politics for the 99%

Published on Russia Today RT, Jan 18, 2015.

Ukrainian troops have launched a massive assault on militia-held areas Sunday morning after an order from Kiev, a presidential aide said. The self-proclaimed Donetsk republic’s leader accused Kiev of trying to restart the war. The order to launch the offensive was issued early approximately at 6:00 am, according to Yury Biryukov, an aide to President Petro Poroshenko.

“Today we will show HOW good we are at jabbing in the teeth,” he wrote on his Facebook page, a mode of conveying information favored by many Ukrainian officials. In a later post he said: “They are now striking a dot. Uuu…” in a reference to Tochka-U (‘tochka’ means ‘dot’ in Russian), a tactical ballistic missile, one of the most powerful weapons Ukraine so far deployed against rebel forces … //

… The escalation of violence comes after a controversial incident at Kiev’s checkpoint near the town of Volnovakha, where 12 passengers were killed on Tuesday. Kiev blamed the deaths on the militia, saying it was hit by a Grad rocket. The DNR forces denied the accusations and said the bus was targeted by the Ukrainian troops themselves – either in a tragic incident or as a staged provocation – and said the damage visible in the picture of the bus is consistent with a less powerful weapon, possibly a landmine.

An OSCE observer team studied blast craters near the checkpoint and confirmed the direction they came from. Russia’s permanent representative to the OSCE, Andrey Kelin, said the direction runs along the disengagement line separating militia- and Kiev-controlled areas, which makes it difficult to determine who fired the rockets. The observers did not identify the type of rockets used.

(full text with videos and photos).

Links:

Revealed: Thousands of Britons on benefits across EU, on The Guardian, by Alberto Nardelli, Ian Traynor in Brussels, and Leila Haddou, Jan 19, 2015;

US: Would you win or lose under Cuomo’s property tax credit plan? on Syracuse, by Teri Weaver, Jan 18, 2015;

US: Tax assistance available in Covington, on Commercial News, staff report, Jan 18, 2015;

UK – Video: Green Party unveil their ‘essential policy offer’ to transform transport in Cambridge, 4.07 min, on Cambridge news, Jan 17, 2015;

Laos: Champassak moves towards ‘land as equity’ project model, on farmlandgrab.org, by Vientiane Times, Jan 14, 2015;

Charlie Hebdo has broad shoulders, on Voltairenet.org/EN, by Thierry Meyssan, Jan 14, 2015;

Indonesian hearings reveal forest ravages, on farmlandgrab.org, by Asia Sentinel, Jan 8, 2015;

CNAS, the democratic version of conquest imperialism, on Voltairenet.org/EN, by Thierry Meyssan, Jan 6, 2015;

Conference Report: Agricultural investment, gender and land in Africa, on farmlandgrab.org, by Ruth Hall, Dec 20, 2014; Download the report;
See also: PLAAS, Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies, South Africa; /Contact; /Blog: another countryside;

The world in 2015, according to the CFR, on Voltairenet.org, by network, Dec 18, 2014;

again:

• A FRENCH SEPTEMBER 11TH? Who ordered the attack against Charlie Hebdo? on Voltairenet.org/EN, by Thierry Meyssan, Jan 7, 2015: while many French react to the attack against Charlie Hebdo denouncing Islam and demonstrating in the streets, Thierry Meyssan points out that the jihadist interpretation is impossible. While it would be tempting for him to see it as an Al Qaeda or Daesh operation, he envisages another, much more dangerous hypothesis. See also in many other languages, links in head of articles, as in
• french: UN 11-SEPTEMBRE FRANÇAIS? Qui a commandité l’attentat contre Charlie Hebdo? dans Voltairenet.org, par Thierry Meyssan, le 7 janvier 2015;
• german: EIN FRANZÖSISCHER 11. SEPTEMBER? Wer hat das Attentat auf Charlie Hebdo gesponsert? auf Voltairenet.org/de, von Thierry Meyssan, 7. Jan 2015;
• About Voltaire Network.