All or Nothing

 

BERLIN/LONDON/PARIS/ROME (Own report) – London’s government crisis escalated yesterday under the pressure of Berlin and the EU’s unaccomplishable Brexit requirements. Prime Minster Theresa May has barely survived a vote of confidence, which was ultimately triggered by the so-called backstop. Brussels insists on a regulation, which could indefinitely subjugate Great Britain to a customs union, without an option for a unilateral withdrawal and erect a trade border between two areas of the United Kingdom. These provisions are in Germany’s interests, but they will plunge Great Britain into chaos. The current government crisis in France is largely due to the austerity programs imposed by Berlin on Paris – while refusing to make any concessions at the EU level. In France and Great Britain, the extreme right is profiting, like in Italy, where Berlin’s drastic austerity dictates, have already crushed the traditional political establishment.

A New Move Toward a European Army

 

Also, the Catholic child abuse scandal hits Germany.

European Commission President Jean Claude Junker gave his annual state of the union address on Wednesday. “If Europe were to unite all the political, economic and military might of its nations, its role in the world could be strengthened,” he said.

“Whenever Europe speaks as one we can impose our positions on others,” he continued.

Coalition of Those Willing to Go to War

PARIS/BERLIN (Own report) – Germany is participating in a new European military formation that was launched yesterday. Originally a French proposal, the European Intervention Initiative (EII) will be open to EU and Non-EU member countries to join. Expanding the existing EU military cooperation (“PESCO”) with a new operational component, the EII should facilitate rapid decisions on joint military interventions. A first meeting of military commanders from the hitherto nine participant states is set for September. The EII includes Great Britain, which plans to continue its military cooperation with the continent, even after Brexit, as well as Denmark. Since the coordination of military interventions is now officially set outside of the EU framework, Denmark can sidestep the opt-out from EU military policy, it had once granted its population. Referred to by experts as a European “coalition of the willing,” it goes hand in hand with the EU Commission’s militarization plans worth billions and the high-cost German-French arms projects.

EU Creates New Defense Pact to Reduce Dependence on US

 

The EU on Nov.13 officially launched a new era in defense cooperation with a program of joint military investment in equipment, research and development, known as permanent structured cooperation, or PESCO. Foreign and defense ministers gathered at a signing ceremony in Brussels to represent 23 EU governments joining the pact, which is to become legally binding when signed by heads of state at EU summit in mid-December. With so many ministers signing, approval seems a given. From now on, the EU will have a more coherent role in tackling international crises, while reducing the reliance on the United States.

EU takes step toward joint army

EU foreign and defence ministers in Brussels on Monday (Photo: consilium.europa.eu)

 

The vast majority of EU states have agreed to create what some have called the nucleus of a joint army.

Twenty three out of 28 EU states signed the declaration in Brussels on Monday (13 November), prior to making a legally binding pledge at an EU summit next month.

Britain, Denmark, Ireland, Malta, and Portugal stayed out.

America’s Cyber Vulnerabilities

ISTOCK.COM/MONSITJ

 

Cyber is the newest branch of warfare. Even in its baby stages, it has the potential to cripple the United States.

On the afternoon of Dec. 23, 2015, Ukrainian engineers from a Prykarpattya Oblenergo power station stared at a computer screen while the cursor progressed on its own across the monitor. The mouse on the table had not moved. But the cursor hovered over the station’s breakers, each one controlling power to thousands of Ukrainian citizens. Then, with one mouse click at a time, the hackers now in control of the power station began shutting off power to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians.

At the same time, Kyivoblenergo employees watched as dozens of substations shut down, one by one. In their case, there was no phantom mouse. A computer on their network that they could not locate was being used by someone to shut down the power—and there was nothing they could do.

Theresa May threatens US with trade war over Bombardier row

Theresa May threatens US with trade war over Bombardier row CREDIT: AP

 

Theresa May has threatened a trade war with the US after it slapped punitive tariffs on British-built aircraft, casting doubt on a key plank of her Brexit strategy.

The US Department of Commerce decided Bombardier aircraft, built in Northern Ireland, should be subject to 219 per cent import duty after the American aviation giant Boeing complained that Bombardier had been given unfair state aid.

The Government responded by warning that Boeing’s behaviour “could jeopardise” future Ministry of Defence contracts for its aircraft such as Apache helicopters.

Soros To Make Ireland First Pro-Abortion Country

Hungarian government poster portraying financier George Soros and saying “Don’t let George Soros have the last laugh” is seen at an underground stop in Budapest, Hungary July 11, 2017.

 

The Catholic News Agency broke with the information first last year in an article telling of George Soros’ plan to use Ireland as a prototype to upend anti-abortion laws in Catholic countries around the world. At the time CNA reported: “With one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world, a win there could impact other strongly Catholic countries in Europe, such as Poland, and provide much needed proof that change is possible, even in highly conservative places,” . Today that plan seems more defined after leaked information reveals more details. The agenda seems to no longer be hiding behind the “pro-choice” title, now it boldly seeks to create “pro-abortion” countries. 

Breitbart News reports that DCLeaks.com revealed last year that billionaire investor George Soros has been using his Open Society Foundation (OSF) to turn Ireland – what Planned Parenthood refers to as the “jewel in the crown of the pro-life movement” – into a pro-abortion country. 

Russia threat triggers European military spending hike

Most nations in Europe have increased their military spending. (Photo: Finnish army)

 

A perceived threat from Russia has triggered a central European dash towards military spending.

Figures presented on Monday (24 April) by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) show military expenditures in Central Europe grew by 2.4 percent in 2016.

Secession as a Point of Leverage (II)

LONDON/BERLIN (Own report) – Scotland has established an investment center in Berlin, thereby reinforcing its economic ties to the EU and causing – with German support – new tension in Great Britain. According to critics, in its intended secession from the United Kingdom, for which it must establish economic security, the Scottish government is relying on German help. In fact, to increase the pressure on London to achieve the “softest” Brexit possible, Berlin and Germany’s regional governments are going out of their way to strengthen relations with Edinburgh. This is considered essential to German interests. Government advisors in Berlin are recommending using Ireland for obtaining influence in the negotiations concerning the borders between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland. In the event of a “hard” Brexit, this border would be a particularly sensitive point. Berlin is also using EU foreigners, residing in the United Kingdom, as an additional bargaining chip. Chancellor Angela Merkel has refused to have their rights of residence clarified beforehand.

EURO COLLAPSE: Italy to QUIT EUROZONE in final nail of coffin for EU, warns top economist

As corrupt as Varoufakis is, he’s right that the German-led EU wants to crush its own member states. Its aim is to make vassal states out of them.

 

Yanis Varoufakis has warned Italy is about to quit the union

 

ITALY could be set to pull out of the Eurozone in what would be the final nail in the European Union’s (EU) coffin, Greece’s former finance minister has warned.

Yanis Varoufakis said there was an “epidemic” among countries using the single currency, with Italy the next to fall foul of Brussels’ economic malaise.

He also said Brexit would “speed up” the break-down of the bloc – before making a dig at Jeremy Corbyn. 

Iran and Ireland broaden aviation cooperation

Iran’s Aviation Organization signed the first ever contract with Ireland on expansion of aviation cooperation such as observing flight operation, continued flight eligibility, issuance of technical aid, repair and maintenance.

EU, not China or Japan, is the biggest US Treasury holder. And this is not a good sign.

 

US-based media have been reporting that Japan has become the biggest holder of the US treasuries, surpassing China last month. However, this is true only in regard to single countries. If we consider the European Union member states collectively, then they appear to be the biggest holder of the US treasuries. It has been so almost one year long. Unfortunately, the EU’s holdings are artificially overstated because of some financial havens and they are going in the opposite direction to the trend: up rather than down.

European Central Bank gold reserves held across 5 locations. ECB will not disclose Gold Bar List.

Table 1: Central bank FX and Gold transfers to the ECB, January 1999

 

The European Central Bank (ECB), creator of the Euro, currently claims to hold 504.8 tonnes of gold reserves. These gold holdings are reflected on the ECB balance sheet and arose from transfers made to the ECB by Euro member national central banks, mainly in January 1999 at the birth of the Euro. As of the end of December 2015, these ECB gold reserves were valued on the ECB balance sheet at market prices and amounted to €15.79 billion. 

The ECB very recently confirmed to BullionStar that its gold reserves are stored across 5 international locations. However, the ECB also confirmed that it does not physically audit its gold, nor will it divulge a bar list / weight list of these gold bar holdings.

Questions and Answers

BullionStar recently put a number of questions to the European Central Bank about the ECB’s gold holdings. The ECB Communications Directorate replied to these questions with answers that appear to include a number of facts about the ECB gold reserves which have not previously been published. The questions put to the ECB and its responses are listed below (underlining added):

US accused of waging economic war on Deutsche Bank

Global Geopolitics called it, you witnessed it: The United States and Germany, though the European Union it dominates and runs, are locked in economic warfare against one another.

It’s a very dangerous game America is playing by trying to gut the largest economy in the world, the European Union, especially when nations are beginning to jump to the Sino-Soviet bloc.

 

German parliament’s economics committee chairman Peter Ramsauer says he believes the $14 billion fine being leveraged against Deutsche Bank is part of a long US tradition of waging trade and economic war.

• Ramsauer to Welt am Sonntag: Washington has a “long tradition” of waging trade wars, if they are favorable to the US economy, and the Deutsche Bank case is an example of that.
• “The threat to force Deutsche Bank to pay a $14 billion fine over its mortgage-backed securities business before the 2008 global crisis has the characteristics of an economic war.”
• “Extortionate damages claims” in the case are an example of that.”