Daily Archives: 15. August 2015


15.08.2015 - 20:01 [ RT ]

Venezuela offers alternative to EU-NATO ‘imperialist violence’ afflicting Africa

Speaking at the special session of ALBA [Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas] in Caracas on August 10, Maduro called upon the 11-member South American and Caribbean bloc to invest in education, health and infrastructure in Africa. In a televised address broadcast on Telesur, Maduro denounced imperialist violence, asking: “Until when will the EU and NATO keep silent about the crimes they have permitted to occur in the Mediterranean?”

15.08.2015 - 19:39 [ Spiegel ]

Panikmache in Medien: Angst, Angst, Angst – und nicht fragen, wieso

Es gäbe theoretisch die Möglichkeit, den Kunden mit interessanten Ideen zu konfrontieren. Machen wir nicht. Wollen wir nicht. Wir wollen untergehen. Mehr dazu nächste Woche.

15.08.2015 - 19:11 [ Der Ueberflieger ]

Jemen – Die Gesundheitsversorgung bricht zusammen

13 Millionen Menschen leiden im Jemen mittlerweile darunter, dass sie, vor allem auch wegen der
Ausgangssperren, nur ungenügend Zugang zu Lebensmitteln haben. Selbst das Wasser wird inzwischen bedrohlich knapp. Es mangelt nicht nur an Lebensmitteln, sondern auch an Medikamenten und Öl. Dieses wird benötigt um die Stromgeneratoren in Betrieb zu halten. Ohne Öl gibt es in den Krankenhäusern kein

15.08.2015 - 17:55 [ New York Times ]

Newly Disclosed N.S.A. Files Detail Partnerships With AT&T and Verizon

The files do not identify the firms by name, but instead refer to the Fairview and Stormbrew programs, An analysis by The New York Times and ProPublica found a constellation of evidence that AT&T was the Fairview partner and Verizon was part of the Stormbrew program. The documents range from 2003 to 2013; it is not clear whether the arrangements are the same today.

15.08.2015 - 17:48 [ Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade ]

Israeli Spy Companies: Verint and Narus

(2012) In the mid-2000s, two Israeli spy companies (Narus and Verint) were caught in the centre of a huge scandal involving the wiretapping of virtually all US phone and internet messages. Their mass surveillance services were used by America’s two largest telecom companies, AT&T and Verizon.

15.08.2015 - 17:48 [ James Bamford / Book Armor ]

The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America

(2008) Closer to home, America’s two major telecom companies, AT&T and Verizon, have outsourced the bugging of their entire networks — carrying billions of American communications every day — to two mysterious companies with very troubling foreign connections. In AT&T’s secret room in San Francisco, a mirror image of all data entering the building is filtered through surveillance equipment supplied and maintained by Narus. Verizon, which controls most of the rest of the country’s domestic and international communications networks, chose a different company. According to knowledgeable sources, that company is Verint. According to these sources, in 2006 Verizon constructed its “secret room” on the second floor of a nondescript two-story building at 14503 Luthe Road in Houston, Texas. Once Verizon receives watch-listed names from the NSA, it then reroutes their Internet communications into that
room, which is packed with secret Verint machines and software. After passing through the Verint hardware, the messages are then transmitted in real time to a central government surveillance hub in Sterling, Virginia.

15.08.2015 - 17:45 [ Netzpolitik ]

USA: AT&T speichert alle Verbindungsdaten seit 1987 für Drogenfahndung

(2.September 2013) Wir berichteten vor etwa einem Monat über die Special Operations Division der DEA – eine Behörden-überspannende (FBI, CIA, NSA, DEA) Einheit, die lokale Polizei und DEA mit Informationen versorgt, die aus den verschiedensten geheimdienstlichen Quellen gewonnen werden. Um die SOD geheim zu halten, sollen die Beamten im jeweiligen Fall verschleiern, dass die Ermittlungen auf Informationen beruhen, die die SOD lieferte. Im Zweifelsfall sollen Ermittlungsverläufe und Beweise “rekonstruiert” werden, um vor Gericht lückenlos und plausibel zu erscheinen.

15.08.2015 - 17:23 [ Counterpunch ]

Mexico’s War on Journalists

Earlier this summer, Ruben Espinosa fled Mexico’s Gulf coast state of Veracruz after receiving death threats. His work as a photojournalist there had made him an enemy of the state’s governor, who presides over one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a reporter. On July 31, Espinosa was found beaten and shot dead in a Mexico City apartment.

15.08.2015 - 16:55 [ Spiegel ]

Ende des „Patriot“-Einsatzes in der Türkei: „Bedrohung hat anderen Fokus erhalten“

Nach Informationen von SPIEGEL ONLINE haben die USA innerhalb der Allianz bereits signalisiert, dass sie den Einsatz ihrer „Patriot“-Staffeln in der Südtürkei ebenfalls im Oktober 2015 beenden wollen. Offiziell wird dies vermutlich am Montag bekannt gegeben, so lange wollte eigentlich auch Berlin mit der Mitteilung über die Pläne der Bundesregierung warten.

15.08.2015 - 16:50 [ Techdirt ]

Judge Realizing He Probably Can‘t Block Release Of Surreptitiously Recorded Video

Last month, we wrote about a judge in California issuing a temporary restraining order barring an anti-abortion group from releasing a video it had surreptitiously recorded of a conversation it held with a life sciences company named StemExpress, where the group pretended to be an organization interested in doing business with StemExpress. You can argue that the group, the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), did something quite shady (it‘s the same group that similarly recorded conversations with a Planned Parenthood exec) in misrepresenting who they were, secretly recording conversations, and editing and releasing the videos — but that doesn‘t change the fact that the court really can‘t bar the release of the video. Because that‘s called prior restraint.

15.08.2015 - 16:47 [ Mondo Weiss ]

Extremist settler youths descend on Palestinian worker, beat him with rod, fist and boot

A gang of Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian worker who was repairing a traffic light in an illegal Israeli settlement near Jerusalem Thursday, landing the worker in the hospital with a broken hand and a number of other injuries, according to local sources. The worker, Loay Bakri, 31, works as an electrical contractor, and was sent to the illegal Israeli settlement of Pisgat Ze’ev to fix a broken traffic light..

15.08.2015 - 16:45 [ Reuters ]

Venezuela arrests eight police officers after video of shooting

The video shows a young man being held by men in uniform and then falling to the ground after a gunshot is heard. Three other people are seen lying motionless on the ground nearby.

The officers will be charged with „alleged responsibility in the death of four men“ between the ages of 21 and 35 in an operation carried out in an industrial area on August 5, the prosecutors‘ office said in a statement.

15.08.2015 - 16:44 [ Griechenland ]

Linksregierung und 400-Euro-Sklaven in Griechenland

Dieses Griechenland der flexiblen Beschäftigung und der modernen Sklaven braucht genau das: Eine neue Partie von „Aufsehern“, die uns mit der Peitsche im Nacken sitzen und befehlen werden, mehr zu arbeiten, nicht zu sprechen, uns nicht zu widersetzen und die Erniedrigungen auszuhalten – natürlich zum Wohl des Landes. Wir haben sie gefunden, die Regierung der Linken hat jeden Grund, darauf stolz zu sein. Sie schickt sich sogar an, „lang und breit“ ihre Unterschrift zu setzen um die Vereinbarung zu ratifizieren und sie wieder nach Griechenland zu holen, damit sie evaluieren und zuweilen die Peitsche schwingen …

15.08.2015 - 16:36 [ Daily Caller ]

New Study Predicts Decades Of Cooling From Weak Solar Activity

Study author Jorge Sanchez-Sesma examined solar cycle data going back 100,000 years and compared them to about 25,000 years of surface air temperature data in the Congo River Basin. Sanchez-Sesma found that “information from reconstructions and models indicates a potential continental tropical temperature cooling of around 0.5oC for the rest of the 21st century”.

Furthermore, the study argues that varying levels of solar activity explain “most of the variation” in the Congo River Basin’s air temperatures “during the past centuries” — this is important since the river basin is far from the influence of ocean temperatures.

15.08.2015 - 16:31 [ Watts Up With That? ]

Halfway to Hell? – Alarmists are Growing Desperate in Their Efforts to Influence Public Opinion

Apparently, based initially on a 1975 “first intuition” by an economist (not a climate scientist), politicians have sought to limit global surface warming to 2 deg C above pre-industrial levels by restricting greenhouse gas emissions. To that end, those politicians created the political entity called the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whose sole purpose is to prepare reports to support the politicians’ agendas.

Politicians from around the globe are once again gathering this year to futilely try to reach agreement on how to achieve that goal of limiting global warming to the economist-suggested limit. So, in order to increase public awareness, we’re being bombarded weekly with speculations of pending global-warming gloom and doom.

15.08.2015 - 15:59 [ Maareg ]

Human Right calls for investigation into AU troops’ misconduct in Somalia

On July 28, 2015, the UN Security Council renewed AMISOM’s mandate until May 2016, in a resolution that largely failed to underscore the importance of accountability for abuses by AMISOM forces. The Security Council resolution, however, said the AU should share information gathered through its newly established Civilian Casualty Tracking Analysis and Response Cell with relevant stakeholders, including the UN.

15.08.2015 - 15:26 [ Radio Utopie ]

Bundeswehr-Spezialeinsatzkräfte im Inneren Somalias ohne Mandat

(Mai 2013) Interne Clan-Kämpfe wie in der Region Jubbaland an der Grenze zu Kenia zwischen dem früheren Verteidigungsminister und einem Scheich sowie Ansprüche der Warlords der verschiedenen Regionen kämpfen in Mogadischu um die Pfründe an der Regierungsbeteiligung. Das neue Parlament zerfleischt sich gerade gegenseitig.

15.08.2015 - 15:24 [ Reuters ]

Somali region re-elects former warlord to fight al Shabaab

Jubbaland includes the strategic port of Kismayu. Madobe and Barre Hirale, a clan elder, fought for years to control the city, which generates valuable revenues from taxes, charcoal exports and levies on arms and other illegal imports. Hirale ruled Kismayu in the 1990s and into the 2000s until he was unseated by Madobe, who was at the time aligned to the Islamic Courts Union that ruled Somalia until 2006.

15.08.2015 - 15:12 [ Portal amerika21.de ]

Hillary Clinton soll Energiereform in Mexiko beeinflusst haben

Zwei der Koordinatoren, die bei der Planung eine zentrale Rolle gespielt hätten, arbeiten nun für private Energieunternehmen. Auch der damalige US-Botschafter Carlos Pascual, der in die Pläne involviert war, wechselte später zu einem Beratungsunternehmen für Erdöl- und Gasbeförderung. Insbesondere für Konzerne wie Exxon Mobil, Chevron und British Petroleum (BP) sind die von Clinton unterstützten Beschlüsse sehr vorteilhaft.

15.08.2015 - 14:07 [ Guardian ]

Activists to halt diggers at RWE coalfields in Germany

A thousand activists are expected to descend on the Rhineland coalfields in Germany this weekend in protest at the fuel’s climate impacts.

They are targeting RWE’s opencast lignite mine. Together with the energy company’s three power stations in the area, it makes up Europe’s biggest source of carbon dioxide, activists say.

15.08.2015 - 12:12 [ Bjorn Jonsson / Vimeo ]

New Horizons Pluto flyby

An animation showing the New Horizons Pluto flyby on July 14, 2015. The time covered is 09:35 to 13:35 (closest approach occurred near 11:50). Pluto‘s atmosphere is included and should be fairly realistic from about 10 seconds into the animation and to the end. Earlier it is largely just guesswork that can be improved in the future once all data has been downlinked from the spacecraft. Light from Pluto‘s satellite Charon illuminates Pluto‘s night side but is exaggerated here, in reality it would be only barely visible or not visible at all. The field of view is 12.5 degrees.

15.08.2015 - 11:58 [ Digitalcourage ]

Weltweit größte Open-Air-CryptoParty

Während der „Freiheit statt Angst“-Demonstration gegen Überwachung in Münster am 15. August soll die (nach Veranstalterangaben) weltweit größte Open-Air Cryptoparty stattfinden. Ziel dieser Aktion ist es, möglichst viele verschlüsselte E-Mails während der Veranstaltung zu versenden. Im Vorfeld der Demo findet am 6. August eine Cryptoparty als Vorbereitung für die Demonstration statt, bei der unter anderem die Verschlüsselung von E-Mails erlernt werden kann. Darüber hinaus werden während der Demonstration am 15. August Crypto-Engel bereit stehen, die den Weg zur sicheren E-Mail-Verschlüsselung weisen.

15.08.2015 - 10:40 [ Piratenfraktion im Landtag NRW ]

Wir sehen uns auf der ‚Freiheit-statt-Angst‘-Demo!

Geplanter Ablauf am Aktionstag ‚Freiheit statt Angst‘ Münster, 15.08.2015:

14:00 Uhr Treffpunkt Stubengasse. Organisatorische Hinweise und Einführung von Till Horstman (CryptoParty)
14:30 Uhr Auftaktkundgebung Stubengasse mit Redebeiträgen von: AK Vorratsdatenspeicherung, Jörg Berens (FDP), Bündnis gegen Abschiebungen Münster, Antifaschistische Linke Münster, Maria Klein-Schmeink (Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen) und organisatorische Hinweise von Daniel Düngel MdL (Piratenfraktion im Landtag NRW)
15:00 Uhr Demonstrationszug zum Aasee
15:30 Uhr Zwischenkundgebung am Aasee mit Redebeiträgen von Till Horstman (CryptoParty), Bündnis gegen TTIP/TISA, Sandra J. (Piraten), Carsten Peters (DGB), Datensch(m)utz im Nirgendwo
16:00 Uhr Demonstrationszug zur Stubengasse
16:30 Uhr Abschlusskundgebung Stubengasse mit abschließenden Worten von Till Horstman (CryptoParty) und Jürgen Blümer (#wastun)
17:00 Uhr Ende

15.08.2015 - 10:27 [ Global Research ]

Syria: Major Powers Intensify Diplomatic Maneuvering over Fate of Assad Government

Russia’s intervention would aim to “help all Syrians unite over the core task of preserving their country, ensuring stability and preventing it from becoming a hotbed of terrorism and other threats,” Lavrov said.

“We agreed to continue thinking about steps that should be taken to create a suitable environment to resume dialogue between the Syrian government and all other Syrian groups,” Lavrov said, referring to discussions with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir earlier this week.

15.08.2015 - 10:24 [ L.A. Times ]

Russia on diplomatic offensive to defeat Islamic State, end Syrian war

(11.August) Russia pressed its diplomatic offensive Tuesday in the Syrian crisis by hosting the Saudi foreign minister for talks that derailed over whether Syrian President Bashar Assad should have a role in the embattled country‘s postwar future.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Saudi counterpart, Adel Jubeir, also disagreed about including Assad in the campaign to eradicate Islamic State extremists who have thrived amid the chaos of Syria‘s civil war.

15.08.2015 - 08:27 [ Radio Utopie ]

Landesverrat: Altmaier nach Kritik am B.N.D. plötzlich in der Bredouille

Gestern spricht Kanzleramtsleiter Peter Altmaier von einem „Eigenleben“ des Bundesnachrichtendienstes und kündigt an, dessen Kollaboration mit einer fremden Macht nun endlich zu „klären“. Noch am selben Tag wird er durch den „Tagesspiegel“ in direktem Zusammenhang mit der vom Apparat wegen angeblichem Landesverrat gegen Netzpolitik.org initiierten und mittlerweile in sich zusammengebrochenen Kampagne in Verbindung gebracht.

15.08.2015 - 04:56 [ The Observatory/Bandcamp ]

Distilled Ashes from OSCILLA by The Observatory

The Observatory’s music is texturally complex and viscerally emotional, crossing wasted borders and musical extremities that parallel polarities within human existence, provoking and inspiring in a deeply enigmatic way. The group draws inspiration from their Southeast Asian roots and heroes of new music and art.