Turkey won’t apologize for downing Russian warplane, Erdogan says

(CNN)Turkey will not apologize for downing a Russian fighter jet it says violated Turkish airspace near the Syrian border, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an exclusive CNN interview Thursday in Ankara.

“I think if there is a party that needs to apologize, it is not us,” he said from the Turkish capital. “Those who violated our airspace are the ones who need to apologize. Our pilots and our armed forces, they simply fulfilled their duties, which consisted of responding to … violations of the rules of engagement. I think this is the essence.”

In a meeting with community leaders in Ankara, Erdogan said, “If the same violation occurs today, Turkey has to react the same way.”

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A new video shows Anonymous declaring its ‘biggest operation ever’ against ISIS

Anonymous has declared “war” on ISIS in response to the attacks in Paris that left more than 100 people dead.

Members of the online collective have posted a video. It continues the group’s work against ISIS, which began strongly after the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January.

In a video posted soon after the attacks, a person claiming to represent the group warns members of Islamic State that it intended to hunt them down. It said it would “unite humanity” in the operation, which it said would use hacking to weaken the group.

“Anonymous from all over the world will hunt you down,” said the voice in the video, which included footage of the group’s ubiquitous Guy Fawkes mask and was in French. “You should know that we will find you and we will not let you go.

“We will launch the biggest operation ever against you.

“Expect massive cyberattacks. War is declared. Get prepared.

“The French people are stronger than you and will come out of this atrocity even stronger.”

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Iraqis show their love on bridges

BABIL, Iraq — Sarmad Blaibel, a young reporter who works for the local news station, went to a bridge in the city of Babil to hang a love padlock and throw the key into the river as an expression of love for hiA couple walks on a bridge covered with padlocks hung by lovers in Basras sweetheart. This act resembles the well-established tradition in France, for instance, where railings of the Pont Des Arts bridge, overlooking the Seine, have been damaged by the increasing weight of love padlocks.

Summary⎙ Print The love padlocks on Pont Des Arts in Paris has inspired young Iraqis to show love for their sweethearts with padlocks on bridges, but not everyone approves.

Author Omar al-JaffalPosted October 27, 2014

Translator(s)Pascale el Khoury.

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Did Israel Just Start World War III?

23 Jun, 2014 by

israel attacks syria

Doug Hagmann and I have been very consistent in stating that World War III would begin in Syria. Further, my military sources have been telling me for 15 months that war in the Middle East, and possibly World War III, will commence in Syria for a variety of reasons. The world is beginning to witness the unfolding of this prediction. Historians may look back upon Israel’s recent attack upon nine military targets inside of Syria as the Archduke moment for World War III.

A Convenient Provocation

A total of nine Syrian military targets have been hit by Israeli jets and guided missiles, according to IDF officials. The IDF claims they were a part of a clear message being delivered to the Syrians in response to a series of cross-border shootings to protect the citizens of Israel. As many as 10 Syrian soldiers have been killed, but that is not the real story. The attacks, on the surface appear to be a retaliation to the threats posed by Syria against Israeli citizens, most notably, the killing of anIsraeli teen, Mohammed Karaka.

On the surface, the attacks appear to be measured and completely justified. However, when one examines the nature of the attacks, a very ominous picture begins to emerge. The bulk of the attacks were directed against targets on the Golan Heights. This is highly significant because any conventional military force incursion into Syria would have to be precipitated by eliminating the threat to Israel posed by forces on the Golan Heights.

As tragic as the killing of the Israeli teen, Mohammed Karaka is, his death is being exploited by Israel because the boy was an Arab who was also an Israeli citizen. To some degree, this gives Israel the moral high ground because Israel’s military actions are not just based upon retaliation for the killing of an Israeli teen, he is also an Arab. What a perfect poster child, pun intended, to justify Israel’s actions against Syria.

Israel is exploiting the situation for military gain and I am speaking directly about some of the military targets which were attacked by Israel that have nothing to do with retaliating against Syria for the death of the boy. Many of the targets included, anti-aircraft military installations. And what would be the one target that Israel would have to take out prior to having its tanks cross the board and attack Damascus?  Any prelude to invasion, whether it be by the U.S., NATO, Israel or ISIS, would consist of taking out the anti-aircraft capabilities of Syrian military bases.

In order to launch a successful invasion, either by proxy forces or through direct intervention, Israel would need to have an immediate and complete control of the skies. The “retaliation” for the death of the Israeli teen allowed Israel the pretext and ability to test the capabilities of the anti-aircraft facilities by striking at them under the guise of retaliating for the killing of a teen.

Why Syria?

It is no secret that Russia cannot match America/NATO airpower. Therefore, the Russians have built the best anti-aircraft facilities in the world and the Russian capabilities in this area are second to none. Since Russia is considered to be the architect of the Syrian military, it would make sense that Syria could be expected to have some of the same capabilities that Russia enjoys with regard to this type of defense. Therefore, it makes even more sense that Israel needs to test the Syrian defenses prior to attacking. Hence,  you have the real reason for yesterday’s attacks.

Israel wants to escalate the situation. They want the world to believe that it can expect Syria to have a provoking counter response. However, Assad is not ignorant enough to play into Israel’s hand and retaliate. Therefore, a reason must be invented and yes, I am speaking about a major false flag event which will be promoted by and carried out by the CIA and possibly the Mossad.

The ISIS Factor

ISIS will no doubt cross into Syria and its actions will lead to widespread destabilization of the Syrian government. The world would soon see a horrific carnage as ISIS’ actions in Iraq are merely the preliminary event.

Syria must be taken and fortified by the West. Holding Syria is the key to warding off a Russian invasion should the IDF and NATO invade Iran to stop its practice of selling its oil for gold to the BRICS.

If Syria is occupied, the United States will be able to employ airpower and utilize its small and medium missile batteries. These weapons would be able to repel a Russian counter-attack in Syria. With Russia being stopped at the gate, the door is open to invade Iran. Yet, another false flag will have to be unleashed to give the U.S. the justification to invade Iran.

In retaliation, Ukraine may be overrun by Russia, however, this might be an acceptable loss as the real threat to American hegemony and Western central banking dominance is more threatened by Iran’s rogue move of forsaking the dollar. The Petrodollar is gasping for breath and the U.S. must act now.

While appearing as a guest on my show on June 15, 2014, Doug Hagmann predicted that ISIS will not only consume Iraq but will blow by the border and go into Syria as well. Israeli air support would be needed to use these CIA funded proxy troops to stir up civil unrest, otherwise ISIS would be crushed by the Syrian military. This action against Syria will require either the Americans or the IDF to take out the Syrian command and control structures, such as its air defenses, thus leaving Damascus basically undefended. The CIA has attempted to destabilize Assad for three years by starting and supporting a bloody civil war. However, these actions have not resulted in the desired regime change. Therefore, intervention in Syria is being taken to a whole new level.

Conclusion

Israel’s controversial military actions were not motivated by the death of one teenager. The teen is the convenient excuse. Now that the IDF has its answers as to Syrian military air defenses, the path is paved for an invasion of Syria and the fall of Assad has begun. With regime change in sight, an occupied Syria will result as a new puppet Syrian regime will do exactly what they are told to do. The only remaining question is who will use nuclear weapons first. This will be the topic of a future article.

http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2014/06/23/did-israel-just-start-world-war-iii/

Crisis In Israel As ISIS Takes Control Of Golan Heights On Syrian Side

Will ISIS cross the border into Israel?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.” Psalm 122:6

The Times of Israel reported today that almost the entire Syrian side of the Golan Heights is now under the control of rebel forces, including radical Islamist groups, a senior Israeli military commander in the area said Friday.

ISIS-takes-syrian-side-of-golan-heights-on-israel-border

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Oil and Terrorist Groups: Iraq’s ISIS, others Seeking Black Gold

Iraq_ISIS_Abu_Wahe_2941936b

 

By Michael T. Klare via Tomdispatch

Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, South Sudan, Ukraine, the East and South China Seas: wherever you look, the world is aflame with new or intensifying conflicts.  At first glance, these upheavals appear to be independent events, driven by their own unique and idiosyncratic circumstances.  But look more closely and they share several key characteristics — notably, a witch’s brew of ethnic, religious, and national antagonisms that have beenstirred to the boiling point by a fixation on energy.

In each of these conflicts, the fighting is driven in large part by the eruption of long-standing historic antagonisms among neighboring (often intermingled) tribes, sects, and peoples.  In Iraq and Syria, it is a clash among Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds, Turkmen, and others; in Nigeria, among Muslims, Christians, and assorted tribal groupings; in South Sudan, between the Dinka and Nuer; in Ukraine, between Ukrainian loyalists and Russian-speakers aligned with Moscow; in the East and South China Sea, among the Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipinos, and others.  It would be easy to attribute all this to age-old hatreds, as suggested by many analysts; but while such hostilities do help drive these conflicts, they are fueled by a most modern impulse as well: the desire to control valuable oil and natural gas assets.  Make no mistake about it, these are twenty-first-century energy wars.

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Bitcoins: What are they, and how do they work?

Bitcoin is one of the first attempts to create a real-world currency with no governments, no central banks, and no rules

It started, and ended, with a click. With one touch of a mouse, a hacker managed to transfer 25,000 credits of online currency – then worth almost $500,000 dollars – to his own account. The transfer is visible on a public register; the original owner has publicised his plight online, but to no avail – the money is gone.

This hack, which happened in June 2011, was the first major online heist for Bitcoins, one of the world’s newest currencies, and the subsequent panic left many casual users reeling.

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Cool Obama vs Square Romney

Editor’s note: Alex Castellanos, a CNN contributor, is a Republican consultant and the co-founder of Purple Strategies. Follow him on Twitter: @alexcast

(CNN) — “Beware the fury of the patient man.” — John Dryden

In January, 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser was pledging to take over Palestine. In the United States, a “sensational new RCA Victor Star,” just days away from cracking the music charts with his first hit, “Heartbreak Hotel,” was touring with Hank Snow and the stars of Grand Old Opry. Norma Jeane Mortenson was preparing to change her name.

Also that month, a fresh-faced U.S. senator gave Richard Nixon an autographed copy of his second book, “Profiles in Courage”.
In that best-seller, John F. Kennedy applauded leaders with the courage to represent “the actual sentiments of the silent majority of their constituents in opposition to the screams of a vocal minority.” That “silent majority” was a constituency neither Nixon nor the country would forget: Fifty-six years later, Mitt Romney is counting on it to win the presidency.

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With Congress on break, SOPA fight continues

Members of Congress may be on vacation, but that hasn’t calmed critics who say an effort to stamp out online piracy would create an unprecedented threat to free speech on the Internet.

Far from fading from memory, the Stop Online Piracy Act (along with a related Senate bill) has become a rallying point for Web freedom advocates in a debate that has pitted Hollywood and other business interests against some of the biggest titans of the technology world.

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Libya announces cease-fire amid foreign military moves

(CNN) — Libya announced a “immediate” cease-fire and a halt to military action Friday, hours after the U.N. Security Council authorized the use of force to protect besieged civilians in Libya.

Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa said Libya is “obliged to accept the Security Council resolution that permits the use of force to protect the civilian population.”

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Obama cautious on possible U.S. military action in Libya

Washington (CNN) — President Barack Obama said Friday that all options for responding to the crisis in Libya remain on the table, but he added that any military option means that “you’ve got to balance costs versus benefits, and I don’t take that decision lightly.”

Obama told reporters the desired outcome would be for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to “step down” in the wake of civil war that has erupted in the North African country and Gadhafi’s military attacks on his own people.

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Source: Obama to nominate commerce secretary as China envoy

Washington (CNN) — President Barack Obama will nominate Commerce Secretary Gary Locke as the next U.S. ambassador to China to succeed Jon Huntsman, who will step down on April 30, a senior administration official confirmed to CNN on Monday.

Locke is a former two-term governor of Washington and the first Chinese-American to be commerce secretary, according to the Commerce Department website.

He also was a partner in the international law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, where he co-chaired the firm’s China practice, the website said.

Huntsman, a former Republican governor of Utah, is believed to be considering a presidential run in 2012.

From CNN’s Jill Dougherty

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/03/07/obama.china.ambassador/index.html