Category: World

  • 2012 London Olympics Attack Warning

    Multiple indicators suggest that the 2012 London Olympics may be used as a stage for false flag operations: the environment is primed for insider attacks, the security plans are flawed, and the threat indicators match other false flag attacks.

    Large amounts of troops, contractors, and weapons may provide cover for insider agents to carry out attacks at the 2012 London Olympics. Excessive amounts of force and materiel combined with the last minute changes provide a chaotic environment in which equipment may be staged to carry out terrorist attacks. Such a chaotic environment is also ideal for subversive agents that have security credentials to operate in, because it provides them with cover stories for their activities and possible inconsistencies in their behavior.

    Security plans for the 2012 London Olympics are flawed. An independent investigation of the G4S security contractor by Ben Fellows has revealed that the company is implementing measures that are inconsistent with their stated security objectives. G4S is reported to have 200000 casket linings on standby – a measure that indicates a plan to fail at security. G4S is reported to have plans for evacuating London – another indicator of planned failure. G4S is well documented as failing to provide adequate security staff. The combination of these factors suggests that instead of providing qualified security staff to prevent attacks, G4S has been focusing on controlling the effects of an attack. Mitigating large scale disasters is usually handled by the government. It is suspicious that a company that fails at its direct responsibilities expends its limited resources on measures that are outside of its competence and stated objectives. These indicators are especially alarming, since security contractors have privileged access and are therefore well placed to carry out large scale terrorist operations, to plant false evidence, and to destroy real evidence.

    The threat indicators present at the 2012 London Olympics are consistent with the false flag terrorism operations carried out in the past. The film “7/7 Ripple Effect 2” provides a thorough analysis of a recent false flag operation in London and provides a publically available primer of some of the tradecraft that may be used for other false flag operations. Some examples of documented tradecraft include using security credentials to manage subversive agents, using security operations to stage equipment for attacks, using security credentials to place false evidence, using security credentials to destroy real evidence, and fabricating public reports. These examples of tradecraft match the threat indicators present at the 2012 London Olympics and support the concerns for the safety of the public.

    False flag operations are typically conducted to manipulate public opinion. False flag operations are frequently used as pretext for war. It might be too late to provide an effective deterrent for the possible attacks at the London Olympics at this point. Even if it is too late to prevent such attacks, vigilance is needed to mitigate the risk of false flag operations being used as pretext for even greater bloodshed and to bring the responsible parties to justice if such attacks take place.

  • Turkey to Europe: Who’s Sick Now?

    Turkey to Europe: Who’s Sick Now?

    turkey schadenfreude rdv tmagArticle

    The Istinye Park shopping mall in Istanbul.

    With Europe roiled by economic crisis, Turks could be forgiven for engaging in a bit of Ottoman-style chest-thumping.

    A sense of material-fueled contentment is evident in Istanbul’s giant gleaming malls where clutches of hip young women in brightly colored headscarves clasp their Gucci purses while shopping with reckless abandon.

    Corporate lawyers join six-month waiting lists to pay more than $150,000 for the latest BMW model. There is even a new lifestyle magazine for the burgeoning Islamic bourgeoisie that eschews thrusting cleavage in favor of chic designer veils and five-star resorts with separate his and her’s beaches.

    While much of the continent sputtered last year, Turkey’s economy grew by 8.5 percent, according to official data. Even with the fallout from the troubles in the European Union, which accounts for the bulk of Turkey’s exports, the Turkish government forecasts that growth will be 4 percent this year. (The International Monetary Fund predicts a more modest 2.3 percent).

    During the decadence of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, Turkey acquired the unwelcome nickname “The sick man of Europe.” Now that distinction has been happily passed on to neighboring Greece, where high-spending Turkish tourists have been flocking to islands like Mykonos this summer, perhaps helping to give the battered Greek economy a bump.

    Yet for all the signs of evident prosperity — and the loud declarations by Turkish leaders that Turkey is an economic model for the world — economists warn that the Turkish economy is at risk of overheating and then stalling.

    Analysts say explosive growth in consumer credit has stoked a worrying expansion in the country’s current account deficit, which is forecast by the government to be 8 percent of gross domestic product this year, an improvement over last year’s 10 percent, but hardly reassuring.

    The challenges of plugging financial holes of that magnitude were behind the country’s past two economic ruptures, and some fear that Turkish arrogance threatens to blind Ankara to the perils ahead.

    “The economy is slowing down, and if external conditions do not improve the country may not be able to rebound like it did after the 2009 crisis,” said Sinan Ulgen, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe. “The government, however, seems to discount this scenario,” he added, noting that overconfidence threatened to blind it to the effects of protracted crisis in Europe on Turkey.

    While Turkey’s economic luminaries gloat that Turkey — not Europe or even the United States — will win the 21st century, the I.M.F has in recent months been expressing a far less rosy outlook. That may explain why Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, who is in charge of the economy, recently acknowledged that Ankara had blocked the domestic release of four to five I.M.F. reports, according to the newspaper Milliyet. It said the minister cited “certain subjective analyses” to justify the blackout.

    Among its warnings, the I.M.F. has noted that Europe’s spiraling crisis threatens to undermine Turkish exports while the availability of easy credit risks drying up as European banks, which own a sizable chunk of the Turkish banking sector, focus on challenges closer to home. The I.M.F. has forecast 2012 inflation of 10.6 percent and an unemployment rate of 10.3 percent.

    On a trip to Turkey in May, the fund’s straight-talking chief Christine Lagarde warned that while Turkey had had a remarkable period of growth over the last ten years, “vulnerabilities are arising as a result of the large current account deficit financed by short-term capital flows.”

    The I.M.F. is not alone in advising caution.

    In May, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at the ratings agency Standard & Poor’s after it downgraded Turkey’s credit rating from positive to stable, even as it improved its outlook for crisis-wracked Greece. “This is entirely an ideological approach. You cannot fool anybody, you cannot fool Tayyip Erdogan,” the irate prime minister harrumphed.

    Justifying its view, S&P said that less buoyant European demand for Turkish exports combined with the country’s large external debt and a dependence on indirect taxes to plug budget gaps were undermining Turkey’s creditworthiness.

    Others point out that regional instability, including the festering conflict in neighboring Syria, could also have a detrimental effect on Turkey.

    And while Turkey, buoyed by the Arab Spring, seeks to offset its dependence on Europe by investing in and expanding its presence in the Middle East, economists warn it could take decades before fragile, still underdeveloped economies like Egypt or Iraq yield meaningful economic dividends for Ankara.

    Even as the notes of caution intensify, Turks show little sign of reining in their bullishness.

    ‘‘Those who called us ‘sick’ in the past are now ‘sick’ themselves,’’ Zafer Caglayan, Turkey’s minister of economy, said recently, with more than a hint of well-honed Turkish schadenfreude. ‘‘May God grant them recovery.’’

    via Turkey to Europe: Who’s Sick Now? – NYTimes.com.

  • A Spectrum of Traditions

    A Spectrum of Traditions

    The New York Times

    imagesMY mother is a Christian from Austria and my father a Muslim from Turkey. They met and married in Paris and settled in Istanbul, my father’s home. I was born there and attended an Austrian school in the city. At 19, I moved to Austria to attend what is now the Vienna University of Economics and Business.

    I’m 6-foot-2 and was good at basketball. While attending university, I was recruited to play semipro ball in Austria. As a result, it took me longer than usual to complete a combined undergraduate and graduate degree in economics, called a magister, in Austria. But it was worth it. I was able to be paid for my hobby and travel around Europe for tournaments.

    My first job, in 1986, was in sales for Europay MasterCard, now MasterCard. I was responsible for signing up merchants such as hotels and restaurants. I rose to vice president for sales and marketing and left 10 years later to work for GE Capital as vice president for retail sales finance and then for consumer financing. A year later, in 1997, General Electric asked me to be national executive for GE Corporate as well, responsible for Austria.

    In 1999, I joined Western Union Financial Services and held various executive positions and traveled throughout Europe and Asia. Over more than 25 years, I’ve learned how globalization works and how to navigate in new countries, traveling to 81 so far.

    In January 2010, I was promoted to chief operating officer of the Western Union Company and moved to Colorado. Eight months later, I became president and C.E.O. Western Union had always been a brick-and-mortar company, where customers sent or received funds through our agents in grocery stores, post offices and the like. When I took over, I instituted a number of changes to modernize operations. Not only did we add more agent locations, but customers can now send money using a credit card. We also added prepaid cards and a mobile wallet application.

    Last year, we bought Travelex Global Business Payments and introduced a business-to-business electronic money transfer service for importers and exporters and other small- and medium-size businesses. People are often surprised that Western Union has transformed itself in two years, but it’s still happened too slowly for me.

    I can relate personally to one of these changes. My parents divorced years ago, and my mother moved to Vienna. My father, 88, still lives in Turkey. I’ve been sending him money for medicine and other needs every week for years, from whatever country I’m in. He has a cellphone but doesn’t use it. Before I became C.E.O., he had to walk a mile or two to the closest Western Union agent. Now there’s one much closer, and thousands of other people can send and receive funds in several ways.

    We’ve been criticized for our fees, but we have been an industry leader in providing transparency to our customers about our prices. And we have millions of satisfied customers, which is why we continue to grow. We have just under an 18 percent market share in an extremely competitive environment for money transfers, and consumers have more options today as to how, where and when they can send money. I believe that in an open market, competition and consumer behavior determine the price.

    Besides the diversity I experienced as a child, I married Nayantara Ghosh-Ersek, who is half-Austrian and half-Indian. We met in Austria. At home, we celebrate Christmas as well as Hindu and Muslim holidays. Our company serves a global population, so we pay attention to traditions around the world. Diversity attracts diversity.

    As told to Patricia R. Olsen.

    This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
    First Published July 29, 2012 1:01 pm
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  • Big military forces gather around the Mediterranean

    Big military forces gather around the Mediterranean

    Средиземное море

     


     

     

    GULNARA INANCH,

     Director of Information and Analytical Center Etnoglobus (ethnoglobus.az), editor of Russian section of Turkishnews American-Turkish Resource www.turkishnews.com,

      

    Mete62@inbox.ru

     

     

    Syria’s shooting down Turkish jet over Mediterranean Sea and Syria’s invasion of Turkey’s air space in its response may enable us to suppose that it may lead serious pressure in the region. Analyses of the situation show that great powers and regional powers observe the situation not over Syria, but also there is struggle for the Mediterranean Sea.

     

    Late reaction of theUSto the incident, restrained behavior of officialAnkaraand parties’ waiting for behavior of other party under the present circumstances is the sign that either there is confidential agreement within NATO or it is the attempts of provocation ofTurkey.

     

    AlthoughAnkaradenies that Turkish F4 phantom jet was shot down over Syrian territorial waters, it admits that they were shooting photos consequently confirming its intentional occurrence near the bodies ofSyriawhich received war threads.

     

    According to Israeli open source military intelligence website DEBKAfile, Turkey’s military jets commit daily espionage flights over the Syrian’s water. Syria’s www.dampress.net resources says that on the incident day two jets were flying over the Syrian territorial waters one of which left the territory following shooting down another’s. There is also contradictory thoughts weather the jets were belonging toIsrael orTurkey.

     

    The point is that in spite of political tension betweenTurkeyandIsrael, there is also news that intelligence bodies of these countries share news with each other and even there are bases of Mossad in the territories of Turkey to control Iran and Syria. Reports of the Southern Cyprus media that Israel and Turkey plan to carry out military drill in the territorial waters of the Southern Cyprus are another sign that Tel-Aviv and Ankara are together in behind-the-scenes agreements.

     

    In these days Deputy Prime Minister of Israel Shaul Mofaz admitting that Turkey is the regional power highlighted the importance of having strategic relations betweenTurkeyandIsraelwhich is a sign that relations between Tel-Aviv and Ankara should be normalized over the Syrian issue.

     

    Participation of Russia, China, Iran and Syria in the military drills with 90,000 troops, 400 jets and 900 tanks (initially there were reported that Russian navy entered Syrian territorial waters and there are military bases in the Mediterranean of NATO and basin countries) and existence of big military power in the region which worry the US, Israel and Turkey that is also natural.

    The reason of current tension withSyria, generally, one of reasons of “Arab Spring” is reconsideration of impact circle over the Mediterranean Sea.

    In this case, it is more important who will keepSyriaunder its impact following possible governmental changes inDamascus. The reason whyRussiais against any military operation to overthrow Bashar Assad government is not the intention of Moscowto preserve the present regime, but the real reason is that the person to replace Assad will not support Moscow’s interest.

     

    According to Russian officials, they had agreed for Libyan operation only as the West promised to impose no-fly-zone over Libya ply more serious policy in relation toSyria.

     

    Meanwhile, Russian president Vladimir Putin in his visit to Tel-Aviv discussingIranand Syrian conflict will try to find out the position of Israel, which is influential state in the region, however having safety thread following Arab Spring. Besides Russian president will try to clarify which position Israel will keep in these processes and project future steps.

    Another important issue is that Syrian opposition was indifferent to shoot down of  Turkish jet and failed to take advantage of the situation. Silence of  Syrian opposition formed in the territoryof  Turkey and being provided with financial and military support by the West is natural, otherwise manipulators behind the curtain would have to appear.

     

    However,Turkey is not expected to start military operation against Syria or NATO to discuss the article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization intending defense in case of military aggression against any member state. Once when Turkey deployed military force to the Cyprus, NATO had to exclude temporarily these two member states –Turkey and Greece as there was military tension between them.

     

    Turkey doesn’t need such provocation to deploy military force toSyriaand in case of necessity official Ankara has repeatedly carried out military operation within the territories of neighbor countries during pursuit of PKK terrorists.

     

    It is interesting that in Geneva during the meeting dedicated to Syria there was no clear note with regard to Bashar Assad’s leaving the power and clause on arm sale to the conflicting parties inSyria.

     

    As neither Russia, nor the US intend to begin open war, the situation will make the West delay the military operations in Syria. Consequently, Russia will support Bashar Assad, while the US the opposition as it was during 80th inAfghanistan which will lead the country to long civil war. If Assad has to leave the power, then Kremlin and White House will do its best to bring to power the one who is close to them.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Türkiye determined to improve ties with Paris

    Türkiye determined to improve ties with Paris

    parisTurkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country was determined to improve bilateral relations with France.

    “We have deep-rooted and historical ties between Türkiye and France, and our both countries are committed to move relations forward in a visionary and positive spirit,” Davutoglu told a press conference in Paris after a bilateral meeting with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius on Thursday.

    Davutoglu said there would be more frequent high level talks between the two countries’ officials and their parliaments, adding that cooperation would be also be boosted in many regional issues.

    Davutoglu said France had become “more positive” over Türkiye’s European Union accession bid, adding that he had called for the removal of France’s blocking on five policy areas in Turkey’s membership negotiations and that France was likely to assume a more positive stance in that respect.

    The Turkish FM said Türkiye had lifted sanctions it started imposing on France after a row in January over a French legislation that made it illegal to deny Armenian allegations on the incidents of 1915 in Ottoman Turkey.

    The law was later annulled by France’s top constitutional authority.

    Davutoglu said Türkiye was set to open two consulates in Bordeaux and Nantes as well as a culture center in Paris.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Turkish Press

  • Turkey proud of naming Cakir as Portugal v Spain referee

    Turkey proud of naming Cakir as Portugal v Spain referee

    ccakir

    Euro semi-final referee gives Turks reason to smile

     

    Missing out on Euro 2012 was painful for soccer-mad Turkey but having a Turkish referee at the finals has helped restore some pride to a country still smarting from match-fixing allegations and high-profile arrests.

     

    Cuneyt Cakir, a 35-year-old Istanbul native who runs an insurance branch office, is the youngest referee at the tournament and will take charge of the semi-final between Spain and Portugal in Donetsk on Wednesday.

    “Cuneyt Cakir… makes us Turks smile once again through his appointment to blow his whistle at the Euro semi-final,” newspaper Milliyet wrote this week.

    Hurriyet newspaper said on Wednesday the Iberian clash would resemble Spain’s El Clasico and was a great honor for Cakir.

    Cakir, whose father was a referee, regularly officiates at the notoriously volatile derbies between the three major Istanbul clubs.

    Turkey, semi-finalists at Euro 2008, lost to Croatia in a playoff for the Euro 2012 finals after finishing second behind Germany in their qualifying group.

    However, Germany playmaker Mesut Ozil, who was born in Gelsenkirchen but whose family hail from Turkey, is another favorite with the Turkish public.

     

     

     

     

    […]

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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