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that was my week..a few highlights including the new egyptian parliament and bieber flashing the horns, why does marilyn have a blood cross over here? and of course my favorite event of the week..JuLiar getting rolled on australia day..enjoy..

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http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest+News/Science+and+Tech/Story/A1Story20120123-323459.html

The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry wants to collect audio recordings of the purported strange noises in the sky heard by residents of Kota Samarahan, Sarawak.

In a Sinar Harian report, Deputy Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusuf said the ministry was collecting as much “evidence” as possible on the bizarre happening so it could submit its report to the National Space Agency (Angkasa) for further investigation.

“This incident is no laughing matter. We hope those who have audio or video recordings of the noises can come forward so we can investigate,” said Fadillah, adding that any evidence can be sent to the Petrajaya parliamentary service centre in Jalan Astana, Kuching.

Residents of Kota Samarahan claimed to have heard noises resembling “loud snorings” in the wee hours of Jan 11 and Jan 12, triggering speculations and apocalyptic theories among the fascinated.

The daily reported that residents in Budapest, Hungary and Conklin, Canada had also heard similar peculiar noises in the sky on the same dates.

The daily also quoted international reports saying the strange noises heard globally could have originated from the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) programme, an ionospheric research programme based in Gakona, Alaska in the United States.

***

Strange Sounds Map

http://seektress.com/ssounds.htm

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the link above has all the information..all over the world people are hearing strange noises..i have done a post now because a government has recognised this and wants answers..like we do..

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/piracy/9041774/US-Navy-Seals-rescued-American-hostages-from-Somalia-why-wont-Britain-do-the-same.html

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4180692,00.html

Jordan’s King Abdullah alluded to a possible deterioration in Amman’s relationship with Jerusalem if unless Benjamin Netanyahu‘s government to “make significant concessions which will allow the Palestinian leadership to justify their return to the negotiating table.”

The papers sources said that the king has “three aces up his sleeves,” which he may choose to use of Israel proves “suborn,” including the possible reduction or suspension of the diplomatic ties between Israel and Iran.

Thursday will make the Quartet’s dealing to Israel and the Palestinian Authority, by which both parties were supposed to present their updated positions on security and the issue of borders.

Chief Israeli and Palestinian negotiators Yitzhak Molcho and Saeb Erekat will meet later Wednesday, in what Palestinian sources said is likely to be the last round of Mahmoud Abbas that Jordan should be give a chance to broker the Israeli-Palestinian talks.

According to the Maan news agency, Abbas “Refuses and will continue to refuse to prolong the talks… He sees today’s meeting as the last chance to broker an agreement that will allow the preliminary talks to continue and eventually mature into full-fledge negotiations.”

Abbas, the sources added, is poised to declare that the Amman talks have failed.

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we hadnt heard a lot from jordan..but we do now..taking a side?..favorite enemies..dont be fooled..

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http://en.rian.ru/russia/20120126/170955410.html

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told a bold student at Moscow State University who asked him a challenging question that he is ready to defend his ideals to the bitter end.

Medvedev met with journalism students at the university on Wednesday, and a student asked him: “A serious revolutionary situation is brewing up in the country… What will be your personal behavior strategy during a revolution?”

“Are you ready to stand a popular trial and defend each of your decisions and ideals?” the student, who said his name was Vladimir Kulikov, asked. “Do you realize that you may even be sentenced to death? Are you ready to accept it bravely and clearly, like Saddam Hussein did, or will you emigrate to friendly North Korea?”

Medvedev said: “You have probably asked the boldest question in your life. I congratulate you on that… I will answer you extremely honestly. Any person elected to the presidential post must be prepared for everything, and I am also ready for everything.”

The president said that despite various predictions on the nearest future of Russia and the March elections, the issue of a revolution is out of the question.

“I do not want the events in our country to develop in line with a revolutionary or any other extreme scenario and, to tell you the truth, I do not see enough prerequisites for this,” he said.

The persistent student then once again asked the president whether he was prepared to die for his ideals.

“If you need a clear answer – of course I am ready to die for my ideals,” Medvedev said.

“By the way, ideals are not only the Constitution and a set of elevated values, they also include the family, children and all the rest. These are also values for which we all should be prepared to suffer proceeding from various considerations,” he said.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin-led United Russia party won the December 4 parliamentary elections in Russia but critics claimed the vote had been skewed in favor of United Russia. The authorities admitted that minor violations had occurred during the vote, but denied claims that the irregularities affected the vote’s results.

Vote rigging allegations led to the largest anti-government protests for almost two decades, with demonstrators demanding a rerun and the dismissal of election chief Vladimir Churov.

Putin served two terms as Russia’s president between 2000 and 2008, but was barred from standing for a third consecutive term by the Constitution. He became prime minister after his handpicked successor, Dmitry Medvedev, became president.

Putin is considered the most likely candidate to win the presidential election on March 4. However, analysts say his declining popularity could see him forced into a runoff. Medvedev, who decided against running in this year’s presidential elections, said on Wednesday he might run again in the future.

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brave words..i wonder if he would be that brave running AGAINST putin..

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ACTA is one more offensive against the sharing of culture on the Internet. ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) is an agreement secretly negotiated by a small “club” of like-minded countries (39 countries, including the 27 of the European Union, the United States, Japan, etc). Negotiated instead of being democratically debated, ACTA bypasses parliaments and international organizations to dictate a repressive logic dictated by the entertainment industries.

ACTA would impose new criminal sanctions forcing Internet actors to monitor and censor online communications. It is thus a major threat to freedom of expression online and creates legal uncertainty for Internet companies. In the name of trademarks and patents, it would also hamper access to generic medicines in poor countries.

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the mother of SOPA is already here..and its worse..and its been signed by most western countries already..undercover of darkness..the net will be finished as an open source..they myriad of ways you can be caught up in copyright violations is staggering..reminds me of  an ayn rand quote..her quote about men becoming criminals..they will make so many rules it will be impossible to be legal and live legal..

401

————

got linked to this by another reader..ever wondered how the ancients from all over the world drew the same pictures?..what were they seeing that the whole world could see?..this sort of history really interests me..wether you believe the theories or not its very interesting..”points of agreement” is what we need to focus on..because in there is the truth..

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http://www.efinancialnews.com/story/2012-01-25/chart-of-day-baltic-dry-shipping-rates-fall

Statistics from the Office of National Statistics this morning showed that the UK went into reverse in the last quarter of 2011, when the economy shrank by 0.2% – but as the Baltic Dry Index shows, the global economy is looking even more worrying.

The index – often used as a proxy for the health of the global economy as it reflects the prices charged for shipping commodities such as metals, coal or grain around the world – has fallen by 61% since October.

The index was at 842 at yesterday’s close – down from its 12-month high of 2173 last October.

Nick Bullman, managing partner at risk consultant Check Risks, said the index is a good way of looking at the risks to the global economy, “as it tends to be where they hit first”.

According to Bullman, its initial collapse in October was driven primarily by a fall-off in demand from China, where declining housing prices pushed purchasing managers to cut back on orders for the raw materials whose transport the Baltic Dry Index reflects.

He said: “This collapse looks similar to the falls we saw in the Baltic Dry ahead of the recessions of the late 1970s and early 1990s – but this drop is actually steeper.”

Bullman added that it was also a more direct indicator of global economic health than government-produced statistics. “Personally, I’m not interested in employment data and GDP figures because they’re manipulated,” he said.

“US unemployment is in high double digits at moment, not 9% – the way the US government collates the data means the long-term unemployed just fall out of the numbers.”

However, using the Baltic Dry as an indicator of global economic health is complicated by the fact that prices also fall when new ships come into service. Shipping firms have been expanding their fleet in response to rising Chinese demand for imported commodities in recent years.

But Bullman said that shipping companies have also been deliberately slowing down their journeys to save fuel, with trips from China to the US going now taking around 50% longer than they were early in 2011.

Instead, he said he was surprised by how long the Baltic Dry took to fall. The NewContex index – an indicator of prices for transporting products in container ships – started falling in April last year.

Bullman said: “When we saw that happening in April, we realised that risks had returned to pre-2008 levels. We thought the Baltic Dry would start falling too, but it was actually relatively resilient.”

“What this is signalling is that the world economy is slowing down much more quickly than people have been thinking.”

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one of the most important graphs you can see..its usually ahead of the trend and the trend is down..quickly and fast..but dont listen to me..i am just a conspiracy nut..

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/19/warren-buffett-jay-z-diamond_n_1216458.html#s623655&title=Grand_ReOpening_Of

Most may not associate the words “Warren Buffett” and “rage” too closely, but last night the Oracle of Omaha did exactly that.

The famed investor joined other huge names like Ashanti, Russell Simmons and Spike Lee last night at there-opening of his pal Jay Z’s Manhattan club 40/40. At the party, the 81-year-old, best known for his financial savvy, rocked Jay Z’s diamond sign.

This isn’t the first time that the two super rich men have been spotted together. Jay-Z made an appearance inan episode of Buffett’s “Secret Millionaires Club,” an animated series about a group of youngsters led by Buffett as they tackle financial emergencies. In the video, the husband of Beyonce and father of Blue Ivy Carter schools the kids on giving back.

The two also appeared together in an interview with Forbes in 2010 where they discussed the secrets of their success. Both touched on the value in having a wealth of experience and trusting their gut.

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seriously..you sill old bastard..jay-z is playing you like he plays everyone..remember jay-z wanted to make t-shirts for the OWS?..a real 99%er this guy..

401

http://www.theage.com.au/world/mutiny-in-png-as-soldiers-storm-defence-headquarters-20120126-1qiix.html

Australians are being warned to limit travel around Port Moresby after soldiers loyal to ousted prime minister Sir Michael Somare stormed barracks in the Papua New Guinean capital.

And retired Colonel Yaura Sasa, the man now claiming to be in charge of PNG’s military, has given the nation’s politicians seven days to decide who is in charge of the country.

The mutiny began at 3am local time, with up to 20 soldiers raiding defence force headquarters and arresting the head of army, the ABC reported.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-27/png-prime-minister-hits-out-after-png-mutiny/3795670/?site=newcastle

Papua New Guinea’s prime minister says yesterday’s failed mutiny has turned the country into a joke, amid questions about former leader Sir Michael Somare’s role in the events in Port Moresby.

PNG’s Post-Courier newspaper has reported that police are searching for the retired Colonel Yaura Sasa, who briefly claimed to have seized control of the country’s military yesterday.

Earlier, prime minister Peter O’Neill had said that Colonel Sasa, who led a group of soldiers who put the head of the defence force under arrest on Thursday, was being “dealt with”.

The abortive mutiny yesterday was reportedly an attempt to restore Sir Michael Somare to power.

But by the afternoon defence force commander Francis Agwi had been freed and the rebel soldiers had withdrawn back to their barracks.

Mr O’Neill says the attempted mutiny was a desperate act.

“Papua New Guinea deserves better from Somare,” he said.

“Somare has to realise that this country has looked after him for 45 years; now it is his turn to respect the country that respects him.

“We do not owe it to him. We respect him, but he also needs to ensure that the people who mandated him in March also get the respect that they also deserve.

“I do not answer or this government does not answer to one man calling us to recall parliament in seven days.”

Mr O’Neill urged the country to return to normal.

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they came..they saw..they lost..they left..an attempt to takeover met an anti-climactic end..still major issues in PNG..and in west PNG we have killings and violence involving indonesia..a very troubled island right now..

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-25/geithner-doesn-t-expect-obama-to-ask-him-to-stay-if-he-wins-re-election.html

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, the last member of the Obama administration’s original economic team, said he doesn’t expect to remain in office if the president is re-elected.

“He’s not going to ask me to stay on, I’m pretty confident,” Geithner said in an interview with Bloomberg Television yesterday in Charlotte,North Carolina. “I’m confident he’ll be president. But I’m also confident he’s going to have the privilege of having another secretary of the Treasury.”

Geithner, 50, has led President Barack Obama’s efforts to pull the U.S. economy out of the worst recession since World War II, including overseeing bailouts of automakers General Motors Co. (GM) and Chrysler Group LLC, which have since emerged from bankruptcy. Before joining the administration in 2009, Geithner was president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, playing a key role in the government’s rescue packages for banks such as Citigroup Inc. (C)and Bank of America Corp. (BAC)

In the interview, Geithner said he would do “something else” after leaving the Treasury Department, without specifying what that would be. In August, an administration official said Geithner would stay in his job at least through this year’s presidential election.

Erskine Bowles, chief of staff under President Bill Clinton, and Democratic Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota could be among the potential candidates to succeed Geithner, said Mark Calabria, director of financial regulation studies at the Cato Institute in Washington.

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shut the door on your way out timmy G..good riddance..

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http://www.wnd.com/2012/01/soros-occupy-to-turn-violent/

Billionaire George Soros is predicting protests by Occupy Wall Street will turn violent, while warning the U.S. financial system may collapse.

In an interview with Newsweek writer John Arlidge, Soros reportedly said riots on the streets of American cities are inevitable.

“‘Yes, yes, yes,’ he says, almost gleefully,” when asked about the prospect of Occupy turning violent, writes Arlidge.

Soros claimed the riots will “be an excuse for cracking down and using strong-arm tactics to maintain law and order, which, carried to an extreme, could bring about a repressive political system, a society where individual liberty is much more constrained, which would be a break with the tradition of the United States.”

“At times like these, survival is the most important thing,” Soros continued.

“I am not here to cheer you up. The situation is about as serious and difficult as I’ve experienced in my career,” Soros said.

“We are facing an extremely difficult time, comparable in many ways to the 1930s, the Great Depression. We are facing now a general retrenchment in the developed world, which threatens to put us in a decade of more stagnation, or worse,” he said.

“The best-case scenario is a deflationary environment. The worst-case scenario is a collapse of the financial system.”

In the interview, Soros claimed the Occupy Wall Street movement “is an inchoate, leaderless manifestation of protest.”

However, WND has repeatedly documented the billionaire’s many ties to Occupy, including how the group’s reported nerve center is staffed by professional agitators deeply linked to organizations funded by Soros.

Those groups, most prominent among them being the Tides Center, have been involved with Occupy since the anti-Wall Street movement’s inception.

Tides functions as a money tunnel in which major leftist donors provide large sums that are channeled to hundreds of radical groups.

The Tides-funded Adbusters magazine is reported to have come up with the Occupy Wall Street idea after Arab Spring protests toppled governments in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. The Adbusters website serves as a central hub for Occupy’s planning.

The Tides-funded Ruckus Society has been providing direct-action training to Occupy protesters as well as official training resources, including manuals, to Occupy training groups. Ruckus, which helped spark the 1999 World Trade Organization riots in Seattle, was also listed as a “friend and partner” of the “Occupy Days of Action” in October.

http://rt.com/usa/news/george-soros-class-war-619/

Billionaire investor George Soros has a new prediction for America. While it might be as dire as it gets for the financial wiz, this bet concerns more than just the value of the buck. According to Soros, there’s about to be an all-out class war.

Soros, 81, previously bet against the British pound in the early 90s and made $1 billion off its collapse. In the years since, he’s remained active in investing, but also in advocacy. He’s helped keep Wikipedia afloat thanks to impressive contributions and through donations to the Tides Center, has indirectly funded Adbusters, the Canadian anti-capitalist magazine that put Occupy Wall Street on the map. Speaking to Newsweek recently, Soros neglected to acknowledge his past successes, but instead offered a word of warning: a period of “evil” is coming to the western world.

“I am not here to cheer you up. The situation is about as serious and difficult as I’ve experienced in my career,” Soros tells Newsweek. “We are facing an extremely difficult time, comparable in many ways to the 1930s, the Great Depression. We are facing now a general retrenchment in the developed world, which threatens to put us in a decade of more stagnation, or worse. The best-case scenario is a deflationary environment. The worst-case scenario is a collapse of the financial system.”

Soros goes on to compare the current state of the western world with what the Soviet Union was facing as communism crumbled. Although he would think that history would have taught the globe a thing or two about noticing trends, Soros says that, despite past events providing a perfect example of what is to come, the end of an empire seems imminent.

“The collapse of the Soviet system was a pretty extraordinary event, and we are currently experiencing something similar in the developed world, without fully realizing what’s happening,” adds Soros.

Soros goes on to say that as the crisis in the Eurozone only worsens, the American financial system will continue to be hit hard. On the way to a full-blown collapse, he cautions, Americans should expect society to alter accordingly. Riots will hit the streets, says Soros, and as a result, “It will be an excuse for cracking down and using strong-arm tactics to maintain law and order, which, carried to an extreme, could bring about a repressive political system, a society where individual liberty is much more constrained, which would be a break with the tradition of the United States.”

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here he is..after organising and financing the groups behind it he now says it will all end in tears and a bigger police state is born..just what they wanted to happen..its like a train wreck in slow motion..

401

http://rt.com/news/acta-internet-censor-treaty-591/

As cyberspace turns its attention to the SOPA and PIPA bills in the US, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA, has been quietly signed or ratified by most of the developed world and is arguably the biggest threat to Internet freedom yet.

ACTA has – officially – been in the works since 2008, and was signed by the US, Australia, Canada, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea in 2011. All negotiations were held behind closed doors, and it is mostly thanks to Internet hacktivist groups like Anonymous that news of the potential damage ACTA could cause has spread.

Most recently, Anonymous turned their attention to Poland, where officials announced that they will sign the controversial treaty on January 26. A number of government website attacks has left them paralyzed for two days, and several Polish websites have since announced they will go dark in protest at the treaty, echoing recent unprecedented actions by Wikipedia, Redditt, BoingBoing and many others.

However, Polish officials have said they will sign the agreement as planned. Government minister Michal Boni said “The ACTA agreement in no way changes Polish laws or the rights of Internet users and Internet usage,” after a meeting with Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The irony of that statement is that ACTA will do exactly that. It will surpass the sovereign laws of participating nations, especially in the matter of ISP monitoring.

ACTA’s reach is far more global, with countries like the US, Switzerland, Japan and all European Union members in its grasp. It is allegedly being introduced “to create new legal standards of intellectual property enforcement, as well as increased international cooperation, an example of which would be an increase in information sharing between signatory countries’ law enforcement agencies.” But in reality, the measures that have been worked on by behind-the-scenes politicians and media industry moguls are just shy of draconian.

Under this new treaty, Internet Service Providers will police all data passing through them, making them legally responsible for what their users do online. And should you do something considered “breach of copyright” like, for instance, getting a tattoo of a brand logo, taking a photo and posting it somewhere, you may be disconnected from the Internet, fined or even jailed.

This, of course, threatens the entire founding idea of the Internet – the free sharing of information. But ACTA doesn’t stop there. It goes beyond the Internet, bearing down on generic drugs and food patents. If passed, ACTA will enforce a global standard for seed patenting, which would wipe out independent, local farmers and make the world completely dependent on the patent owners (read “big corporations”) for supplies.

The agreement states that it must be signed and ratified by 2013, but the seemingly late deadline is no cause for celebration. And if the secrecy surrounding this latest censor tool continues to hold, it may be put into effect without anyone noticing.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16735219

Thousands of protesters have taken to Poland’s streets over the signing of an international treaty activists say amounts to internet censorship.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement in Tokyo on Thursday.

The treaty, known as Acta, aims to establish international standards to enforce intellectual property rights.

But critics say it could curb freedom of expression, and government websites have been hacked in protest.

Later on Thursday, hundreds of people took to the streets of the eastern city of Lublin to express their anger over the treaty.

Several marches had taken place in cities across the nation on Wednesday, says the BBC’s Adam Easton in Warsaw.

Crowds of mostly young people held banners with slogans such as “no to censorship” and “a free internet”.

After convening a special government meeting to discuss the issue, Mr Tusk said the government would not be blackmailed by the treaty’s opponents.

There would be ample time for public discussion about the treaty before it was ratified by the Polish parliament, he said.

Poland was one of several European Union countries, including Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Greece, to sign the treaty on Thursday but it appeared to be the only place where it caused protest.

The agreement was signed by the US, Australia, Canada, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea last year.

Acta shares similarities with America’s Stop Online Piracy Act, which US lawmakers set aside last week after Wikipedia and Google blacked out or partially obscured their websites for a day in protest.

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“Under this new treaty, Internet Service Providers will police all data passing through them, making them legally responsible for what their users do online. And should you do something considered “breach of copyright” like, for instance, getting a tattoo of a brand logo, taking a photo and posting it somewhere, you may be disconnected from the Internet, fined or even jailed.”

i had wondered about the massive focus on SOPA..and why it was allowed to have so much negativity thrown at it.. because they already have plans in place..and signed..ACTA is the mother of SOPA..its worse if possible and its already here..distraction of the strawman argument..

401

http://www.debka.com/article/21673/

India is the first buyer of Iranian oil to agree to pay for its purchases in gold instead of the US dollar, DEBKAfile’s intelligence and Iranian sources report exclusively.  Those sources expect China to follow suit. India and China take about one million barrels per day, or 40 percent of Iran’s total exports of 2.5 million bpd. Both are superpowers in terms of gold assets.

By trading in gold, New Delhi and Beijing enable Tehran to bypass the upcoming freeze on its central bank’s assets and the oil embargo which the European Union’s foreign ministers agreed to impose Monday, Jan. 23. The EU currently buys around 20 percent of Iran’s oil exports.

The vast sums involved in these transactions are expected, furthermore, to boost the price of gold and depress the value of the dollar on world markets.
Iran’s second largest customer after China, India purchases around $12 billion a year’s worth of Iranian crude, or about 12 percent of its consumption. Delhi is to execute its transactions, according to our sources, through two state-owned banks: the Calcutta-based UCO Bank, whose board of directors is made up of Indian government and Reserve Bank of India representatives; and Halk Bankasi (Peoples Bank), Turkey’s seventh largest bank which is owned by the government.
An Indian delegation visited Tehran last week to discuss payment options in view of the new sanctions. The two sides were reported to have agreed that payment for the oil purchased would be partly in yen and partly in rupees. The switch to gold was kept dark.

India thus joins China in opting out of the US-led European sanctions against Iran’s international oil and financial business. Turkey announced publicly last week that it would not adhere to any sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program unless they were imposed by the United Nations Security Council.
The EU decision of Monday banned the signing of new oil contracts with Iran at once, while phasing out existing transactions by July 1, 2012, when the European embargo, like the measure enforced by the United States, becomes total. The European foreign ministers also approved a freeze on the assets of the Central Bank of Iran which handles all the country’s oil transactions.

http://www.blacklistednews.com/Currency_Wars_%E2%80%93_Iran_Banned_From_Trading_Gold_and_Silver_/17552/0/0/0/Y/M.html

The Iranian geopolitical tension is supporting gold as Britain, America and France have delivered a clear message to Iran, sending six warships led by a 100,000 ton aircraft carrier through the highly sensitive Strait of Hormuz.

Reuters report that the EU has agreed to freeze the assets of the Iranian central bank and ban all trade in gold and other precious metals with the Iranian Central Bank and other public bodies in Iran.

According to IMF data, at the last official count (in 1996), Iran had reserves of just over 168 tonnes of gold. The FT reported in March 2011 that Iran has bought large amounts of bullion on the international market to diversify away from the dollar, citing a senior Bank of England official.

Currency wars continue and are deepening.

Many Asian markets are closed for the Lunar New Year holiday which has led to lower volumes.

Of note was there was an unusual burst of gold futures buying on the TOCOM in Japan, which has helped the cash market to breach resistance at $1,666 an ounce.

Investors are also waiting for euro zone finance ministers to decide the terms of a Greek debt restructuring later today.  This would be the second bailout package for Greece.

The risk of contagion in Eurozone debt and wider markets is leading to continued safe haven demand for gold.

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thanks to nomnomnom for the link..

so tell me..what came first?..india and china to use gold to pay..or the ban on iran using gold and silver as a trade currency..either way there is some usurping of sanctions going on..

401

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/world/12709997/petroplus-to-file-for-insolvency/

Highly indebted Swiss-based oil refiner Petroplus, after weeks of talks with its creditors, said in a statement on Tuesday it would file for insolvency.

The company, with $1.75 billion in outstanding senior notes and convertible bonds, had been negotiating with lenders to reopen credit lines needed to maintain operations and meet its financial obligations.

But on Tuesday it said its board of directors had “resolved to prepare for a filing for insolvency or composition proceedings in Switzerland and will make the necessary filings as soon as possible”.

It added that “similar steps are being taken by Petroplus subsidiaries in various jurisdictions”.

CEO Jean-Paul Vettier said: “It is unfortunate to have reached the point where the executive committee and board of directors have to inform our employees, shareholders, bondholders and other stakeholders about these circumstances.”

“We have worked hard to avoid this outcome, but were ultimately not able to come to an agreement with our lenders to resolve these issues given the very tight and difficult European credit and refining markets.

“We are fully aware of the impact that this will have on our workforce, their families and the communities where we have operated our businesses.”

On Monday trading in Petroplus shares was suspended at the request of the company, the Swiss exchange said.

A week earlier credit ratings agency Standard and Poor’s had downgraded its rating for Petroplus by three notches due to the increased risk of a default on its short-term debt.

Last week Petroplus, Europe’s largest independent oil refiner, announced it was to sell its Petit Couronne refinery in France due to the financial difficulties.

Petroplus also said it was looking for strategic alternatives including the sale of its Cressier (Switzerland) and Antwerp (Belgium) refineries.

It has two other refineries across Europe: Ingolstadt in Germany and Coryton in Britain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroplus

Petroplus Holdings AG is Europe’s largest independent oil refiner by capacity. When the company first formed in 1993 it was known as Petroplus International N.V. being based in the Netherlands. In August 1998, it was listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. In April 2005, it was delisted from the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange when the company was acquired by a holding company. In November 2006, the company went public on the Swiss Stock Exchange.

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“Europe’s largest independent oil refiner by capacity”

big scalp..big news..markets go up..wtf?

401

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-57361810-17/for-chinese-communists-only-redpad-not-ipad-will-do/

When you’re a member of the China Communist Party, the iPad just doesn’t let you think different enough, it seems.

According to Reuters, China’s Communist Party members can now carry the RedPad Number One, which among other things comes bundled with software that allows up-and-coming commissars to monitor both the news and the journalists who report it. The Android-based tablet, which comes with a 9.7-inch display and a leather case, isn’t for the masses, though. The device sells for 9,999 yuan (about $1,600).

That exorbitant price tag is causing some bloggers in China to speak out against the Party. The critics say that it’s entirely possible the Party could use taxpayer dollars to pay for the tablets. In fact, Chinese Web site 91wenwen conducted an online survey earlier today on the topic, finding that about 2,000 people believed taxpayers could foot the bill. Nearly 3,000 respondents, however, say that it’s a “symbol of privilege.”

Perhaps what’s most interesting about the RedPad is that it comes with a host of applications designed to help party members keep tabs on the media. Reuters describes one application that lets members easily validate a journal’s accreditation. Another application lets them monitor blogs and microblogs.

Blogging services have long been a thorn in China’s side. The country has gone so far as to censor many of those services in an effort to “safeguard the public.”

“The rapid advance of this flood has also brought ‘mud and sand’–the spread of rumors–and to nurture a healthy Internet, we must thoroughly eradicate the soil in which rumors grow,” state-run media organization Xinhua wrote last year about blogs and microblogging services. “Concocting rumors is itself a social malady, and the spread of rumors across the Internet presents a massive social threat.”

That threat remains unchecked, apparently. The China Internet Network Information Center reported recently that as of the end of November, 300 million Chinese citizens were using microblogs. Last June, that figure stood at just 195 million.

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redpad..to funny..

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/google-tracks-consumers-across-products-users-cant-opt-out/2012/01/24/gIQArgJHOQ_story.html

Google said Tuesday it will require users to allow the company to follow their activities across e-mail, search, YouTube and other services, a radical shift in strategy that is expected to invite greater scrutiny of its privacy and competitive practices.

The information will enable Google to develop a fuller picture of how people use its growing empire of Web sites. Consumers will have no choice but to accept the changes.

The policy will take effect March 1 and will also impact Android mobile phone users, who are required to log in to Google accounts when they activate their phones.

The changes comes as Google is facing stiff competition and recently disappointed investors for the first time in several quarters, failing last week to meet earnings expectations. Apple, perhaps its primary rival, is expected to announce strong earnings Tuesday.

Google’s changes are appeared squarely aimed at Apple and Facebook, which have been successful in keeping people in their ecosystem of products. Google, which makes money by selling ads tailored to its users, is hoping to do the same by offering a Web experience tailored to personal tastes.

“If you’re signed in, we may combine information you’ve provided from one service with information from other services,” Alma Whitten, Google’s director of privacy, product and engineering wrote in a blog post.

“In short, we’ll treat you as a single user across all our products which will mean a simpler, more intuitive Google experience,” she said.

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as a user of gmail, youtube and google search i am disgusted at this..

dont believe the lies that they want to fashion the unique “you” on the net..thats not what its about, its more control of what you see on the net and “surf” for..its them telling you we know what you want before you do, and here is our version of it for your subconcious..lap it up..its good clean propaganda with all the silly truths removed from search engines..just like smart phones and ipads, who have different search parameters than a search from a pc or laptop..made just for you, “history” and “news” courtesy of big media..

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http://english.ruvr.ru/2012/01/23/64397073.html

Special envoy for the Russian President on cooperation with African countries, Senator Margelov called a statement by the Georgian authorities, that Russia is offering African countries a lot of money for the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, a PR stunt.

“The essence of this statement is to try to attain some sort of informational advantage, said Margelov, commenting on the “Interfax” statement of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili.

“Russia has never offered a single African country any money for the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” said the senator.

According to him, the question of “recognition or no recognition,” is far removed from contracts for exploration of mineral resources, banking and infrastructure development and the interaction of African economies. “That’s what Russian officials in Africa and are busy with,” said Margelov.

http://rt.com/politics/shevardnadze-iran-war-saakashvili-557/

To keep his post, Georgia’s President Mikhail Saakashvili may draw the country into a war against Iran, former Georgian leader Eduard Shevardnadze believes.

I dont rule out that to retain the [presidential] chair Saakashvili may join a military campaign against Iran, which would become a catastrophe for our country, Shevardnadze said, as cited by ‘Georgia on-line’ news portal.

The issue may be discussed at the upcoming meeting between Saakashvili and US President Barack Obama in the White House on January 30, Shevardnadze noted.

Any anti-Iranian campaign on Georgian territory shouldnt be accepted, the former Georgian president stressed.

Georgian expert on the Caucasus Mamuka Areshidze says that if a military operation against the Islamic Republic begins, Georgia would face extreme difficulties, Regnum agency reports.

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georgia is another that punches above its weight and receives a lot of attention, but it is a vital part of the energy supply chain, so its..push, push, pull..we did the post last week on the hospitals being built in georgia..watch them..most of the above is hype and white noise but i do believe the 2 breakaways will go for independence..and that will lead to something

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]]> http://seeker401.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/georgian-authorities-claim-that-russia-is-offering-african-countries-money-for-the-recognition-of-abkhazia-and-south-ossetia-saakashvili-eyeing-iran-war-to-hold-power/feed/ 3 seeker401 4RIAN_00921442.LR.ru http://seeker401.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/nigerian-forces-have-arrested-158-suspected-members-of-the-islamist-boko-haram-organisation/ http://seeker401.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/nigerian-forces-have-arrested-158-suspected-members-of-the-islamist-boko-haram-organisation/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:42:05 +0000 seeker401 http://seeker401.wordpress.com/?p=31645 ]]>

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16710086

Boko Haram said it carried out a series of bombings in Kano on Friday in which at least 185 people died.

The group says it wants to overthrow the Nigerian government and impose Islamic law.

There were two casualties from Tuesday’s dawn raids, carried out by the Nigerian Joint Military Task Force.

One resident of Kano said officers had encircled a house where a Boko Haram suspect was believed to be hiding. The shoot-out lasted several hours.

“They began shooting, and he fired back… This was followed by a barrage of gunfire by the security men,” Mohammed Maikubi Bala told AFP news agency.

A man and his wife were killed in the raid, residents said.

Attacks by Boko Haram killed close to 1,000 people last year, according to campaign groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Amnesty said the Nigerian government should do more to tackle the group.

“The Nigerian government has repeatedly failed to prevent, investigate, prosecute or punish these acts,” it said.

The key suspect in a Christmas Day bombing on a Catholic church – believed to be a member of the Islamist sect Boko Haram – escaped from police custody earlier this month.

At least 40 people died in that attack.

A top African Union official warned that the radical sect was escalating its activities.

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these guys must have stuffed up and got caught with their boko haram membership cards on them..the police must know who is doing the attacks if they have 160 suspects in 1 week..someone gave them a 160 names and addresses??

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***

To the free-thinking citizens of the world: Anonymous stands with the farmers and food organizations denouncing the practices of Monsanto We applaud the bravery of the organizations and citizens who are standing up to Monsanto, and we stand united with you against this oppressive corporate abuse. Monsanto is contaminating the world with chemicals and genetically modified food crops for profit while claiming to feed the hungry and protect the environment. Anonymous is everyone, Anyone who can not stand for injustice and decides to do something about it, We are all over the Earth and here to stay.

To Monsanto, we demand you STOP the following:

• Contaminating the global food chain with GMO’s.
• Intimidating small farmers with bullying and lawsuits.
• Propagating the use of destructive pesticides and herbicides across the globe.
• Using “Terminator Technology”, which renders plants sterile.
• Attempting to hijack UN climate change negotiations for your own fiscal benefit.
• Reducing farmland to desert through monoculture and the use of synthetic fertilizers.
• Inspiring suicides of hundreds of thousands of Indian farmers.
• Causing birth defects by continuing to produce the pesticide “Round-up”
• Attempting to bribe foriegn officials
• Infiltrating anti-GMO groups

Monsanto, these crimes will not go unpunished. Anonymous will not spare you nor anyone in support of your oppressive illegal business practices.

AGRA, a great example:
In 2006, AGRA, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, was established with funding from Bill Gates and The Rockefeller Foundation.

Among the other founding members of, AGRA, we find: Monsanto, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline, Procter and Gamble, Merck, Mosaic, Pfizer, Sumitomo Chemical and Yara. The fact that these corporations are either chemical or pharmaceutical manufacturers is no coincidence.

The people of the world see you, Monsanto. Anonymous sees you.

Seeds of Opportunism, Climate change offers these businesses a perfect excuse to prey on the poorest countries by swooping in to “rescue” the farmers and people with their GMO crops and chemical pesticides. These corporations eradicate the traditional ways of the country’s agriculture for the sake of enormous profits.
The introduction of GMOs drastically affects a local farmers income, as the price of chemicals required for GMOs and seeds from Monsanto cripples the farmer’s meager profit margins.

There are even many cases of Monsanto suing small farmers after pollen from their GMO crops accidentally cross with the farmer’s crops. Because Monsanto has a patent on theri brand of seed, they claim the farmer is in violation of patent laws.

These disgusting and inhumane practices will not be tolerated.

Anonymous urges all concerned citizens to stand up for these farmers, stand up for the future of your own food. Protest, organize, spread info to your friends!

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whatever your opinion is of anonymous..anyone going after monsanto is a friend of mine in those circumstances..

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