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'Organized withdrawal'? 3000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in last month


Sputnik
Thu, 19 Feb 2015 15:21 UTC
debaltsevo
© AP Photo/ Sergei Chuzavkov
Approximately 3,000 Ukrainian troops were killed during battles in the city of Debaltseve, the east Ukrainian self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic's negotiator said Thursday.


Comment: This appears to be incorrect. In Basurin's latest press briefing he listed the total losses of the last 32 days of fighting, which included 3158 men killed on the Ukrainian side. This is most likely what the figure above refers to. In contrast, Basurin mentions 150 Ukrainian troops killed in the last day of fighting.


"We emphasized the issue of resolving the 'surrounding of Debaltseve' back [when we were] in Minsk, and the heads of the DPR and LPR (Luhansk People's Republic) wanted to sign the solution to this problem in order to save the lives of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, but Kiev did everything possible to brush this off by saying that the situation was under control and they weren't interested in the lives of so many military personnel," Russkaya Sluzhba news agency cited Denis Pushilin as saying.

Pushilin did not express the timeframe of the battle he had in mind.

Comment: The Novorossiyan flag is now flying in central Debaltsevo, the town now has a new mayor, plans are being made for the town's reconstruction - it is 100% under NAF control. This is a catastrophic defeat for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. And they have no one to blame but themselves, or rather, their inept leaders. Just read President Poroshenko's recent flight into fantasy:
I can inform now that this morning the Armed Forces of Ukraine together with the National Guard completed the operation on the planned and organized withdrawal of a part of units from Debaltsevo. We can say that 80% of troops have been already withdrawn. ... We can assert that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have fulfilled their tasks completely. This position and success were urgently necessary for us in the course of the Minsk negotiations and after them. ... We were asserting and proved: Debaltseve was under our control, there was no encirclement, and our troops left the area in a planned and organized manner with all the heavy weaponry: tanks, APCs, self-propelled artillery and vehicles. ... I can say that despite tough artillery and MLRS shelling, according to the recent data, we have 30 wounded out of more than 2,000 warriors.

I would like to say that Russia, which yesterday required the Ukrainian warriors to lay down arms, raise the white flag and surrender, was put to shame by the given actions. ... We are holding the new defense lines. ... we successfully completed the operation and will have an opportunity to further defend the state.
Absolutely disgusting. Because of Kiev's pathological inability to compromise and admit defeat, they condemned thousands of men to death. How's that for a "planned and organized withdrawal"? Mission accomplished, Poroshenko?



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Syringe

Homeland Security stockpiling billions of dollars of experimental vaccines

Brian Shilhavy
Health Impact News
Wed, 18 Feb 2015 15:26 UTC
Image

Project “Bioshiel/homeland-security-stockpiling-billions-of-dollars-of-experimental-d” allows the U.S. Government to stockpile billions of dollars worth of experimental vaccines that have never been approved by the FDA to be used on American Citizens when the government declares a state of emergency.
The U.S. Government has guaranteed a thriving U.S. vaccine market for pharmaceutical companies by purchasing billions of dollars worth of vaccines every year with U.S. taxpayer dollars.

As we have previously reported, the CDC (U.S. Government Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is the largest purchaser of vaccines in the U.S., spending over $4 billion annually to purchase vaccines that are approved by the FDA. Since the CDC is the government agency responsible for overseeing vaccine safety, this creates a huge conflict of interest.

Comment: So what do we have here? The U.S. Government guarantees to put billions of dollars worth of vaccines from big pharma on tax payers dime giving the pharmaceutical companies a nice hefty profit, then Homeland Security decides to get in on the act buying billions worth of non approved vaccinations for use in times of "national emergency." Sounds like a "shot in the arm" for the American public!

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Pirates

Washington's latest genius solution for dealing with 'bad' terrorists: Give the 'good' terrorists communication devices for calling in airstrikes


RT
Thu, 19 Feb 2015 12:55 UTC
Image

'My fellow Americans, hang onto my every word as I tell you our latest genius plan...'
The US will provide its "moderate" rebel ground force in Syria with armored pickup trucks and communication tools to call-in airstrikes, under a new plan that Washington is pursuing in order to curb the ISIS threat it helped create, according to the WSJ.

Moderate fighters are to receive Toyota Hi-Lux pickups with machine guns with GPS devices to help the US-led bombing mission coordinate strikes against the jihadi militants, The Wall Street Journal reported, stressing that the final decision to provide air support to the rebels hasn't been made.

Based on information from several sources, the publication states the plan is part of a "train-and-equip" program that is due to begin next month and will mark the first time Washington has openly armed the rebels. The Pentagon hopes to outmaneuver ISIS in the region by providing the rebels with "superior" training and air support capabilities.

Based on the experience of the Kobani campaign last year, where rebels called in American B-1B bombers for help, officials hope the strategy will succeed. "The way we envision it, it would be very similar to Kobani," said a senior military official.

Comment: What could possibly go wrong?

This 'solution', of course, is not meant to actually 'solve the problem'. As explained by the defense analyst at the Heritage Foundation, it's a PR stunt to keep the 'global ISIS threat' alive.

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Bullseye

Ralph Nader - What's happening to Canada? An open letter to Stephen Harper

Ralph Nader
Common Dreams
Wed, 18 Feb 2015 00:00 UTC
Image


In his letter to Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Nader warns against following the U.S. example when it comes to counter-terrorism measures. (Photo: Canada PM Office/flickr/cc)
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2

Dear Prime Minister:

Many Americans love Canada and the specific benefits that have come to our country from our northern neighbor's many achievements (see Canada Firsts by Nader, Conacher and Milleron). Unfortunately, your latest proposed legislation—the new anti-terrorism act—is being described by leading Canadian civil liberties scholars as hazardous to Canadian democracy.
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Eye 2

British media's demonization of Russia is freaky to behold

John Wight
RT
Wed, 18 Feb 2015 14:29 UTC
Vladimir Putin
© RIA Novosti Alexey Nikolsky
Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The demonization of Vladimir Putin and Russia by the British political establishment and media has never been as intense as in the wake of the recent Ukraine peace talks in Minsk.

Rather than preparing British public opinion for peace and a negotiated settlement to a conflict which thus far has cost the lives of over 5,000 people and seen over a million displaced, the opposite has been evident: British public opinion is being prepared for a continuation and intensification of the conflict.

The characterization of the Russian leader has been so off the scale it is hard to imagine anyone being naïve enough to take it seriously.

When he's not being compared to Hitler, an especially offensive caricature for historical reasons, he is being accused of harboring ambitions of forging a 'Russian Empire'.

That such accusations stem from a nation whose government has played a key part in reducing Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya to a state of chaos in recent years, a consequence of the UK's attachment to Washington's brutal and disastrous assault on the Arab and Muslim world, only makes them all the more hypocritical if not downright noxious.

But then this should come as no surprise, as we've been here before, haven't we? Remember when Venezuela's Hugo Chavez was being similarly demonized and held up as a dictator? His crime when he came to power and remained there on the back of numerous democratic elections was his refusal to allow Venezuela's wealth to continue to be shipped out of the country, as it had been for decades, by a small group of Western-supported oligarchs.

Comment: Exactly, Britain doesn't need large resources to control minds: its ideological domination and ruthlessness in playing one group of people off another suffice to shape global discourse.

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Arrow Down

Hong Kong's chief executive publicly tells citizens to "act more like sheep"

Michael Krieger
Liberty Blitzkrieg
Thu, 19 Feb 2015 03:39 UTC
CY Leung
© Jerome Favre/Bloomberg
CY Leung delivers his policy address in the chamber of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong last month.
Hong Kong's unpopular chief executive has infuriated pro-democracy campaigners by using a Chinese New Year message to urge the former colony's citizens to act more "like sheep".

"In the coming year, I hope that all people in Hong Kong will take inspiration from the sheep's character and pull together in an accommodating manner to work for Hong Kong's future."

In case his message had been missed, Mr Leung noted that the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac had 12 individual "character types". "Sheep are widely seen to be mild and gentle animals living peacefully in groups," he said.

- From the Telegraph article: Hong Kong leader tells people to act like 'sheep'
This is simply a spectacular admission from a clueless authoritarian. No wonder things are so volatile in Hong Kong with this clown in charge. Rather than quieting the mood, CY Leung's comments are more likely to infuriate the island's youth and strength their resolve. Not smart.
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Snakes in Suits

Ukraine gas prices skyrocket 280% as part of IMF aid terms


RT
Wed, 18 Feb 2015 00:21 UTC
Image
© Reuters / Regis Duvignau

Comment: With friends like the IMF, who needs enemies?


Ukraine has agreed to increase the cost of gas to consumer by 280 percent, and 66 percent for heating, as part of the IMF terms for getting extra financial aid, says Valery Gontareva the head of the National Bank of Ukraine.

"From now on, in accordance with our joint program with the IMF, the tariffs will see rather a sharp increase of 280 percent for gas and about 66 percent for heat," said Gontareva Wednesday during the 11th Dragon Capital investment conference in Kiev. She added that as a result inflation will be 25-26 percent by the end of 2015.

The tariff rises are part of the amendments to the 2015 budget the government has had to introduce in order to receive an $8.5 billion loan from the IMF by the end of the year.

The changes will also see Ukraine's budget deficit growing to 4.1 percent of GDP and forecasts a 5.5 percent decline in the Ukrainian economy.

Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk had warned of future price rises for gas and heating, and stressed the IMF saved Ukraine from default, and now it's time to make moves which should eventually result in Ukraine's complete independence from Russian gas.
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Eye 2

Poland complicity in CIA torture program confirmed by European court


RT
Wed, 18 Feb 2015 00:15 UTC
Image
© Reuters / Kacper Pempel
Military area in the forest near Stare Kiejkuty village, close to Szczytno in northeastern Poland
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rejected Poland's appeal to overturn a criminal investigation into officials working at a secret prison used in the CIA torture program. The Polish government now has to conclude its investigation and pay damages.

The original July 2014 ruling by the court included a demand that Poland swiftly conclude a criminal investigation into the jail in question - code-named Quartz - and pay compensation totaling $262,660 to two men who were held and tortured at the site. Both men are still imprisoned in the United States in the Guantanamo Bay prison complex in Cuba.

"Poland is required to finally conduct a thorough and effective investigation, make public information concerning its role and hold those responsible to account," Helen Duffy, the lawyer for one of the men, Abu Zubaydah, said of Tuesday's decision. Alleged Al-Qaeda associate Zubaydah was said to have been waterboarded 83 times during his detention by the CIA.
Polish appeal in CIA jail case fails: <br>Warsaw - The European Court of Human Rights refused on Tuesday... http://t.co/2PwFgsg9IT

— Poland News Links (@dlpolandnews) February 17, 2015
Lawyers for the detainees said the investigation was being deliberately stalled to avoid a politically embarrassing trial, possibly for the senior Polish officials involved, but prosecutors denied that and said the case was complex and needed time.

Comment: This isn't much of a surprise. It really seems like Poland has gone Nazi under the rule of ex-Commies.

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Bad Guys

Canada adds Russian oil producer Rosneft to sanctions list


RT
Wed, 18 Feb 2015 00:04 UTC
Image
© Reuters / Chris Wattie

Comment: Like the rest of the Western "powers", Canada is just shooting itself in the foot. It makes one wonder if somebody isn't blackmailing somebody else.


Canada has added Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft, and the CEO of Rostec, to a sanctions blacklist along with 37 Ukrainians and 17 Russian and Ukrainian organizations. They are all covered by economic sanctions and travel bans.

It's a coordinated move with the European Union and the United States, who have already imposed a number of sanctions on Russia, according to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"In coordination with our EU and US partners, Canada is once again intensifying its response to the situation by announcingfurther sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian individuals and entities," Harper said in a statement on his official website on Tuesday.

Canada has been trying for months to resist the pressure on taking any further restrictive measures against Russia, despite the fact it had already sanctioned 80 Russian and Ukrainian officials last year. Last May, the country decided not to impose sanctions against Rosneft and Rostec because it didn't want politics to hurt Canada's biggest business projects.

Russia's oil giant Rosneft owns about 30 percent of an ExxonMobil oil field in the Canadian province of Alberta. Rosneft purchased a stake in the Cardium basin deposit in 2012; the deal became Russia's first Canadian presence and was expected to benefit Canada's economy by accelerating resource development.

Russian state-owned industrial and defense firm Rostec, and Canadian plane and train maker Bombardier signed a $3.4 billion deal two years ago. The companies had decided to establish joint venture to produce Q400 aircraft, which Canada recognized as a "landmark opportunity for the Q400 NextGen aircraft program." The venture intended to build 24 aircraft a year, with some 250 constructed by 2030. The deal was postponed last year due to the anti-Russian sanctions imposed then by the Canadian government.
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UFO

Former White House chief of staff regrets not being able to disclose UFO secrets

Travis Gettys
Raw Story
Wed, 18 Feb 2015 22:40 UTC
Image
© Jayne Clark, USA TODAY
Alien statues posed outside a flying saucer are the centerpiece exhibit at the International UFO Museum in Roswell.
Longtime White House insider excited UFO buffs with a tweet last week expressing his regrets as he left an advisor post with the Obama administration.

"Finally, my biggest failure of 2014: Once again not securing the #disclosure of the UFO files. #thetruthisstilloutthere," said John Podesta, who stepped down from his senior advisor post Friday.
1. Finally, my biggest failure of 2014: Once again not securing the #disclosure of the UFO files. #thetruthisstilloutthere cc: @NYTimesDowd

— John Podesta (@Podesta44) February 13, 2015
Podesta has encouraged government officials to release information about unexplained UFO cases, including an appeal during a 2002 news conference at the National Press Club.

Nearly 130,000 pages of declassified Air Force files on UFO investigations and sightings were dumped online last month by hobbyist John Greenwald, who compiled every available document from Project Blue Book and other government studies conducted between 1947 and 1969.

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