A video has gone viral on social media of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a high school gymnasium bringing a teenage Palestinian refugee to tears after telling her that she is not welcome in Germany. What comes next is cringe inducing. Merkel tries to "hug" the teen named Reem Sahwil, 14, then settles on awkwardly stroking her arm. Thus, the hashtag #merkelstreichelt (Merkel strokes) along with images mocking the petting chancellor ensued.
The Guardian subtitled the video into English, which was filmed today at an event entitled, the "Good life in Germany" at a school in Rostock, Germany. Reem is one of many children at the forum and explained to Merkel that her family is facing deportation. They arrived in Germany from a Lebanese refugee camp four years ago, reported The Guardian.
"I have goals like anyone else. I want to study like them ... it's very unpleasant to see how others can enjoy life, and I can't myself," Reem told the chancellor. In response an unmoved Merkel said, "I understand what you are saying, nonetheless politics is hard sometimes. There are thousands and thousands more in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. And if we say 'you can all come here,' 'you can all come over from Africa,' we can't cope with that."
Puppet Masters
The militants were preparing for terror acts on July 17 during the celebration of Eid al-Fitr and an attack on the aviation base in northern Kyrgyzstan, where they planned to seize weapons
The militants, who were killed and detained during a special mission in Kyrgyzstan on Thursday, were members of the Islamic State, the national security committee reported on Friday.
"On July 16, 2015, in Bishkek, the national security committee had a special anti-terror mission against militants of the Islamic State international terrorist organization," the security committee's press service said. "This underground group was preparing for terror acts on July 17 during the celebration of Eid al-Fitr and an attack on the aviation base in the city of Kant in northern Kyrgyzstan, where the militants planned to seize weapons."
© AP Photo Archive/Hatem Moussa
"On July 16, 2015, in Bishkek, the national security committee had a special anti-terror mission against militants of the Islamic State international terrorist organization," the security committee's press service said. "This underground group was preparing for terror acts on July 17 during the celebration of Eid al-Fitr and an attack on the aviation base in the city of Kant in northern Kyrgyzstan, where the militants planned to seize weapons."
Comment: No doubt Russia is keeping a close eye on Washington's ISIS operating so close to its borders:
© mil.gov.ua
He is only the highest ranking among a clutch of disillusioned insiders who claim that black financial flows remain intrinsic to Ukrainian politics.
"Officials on the highest level have not stepped back from business ties, but it not just business, not just accountants, who are using these [offshore] schemes, but also the 'enforcers' [informal parliamentary party whips] who run $500,000 through offshores each week. A simple question - where is this money going to?" Nalivaichenko asked. "The answer: to pay off MPs, government officials, law enforcement."
Comment: It's business as usual with the oligarchs:
Corrupt to the core: The lasting legacy of Ukraine's oligarchy
© www.commondreams.org
The bandwagon has started...
The bandwagon has started...
They naively think electing new bums replacing old ones improves things. Their choices are among an array of long ago bought and paid for candidates supporting what most harms them.
The late Gore Vidal said "(b)y the time a (candidate) gets to be presidential material, (he or she has) been bought ten times over."
"There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party (with) two right wings: Republican and Democrat," he explained.
Hillary Clinton perhaps represents the worst choice among an array of aspirants looking more like a police lineup. Previous articles explained her warmongering lust for endless conflicts. She's unabashedly hawkish.
Comment: With Hillary in charge, nothing is likely to improve for the average American and certainly not for the hapless residents of countries who will be in the cross-hairs of her war-machine.
- The manipulation of populism by Hilary Clinton and the elites
- Hillary Clinton's lucrative life of crime
- Murderous Hillary the hawk
- False feminism: Hillary Clinton and her financial backers are no friends to women
- Voting for Hillary? You may want to recall the Clinton body count
- Hillary running for president in 2016 - God help us all
In this American land of make-believe, Iran is assailed as the chief instigator of instability in the Middle East. Yet, any sane and informed person would dispute that assessment, noting the far greater contributions made by Israel, Saudi Arabia and, indeed, the United States.
© Reuters
A man watches a board showing the graphs of stock prices at a brokerage office in Beijing, China, July 6, 2015.
A man watches a board showing the graphs of stock prices at a brokerage office in Beijing, China, July 6, 2015.
In a report on the Chinese news site ifeng.com, an analyst said the sell-off was similar to what took place in Hong Kong in 1997, when the territory's benchmark Hang Seng Index plunged 60% after peaking at 16,673 points.
The steep drop in share prices in Hong Kong in 1997 was caused by financier George Soros, who shorted both the Hong Kong dollar and the Hang Seng Index futures, the analyst said, adding that similar practices were observed in the last two trading sessions in China.
Comment: Given how many times we know Soros et al have done this in the past, it's plausible that the recent slump on Chinese markets is the result of a Western financial weapon.
© AP Photo/ SPA
Lifting sanctions over the next year could potentially leave Iran flush with more than $100 billion in unfrozen funds and new revenues - resources the Saudis say Tehran will use to expand its proxy wars.
"An Iran without sanctions will pump billions of dollars to its proxies, which are destabilizing Yemen, Syria, and Iraq," said Jasser al Jasser, managing editor of the pro-government Al Jazeerah daily. "Saudi Arabia will not allow Iran to take advantage of this deal."
Comment: Ah yes, Iran gets blamed for 'destabilizing' regions because those regions don't want to be a part of the murderous elites from Saudi Arabia and the West. Events are going to start flaring up as Saudi Arabia plays with its new military 'toys' from the US.
A Trident II (D-5) missile underwater launch.
While many Royal Navy captains hold responsibility for their crew, Trident submarine commanders also bear a far more macabre role: the duty to play Britain's final political and diplomatic hand possible. Within the bowels of each boat lays two safes, an outer and an inner, and within that inner safe sits the letter of last resort.
Comment: Imagine if all nuclear countries have a similar program?
© Unknown
Nonsense.
The roller coaster lasted a few days. And then it was gone. Significantly, major US funds - including Fidelity and Goldman Sachs - were among the first to declare the turbulence over, and move on. Goldman Sachs, by the way, soon reverted to bullish. Its chief China economist, Kinger Lau, predicted that Shanghai will rally 27 percent over the next 12 months.
So this is not a bubble. At least not yet. Beijing has a lot of tools to - as newspeak goes - "support the market." According to Little Helmsman Deng Xiaoping's maxim, "Socialism with Chinese characteristics," which will stop at nothing to control the "irrational exuberance" of the markets.
The IMF - considering its disaster capitalism record all across the developing world, not to mention the post-1997 Asian financial crisis - is never a reliable source. But in this case, IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard at least did not make a fool of himself; he emphasized China's casino stock market "doesn't reflect on the fundamentals" of its economy. The slump, he added, "was very much a sideshow."
Operations led by Shia militia groups were already underway in the vicinity of ISIS-held Fallujah prior to the announcement of the ISF's new Anbar operation, indicating the independence of several groups from the command and control of the Iraqi government. Nonetheless, attacks and engagements around Ramadi increased following the announcement.
Ramadi had been mostly quiet after the fall of the city to ISIS in late May 2015, and its reemergence as a frontline suggests that the Iraqi government may intend to designate the city as its main objective while Iran-backed Shia forces prioritize Fallujah.
Comment: It should be remembered that it is Western money to include support from Germany that has caused this girl to be a refugee in the first place. Germany's zealous support for Israel is no different from their shameful past as Nazis.