Puppet Masters

Turkey arrests 4 Gulen-linked businessmen

Sputnik
Fri, 04 Mar 2016 18:19 UTC

Comment: Fethulah Gulen has been linked to the CIA and part of the wide web of Operation Gladio. It's safe to say Gulen is "American-backed". What does this say about Erdogan's position in the Western elite 'club'? Is the U.S. planning to hang him out to dry, like Mike Whitney recently suggested? Is U.S. support for the Syrian-Kurdish YPG partly an effort to provoke Erdogan into launching a suicidal attack on the combined forces of the Syrian Kurds, Russia, Syria, Iran, and Hezbollah?

Police of Turkey's Kayseri province detained on Friday four Boydak Holding board members over providing financial assistance to the so-called parallel state linked to prominent Turkish oppositionist Fethullah Gulen, local media reported.

Boydak Holding established in 1957 includes companies operating in energy, chemical and textile industries, as well as in agriculture.

According to the Hurriyet newspaper, police detained company CEO Memduh Boydak, board members Erol Boydak and Murat Bozdag, as well as holding chairman Haci Boydak. Company searches are in progress.

IMF: New loan tranche for Kiev depends on the payment of debt to Moscow

Fort Russ
Fri, 04 Mar 2016 20:49 UTC

'Under management'

The Board of Directors of the International Monetary Fund, when deciding on the allocation of the next tranche of the loan to Ukraine, will take into account the integrity of their efforts on the settlement of debt to Russia, said the IMF Director of communications, Gerry Rice, at the regular press briefing.

"We are not part of the negotiation process on the debt. We continue to urge Russia and Ukraine to come to the negotiating table. And the so-called integrity is what the Board of Directors will take into account when approving the second review of Ukraine," Rice said.

He added that for the completion of the second review of the programme of assistance to Ukraine and, accordingly, the allocation of the next tranche of the IMF loan, it is also necessary to obtain greater clarity from the authorities of Ukraine in fulfilling their commitments to implement reforms and combat corruption.

The amount of overdue debt of Ukraine amounts to $3.075 billion. The Ministry of Finance in December 2013 bought, at the expense of the [Russian] National Welfare Fund, two-year Ukrainian Eurobonds at a rate of 5% per annum. Ukraine regularly serviced this debt until December 2015, when Kiev imposed a moratorium on the payment of the last coupon of $75 million and the repayment of the principal amount of the debt. The Ukrainian government offered Russia to participate in debt restructuring on the same basis as other holders of commercial releases of Eurobonds of the country. Russia has repeatedly stressed the inadmissibility of the sovereign debt restructuring of Ukraine on equal terms with private debt.

The IMF, in December 2015, lifted restrictions on lending to countries with arrears on sovereign debts, which opened up the Fund's ability to continue lending to Ukraine even if Kiev cannot produce periodic repayment of the $3 billion Eurobonds.

Comment: By holding to the letter of international financial law, Russia is forcing its opponent to do the same.

Erdogan's son, Bilal, fled Bologna amid money laundering allegations

RT
Fri, 04 Mar 2016 20:33 UTC

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's son has reportedly been forced to return home from Italy due to security concerns, with a money laundering investigation being conducted against him by Italian authorities perhaps a more plausible reason.

Bilal Erdogan, 35, who has been in Bologna with his family since last autumn, texted his friends in Turkey, telling them he has to return with his family, according to local media.

"Our security in Bologna has become a very sensitive issue both for the Italian and the Turkish government," he allegedly texted one of his friends, Resto del Carlino reported. The text message ends with a promise to return to Italy one day when things there are more "peaceful."

Bilal said he went to Bologna with his wife and children to finish his PhD studies at Bologna's Johns Hopkins University.

However, critics say that in 2013 he was involved in a massive graft scandal linked to Turkey's ruling AKP party, where Bilal was complicit in a money laundering scheme endeavoring to bypass United States-led sanctions on Iran.

The complaint filed in February by Erdogan's detractors alleges that €1 billion from the corrupt scheme is still unaccounted for.

Comment: The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

Monsanto sues California for listing Roundup on its toxic chemicals list

Claire Bernish
The Anti Media
Fri, 04 Mar 2016 18:56 UTC

Monsanto is suing the State of California for its intent to include glyphosate — the main ingredient in its wildly popular herbicide, Roundup — on its Proposition 65 toxic chemicals list.

California's decision came after the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as a "probable carcinogen" in March 2015. Researchers discovered "limited evidence" of a link between the weedkiller and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in humans, as well as "convincing evidence" of its link to other forms of cancer in rodents. Thus, IARC decided unanimously that glyphosate is "probably carcinogenic."

California announced in September it would include glyphosate among the noxious chemicals under Prop 65, which "mandates notification and labeling of all known to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm, and prohibits their discharge into drinking waters of the state," Alternet summarized.

Comment: The Trans Pacific Partnership rears its ugly head. If a corporation disagrees with a state's actions, it can sue.

'Clear discrimination': Federal judge blocks Indiana governor's ban of aid to Syrian refugees

RT
Tue, 01 Mar 2016 04:37 UTC

An Indianapolis federal judge has blocked Republican Governor Mike Pence's order barring state agencies from helping Syrian refugees resettle in the state. The decision could have repercussions for two dozen other states who attempted similar bans.

In Monday's preliminary injunction, US District Judge Tanya Walter Pratt said the governor's directive "clearly discriminates against Syrian refugees based on their national origin," reported the Associated Press.

The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana on behalf Exodus Refugee Immigration, a nonprofit which helps resettle refugees in Indiana. The group sued Governor Mike Pence over his attempt to suspend resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state by cutting funding. The ACLU argued the governor's actions violated the United States Constitution and federal law.

"This ruling puts the brakes on Governor Pence's end run around the Constitution. No state can unilaterally ban a group of refugees that has been vetted and admitted by the federal government," said Judy Rabinovitz, deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project, in a statement, according to WTTV. "By trying to block Syrian families based solely on their nationality, Indiana is flouting federal law, the U.S. Constitution, and our fundamental American values of providing refuge for families fleeing war and violence."

Comment: Fleeing war, destruction and violence caused by the U.S. and its proxy forces.

The state's Attorney General's office reviewed the decision, and said it means official must resume payments to nonprofit contractors which have been partially or temporarily suspended by Pence's November decision. Exodus is planning to settle nearly 200 Syrians in the state this year, according to the Associated Press.

Russian operation has been vindicated by the Syrian Truce

Sputnik
Thu, 03 Mar 2016 18:58 UTC

The response of Western governments and of the Western media to the Russian air operation in Syria was unanimous. All of them condemned it and all of them said it would fail.

In the US there was much gloating talk — joined in by President Obama himself — about how the Russians had landed themselves in a quagmire. There was also furious condemnation of alleged Russian bombing of civilians, and a well-nigh universal complaint that Russia was not bombing the Islamic State but was bombing the supposedly "moderate" opposition to President Assad.

There were even complaints that Russia was materially assisting the Islamic State by bombing its supposed opponents, and by driving Syria's Sunnis into its arms. In a particularly fantastic claim, it was even claimed Russia was deliberately bombing Syrian civilians to force them to flee to Europe so as to undermine Chancellor Merkel, who has put herself in a vulnerable position through her open door policy.

All these claims were wrong or untrue. Predictions of a quagmire turned to panic as is it became clear around the New Year that Russia's air operation was turning the tide of the war.

Claims the Russians bomb civilians have never been proved and come with no evidence.
Claims the Russians do not bomb the Islamic State are disproved by the Russian Defence Ministry's detailed reports — which are never contradicted or refuted by the only source which matters, which is the US military. As for claims Syrian Sunnis are fleeing Russian bombs for Europe, or are rushing to join the Islamic State, the evidence on the contrary is that they look forward to liberation from jihadi terrorists by the Syrian army.

All these claims now anyway lie discredited as a result of the recent truce.

Comment: The US is of the mindset that the outcome in Syria is "either/or," instead of what would cooperatively resolve the war and heal the country. This is the stumbling block that keeps the West actively pursuing fanatical outcomes at the expense of other nations. The truce shall set you free.

Russian MOD ceasefire bulletin: Turkey continues to arm al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham in Syria

Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
Fri, 04 Mar 2016 15:31 UTC

General information on the application of measures for the reconciliation of opposing sides

In the course of last 24 hours, ceasefire agreements have been signed with five commanders of moderate opposition units active in the Daraa province (in total, 22 agreements).

Preliminary truce agreements have been signed with elders of two towns in the Hama province.

Negotiations with leaders of four armed groupings located in the Damascus, Daraa and Homs provinces are being continued.

In Damascus, by the mediation of the Russian party, consultations between representatives of the National Reconciliation Ministry of Syria, religious leaders and commanders of armed formations, who used to be opposing the Syrian government, have been held. The parties discussed upon issues concerning peacemaking process and ways of its realization.

Headquarters of the Defence Ministry and National Reconciliation Ministry of the Syrian Arab Republic have been deployed at the Hmeymim airbase in order to establish interaction in operational response on ceasefire violations and providing humanitarian assistance to citizens of Syria.

Comment: Putin had a conference call with the leaders of the UK, France, Germany and Italy (no Americans, thank you very much), where they all agreed that the Syrian ceasefire is a milestone achievement:

The leaders praised the Russian-US agreement that was also supported by the UN Security Council, noting the ceasefire regime is being observed and, more importantly, it is creating opportunities for getting the dialogue between the Syrian government and opposition groups underway.

It was also discussed that there is a strong need for tighter cooperation in dealing with the humanitarian crisis afflicting Syria and to eradicate rampant terrorism in the country.

Putin, Merkel, Cameron, Hollande and Matteo Renzi promised staunch support for the International Syrian Support Group (ISSG), the UN Security Council and UN Syria special envoy Staffan de Mistura.

Also, an under-discussed facet of the war in Syria: ISIS's involvement in the human-trafficking/sex-slave industry. We can think of more than a few U.S. politicians who likely make use of such 'services'.

'Sunshine of the spotless mind': Breedlove accuses Russia of 'weaponizing' migrant crisis

RT
Thu, 03 Mar 2016 03:57 UTC

Moscow was amused by the top NATO General's claims that it is using the refugee crisis as a "weapon" against the West, with the Defense Ministry's spokesman saying such rhetoric reaffirms concerns of Breedlove's apparent dislocation of memory. "Together, Russia and the Assad regime are deliberately weaponizing migration in an attempt to overwhelm European structures and break European resolve," Breedlove told the committee.

Insisting that the influx of migrants to Europe benefited Moscow, Breedlove noted that foreign militants who have been fighting in Syria are now returning back home, where they might use their battlefield skills. Breedlove added that the alleged strategy was used by both Russian and Syrian presidents to create a distraction for the western countries that have been busy tackling the crisis and did not notice its root cause: "Indiscriminate weapons used by both Bashar al-Assad, and the non-precision use of weapons by the Russian forces."

Russian Ministry of Defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov called the latest allegations a "recurrence" of the NATO general's traditional rhetoric which only reaffirms concerns about Breedlove's "memory dislocation." "Taking into account that such recurrence of the 'sunshine of the spotless mind' appeared right before the scheduled meeting of the Armed Services Committee, there is no wonder that a decision has been made by the US congressmen to replace him on his post of the Commander-in-Chief of the NATO Joint Force in Europe," Konashenkov said.

Konashenkov once again pointed out that Moscow could not have possibly been the reason for the refugee crisis, which began long before Russia launched its anti-terror operations in Syria. And unlike the anti-ISIS coalition, Russia's operations in Syria have alleviated the refugee crisis in the country and led to the first step of the establishment of a peace-making process, Konashenkov added.

Comment: "Breedloves" rise to levels of authoritarian influence because they are useful and persuasive tools. A ketogenic diet might clear up the General's senior moments, but it won't do enough for NATO - which needs a thorough parasitic detox and pathological eradication. In addition, NATO suffers from "psychological projection," where its own impulses and actions are denied and attributed to others. (Just ask Russia...)

Gap further widening between Saudi Arabia and UAE over Yemen

FARS News Agency
Fri, 04 Mar 2016 15:54 UTC

The differences between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over Yemen have increased to such levels of severity that the Abu Dhabi government has announced that it will set up two Salafi brigades in Aden province, local sources announced.

"The city of Aden has been the scene of clashes between pro-UAE and pro-Saudi Arabia forces in recent days as the UAE announced that it will set up two brigades of extremist forces in the Southern Yemeni city," provincial Yemeni military sources said.

The sources reiterated that the Salafi brigades will be set up in al-Masharee and Dar Sa'ad regions, and said, "A person named Mehran al-Qatebi has been appointed as commander of one of the brigades."

Tens of pro-Hadi and pro-Saudi forces have been killed and wounded in heavy clashes between them.

Comment: More news on the Yemen crises:

China to lay off five to six million state workers to curb industrial overcapacity

Benjamin Kang Lim, Matthew Miller and David Stanway
Reuters
Thu, 03 Mar 2016 15:34 UTC

© Reuters/Patty Chen/Files
Laborers work at an under-construction chemical factory in Huai'an, Jiangsu province, in this March 2, 2008 file photo.

China aims to lay off 5-6 million state workers over the next two to three years as part of efforts to curb industrial overcapacity and pollution, two reliable sources said, Beijing's boldest retrenchment program in almost two decades.

China's leadership, obsessed with maintaining stability and making sure redundancies do not lead to unrest, will spend nearly 150 billion yuan ($23 billion) to cover layoffs in just the coal and steel sectors in the next 2-3 years.

The overall figure is likely to rise as closures spread to other industries and even more funding will be required to handle the debt left behind by "zombie" state firms.

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codis

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ROEL

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tekdude

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Solare

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Demore

Puppet Masters

Turkey arrests 4 Gulen-linked businessmen

IMF: New loan tranche for Kiev depends on the payment of debt to Moscow

Erdogan's son, Bilal, fled Bologna amid money laundering allegations

Monsanto sues California for listing Roundup on its toxic chemicals list

'Clear discrimination': Federal judge blocks Indiana governor's ban of aid to Syrian refugees

Russian operation has been vindicated by the Syrian Truce

Russian MOD ceasefire bulletin: Turkey continues to arm al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham in Syria

'Sunshine of the spotless mind': Breedlove accuses Russia of 'weaponizing' migrant crisis

Gap further widening between Saudi Arabia and UAE over Yemen

China to lay off five to six million state workers to curb industrial overcapacity

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