John Kerry Slams ‘Incredible Act Of Aggression’, NATO Says Russia ‘Must Stop’

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– John Kerry Slams “Incredible Act Of Aggression”, NATO Says Russia “Must Stop” (ZeroHedge, March 2, 2014):

Just in case Obama’s Friday message of “costs” should Russia invade Ukraine, which it did, was lost in translation, here is NATO with the clarification, and more harsh language:

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen convened an emergency meeting of NATO ambassadors in Brussels on Sunday to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

Ahead of the meeting he issued the following statement:

I have convened the North Atlantic Council today because of Russia’s military action in Ukraine. And because of President Putin’s threats against this sovereign nation.

What Russia is doing now in Ukraine violates the principles of the United Nations Charter. It threatens peace and security in Europe. Russia must stop its military activities and its threats.

Today we will discuss their implications, for European peace and security, and for NATO’s relationship with Russia.

Read moreJohn Kerry Slams ‘Incredible Act Of Aggression’, NATO Says Russia ‘Must Stop’

In Crimea, Citizens Stand For Self Defense And Mother Russia

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– In Crimea, citizens stand for self defense and Mother Russia (Al Jazeera, Mar 1, 2014):

In port city of Sevastopol, people wave Russian flags and staff checkpoints to keep out those from Kiev and the West

SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine — Friday night, Vasili Kryshko bought a pair of woodland green hunting waders. A friend accompanying him bought a long waterproof trench coat, also in camouflage, and they set off to serve their shift at the local self-defense battalion checkpoint, 20 miles outside the Crimean city of Sevastopol.

Speaking from the checkpoint, Kryshko said it was set up a week ago to prevent “provocateurs” from Kiev and western Ukraine from coming into the city after three months of protests led to the ouster of president Viktor Yanukovich last Saturday. They are in communication with other battalions across the autonomous peninsula, coordinating security.

Read moreIn Crimea, Citizens Stand For Self Defense And Mother Russia

The Connection Between The Legalization Of Marijuana In Uruguay, Monsanto And George Soros – By William Engdahl

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The Connection Between The Legalization Of Marijuana In Uruguay, Monsanto And George Soros

Google translation (Original article in German below):

– Is There A Connection Between Monsanto And The Legalization Of Marijuana In Uruguay? (Kopp, Feb 28, 2014):

By William Engdahl

In April, Uruguay, after a vote by the Parliament as the first country in the world to legalize the cultivation, sale and consumption of marijuana. Cannabis users can buy a maximum of 40 grams per month, unless they are Uruguayan citizens at least 18 years old and registered in a public database, is monitored by means of which the quantity they buy per month in specially licensed pharmacies. Less well known is what the seed and genetic engineering giant Monsanto is doing to develop patented cannabis plants, and has also played the role of billionaire speculator George Soros for the legalization.

Read moreThe Connection Between The Legalization Of Marijuana In Uruguay, Monsanto And George Soros – By William Engdahl

Amnesty International: ‘Trigger-Happy’ Israeli Army And Police Use Reckless Force In The West Bank, Killing Dozens Of Palestinian Civilians, Incl. Children

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– ‘Trigger-happy’ Israeli army and police use reckless force in the West Bank (Amnesty International, Feb 27, 2014):

Israeli forces have displayed a callous disregard for human life by killing dozens of Palestinian civilians, including children, in the occupied West Bank over the past three years with near total impunity, said Amnesty International in a report published today.

The report, Trigger-happy: Israel’s use of excessive force in the West Bank, describes mounting bloodshed and human rights abuses in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) as a result of the Israeli forces’ use of unnecessary, arbitrary and brutal force against Palestinians since January 2011.

In all cases examined by Amnesty International, Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers did not appear to be posing a direct and immediate threat to life. In some, there is evidence that they were victims of wilful killings, which would amount to war crimes.

Read moreAmnesty International: ‘Trigger-Happy’ Israeli Army And Police Use Reckless Force In The West Bank, Killing Dozens Of Palestinian Civilians, Incl. Children

American Students Are Well Over $1 Trillion In Debt, And It’s Starting To Hurt Everyone … Except The Banksters

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– American students are well over $1 trillion in debt, and it’s starting to hurt everyone (TIME, Feb 26, 2014):

American students are well over $1 trillion in debt, and it’s starting to hurt everyone, economists say

Chris Rong did everything right. A 23-year-old dentistry student in New York, Chris excelled at one of the country’s top high schools, breezed through college, and is now studying dentistry at one of the best dental schools in the nation.

But it may be a long time before he sees any rewards. He’s moved back home with his parents in Bayside, Queens—an hour-and-a-half commute each way to class at the New York University’s College of Dentistry—and by the time he graduates in 2016, he’ll face $400,000 in student loans. “If the money weren’t a problem I would live on my own,” says Rong. “My debt is hanging over my mind. I’m taking that all on myself.”

Read moreAmerican Students Are Well Over $1 Trillion In Debt, And It’s Starting To Hurt Everyone … Except The Banksters

Hearst Newspaper: Bad news, Fukushima radioactive releases may be ‘far greater than originally stated’ – Bloomberg: Levels ‘significantly’ undercounted Fairewinds: Data they reported for nearly 3 years is wrong – Asahi Interview: ‘Politicians are hiding the dangers of radiation’

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– Hearst Newspaper: Bad news, Fukushima radioactive releases may be “far greater than originally stated” — Bloomberg: Levels ‘significantly’ undercounted — Fairewinds: Data they reported for nearly 3 years is wrong — Asahi Interview: “Politicians are hiding the dangers of radiation” (VIDEO) (ENENews, Feb 28, 2014):

Channel 17 (Burlington, VT), published Feb. 26, 2014 — Maggie Gundersen, Founding director of Fairewinds Energy Education (at 21:00 in): “Tepco just announced that all the data it collected for almost 3 years is wrong, and that they had miscalculated how much radiation was released.”

Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Hearst Newspapers), Feb. 25, 2014: […] only bad news comes out of Fukushima […] Bloomberg reported the amount of radiation that leaked from Fukushima could have been far greater than originally stated.

Read moreHearst Newspaper: Bad news, Fukushima radioactive releases may be ‘far greater than originally stated’ – Bloomberg: Levels ‘significantly’ undercounted Fairewinds: Data they reported for nearly 3 years is wrong – Asahi Interview: ‘Politicians are hiding the dangers of radiation’

Ukrainian Navy Flagship Takes Russia’s Side

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The Ukrainian Krivak class frigate Hetman Sahaydachny
The Ukrainian Krivak class frigate Hetman Sahaydachny

– Ukrainian Navy flagship takes Russia’s side – report (RT, March 1, 2014):

Ukraine’s Navy flagship, the Hetman Sahaidachny frigate, has reportedly refused to follow orders from Kiev, and come over to Russia’s side and is returning home after taking part in NATO operation in the Gulf of Aden flying the Russian naval flag.

There has been conflicting information on where exactly the vessel is, but a Russian senator has confirmed to Izvestia daily that the frigate defected to the Russian side.

Read moreUkrainian Navy Flagship Takes Russia’s Side

675,000 Ukrainians Flee To Russia In Last Two Months

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– 675,000 Ukrainians pour into Russia as ‘humanitarian crisis’ looms (RT, March 2, 2014):

An estimated 675,000 Ukrainians left for Russia in January and February, fearing the “revolutionary chaos” brewing in Ukraine, Russia’s Federal Border Guard Service said. Officials fear a growing humanitarian crisis.

On Sunday, the border guard service said Russian authorities have identified definite signs that a “humanitarian catastrophe” is brewing in Ukraine.

Read more675,000 Ukrainians Flee To Russia In Last Two Months

The Coup in Ukraine: Obama’s Dumbest Plan Yet

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Related info:

– Ukraine: Armed Neo-Nazi Groups Patrol Kiev (BBC News Video)

– The Coup in Ukraine: Obama’s Dumbest Plan Yet (CounterPunch, Feb 28, 2014):

“Washington and Brussels … used a Nazi coup, carried out by insurgents, terrorists and politicians of Euromaidan to serve the geopolitical interests of the West.”

– Natalia Vitrenko, The Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine

The United States helped defeat Nazism in World War 2. Obama helped bring it back.

Read moreThe Coup in Ukraine: Obama’s Dumbest Plan Yet

AND NOW … US: Will ‘Go To The Hilt’ Against Russia For Ukraine Military Incursion

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Will 'go to the hilt' against Russia for Ukraine military incursion: US
US secretary of state John Kerry said Russia’s “incredible act of aggression” amounts to “a stunning willful choice” by Putin to invade another country on a “trumped-up pretext”.

–  Will ‘go to the hilt’ against Russia for Ukraine military incursion: US (AP, March 2, 2014):

WASHINGTON: Western powers are prepared “to go to the hilt” to isolate Russia for its military incursion into Ukraine, “an incredible act of aggression” that may lead to visa bans, asset freezes, trade and investment penalties, and a boycott of a Russian-hosted economic summit of global powers in June, secretary of state John Kerry said on Sunday.

Kerry said Russian President Vladimir Putin should respect the democratic process through which the Ukrainian people ousted their pro-Russian president and assembled a new government.

Read moreAND NOW … US: Will ‘Go To The Hilt’ Against Russia For Ukraine Military Incursion

Nutcase Senator John McCain: ‘We Are All Ukrainians’

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– Senator John McCain: “We Are All Ukrainians” (TIME, Feb 28, 2014):

In an interview with TIME, the Arizona Senator said Obama is “naïve” about Putin’s ambitions “to restore the Russian empire”

In response to reports of a Russian takeover in parts of Crimea, Arizona Senator John McCain said on Friday, “We are all Ukrainians,” before calling for swift U.S. economic aid to Ukraine, condemnation of Russia at the United Nations, sanctions against Russian officials and the installation of U.S. missiles in the nearby Czech Republic.

Russian President Vladimir Putin believes “this is a chess match reminiscent of the Cold War and we need to realize that and act accordingly,” McCain said, in an exclusive interview with TIME. “That does not mean I envision a conflict with Russia, but we need to take certain measures that would convince Putin that there is a very high cost to actions that he is taking now.”

Read moreNutcase Senator John McCain: ‘We Are All Ukrainians’

‘Treasury Empty’, Ukraine’s Economy In Free Fall

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– ‘Treasury empty’, Ukraine’s economy in free fall (RT, Feb 27, 2014):

Ukraine’s new Prime Minister, opposition leader Arseny Yatsenyuk, has promised the government would do its best to avoid a default, a difficult task as the country’s treasury is empty and the economy is in disarray.

Yatsenyuk says he expects an EU/IMF economic stabilization package soon, but didn’t give any specifics on timing.

Strengthening ties with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund will remain a priority as Ukraine rebuilds, Yatsenyuk said on Thursday in Kiev, Itar-Itass reported.

Yatsenyuk said negotiations with Russia would continue, and he considers the neighboring country “a partner”.

Read more‘Treasury Empty’, Ukraine’s Economy In Free Fall

Fortress Loses Millions On Bitcoin Investment

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– Fortress Loses Millions On Bitcoin Investment (ZeroHedge, Feb 28, 2014):

Readers will recall that back in October, when the only way for Bitcoin seemed up, none other than the head of sophisticated hedge fund/private equity megafund Fortress Group, Michael Novogratz, recommended buying Bitcoin:  “I have a nice little Bitcoin position,” Novogratz said. “Enough that I’m smiling that it doubled… Put a little money in Bitcoin…Come back in a few years and it’s going to be worth a lot.”

Or, you can come back in a few months and now that the momentum euphoria is over and done with, watch it be worth far less.

According to the FT, Fortress “is sitting on losses of $8m on an experimental investment in Bitcoin. The company’s annual report revealed that it bought $20m of the virtual currency in the final months of last year, making it the first mainstream investment company to list Bitcoin among the assets on its balance sheet.”

Read moreFortress Loses Millions On Bitcoin Investment

Bloomberg: Gold Price ‘Manipulated For A Decade’, Repeatedly Slammed Lower

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– Gold Price “Manipulated For A Decade”, Repeatedly Slammed Lower, Bloomberg Reports (ZeroHedge, Feb 28, 2014):

While the FT promptly retracted an article on precisely the topic of gold manipulation from earlier this week (recorded for posterity here), Bloomberg appears to not have had the same “editorial” concerns and pressures, and today released an article once again slamming the final conspiracy theory that while every other asset class is manipulated, gold is in a pristine class of its own, untouched by close-banging, price fixing traders or central bankers, and reports that “the London gold fix, the benchmark used by miners, jewelers and central banks to value the metal, may have been manipulated for a decade by the banks setting it, researchers say.”

Of course, over the past 5 years we have reported time and again how official gold manipulation started in earnest some time in the 1960s (who can forget the “reshuffle club”) but we will start with a decade.

Here is what BBG finds:

Read moreBloomberg: Gold Price ‘Manipulated For A Decade’, Repeatedly Slammed Lower

Ukraine Imposes Capital Controls, Limits Foreign Currency Withdrawals

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Ukraine Imposes Capital Controls, Limits Foreign Currency Withdrawals

– Ukraine Imposes Capital Controls, Limits Foreign Currency Withdrawals (ZeroHedge, Feb 28, 2014):

Yesterday we reported that as part of the Ukrainian central bank’s plan to bailout the nation’s largely insolvent private banks, it would provide any needed funding but only “if they will remain under open control of the National Bank of Ukraine.” And since the new CB head Stepan Kubiv’s allegiance to Europe were already well-known, this was merely a quick and efficient way of providing Europe with all the banking details including asset holdings of the local population. Today, the annexation of the country’s banking system by a “benevolent” Europe is complete.

Itar-Tass reports that Ukraine’s national bank has imposed temporary limits to withdraw money from foreign currency deposits to sums equivalent to no more than 15,000 hryvnias (about $1,500) a day, National Bank Chief Stepan Kubiv told a press conference. Or, as the citizens of Cyprus call it – capital controls.

Read moreUkraine Imposes Capital Controls, Limits Foreign Currency Withdrawals

Terrifying Helicopter Armada In Ukraine (Video)

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– This Helicopter Armada In Ukraine Is Absolutely Terrifying:

The situation in Ukraine right now is clearly terrible, and only getting worse, with gunmen seizing the airport and a coast guard station in the Crimea. What might not make it any better, though, is this veritable armada of helicopters flying overhead. Seriously, it’s bigger than most entire air forces.

The title of the video says that the choppers are headed to Bilbek, the colloquial name for Sevastapol Airport in the Crimea, though that’s probably just a guess. It’s entirely possible, though, seeing as how Ukraine may have already taken the airport back. It’s all a bit fluid right now.1

The comments circulating on the various Internets right now pin these as Russian helicopters, though I’m not willing to definitively say that just yet. Both the Ukrainian and the Russian air forces hold large fleets of Mil Mi-24 attack/transport helicopters, which these might be, and it’s difficult to make out the roundels.

Read moreTerrifying Helicopter Armada In Ukraine (Video)

Fukushima Fallout: Japanese Fishing Boats Catch Radioactive Rockfish

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– Fukushima fallout: Japanese fishing co-op catches radiated rockfish (Voice of Russia, Feb 28, 2014):

Japan’s agriculture minister on Friday said that fish caught off the coast of Fukushima prefecture showed radiation levels above the country’s accepted limit.

“The Yumekasago type of fish caught for testing purposes had radiation levels above the allowed limit. Simple tests showed the amount of caesium was 112 becquerels per kilogram and detailed analysis showed 110 becquerels (per kilogram),” said minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, Yoshimasa Hayashi in a regular news conference.

Yumekasago is a type of rockfish found around the Far East, ranging from Japan to southern China. Japan’s limit is 100 becquerels per kilogram.

The fishing cooperative in Iwaki city, Fukushima prefecture was surprised as they did not expect to find radiation in the fish, according to a representative from the Japanese media. The cooperative has suspended all shipments of the rockfish.

Read moreFukushima Fallout: Japanese Fishing Boats Catch Radioactive Rockfish

Near-Bankrupt Rome Bailed Out As Italy Unemployment Rises To All Time High, Grows By Most On Record In 2013

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rome

– Near-Bankrupt Rome Bailed Out As Italy Unemployment Rises To All Time High, Grows By Most On Record In 2013 (ZeroHedge, March 1, 2014):

A few days ago, we reported that, seemingly out of the blue, the city of Rome was on the verge of a “Detroit-style bankruptcy.” In the article, Guido Guidesi, a parliamentarian from the Northern League, was quoted as saying “It’s time to stop the accounting tricks and declare Rome’s default.” Of course, that would be unthinkable: we said that if “if one stops the accounting tricks, not only Rome, but all of Europe, as well as the US and China would all be swept under a global bankruptcy tsunami. So it is safe to assume that the tricks will continue. Especially when one considers that as Mirko Coratti, head of Rome’s city council said on Wednesday, “A default of Italy’s capital city would trigger a chain reaction that could sweep across the national economy.” Well we can’t have that, especially not with everyone in Europe living with their head stuck in the sand of universal denial, assisted by the soothing lies of Mario Draghi and all the other European spin masters.” And just as expected, yesterday Rome was bailed out.

Read moreNear-Bankrupt Rome Bailed Out As Italy Unemployment Rises To All Time High, Grows By Most On Record In 2013

Britain Summons Russian Ambassador; Russian Ambassador To US May Be Recalled

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– Britain Summons Russian Ambassador; Russian Ambassador To US May Be Recalled (ZeroHedge, Mar 1, 2014):

While various organizations are scrambling to meet on short notice, or not so short if one is a European finance minister, the diplomatic fallout has begun with the summoning of the Russian Ambassador in Great Britain to the foreign office.

 

This was to be expected. More interest will be whether Russia will “summon” its ambassador to the US as the upper house of parliament has demanded of Putin:

Read moreBritain Summons Russian Ambassador; Russian Ambassador To US May Be Recalled

Connecticut Patriot Group Fights Back Against Confiscation Order: ‘We Are Armed… And Are Familiar With the Finer Points of Marksmanship’

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Patriots-Fight-Back

– Connecticut Patriot Group Fights Back Against Confiscation Order: ‘We Are Armed… And Are Familiar With the Finer Points of Marksmanship’ (SHTFplan, Feb 28, 2014):

The war on liberty is coming to a head in Connecticut, where tens of thousands of gun owners have refused to comply with their state government’s gun registration laws. Officials have literally ordered those who failed to meet the registration deadline to surrender their firearms or face arrest.

The State of Connecticut is now demanding that gun owners across the state turn in all newly-banned, unregistered firearms and magazines or face felony arrest.

Read moreConnecticut Patriot Group Fights Back Against Confiscation Order: ‘We Are Armed… And Are Familiar With the Finer Points of Marksmanship’

Ukraine Ultranationalist Leader Vows To Hang New Interior Minister ‘Like A Dog’ (Video)

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YouTube Added: Mar 1, 2014

Description:

Some of those who helped the current Kiev government into power, are already vowing to turn against the new authorities. Radical militant leader Aleksadndr Muzychko is seen in the video reacting to the Interior Minister’s pledge to investigate his recent actions. Muzyuchko is known for his anti-semitic and neo-nazi views, as well as for fighting against Russian troops in the Chechen campaign in the 1990s.