Daily Archives: 24. Februar 2015


24.02.2015 - 23:52 [ Golem ]

Operation Glotaic: BND griff Daten offenbar über Tarnfirma ab

Laut einem Bericht der Rheinischen Post aus dem Jahr 2004 betrieb MCI damals in Deutschland neun inländische Schaltzentralen und „zwei internationale Übertragungssysteme“, eines davon in Hilden und eines am Firmenhauptsitz in Frankfurt am Main. Wie der Spiegel berichtete, war die Operation nur auf Intervention der CIA ermöglicht worden. Dies lässt darauf schließen, dass zumindest die US-Konzernmutter damals über die Datenausleitung informiert worden war. Möglicherweise war dies bei der deutschen Firmentochter jedoch nicht der Fall.

24.02.2015 - 20:56 [ Asharq Alawsat ]

Egypt to issue new “terrorist entities” law: sources

Egypt formally designated a number of groups and organizations as terrorists following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in 2013, including the Muslim Brotherhood. Earlier this week, an Egyptian court also designated the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, as a terrorist organization.

24.02.2015 - 20:36 [ PressTV ]

Two Turkish air force jets crash killing four

„Unfortunately, four were martyred. We have reached the wreckage of the two planes,“ AFP quoted Interior Minister Efkan Ala as saying on Tuesday.

Each of the RF-4E jets was carrying a pilot and a co-pilot as they crashed late Tuesday evening near the city of Malatya, in the same province that carries the same name.

According to a statement released by Turkey’s Chief of General Staff Necdet Özel, both jets took off from Malatya Erhaç 7th Air Base at 6:07 p.m. local time (1607 GMT) and disappeared from radar screens on 7:05 p.m. (1705 GMT).

“The debris of our two planes was found at 8:45 p.m. (1845 GMT) and our four hero pilots were martyred,” the statement said.

24.02.2015 - 17:31 [ Junge Welt ]

Nichts als Illusion

Die Hoffnung in Athen, sozialdemokratisch geführte Euro-Länder aus der von Berlin geführten Ablehnungsfront herausbrechen zu können, war nichts als eine Illusion.

24.02.2015 - 17:22 [ Zeit ]

Mehr als 60 Prozent bezweifeln Demokratie in Deutschland

Drei von zehn Befragten gaben an, sie könnten sich eine wirkliche Demokratie nur ohne Kapitalismus vorstellen. 37 Prozent aller West- und 59 Prozent aller Ostdeutschen halten kommunistische und sozialistische Gesellschaftsformen für eine gute Idee, die bisher nur schlecht ausgeführt worden seien. Ein Fünftel fordert eine Revolution, da Reformen die Lebensbedingungen nicht verbesserten.

24.02.2015 - 17:17 [ Radio Utopie ]

Die Troika demütigt Griechenland: Humanitäre Katastrophen interessieren nicht

Seit 2010 hat die Troika aus IWF, EZB und EU-Kommission wechselnde Regierungen in Athen zu insgesamt sechs Sparprogrammen gezwungen, die den Lebensstandard der arbeitenden Menschen drastisch herabgesetzt, die Sozialsysteme zerstört und Millionen einkommensschwacher Griechen in bittere Armut gestürzt haben. Aus diesem Grund hat die Mehrheit des griechischen Volkes am 25. Januar 2015 eine Partei gewählt, die ihr im Wahlkampf das Ende dieser Sparpolitik versprochen und Hoffnung auf eine bessere Zukunft gemacht hat.

Vier Wochen später steht fest: Dieser Traum ist geplatzt.

24.02.2015 - 17:13 [ Keep Talking Greece ]

Greece’s much to many leaked papers to calm down critics at home and abroad

Four hours before the deadline Monday midnight, all Greek media report of a non-paper with reform measures that Greece suggest to its lenders. The non-paper roughly outlines the reform measures Athens is expected to submit in the form of a reforms list to its official creditors, IMF, EU and ECB, as being obliged according to the Eurogroup agreement on February 20th.

24.02.2015 - 17:12 [ Techdirt ]

Trade Agreements Should Protect An Open Internet, Not Kill It

For a few years now, we‘ve been writing about the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, and how we‘re quite concerned by many aspects of it. In particular, we‘re quite concerned about the intellectual property provisions — which leaks have shown are tremendously problematic — as well as the corporate sovereignty provisions, which negotiators like to call „investor state dispute settlement“ (ISDS) because it sounds so boring. Of course, the biggest concern of all is that these deals are negotiated in total secrecy, with the various negotiators refusing to reveal the agreed upon text until it‘s a done deal and the public is unable to comment on it or suggest changes and fixes.

24.02.2015 - 16:54 [ Reuters ]

Egypt rejects blame for civilians killed in Libya airstrikes

A report on Monday from Amnesty International in London said the Egyptian air force had „failed to take the necessary precautions“ during the attack and had „joined the ranks of those placing civilians at risk in Libya“.

Egypt‘s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Sunday, before the Amnesty report was released, that the air force had hit 13 targets selected after careful study and reconnaissance to avoid civilian casualties.

24.02.2015 - 16:31 [ PressTV ]

Rifkind to resign over ‘cash for access’ scandal

Reports coming out of the UK suggest that Malcolm Rifkind has stepped down as chairman of Parliament‘s Intelligence and Security Committee over „cash-for-access“ scandal.

The 68 year old politician is also standing down as Conservative MP.

The former foreign secretary had previously announced that he would not step down and would fight the allegations.

24.02.2015 - 16:23 [ ACLU ]

ACLU-Obtained Documents Reveal Breadth of Secretive Stingray Use in Florida

The ACLU is releasing records today obtained from law enforcement agencies across Florida about their acquisition and use of sophisticated cell phone location tracking devices known as “Stingrays.” These records provide the most detailed account to date of how law enforcement agencies across a single state are relying on the technology. (The full records are available here.)

24.02.2015 - 15:44 [ campact! ]

SPD: Klare TTIP-Kritik vor Gabriels Freihandelskonferenz

Am Montag lädt Sigmar Gabriel die (neo) liberale EU-Handelskommissarin Cecilia Malmström nach Berlin ein. Vormittags plauschen beide mit den Konzernen und dem US-Botschafter auf dem exklusiven “Transatlantischen Wirtschaftsforum” des Bundesverbands der Deutschen Industrie e.V. (BDI). Die Anmeldung hierfür ist “nur auf persönliche Einladung” möglich. Nachmittags kommt dann eine Anzahl von SPD-Delegierten ins Willy-Brandt-Haus, um auf der “SPD Freihandelskonferenz” mit Gabriel und Malmström über “Chancen und Risiken” von TTIP zu diskutieren.

24.02.2015 - 15:41 [ campact! ]

Eine gefährliche Liebschaft

Sigmar Gabriel, der SPD-Parteichef, erliegt dem gefährlichen Charme der EU-Handelskommissarin Cecilia Malmström. Die will ihm höchst gefährliche Verträge unterjubeln. Seine Partei ist entsetzt. Kann Gabriel noch davor bewahrt werden, sich für einen Kuss der schönen Cecilia ins Unglück zu stürzen?

24.02.2015 - 12:22 [ Hinter der Fichte ]

Russland und Libyen – Darum gab es kein Veto.

(30.4.2011) Wie lange kann sich das Regime Gaddafi halten ?
– Drei-vier Monate. Genau so lange, wie die Lebensmittelvorräte reichen. Gegenwärtig sind alle Lieferungen aus der Luft und vom Meer blockiert.
Sie denken, dass es einen langwierigen Krieg wie im Irak in Libyen nicht geben wird ?
– Ich glaube nicht.
– Ich fürchte, dass nach Libyen sehr schnell Syrien ins Kreuzfeuer gerät und dann auch andere Staaten Asiens.

Hätte Russland den Krieg aufhalten können?
– Allein schwerlich. Da wäre ein Block notwendig gewesen mit China, Indien….
Sie meinen, dass Russland sein Veto hätte einlegen könne?
-Das ist nicht meine Sache.

24.02.2015 - 12:12 [ Reuters ]

Egypt‘s Sisi issues decree widening scope of security crackdown

According to the Gazette, the law enables authorities to act against any individual or group deemed a threat to national security, including people who disrupt public transportation, an apparent reference to protests.

Loose definitions involving threats to national unity may give the police, widely accused of abuses, a green light to crush dissent, human rights groups say.

24.02.2015 - 07:52 [ Mondo Weiss ]

The 15 billion dollar deal that will make or break Israel’s regional hegemony

In September 2014, Jordan’s National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) signed a letter of intent with US company Noble Energy to import natural gas from the Leviathan field, located in the Mediterranean off the shores of Haifa. The Leviathan field, the largest offshore gas field found in the last decade, is co-owned between US-based Noble Energy, with only 39% shareholding of the field, and a consortium of three Israeli companies namely Delek Drilling, Avner Oil and Ratio Oil, owning majority shares in the Leviathan.

24.02.2015 - 07:51 [ Global Times (China) ]

Palestinian authority plans to develop Gaza gas field

Mohamed Mustafa, minister of economy, said in an emailed press statement that British Gas Co. and the Palestinian unity government will work together on developing the gas field.

A large field of natural gas was discovered in early 2000 off the coast of the Gaza Strip by British Gas. A deal was signed between the company and the PNA to produce gas and help the PNA improve its finances.

24.02.2015 - 07:50 [ Le Monde ]

Israel’s War for Gaza’s Gas

(November 2012) It is clear that without an overall military operation to uproot Hamas control of Gaza, no drilling work can take place without the consent of the radical Islamic movement.”

Moshe Ya’alon,
Israeli Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister of Strategic Affairs

24.02.2015 - 07:36 [ Salon ]

How the CIA gets away with it: Our democracy is their real enemy

The wife of investment banker Richard C. Blum, who managed enormous capital investments in corporations serving the American defense and intelligence communities, Feinstein had distinguished herself among Senate Democrats as a staunch CIA defender. In her long service on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which she had chaired since 2009, Feinstein established close personal ties with key senior agency figures—championing the candidacy of former deputy director Stephen Kappes to head the agency after Barack Obama was elected.

24.02.2015 - 07:25 [ Zeit ]

186. Prozesstag – Sachsens oberster Verfassungsschützer im Zeugenstand

Neue Erkenntnisse zur Verstrickung des Geheimdienstes in den NSU-Komplex soll der 186. Verhandlungstag bringen: Geladen ist der Präsident des sächsischen Verfassungsschutzes, Gordian Meyer-Plath. Befragt wird der 46-Jährige allerdings nicht in seiner Funktion als Behördenleiter denn wegen einer früheren Tätigkeit: Für den Brandenburger Verfassungsschutz hatte er den V-Mann „Piatto“ betreut.

24.02.2015 - 07:24 [ Neues Deutschland ]

Was wusste Verfassungsschutz über NSU-Mord in Kassel?

Eine zentrale Rolle spielt dabei laut Zeitung ein Telefonat T.‘s mit seiner Behörde, das von der Polizei abgehört wurde, nachdem er in Verdacht geraten war. Darin bereitet der Geheimschutzbeauftragte des Verfassungsschutzes den Kollegen auf die Vernehmung durch die Polizei vor und sagt dann: »Ich sage ja jedem: Wenn er weiß, dass irgendwo so etwas passiert, dann bitte nicht vorbeifahren.« Dieser Satz soll in der ursprünglichen Polizeiabschrift des Telefonats nicht enthalten sein und sich zunächst nur auf dem Originalmitschnitt befunden haben.

24.02.2015 - 05:15 [ Twitter ]

Why Twitter faves #NetNeutrality

Through The Internet Association, Twitter has joined other leading Internet companies to urge the FCC to promulgate common sense net neutrality rules. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has proposed securing the legal foundation for these rules in Title II of the Communications Act (along with other statutory authority). We strongly support ensuring that such rules include prohibitions against blocking or throttling of sites and services as well as the paid prioritization of some traffic over others. These rules should govern Internet service whether users are at their desk at home or on their smartphone across town.

24.02.2015 - 05:14 [ RT ]

Twitter comes out for #NetNeutrality

One after another, web giants are openly backing ‘net neutrality’ reforms proposed by the FCC. Twitter endorsed the plan on Monday, calling the open internet the “heart of Twitter.”

24.02.2015 - 04:39 [ PressTV ]

Lebanese minister calls for Iran’s assistance in dam construction projects.

Iran has made much headway in dam construction in recent decades. Given it arid climate, the country needs dams to manage its water resources.

Hundreds of small and big dams have been built across the country over the past several years.

Iranian contracting companies have also been engaged in dam construction projects in several countries including Tajikistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan as well Nicaragua.

24.02.2015 - 04:31 [ China.org.cn ]

China continues to support South Sudan peace process: envoy

China will continue to provide support to the South Sudan peace process towards resolving the long crisis in the world newest nation, said La Yifan Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia.
The final session of the South Sudan peace talks, mediated by the regional bloc the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), was launched on Monday in Ethiopia‘s capital Addis Ababa.

24.02.2015 - 04:06 [ Counterfire ]

Five urgent questions: radical left Syriza MP Costas Lapavitsas on Friday‘s deal

The agreement of the Eurogroup is not completed, partly because we do not know yet what ‚reforms‘ will be proposed by the Greek government today (Monday, February 23) and which of them will be accepted. But those who have been elected on the basis of the Syriza program, and believe the promises of Thessaloniki as our commitment to the Greek people, have deep concerns. It is our obligation to record them.

The general outline of the agreement is as follows:

24.02.2015 - 03:29 [ Corporate Crime Reporter ]

USDA Approves GMO Apples Despite Opposition from Apple Industry and Consumers

`This apple was produced using a relatively new method of genetic engineering, known as RNA interference. This technology uses RNA to silence a target gene, but mounting evidence has shown that meddling with the genes could have unintended effects within the plant and also on organisms that eat the plant. The particular gene targeted by this technology allows the apples to be sliced without turning brown, which could mislead consumers into thinking they are eating fresh apples when they might be eating apples on the verge of rotting. Browning is an important indicator to consumers in determining the freshness of an apple or apple slice.