"KABUL - The Afghan minister of mines accepted a roughly $30 million bribe to award the country's largest development project to a Chinese mining firm, according to a U.S. official who is familiar with military intelligence reports.
The allegation, if proved true, would mark one of the most brazen examples of corruption yet disclosed in a country where the problem has become so pervasive that it is now at the heart of Obama administration doubts over Afghan President Hamid Karzai's reliability as a partner. The question of whether Karzai can address his government's graft and cronyism looms large as he prepares for his inauguration Thursday for a new term, and as President Obama completes a months-long strategy review that will define the future of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan after eight years of war."
The PBS Documentary: Black Money does of good job of exposing international bribery. Bribery isn't really illegal in other countries; the US is the only one that actually prosecutes it and they say that puts US firms at a business disadvantage. But, since most are corporations with international addresses, it doesn't matter. They're all crooks. Bring the troops home, now!
Nature reporter Anjali Nayar hiked for 21 days in Northern Bhutan to find out how this tiny Himalayan nation is dealing with rapidly melting glaciers. Read Anjali's full report here: http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091021/full/4611042a.html.Nature reporter Anjali Nayar hiked for 21 days in Northern Bhutan to find out how this... more
"Health and safety inspectors are to be given unprecedented access to family homes to ensure that parents are protecting their children from household accidents.
New guidance drawn up at the request of the Department of Health urges councils and other public sector bodies to “collect data” on properties where children are thought to be at “greatest risk of unintentional injury”.
Council staff will then be tasked with overseeing the installation of safety devices in homes, including smoke alarms, stair gates, hot water temperature restrictors, oven guards and window and door locks.
The draft guidance by a committee at the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has been criticised as intrusive and further evidence of the “creeping nanny state”."
I post these articles about the British police and nanny state, b/c this is exactly what they will and are doing to lesser extents in the US. I just so happen to care about freedom, liberty and justice for all, which is something people compromise when they are living in fear. That's why 9/11 was so important...to create the fear that will lead to the ever increasing dilution of our rights as they bury this country and institute a 1 World Gov't in its place. It won't be a "We are the World," happy place, it will be a scientific, totalitarian dictatorship, run from behind the scenes by corporate oligarchs."Health and safety inspectors are to be given unprecedented access to family homes to... more
'British forces should buy off potential Taleban recruits with “bags of gold”, according to a new army field manual published yesterday.
Army commanders should also talk to insurgent leaders with “blood on their hands” in order to hasten the end of the conflict in Afghanistan.
Major-General Paul Newton said: “The best weapons to counter insurgents don’t shoot. In other words, use bags of gold in the short term to change the security dynamics. But you don’t just chuck gold at them, this has to be done wisely.”'
We already know that Karzai's brother is on the CIA payroll and is the #1 Heroin dealer in Afghanistan (95% of world's Heroin comes from Afghanistan). Also, this is the 3rd time Britain has invaded Afghanistan in order to control the Heroin, but this time they've brought, big brother America to help out. Of course, they had to move their CIA front, Al Qaeda, who's leader Osama Bin Laden, who has long ties with the Bush family, into Afghanistan before they incited their false-flag terror attack, 9/11, so they can pull the bait and switch and set this whole plan into motion. Its all in a days work for the Brits. If you look at their flag, you'll know where the phrase "double-crossers" come from. No wonder we had the American Revolution and we will again.'British forces should buy off potential Taleban recruits with “bags of gold”,... more
Washington, 16 November (WashingtonTV)—A group of 109 human rights and civil society organizations from around the world have called on the United Nations to condemn human rights violations in Iran, an Iranian human rights group reported on Monday. http://televisionwashington.com/floater_article1.aspx?lang=en&t=1&id=15687Washington, 16 November (WashingtonTV)—A group of 109 human rights and civil society... more
Today in Rome started the FAO summit, the UN organization which has its international headquarters in Italy and that deals with food and agriculture in the world. Absent almost all the leaders of rich countries, the nations that should provide financial resources to FAO to combat world hunger. Absent from embarrassment, apart from our premier who must be present as the leader of the host country, and also because notoriously immune to shame. http://www.inaltreparole.net/en/world/faofame161109.htmlToday in Rome started the FAO summit, the UN organization which has its international... more
The United Nations is defending the removal of a poster criticizing China's censorship of the Web at an Internet conference.
Free speech advocates from the OpenNet Initiative had placed a poster at the Internet Governance Forum decrying what they called China's Great Firewall. An unnamed delegation complained, and the group was asked to take it down.
ake Hands with the Devil first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival way back in 2007. In fact, director Roger Spottiswoode actually directed another film (The Children of Huang Shi) while waiting for this to be released. Regent Releasing is finally bringing Shake Hands with the Devil to theaters in 2010 and has debuted a trailer for it on Apple. It stars Roy Dupuis and Deborah Unger.
The Bilderberg group, with members like NYC mayor Bloomberg, is denounced for interference by Mario Borghezio, an Italian member of European Parliament. During this session of the parliament in Brussels, Borghezio questioned the nominations of Bilderberg, and Trilateral Commission attendees, for the posts of EU President and EU foreign minister.The Bilderberg group, with members like NYC mayor Bloomberg, is denounced for... more
The growing number of private security companies policing UK streets is a worrying development, senior police figures say.
The Police Federation of England and Wales said there is "huge concern" over their powers and accountability.
Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair has also said there should be no role for the private sector in Britain's law enforcement. The firms typically charge residents to patrol streets and deter troublemakers.
The growth in private security firms taking on policing work comes despite an increase in police numbers.
Private security firms have no powers, although chief constables may award some limited ones such as allowing them to move people on.
more at link
Coming to a town near you: NARC Mercenaries harassing citizens in an effort to deter crime in an Orwellian, Minority Report, pre-crime, Gestapo police state, who protect corporate interests, while vilifying the poor.
Land of the Fear, Home of the Slave.The growing number of private security companies policing UK streets is a worrying... more
The number of in-custody sudden deaths rose dramatically during the first year California law enforcement agencies began using stun guns, raising questions about the safety of the devices, according to a new study at UCSF.
The electronic weapons are intended to be a nonlethal alternative to the gun.
"Tasers are not as safe as thought," said Dr. Byron Lee, one of the cardiologists involved in studying the death rate related to Tasers, the most widely used stun gun. "And if they are used, they should be used with caution."Are tasers safe?
The number of in-custody sudden deaths rose dramatically during... more
The heavy punishment of illegal file sharers on the web will be counter-productive in the global fight against Internet piracy and copyright infringement, the director-general of a United Nations agency said on Thursday.
Art. 27 of the Italian Constitution, already unheeded in the part saying that penalties should recover detainees and cannot consist in treatments contrary to human dignity, is largely ignored in our country also in the first paragraph that says "Criminal responsibility is personal". Indeed, the concept applies only if the suspect of a crime is a "normal" Italian, while does not apply if it's an immigrant, let alone if it's a Romani. http://www.inaltreparole.net/en/news/persecuzionerom121109.htmlArt. 27 of the Italian Constitution, already unheeded in the part saying that... more
According to the UN (and World Bank, who probably helped cause this mess) whom every word you must take with a pinch of salt, still i'm guessing there's an inkling of truth to this, except the figure may be mind bogglingly higher.
The money is lost in public assets moved across borders via money-laundering or undeclared holdings.
The figure comes as the UN, World Bank and other watchdog meet in Doha, Qatar, to try to give a four-year-old anti-corruption agreement some teeth.
There is also disagreement over how best to implement the tracking of money, because of tax havens and secretive banking codes in some nations.
I'm pretty sure the corruption of the American government is all by itself over the $1tn mark, as is the UK and every other so called 'developed' nation, I'm pretty sure a Trillion would have helped us out of this recession too.
Amid all the news out there this Monday morning (health care bills, awakened Ft. Hood shooters, menacing Gulf hurricanes, over-bonused bankers) this little gem caught my eye.
From the AP: Chavez to troops: Prepare for war with Colombia
"President Hugo Chavez ordered Venezuela's military on Sunday to prepare for a possible armed conflict with Colombia, saying the country's soldiers should be ready if the United States attempts to provoke a war between the South American neighbors. "The best way to avoid war is preparing for it," Chavez told military officers standing at attention during his weekly television and radio program."
Chavez is worried about the influence the US exerts over Colombia, their military cooperation, and argues that the Obama Administration could try to stir up a conflict between the two South American nations (because they're not busy enough?). From the Venezuelan perspective a new military pact between the US and Colombia threatens the region's stability.
"According to Francisco Javier Arias, deputy Foreign Minister of Venezuela, Colombia signed a pact with the U.S. allowing the Americans to freely use Colombian military bases and airports to secure the "continuity of the empire." "President Uribe is putting the region at risk to secure his re-election, dragging an elephant like the United States into a china shop, with the idea of solve problems that this northern country is not interested in," the official told Colombian Caracol Radio.
Chavez ordered 15,000 additional Venezuelan troops to the border. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe plans to appeal to the UN Security Council.
Vanguard correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to Sri Lanka during the final days of the country's civil war to see how one of the world's most powerful insurgencies, the Tamil Tigers, was finally defeated. While some security experts are hailing Sri Lanka as a case study in how to defeat an insurgency, Mariana finds that it comes at a steep price.
***Vanguard is Current TV's original documentary series. Led by correspondents Laura Ling, Mariana van Zeller, Christof Putzel, Adam Yamaguchi and Kaj Larsen, Vanguard features enterprising reports from around the globe. It airs every Wednesday at 10pm on Current TV. And you can view all Vanguard stories by visiting current.com/vanguard.***
Channel guide:
In the U.S.
DIRECTV 358
Comcast Nationwide 107
Dish Network 196
Time Warner: NY 103
Time Warner: LA 142
Time Warner: Other Cities: check local listings
AT&T U-verse Nationwide 189
Verizon FIOS 130
In the U.K.
Sky 183
Virgin Media 155
In Italy
Sky Italia 130Vanguard correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to Sri Lanka during the final days... more
A new global warming pact coming out of Copenhagen in December must be a legally enforceable treaty, not just promises from politicians, developing nations said at the Barcelona talks on Wednesday.
The statement was in response to rich nations' newest push for a "politically binding" deal, the idea being it's way too late to get a legal one on the books by December.
Political agreements "are worth very little," said Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping (above), the Sudanese chair of the Group of 77 and China.
"Tell me of any politician who delivered on his political manifesto." ...A new global warming pact coming out of Copenhagen in December must be a legally... more
This is an interview with Morrison Bonpasse, President of the Single Global Currency Association. He calmly talks about the decline of the dollar and destruction of the United States in favor of a Global Currency and Global Government. Here's some highlights:
"di Stefano: What should replace the U.S. dollar?
Bonpasse: Very simply, a single global currency, managed by a Global Central Bank within a Global Monetary Union, should succeed the dollar.
di Stefano: How long might this process take?
Bonpasse: The goal of the Single Global Currency Association is a single global currency, managed by a Global Central Bank within a Global Monetary Union by 2024, which is now 15 years away.
However, the process needn't take that long. If the decision makers in the U.S. and EMU decided to merge the dollar and the euro into a monetary union, that could be accomplished in less than five years, and that merged currency, whatever its name, would become the single global currency."
The Global corporate elite are systematically destroying our country in order to establish a 1 World Government. They openly state it and laugh in our faces.
Meanwhile, Americans watch the big game, play RPGs and watch American Idol. Then they line up to get their kids injected with a Swine Flu shot only to watch them become autistic drones. Can't you see that they are bankrupting our country on purpose?This is an interview with Morrison Bonpasse, President of the Single Global Currency... more
"LONDON (Reuters) - Leading banks have funded arms manufacturers, whose products include cluster bombs, to the tune of $5 billion in the past two years, despite an international accord to ban such weapons, a study said Thursday.
The report by Profundo consultancy and several NGOs said the banks loaned money to companies whose products include cluster bombs or their components.
It did not say the funds went directly to make cluster bombs. The manufacturers could use the money for any of their production lines.
The top five loan providers were Bank of America, Citigroup , JP Morgan, Barclays and Goldman Sachs, the study said.
The researchers used publicly available information, such as that supplied by stock exchanges and financial databases, to produce their study.
According to the research, the banks have provided financing for diversified manufacturer Textron, aerospace and defense group Alliant Techsystems and defense contractor Lockheed Martin , all based in the United States.
Cluster bombs, which open in mid-air and scatter a multitude of bomblets over a wide area, have killed and maimed tens of thousands of civilians, campaigners say.
Nations agreed to outlaw cluster bombs in May 2008. The resulting convention will come into force when 30 countries have ratified it -- 23 have already done so.
Neither the United States nor Britain, where the top five loan providers are based, have yet ratified the treaty.
The Convention on Cluster Munitions includes a ban on assisting anyone to make the bombs.
Bank of America and JP Morgan declined to comment while Citigroup and Goldman Sachs also had no immediate reaction.""LONDON (Reuters) - Leading banks have funded arms manufacturers, whose products... more
October 23, 2009 ·
Billionaire globalist George Soros told the Financial Times during an interview that China will supplant the United States as the leader of the new world order and that America should not resist the country’s decline as the dollar weakens, living standards drop, and a new global currency is introduced.
Asked what Obama should discuss when he visits China next month, Soros stated, “This would be the time because I think you really need to bring China into the creation of a new world order, financial world order,” adding that China was a reluctant member of the IMF who didn’t make enough of a contribution.
“I think you need a new world order that China has to be part of the process of creating it and they have to buy in, they have to own it in the same way as the United States owns…the current order,” said Soros, adding that the G20 was a move in this direction.
Soros said that there was a flight from currencies across the board, and that this is why the price of commodities, notably gold and oil, were generally rising. He also stated that an orderly decline of the dollar was “desirable” and that the entire system needed to be reconstituted towards a global currency.
“You need a new currency system and actually the Special Drawing Rights do give you the makings of a system and I think it’s ill-considered on the part of the United States to resist the wider use of Special Drawing Rights, they could be very useful now when you have a global shortfall of demand, you could actually internationally create currency through Special Drawing Rights,” said Soros, explaining that this was already in process after the IMF injected an allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) equivalent to $250 billion into the global economy.
Soros also stated that richer countries were already transferring wealth to poorer countries via SDR’s, with the IMF paying for the half per cent transaction cost.
Soros said the world would have to go through a “painful adjustment” following the decline of the dollar and the introduction of a global currency. Reading between the lines, he essentially threatened to kill the dollar completely if the United States did not get on board with the global currency.
Soros predicted that China would become the new engine of the global economy, replacing the U.S., and that this would slow economic growth and reduce living standards. Soros characterized the United States as a drag on the global economy because of the declining dollar.October 23, 2009 ·
Billionaire globalist George Soros told the Financial Times... more
