[AnNahar] A court sentenced former CIA chief David Petraeus to two years' probation and fined him $100,000 on Thursday for providing classified secrets to his mistress, U.S. justice officials said.
Petraeus, the former general feted in the U.S. as the man who changed the course of the Iraq war, pleaded guilty in a North Carolina court, avoiding a trial that would have cast an embarrassing light on details of his affair and his flouting of secrecy laws.
The plea deal caps a dramatic fall from grace for Petraeus, a decorated four-star general who became the most revered commander of his generation over his role in the Iraq war.
The Justice Department previously said that Petraeus had acknowledged giving eight "black books" -- logs he kept as the U.S. commander in Afghanistan -- to his lover and biographer, Paula Broadwell.
Petraeus "admitted to the unauthorized removal and retention of classified information and lying to the FBI and CIA about his possession and handling of classified information," acting U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose said in a statement following sentencing.
"Petraeus was sentenced to a two-year probationary term and was ordered to pay $100,000 fine."
#3
Petraeus "admitted to the unauthorized removal and retention of classified information and lying to the FBI and CIA about his possession and handling of classified information," acting U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose said in a statement following sentencing.
Er... huh, wait! Isn't lying to the Feds a f-e-l-o-n-y ? Was he only charged with unauthorized possession and storage of classified? No felony conviction or loss of retirement pay for lying to the Feds?
Petraeus lawyer to the white courtesy phone please, General Petraeus's lawyer... It's Senator Bob Menendez and very urgent.
#5
Seems a trivial issue OS, when you've got the Secretary of State doing business over NIPRNET (unclassified system).
Poor old Corporal Tommy gets a severe dressing down and extra duty for neglecting the SCIF door sign in/out chit. Rank has it's privileges you know....RHIP and all that.
[LibyaHerald] La Belle France is to ask the UN for permission to destroy the stock of vessels belonging to people-smugglers, while the budget for the EU's Triton border patrols is to be trebled . . .
The unexpected result, of course, will be that with the fishing fleet destroyed (how easily can one distinguish between an ancient fishing trawler about to carry 700 overpaying bodies and an ancient fishing trawler awaiting engine repairs?), the native populatikn turns to piracy, a la Somalia?
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#6
I think Trailing Wife nails it. How long before sinking the boat leads to the useful idiots crying about starving poor Libya because of no more fishing.
Attacks on boats stop, massive financial aid into Libya begins. Aid will probably be used to buy Russian weapons.
#7
Europe should just have a sub crash into and sink boats the way Captain Nemo did. Then claim act of God over and over until it is believed that Allah hates migrants to Europe.
The only question really is can the Haliburton Earthquake machine target just a mosque because if htat were true you could get them to self-deport in no time. Otherwise the Europeans should work to start a conflict between the various Mosques to push the more violent ones out.
#8
As per CNN this AM, LIBYAN GENERAL = any Euro or UNO MilAction to destroy the smugglers' boats on Libya's shores is a NO-NO.
NOPE.
NO WAY, JOSE!
FYI also on CNN this AM > ANOTHER SEVERAL HUNDRED MUSLIM REFUGEES WERE RESCUED, in the aftermath of the over-800 which drowned this week.
* IIRC CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > [Repost = Old] SHIPLOAD AFTER SHIPLOAD OF REFUGEES DROWN. [Yet]NO WAY OUT SAVE [via] MUSLIM/ISLAMIC EUROPE.
BLOGGERS/NETTERS = opined that THESE REFUGEES WILL LIKELY KEEP COMING BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY, + IRREGARDLESS OF RISKS TO THIER LIVES, UNTIL EUROPE TURNS DE FACTO ISLAMIC.
Lest we fergit, 1990's + PRE-,POST-9-11 NET =as far as Muslims + Radical Islamists are concerned, THE ANSWER IS N-O-T FOR MUSLIMS + ISLAM TO CHANGE, BUT FOR THE WEST = JUDEOCHRISTIANITY = NON-ISLAMIC WORLD TO SURRENDER LIKE FRANCE + MAKE CONCESSIONS TO ISLAM.
Hat tip: gCaptain
Saudi Arabia has a response to the global surplus of oil: Raise output to near-record levels and then pump even more.
The world's biggest oil exporter, having abandoned last year its role of keeping global markets in balance, now has incentive to maximize output and undermine rival producers by using its reserve capacity, according to Citigroup Inc. and UBS AG. Just meeting its own domestic demand this summer will require a lot more fuel, others estimate.
The increase ‐ a snub to fellow OPEC members calling on the kingdom to cut production ‐ will heighten tensions when the organization meets in June. Oil plunged to a six-year low near $45 a barrel in January, six weeks after the Saudis overcame opposition within the group to keep up output despite surging U.S. shale supplies.
"Increasing production and exports is the clear implication of Saudi's new oil policy," Seth Kleinman, head of European energy research at Citigroup in London, said by e-mail. "If you want to pressure high cost producers, why hold oil back on spare capacity? Use it all and use it now."
Output Surge
The biggest member in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries boosted output to 10.1 million barrels a day in March, close to an all-time peak, the International Energy Agency reported on April 15. Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi, who has stressed that his country won't cede market share to higher-cost producers, said in the capital Riyadh on April 7 that production was at 10.3 million barrels and would remain close to that.
The output decision was "forced upon them" by the runaway growth of U.S. shale, which threatened to erode their market share, Yusuf Alireza, chief executive officer of commodity trader Noble Group Ltd., said at a conference in Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 21.
Saudi Arabia's crude exports slumped to a three-year low of 7.11 million barrels a day last year amid reduced U.S. imports, according to information the nation provided to the Joint Organisations Data Initiative.
Refusing to cut has already been effective in slowing growth in U.S. shale, Tony Hayward, chief executive officer of Genel Energy Plc, said at the Lausanne conference. The IEA, the Paris-based adviser to 29 developed economies, forecasts that non-OPEC supplies, led by the U.S., will expand by only 630,000 barrels a day in 2015, down from a projection of 1.3 million a day in November.
Refinery Expansion
The outlook for demand suggests the Saudis will keep production at "elevated levels," said Miswin Mahesh, an analyst at Barclays Plc in London. Domestic oil consumption rises in the summer months as air conditioning use climbs, and supplies also will be needed for two new refineries, Mahesh said. Summer demand may require output of 11 million barrels a day, London-based consultant Energy Aspects Ltd. said in an April 13 report.
"The implication of the 'use it all and use it now' strategy is that they will continue to ramp up production to 11 and possibly beyond," said Kleinman of Citigroup.
The extra crude won't necessarily weaken oil prices because it will be consumed locally rather than shipped abroad, said Harry Tchilinguirian, head of commodity markets strategy at BNP Paribas SA in London. Price increases for Asian customers indicate the country isn't trying to push supplies onto consumers or capture market share, he said.
OPEC Pleas
"Oil exports to the market may not necessarily move higher," said Tchilinguirian. "We don't think there's a discretionary push to expand market share to the detriment of other OPEC producers."
Fellow OPEC members keep calling on Saudi Arabia to reverse course and curtail supplies. The organization's 12 members will next meet in Vienna on June 5.
OPEC should trim "at least 5 percent" from its output target of 30 million barrels a day, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said on April 14. Venezuelan Oil Minister Asdrubal Chavez, whose predecessor Rafael Ramirez tried to broker a production cut between OPEC and non-members, visited Saudi Arabia this week.
Iran, suffering from both the collapse in crude prices and international sanctions on its exports, needs an oil price roughly double current levels to cover government spending this year, the International Monetary Fund estimates. Brent crude futures lost 30 cents to $64.55 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange at 11:52 a.m. Singapore time Friday. The contract has lost 44 percent since June.
Tapping Capacity
The organization is likely to persist with its current course, Genel's Hayward said. With no group accord to restrain output, Saudi Arabia will choose to tap its spare capacity, according to UBS. The kingdom has about 2.2 million barrels a day in reserve, the IEA estimates.
"Saudi Arabia will go from record to record," Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst at UBS, said by e-mail from Zurich. "Considering that OPEC isn't balancing the market any more, why should they hold an unutilized spare capacity, rather than use it and make money with it?" Keeping prices down by pumping more can stick it to the MMs of Iran.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/24/2015 15:45 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[15 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia
#1
Keeping prices down by pumping more can stick it to the MMs of Iran.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/24/2015 16:32 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Message from the House of Saud:
"Nice economy and balance of trade you got there. Shame if something happened to it..."
Don't think for a moment that KSA will accept sliding to subordinate status.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/24/2015 17:09 Comments ||
Top||
#4
To buy the new car(s) + other which Mainstream Amerika can no longer afford because our mighty Anti-US US OWG Unitarian Marxist-Socialist-Globalist Govt. gave away all the jobs in the name of 1990's Clintonian "The US-n-Only-The-US must be Restrained and Controlled".
PCORRRECT-DENIABLE, US-N-ONLY-US GLOBAL/STRATEGIC RETREAT = WORLD PEACE.
Not counting our mighty OWG Govts-Perts consensus on GWCC + "Peak Oil-Resources" is that there is no consensus.
As a reminder ...
* RUSSIA TODAY > US SHALE OIL PRODUCTION MAY HAVE MAXED OUT - EIA.
* BIGNEWSNETWORK > [Bloomberg] SAUDI ARABIA ADDS HALF A "BAKKEN" TO OIL MARKET IN A MONTH.
* SAME > OIL PRICES RISE AS US SHALE OIL OUTPUT SEEN DROPPING.
[AnNahar] The U.S. Senate confirmed Loretta Lynch as the nation's first black female attorney general Thursday, installing an aggressive counter-terrorism prosecutor as the top law enforcement official for President Barack Obama That’s just how white folks will do you.... 's final 21 months in office.
Lynch was confirmed in a 56-43 vote -- with 10 Republicans crossing the political aisle to lend their support -- following weeks of gridlock after her confirmation process was dragged into a bitter partisan battle over abortion.
She takes over from outgoing Attorney General Eric Inaction Jackson Holder ... aka Mister Fast and Furious... , whom Republicans had criticized as being a rubber stamp for Obama's policies.
Lynch's confirmation brought to an end a months-long process that Democrats noted took longer than the confirmation of the seven previous attorneys general combined.
"Today, the Senate finally confirmed Loretta Lynch to be America's next attorney general -- and America will be better off for it," Obama said in a statement.
"Loretta has spent her life fighting for the fair and equal justice that is the foundation of our democracy.
Lynch, 55, is U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, where she thrived as a relentless federal prosecutor putting mobsters and terror suspects behind bars.
Her office has prosecuted more terrorism cases since the 9/11 attacks of 2001 than any other office, noted Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, who described Lynch as "exactly the type of tough and tested leader" Americans need in the job.
She has "a world-class legal mind... unimpeachable character, and an extraordinary record of achievement," Klobuchar said.
With her confirmation dragging on, Lynch dived into her work as U.S. attorney. Just this Monday, she announced a 25-year prison sentence for an American from New York who admitted he tried to join an al-Qaeda group.
With Republicans seething over what they argue is White House overreach, many expressed hope that Lynch, who would be only the second woman to hold the post after Janet Reno (1993-2001), would strike a less overtly political and combative tone than Holder.
At her confirmation hearing in January, she said she would act independently and aimed to build a "new and improved relationship" with Congress, where Republicans who control both chambers are incensed with Obama's policies, particularly his unilateral actions last year on immigration.
[Dawn] Iran have agreed on a five-year trade facilitation plan to enhance bilateral trade to $5 billion.
This may have had something to do with Pakistan's hesitation to join Saudi Arabia's jihad against the Houthis.
The understanding was reached during the seventh Pakistain-Iran Joint Trade Committee meeting held in Tehran on Wednesday. Commerce Minister Khurram Dastagir Khan headed the Pak delegation while the Iranian side was led by the Minister for Industry, Mines and Trade Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh.
An official statement issued here by the commerce ministry stated that Khurram expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... over arbitrary and unilateral import bans, high textile tariffs and import authorisation system.
He called for early elimination of all non-tariff barriers under the 2006 Preferential Trade Agreement.
During the meeting, the current level of trade was reviewed and a decision was taken to develop a five-year trade facilitation plan to fulfill the shared vision of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... and President Rouhani to increase bilateral trade from $1b to $5bn. Both the sides also agreed to form a working group to suggest widening of the 2006 Pakistain-Iran Preferential Trade Agreement.
The two sides also reiterated the need for joint investment in agro-food processing and infrastructure, particularly in the field of establishing effective rail, air, road and sea links between the two countries, as well as opening new border trade posts at Mand-Pishin and Gabd-Reemdan.
On Iran-Pakistain gas pipeline,
...yet another consideration...
the commerce minister said that Gwadar to Nawabshah pipeline was part of Pakistain-China Trade Corridor. Pakistain will arrange construction of the remaining portion of the pipeline from Gwadar to Iran border paving way for import of gas.
The Iranian minister assured that hurdles in the way of bilateral trade would be removed through effective measures.
Earlier, Khurram Dastagir met Iranian Minister of Economy and Finance Dr Ali Tayyab Nia.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/24/2015 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
[Daily Mail] Two chapters of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity are under investigation after they allegedly disrespected disabled veterans by spitting on them, shouting verbal abuse and urinating on the American flag during a charity weekend.
Students from Zeta Beta Tau at both the University of Florida and Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, have been accused of the deplorable behavior against the ex-servicemen during the Warrior Beach Retreat in Panama City on April 17.
The event is designed to give those who have sacrificed their lives for their country a relaxing break with their families at the luxurious Lakedown Wharf Resort.
But instead of being acknowledged for their service, some of the attendees claim they were subjected to taunts and watched as the drunk youngsters, who were attending a formal, threw beer off the balcony. Sorry, my comments cannot be printed in this forum.
For the mere unproven accusation of long-ago rape a fraternity was summarily shut down and its members ejected by the national headquarters. One expects something similar for the unforgivable abuse of disabled veterans.
Zeta Beta Tau International confirmed that three members of the University of Florida chapter have been expelled from the fraternity and both university chapters have suspended all activities.
âThere is no doubt that some of our members engaged in ugly and unacceptable behavior,â Executive Director Laurence Bolotin wrote in a statement. âTheir actions have no place in ZBT or anywhere, and they will not be tolerated.â
Bolotin issued a personal apology to the veterans and their families as well as the Warrior Beach Retreat organization â calling the behavior disgusting.
âI am deeply saddened that the actions of our members ruined this special event and failed to show the respect our military and their families deserve,â he wrote.
To the fraternityâs credit, they have promised to make amends for what they called a âdisgraceful situation.â
W. Kent Fuchs, the president of the University of Florida, wrote a personal apology to Cope and the Warrior Beach Retreat.
âI can only imagine the pain and indignity of enduring this behavior,â he wrote. âI want to assure you that it is not representative of our students or our university and we will make every effort to learn more, take appropriate action and prevent similar incidents from occurring again.â
Emory University, on the other hand, said it cannot confirm that any of their students were involved in the despicable behavior.
âIf any members of our community are identified as being responsible, they will be held accountable for their actions by the university,â read a statement from the Georgia school.
The Gainesville Sun (http://bit.ly/1Hzr5jz) reports that the fraternity is on conduct probation for a hazing incident in the fall semester. The fraternity has suspended operations and is cooperating with the investigation.
"Being on probation means the organization faces increased consequences if they are found to have violated the probation requirements," university spokeswoman Janine Sikes said.
Cope said hotel security got the situation under control and the fraternity members were evicted the next morning. The fraternity sent a letter of apology to Cope. She said she looks forward to the outcome of the investigations.
"They apologized to me in person, but only because they got caught," she said.
#3
I can't claim any cleverness in searching out links once Besoeker posted the story. The first entry of my search threw up the Wikipedia page for the fraternity, which already has this incident in some detail, along with the links I quoted above. Clearly, except perhaps at Emory U, this is being taken very seriously indeed.
#4
When I went to engineering school in Berkeley in the fabulous wigged out anarchistic 1960s, we did not have time to mess with stupid stuff like fraternity behavior. We hated the fraternities and all they stood for.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/24/2015 15:54 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Wasn't in that mode during school either, AP.
They did usually have cute girls at their parties, though.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
04/24/2015 16:46 Comments ||
Top||
h/t Instapundit
If you are a Bible-believing Christian, there is no place for you in Barack Obama's version of the U.S. military. Christian service members all over the nation are being disciplined for reading their Bibles, talking about their faith publicly and encouraging others to live a moral lifestyle. And just saying the name of "Jesus" at the wrong place or the wrong time while serving in the military is enough to spark a national controversy. We live at a time when political correctness in America is wildly out of control, and thanks to Obama the U.S. military has become one of the most politically correct institutions in our society. Things have gotten so bad that dozens of top officers that did not agree with Obama's views have been forced out of the military in recent years. The U.S. military is being transformed into an overtly anti-Christian institution, and for those of us that are Christians that is a very chilling development. Well, you can't have fanatical reactionaries in positions of power.
#6
See RELATED PRAVDA > OBAMA IS ELIMINATING CHRISTIANITY FROM THE US MILITARY.
and
* FREEREPUBLIC > [BreitBart] MIKE HUCKABEE: WE [US] ARE MOVING TOWARDS THE CRIMINALIZATION OF CHRISTIANITY.
* NOSTRADAMUS = DESCRIBES "THE HIDEOUS BEAST SEEN NEAR ORGON...".
Iff my childhood dreams or visions prove true, there is a DEVIL = SATAN/LUCIFER, people, and when the World sees him they W-I-L-L be crying for their Mamas + Jesus + Death Star to save them.
I don't care iff you're a Pagan-Wiccan or Atheist or whate-v-a-r.
We're not losing a chew toy, we're gaining an admiral.
[AnNahar] A two-star naval officer and well-respected Pentagon front man is moving over to the State Department to brief news hounds on U.S. foreign policy and diplomatic affairs, a U.S. official said Wednesday.
Rear Admiral John Kirby, who has been the highly-visible face of the Pentagon since December 2013, is to take over as State Department front man from Jen Psaki ...a valley girl who woke up one morning and found she was spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of State... , a U.S. administration official confirmed to Agence La Belle France Presse.
Psaki moved back to the White House last month as director of communications, and her deputy Marie Harf has been serving as the acting spokeswoman in the interim.
Kirby announced in February he was stepping down when new Defense Secretary Ashton Carter took up his post indicating that he wanted to have a civilian as the Pentagon's press spokesperson.
Psaki, who took over from Victoria Nuland as the State Department spokeswoman in February 2013, had won respect for her calm, unflappable handling of breaking news crises, running the gauntlet of the world's media.
But she was often the target of Russian media outlets and bloggers for voicing U.S. criticism of Russian foreign policy, particularly in Ukraine.
#7
Although Kirby sports a chest filled with campaign ribbons, reading his resume, he's always been a PR flack. It frankly amazes me that a person who serves as a press spokesman has reached such a rank within the military. Anyway, I have always suspected he was essentially a political creature, and this appointment confirms it.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
