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Tit for tat? Straus-Kahn's successor at IMF comes under fire for corruption in Sarkozy government


Reuters
Sun, 21 Aug 2011 06:49 UTC
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A French court which is investigating International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde has cited "anomalies and irregularities" in her decision to approve a huge payment to a businessman when she was finance minister, a French news website said.

Mediapart published a 9-page court document explaining the legal reasoning behind an August 4 ruling that Lagarde should be placed under investigation for approving the 285 million euro payment to Bernard Tapie, a friend of President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The document by a commission of three judges at the Court of Justice of the Republic, which has special powers to judge ministers, states that Lagarde appeared to have contributed to events whose legality was uncertain.

"The minister seems to have personally contributed to the events, notably by giving voting instructions to the State's representatives" in the arbitration procedure, the court document published on Mediapart read.
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Padlock

Iran sentences US spies to 8 years in jail


Press TV
Sun, 21 Aug 2011 06:35 UTC
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US detainees Shane Bauer (L) and Joshua Fattal
Iran has sentenced each of two American nationals detained in the country on charges of illegal entry and espionage to eight years in prison, a top judiciary official says.

"The Branch 15 of Tehran's Revolutionary Court has sentenced Shane Michael Bauer and Joshua Felix Fattal each to eight years in prison," Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi told reporters on Sunday.

He added that the two US detainees have 20 days to appeal against the verdict, ISNA reported.

Tehran prosecutor also noted that the case of Sarah Emily Shourd, who was released in September 2010 on a $500,000 bail, is still open and will be investigated later.

Although Shourd has announced she will not attend the court session, her trial will not run counter to the law, he said.
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Light Sabers

The Cartel Strikes Back: S&P Downgrades Venezuela to B+ Rating After Chavez Recalls Country's Gold

Maria De Wind
12160.info
Sat, 20 Aug 2011 06:04 UTC
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You didn't think that the cartel would just sit there and politely hand Mr. Chavez his 210 tons of gold back now, did you?

The first retaliatory shot has been fired in the great gold war.

In another Friday night shocker, S&P tonight downgraded Venezuela's credit rating to B+ from BB-.

Shockingly, S&P actually admitted that the reason for the downgrade was Hugo Chavez demanding Venezuela's gold be repatriated from the Bank of England (kept by JP Morgan and friends)!

S&P "expressed concern" that Venezuela's gold will no longer be held at The Morgue.

Bwahahaha!
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Star of David

Netanyahu: Gaza Strikes 'Only the Beginning' of Retaliation

Jason Ditz
Anti-War.com
Fri, 19 Aug 2011 05:54 UTC
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Insists Slain Leaders Were Responsible for Thursday's Attacks

Speaking today at Soroka Hospital, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the PRC leaders slain in yesterday's bombing attack on the Gaza city of Rafah were responsible for the Thursday attacks inside southern Israel. He also said they were "only the beginning."

"We have a policy of extracting a very high price from anyone who causes us harm," insisted Netanyahu, who thanked the military and Shin Bet for "wiping out the leaders" of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) in the attack. The PRC has denied responsibility for the attacks.

This leaves the question of what retaliation is possible, if, as Netanyahu put it, "those who gave the order to murder our citizens while hiding in Gaza are no longer among the living." He gave no indication who else would be bombed.

Comment: "Those who gave the order" probably came from inside Israel:

Another Israeli False Flag?

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Star of David

Another Israeli False Flag?

Stephen Lendman
sjlendman.blogspot.com
Sun, 21 Aug 2011 05:05 UTC
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Mossad and Shin Bet (Israel's Security Agency) have long, odious histories of committing them. More on that below.

At issue now is whether the August 18 bus and other attacks inside Israel were committed by external elements or Israel, and if so, why?

Also at issue always is cui bono? In fact, Hamas and various Palestinian resistance groups have nothing to gain. Clearly Israel benefits greatly at least two ways:

(1) The upcoming September UN General Assembly vote on Palestinian self-determination Israel very much wants to derail.

(2) Weeks of nationwide internal social justice protests Netanyahu also wants to diffuse and end.
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Star of David

UK government openly backs Zionist funded EDL


Press TV
Sun, 21 Aug 2011 04:42 UTC
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Analysts have voiced their concerns over British government's miscarriage of justice, sentencing a boy for stealing a bottle of water to six months imprisonment, but gave away an EDL thug attacking a mosque with £ 200.

British government has taken one more step in favor of Zionist funded English Defence League (EDL) by passing very light sentences on its members who overtly shouted "we'll burn your mosques."

During last week's massive unrests across England, thousands of people were arrested and appeared in courts and received harsh sentences even on minor crimes, since the cabinet ministers reportedly violated the judiciary's independence.

Following the widespread unrests in England, two men were sentenced to four years in prison for inciting riots on Facebook and one man was sentenced to 18 months for having a stolen TV in his car.
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Star of David

Israeli gallery gives up plans to take part in Russian art fair due to Russia's support for the Palestinian declaration of independence


RIA Novosti
Sun, 21 Aug 2011 04:12 UTC
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© RIA Novosti. Dmitry Korobeinikov
The 5th International Art Fair "Art Moscow" in 2010. At the exhibition hall.
Israel's N&N Aman Gallery was forced to give up its plans to participate in Russia's largest contemporary art fair Art Moscow due to political reasons, Art Moscow reported on Saturday.

The fair organizers say the reason for this is Russia's support for the Palestinian National Authority's initiative to ask the UN to recognize an independent Palestinian state.

"Because Russia supports this decision, the Israeli government banned Israeli companies from participating in all international projects, all the more so Russian ones," a statement from the Art Moscow organizers said.
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Star of David

Israeli flag replaced with Egyptian at Cairo embassy


RIA Novosti
Sun, 21 Aug 2011 03:48 UTC
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© Reuters/ Mohamed Abd El-Ghany
People near Israeli embassy in Cairo
A demonstrator who replaced the Israeli flag with the Egyptian one on the roof of the Israeli embassy in Cairo early on Sunday was hailed as a hero by other protesters, eyewitnesses reported.

Five Egyptian policemen were reportedly killed by Israeli helicopters on Thursday. Egypt demanded an official apology, but there was none.

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© Reuters/ Mohamed Abd El-Ghany
People near Israeli embassy in Cairo
Egyptian authorities on Saturday said they would recall the country's ambassador to Israel but later canceled their decision, saying they would limit themselves to inviting the Israeli ambassador to Egypt for consultations at the Foreign Ministry in Cairo.
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Clock

Months Later - Al-Qaida in Iraq: 100 attacks to avenge bin Laden

Qassim Abdul-Zahra
Associated Press
Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:44 UTC
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© AP/Karim Kadim
Iraqi police officers are seen as one search a motorbike at a checkpoint in central Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011.
Baghdad - Al-Qaida in Iraq has vowed to carry out "100 attacks" across the country, starting in the middle of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, to exact revenge for the death of Osama bin Laden.

The terror group's statement was released on militant websites late Friday. It said the attacks will avenge bin Laden, who was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan in May, and other slain senior al-Qaida leaders.

"By God's will, the campaign starts in the middle of the fasting month (of Ramadan) and ends by God's will after 100 attacks exactly," it said.

The statement said the campaign would include "varied attacks, including raids, martyrdom operations (suicide attacks), roadside bombs, silenced guns and snipers, in all cities, rural areas and provinces" across Iraq.

Comment: A War on Terror, or a War of Terror?

The Politics of Terror as the Business of Terror

Why You Should Think That The War On Terror Is A Sick Joke


What website - "statement was released on militant websites late Friday"?
"..the campaign starts in the middle of the fasting month (of Ramadan).." Why during a religious time?

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Heart - Black

US Has New Catastrophic Killing Machine


Press TV
Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:36 UTC
HDRM explosion

High-Density Reactive Material (HDRM) missiles increase the chances of a "catastrophic kill," according to US military scientists.
The US Office of Naval Research has successfully tested a new type of high density substance for use in missiles with the ability to drastically increase their impact.

The new type of explosive material tested on Friday mixes metals and polymers -- oxidizers -- to create a chemical explosion on impact, is as strong as aluminum and is as dense as steel, but is "less likely to kill innocent bystanders," the state-run BBC quoted US Navy scientists as saying.

High-Density Reactive Materials (HDRM) combine and explode only when the projectile hits the target, and are very durable, significantly enhancing the explosive effect, which increases the chances of a "catastrophic kill," according to the military scientists.
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