GERMANY: NSA, Energiewende, Coal, AfD etc

GERMANY #Germany - 6000 ppl ('Normale Leute') assembled to express their outrage over NSA spying - politicians & activists - http://goo.gl/cKM2gJ Germany's media has been highly critical of France, Germany's top partner in Europe / "Frankreich" / "Krankreich" / 'sick' #Germany Set 2 Miss 2022 Climate Targets As Coal Use Increases / http://goo.gl/9csdZi  >>> #environment #globalwarming #Germany aiming to shut ALL nuclear power by 2022 / electricity generated from coal in 2013 hit the highest in 24 years #Germany opened more coal-fired power plants in 2013 than any other time in the past 20 years! #Germany “Energiewende” has added more than $134 bil to power bills of households, shop owners & small factories.>> http://goo.gl/9csdZi  >> Falling coal prices >> Merkel’s govt has announced it considers coal-based power plants as “indispensable” ------------------------------------------ #German Eurosceptic party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), 3rd in poll >> making it the LEADING OPPOSITION PTY - http://goo.gl/YHTlkz >> "Mut zu Deutschland!" / 'Courage to stand up for Germany!' ... Merkel swings the other way: consensus across the EU #Germany/ Business Confidence Drops for 5th mth as after ECB stepped up euro-area recovery - http://tinyurl.com/nb8h3o4 >> German coys R embarking on biggest-ever acquisition spree in #USA, chasing deals that promise innovation & growth (equipment:  medical, automotive etc). ---------------------------------------- COMMENT Some info on Germany.  Should be self-explanatory.   Might have to come back to do a look-up on the political party.   Sitting on too much gathered information right now.   Need to backtrack and post info before the information's unmanageable.

IRAN Nuclear - Relations Germany

* IRAN * "#Iran, P5+1 remain far apart on core #nuclear issues: US" - PressTV ... hahhaha, I bet they do ... nukes got hacked ... Talks NY on Thurs. >> P5+1 = US, Russia, China, United Kingdom & France, plus Germany. >> Germany is the key trading partner of Iran.>> wiki Hey, #Iran trade's probably why #Germany got spied on by NSA ???? ... LOL Just a snippet regarding Iran. Am I on the money about US spying on Germany, or is there some other reason for the USA to spy on the German ally? Stay tuned.  LOL

Summary

Summary IT    Payload (computing) = component of a computer virus that executes a malicious activity http://www.techopedia.com/definition/5381/payload … #IT>>"Kaspersky Lab does not have political ties to any governments; it openly shares its knowledge & technical findings ..." [telecomasia] .........................  ........................ #hacktevists - Anonymous - Payback 6 - http://on.rt.com/yb7yz9  - TRIAL Tue, 7 Oct @ 9am EDT - http://goo.gl/i9xhoo  -- #Virginia #USA #law  http://rt.com/usa/anonymous-operation-payback-indictment-704/ CHARGED:  “... anti-copyright campaign that targeted government and corporation websites in 2010 and 2011 US Copyright Office, major credit card companies and international law firms &  trade groups” Actions allegedly post 2010 take-down of:  file-sharing site The Pirate Bay. Targets: ·       Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) ·       Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) ·       US Copyright Office of the Library of Congress ·       Visa ·       MasterCard ·       Bank of America Entities outside of United States: ·       Davenport Lyons (UK intellectual property rights firm) ·       British Phonographic Institute (BPI) - UK trade group that served as the across-the-pond equivalent of the MPAA.  .........................  ........................ New South Wales #Hacker #Surveillance - Aust/NSW police used German Gamma Intl hacker s/ware FinSpy - key log + more http://goo.gl/LCkBJB  - #auspol http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/sep/15/wikileaks-nsw-police-have-used-hi-tech-spyware-to-monitor-australians #WikiLeaks docs published - #surveillance by covert sch warr / > *worldwide* target range > Secret Gamma deal? No records. Does #Surveillance, lack transparency & lack accountability - state/govt serve the people, or does it monitor & imprison people it reps? #surveillance >Gamma International + Trovicor >http://goo.gl/jqTv1k  >#humanrights abuse complaints lodged w/ OECD #Bahrain - heaps info!! NOTE:  Loads of PDF info links – case report, press release, complaint + more http://www.ecchr.de/surveillance-technology/articles/human-rights-organisations-file-oecd-complaints-against-surveillance-firms-gamma-international-and-trovicor.html "Julian Assange, WikiLeaks Editor in Chief said, "FinFisher continues to operate brazenly from Germany selling weaponized surveillance malware to some of the most abusive regimes in the world. “The Merkel government pretends to be concerned about privacy, but its actions speak otherwise. Why does the Merkel government continue to protect FinFisher? This full data release will help the technical community build tools to protect people from FinFisher including by tracking down its command and control centers.” " Source: http://goo.gl/OxMR8B European Centre for Constitutional & Human Rights (ECCH) >> website WEALTH OF INFO. >> http://www.ecchr.de/accountability.html … >> #humanrights #law http://www.ecchr.de/accountability.html #Snowden on mass surveillance - Five Eyes (US, UK, CA, AU, NZ) >>http://goo.gl/xg5NW7  >>XKEYSCORE NSA/USA > #auspol - UR being watched  https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/09/15/snowden-new-zealand-surveillance/ .........................  ........................ Moment of Truth Monday, 15 September 2014  / Auckland, New Zealand >>>>>>>>  @7pm >>Auckland Town Hall #MoT - Internet Mana Party - #nzpol Wound up watching this.  Interesting: it's a one of a kind development in relation to politics.  Doubt that I'll be as enthusiastic about run of the mill political events. .........................  ........................ Sweden #Sweden>>Social Dem/ Leader Stefan Lofven defeated incumbent PM Fredrik Reinfeldt >>>http://goo.gl/zxMr38 >>@ 31.1% / Mods slumped [WSJ] Blow to conservative leaders w/in #EU 'free market' pushers - #DavidCameron #AngelaMerkel >> Bye #CarlBildt [wsj] Graph of Sweden election results: http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/valaret2014/riksdag/Valresultat/ #Sweden - Social Dems & Green Party coalition anticipated (w/ Left Party providing Parliamentary support) .. Feminist Initiative dipped out Scandals did govt no favour / schools, nurseries, care homes ... http://online.wsj.com/articles/swedes-go-to-the-polls-1410695627 … + immigration > .........................  ........................ US Govt Intervention “We R under no illusions that USG [US govt] efforts alone will shape ..direction of .. new government .."> #Ecuador > http://goo.gl/fKfYM1 https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/57362 .........................  ........................ Finland Greens to quit #Finnish govt if approves new nuclear reactors Fennovoima plant in Pyhäjoki http://goo.gl/jDLbMU  - Thus = approval D-Day #Russia project - if quit Nat. coalition majority 'razor thin' - Green coalition understanding was NO expansion nuclear .........................  ........................ Above is *some* of what I looked at today.   Random things that popped up online.

NATO Poland base - Blitz against Russia?

NATO Poland base may be prepared for blitz against Russia Published time: July 24, 2014 13:39 NATO’s Europe commander advocates stockpiling a base in Poland with enough weapons, ammunition and other supplies to support a rapid deployment of thousands of troops against Russia, British media reported. General Philip Breedlove’s idea would be presented to members of the alliance at the upcoming NATO summit in Wales in September, according to The Times. The general told a briefing in Naples this week that NATO needed “pre-positioned supplies, pre-positioned capabilities and a basing area ready to rapidly accept follow-on forces.” Several locations for the future stockpile are planned, with the Multinational Corps Northeast, a base in Szczecin near the Polish-German border being the leading contender. “It would be a 24/7 fully functioning headquarters that forces could quickly fall in on to respond rapidly when needed,” the British newspaper cites a source familiar with the expected proposition as saying. Breedlove has been advocating a build-up of NATO assets in Europe, particularly Eastern Europe, in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis in the secession of Ukraine’s Crimea to Russia. The alliance has already strengthened its presence in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea and deployed additional military aircraft in Eastern Europe. It said the moves were needed to boost the confidence of eastern NATO members in the alliance’s ability to protect them from Russian aggression. The stockpiling of supplies is just a step short of a permanent massive deployment of foreign NATO troops in Poland. The alliance says it is needed for a rapid response to a Russian incursion, although Russian generals would probably view this as a possible preparation for a blitzkrieg attack on Russia. Moscow considers the build-up of NATO troops in Europe as part of a hostile policy aimed at placing the alliance’s military resources closer to its borders. Russia’s current military doctrine allows the use of all weapons in its possession, including tactical nuclear weapons, in response to a conventional force attack on Russia. Source - RT News - here.

The US look pretty keen on expanding their stake in Europe.

IRAN NUKE TALKS - MIDDLE-EAST MULTIPLE ISSUES

   
New crises cloud U.S., Iran meeting
Nuke talks battle for full attention

By BRADLEY KLAPPER and GEORGE JAHN

Associated Press
Monday, July 14, 2014
(Published in print: Tuesday, July 15, 2014)

The top U.S. and Iranian diplomats searched yesterday for a breakthrough in nuclear talks, their efforts complicated by crises across the Middle East and beyond that have Washington and Tehran aligned in some places but often opposed.

The state of U.S.-Iranian relations was adding a new wrinkle to the long negotiation aimed at curbing the Islamic republic’s uranium and plutonium programs.

While the two sides are arguably fighting proxy wars in Israel, Gaza and Syria, they’re talking cooperation in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, perhaps in a first, the nuclear matter is battling for full attention.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif spoke for about two hours around midday yesterday, the second day of talks in Vienna. They gathered again in the afternoon, hoping to make progress before Sunday’s initial deadline for a comprehensive nuclear agreement. An extension of the deadline is possible, though there are opponents of that idea on both sides.

“We are in the middle of talks about nuclear proliferation and reining in Iran’s program,” Kerry told U.S. Embassy staff in Vienna during a break in the conversations. “It is a really tough negotiation.”

But other matters were being discussed, too, including Afghanistan, where Kerry visited before Vienna to broker a power-sharing agreement between rival presidential candidates and a full audit of their contested election.

As the two diplomats sat down Sunday, Zarif called Kerry’s Afghan mediation “extremely important” for the Afghan people and echoed the need “to ensure the national unity of Afghanistan and prevent its breakup.”

“We agree,” Kerry said. “And it’s good to begin with an agreement.”

But even as the U.S. and Iran have recently found increasing areas for cooperation, such as stemming a flow of Sunni extremists into Iraq, they remain diametrically opposed elsewhere.

The U.S-Iranian regional divide was underscored yesterday as the Israeli military downed a drone launched by Gaza militants – the first such unmanned aircraft encountered since the start of the Jewish state’s offensive last week.

Iran is Hamas’ primary benefactor and the presumed source of its newfound drone capacity. Washington provides billions in aid each year to Israel.

The State Department didn’t say if Kerry and Zarif broached the escalating Israeli-Palestinian violence or the civil war in neighboring Syria, where the U.S. is providing political and military support to moderate rebels fighting President Bashar Assad’s Iranian-backed government.

But one change appeared clear in this week’s talks. Unlike in years past, where U.S.-Iranian interaction appeared largely limited to nuclear matters, the two countries’ interests now crisscross at multiple levels, and their discussions are broader.

Nevertheless, American officials said Kerry was focused on tackling the many differences between the U.S. and Iran on nuclear matters. His goal is to gauge “Iran’s willingness to make the critical choices it needs to make,” according to a senior State Department official.

The official wasn’t authorized to be quoted by name and demanded anonymity.

Monday’s talks came a day after Kerry and the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany failed to reach a breakthrough with Iran on uranium enrichment and other issues standing in the way of a deal that would curb Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the end of nuclear-related sanctions on Tehran. Each official cited significant gaps.

Iran says it needs to expand enrichment to make reactor fuel and insists it does not want atomic arms. But the U.S. and others fear Tehran could steer the activity toward manufacturing the core of nuclear missiles. Washington is leading the insistence on deep enrichment cuts.

Under a six-month interim agreement that went into effect in January, world powers and Iran have until July 20 to conclude a final deal. The goal for the West is a long-term agreement setting clear limits on Iranian activity and locking in place an international monitoring regime to ensure that the Islamic republic cannot develop nuclear weapons.

The interim arrangement also offers the option of an additional six-month period for negotiations, an extension that appears increasingly likely. Officials have suggested they may agree on a shorter window, however.

In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest wouldn’t say whether President Obama had authorized Kerry to extend the deadline if necessary.

“To its credit, Iran has defied the expectations of some,” Earnest said, by fulfilling some of the steps it agreed to take. But he said on other key issues Iran hasn’t yet made the decisions needed to prove the world its intentions are peaceful. “That’s ultimately where the gaps remain,” he said.

For the U.S. and Iran, an extension makes sense in multiple ways. With so much at stake, and the potential for U.S.-Iranian cooperation in other areas being explored, neither side wants to terminate the nuclear talks. Such a course could put Tehran back on a path toward isolation and even set the stage for U.S. military action if Iran proceeded again toward nuclear weapons capacity.

Even if their interests in continuing nuclear talks align, both face difficult internal pressures against a deal – or an extension for that matter.

Iranian hardliners oppose almost any concession by President Hassan Rouhani’s government. In the U.S., some lawmakers have threatened to scuttle any emerging agreement if it would allow Iran to maintain some enrichment capacity.

A letter being circulated in Congress by Sens. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, and Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, emphasizes that a lessening of U.S. sanctions should be conditional on the nuclear agreement making tough demands on Iran.

These would include international inspections lasting for a minimum of two decades and full disclosure by Iran of any military aspects of its nuclear program.

SOURCE - Concord Monitor - here.

----------------------------------------------

COMMENT

Hey, it's complicated.
I'm backing an extension to be given to Iran.
No way are they going to resolve the nukes issue.

The multi-faceted relationships all over the Middle East are making my head spin.

As a new observer, I'm finding the 'alliances' or support factors hard to follow.

Russia on Iran nuclear negotiations

------------------------------------------
12 July 2014, 17:56

Moscow to uphold unity among P5+1 during negotiations with Iran if it doesn't contradict Russia's interests


Russia is willing to uphold unity among the P5+1 group during the negotiations with Iran as long as it doesn’t contradict Moscow’s interests, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told journalists on Saturday. "As long as nothing threatens our interests we are willing to uphold and maintain the unity (of P5+1). But our top priority is to advance our nation’s interests. This is perfectly normal," Ryabkov pointed out.

"We want to help achieve a balanced agreement that wouldn’t infringe on anyone’s interests. Russia always maintained that unity is paramount to attaining the desired result. But unity cannot eclipse all the rest," said Ryabkov who heads the Russian delegation during negotiations between P5+1 and Iran in Vienna.
...

Iran declares it's not going to"kneel" as nuclear talks enter crisis

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif took to YouTube on Wednesday to deliver a message that Iran was ready to take steps to ensure its nuclear program remains peaceful but would not "kneel in submission" to do a deal with major powers. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would need to significantly increase its uranium enrichment capacity, highlighting a gap in positions between Tehran and the world powers.

As talks to resolve the long-running nuclear standoff resumed in Vienna, Zarif's remarks, delivered in English in a slick five-minute video, appeared to be a response to a US warning that Tehran has yet to prove that its atomic ambitions are peaceful, reports Reuters.

The statements highlighted how much work the negotiators from Iran and from the United States, France, Germany, UK, China and Russia still have to do to meet a self-imposed deadline of July 20.
...
Diplomats say France and the other Western powers have broadly held out for stricter terms with Iran than have Russia and China. The two have close trade ties with Iran and opposed the West's ratcheting up of sanctions, saying this could play into the hands of Iranian hardliners suspicious of any talks.

The overall goal of the negotiations is a deal reining in Iran's nuclear energy program to minimize the risk of any diversions into bomb production, in exchange for a removal of tough economic sanctions imposed on Tehran.

The powers and Iran have less than two weeks to bridge wide differences on the future scope of its uranium enrichment activity and other issues if they are to meet the target date for a deal.
...

EXTRACT ONLY - FULL ARTICLE - VOICE OF RUSSIA - here.
------------------------------------------

COMMENT


It should be interesting to see how the negotiations pan out.

From reading other earlier articles on the subject, if my memory serves me well, the parties are not at all on the same page as Iran.

IRAN - NUCLEAR TALKS - G5+1 - FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES PROGRESS STALLED - FRESH TALKS

Nuclear Talks: Iranian Negotiator

July 12, 2014 - 17:01

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – As a number of foreign ministers of the world powers engaged in nuclear talks with Iran are scheduled to travel to Vienna, a top Iranian negotiator ruled out any plan for a plenary ministerial meeting on Sunday.

Speaking in a televised interview in Vienna on Saturday, Abbas Araqchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister and a senior member of the country’s team of nuclear negotiators, said the presence of foreign ministers of the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) can help the parties “make decisions at a higher level.”
He said the idea of attendance of foreign ministers in the talks was proposed given the fact that “no serious progress has been made over the fundamental issues.”
Delegates from Iran and the Group 5+1 (also known as the P5+1 or E3+3) have launched a new round of nuclear talks in the Austrian capital since July 2 in a bid to hammer out a comprehensive deal on Tehran’s nuclear case.
This round of talks is expected to run until at least July 15. With time running short, the two sides have now less than ten days to clinch a deal by their self-imposed deadline that expires on July 20.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Araqchi made it clear that “the major sticking points still exist” in the course of talks, stressing that Iran will not back down from the principal stances over its peaceful nuclear program.
He also said that the parties have managed to draft approximately 70 percent of the text of a final deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), but at the same time noted that no progress has been made so far on the “substantial issues”.
The Iranian diplomat also said it is difficult to predict whether the long-awaited deal will be clinched until July 20 or not, but expressed the hope that presence of foreign ministers in Vienna would contribute to the talks.
On Thursday, EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton, who coordinates diplomacy with Iran on behalf of the sextet, invited all foreign ministers from the six powers to Vienna to "take stock of where we are", her spokesman said.
US Secretary State John Kerry, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Germany’s Frank-Walter Steinmeier are among the ranking diplomats that will be definitely in Austria on Sunday.

Source article - Tasnim News Agency - here.

--------------------------------------------------
 COMMENT

It looks as though issues are still being negotiated in a fresh round of talks in Austria.