TOKYO MASTER BANNER

MINISTRY OF TOKYO
US-ANGLO CAPITALISMEU-NATO IMPERIALISM
Illegitimate Transfer of Inalienable European Rights via Convention(s) & Supranational Bodies
Establishment of Sovereignty-Usurping Supranational Body Dictatorships
Enduring Program of DEMOGRAPHICS WAR on Europeans
Enduring Program of PSYCHOLOGICAL WAR on Europeans
Enduring Program of European Displacement, Dismemberment, Dispossession, & Dissolution
No wars or conditions abroad (& no domestic or global economic pretexts) justify government policy facilitating the invasion of ancestral European homelands, the rape of European women, the destruction of European societies, & the genocide of Europeans.
U.S. RULING OLIGARCHY WAGES HYBRID WAR TO SALVAGE HEGEMONY
[LINK | Article]

*U.S. OLIGARCHY WAGES HYBRID WAR* | U.S. Empire's Casino Unsustainable | Destabilised U.S. Monetary & Financial System | U.S. Defaults Twice A Year | Causes for Global Financial Crisis of 2008 Remain | Financial Pyramids Composed of Derivatives & National Debt Are Growing | *U.S. OLIGARCHY WAGES HYBRID WAR* | U.S. Empire's Casino Unsustainable | Destabilised U.S. Monetary & Financial System | U.S. Defaults Twice A Year | Causes for Global Financial Crisis of 2008 Remain | Financial Pyramids Composed of Derivatives & National Debt Are Growing | *U.S. OLIGARCHY WAGES HYBRID WAR*

Who's preaching world democracy, democracy, democracy? —Who wants to make free people free?
[info from Craig Murray video appearance, follows]  US-Anglo Alliance DELIBERATELY STOKING ANTI-RUSSIAN FEELING & RAMPING UP TENSION BETWEEN EASTERN EUROPE & RUSSIA.  British military/government feeding media PROPAGANDA.  Media choosing to PUBLISH government PROPAGANDA.  US naval aggression against Russia:  Baltic Sea — US naval aggression against China:  South China Sea.  Continued NATO pressure on Russia:  US missile systems moving into Eastern Europe.     [info from John Pilger interview follows]  War Hawk:  Hillary Clinton — embodiment of seamless aggressive American imperialist post-WWII system.  USA in frenzy of preparation for a conflict.  Greatest US-led build-up of forces since WWII gathered in Eastern Europe and in Baltic states.  US expansion & military preparation HAS NOT BEEN REPORTED IN THE WEST.  Since US paid for & controlled US coup, UKRAINE has become an American preserve and CIA Theme Park, on Russia's borderland, through which Germans invaded in the 1940s, costing 27 million Russian lives.  Imagine equivalent occurring on US borders in Canada or Mexico.  US military preparations against RUSSIA and against CHINA have NOT been reported by MEDIA.  US has sent guided missile ships to diputed zone in South China Sea.  DANGER OF US PRE-EMPTIVE NUCLEAR STRIKES.  China is on HIGH NUCLEAR ALERT.  US spy plane intercepted by Chinese fighter jets.  Public is primed to accept so-called 'aggressive' moves by China, when these are in fact defensive moves:  US 400 major bases encircling China; Okinawa has 32 American military installations; Japan has 130 American military bases in all.  WARNING PENTAGON MILITARY THINKING DOMINATES WASHINGTON. ⟴  
Showing posts with label Sea Piracy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sea Piracy. Show all posts

April 29, 2015

Iran Seizes Merchant Ship 'Maersk Tigris' - 24 Crew On Board





Pentagon: Iran seizes Marshall Islands-flagged ship, US destroyer on standby
Published time: April 28, 2015 14:37
Edited time: April 28, 2015 18:40
Tags
Arms, Army, Conflict, Iran, Military, USA
The Iranian Navy has reportedly seized a Marshall Islands-flagged ship with 24 crew members on board. It was previously reported by media that it was a US vessel, though the Pentagon denied those claims.

The navy seized the Maersk Tigris under court order at the request of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, Fars news agency reported.

"The ship was seized after a relevant court order was issued for its confiscation," Fars quoted a source as saying.

The manager of the confiscated ship told a Danish news channel that the 24 crew members are mostly from Eastern Europe and Asia.

IRNA news agency reported conflicting figures, saying that there were 34 crew members on board the vessel, the majority of whom were Europeans.

    Track of #MaerksTigris Marshall Islands-flagged, turning to Bandar Abbas, Iran. http://t.co/B2Qd4WmKqkpic.twitter.com/EqEvNcx2ce

    — MarineTraffic (@MarineTraffic) April 28, 2015

Pentagon spokesman US Army Colonel Steve Warren confirmed that Iranian forces boarded the Marshall Island-flagged Maersk Tigris vessel after patrol boats fired warning shots across its bow and ordered it deeper into Iranian waters, Reuters reported. He called the decision "inappropriate."

"At first appearance it does seem to be provocative behavior, but again we don't have all the facts yet," Warren told a Pentagon news briefing.

The vessel initially ignored the warning but complied after the shots were fired, Warren said.

The ship had no US citizens on board and was traveling through the Strait of Hormuz when it was seized, the spokesman added, stating that US planes and the destroyer USS Farragut responded to a distress call from the vessel and are monitoring the situation.

    URGENT: Pentagon confirms Iranian forces boarded Marshall Island-flagged cargo ship http://t.co/QvwvM0ZZRA pic.twitter.com/odF6roCL1y

    — RT (@RT_com) April 28, 2015

According to Reuters tracking data, the Maersk Tigris is 'underway.' Its status is set to 'fast' and its destination is listed as Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates. The Marine Traffic tracking system also says it is heading for Jebel Ali, at a speed of 4.5 knots.

Fars and Al Arabiya previously reported that an Iranian warship was taking the vessel to the city of Bandar Abbas.

The Maersk Tigris is managed by Singapore-based Rickmers Ship Management, part of the Hamburg-based Rickmers Group.

It comes as Iran continues talks with the six world powers on the development of a nuclear deal.

    reports of US ship taken to Bandar Abbas proved false. #VesselTracker#AIS confirms track of Maersk Tigris as vessel pic.twitter.com/aiZipLlEpO

    — Mark Deverill (@mdeverill) April 28, 2015

US Secretary of State John Kerry told a global gathering on nuclear disarmament on Tuesday that a deal is “closer than ever” but that tough negotiations lie ahead. The comment came after Kerry met with Iran's foreign minister on the sidelines.

In a tentative deal reached earlier this month, Tehran agreed to curb sensitive nuclear work for at least a decade in exchange for sanctions relief.

Though Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, the West fears Tehran is using the program to develop atomic weapons.

http://rt.com/news/253853-iran-seize-us-ship/
LOOK-UPS
Rickmers Group
leading German ship owner & manager
concluded negotiations with bankers
to restructure US$1.43 billion of loans
Mar 2015

{Prolonged downturn container & bulk markets}
1st German charter ship-owner to issue bond
raising 175-million euros in June 2013

Rickmers Group
= partnership with US-based Oaktree Capital Management
= joint venture NY-based Apollo Global Management
Mar. 2015
Rickmers Group
= 103 vessels under management / book value of 2.2 billion euros
http://www.joc.com/maritime-news/ships-shipbuilding/rickmers-group-seals-14-billion-refinancing_20150302.html

Oaktree Captial Management
Los Angeles
Howard Marks

Apollo Global Management
New York
Leon Black

Rickmers Group
HQ Hamburg
family-owned co.
roots back 179 years
CEO Ronald D. Widdows
http://gcaptain.com/rickmers-group-raise-258-million/

"flags of convenience" to reduce operating costs and sidestep regulation.
Ship owned by Danish conglomerate Maersk.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-04-28/marshall-islands-needs-u-s-help-in-iran-standoff
*Combo:  Panama, Liberia, and Marshall Islands = 40% flags convenience
---

AP Moller–Maersk Group
Danish
HQ Copenhagen, Denmark
Shipping, Oil & Gas, Retail, Shipyards + more
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maersk

2011 co-op US navy testing algae biofuel
2013 ceased business in Iran - to prevent damage to business w. USA re sanctions
Oil & gas 2008:
22% of revenue
68% of profit
*Suez diversion (away from Africa) b/c piracy {est. $100-m pa costs of piracy}
COMMENT

Shipping seems very exciting.

Piracy looks to be profitable ... if you survive the challenge.

Looks like Suez Canal might be very important to trade/shipping.






October 10, 2014

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 - 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) 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 - 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 - iol.co.za/news/disquiet-
----------------------------------------------------------
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 - 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 ... israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Artic

>> #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. 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 - tinyurl.com/p4pkcdn - US Visa Waiver Programme

#USA - #Malaysia - CIA hand-holding >> Dr Ahmad Zahid met Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director John Brennan - 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 >> 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 - 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, 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 - tinyurl.com/q69y646

----------------------------------------------------------
Iran - Anti-Zionist Conference
 
#Iran #Teheran “New Hori­zon Con­fer­ence” 3-day conference for anti-Zionists / dubbed anti-semites by ADL / 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." --- allafrica.com/stories/201410

----------------------------------------------------------
People's Voice Article
Lavrov Counters Irresponsible Western Policies
 
The evil that is US imperialism >>> the Lies, the Hypocrisy & drive for Unchallenged World Domination >>> tinyurl.com/lfa5yeo

Lavrov Counters Irresponsible Western Policies - 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.


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

UK Govt Lobbying to Ditch European Court Human Rights
#UK ditching European Court of Human Rights in Britain (ECHR) proposal - tinyurl.com/qgpnb4h - former Att-Gen unimpressed

#UK Dave & his buddy Chris Grayling's Bill of Rights looks a joke: 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) -- 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 - tinyurl.com/kfoucps - money overseas

---------------------------------------------------------
Kenya - President Uhuru Kenyatta - International Criminal Court Hearing

Internat. Criminal Crt hearing, Hague Wed. - President Uhuru Kenyatta - 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 / tinyurl.com/o8lwcl4 -- 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / tinyurl.com/na4tbwd / Pollack

#Obama serves as a shill for US business abroad, esp. in the Far East --- Norman Pollack --- 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 - 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.