concocted anti-Iran story -- Yemen govt Western backers put a new spin on the story -- Reuters quoted 'Western diplomat' -- claimed Iran supplying al-Shabaab terrorists in Somalia -- noted C-4 explosives -- (used by al-shabaab terrorist bombings but not Houthi MO) -- claim not credible b/c -- al-Shabaab = close ties to al-Qaeda (enemy of Iran) -- story only reported in pro-Saudi & pro-Israeli media Yemen govt concocted 'Iran arms' on Jihan 1 story +  recycled UNSC expert panel report =  key, widely accepted narrative re Iran in Middle East SOURCE Gareth Porter Independent Investigative Journalist / Historian US National Security Policy Link | Source ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- COMMENT As the source states no reproduction without permission, I've tried to summarise the article rather than copy over & mark up, like I do. Not sure how I went with summary.  I'm sure I've covered everything, but it's probably not hugely different from the original. Anyway, there it is.  That means the bombing of Yemen and the vilification of Iran is based on false claims, fake testimony, fake reports, fake news stories and fake anti-Iran spin.  Wow. ꕤ

Israel Inks Weapons Deal with US and Canada

Israel Inks Weapons Deal with US and Canada By: Jspace Staff October 29, 2014 at 1:43 PM Israel and the United States announced the continuation of a sale of 19 new F-35 multipurpose fighter planes to Israel, as well as approval for a second squadron. Israel Aerospace Industries will be assembling the wings of this new fighter, which will also include Israeli-made components. The assembly line for the F-35 parts manufactured in Israel is expected to be inaugurated next week. Other deals, such as the continued joint development the David’s Sling and Arrow missile intercept systems, were also reached. These deals were discussed and agreed to by Secretary of Defense Moshe Yaalon and his American counterpart Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, when they met in Washington last week. Elbit Systems also announced a deal to supply the Canadian Armed Forces with mobile satellite communication systems. The systems being sold are exclusive, as they have the ability to connect to the US Defense Department satellite network. Despite recent comments made by unnamed American officials regarding Prime Minister Netanyahu, the deals point to a working relationship, and continued alliance, between the Unites States and the State of Israel. The news comes amid a media skirmish, after an Atlantic report yesterday quoted anonymous sources in the White House as calling Benjamin Netanyahu a “chickens**t.” SOURCE http://www.jspacenews.com/israel-inks-weapons-deal-us-canada/ COMMENT Looks like Canada is a buyer of fancy Israeli 'mobile satellite communications systems'.

Canada - Middle Eastern Player

CANADA  -  MIDDLE EAST Curious what is motivating the huge Canadian display of solidarity with Israel. Here's a bit about trade: Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement In force since January 1997. The Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA) eliminated tariffs on industrial products and some agricultural and fisheries products. Since CIFTA came into force, Canada-Israel bilateral merchandise trade has more than doubled, from $507.3 million in 1996 to over $1.4 billion dollars in 2013. On January 21, 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of the State of Israel, announced the launch of negotiations to expand and modernize the CIFTA Agreement ... http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/agr-acc/israel/index.aspx?lang=eng&view=d Canada and Israel Begin Third Round of Trade Expansion Talks December 7, 2014 - Ottawa, Ontario - Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, today announced the start of the third round of negotiations to expand and modernize the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA). The negotiations are taking place in Jerusalem from December 7 to 11, 2014, and will cover a range of issues. An expanded and modernized agreement will support Canadian businesses and investors, deepen trade and investment linkages and further strengthen Canada’s bilateral relationship with Israel. Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the launch of negotiations during his official visit to Israel last January. Israel is a priority market for Canada under the Global Markets Action Plan. Quick Facts CIFTA is a cornerstone of Canada’s commercial relationship with Israel. Since CIFTA came into force in 1997, Canada’s two-way merchandise trade with Israel has more than doubled. Key opportunities for Canadian companies exist in sectors such as defence, information and communications technology, life sciences, sustainable technologies, agriculture, agri-food, and fish and seafood. http://www.international.gc.ca/media/comm/news-communiques/2014/12/07a.aspx?lang=eng Trade and Investment (2013) Canadian exports to country: ...   $380,860,289 Canadian imports from country: $1,058,896,443 http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/israel/bilateral_relations_bilaterales/fs_israel_fd.aspx?lang=eng It looks like Israel does better out of the trade than Canada, as Canada's importing way more than it is exporting. Found this really cool site - International Trade by Commodity Statistics 2013, Canada - but from a quick flick nothing really jumps out at me. ......................................................................... A random check on arms indicates: Canada Is Ramping Up Its Arms Exporting Trade By Nicky Young April 9, 2014 | 10:55 pm Earlier this year, the Harper government proudly announced it has sealed the “largest export deal in the country's history”—a $10-13 billion deal that will create and sustain 3,000 jobs. Contrary to what you might want to think, the commodity we’re sending overseas isn’t maple syrup or lumber; it's light armored vehicles. The recipient? Saudi Arabia: everyone's favorite champion of human rights and democracy. While light armored vehicles sound like fairly chill, non-threatening machines, they’re actually “amphibious reconnaissance vehicles” that are often mounted with machine guns. The Saudis have already used these kinds of vehicles to suppress Arab Spring protests in Bahrain, in hopes of preventing any encroaching Iranian involvement in the area. So basically, Canada’s record-breaking arms deal just provided a significant advantage to the Saudis who are in the midst of an already very complex and hostile arms race in one of the most volatile regions in the world. Nice one! Canada is getting more secretive with protected 'public information'. Read more here. Bolstering economic stability by increasing Canada’s presence in the arms trade has become a cornerstone of Conservative policy in the past few years. One of the more controversial deals, especially in light of recent events, was the $80,000 arms deal to the brutal Ukrainian Yanukovych regime in 2011, which was enabled by Harpers refusal to sign a landmark UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT); a treaty that even the U.S signed. On its own website, the Canadian Government claims to “strongly support the ATT” in a seven year old post they have conveniently ignored editing, while simultaneously ignoring demands to put the treaty they originally agreed with into effect. This issue is certainly underreported, but the NDP issued a statement last month requesting that the Government of Canada follow the lead of Germany and suspend all arms trade with Russia following the invasion of Crimea, because apparently we haven’t already. It appears that this request has gone unanswered. After losing nearly 46,000 jobs in December 2013 alone, Canadians are clearly hurting for work; so maybe we shouldn't be looking the gift munitions in its armed mouth. After all, new jobs have to come from somewhere, and they certainly won’t be coming from public sector. So they might as well come from selling arms to one of the most brutally repressive regimes in the world, right? This strategy feels even more hypocritical when you take a peek at other stances the Conservatives and their buddies are campaigning on. There’s the ongoing Ethical Oil lobbying foundation started by Alykhan Velshi, a former Conservative communications director, who is continuously attempting to pacify Canadians to the tar sands by running TV commercials that argue Canadian oil is the lesser of two evils, when compared to the oil being produced in Saudi Arabia. These ads viciously attack the Saudis on their human rights violations, and yet our International Trade Minister still feels confident about Canada’s decision to sell weapons to their government. As Canada.com reported, the Minister’s spokesman insisted that Canada “rigorously assesses all exports of military goods and technology on a case-by-case basis,” adding that deals are only given the green light “if such exports are consistent with Canada’s foreign and defence policies, including human rights.” This is not to mention Harper’s new "Office of Religious Freedom,” which is emblematic of an open and accepting Canada, while also providing the Conservatives with a great PR look for the country’s religious minorities. Unfortunately, slanging LAV’s to a country where religious conversion from Islam is considered apostasy and punishable by death seems slightly counter-productive to dropping five million a year in hopes of "Protecting, and advocating on behalf of, religious minorities under threat" in Canada. [LOL ... this writer's quite funny.] It seems the glory days in which Canada was held in high regards as a global peacekeeper have come to an end, thanks to economic instability. Since massive cuts to the defense budget in the United States, Canada is now looking to unstable developing nations to market its tools of death. For more information on Canada’s increasing role as an arms exporter, I got in touch with Hilary Homes, an ATT campaigner from Amnesty International Canada. She told me: “Amnesty isn’t opposed to arms sales, we’re opposed to irresponsible arms sales. We’ve been campaigning for the ATT to assess and regulate the risk of weapons being used for human rights violations through sales and licensing. I think people often focus on tanks, guns, and ammunition and forget that transport is needed to moves forces, and LAV’s often have other equipment like automatic weapons mounted to them. Our Government likes to think it’s got a good record in terms of the export regulation of arms. Amnesty would really like Canada to sign on to the ATT and become more rigorous. When you see a sale of this size to a country like Saudi Arabia it raises red flags.” As for Canada’s reluctance to sign the UN’s ATT, Hillary explained: “Canada voted in favour at the UN when first considering the text, but has yet to sign it. Internationally, Canada is way behind the game on that one and really doesn’t have a valid reason. The U.S signed the ATT; they didn’t even sign the Landmine Treaty. Canada needs to live up to prior commitments.” Hilary directed me to Ken Epps, an expert on the Canadian military industry and our arms exporting deals, who is currently serving as Senior Program Officer at Project Ploughshares, an NGO that “works with churches, governments and civil society, in Canada and abroad, to advance policies and actions to prevent war and armed violence and build peace.” Hilary described Ken has someone who has “been in the room,” alluding to his firsthand experience with arms treaties. Ken told me he thinks the Canadian government “intends” to play a large role in the arms trade, adding: “The Saudi deal has certainly been couched in those terms.” He referred me to an article he wrote that demonstrates “the different programs that have been around for some time but are now getting a boost from the current Canadian government all pointed towards increasing Canada’s arms exports. The Saudi deal is the first major indication that things are moving in the direction they want.” In a way, Ken says Canada’s recent deal with the Saudis is “not news” as “between 1988 and 2008 Saudi Arabia was the second largest customer, next to the U.S, of Canadian military goods… it’s just the size suggests that Canada is really trying to boost arms exports.” While Canadian arms dealing may not be a brand new phenomenon, such a large sale to the Saudis is noteworthy. As Ken told me: “This new arms deal is being promoted by the government as jobs, with very little attention paid to the risk of this equipment being used in the next outbreak of conflict in the region… Canada should not be creating jobs dependent on countries where human rights are a major concern. Workers should not be in a position where they are building equipment that they could see on the news being used to attack civilians. I think that’s a pretty poor job creation strategy.” https://news.vice.com/article/canada-is-ramping-up-its-arms-exporting-trade ......................................................................... COMMENT If Canada is invested in selling arms in the Middle East, Canada is therefore probably invested in promoting and maintaining conflict in the Middle East -- or, at the very least, backing up the camp it stands to profit from. No wonder the Canadian Foreign Minister is hysterically pointing at Iran, the imminent Iranian threat to the 'Universe' and galaxies beyond!  Iran is the Saudi Arabian nemesis in the region and Saudi Arabia appears to be Canada's best customer.

Around the World

AROUND THE WORLD Sea Piracy Presumed #Indonesia pirates rob #Vietnam vessel - 1/3 cargo (of 5k tonnes of oil & goods) release crew - http://tinyurl.com/nn29wna >> Hijacking is 12th in South China Sea since APRIL !!! Piracy costs shipping est. $8bn per annum. ---------------------------------------------------------- US Banking Piracy NY banking regulator still screwing BNP Paribas >dollar clearing ban in energy trade fin. for 2015 (+ $9 bil fine) http://tinyurl.com/m4nhoxw >Cannot operate energy trade div. w/out clearance >asks JPMorgan, BAML & Citi clearance help > unlikely b/c risks. No comment. >> If other banks agree to do clearing for them ... hey, they can CHARGE extortionate risk rates ... lol .. win/win USA - 2 main payment systems foreign trade in dollars  - CHIPS (owned by 23 comm.banks, overseen Central Bank + Fed) & FedWire (Fed Reserve) ---------------------------------------------------------- Immigration UNHCR- 330,700 ppl sought refugee status during the first 6mths 2014 - http://tinyurl.com/odnavxl  - Syria, Iraq, Afghan + Eritrea >> 2/3 claims in Germany, USA, France, Sweden, Turkey + Italy >> Germany rec'd largest no. of claims @ 65,700 ---------------------------------------------------------- Nuclear - South Africa #SouthAfrica + #Russia nuclear co-op agreement - merits questioned - http://www.iol.co.za/news/disquiet-over-nuclear-deal-with-russia-1.1756743 … ---------------------------------------------------------- Russia Nuclear - Turkey, Finland, Jordan + Hungary >> #Russia's Rosatom also has agreements to build nuclear power stations in Turkey, Finland, Jordan + Hungary ---------------------------------------------------------- Arms Smuggling Arms-smuggling #Taiwan duo snared in FBI sting plead guilty > high-grade military technology to mainland #China - http://tinyurl.com/kewve29 ----------------------------------------------------------  Ted Belman Article - Middle East #Libya >> US has gone from being a world power to dealing w/ ISIS. And you know who has facilitated that ... http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/15710 … >> #Obama undermined: Qaddafi, Mubarak & Assad & worked in concert w/ Qatar, Turkey & the Muslim Brotherhood. [inn] >> Arab Spring >> US democracy-building campaigns played a bigger role in fomenting protests than known /US NGO training + $ It is the job of the CIA to stir up rebellion in countries the US govt want to make unstable (or unseat the govt in power) [src Ted Belman] #Syria - plan for deposing Assad started when Bush Jr. admin decided 2 align with Sunni states to challenge Iran’s hegemony>[src Ted Belman] #Iraq most insurgent violence directed at American military has come from Sunni forces, & not from Shiites. http://tinyurl.com/p2rlotq  / belman US >> most profound—& unintended—strategic consequence of #Iraq war is the empowerment of Iran. >>> [Ted Belman] >> Saudis shared this concern >joined with US to reduce Iranian influence in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. [Ted Belman] ---------------------------------------------------------- US Gets Cosy with Malaysia #USA - #Malaysia - immigration hand-holding - investors, tourists and students - 4 profit - http://tinyurl.com/p4pkcdn  - US Visa Waiver Programme #USA - #Malaysia - CIA hand-holding >> Dr Ahmad Zahid met Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director John Brennan - http://tinyurl.com/p4pkcdn  #Malaysia - Dr Ahmad Zahid - Home Affairs min - crack down opposition leaders & dissents - sedition laws 2 suppress opposition – wikipedia #Malaysia /Dr Ahmad Zahid>NY Pol Dept chief Charles V. Campisi on collaboration b/w Malaysia police & dept. "on enhancing police integrity" ---------------------------------------------------------- India-US Relations #India - PM Modi denied US visa until now b/c 2002 Gujarat riots (Hindu vs Muslim) - Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party - Modi party /saudigaz. #India - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - most likely spied on by CIA - b/c 'concerns' re 'extremist' elements >> http://tinyurl.com/mfq7cbt  #India - now US wants to cosy up to India for profit & strategic reasons .. tradit. India avoids Big Bloc commitments / Piss off, USA ..lol ---------------------------------------------------------- UK Role Undermining Syria #Syria - Free Syrian Army (FSA), umbrella group of ‘moderate’ opposition fighters .. receiving training Jordan - CIA-funded sec. Contractors #UK - involved training FSA in Jordan - http://tinyurl.com/p2jk5tm  - Pentagon drawing up plans 4 training bases or. countries, FSA + Peshmerga #UK - no parliamentary approval required/ FSA training /free to act over borders also - citing 'humanitarian' + hostages scenario [guardian] --------------------------------------------------------- US Warfare Middle East #USA drone attacks in Yemen, Somalia + Pakistan are carried by CIA or, in Yemen + Somalia, by military's Joint Special Operations Command. Bombing in #Iraq + #Syria not being held to the near-certainty standard that no civilians will be killed or injured, http://tinyurl.com/p7847ta  #Iraq + #Syria, US Air Force & Navy using cruise missiles & conventional guided bombs to destroy buildings and other infrastructure/DailyStar >> Allies, including Britain, France & Arab countries, are also using conventional bombs" [dailystar] Human rights groups said 2 dozen civilians killed by US & allied bombings in #Iraq & #Syria. [dailystar] Civilian casualties #Iraq + #Syria >US says inter'l law no 'near certainty' - not deemed "action outside areas of active hostilities" - {DS} Obama: "Conventional airpower or missiles are far less precise than drones" but using "conventional military air campaign" ---------------------------------------------------------- US Plans for Afghanistan #USA - Brookings Institution - takes in retired CIA - who presumably provide 'benign expert' advice along with Brookings - ref ArabNews #USA - CFR + Brookings lobbying US presence #Afghanistan for building & institutionalizing a national Afghan army - http://tinyurl.com/q69y646 ---------------------------------------------------------- Iran - Anti-Zionist Conference   #Iran #Teheran “New Hori­zon Con­fer­ence” 3-day conference for anti-Zionists / dubbed anti-semites by ADL / http://tinyurl.com/pn4l962 ---------------------------------------------------------- US Throwing Weight Around Threatens Zimbabwe Sanctions (re $3 billion Russia mine deal)  #Zimbabwe US threatening sanctions against Zimbabwe over their #Russia US$3billion platinum mine deal / [allafrica] "It (Zimbabwe) should not proceed or else we are under sanctions." --- http://allafrica.com/stories/201410040017.html … ---------------------------------------------------------- People's Voice Article Lavrov Counters Irresponsible Western Policies   The evil that is US imperialism >>> the Lies, the Hypocrisy & drive for Unchallenged World Domination >>> http://tinyurl.com/lfa5yeo  Lavrov Counters Irresponsible Western Policies - http://tinyurl.com/lfa5yeo  - West's lies .. enlist popular support for imperial lawlessness UN envoy Samantha Power calls genocidal imperial interventions stunning successes / destroying one country after another No nation deplores peace more than America. None cause more harm to more people. None more mass destruction. Washington's killing machine gets wholehearted support. Americans are systematically lied to. Everything .. is suppressed. Big Lies reflect long-standing US tradition. They launch wars. They're weapons of mass deception. http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/TPV3/Voices.php/2014/10/03/lavrov-counters-irresponsible-western-po ---------------------------------------------------------- UK Govt Lobbying to Ditch European Court Human Rights #UK ditching European Court of Human Rights in Britain (ECHR) proposal - http://tinyurl.com/qgpnb4h  - former Att-Gen unimpressed #UK Dave & his buddy Chris Grayling's Bill of Rights looks a joke: http://tinyurl.com/kdwysry  > Check out the limitations > #UKpolitics ... Rights & *Responsibilities* / limitations / caveats / triviality test / change definition / limit on reach / >>> Philip Hammond, Theresa May & David Cameron are onboard with this. ---------------------------------------------------------- Greenland Govt Shake-up Protests force #Greenland premier (Aleqa Hammond, Siumut Party) out of office >> misuse $20k (repaid) -- http://tinyurl.com/qbduslp On 1 Oct x4 govt ministers resigned -- shaking coalition govt formed March 2013 - ELECTION new govt = Nov. 28   ---------------------------------------------------------- European anti ISIL Campaigners Europeans involved in US ISIL campaign: France, Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium & Britain [PressTV] >> Let me guess, assets in Middle East? ---------------------------------------------------------  Another Cost of EU Membership Countries getting ripped off by #EU membership: UK , Czech Republic, Germany, Latvia & Netherlands - http://tinyurl.com/kfoucps  - money overseas --------------------------------------------------------- Kenya - President Uhuru Kenyatta - International Criminal Court Hearing Internat. Criminal Crt hearing, Hague Wed. - President Uhuru Kenyatta - http://tinyurl.com/plt6fce  / #Kenya - cannot accomm. Attendees --------------------------------------------------------- Taiwan #Taiwan - bids to enter US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) & Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) / [wantchinatimes] ---------------------------------------------------------- Russia Gas | Fracking | Environment    #Baltic - Estonia, Finland, Latvia & Lithuania get 100% of their natural gas from #Russia - [townhall] > Czech Republic (57%), Poland (59%), Ukraine (60%), Hungary (80%), Slovakia (84%) & Bulgaria (89%) - [ibid] >> #Russia 60% of its exports are oil + natural gas [ibid] - Hey, here's part of REAL AGENDA: they could import more natural gas from the US & other countries besides Russia" !! LOL > "Europe needs to allow fracking. Right now" ... says mouthpiece of US NGO lobbying group, posing as benign experts 'Benign' NGO mouthpiece proposes EU needs to devise incentives 4 landowners & residents / stake in #fracking rape of Europe >> Congress & #Obama "should also fast-track US natural gas exports to Europe" - 'benign' NGO lobby mouthpiece says. #EU nations ban #fracking >> #Poland & #UK are sell-outs who have embraced destruction of environment for profit Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) lobby for destruction of environment for profit / http://tinyurl.com/o8lwcl4  -- http://tinyurl.com/nsl8q3d  --------------------------------------------------- Ambassador - New Appointment - Russia / Hungary #Russia's Vladimir Sergeyev is new ambassador to #Hungary - new guy has lots of experience. Soros NGOs Many most powerful NGOs are connected to network of American billionaire George Soros / last year he spent $1 bil on civil assocs. [HunTod] --------------------------------------------------- Turkey Rivalry with Egypt #Egypt - President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi - UN GA - PR coup / has finally emerged from the cold / http://tinyurl.com/krran2d  /al-arabiya article -- BUT .. #Turkey boycotted his speech + Pres Recip Tayyip Erdogan condemned the #UN for “legitimizing” Sisi !! --------------------------------------------------- G.U.A.M Protocol (US Puppets) GUAM -organization for colluding against Russians, HQ Kiev, another US strategy in region .. adopted protocol in NY / http://tinyurl.com/ohns2xs GUAM Members: Georgia Ukraine Azerbaijan Moldova   /   Observers: Turkey Latvia --------------------------------------------------- Ben Gurion on Israel / Palestine David Ben Gurion >>"If I were an Arab leader, I would never make terms with Israel ... we have ... stolen their country...” [Gulf News] >> Checked. It's a real quote. Said to Nahum Goldmann, President of World Jewish Congress. -------------------------------------------------- US Imperialism - Norman Pollock Article #Putin KGB -VERSUS- #Obama's personally authorized drone assassinations, air-strikes, world-encircling military bases, CIA ops & NSA spying #Obama is more capitalist than patriotic ... he favours JPMorgan Chase, Boeing, banking firms & corporations / http://tinyurl.com/na4tbwd  Naked US capitalism = massive surveillance, hostile climate re labour, vast wealth-disparity, foreign war, intervention for global hegemony. US capitalism = aggressive-expansive system of global annexation Crony capitalism in both #Russia & the West, yet West criticises the same ideological framework that holds true for US & Russia / fm Pollack #USA - Crony capitalism is SYSTEMIC ... advancing the wide cleavage in US wealth distribution / http://tinyurl.com/na4tbwd  / Pollack #Obama serves as a shill for US business abroad, esp. in the Far East --- Norman Pollack --- http://tinyurl.com/na4tbwd   Sanctions on #Russia = to contain, isolate & weaken Russia ... as US desperately strives to return to unilateral pre-eminence / Pollack  Wow, I really liked the Norman Pollack article ... got a bit lost on types of socialism & nearly gave up ... but it was a great read.   --------------------------------------------------- ICSID - Corporations Violate National Sovereignty International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) - means for trans-national corporations to violate sovereignty - http://tinyurl.com/oocrsng >>HQ Washington - receives its funding from the World Bank - Case studies involve lawsuits against governments by corps /wikipedia --------------------------------------------------- COMMENT Random information that I looked at.  Links are available for follow-up. It was all very interesting at the time.   Doubt I'll remember all this information.  But even if I remember some of it, it helps form a larger picture. The buzz is in eventually linking bits of information together to make more sense of the whole.

GERMANY - Military Industry Whining

Uncertain outlook for German arms industry German tanks, submarines and weapons are in high demand. They're exported to Israel despite the war in Gaza, and Kurdish fighters would also welcome a shipment. Yet the defense industry is worried about its future. [...] ...   In a letter sent to Gabriel in July, the unionists said that the minister's decisions were threatening the very existence of a number of corporations in the security and defense industry. Gabriel has been responsible for Germany's economic portfolio, and therefore Germany's arms exports, since December. It's a task he takes very seriously, and he has made no secret of his disapproval of the previous government's approval process when it came to weapons exports. According to a report on arms exports in 2013, Germany approved deals for so-called third countries - those outside NATO and the EU - in the amount of 3.6 billion euros ($4.8 billion). Three years ago, that figure was only 1.4 billion euros. [...] Arms supplies given top priority Germany's political principles governing the export of armaments and other military equipment, established in 2000, state that weapons are not to be supplied to crisis areas, with few exceptions. If a German company plans to sell arms to a third country, then it must first seek permission from the Ministry for Economic Affairs. But ever since Gabriel took office, permission has only been granted in exceptional cases. Every special request crosses his desk - and many seem to end up staying there for quite some time, with hundreds of unprocessed export applications apparently waiting for review. The defense industry is not happy with the delays, as it makes its money with deliveries to foreign defense contractors. If they fail to provide their components, the German companies risk being discredited. "Gabriel's current line means that Germany is no longer seen as a reliable partner, and that the German armaments industry is losing its core competence," said Joachim Pfeiffer, the Christian Democrats' (CDU) spokesman on economic policy. Unionists have said that 100,000 jobs may be at risk, though as it turns out the German defense industry plays a rather small part in the overall economy. Although Germany ranks as one of the world's top three arms exporters, the share of the military industry in the country's gross domestic product is just 1 percent. In 2011, around 98,000 people were directly employed by one of the 40 companies belonging to the Federation of German Security & Defense Industries. Added to that are the 220,000 jobs among suppliers and various service providers. [...] EXTRACTS ONLY - FULL @ SOURCE http://www.dw.de/uncertain-outlook-for-german-arms-industry/a-17861994

German's supervising third-party arms sales (ie those to non EU and NATO parties). 

Supposedly don't ship arms to conflict regions (but, hey, there's exceptions).

Defence industry reckons there's govt approval delays that put the industry at risk.

Finding it hard to see what their problem is.

The figures look good.

Anyway, the article goes on to send me to sleep.  Read it if interested.  It meant nothing to me.

What's interesting is that the military industry only makes up 1% of Germany's GDP, although it's 'one of the top three arms exporters'.

Diversification is a good thing, I'd say.

Anyway, that's my little find of the day.

Not much of interest happening.

Merkel's supposedly meeting up with Poroshenko in near future.

The Turkey got spied on by Germany story is currently doing the rounds.  That's part of the Germany spied on Hilary Clinton tack-on story.  Yawn. 

If Germany did spy on Clinton or on Turkey, they probably heard nothing but a bunch of lies.