Turkey's ‘Sunnistan’ in Iraq. Sultan Erdogan's calculated move into the ultimate ‘Pipelineistan’ war.

Crippled in Syria, Turkey goes for a ‘Sunnistan’ in Iraq

 

Published time: 9 Dec, 2015 13:01

 

© Fatih Saribas / Reuters

 

Turkey’s “incursion” into Iraq is a cold, calculated move. And once again, the name of the game is – what else? – Divide and Rule.

 

TrendsSyria unrest, Syria-Turkey

 

 

Turkey sent to Iraqi Kurdistan – which is part of the state of Iraq - no less than a 400-strong battalion supported by 25 M-60A3 tanks. Now the Turkish boots on the ground at Bashiqa camp, northeast of Mosul, have reportedly reached a total of around 600.

The short breakdown: this is not a “training camp”- as Ankara is spinning. It’s a full-blown, perhaps permanent, military base.

The dodgy deal was struck between the ultra-corrupt Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and then-Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu in Erbil last month.

Torrents of Turkish spin swear this is only about “training” Peshmergas to fight ISIS/ISIL/Daesh.
Absolute nonsense. The crucial fact is that Ankara is terrified of the “4+1” alliance fighting Islamic State, which unites Iran, Iraqi Shiites and the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), as well as Hezbollah, with Russia.

In Syria, Ankara is virtually paralyzed, after the “stab in the back”downing of the Su-24; the Russian revelations of complicity between Turkey’s first family and stolen Syrian oil (Bilal Erdogan, a.k.a. Erdogan ‘Mini Me’, denies everything); and the Russian Air Force relentless pounding of Turkey’s fifth column Turkmen. Not to mention the deployment of S-400s and even a third-generation submarine complete with Kalibr cruise missiles.

So Ankara now switches the attention to Iraq with a “counter-alliance”, made up of Turkey; the KRG (which – illegally – sells oil to Turkey); and Sunnis in northern Iraq under the supposed leadership of the sprawling Nuceyfi tribe in Mosul.

© Stringer / Reuters

This is textbook neo-Ottomanism in action. We should never forget that for the AKP in power in Ankara, northern Syria and northern Iraq are nothing but former Ottoman Empire provinces, an eastward extension of Turkey’s Hatay province. ‘Sultan’ Erdogan’s (unstated) wet dream is to annex the whole lot.

Read More Here

Pepe Escobar is an independent geopolitical analyst. He writes for RT, Sputnik and TomDispatch, and is a frequent contributor to websites and radio and TV shows ranging from the US to East Asia. He is the former roving correspondent for Asia Times Online. Born in Brazil, he's been a foreign correspondent since 1985, and has lived in London, Paris, Milan, Los Angeles, Washington, Bangkok and Hong Kong. Even before 9/11 he specialized in covering the arc from the Middle East to Central and East Asia, with an emphasis on Big Power geopolitics and energy wars. He is the author of "Globalistan" (2007), "Red Zone Blues" (2007), "Obama does Globalistan" (2009) and "Empire of Chaos" (2014), all published by Nimble Books. His latest book is "2030", also by Nimble Books, out in December 2015.

The EU buys Turkey's assistance with migrant crisis to the tune of €3 billion ($3.18bn) of support and the reestablishing of talks on EU accession.. Czech President Milos Zeman has some words to say about it.

   

‘Turkey acts like ISIS ally, should not be EU member’– Czech president

Published time: 10 Dec, 2015 15:31Edited time: 10 Dec, 2015 16:26

Czech President Milos Zeman. © Petr Josek / Reuters

Turkey should not become an EU member, said Czech President Milos Zeman, adding that Ankara sometimes behaves like an Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) ally, even though Turkey is part of NATO.

"I think Turkey is indeed a member of NATO, but sometimes behaves as if it’s more an ally of Islamic State. It removes oil from Syria which finances Islamic State," Zeman said, as quoted by Czech newspaper Parlamentni Listy.

 

By shooting down Russian jet, Turkey exposed as more than terrorist accomplice

 

The president’s remarks came on Tuesday while addressing voters at the end of a three-day visit to the Czech town of Kadan, North Bohemia, local media reported. Zeman suggested Turkish policy stems from the principle “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” referring to Turkey’s suppression of the Kurds, “who are the only ones who have fought effectively with IS,” the newspaper reported. The president maintained this is the reason why Turkey should be approached with caution and has no reason to be an EU member.

  Read More Here


 ....................................................................................................  

Turkey to help EU stem migrant crisis for €3bn and membership talks

Published time: 29 Nov, 2015 19:08Edited time: 29 Nov, 2015 

© Francois Lenoir / Reuters

Turkey has signed an agreement with the EU at a summit in Brussels in which the country will help stem the flow of migrants to Europe in return for €3 billion ($3.18bn) of support and the reestablishing of talks on EU accession.

TrendsEU refugee & migrant influx

Key points of Turkey-EU refugee deal:

1. The EU agrees to provide "an initial" €3 billion ($3.18bn) over two years for Turkey to better cater for the needs of 2.2 million Syrian refugees in the country.

2. The EU promises to open a new chapter in negotiations regarding Turkey's EU ascension and to bring the country's standards in economic and financial policies up to scratch.

3. The EU pledges to lift visa requirements for Turkish citizens in the Schengen zone by October 2016 once all the requirements set forth in the EU roadmap are met.

The European Union, struggling with the flow of refugees coming from the war-torn Middle East and North Africa, will allocate €3 billion of initial aid to Turkey that will help with managing the crisis by taking in some 1.5 million migrants, Chancellor Merkel has confirmed, Reuters reports. The sum can be adjusted with time depending on circumstances.

Apart from that, the EU has promised to renew talks on Turkey’s EU membership that haven’t seen much progress since 2005. The new chapter of discussions will open in December while further chapters are expected to come in the first three months of 2016.

 “We agreed that [Turkey's] accession process needs to be re-energized,” European Council President Donald Tusk told a news conference after the summit, Reuters reported.



 Read More Here

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and GAVI pushing a vaccine agenda in collusion with health authorities of vaccines without proper testing; in countries like India

India Opines

Are Bill and Melinda Gates Guilty of Committing Fraud in India?

 

 

The  Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation connected to the HPV vaccine and its trials in India? The connection is that  in 2002, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) acquired shares in Merck and the charge is that the BMGF along with an organisation called GAVI (a vaccine alliance funded by BMGF) are pushing a vaccine agenda in India and other places in the world in collusion with health authorities who are recommending the use of vaccines without proper testing; actions amounting to vaccine fraud.

It has long been an ugly truth that Indian lives are cheaper compared with their western counterparts. Poorer sections of Indian communities are routinely used as human guinea pigs, subject to testing by pharmaceutical companies

– testing that could be illegal or expensive or impossible in western nations; testing that is most often done without informed consent and at times by employing coercion, concealment and other underhand tactics.



The charge made by community health activists against BMGF and GAVI (which has members from pharma companies on its board) is that they are working with WHO and UNICEF to promote vaccine use among the poorer countries; in populations that typically wouldn’t be able to afford them. Some commentators are referring to the incident as “fraud” perpetrated on third world where the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and their “vaccine empire are under fire”.

The perception is that vaccine empires in the western world are crumbling, and Big Pharma is looking to consolidate its position by plugging expensive and often unnecessary drugs in poorer nations in collusion with local authorities.



One in a line of questionable activities by international pharmaceutical companies in India refers to the HPV vaccine made by American company Merck, which happens to be one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The United States government earns royalty on the sale of Merck’s vaccine and there is a strong perception that any negative news report against this vaccine is not only discouraged but actively squashed. In the US, well known news broadcaster Katie Couric was made to apologise for her interview with a mother whose daughter died after receiving the Gardasil vaccine. Later the assistant Surgeon General appeared on her show to assure everyone the vaccine was safe.



Read More Here

Labour veteran Sir Gerald Kaufman claims 'Jewish money' has influenced Conservatives

 

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE ONLINE

By Josh Jackman and Sandy Rashty, October 28, 2015

Sir Gerald Kaufman

Veteran Labour MP Sir Gerald Kaufman has accused Israel of fabricating the recent knife attacks in the country and claimed the Conservative Party has been influenced by “Jewish money”.
Speaking at a Palestine Return Centre event in Parliament on Tuesday, Sir Gerald said that the British government had become more pro-Israel in recent years.

He said: “It’s Jewish money, Jewish donations to the Conservative Party – as in the general election in May – support from the Jewish Chronicle, all of those things, bias the Conservatives.


“There is now a big group of Conservative members of parliament who are pro-Israel whatever government does and they are not interested in what Israel, in what the Israeli government does.
“They’re not interested in the fact that Palestinians are living a repressed life, and are liable to be shot at any time. In the last few days alone the Israelis have murdered 52 Palestinians and nobody pays attention and this government doesn’t care.”

Read More Here

...................................................................................................................

Legislator Says Gift Ban Violates His Freedom of Speech

 the Intercept:

Unofficial _Sources

 

Lee Fang

Sep. 24 2015, 1:57 p.m.

 

The Supreme Court, in its Citizens United decision, ruled that corporations have a First Amendment right to spend unlimited amounts in elections. Now politicians in Kentucky are claiming they have a Constitutional right to receive gifts from lobbyists.

In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, Republican Kentucky state Sen. John Schickel, along with two Libertarian political candidates, are suing to overturn state ethics laws, claiming that the campaign contribution limit of $1,000 and a ban on gifts from lobbyists and their employers are a violation of their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

Read More Here

Fears mount that the USDA's organic certification process is being hijacked by corporate interests

 

 

 Natural News

..

 

Wednesday, September 23, 2015 by: J. D. Heyes

 

 

(NaturalNews) Some organic food experts are worried that the term used to describe non-genetically modified crops and produce may soon become nearly meaningless, thanks in large part to undue (read corporate) influence on the Department of Agriculture.

According to Jerome Rigot, PhD, writing in a blog posted at the Cornucopia Institute, which promotes food safety backed by science, it may no longer be accurate to rely on the USDA's "organic" labeling as remaining "true to its mandate of assuring consumers that food under this label is truly healthy and grown or raised with minimal impact to the environment," as well as respecting "the health and well-being of the workers and animals involved."

Rigot notes that, among other concerns, Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, recently downgraded its rating of the Agriculture Department's organic seal and label. The director of the Consumer Safety and Sustainability Center for the magazine, Dr. Urvashi Rangan, testified to the National Organic Standards Board in late 2014: "Organic is slipping. And as a result, we have downgraded its rating from highly meaningful to meaningful." He further noted that the rule of the magazine "is to help educate people about what organic means as well as what it doesn't mean."
Regarding these concerns, Rigot wrote:

As an example, the Cornucopia Institute filed formal legal complaints with the USDA in December 2014 against 14 giant poultry and dairy CAFOs (read: concentrated animal feeding operations or "factory farms") for allegedly violating the USDA organic regulations requiring outdoor and pasture access. Each complaint was summarily dismissed, without an investigation, by the enforcement division of the National Organic Program (NOP), which stated, "The NOP has reviewed these complaints and has determined that investigation is unwarranted."

Inept, corporatists or lobbyists

The determination was odd, says Rigot, because literally hundreds of high-res photos, satellite imagery and state regulatory documents were submitted as evidence to the NOP which, together, should have produced more than enough doubt to motivate someone to launch an investigation.
A former NOSB board member who manages the country's first certified organic dairy farm, Kevin Englebert, was clearly disappointed by the NOP decision, seeing it as a lapse of the organization's responsibilities.

"For the NOP to not even investigate these facilities means one of three things: 1) the personnel who made that decision are inept, 2) they are too close and friendly with corporate lobbyists and multimillion-dollar certifiers that are involved in the process, or 3) the most likely scenario, corrupt politicians are preventing them from enforcing the law," he said, as quoted by Rigot, who intimated that elements of all three reasons might be at play.

He noted that the National Organic Program is a very small part of the Agriculture Department. However, many large corporations have a significant vested interest in organic foods, especially the processed foods industry (including General Mills, Smuckers, Coca-Cola, etc.), and similar to GMO corporations, they'll do whatever it takes to expand their bottom line.

"Circumstantial evidence makes it reasonable to conclude that the same type of undue industry influence that appears to have prevented Vilsack and the USDA from acting quickly to end the Salmonella outbreak [in 2014] and limit the health toll is behind efforts to dilute the federal organic standards, control the NOP leadership, and limit or obstruct the ability of the congressionally authorized National Organic Standard Board from doing its job efficiently and with integrity," Rigot wrote.

For more breaking news regarding organic agriculture, check out Organics.news, powered by FETCH.news.

Compromised board members

In September 2014, we reported that the Cornucopia Institute had conducted a study to examine the voting records and backgrounds of the 15 members of the NOSB.

The board is an advisory body created by the secretary of agriculture to make recommendations aimed at preserving and protecting the organic farming industry. What's more, the board is also required to maintain and update the National List of Approved and Prohibited Substances – a list that identifies substances and other compounds that cannot be used in organic crop and livestock production.

The NOSB's seats are supposed to be filled with members representing farmers, environmentalists, public interest advocates, handlers, retailers, scientists and a USDA certifying agent. However, Cornucopia found in its study that corporate representatives were filling seats intended for farmers and other independent organic industry stakeholders, often leading to decisions that were not beneficial to the organic food and livestock industry.

Details surrounding that study are posted here.

Sources:
Cornucopia.org
NaturalNews.com
AMS.USDA.gov

Red light camera corruption could extend to Washington State

• King 5 . com

by GLENN FARLEY / KING 5 News

Bio | Email | Follow: @GlennFarley

Posted on January 24, 2014 at 6:24 PM

Updated yesterday at 8:14 PM

SEATTLE -- There are over 20 cities in Washington State that use red light cameras and they're split between two different vendors. In Seattle it's American Traffic Solutions. The other is a company called Redflex.
Whether you consider them big brother or an electronic cop that can watch dangerous intersections all day every day, traffic cameras are controversial.
One of the things that make them that way is perception over the money they generate, which in our state is $124 a ticket.
Watchdog organizations like bancams.com say profits for the companies are a big incentive to win contracts with cities at any cost. And in Chicago allegations are swirling around a scandal involving Redflex and how far some company sales employees were willing to go to win millions in business.
So what does that have to do with Washington State?
Read More Here
.....

Fired photo radar exec. says he bribed Colorado officials

by 13News Now, Trevor Hughs/The Coloradoan

WVEC.com

Posted on January 24, 2014 at 5:48 PM

Updated today at 5:10 AM

VIRGINIA BEACH -- A former top executive of the company that runs red-light and speed-camera systems in Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Newport News says he and others gave “lavish gifts and bribes” to government officials in Colorado and elsewhere to secure and retain their business.
None of the three cities say they’ve received anything from Redflex, the Arizona-based company that runs the city’s camera-radar systems. The contracts between Redflex and the three cities were not available on Friday, but Virginia Beach says its contract for the current fiscal year tops $700,000.
According to legal documents, former Redflex Executive Vice President Aaron Rosenberg says he and his bosses routinely gave out everything from sporting-event tickets to rounds of golf and meals to government officials in charge of deciding whether to hire and retain the company.
Read More Here
.....

Related articles

• Red light camera corruption could extend to Wash.
• Red light camera corruption could extend to Washington
• Sacramento, California To Shorten Red Light Camera Ticket Timing
• Fired photo radar exec. says he bribed Colorado officials
• Lawsuit: Ticket collection calls illegal
• Sacramento County to Openly use Red Light Camera's for Revenues - NOT Safety
• Motorists Fight To Put A Stop To Red Light Cameras
• Red-light camera operator lawsuit alleges bribery
• 'Final' contract extension for tainted red-light camera firm as city shifts vendors

More Special Obamacare Treatment — But Not for You

The Heritage Foundation

Amy Payne

November 8, 2013 at 6:30 am

Unions haven’t been able to get special Obamacare subsidies like Members of Congress and their staffs did, but they may not go away empty-handed.
The Obama Administration has indicated it will propose a new regulation that could give many unions a break from one of Obamacare’s new fees. This one hits health plans with a $63 per person charge next year.
But many “self-insured, self-administered” plans would be exempt from this fee in future years, thanks to the new suggested regulation—and that could apply to a lot of union plans.
Labor unions accused Obamacare of “shattering” hard-earned benefits and destroying the foundation of the middle class when they begged earlier this year for special treatment. Instead of advocating relief for all Americans, they merely advocated a carve-out for their members.
Meanwhile, people across the country are seeing their plans canceled or premiums increased. For people shopping in the Obamacare exchanges, premiums are going up in at least 42 states.

While hard-working Americans are suffering, the Administration is nodding to unions that it will give them a little break. Obamacare is not only unworkable and unaffordable—it’s unfair.
As Heritage expert Alyene Senger has said, “Rather than unions or other politically influential groups receiving special treatment, all Americans should get a reprieve from Obamacare and its erroneous consequences.”

Read More Here

Related articles

• More Special Obamacare Treatment - But Not for You
• Unions could get Obamacare exemption
• Obama Rewrites ObamaCare Rules For His Union Buddies
• The White House Negotiations With Unions Over Obamacare You May Not Have Heard Of
• Unions might dodge ObamaCare tax
• Under Budget Deal, Unions who Pushed for Obamacare to Receive Delay of Obamacare Tax
• Obama Will Give Huge Healthcare Subsidies to Unions
• Barack Obama Eliminates Unions Obamacare Tax to the Tune of $25 Billion

Document shows Democrats preparing to target tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations, but omits those for industry fueling climate disaster

Published on Monday, November 11, 2013 by Common Dreams

Democrats to Target Tax 'Loopholes'—But Not for Fossil Fuel Industry

- Andrea Germanos, staff writer

A document obtained by several news agencies last week shows Democrats preparing to target tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations as part of congressional negotiations to meet a Dec. 13 deadline for a budget deal.
(Photo by Neil Parekh/SEIU Healthcare 775NW) Not on the list of Democrats' targets: tax breaks for the fossil fuel industry.
The Hill reported that the list

contains 12 examples of the types of “tax loopholes” that [Democrats] would like to see closed in a year-end budget deal. Most have been proposed many times before.
Combined, the items on the list would raise $264 billion in revenue over 10 years, more than enough to switch off two years' worth of the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration.

Bloomberg reported that

In addition to closing what Democrats call the “John Edwards/Newt Gingrich loophole,” the party’s list of options includes carried-interest treatment that allows hedge fund managers and private equity advisers to pay a 20 percent tax rate on their income instead of the nation’s top income rate of 39.6 percent. Ending that break would save more than $17 billion over a decade, according to the Democrats’ estimates.
Another lets U.S. companies deduct their expenses when they send their plants overseas, which Democrats say encourages offshoring of American jobs. It would raise $200 million. Ending preferences for corporate jets and subsidies for yachts and vacation homes, combined, would bring in another $19 billion.

"The list makes clear that Democrats believe they can win public support by targeting tax breaks that they can portray as subsidies for the rich," according to Reuters.
Republicans have been demanding cuts in Social Security and Medicare in exchange for changes to sequestration spending cuts, and that has failed to be met by a widespread Democratic pushback.
Progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have called for an "End [to] tax breaks and subsidies for oil, gas and coal companies to reduce the deficit by more than $113 billion over the next 10 years"—a call echoed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus's "Back to Work Budget," which calls for an elimination of corporate tax subsidies for oil, gas, and coal companies.
But preserving tax breaks for the fossil fuel industry appears to have widspread bipartisan consensus.
The fact that fossil fuel companies are not on the list of targets may be a result of Democrats' "embrace" of fossil fuels, the Financial Times reported.
James Politi reported at the Financial Times that the omission may "point to an increasing willingness among Democrats to embrace America’s domestic energy boom as a source of economic strength."
The FT also quotes the American Petroleum Institute as saying there is "growing bipartisan opposition" to taxes that target oil and gas industries.

___________________

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Related articles

• Democrats to Target Tax 'Loopholes' - But Not for Fossil Fuel Industry
• Fossil fuel subsidies and decarbonisation
• Fossil Fuels Receive $500 Billion A Year In Government Subsidies Worldwide
• Stock Options Among Tax Breaks Democrats Target in Budget Talks - Bloomberg
• Fossil fuel subsidies costing rich countries $112 per person

Senate votes overwhelmingly to end shutdown, debt limit debate

• 

By Lisa Mascaro, Michael A. Memoli and Brian Bennett

October 16, 2013, 5:15 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- By an overwhelming vote, the Senate passed a budget compromise Wednesday night that would temporarily reopen federal agencies and allow the Treasury to continue borrowing to pay the nation’s bills, averting the possibility of a default that could have seriously damaged the economy.
The legislation now goes to the House, which was expected to follow suit later Wednesday night. Federal agencies could begin reopening in the morning, although full operation in some cases could take longer.
The vote, 81 to 18, approved an agreement negotiated by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). It ends a political standoff that shut down federal programs for 16 days and led to the furlough of hundreds of thousands of federal workers.

Read More Here

*****************************************************

Government shutdown: Bill to reopen agencies heads to Obama

• 

Final Senate vote ( CSPAN / Associated Press / October 16, 2013 ) The final tally after the Senate voted to avoid a financial default and reopen the federal government.

By Lisa Mascaro and Michael A. Memoli

October 16, 2013, 7:20 p.m.

WASHINGTON — Congress gave final approval Wednesday night to a budget compromise that would temporarily reopen federal agencies and allow the Treasury to continue borrowing to pay the nation’s bills, averting the possibility of a default that could have seriously damaged the economy.
The 285-144 vote in the House followed an overwhelming vote in the Senate on the agreement negotiated by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to end a tense political standoff that shut down federal programs for 16 days and led to the furlough of hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
The deal makes no significant changes in President Obama’s healthcare law, which Republicans, particularly in the House, had previously demanded. Democrats provided the additional votes needed to pass the bill in the Republican-led House.
FULL COVERAGE: The U.S. government shutdown

House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), speaking earlier to his rank-and-file, said the party lost the battle but would live to fight another day. But the compromise was welcomed by moderates who had questioned the Republican strategy of using a must-pass spending bill as leverage to force changes to the Affordable Care Act.

Read More Here

*****************************************************

Related articles

• Here Comes the Senate Vote to End the Shutdown and Raise the Debt Ceiling...
• Senate votes overwhelmingly to end shutdown, debt limit debate
• Senate Approves Deal to End Government Shutdown
• Senate votes to reopen government, avoid default
• U.S. Senate, House pass bill to reopen government and increase debt limit
• Senate votes to reopen government and avoid default
• Checkmate America.....Democrats......And President Barack Hussein Obama.
• Senate votes to end shutdown
• U.S. Senate Reaches Deal To End Shutdown, Lift Debt Ceiling
• Government to reopen... for now