Reading between the lines, and thinking outside the box . . .
Germany's domestic intelligence agency will reportedly warn against communist extremist infiltration of the hard-line socialist Left party, in an official report to be presented on Thursday.
Germany's largest carmaker says it will likely decide in July whether to build a new plant in the US. The strong euro is forcing VW and other major European firms to shift production from Europe to the dollar zone. But the move comes amidst fears of a recession and a subprime crises that has dampened Americans' spending.
Chancellor Merkel is expected to discuss renewable energy and trade in Brazil today as she begins her first state visit to Latin America. After her meetings in Brazil, the German chancellor travels to Peru for a European Union-Latin America summit. On May 20, she is to visit Columbia and Mexico.
Germany's Foreign Minister called on Russia to strengthen the rule of law, while pressing for the EU to quickly seal a partnership deal with the Kremlin. "I hope it will not only be a new, modern treaty between Russia and the EU but that it will, above all, be negotiated within a clear timeframe, so that it can become the basis of our common policy."
Italy will have to rely on divine intervention to sort its problems out, Silvio Berlusconi, the country's new prime minister, said on Tuesday. "Challenges are always a gamble, games of fate. And we must invoke God's help for all of us."
He went on to say that luck did not shine on public figures who became discouraged, and that he would put himself "in the hands of the Lord".
The president of the European Commission has responded to Hugo Chavez's bitter attack on Angela Merkel by describing the Venezuelan president's words against the German chancellor as "inflammatory, populist and aggressive."
The first summit for the Union of the Mediterranean is to be held on July 13th under the French EU presidency. The summit will aim to formally create the "Barcelona Process - A Union for the Mediterranean" and establish the union's "structures and principle goals."
Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday underlined Britain's support for Turkey's troubled bid to join the European Union as she began a 4-day state visit here, her first since 1971. She described Turkey as a "confident and dynamic democracy" and praised close ties between Ankara and London. "For us, Turkey is as important now as it has ever been."
She said Turkey, with its strategic location straddling Europe and Asia, would be an asset for the European Union. Britain is one of the main supporters of Turkey's drive to join the bloc, but EU heavyweights France and Germany are advocating a "special partnership" with Ankara rather than full membership.
Poland said on Tuesday recent US proposals to strengthen Polish defences in return for hosting a controversial American missile shield fell short of its demands.
The Promised Land? is a 3-part series examining the origins, violent creation, and modern-day reality of the state of Israel, told through the stories of individual Israelis.
Prime Minister Olmert is the unpopular and vulnerable leader of a fractious coalition. His job looks less secure than ever. The latest blow is a corruption scandal that broke last week and threatens to paralyze a US-backed peace process that is already limping.
Prime Minister Olmert said today that "real progress" had been made in talks with the Palestinians and "understandings and agreements have been reached on very important matters".
Many Israelis have also chosen to leave, and are now living and working in Europe or America. "Israel's greatest concern at the moment is that there have never been more Israelis living abroad," said Rabbi Homolka. In addition, many Jews who once might have considered emigrating to Israel - making their Aliya - have in the past few years been choosing to head to Germany instead.
[WAR: So how does this square with all the Paranoid Protestant Prophets talking about the Jews returning to the Holy Land and fulfilling prophecy? How?!]
President Ahmadinejad said today that Israel is dying and that its 60th anniversary celebrations are an attempt to prevent its "annihilation." He spoke hours after President Bush arrived in Israel for the anniversary celebrations.
"The Zionist (Israeli) regime is dying," he said during a speech in northern Iran. "The criminals assume that by holding celebrations ... they can save the sinister Zionist regime from death and annihilation. Nations of the region hate this criminal fabricated regime (Israel) and will uproot this fabricated regime if the smallest and shortest opportunity is given to them."
Ahmadinejad used an Arabic word, ismihlal, that can also be translated as destruction, death and collapse.
"There is a new Middle East crisis being orchestrated," Lyndon LaRouche stated "which is using this very peculiar kind of action going on in Lebanon right now. The obvious implication is the targetting of Iran as well. It's a London-steered threat of a new general war in Southwest Asia, and whatever the hell that means."
"The plan is to get international fascism, fast. This is a fascist operation, and it involves an attempted coup d'état against the Constitution of the United States. This is WW3. That's what they are headed for right now. The intensity of the financial crisis is what's driving them. That's their timetable, which is based on the fact that they know they've run out of time. They are going to go in for the kill right now."
Chad has severed its economic ties with Sudan and closed its eastern border with Khartoum following three days of exchanges of verbal hostilities between the 2 rival neighbours, who have been accusing each other of s ponsoring rebels against each other.
A day after his release from 12-hour detention, Sudan's best-known Islamist opposition leader, Hassan al-Turabi, said he was mistreated while in custody. "First of all, I have to say I was badly treated in jail," said Turabi in an exclusive interview with France 24 from the Sudanese capital of Khartoum Tuesday
As the death toll in China's Sichuan province climbs, the nation's bloggers have joined together in the search for a scapegoat. Broadband connections across the country are pulsing with rumours of "earthquake omens" involving toads or butterflies - all allegedly ignored by the authorities.
Some even talk of a vast pre-Olympic conspiracy. Other blogs link to Chinese newspaper reports of bizarre natural occurrences in the past few weeks.
The team of Russian Physicists who assisted in the construction of the Large Hadron Collider for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), located in Switzerland, are reporting today that an experiment being conducted during the colliders 'cool down' phase has resulted in what they are calling an 'antiquark spree' that has, literally, "Nailed the heart of Earth".
Working in conjunction with Chile's National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT), these reports continue, CERN scientists, while attempting to establish a quark based means of near speed-of-light communications with other Western scientific and military installations, 'lost control' of this experiment on the South American 'anchor' triggering an 'unexpected' stream of antiquarks which first ignited a massive volcanic eruption in Chile, and in a 'straight shot' through the entire planet has further triggered a catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake in China.
The direst warning of these reports, however, is the summation that states that these catastrophic events due to CERN's experiments may not be finished as calculations of these antiquark's paths through our Earth show an increased likelihood of catastrophic tectonic plate changes to both Central and North America.
President Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday Iran is ready to talk to world powers over global problems but ruled out negotiations over Tehran's nuclear "rights". "We are ready for talks to resolve world problems and alleviate concerns," he said in response to a question about a new proposal that world powers are to put forward to resolve the long-running nuclear standoff.
"We are ready to examine with a positive view others' propositions, wherever they come from, and give our opinion." But asked if Iran would suspend sensitive uranium enrichment work during talks with the world powers, he said it would refuse to "discuss its rights" in the nuclear programme. "All we want is our rights and nothing more."
Iran today delivered to UN chief Ban Ki-moon a package of proposals aimed at solving global challenges, including the nuclear issue, state media reported. Iran's ambassador to the EU said that the propasals contained "the points of view of our country toward the great global difficulties on several political, security, economic and energy levels, and on the question of the peaceful use of nuclear energy."
Russia's Foreign Minister has urged world powers to ensure Iran's security in order to resolve Tehran's nuclear standoff. He called on the 5 major nuclear-armed powers to "put concrete proposals on the table guaranteeing the security of Iran and ensuring Iran a worthy, equal place in talks on resolving all problems in the near and Middle East."
The US permanent envoy to IAEA has expressed doubt that the international community will succeed to halt Iran's nuclear enrichment.
President Bush called Iran the "single biggest threat" to peace in the Middle East. "To me it's the single biggest threat to peace in the Middle East, the Iranian regime."
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has revealed that Washington plans to engage in a number of 'exclusive' activities against Iran. "We're being very aggressive in going after the networks in Iraq, and the individuals who are interfering or supplying weapons from Iran."
Chairman of House Judicial Committee speaks out
As we mark five years of war in Iraq, I have become increasingly concerned that the President may possibly take unilateral, preemptive military action against Iran.
During the last 7 years, the Bush Administration has exercised unprecedented assertions of Executive Branch power and shown an unparalleled aversion to the checks and balances put in place by the Constitution's framers.
The letter that follows asks President Bush to seek congressional authorization before launching any possible military strike against Iran and affirms Senator Biden's statement last year that impeachment proceedings should be considered if the President fails to do so.
President Bush warned in an interview Tuesday that the Democratic presidential candidates' plans to withdraw abruptly from Iraq could "eventually lead to another attack on the United States" and would "embolden" terrorists.
Poor Obama. No matter how much he tries to placate the Israel lobby, they just won't take yes for an answer. The Lobby has been after him for months, trying to dig up "evidence" that someone with the middle name of "Hussein" is necessarily an enemy of Israel.
Yet Obama still keeps trying to appease the Lobby. He's purged staff members who so much as looked cross-eyed at the Israelis. But Unconditional support isn't enough: the Lobby demands love.
The great problem for Obama is that no matter what he does or says, the Lobby will fight him every inch of the way, and the smears will get more outrageous.
(Uh-oh: Obama adviser: Divide Jerusalem)
(Op-ed: Murtha, Obama and the Jews)
The drama of Hillary Clinton's faltering campaign has America transfixed. Old friends are abandoning the candidate as her duel with Barack Obama threatens to undermine the Democratic Party itself. Meanwhile, the campaign is slowly becoming a personal tragedy for Clinton as her family's political empire falls apart.
Hard numbers
Ever since the 1960s, Washington has gulled its citizens and creditors by debasing official statistics, the vital instruments with which the vigor and muscle of the American economy are measured.
The effect has been to create a false sense of economic achievement and rectitude. The corruption has tainted the very measures that most shape public perception of the economy.
The Federal Reserve System's economists have assembled 6 maps dealing with the state of the US housing market. These maps show a disaster – a disaster created by the Federal Reserve under Alan Greenspan.
The housing markets have depreciated substantially, but there is lots more depreciation ahead. This is a disaster in progress. This is a train wreck in which the locomotive and three passenger cars have gone off the tracks, but a long line of cars is still moving forward because of inertia. They are still on the tracks, but not for long.
(And: US foreclosures rise 65%)
(And: Freddie Mac loss widens)
The oil market is controlled not by OPEC, but by the British Empire through its dominance over the giant oil companies which make up the international oil cartel.
These companies, which control the transportation, processing, and distribution of petroleum products, control the physical side of the oil business, while the price is set through the financial markets.
This arrangement allows the price to move independently of supply and demand, and has been of great benefit to the financiers who control the Anglo-Dutch Liberal system.
The spot market raised lots of money, and that money quickly began to pile up in the banks of Europe, particularly, in the City of London. As this pile of "petrodollars" grew, the British used it to fund operations to transform the US from within, including the takeover of the US banking system and the cartelization—under the euphemism of mergers and acquisitions—of corporate America.
Wall Street was transformed into a giant casino, where betting on financial instruments replaced investing, and the connection to reality was severed.
UK households have been warned to face a further squeeze on their incomes in coming months as a combination of higher fuel and food prices threatens to push inflation above 4% this year.
Its latest economic projections clearly illustrate the dilemma the Bank faces on interest rates. While above-target inflation would, under normal circumstances, indicate that borrowing costs have to rise, a stalling economy should herald lower rates.
The economic woes are still spreading as the delayed effects of the credit crunch hit home. America's bad news is mostly in the market. What is not fully priced into the market is the 2nd half of the story: that Europe, Japan, and arguably China are also coming unglued. This is how disasters on a truly huge scale are incubated.
Banks taking on risky investments without adequate risk provision have turned the world's financial markets into a "monster that must be tamed," German President Koehler said in an interview published today.
"Capitalism is not just about pulling in profits but above all about being able to handle risk and the financial markets crisis shows that too many players in banking houses did not understand precisely that."
"We need stricter and more efficient rules, more capital set aside to cover financial investments, more transparency and an independent global institution that monitors the stability of the international financial system."
Last year the German stock exchange broke its losing streak with a couple of smart mergers, but it's being challenged by cheaper, faster electronic competitors.
Oil surged to a record peak near $127 Tuesday after OPEC producer Iran said it was studying a plan to cut output despite signs record-high prices are hurting consumer nations.
With prices at $120 a barrel, Americans are feeling the pain.
Emerging economies are contributing to record oil prices by subsidizing demand in their home markets as they seek to shelter their populations from the impact of crippling fuel costs.
The House and Senate voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to temporarily stop filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (which is 97% full). The move was a challenge to President Bush, who had threatened to veto the measure, saying it would do little to lower prices.
But the lopsided votes - 97-1 in the Senate and 385-25 in the House - may have changed his mind. White House aides said Tuesday Bush would not veto the legislation.
Instead of blaming India and other developing nations for the rise in food prices, Americans should rethink their energy policy and go on a diet, say a growing number of politicians, economists and academics here.
Criticism of the US has ballooned in India recently, particularly after the Bush administration seemed to blame India's increasing middle class and prosperity for rising food prices. Critics from India seem to be asking one underlying question: "Why do Americans think they deserve to eat more than Indians?" If Americans were to slim down to even the middle-class weight in India, "many hungry people in sub-Saharan Africa would find food on their plates."
The ongoing phenomenon of mysterious honeybee deaths is starting to raise alarm in the food industry, which depends heavily on bees to pollinate many critical crops. Honeybees pollinate 130 different crops, which supply $15 billion worth of food and ingredients each year. One out of every 3 bites of food on your dinner plate was made possible by honeybee pollination.
Bee colonies have begun dying off in alarming numbers all around the world. The collapse of bee populations has multiple causes, none of which have easy remedies, a German biology professor has warned.
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A sole report from a small greek media outlet indicates that the annual Bilderberg meeting took place undetected over the weekend in Athens, Greece amidst a complete media lockdown. However, veteran Bilderberg investigator Jim Tucker has suggested this report may be a ruse to deflect attention away from the group who could actually be meeting this coming weekend.
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