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Showing posts from April, 2017

Confirmed: the crucial role of Chilean media mogul on US plan to overthrow Allende

Media mogul Agustin Edwards Eastman, who was widely regarded as the Rupert Murdoch of Chile, died on April 24, at age 89, leaving a legacy of close collaboration with Henry Kissinger and the CIA in instigating and supporting the September 11, 1973, military coup. Edwards was the only Chilean—civilian or military—known to meet face-to-face with CIA Director Richard Helms in September 1970 in connection with plans to instigate regime change against Socialist leader Salvador Allende, who had just been elected president. Declassified CIA and White House documents posted today by the National Security Archive at The George Washington University show conclusively what Edwards repeatedly denied – that he and his newspaper, El Mercurio, became a critical part of U.S. plans to foment a military coup against President Allende. National Security Archive Key points: Edwards’ extraordinary influence on U.S. policy and CIA intervention in Chile did not stop th

Assad says the US and its allies obstructed OPCW investigation on chemical attacks

globinfo freexchange In an exclusive interview for teleSUR, the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, claimed that the United States and its allies obstructed an investigation by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on chemical attacks in Syria. As he said:          We have asked the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to send specialized missions to investigate what happened. And every time, the United States obstructed these investigations or prevented sending such missions in order to carry out such investigations. This is what happened last week when we called for investigations over the alleged use of chemical weapons in the town of Khan Sheikhoun. The United States and its allies prevented OPCW from taking that decision. As far as we are concerned, we still insist on an investigation, and we and our Russian and Iranian allies are trying to persuade OPCW to send a team to investigate what happened, because if

Youth protests across France: “Neither the banker, nor the racist!”

Since Thursday, students and youth in Paris, Rennes, Nantes, Toulouse and other cities across France have held rallies and marched through the city streets. The protests were against the right wing nationalist Marine Le Pen and the liberal Emmanuel Macron who are facing off in the in the second round of the presidential election. In total, more than 3,000 high school students took to the streets carrying signs exclaiming: “Neither the banker, nor the racist!” and “The real anti-establishment, that is us!” Political slogans could be heard through the streets as students chanted “It is not the immigrants who should be expelled, it is Marine Le Pen!”, "Macron, Le Pen, we do not want them!”, “Their elections, our future!" During many of the protests, the youth were met by armoured police blocking the marches and dispersing tear gas canisters into the crowds, while surveillance helicopters could be seen in the sky above. One police officer in Rennes even

Syria's Assad says Trump is puppet of US deep state

Trump "changed his rhetoric completely and subjected himself to the terms of the deep American state, or the deep American regime," Assad said Part 2 - Chemical Weapons The attack on the airbase came days after the April 4 attack in Khan Sheikhoun, in which 58 people were killed by what experts consider to be exposure to sarin. Syrian opposition groups, the United States and allies including France have blamed Syria's government, while Damascus has said that armed opposition groups and their sponsors are to blame. According to Assad, however, his government has asked for independent investigations into the chemical weapons allegations, which he says have been stalled by the U.S. government and its allies. " We have asked the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to send specialized missions to investigate what happened. And every time, the United States obstructed these investigations or prevented sending such missions in order

Scribbles

WikiLeaks Today, April 28th 2017, WikiLeaks publishes the documentation and source code for CIA's "Scribbles" project, a document-watermarking preprocessing system to embed "Web beacon"-style tags into documents that are likely to be copied by Insiders, Whistleblowers, Journalists or others. The released version (v1.0 RC1) is dated March, 1st 2016 and classified SECRET//ORCON/NOFORN until 2066. Scribbles is intended for off-line preprocessing of Microsoft Office documents. For reasons of operational security the user guide demands that " [t]he Scribbles executable, parameter files, receipts and log files should not be installed on a target machine, nor left in a location where it might be collected by an adversary. " According to the documentation, " the Scribbles document watermarking tool has been successfully tested on [...] Microsoft Office 2013 (on Windows 8.1 x64), documents from Office versions 97-2016 (Office

Funding terror in Colombia banana republic: a case study of dirty US corporate intervention

Ten years ago, Chiquita Brands International became the first U.S.-based corporation convicted of violating a U.S. law against funding an international terrorist group—the paramilitary United Self-defense Forces of Colombia* (AUC). But punishment for the crime was reserved only for the corporate entity, while the names of the individual company officials who engineered the payments have since remained hidden behind a wall of impunity. As Colombian authorities now prepare to prosecute business executives for funding groups responsible for major atrocities during Colombia’s decades-old conflict, a new set of Chiquita Papers, made possible through the National Security Archive’s FOIA lawsuit, has for the first time made it possible to know the identities and understand the roles of the individual Chiquita executives who approved and oversaw years of payments to groups responsible for countless human rights violations in Colombia. National Security Archive K

Syria's Assad says Trump is puppet of US deep state

Trump "changed his rhetoric completely and subjected himself to the terms of the deep American state, or the deep American regime," Assad said Part 1 " Yes, from a Western perspective, you are now sitting with the devil. This is how they market it in the west, " Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told teleSUR's Rolando Segura in an exclusive interview from Damascus, addressing a range of subjects including claims of chemical attacks as well as the shifting geopolitical alignments impacting the war which has ravaged his country. Speaking on the subject of Donald Trump, the Syrian leader said the U.S. president " has no policies, " but is rather implementing decisions made by " the intelligence agencies, the Pentagon, the big arms manufacturers, oil companies, and financial institutions. " " As we have seen in the past few weeks, he changed his rhetoric completely and subjected himself to the terms of the deep Americ

Venezuela formally begins process to exit 'interventionist' OAS

Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said her country's decision was based on dignity and sovereignty Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez presented the official letter Thursday to start the process for the country to pull out of the Organization of American States, which she said was attempting to intervene and promote a coup in Venezuela. " Today we formalize and present the letter to definitely pull out of this organization, " said Rodriguez in a press conference from the Foreign Ministry's office in Caracas. " We will defend the self-determination of our people. " Rodriguez said the move was based on a question of dignity and that President Nicolas Maduro's decision, which was taken to defend Venezuela from arbitrary abuses and illegal actions carried out by the OAS against the country, had been both praised and respected. " Today is a day of victory for Venezuela, we woke up today freer and more independent, " the

Trump's tax plan is a sweet deal for the 1%

U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his tax platform on Wednesday, and one thing is clear: the rich will get richer. In a White House briefing, National Economic Director Gary Cohn and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced Trump's plan, which will drastically cut the U.S. corporate tax rate to one of the lowest among the world's developed economies from 35 percent to 15 percent. " Welcome to Goldman Sachs populism! " said Public Citizen president Robert Weissman. " The Goldman Sachs tax plan will slash taxes on giant corporations and the corporate elite. With the elimination of the alternative minimum and estate taxes, it not so incidentally appears to confer huge benefits on President Trump himself — though of course, we can’t know for sure so as long as Trump’s tax returns remain secret. " The proposal aims to reduce the individual income rates and reduce brackets from seven to three, pegged at 10, 25 and 35 percent. Th

Trump authorizes Pentagon to manage number of troops deployed to Iraq & Syria

US President Trump has given the Pentagon authority to independently set troop levels in Iraq and Syria, and to ensure commanders’ flexibility. Over 5,000 troops are deployed in Iraq, and 500 in Syria, where they operate without Damascus’ invitation. “ The President has delegated the authority for Force Management Levels (FML) for Iraq and Syria to the [Defense] Secretary [James Mattis], ” said Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, as cited by ABC. He also said that no change has been made at this stage to the number of US troops in the Middle East, adding that the current military strategy involves rendering support to local militias fighting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). The move does not mean that the numbers of troops in Iraq and Syria will change “ nor does it change the process by which we will manage those forces, ” said Davis. More: https://www.rt.com/usa/386379-pentagon-troops-syria-iraq/

Venezuela’s revolutionary women take to the streets for Peace

Venezuelan women's movements are taking to the streets of Caracas on Thursday to show their support of peace and the country’s Bolivarian Revolution amid ongoing internal and outside imperialist threats against the socialist government. As part of the “Great Mobilization for the Defense of the Motherland/Fatherland, Peace and Life,” a number of women's organizations marched from the Plaza Bolivar to Plaza Bicentenaria outside the presidential palace in the center of the capital. The women's groups are particularly are concerned about the recent attacks and deaths as a result of ongoing opposition protests intent on removing President Nicolas Maduro from power and plans by opposition politicians to overthrow the government. “ The message that we send to all the people of Venezuela today is the call to peace, coexistence and unification of all the people and reject all those who want to harm our country, ” said Ingrid Espinoza from the National

Colombia: 2 FARC members murdered in 10 days despite new peace

As Colombia’s largest rebel army demobilizes, preparing to lay down its arms once and for all to transition to civilian life after more than half a century of civil war, two FARC members have been assassinated in less than 10 days as rebel leaders and social organizations continue to ring alarm over the ongoing crisis of paramilitary violence that threatens to undermine the historic peace process in the South American country. FARC Commander Jose Huber Yatacue was shot dead Tuesday outside a hospital in Toribio, a town in the southwestern department of Cauca, one of the regions hardest hit by the decades-long internal armed conflict and ongoing paramilitary violence. Just over a week earlier, FARC member Alvaro Ortiz Cabezas was murdered on April 16 in a bar in a rural area of the port city of Tumaco, located in the northwestern coastal department of Nariño, bordering Ecuador. Both Yatacue and Ortiz had benefited from the amnesty law, passed as part of th

Big money and lemons cement friendship between Macri and Trump

Argentine President Mauricio Macri met with U.S. President Donal Trump at the White House Thursday to discuss business ties, after decades of knowing each other through business deals as real estate moguls in their respective countries. Thursday's talks marked the first meeting between the two presidents and the second time a Latin American head of state met Trump, after Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski did so two months ago. " My good friend, for many, many years, " said Trump of Macri. " Long time, 25 years. " Macri jumped in and corrected Trump: " More, unfortunately, more, I was only 24, " said the Argentine president, who is now 58 years old. When asked by a reporter of the recent export restriction from the U.S. to lemons from Argentina, Trump said, " I know about all the lemons. And believe it or not, the lemon business is a big, big business. " " But we are going to give that very serio

Chile charges 16 military officers who waged terror in Pincohet's 'Caravan of Death'

A Chilean court has found a retired army general and 15 other former military officials guilty of the murders of more than a dozen opponents the General Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship in the 1970s, when they acted as operatives of the military regime's notorious death squad, the Caravan of Death. The officers were charged with 15 murders in 1973 through the Caravan of Death — a covert military unit that waged terror in the country under the dictatorship, including torturing and killing civilians — reported human rights special prosecutor Mario Carroza. The 15 victims, all political opponents of the Pinochet regime, were detained on Oct. 16, 1973 in the wake of the Sept. 11 military coup against socialist President Salvador Allende. They were later removed from their prison cells and executed by multiple shots inside the military detention center where they were being held. Their remains were buried in a mass graves and were not returned to their relat

Spain's Podemos prepares no confidence vote against PM Rajoy

A Spanish left-wing party on Thursday said it was preparing a no-confidence motion against the current prime minister and requested that the other opposition parties back the initiative. Pablo Iglesias, the head of Podemos, said in a press conference that the ruling conservative Popular Party, led by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, was exhibiting "parasitic" behavior in public institutions and removing it from the government had become a civic and "ethical obligation." "The corruption of the PP is not a storm (that will pass), it is a virus that infects the institutions of our country," Iglesias said. He added that the move responded to a growing demand in Spanish society and had to do with the "health of democracy" beyond party lines. The move came after Rajoy was summoned by Spain’s national court last Tuesday to testify as a witness in a major corruption trial. It was the first time in Spain’s modern history that a

Abby Martin on another US dirty intervention against Venezuela

globinfo freexchange For my entire life, I watched the corporate media sell us war after war, always telling us who our enemies are. Which countries need saving. And which governments should be overthrown. And every single time it turns out they lied. All the interventions did was ruin entire nations along with millions of lives. As I watched the mass media's coverage of Venezuela today, coupled with covert regime-change operations and overt threats of intervention from the Trump regime, I say in a clear voice that we don't believe you anymore. And the only just stand the US government can take, is keeping their hands off of Venezuela. Related: Make no mistake: there is a media blockade against Venezuela

Τι θα πει ο Μακρόν για την Ελλάδα

globinfo freexchange Μετά τα αποτελέσματα του πρώτου γύρου των Γαλλικών προεδρικών εκλογών, ο Έλληνας πρωθυπουργός ήταν ανάμεσα σε εκείνους που έσπευσαν να συγχαρούν τον Εμμανουέλ Μακρόν. Δεν θα σχολιάσουμε την ανόητη βιασύνη κάποιων να συγχαρούν τον οποιονδήποτε πριν ολοκληρωθεί μια εκλογική διαδικασία. Τι θα γίνει αν τελικά εκλεγεί η Λεπέν; Απλά θα την αγνοήσουν; Εν πάση περιπτώσει, δεν ξέρουμε αν ο Τσίπρας πιστεύει στ'αλήθεια ότι ο Μακρόν θα σταθεί στο πλευρό της Ελλάδας, εφόσον νικήσει στο δεύτερο γύρο. Αν πράγματι το πιστεύει, αυτό σημαίνει ότι συνεχίζει να έχει αυταπάτες ότι κάτι μπορεί να αλλάξει προς όφελος της Ελλάδας. Πρέπει να υπενθυμίσουμε στον κύριο Τσίπρα, ότι ο τραπεζίτης των Ρόθτσαϊλντ είχε τοποθετηθεί σε καίρια θέση στην κυβέρνηση Ολάντ. Άρα, θα πρέπει να υπενθυμίσουμε στον κύριο Τσίπρα τι έκανε ο Φρανσουά Ολάντ προκειμένου να βοηθήσει την Ελλάδα να ξεφύγει από το μονοπάτι της νεοφιλελεύθερης καταστροφής στο οποίο την οδήγησε η Τρόικ

Μια ισορροπημένη ανάλυση για την κατάσταση στη Βενεζουέλα, σε αντίθεση με την προπαγάνδα των Δυτικών ΜΜΕ

Τι συμβαίνει πίσω από από την κρίση που οδηγεί σε αποσταθεροποίηση την μεγαλύτερη πετρελαιοπαραγωγό χώρα της Λ. Αμερικής Όλοι το έχετε ακούσει κάπως σε αυτή τη χώρα: Στο κάτω κάτω ο ΣΥΡΙΖΑ πριν και αφού γίνει κυβέρνηση είχε μιλήσει για το παράδειγμα της Βενεζουέλας, τις καλές σχέσεις με τον τότε πρόεδρο Ούγκο Τσάβες κλπ. Ταυτόχρονα, όλοι του οι πολιτικοί αντίπαλοι έχουν καταγγείλει σε όλους τους τόνους πως η νυν μνημονιακή κυβέρνηση του Αλέξη θέλει “να μας κάνει Βενεζουέλα” παρότι οι ομοιότητες τους σαν κυβερνήσεις δεν είναι πολύ περισσότερες από το ότι ανήκουν στο ίδιο ημισφαίριο. Σε κάθε περίπτωση, όπως σε όλα σχεδόν τα διεθνή ζητήματα η κατάσταση είναι πιο σύνθετη από ένα μοτίβο “κακή κυβέρνηση – καλοί διαδηλωτές” (ή το αντίθετο) οπότε καθώς η Βενεζουέλα συγκλονίζεται από μαζικές διαδηλώσεις τόσο κατά όσο και υπέρ της κυβέρνησης Μαδούρο, αξίζει να δούμε πως προέκυψε όλη αυτή η κατάσταση. Γιατί φυσικά είναι μια κατάσταση που δεν περιγράφεται με 50 λέξεις, δε