Welcome to Sott.net
Fri, 29 Oct 2021
The World for People who Think

Puppet Masters
Map

Briefcase

The IMF leaks Greece

Raúl Ilargi Meijer
The Automatic Earth
Mon, 18 May 2015 15:27 UTC
Image
© Reuters
Whenever secret or confidential information or documents are leaked to the press, the first question should always be who leaked it and why. That's often more important than the contents of what has been leaked. And since there's been a lot of hullabaloo about a leaked document the past two days, here's a closer look. Spoiler alert: the document(s) don't reveal much of anything new, despite the hullabaloo.

On Saturday, Paul Mason at Channel 4 in Britain posted an IMF document(s) that according to him says, among other things, that the IMF expects a June 5 Grexit - in one form or another - if there is no agreement before that date between Athens and its creditors, 'the institutions' (of which the IMF itself is one).

The leaking is simply what it is as long as we don't know the how and why. But the question will remain why somebody takes the risk to leak something only a small and select group of people are privy to. Is it leaked because it's politically important, does Paul Mason pay a lot of money for leaks? Or is it perhaps an intentional leak, in this case ordered by IMF higher-ups? And if so, for what reason? A veiled threat?
      Read More...
Stock Down

Representatives of international finance warn world leaders of coming economic crisis


Sputnik News
Tue, 19 May 2015 14:08 UTC
Image
© Sputnik/ Igor Samoilov
Representatives of the international financial industry are calling on state leaders to take precautions regarding the next possible economic crisis. They fear that too much money has flowed in the wrong direction and are appealing to strengthen controls over the granting of loans, Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten reported.

Heads of international financial companies have warned of the possible bursting of asset bubbles and called on state governments to better control the granting of loans to avoid a new financial crisis, DWN reported.

The paper released under the moderation of the World Economic Forum (WEF) points out that fundamental problems of the financial markets have not been resolved, despite the fact that central banks pumped millions into money markets.

Comment: There has already been plenty of "interaction" between banks and political circles, and that's one of the problems in an oligarchy. For a great overview of this economic quagmire, check out 2015 the BRICS checkmate Western finance:
Long story short, banks are investing way more money than they own. Thanks to those investments that reach into the $trillions, they totally control most markets and, of course, they make huge profits when the market goes in the direction they want. But they also take tremendous risks if the market goes in the other direction.


      Read More...
Snakes in Suits

Texas officially prohibits cities from banning fracking


RT
Tue, 19 May 2015 14:51 UTC
Image
© Reuters/Terry Wade
A new Texas law signed by Republican Governor Greg Abbott prohibits cities and towns from imposing local ordinances to prevent fracking and other potentially environmentally harmful oil and natural gas activities.

In debating the law, Texas lawmakers emphasized the state's successful development of oil and gas for more than 100 years. The bill received a two-thirds majority vote in the Texas House and Senate. The law preempts municipal authorities from regulating oil and gas operations "within its boundaries or extraterritorial jurisdiction." Local authorities can only pass ordinances and other measures to "regulate only surface activity" in ways that are "commercially reasonable" to oil and gas operations.

Comment: This is a big win for the oil and gas companies. The bill was dressed up as a win for property owners' rights and job creation when in actuality it was about big business getting their way regardless of the consequences to people and the environment.

      Read More...
Yoda

Western isolation of Russia has failed, opens new opportunities for Putin


Sputnik
Tue, 19 May 2015 13:46 UTC
Image
© Sputnik/ Vladimir Pesnya
All attempts by Western countries to put political and economic pressure on Russia have failed. If anything, they have helped Vladimir Putin to become an even more popular leader, Boulevard Voltaire said.

Over the last year, Russia has gone through some tough times — the political isolation from the West over the country's alleged intervention in the Ukrainian crisis, the fall of the ruble and economic sanctions.

However, at the end of the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin came out as a victor from all the adversities and should even thank the West for giving him an opportunity to strengthen his country, open up new economic venues and unite his citizens under a new national idea, French magazine Boulevard Voltaire reported.

After the Western-backed illegal coup that ousted officially elected Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014 and the start of the Ukrainian civil war, Russia was able to re-unite with Crimea. The people of the Crimean peninsula did not accept the illegal coup in Kiev and voted to get out of Ukraine and join back the Russian Federation. Thus, Russia ended up expanding its territory, Boulevard Voltaire said.

Comment: It's clear by now that the West has initiated its own downfall by overstepping its bounds. Instead of harming Russia, the Western sanctions have created a more united and stronger Russia under Putin's leadership. Worthy leaders know how to utilize adversity and apply the lessons learned to enrich the people and systems they are responsible for. Putin is doing just that.

      Read More...
Magnify

Problem solved: NATO and EU want to bomb 'refugee terrorists' they created

Ante Sarlija & Niall Bradley
Sott.net
Tue, 19 May 2015 16:25 UTC
Image

2015
The latest chapter in NATO's 'anti-terror' operations seems to be opening up, again in Libya.

In case you didn't know, 'ISIS jihadists' are coming to Europe and the UK! Disguised as Muslim refugees they are "hell-bent on committing atrocities," thus the necessity of 'bombing them over there so we don't have to bomb them here'. The story goes that ISIS is 'blending in' with refugees on their boat crossings to Europe, thus ALL refugees coming to Europe could potentially be 'terrorists'. So, bomb them!

The US (NATO) which is responsible for causing the humanitarian crisis and, as it happens, ISIS itself, is once again offering a 'solution' to a problem it created. If you don't want hordes of refugees, then don't bomb their homes; that's the simple truth that is lost on NATO warmongers. But the price of killing innocent people - as Madeleine Albright would say - is always "worth it". Especially when you can just call the refugees you create "terrorists", and threaten to kill them too.

NATO is not only capitalizing on the ISIS 'threat', it's using the 'concern' about the refugee crisis it created to continue to 'manage' the Middle East in a way that ensures Western control of the oil spigot and keeps Russia and China out of southwest Asia. Another Western intervention will, of course, cause even more displaced persons and spawn more terrorists in a never-ending loop, but don't expect the goons running NATO to care or have the perspicacity to foresee that inevitable consequence. It's a twisted world of psychopaths in power that wouldn't appear in your worst nightmares.
      Read More...
Bomb

At least 5 dead, 42 wounded by huge explosion in Afghan capital


Sputnik
Tue, 19 May 2015 13:07 UTC
explosion in Kabul
© Twitter/Masood Alam

A huge explosion has reportedly hit a diplomatic area of the Afghan capital.

A loud explosion, gunshots were heard in the diplomatic area of Kabul on Tuesday. The diplomatic area is located just beside of the presidential palace and the building of the Justice Ministry.

Comment: Is this related to Russia's decision to stop the transit of NATO military cargo to Afghanistan through its territory?

      Read More...
Light Saber

Putin dismisses top ranking officials


Tass
Fri, 08 May 2015 12:50 UTC
Image
© Alexei Nikolsky/Russian presidential press service/TASS
Russian president Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed a number of top-ranking officers of the Russian Interior Ministry, Emergencies Ministry, the Investigations Committee and the Federal Service for Drug Control, according to a decree posted on the official internet portal of legal information on Friday.

Thus, the president dismissed internal services Major General, chief of the directorate for relations with civil society institutions and mass media of the Russian Interior Ministry Andrei Pilipchuk.

Comment: Putin has a long history of cleaning house when needed. Ustinov, linked to the "siloviki" hardliners, had previously been removed from his position as Prosecutor-General in 2006. It appears Putin may again be taking a stand against some of the more hawkish influences of the Russian government.

      Read More...
Take 2

Obama might have just given up on Ukraine, and Western media simply ignored it

Eric Zeusse
Washington's Blog
Mon, 18 May 2015 00:00 UTC
Image
© Unknown
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the meeting in Sochi: "Yes, this would be the way to avert further disaster, John."
On Tuesday, May 12th, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was asked at a press conference in Sochi Russia, to respond to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's recent statements promising renewed war against Donbass, which were made first on April 30th, "The war will end when Ukraine regains Donbass and Crimea," and which were repeated on May 11th, by his saying, "I have no doubt, we will free the [Donetsk] Airport, because it is our land." In other words, Poroshenko had repeatedly made clear that he plans a third invasion of Donbass, and, ultimately, also to invade and retake Crimea. (The Western press, however, had not reported any of these threats that were being made by Poroshenko.)

Kerry responded:

" I have not had a chance - I have not read the speech. I haven't seen any context. I have simply heard about it in the course of today [which would be shocking if true]. But if indeed President Poroshenko is advocating an engagement in a forceful effort at this time, we would strongly urge him to think twice not to engage in that kind of activity, that that would put Minsk in serious jeopardy. And we would be very, very concerned about what the consequences of that kind of action at this time may be."

Comment: Unfortunately there is also, probably, a 'Plan C' being played out that the Obama Administration is not even aware of, or privy to, at this time. Plan C, would have been devised by those who truly pull the strings and basically tell the White House what to do. Such a Plan C would mean "playing nice" for now until a new strategy for instilling chaos in Russia and Eurasia could be devised - and may already be in progress but requires more time to develop and implement. Considering, also, how important Ukraine is to an overall strategy of attacking Russia, don't be surprised if the administration does yet another about face towards supporting the Kiev regime's aggression towards its eastern populations. Remember what we're dealing with here.

      Read More...
Wolf

How George Soros dodges his $6.7 billion tax bill

James Hall
BATR
Wed, 13 May 2015 10:19 UTC
George soros
Hedge Fund schemers are the modern version of robber barons. At the top of the list of unscrupulous manipulators is the Nazi collaborator, George Soros. With reports like in Forbes that George Soros May Owe Billions In Taxes, an alarm should go off to all investors.

"By the early 2000s, hedge funds were considered de rigeur for sophisticated investors willing to take a risk in exchange for potential wealth. As that potential wealth grew, so did the potential tax bill, and managers began looking at other options. The solution? Investing in offshore hedge funds. Hedge fund managers are generally taxed on income in the country where the fund is located making relocating to the usual offshore suspects such as the Caymans, Bermuda and Ireland attractive. Tax was essentially deferred on fees from these funds until it landed in the hands of those in the U.S."

The 2008 financial meltdown had all the Wall Street elites scrambling to protect their investment, while avoiding the day of reckoning with the tax man. One such effort as Forbes cites allowed for another deferred work around.

The change was inserted into the (Public Law 110-343) - and if that sounds familiar, you're not imagining it. That law was also instrumental in the administration of the Troubled Assets Relief Program, or TARP. The new law essentially banned the deferral of fees and compensation by these offshore hedge funds.

Moving the domicile for the Soros fund to Ireland was an attempt to circumvent the intent of an ill-written law.

Comment: This is one way the 1% rig the game.

      Read More...
Nuke

'Nuclear disaster waiting to happen': Royal Navy probes Trident whistleblower's claims


RT
Mon, 18 May 2015 02:24 UTC
HMS Victorious
© Reuters / Danny Lawson
HMS Victorious is seen berthed at the Clyde Naval Base in Scotland
The Royal Navy has launched an investigation into whistleblower William McNeilly, who exposed horrid security lapses in UK's trident nuclear program which make it easier for intruders to access some secured areas than enter "most nightclubs."

UK authorities are "concerned for the whereabouts" of the 25-year old whistleblower, who went absent without leave and cooperated with WikiLeaks to post a detailed 18-page report called The Nuclear Secrets.

McNeilly, a weapons engineer, who allegedly served from January to April this year on board the HMS Victorious, claims that a number of security lapses and technical faults with the Trident missiles carrier exposes the UK nuclear deterrent to potential terrorist attacks that "would kill our people and destroy our land."

Possible attackers have "the perfect opportunity to send nuclear warheads crashing down on the UK," he claims.

In his revelations, the whistleblower notes some 30 safety and security flaws on Trident submarines that are based out of Faslane on the Clyde, Scotland. McNeilly took his time outlining the ease at which potential terrorist can infiltrate the secured base.

"At a Base security brief we were told that thousands of Royal Navy IDs go missing every year. A terrorist can use them, or create counterfeits with them and easily gain access down the submarine. Considering most of the guards barely look at them from a few metres (couple of feet if they're the rare ones) away the fakes wouldn't have to be too perfect," the whistleblower explains.

"I've shown a room card or nothing, at least once at every check point," McNeilly wrote.

An intruder could bring inside the secured facility any private electronic device to potentially steal top secret data - or even weapons and explosives, since the whistleblower claims, contractors and their equipment are hardly ever being searched.

"You can carry anything through the security check points without it being checked!" he says in the report. Personnel Electronics should be banned yet the policy isn't enforced. You can bring whatever electronic devices you want onboard... They use their own personal electronics right beside the missiles."

Comment: See also: Welfare not warfare: Protest in London against £100 billion nuke replacement plan

      Read More...
Amazon Smile
Revolt! T-shirts