The Dutch Have Gone Mad [More Mad]

13 Comments

1. 

   Marie2 on July 25, 2014 at 11:14 pm

   “Our man” Yats resigned as his coalition collapsed and it’s not big news in the US.  Weird.

   Ihor Kolomoisky appeared dodgy to me before it was reported that he seized gas fields and appears to have hired Hunter Biden and some John Kerry associates.  The web is getting more and more tangled.  

2. 

   Oui on July 26, 2014 at 4:54 am

   Look here, another shill reporter who just happens to be in the right spot at the right time:

   AP joining in the fray …
   By Yuras Karmanau  and Peter Leonard

   SNIZHNE, Ukraine (AP) – It was lunchtime when a tracked launcher with four SA-11 surface-to-air missiles rolled into town and parked on Karapetyan Street. Fifteen hundred miles (2,400 kilometers) to the west, passengers were checking in for Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.

   The vehicles stopped in front of journalists from The Associated Press. A man wearing unfamiliar fatigues, speaking with a distinctive Russian accent, checked to make sure they weren’t filming. The convoy then moved on, destination unknown in the heart of eastern Ukraine’s pro-Russia rebellion.

   Sergei Kavtaradze, a spokesman for rebel leader Alexander Borodai, repeated to the AP on Friday that no rebel units had weapons capable of shooting that high, and said any suggestions to the contrary are part of an information war aimed at undermining the insurgents’ cause.

   Nevertheless, the denials are increasingly challenged by accounts of residents, the observations of journalists on the ground, and the statements of one rebel official. The Ukrainian government has also provided purported communications intercepts that it says show rebel involvement in the shoot-down.

   A highly placed rebel, speaking to the AP this week, admitted that rebels were responsible. He said a unit based in the hometown of ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, made up of both Russians and Ukrainians, was involved in the firing of an SA-11 from near Snizhne. The rebel, who has direct access to the inner circle of the insurgent leadership in Donetsk, said that he could not be named because he was contradicting the rebels’ official line.

   Speaking with a distinctive Russian accent! Damn, why not? It’s Eastern Ukraine and everyone is Russian-speaking, you don’t fool me. Sorry, no photo this time of me sitting on a SA-11 launcher. I’m from AP and we don’t sneak photos deep in rebel territory. The rebel had to remain ‘unnamed’ so I can depend on the same source again.

   PS It’s clear from which side AP correspondent Yuras Karmanau is reporting!

   Great luck, Yuras was there at Maidan Independence square:

   70 protesters killed, 500 wounded in Kiev, medic says

   AP EDITOR’S NOTE — Yuras Karmanau has covered Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and other ex-Soviet nations for The Associated Press since 2000. He was among the first journalists to witness the carnage in Kiev on Thursday [Feb. 20, 2014] and describes the horrific scene.

    « click for more info
   AP reporter Yuras Karmanau poses for a photo on Independence Square, Kiev.

   I was there!

   AP reporter Yuras Karmanau poses for a photo in front of a stage on the Independence Square, the epicenter of the country’s current unrest in Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014. Karmanau reported on Thursday’s violence in Kiev that left dozens of people killed and hundreds wounded, the bloodiest day in Ukraine’s post-Soviet history. (AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov)

   Yuras Karmanau from Belarus is listed as “Independent Writing and Editing Professional.” His writing has been published by the Times of Israel and The Scotsman.

   • 

     on July 27, 2014 at 6:16 pm

     I guess AP reporters don’t have cameras or phones with cameras anymore.

3. 

   on July 26, 2014 at 3:37 pm

   Interesting stories:

   Related to Ukraine:  http://whowhatwhy.com/2014/07/23/gaspipe-diplomacy-how-ukraine-opened-the-door-to-new-u-s-russian-en
   ergy-fight/

   As I’ve said repeatedly, American foreign policy is “Where is the oil and who do we have to kill to get it?” Or, in this case, natural gas. Same principle, though.

   Not related to Ukraine, but related to Republican money-laundering, gangsters and Mo Atta:  http://www.madcowprod.com/2014/07/25/the-secret-world-of-jack-abramoff/

   Question:  If you’re a devout Muslim about to die for Islam’s greater glory, what’s the thrill of going to a SunCruz gambling ship off the coast of Florida a few days before you commit mass murder?

4. 

   Quentin on July 27, 2014 at 3:12 am

   Rutte = petty PM. Very probably a better characterization of the man in his office will never found.

5. 

   Oui on July 27, 2014 at 9:40 am

   .
   BREAKING NEWS: KIEV WANTS TO OWN CRASH SITE ASAP

   From German ARD/WDR tv journalist: Demian von Osten @demianvonosten

   Sprecher des nationalen Sicherheitsrates in #Kiew sagt:
   Ukr. Armee will Absturzstelle erobern. #mh17

   “Ukraine Army wants to capture crashsite MH-17”

   ○ Heavy shelling in Torez on the #MH17 site, people sheltering in basements

6. 

   Marie2 on July 27, 2014 at 10:43 am

   Oui, can you tell us more about the Unilever CEO.  He seems to be trying to do the right thing wrt environmental issues and recognition that poverty drives many conflicts.  Might be enough of a reason for me to choose Ben & Jerry’s on those rare occasions when I buy ice cream.

7. 

   Oui on July 27, 2014 at 11:34 am

   Everything is going smoothly …

   (Nrc.nl) – That’s why Frans Timmermans and Julie Bishop are rushing to their allies in Kiev to urge the Verkhovna Rada to ratify the agreement.

   Fighting delays AFP officers, experts access to Malaysia Airlines crash site in eastern Ukraine

   (ABC) July 27, 2014 – A team of unarmed federal police officers have been forced to delay their planned visit to the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash site in eastern Ukraine after the area was declared unsafe. The Australian Federal Police officers are among a team of international experts in the region as part of the mission to secure the site and recover crash victims’ remains.

   Prime Minister Tony Abbott had said the Australian officers would join a Dutch contingent at the site from Sunday evening. However, Alexander Hug, the deputy head of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) monitoring mission in Ukraine, says the local conflict has affected the start of the mission.

   “We heard indications there’s fighting going on. We can’t take the risk. The security situation on the way to the site and on the site itself is unacceptable for our unarmed observer mission.”
   [OSCE Ukraine twitter updates – СММ ОБСЄ в Україні.]

   “Fighting in the area will most likely affect [the] crash site” he said

    
   MH17: Julie Bishop has visited Kharkiv as Australia pushes to secure Malaysia Airlines crash site plus photo’s of crash site

   (ABC) July 25, 2014 – Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has visited Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine as Australia continues to push for greater security and access to the MH17 crash site.

   Ms Bishop signed an agreement with her Dutch counterpart, Frans Timmermans, on Friday morning allowing Australian investigators to work at the site. Both foreign ministers later attended a ceremony in Kharkiv marking the journey of MH17 victims’ bodies from Ukraine to the Netherlands.

   The push came as investigators at the scene found a previously undiscovered part of the Malaysia Airlines plane’s fuselage, along with more bodies, more than a week after the Boeing 777 was shot down.

    « click for more info
   Parents of Fatima Dyczynski traveled on their own to Donetsk to pay last respects daughter #MH-17

   Jerzy Dyczynski and Angela Rudhart-Dyczynski #MH17 crash site

   ○ Grieving relatives at MH17 site as Dutch, Australia ready troops

8. 

   Oui on July 27, 2014 at 1:51 pm

   Today’s CNN interview with senior Republican senator Lindsey Graham. Europe is a dysfunstional political organization of 28 state,s Europe is. Germany only spends 1.4% of GDP on military investments. Obama should lead, but he is Awol. Must read the transcript!

   The way recent policymakers have voiced their opinion, the U.S. knows how to lead [to war] so step aside, we’ll confront the aggression of Russia and Mr. Putin.

   Amid world crises, Graham blasts Obama’s ‘passive responses’

   “The Ukraine has asked for weapons to defend itself for months – and we’re still thinking about it,” Graham said.  “The Europeans can’t lead without America setting the standard.  They’re a dysfunctional political organization, Europe is.  And without American leadership organizing Europe and the world, you see people like Putin, who has an economy the size of Italy, he’s playing a poker game with a pair of twos and winning.”

   What should Obama do, in Graham’s estimation?

   “I would come to Congress and I’d ask for additional sanctions on the entire Russian economy, Putin included,” Graham said.  “I would come to Congress and ask for money to equip and train the Ukranian military.”

   McCain calls Obama ‘cowardly’ for not doing more to help Ukraine

   (Kyiv Post) – While President Barack Obama is raising funds across the country, Sen. John McCain is raising questions about what he describes as a “cowardly administration.” “It’s just been cowardly, it’s a cowardly administration that failed to give the Ukrainians weapons with which to defend themselves,”

   • 

     on July 27, 2014 at 6:18 pm

     Oh, and those people who lost their unemployment a few months ago? Fuck ’em.

9. 

   Oui on July 28, 2014 at 1:13 am

   After Yatsenyuk’r resignation, president Poroshenko names close confidante Groisman as acting PM

   (Global Research) – The Western powers are relying on an unpredictable right-wing regime in Kiev, which regards an escalation of the war as the only way to cling to power. This became clear on Thursday when Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk resigned from office.

   Yatsenyuk resigned after several economic laws had failed to pass in parliament. These included a law enabling the partial sale of the country’s gas transportation system to foreign investors, providing urgently needed money for the state coffers. Beforehand, the Udar party of the Kiev mayor and former professional boxer Vitali Klitschko, as well as the fascist Svoboda party, left the governing coalition with Yatsenyuk’s Fatherland Party.

   Yatsenyuk condemned this as a “moral and ethical crime,” with “dramatic consequences for our country.” In an angry parliamentary speech, he accused his former allies of “irresponsibly placing individual political interests above the fate of the country.” The government’s work would now be blocked for months, he said. “There are no answers to questions like: How will we pay wages tomorrow, where will the fuel for the tanks come from, how will we finance our army?”

   The real target of Yatsenyuk’s angry tirade was President Petro Poroshenko, who had obviously arranged the collapse of the coalition, which he welcomed, in order to bring about early elections. “This proves that at least a section of the members of parliament are not stuck to their seats and feel obliged to face the will of the voters,” he declared. “All opinion polls show that society wants a complete renewal of its leadership.”

   Following Yatsenyuk’s resignation, Poroshenko named a close confidante as acting prime minister, the 36 year-old Vladimir Groisman.

   Poroshenko Ally Takes Over as Ukrainian Acting PM — Media

   (The Moscow Times) – Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Groisman became Ukraine’s new acting prime minister, media reported Friday. Groisman, 36, oversaw regional development, construction and utilities in Yatsenyuk’s government, which was formed in February.

   Reports cited the website of Ukraine’s government and the Facebook page of Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, but neither had confirmed the appointment as of Friday afternoon.

   Groisman previously headed the city of Vinnitsa, the home turf of confectionery maker Roshen, which is the linchpin of President Petro Poroshenko’s business empire. Groisman also heads the commission investigating the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which killed 298 last week.

   The present mayor of Vinnitsa is a young Jew, Vladimir Groisman – 2011

   ○ DW-DE: Poroshenko’s risky power play
10. 

    Oui on August 2, 2014 at 4:55 pm

    The OSCE reports on the attempts to reach MH-17 crash-site are quite informative …

    ○ OSCE Mission reports from Donetsk – July 30, 2014

    On 30 July, the SMM support group in Donetsk attempted, for the fourth day in succession since the last successful visit on Friday 25 July, to access the MH17 crash site in Hrabove via a northern route (Yasenovata – Yenakievo – Debaltseve), using the E50 as the access road. Fighting was reported at 08:00hrs to be occurring astride this route in the northeastern outskirts of Donetsk in the vicinity of Yasenovata, 25km northeast of Donetsk. [Mission failed]

    Discussions about next steps occurred in Kyiv. Following these discussions, which took place
    (a) internally in Kyiv between the SMM and Dutch and Australian representatives,
    (b) with the acting Prime Minister and Defence Minister of Ukraine, and
    (c) between SMM Donetsk and the so-called “DPR” representatives [Donetsk People’s Republic],
    a detailed plan was agreed to access the site on a new, more northerly road via Artemisk (70km north of Donetsk).

    ○ Latest Ukraine Mission News @OSCE SMM twitter

11. 

    Oui on August 2, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    ○ Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 18:00 hrs, 1 August 2014 (Kyiv time)

    The SMM, together with Australian and Dutch experts, visited the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. The convoy comprised 25 vehicles, including a bus and two mobile ambulances. The crossing of territories controlled by Ukrainian government or the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”) or the so-called “Luhansk People’s Republic” (“LPR”) went smoothly and was well organized. The SMM observed a new checkpoint positioned at Mius (14 km south-east of Debaltseve). At the Ukrainian checkpoint in Debaltseve (70 km north-east of Donetsk), the agreed ceasefire seemed to hold. About 10 kilometres south of Mius, the SMM was met by an “LPR” escort, and drove to the main wreckage site.

    The SMM saw several instances of artillery impacts at 7-10 kilometres southwest of the crash site between 13:03-14:19hrs. The expert teams recovered some human remains. The Australian expert team wanted to operate an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in order to access areas such as fields, without damaging them. However, neither the “LPR” nor “DPR” representatives agreed to UAV use. After about five hours, the SMM left the site. The Australian and Dutch expert teams then left for Soledar (98 km northeast of Donetsk), where a forward operating base has been established. This base, closer to the crash site than Donetsk, will now become the main forward hub for investigative activity.

    ○ MH-17 Joint Dutch/Australian Forward Operating Base in Soledar – Aug. 2, 2014
    ○ Latest Ukraine Mission News @OSCE SMM twitter