Foreign Updates - Middle East, Asia, Random

Random #Diplomatic US press attaché Johann Schmonsees has denied reports embassy in Riyadh shut down over security concern http://www.arabianbusiness.com/us-saudi-embassy-denies-security-shutdown-603700.html Iran protests - UK embassy reopening - counter-revolutionary both to continue operating by charges d'affaires Iran critics say: UK embassy has record support for spying ops, organisation of street unrests & assassination of scientists http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/199789 New Chapter Tehran-London Ties: Iran’s Envoy all diplomatic activities to be gradually re-established http://www.tasnimnews.com/english/Home/Single/838016 #Lebanon Kuwaiti embassy issues Lebanon travel warning / Daily Star #Thailand #presse Hong Kong photojournalist detained at Bangkok airport for carrying bulletproof vest in luggage one of the highest gun homicide rates in Asia / on par with USA / pop 67 million 3.48 murders per 100,000 http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/hong-kong-photojournalist-detained-at-bangkok-airport-for-carrying-bulletproof-vest-in #Vietnam #Diplomatic #Spain NGO Pazy Desarrollo in co-operation with Spanish Embassy run gender equality project http://vietnamnews.vn/society/274879/project-promotes-gender-equality.html Michael Lynn - #Ireland fled Ireland in 2007 with debts of €80m extradition #Brasil #Brazil #LatAm http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/michael-lynn-should-be-back-by-year-end-to-face-charges-lawyer-1.2326185 #Turkey Albayrak Group to operate Mogadishu Interl Port / re-opened in 2006 by Islamic Courts Union, who control South Somali / dailysabah USA Spirit Lake police chief TAKES job as a bomb-sniffing dog handler US embassy in #Iraq or #Afghanistan http://www.kboi2.com/news/local/Spirit-Lake-police-chief-steps-down-to-take-US-embassy-job-322627872.html #Afghanistan Kabul vehicle bombing 10 dead 60 injured Taliban fighting to overthrow foreign-backed govt http://www.dispatchtimes.com/at-least-10-dead-in-kabul-vehicle-bombing/59556/ #MiddleEast US Embassy Warns Against Travel to Upper Galilee & Golan Heights Rockets launched from #Syria territory #Israel: points finger at: "Iran-backed Islamic Jihad from territory under the control of the Assad regime" http://forward.com/news/breaking-news/319634/us-embassy-warns-citizens-against-travel-to-upper-galilee-and-golan-heights/ #Pakistan Removes 5,000 names from Exit Control List (ECL) Passports Directorate Blacklist contained 52,000 names http://tribune.com.pk/story/943345/nisar-announces-removal-of-5000-names-from-ecl-in-major-overhaul/ #Pakistan Intelligence agencies rescue: Chinese tourist kidnapped 2014 in an area close to insurgency-prone regions. Kidnapped China tourist rescue: faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility http://tribune.com.pk/story/943345/nisar-announces-removal-of-5000-names-from-ecl-in-major-overhaul/ #Australia #Syria US request to extend campaign Julie Bishop says Australia is seeking legal advice on Syria strikes USA has asked for Aussie support manned strikes, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, air refuelling etc http://forexreportdaily.com/2015/08/24/7334-julie-bishop-says-australia-is-seeking-legal-advice-on-syria-strikes/ #Nigeria Zone 6 Police took delivery of #surveillance helicopter in Calabar / combat of militancy & kidnap http://nationalaccordnewspaper.com/2015/08/police-receives-surveillance-helicopter-to-boost-fight-against-militancy-in-cross-river/ ---------------------- ꕤ  ---------------------- COMMENT Names being removed from a travel blacklist in Pakistan is rather intriguing.  Don't really understand why they've got a blacklist.  Maybe this is normal?  A bad guy travel blacklist? Action hotting up Syria / Israel border, by look of things? Turkey might be a player in Somalia. Islamic Union control in south.   That's a look-up job; don't know what this is. Photojournalist arrested Thailand sounds interesting, but it's probably routine. Thailand no longer sounds safe.  Well, it never did to me; but I'm weird like that.  ;) Pakistan definitely doesn't sounds safe.  Thailand a better bet.  lol This just random stuff that caught my attention ... nothing exciting. ꕤ

Sweden - Diakonia - Bo Forsberg

SWEDEN GOOGLE TRANSLATION Diakonia Bo Forsberg has most publications With 32 published opinion articles in the years 2001-2011 has Diakonia's Secretary General Bo Forsberg most successful of all religious företrädare.- I'm not so surprised, he says to Date. by John Ottestig October 23, 2013 Marta Axners thesis shows that relatively few religious leaders (30 people) produced just over 42 percent of the published debate articles from 2001 to 2011. The list is topped by Bo Forsberg, with 32 publications, followed by Sten-Gunnar Hedin and Peter Weiderud with 24 published articles each. According to Bo Forsberg is long-term work that has borne fruit: - We are working with international aid, and we know that political decisions on issues relating, for example, trade, aid and debt relief have huge importance if we want to change the world. 5-6 years ago we took a strategic decision. It meant that we have built a broad expertise and today we have a whole team of press officers and senior people who have relationships with politicians and others in power. Marta Axner mean that it has become easier for religious leaders to gain space on the discussion pages. But Bo Forsberg says it does not recognize the problem: - Generally, I would say that it is easier today. It probably depends primarily on Diakonia, the organization has built up a trust for a long time. I find it hard to make the connection to the new thesis, but I also think the radio and television, I would say that we have much greater impact today. Marta Axner argue that religious actors adapts to debate the sides. What do you say about that? - I can admit that we formulate ourselves in a certain way in the media. But I argue very firmly that we will not compromise on the message, it's only about a linguistic processing of the text to be comprehensible even to those who are not daily basis dealing with development issues. Are you surprised that you have, for example, the Swedish Church Archbishop for you on the list of the persons who have received the most debated articles published? - No, I actually do not, as I said, this is part of our work. We have developed a set of values ??and based on it we have decided that we should be in the public debate. http://www.dagen.se/diakonias-bo-forsberg-har-flest-publiceringar-1.104277 OTHER Zambia Memo of Understanding signed w Sweden mining + corporate social responsibility (CSR) church participation encouraged / Hallelujah! FAITH-BASED Swedish development org, Diakonia, representative urging ppl to question application of taxes  https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=28309 Diakonia f. 1966 interl devel org / network ppl, orgs & churches does not carry out any projects of its own / supports local 2009 - Diakonia 400 partner orgs in about 30 countries Secretary General = Bo Forsberg [sources - various] Marta Axners thesis (referred to above) =  few religious leaders (30 ppl) pump out abt 42% published debate articles  2001-2011 Bo Forsberg = top [dagen.se] Oct. 2008 Joakim Wohlfeil said at meeting Gothenburg Diakonia is more a lobby group with political agenda for Middle East [philosemitism] Pro Israel blog [2008] complains Diakonia ME agenda bias w/out accompanying solution to terrorism in region  [philosemitism] COMMENT Not a great translation.   So, very few religious leaders drive what is supposed to be 'public debate' regarding what must be aspects of Swedish foreign (and other) policy and, according to the thesis, the head of Diakonia (a religious quarter lobby group that seeks to influence policy in the Middle East) is foremost in terms of output among this small religious, public debate chorus set. Found this interesting.

John McCain - Creator of ISIL / Islamic Emirate? - Thierry Meyssan Article

SOURCE John McCain, Conductor of the "Arab Spring" and the Caliph by Thierry Meyssan http://www.voltairenet.org/article185085.html SUMMARY JOHN McCAIN creation ISIL (Islamic Emirate) Ibrahim al-Badri nom de guerre Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi created ISIL while on staff of "moderate" Free Syrian Army FSA Author says all the same mob: Free Syrian Army = flag of French colonization > aim depose Assad Al-Nosra Front = flag of al Qaeda > aim Islam spread Islamic Emirate =  flag of Caliphate >aim clean area of all infidels International Republican Institute (IRI) = Republican branch of NED/ CIA "NGO" est. by Reagan to extend activities of CIA IRI established in connection  British, Canadian & Australian secret services. inter-governmental agency / budget congress approved. John McCain coup resume: > Jean-Bertrand Aristide Haiti = completed > Ukraine coup = completed > Hugo Chávez Venezuela = *failed > Mwai Kibaki Kenya = *failed Sounds like author is saying John McCain is a CIA agent?  {Think McCain's getting too much credit here} 1990 USA led Saddam Hussein to believe attack on Kuwait considered internal affair / then used as pretext to mobilise coalition vs Iraq  B/c of Russia opposition, USA did not overthrow Hussein but made do with no-fly zone  2003 France influence not enough to offset 'Committee for the Liberation of Iraq' & prevent USA attack on Iraq  John McCain = major contributor to 'C'tee for Liberation of Iraq' US let pvt co plunder Iraq for a year Tried partition of country into three. [USA somehow lost $9-billion transferring (think plundered funds from fed reserve to Iraq) this isn't in article ... thought I'd add it in because it came to mind.] >> http://www.democracynow.org/2007/9/12/billions_over_baghdad_how_did_9b USA attempt to partition Iraq in x3 failed due to resistance of population. USA tried again 2007. Failed. Now tool = Islamic Emirate USA has aims to achieve partition of Iraq via "means of a non-state actor: the Islamic Emirate", says author. Islamic Emirate proxy op planned before meeting b/w John McCain + Ibrahim al-Badri. >5,000 jihadis were trained at expense of Qatar in NATO’s Libya in 2012 >$2.5-m paid at same time to the future Caliph. 2014 US Congress = secret vote in violation of interl law to approve funding for Al-Nosra Front (Al-Qaeda) + Islamic Emirate author says US Congress secretly voted funding "Islamic emirate in Iraq and the Levant" {assume this is ISIL - do not know what 'Islamic Emirate' is} US Congress secret vote on funding 'Islamic Emirate' violation international law, highly likely incls. arming & training jihadists. SaudiArabia announced: 1)Islamic Emirate headed by Prince Abdul Rahman al-Faisal brother of Prince Saud al Faisal (Foreign Minister) 2) Prince Turki al-Faisal (Saudi Arabia ambassador to US & UK) Islamic Emirates = new step in world mercenaries Islamic Emirates = new development mercenaries b/c not a residual force: actually an army in itself. Mercenary army, Islamic Emirates has: 1) sophisticated communication services at disposal for recruitment ... 2) civilian officials trained in large western schools taking over administration of territory Islamic Emirates mercenary army: Ukrainian weapons Saudi Arabia bought conveyed by Turkish secret services to Islamic Emirates 4 days after delivery Ukraine arms: joint attack on Iraq by Islamic Emirate & Kurdistan Regional Govt Islamic Emirates & Kurd attack =  > Islamic Emirate get Sunni part of country > Kurds increase territory by 40% religious minorities fled Simultaneous attack Islamic Emirate + Kurd & divvy of territory while minorities flee, enables partition of Iraq that USA has wanted Iraq Violating Iraqi-US Defence agrmt Pentagon did not intervene > allowed Islamic Emirate to continue conquest & massacres. Eventually some US bombing after 1mth, due to pressure of public opinion (author says). US bombing not meant to destroy the jihadist army / will have no impact on activities in other areas of Iraq or Syria Iraq bombings - symbolic. Destroy little. Just ensure each jihad player does not overlap territory it was assigned. Author says: "Kurds ... Turkish & Syrian Kurdish PKK which halted the progress of the Islamic Emirate." Islamic Emirate = comparable to mercenary armies of 16thC Europe conducting religious wars for the lords who paid them. "Caliph Ibrahim is a modern condottiere." Condottiere = leaders (warlords) Italian mercenary army late Middle Ages. Condottiero meant "contractor" {Renaissance Italian} synonymous with mod Eng. 'Mercenary Captain' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condottieri Summary source: http://www.voltairenet.org/article185085.html Found this article very interesting. Unsure if 'Islamic Emirate' is ISIL.  Assumed it was at first, but now I'm confused. The author, Thierry Meyssan, is a French journalist and political activist, so I'd say he knows what he's talking about. Not sure if he meant that McCain is a CIA agent or he was just saying he is an agent of the US government, which is the same thing, I suppose. As I know very little about the Middle East, my trying to come to grips with this stuff is hilarious. Not sure how much of this I'll remember.  Also, the Middle East isn't entirely my thing.  I get interested and then freaked out when I see pictures of the carnage on twitter ... and I'm spooked by the whole religious trip everyone's on over there.  Religious mania and the kind of violence engaged in over there isn't something I can relate to.

UAE-Funded Canada to train Egyptian police

Canada to train Egyptian police #EgyptTurmoil As part of new agreement, Canada will be directly supporting the same ministry detaining Egyptian-Canadian journalist Mohammed Fahmy Tom Stevenson Monday 26 January 2015 18:58 GMT Last update: Friday 30 January 2015 1:00 GMT CAIRO - On 14 and 15 January, Canada's Foreign Minister John Baird visited Egypt with the intention of securing the release of imprisoned Al Jazeera journalist Mohammed Fahmy, a dual Canadian-Egyptian national. The minister's team was unsure its effort would be successful, but remained cautiously optimistic, Baird's officials told Canadian journalists in the days leading up to the trip. In the end, they were unsuccessful: Baird sat down with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry for talks he described as “fruitful”, but his planned meeting with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was cancelled and Fahmy remains in jail. While in Cairo, however, the minister announced a set of new co-operation agreements between Canada and the Egyptian government, which Baird's officials told journalists were designed to “support stability and prosperity in Egypt”. The plans ranged from training for Egyptian diplomats to funding for local small-to-medium sized businesses, but one of the agreements stood out. With funding from the United Arab Emirates, Canada has agreed to send a team of Canadian police officers to Egypt to train their Egyptian counterparts, and to receive Egyptian police officers for training at the Canadian Police College in the capital, Ottawa. This “trilateral initiative to support the professionalization and skills development of the Egyptian police”, as Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development described the project, means that Canada will be directly supporting staff from Egypt's Interior Ministry, the same ministry that is currently responsible for detaining Fahmy. Adam Hodge, Baird's press secretary, told Middle East Eye this week that initiatives like the Canada-UAE-Egypt police collaboration programmes "will help to encourage stability, security and economic growth in the country". [Ignore the cheer squad] "Minister Baird’s most recent visit to Egypt allowed him to advance Canadian foreign policy interests and support social and economic development, while providing the opportunity to again raise consular issues, particularly concerning the journalist Mohamed Fahmy," Hodge said. [Ignore the cheer squad] Fahmy has been held for over a year, alongside Al Jazeera colleagues Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed. He and Greste were sentenced to seven years' imprisonment while Mohamed was sentenced to 10 years. The three will face retrial later this year. In a statement released while Baird was in Cairo, Fahmy criticised the Canadian government's approach to securing his release. “I do believe that Prime Minister [Stephen] Harper could do more to obtain my release if he were to directly intervene in our case,” Fahmy said. Baird finally met with Sisi at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, where he “raised the topic [of Fahmy's detention] over dinner”, Canada's CTV reported.  [Placing considerable political pressure on Sisi?  LOL] Fahmy's family members had expressed hope that he might be included on the list of 584 prisoners expected to be pardoned on the four-year anniversary of Egypt's 25 January revolution. Those pardons have yet to be issued, however, and Fahmy remains behind bars. http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/canada-train-egyptian-police-1589938575 COMMENT Canadian politicians have to be the most brazenly disgusting of the whole bunch.  Completely shameless. Only dirtbags go to Davos, I've decided. Politicians don't care about journalists. Everything they do centres around the desires of corporate masters. UAE is certainly in the thick of things. The Sisi government must be a USA, Israeli, Saudi Arabian & UAE backed government. And Baird, he's selling his snake oil all over the Middle East.

HYPOCRISY - WESTERN ELITES, OIL & CONTROL OF MIDDLE EAST

HYPOCRISY - WESTERN ELITES, OIL & CONTROL OF MIDDLE EAST Britain British Heir to Throne, Prince Charles Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976 Whitehall’s King Abdullah half-mast flag tribute criticised by MPs Decision to mark Saudi royal’s death at parliament and Westminster Abbey called ‘extraordinary misjudgment’ http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/23/king-abdullah-half-mast-flag-tribute-mps Most fawning quotes about King Abdullah  http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/the-most-fawning-quotes-about-king-abdullah--ekPWXs_Hoe   Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976 https://twitter.com/HansdeBoer18/status/559013408939704320/photo/1   Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976 https://twitter.com/OnlyTheTruthNow/status/558951368795635712/photo/1 Australia Tweet containing photo of a lashed female back (as per topmost of the UK trio directly above, reportedly of a lashed rape victim in Saudi Arabia).   Tweet expressed disapproval that the Australian flag had been lowered: https://twitter.com/Ms_Mosman/status/558837274050183168/photo/1pic.twitter.com/QHuqfW2zxQ That tweet appears to have been blocked:  Tweet https://twitter.com/Ms_Mosman/status/558837274050183168/photo/1pic.twitter.com/QHuqfW2zxQ  re #SaudiArabia flogging & Aussie flag half mast  appears BLOCKED by @twitter  #TonyAbbott complain? #auspol  .............................. Australian rationale for flag lowering: Liberals following British protocol  http://www.smh.com.au/national/flags-at-halfmast-to-mark-death-of-saudi-arabias-king-abdullah-20150124-12xg8o.html  .............................. Checked internet to find out more about that flogged woman photo: Saudi Arabia: Moroccan Woman Flagellated Over Prostitution Charges Rabat -A Moroccan woman has been sentenced to flogging and imprisonment after she has allegedly been caught by Saudi Arabian police while offering sex services for money. http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2014/08/137434/saudi-arabia-moroccan-woman-flagellated-over-prostitution-charges/ From the Moroccan newspaper article, that photo on Twitter  isn't what it purports to be, which is very annoying (and which probably explains why the tweet/post may have been blocked or deleted). However, the flogging and imprisonment of individuals who offer sexual services isn't exactly a humane act and religious (or moral) police isn't really a democratic ideal.  .............................. Here's an example of a Saudi Arabia flogging, from DailyMail: Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976 Source:  Daily Mail Blogger sentenced to ten years in prison and 1,000 lashes set to be publicly flogged in Saudi Arabia for 'insulting 'Islam' A Saudi blogger will be publicly flogged tomorrow as part of his 10-year jail term for 'ridiculing Islamic religious figures'. Raif Badawi, who co-founded the Free Saudi Liberals website, was arrested in 2012 and sentenced to 1,000 lashes and a decade in prison for insulting Islam on his online forum.  His corporal punishment will be carried out after Friday prayers, outside the Al-Juffali mosque in Jiddah, which has earned the grisly nickname 'Chop Chop Square' as the site of executions. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2902014/Saudi-blogger-publicly-flogged-insulting-Islam.html  .............................. There's also a photo of a recent public beheading of a woman in Saudi Arabia currently doing the rounds.  The leaked video was removed from YouTube, which I think is wrong.  Removing that type of content is taking part in whitewashing what is really taking place, and I think that's wrong & what becomes public should remain public and should be available to those that wish to witness it (however appalling the content).   Below is an article on the subject published in Daily Mail: Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976 Step-mother screams her innocence before being beheaded for murdering and sexually abusing six-year-old daughter in leaked footage that has outraged Saudi Arabia  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2916583/Step-mother-screams-innocence-beheaded-murdering-sexually-abusing-six-year-old-daughter-leaked-footage-outraged-Saudi-Arabia.html To an outsider who has encountered some of these beheading photos online, it looks as if the authorities just take people out to car parks or beaches or other public places and lop their heads off with swords. Find this really disturbing, so I haven't looked closely at the beheadings (which are quite a common occurrence).  ..............................   More on beheadings in Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia steps up beheadings; some see political message Saudi Arabia beheaded 26 people in August, more than in the first seven months of the year combined. The total for the year now stands at 59, compared to 69 for all of last year, according to Human Rights Watch. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/20/us-saudi-execution-idUSKCN0I91G220141020 The figures referred to in the Reuters article (above) are figures for 2014, to publishing date:  20 October 2014.  Think the grand total for 2014 is in the high 80s.  Yep.  Saudi Arabia "executed 87 people in 2014" (Breitbart News-17 Jan 2015) OTHER [via @beyndfunds] All the garbage about #KingAbddullah being a reformer should read about what he did to his own daughters http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com/2015/01/24/reformer-late-king-abdullah-may-have-been-keeping-four-daughters-captive-for-talking-about-womens-rights … [via @lhbroch] The ‘jailed’ princesses of #SaudiArabia: The late King Abdullah allegedly kept four of his daughters in captivity. http://wpo.st/AZ820   .............................. 'They are hanging to life' - Saudi king's ex-wife speaks out Exclusive: in her first television interview, the former wife of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia claims her four daughters have suffered years trapped in the royal compound in Jeddah. http://www.channel4.com/news/saudi-arabia-king-abdullah-alanoud-al-fayez-daughters-jeddah   .............................. #FreeThe4 Protest for Imprisoned Saudi Princesses to be Staged at Saudi Embassy in London http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/freethe4-protest-imprisoned-saudi-princesses-be-staged-saudi-embassy-london-1461520   .............................. King Abdullah, a feminist? Don’t make me laugh Christine Lagarde has praised the Saudi despot’s contribution to women’s rights. But his record was dismal and the more we shout about it, the better  Christine Lagarde, the first woman to head the IMF, has paid tribute to the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. He was a strong advocate of women, she said. This is almost certainly not what she thinks. She even hedged her remarks about with qualifiers like “discreet” and “appropriate”.  [ . . . ]  Abdullah led a country that abuses women’s rights, and indeed all human rights, in a way that places it beyond normal diplomacy. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/23/king-abdullah-feminist-christine-lagarde-saudi-arabia-women  .............................. State Department reveals Hillary Clinton received $500K worth of jewelry from Saudi king Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was given a half-million bucks worth of diamond and ruby jewelry by Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and received $58,000 worth of bling from Brunei. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/state-department-reveals-political-swag-article-1.1441301   .............................. Hillary Clinton Photo:  Associated Press, Source:  DailyMail Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976 Foreign leaders gave lavish gifts to a number of U.S. officials last year, including the Saudi Arabian king, who gave Hillary Clinton diamond-and-ruby-encrusted jewels worth half a million dollars. Clinton's gifts from King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz - which included a necklace, bracelet, earrings and a ring - were by far the most expensive items among the hundreds of gifts given to U.S. officials in 2012. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2406099/The-lavish-gifts-given-President-Obama-Hillary-Clinton-foreign-dignitaries.html COMMENT The West has some disturbing social issues of its own: Death Penalty - USA  According to a Sputnik article on the cruelty of lethal injections and US Supreme Court case on whether execution by lethal injection violates the US Constitution: The death penalty is authorized in a total of 38 US States. The death penalty is barbaric, whether carried out in America or in Saudi Arabia.  .............................. Ireland's lack of action on blasphemy law disappoints atheists and secularists Irish atheists and secularists have accused their government of breaking a promise to call a referendum over the Republic’s controversial blasphemy laws in the lifetime of the current coalition. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/30/ireland-blasphemy-law-inaction-disappoints-atheists For a civilised and presumably secular Western nation to retain a medieval blasphemy law is ridiculous beyond belief.  .............................. Last ditch bid to ban creationism in Scottish classrooms Last year, the Scottish Secularist Society (SSS) petitioned MSPs to urge the Scottish Government to bar the "presentation" of young earth doctrines as viable alternatives to the established science of evolution in the classroom. The SSS believes schools are being subjected to what they describe as an "attack" on established scientific theories from imported US doctrines known as creation science and intelligent design. However, School Leaders' Scotland (SLS), which represents secondary headteachers, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the country's largest teaching union, and the Scottish Government all wrote to the committee outlining their objections. These organisations backed the long-standing principle that protection from extremist views in Scottish education relies on the professionalism of teaching staff and the regulatory role of bodies such as local authorities, the General Teaching Council for Scotland and the schools inspectorate. However, in a new submission to the public petitions committee the SSS said sufficient safeguards were not in place and creationism was "institutionalised". EXTRACT ONLY - FULL @ SOURCE  http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/education/last-ditch-bid-to-ban-creationism-in-scottish-classrooms.116556313  .............................. School chaplaincy program funding revised following High Court decision  The Federal Government has announced changes to its school chaplaincy program to get around a recent adverse High Court decision. In June, the court upheld a challenge to the National School Chaplaincy Program, saying providing funding directly to chaplaincy organisations was constitutionally invalid. The main question examined in the case was whether the executive government had the power to fund such programs directly through local organisations. As a result, the Government has now decided to ask state and territory governments to administer the program using Commonwealth funds. If they agree, the $250 million program - to run over four years - will remain open to chaplains of any faith as long as they do not attempt to convert students. EXTRACT ONLY - FULL @ SOURCE http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-27/chaplaincy-program-revised-after-high-court-ruling/5701390  .............................. And religion is to be promoted in secular Australian schools, why? Being of the view that religion and the State (including services of the State, such as education etc) should be completely separated (and, in an ideal world, religiosity of any kind would be actively discouraged by government), the swing towards forcing religion in Western schools is disturbing.  .............................. Stop the Government paying for religion with your taxes! End the National Schools Chaplaincy Program now! That the Liberal government in Australia has bypassed the High Court and the Australian Constitution to sneak in religious mumbo jumbo while cutting funding for secular services should be a real cause for concern. This program should be opposed as direct government funding of religion bad public policy. Taxpayers' money spent in education should employ the best people available to help students, not just the religious.The preferencing of the religious, over the non-religious, for no reason other than their religiousness, is unacceptable in Government policy, particularly at a Commonwealth level. At the very least all schools should to given the choice employ non-religious counsellors or welfare workers under this program, not just those that cannot find a chaplain. The NSCP breaches the spirit of the Australian Constitution. It undermines the separation of church and state. EXTRACT ONLY - FULL @ SOURCE - http://www.stopthenscp.org/  .............................. Going through the above articles, one comes to the conclusion that Western ruling elites exhibit hypocrisy and a disregard for national symbols, which they cynically exploit without regard for public opinion or sentiment, to further corporate-imperialist and strategic aims in the Middle East, and it's a win-win for corporations and politicians in a corporate-political alliance that sees both players profiting handsomely. Meanwhile, if left to the devices of politicians, what freedoms we have in the West will be eroded by unscrupulous politicians, passing legislation to further the agendas of whoever has propped them up in politics. That the Liberal party in Australia has sidestepped a High Court ruling, and that it is willing to disregard the Australian Constitution by finding a by-pass that enables them to pursue the Liberal (and backer) agenda, should be of grave concern to the Australian public. There's probably a whole lot more that could be said, but I'm not much of a thinker or a blogger. This is just my overall opinion on current events, given my particular focus.   .............................. PS   Canada's Blasphemy Law - post.

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.