The European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, has denounced Israel’s announcement that they will build an additional 1,100 illegal homes in Palestinian territory. That’s on top of the already thousands of new settlements started since the beginning of the year!
The EU said Israel’s Zionist settler agenda undermines any attempt at peace. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, described Israel’s latest settler plan as “1,100 No’s” to any resumption of Israel-Palestine talks.
September 27, Japan’s Finance Minister Jun Azumi, said Japan is ready to help Greece, possibly by buying more Greek government bonds.
However, Japan is a little cash strapped itself and is hoping the Europeans do something quick, to turn around the collapsing European economy. The reason; Japan’s car industry is relying on a European, as well as U.S., economic recovery.
Chairman Toshiyuki Shiga, of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, said that the falling value of the Euro, and the U.S. dollar, is driving up the value of the Japanese yen, which is making Japanese cars to expensive to sell.
Most of Japan’s national income is made by selling products to other countries (exports), and since the March 11 disasters the yen has been going up in value causing huge drops in demand for Japanese products.
Japan is hoping to see the Euro and U.S. dollar go up in value, which would make Japanese products more affordable on the world market.
27 September 2011, Japan’s National Tax Agency has just now realized that all alcoholic drinks coming from the Fukushima area are probably contaminated with radiation. Even so, testing on beer, wine/sake will not take place until next month!
Mandatory testing will be done at all beverage factories within 150 km (93 miles) of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Random testing will take place at factories outside the 150 kilometer radius.
Along with the national government, six major cities, including Tokyo, will test water meant for use in making beer and wine.
Rice and barely, used in beer and sake, have already tested positive for cesium contamination.
“…I do not believe the U.S. should use its position in the UN Security Council to block their membership.”-Ron Paul, U.S. Congressman from Texas
Ron Paul has written a new post in his Texas Straight Talk, saying the United States should not block Palestine from being recognized by the United Nations.
Ron Paul says anyone who’s afraid of the Palestinians finally getting internationally recognized statehood is a weak minded elitist: “Only a political class harboring the illusion it can run the world obsesses over the aspirations of a tiny population on a tiny piece of land thousands of miles away.”
But don’t think Ron Paul is pro United Nations, in fact he has a warning for Palestinians about reliance on the UN: “When the UN gave NATO the green light to bomb Libya there was no genocide taking place. It was a purely preventative war. The result? Thousands dead, a destroyed country, and extremely dubious new leaders.”
“It is an attack on the basic democratic rights of working people in this country.”-Patrick O’Regan, Workers’ Revolutionary Party
The British government has created a new law, under the guise of stopping militant right wing groups from demonstrating: No demonstrating.
Officially the law is in effect for only 30 days, and was requested by Scotland Yard. The police feared the militant right wing demonstrators would cause violence.
The problem is the law applies to everyone, not just militant groups. Anyone marching can be arrested, fined, or even imprisoned.
Activists say the new law covers more than demonstrating: “They are talking about area curfews, they are talking about shutting down Facebook [and other] social network sites. They are talking about dictatorial civil war measures because what they are doing in Britain is creating a historic change, in which inevitably the majority of Britain will oppose them.”-Patrick O’Regan, Workers’ Revolutionary Party
Other activists say this is part of the government’s tippy toeing towards total authoritarianism: “Just in terms of where we are at the moment with the process of austerity being pushed through by the government, trade unions are one of the major blocs opposed to that. Public order legislation does tend to be used against striking workers. That has been very clear and there have been some recent examples of that; people being pulled off the picket lines. And that obviously weakens any resistance to the cuts.”-Richard Seymour, Socialist Workers Party
“It’s all sunk costs, it’s money that we spent and we’re not going to recoup.”-Paul Eaton, retired U.S. Army Major General
The United States spent over U.S.$2.4 billion on building posts in Iraq, reports the Congressional Research Service. Major General Thomas Richardson told reporters last month that the U.S. had already given away equipment valued at a total of around $247 million, just last year. Another $157 million in materials were handed over in the time before President Obama’s withdrawal of troops officially began.
Apparently the U.S. turned down offers from Israel to buy the equipment.
Don’t think any further U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq will reduce U.S. government spending of taxpayer money on Iraq: The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations revealed that the U.S. State Department is looking to spend upwards of $30 billion on Iraq over the next five years. U.S. embassy in Baghdad already houses thousands of civilian officials and troops and contains 21 buildings in a space of over 100 acres. The U.S. military operates less than 40 bases in Iraq today.
In an upcoming Newsweek magazine, they write that Obama pushed the sale of bunker busting bombs to Israel, despite Pentagon officials pointing out that Israel’s military has moved closer to cooperation with China.
The sale was originally planned under President Bush jr, but it was Obama that made the final push.
On top of ordering the sale of huge bunker busting bombs, Obama also ordered the Pentagon to boost military cooperation, despite Pentagon advice against it.
September 23 (24 Palestine time), it’s the middle of the night and Palestinians in the West Bank are going nuts over PLO President Mahmud Abbas UN speech. They are yelling that they will march on al Quds (Jerusalem) and take it back from the Israelis.
Palestinians say that U.S. President Obama’s speech the other day was totally against Palestine, and sounded almost as if Israelis had written the speech for him. Palestinians say this is proof that the United States is a puppet of Israel, and an enemy of Palestinians. Palestinians are burning U.S. flags.
September 23, resurrected Palestinian Liberation Organization (formerly Palestinian Authority) President Mahmud Abbas gave a long explanation of compromises and sacrifices by Palestinians, going back decades, and example after example of Israeli broken promises.
He then stated that the decades of traditional peace negotiation process has failed Palestinians. It is time for a different approach!
Abbas stated that recognition of Palestine by the United Nations would be a “moment of truth” for the World. It is time for Palestinians to have freedom and independence!
Palestinians now have only one goal: “To be!” He then officially asked for the United Nations to recognize Palestine as a member of the UN, a standing ovation followed.
September 23, Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas has officially submitted a request for Palestine’s recognition by the United Nations. It’s the middle of the night in West Bank, but still, tens of thousands of Palestinians are crowding the streets in anticipation.
Israel has deployed 22,000 troops in al Quds (Jerusalem). Already this week Israel has launched ground raids into West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Today Israeli troops killed a Palestinian after illegal Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians. About 200 armed Israeli settlers from the Esh Kodesh outpost attacked the Palestinian village of Qusra on September 23, smashing the windows of several houses, throwing stones and burning and uprooting trees.
The Iraqi government is officially demanding that Israel get off Palestinian territory.
Also, Newsweek magazine is reporting that warmonger President Barack Obama authorized the sale of 55 bunker busting bombs to Israel.