₦airaland Forum

The kingdom suffereth violence and the violent take it by force

War is inevitable!!

The US and key allies have made clear that they will act without the approval of the UN Security Council, in a “coalition of the willing”, because they expect Syria’s ally Russia to veto a UNSC resolution.

However, to win approval in the court of world opinion, the US-led coalition may want to present their evidence at the UN and try to get a UNSC resolution to a vote, despite the expected Russian veto (China may well abstain).

In addition to making final preparations for an attack, the political aspects will take a few days, which is why we believe the attack will not come before the weekend.

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Bank exchange rate as of yesterday. Still to climb

Britain must act against Syria to punish Bashar al-Assad’s regime for “the massive use of chemical weapons”, David Cameron declared on Tuesday night, as military commanders drew up plans for missile strikes as early as this weekend.

The Prime Minister said he understood the growing concerns among MPs, former generals and the public over the prospect of Britain becoming embroiled in another costly war in the Middle East.

However, he insisted that the world could not “stand idly by” when confronted with a breach of a 100-year-old global agreement that the use of chemical warfare was “morally indefensible and completely wrong”, in a statement recorded by a television crew at Downing Street.


http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-28/indian-rupee-collapses-most-over-20-years

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-27/crude-breaks-through-asian-sea-red-27-month-high

World FX, Bond, and equity markets are a sea of red tonight as the plunge in the US markets' day-session extends into AsiaPac. Led by the Philippines (down another stunning 5.4% tonight), equity markets in Thailand, India, and Japan are all struggling hard. Not to be outdone, bond spreads in the usual suspects of Indonesia, Thailand, India, and Taiwan are cracking wider. Most of the FX pressure is being focused tonight on Indonesia as the Rupiah collapses another 1.4% (even as the Indian Rupee opens at 66.90 - a new all-time low).

Modest JPY weakness is providing a small lift carry-wise to US futures (Treasuries are unch, gold and silver are modestly higher from the US close) but it is the oil complex that is getting smashed higher. WTI last traded $111.59 (its highest since May 2011) and Brent just broke $117 (the latter typically more critical for US gas prices)..

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-27/crude-breaks-through-asian-sea-red-27-month-high

World FX, Bond, and equity markets are a sea of red tonight as the plunge in the US markets' day-session extends into AsiaPac. Led by the Philippines (down another stunning 5.4% tonight), equity markets in Thailand, India, and Japan are all struggling hard. Not to be outdone, bond spreads in the usual suspects of Indonesia, Thailand, India, and Taiwan are cracking wider. Most of the FX pressure is being focused tonight on Indonesia as the Rupiah collapses another 1.4% (even as the Indian Rupee opens at 66.90 - a new all-time low). Modest JPY weakness is providing a small lift carry-wise to US futures (Treasuries are unch, gold and silver are modestly higher from the US close) but it is the oil complex that is getting smashed higher. WTI last traded $111.59 (its highest since May 2011) and Brent just broke $117 (the latter typically more critical for US gas prices)..

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-28/indian-rupee-collapses-most-over-20-years

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-27/crude-breaks-through-asian-sea-red-27-month-high

From a weak open, the Indian Rupee has now plunged a stunning 3.88% today. This is the largest single-day drop in the Rupee's value since March 1993. The Indian people have lost 30% of their global purchasing power since March 2013 (though those who swapped their paper wealth to gold have seen their purchasing power rise 6% in Rupee terms). With Gold in Rupees having broken to a new all-time high, it would seem the government has little choice but to lease its gold (no matter how vehemntly they deny the fact).

The Rupee's largest single-day drop since March 1993...

If Barack Obama decides to attack the Syrian regime, he has ensured – for the very first time in history – that the United States will be on the same side as al-Qa’ida.
Quite an alliance!

Was it not the Three Musketeers who shouted “All for one and one for all” each time they sought combat? This really should be the new battle cry if – or when – the statesmen of the Western world go to war against Bashar al-Assad.

The men who destroyed so many thousands on 9/11 will then be fighting alongside the very nation whose innocents they so cruelly murdered almost exactly 12 years ago. Quite an achievement for Obama, Cameron, Hollande and the rest of the miniature warlords.
This, of course, will not be trumpeted by the Pentagon or the White House – nor, I suppose, by al-Qa’ida – though they are both trying to destroy Bashar. So are the Nusra front, one of al-Qa’ida’s affiliates. But it does raise some interesting possibilities.

Maybe the Americans should ask al-Qa’ida for intelligence help – after all, this is the group with “boots on the ground”, something the Americans have no interest in doing. And maybe al-Qa’ida could offer some target information facilities to the country which usually claims that the supporters of al-Qa’ida, rather than the Syrians, are the most wanted men in the world.

There will be some ironies, of course. While the Americans drone al-Qa’ida to death in Yemen and Pakistan – along, of course, with the usual flock of civilians – they will be giving them, with the help of Messrs Cameron, Hollande and the other Little General-politicians, material assistance in Syria by hitting al-Qa’ida’s enemies.

Indeed, you can bet your bottom dollar that the one target the Americans will not strike in Syria will be al-Qa’ida or the Nusra front.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/does-obama-know-hes-fighting-on-alqaidas-side-8786680.html

Any further fall will allow Angola to assume Nigeria's position as the continent's largest crude producer, the report stated.

"Output has been less than two million barrels a day for several months," said Rolake Akinkugbe, Head of Energy Research, Ecobank.

"It's a reflection of the headwinds facing oil companies in Nigeria," she added.

The country's production difficulties have helped push global crude prices above $110 a barrel. They have also damaged the financial outlook in Africa's second-biggest economy, where oil and gas account for nearly 80 per cent of fiscal revenues.

The country had budgeted for oil sales of 2.5 million bpd in 2013, which, combined with the high petroleum prices, should have allowed for substantial savings in the Excess Crude Account, the government's rainy-day fund. But instead of increasing, the fund has been run down from $9bn in December to $5.1bn in July.

The Head, Africa Research, Standard Chartered Bank, Mrs. Razia Khan, said falling oil revenues should be a worry for the government, especially with a presidential election scheduled for early 2015.

The Financial Times reported that previous polls had been preceded by a sharp increase in spending and leakages in revenue collection as politicians tried to buy their way to power.

"Nigeria still has a comfortable current account surplus, but it is declining, as is the Excess Crude Account. Unless we see a turnaround in oil revenues, investors are going to start to get concerned," Khan said.

Any further fall will allow Angola to assume Nigeria's position as the continent's largest crude producer, the report stated.

"Output has been less than two million barrels a day for several months," said Rolake Akinkugbe, Head of Energy Research, Ecobank.

"It's a reflection of the headwinds facing oil companies in Nigeria," she added.

The country's production difficulties have helped push global crude prices above $110 a barrel. They have also damaged the financial outlook in Africa's second-biggest economy, where oil and gas account for nearly 80 per cent of fiscal revenues.

The country had budgeted for oil sales of 2.5 million bpd in 2013, which, combined with the high petroleum prices, should have allowed for substantial savings in the Excess Crude Account, the government's rainy-day fund. But instead of increasing, the fund has been run down from $9bn in December to $5.1bn in July.

The Head, Africa Research, Standard Chartered Bank, Mrs. Razia Khan, said falling oil revenues should be a worry for the government, especially with a presidential election scheduled for early 2015.

The Financial Times reported that previous polls had been preceded by a sharp increase in spending and leakages in revenue collection as politicians tried to buy their way to power.

"Nigeria still has a comfortable current account surplus, but it is declining, as is the Excess Crude Account. Unless we see a turnaround in oil revenues, investors are going to start to get concerned," Khan said.

Emerging market currencies have been hit hard, with the Indian rupee, Indonesian rupiah and Thai baht among others at multi-year lows.

Indonesia's central bank board will meet on Thursday in a surprise move amid widespread speculation it will have to raise interest rates again to defend the fast-falling rupiah, now its lowest since April 2009, and its implied volatility at its highest.

The Indian rupee hit a record low on Tuesday and posted its biggest single-day fall in nearly 18 years after the lower house of Parliament approved a nearly $20 billion plan to provide cheap grain to the poor, raising concerns the fiscal deficit will blow out even further.

The Thai baht was at 32.15 per, its weakest level in three years.

The heightened geopolitical risk in the Middle East drove the prices of gold and oil higher, however.

Brent crude prices advanced 0.7 percent to a six-month high of $115.44 a barrel, extending Tuesday's 3.3 percent surge - their biggest one-day percentage gain in nearly 10 months.

It is now 162 naira to the Dollar officially as of close of business yesterday.

I hope this Oil windfall will shield us from the Storm of the tapering of the US Federal Reserve and the introduction of Larry Summers as the new Fed Chairman- he is said to be interested in raising rates Volker style.

Emerging market currencies have been hit hard, with the Indian rupee, Indonesian rupiah and Thai baht among others at multi-year lows.

Indonesia's central bank board will meet on Thursday in a surprise move amid widespread speculation it will have to raise interest rates again to defend the fast-falling rupiah, now its lowest since April 2009, and its implied volatility at its highest.

The Indian rupee hit a record low on Tuesday and posted its biggest single-day fall in nearly 18 years after the lower house of Parliament approved a nearly $20 billion plan to provide cheap grain to the poor, raising concerns the fiscal deficit will blow out even further.

The Thai baht was at 32.15 per, its weakest level in three years.

The heightened geopolitical risk in the Middle East drove the prices of gold and oil higher, however.

Brent crude prices advanced 0.7 percent to a six-month high of $115.44 a barrel, extending Tuesday's 3.3 percent surge - their biggest one-day percentage gain in nearly 10 months.

It is now 162 naira to the Dollar officially as of close of business yesterday.

I hope this Oil windfall will shield us from the Storm of the tapering of the US Federal Reserve and the introduction of Larry Summers as the new Fed Chairman- he is said to be interested in raising rates Volker style.

Advice to start your Christmas shopping very early!!

Damascus, Syria

Damascus is widely believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, with evidence of habitation dating back at least 11,000 years. Its location and persistence have made the city a nexus for civilizations come and gone. Today its metropolitan area is home to about 2.5 million people, and in 2008 it was named the Arab Capital of Culture.

http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/eco-tourism/photos/12-oldest-continuously-inhabited-cities/damascus-syria

This city has never been destroyed and the Bible prophecy is going to come to pass in a couple of days. Watch out and get ready for the RAPTURE!!!

This is the Bible Prophecy in the book of Isiah 17:1

A prophecy against Damascus: "See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.

Get ready

TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Syrian army source warned the US and its partners that waging a full-scale war on Syria would be reciprocated with an immediate attack on Tel Aviv by Damascus and its allies.

"If Damascus comes under attack, Tel Aviv will be targeted too and a full-scale war against Syria will actually issue a license for attacking Israel," the Syrian army source who urged anonymity due to the security reasons told FNA on Tuesday.

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13920605001312

These are the lists of church members who have been stealing from the church of God

At first, the robo taxis would require humans sitting behind the wheel in case of emergencies, according to the report. Eventually, however, these cars could operate completely autonomously, and would probably be linked to a mobile application.

Google recently led an investment of $258 million in taxi-hailing app Uber, which allows customers to order high-end vehicles from their mobiles within minutes. Uber, which is now valued at $3.5 billion, has prompted the emergence of a string of competitiors, such as Lyft, Hailo and Sidecar.

Google’s current fleet of self-driving cars – which are Toyotas retrofitted with cameras, sensors, radars, and Google software – cost around $150,000 apiece to make. However, Google is keen to make autonomous vehicles as widely available as possible.

The company has reportedly been working to lower the cost by designing some hardware components on its own, but it does not have the facilities or know-how to manufacture its own cars, so will need to partner with a contract manufacturer to build a car to its specifications.

It would also need to team up with a car company that has dealer relationships, in order to make its autonomous vehicles widely available to consumers.

Google has been putting pressure on major car brands to embrace autonomous-navigation technology. Although major auto brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota have all developed prototype self-driving cars, most of them do not actually want to build a fully autonomous car, according to the report.

At an event earlier this summer, Dieter Zetsche, chief executive of Daimler AG, owner of Mercedes Benz, reportedly said that his company wants to automate the boring elements of driving, such as being stuck in traffic, but would “never automate the cool part of driving".

Google’s cars have so far only been involved in two accidents – one involved the car being rear-ended after stopping at a red light and the other occurred after a human driver took control of the vehicle.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/10267520/Google-planning-robo-taxi-fleet.html


Google is reportedly developing its own autonomous vehicles, which could become part of a fleet of 'robo-taxis' that pick up passengers on-demand.

Google is in talks with major auto-components manufacturers, such as Continental AG and Magna International, to build new cars to Google’s specifications, according to a report on former WSJ journalist Jessica Lessin's blog.

People familiar with the matter said that Google has been studying how these vehicles could become part of robo-taxi systems that pick up passengers and work commuters on demand, reducing the need for people to own their own cars.

This war is about getting quatari has piped through Syria to Europe and breaking the Russian monopoly of Energy on Europe.

It is therefore a given that violence must occur to bring this to pass

Obama had hoped this understanding would also pave the way to direct dialogue on the nuclear issue with the new Iranian president Hasan Rouhani.

He found cause for optimism in Tehran’s consent to receive Jeffrey Feltman, UN Deputy Secretary, Monday, Aug. 25, although in his former capacity as US Undersecretary of State and US ambassador to Damascus, Feltman was viewed as an adversary of Iran, Syria and Hizballah.

Feltman arrived suddenly in Tehran Monday and was received by Foreign Minister Javad Zarif without delay.The other intermediary was Sultan Qaboos of Oman, who arrived in Tehran Monday for a visit with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

He too made no headway in his attempt to persuade his host that the US was amenable to a last-minute understanding on Syria for holding back an attack.

Khamenei responded with a cold threat: If the Americans attack Syria, “the entire Middle East will suffer from burns,” he said.

This response was the signal for orders to American military assets in the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf to go on a state of high preparedness Monday night, debkafile’s military sources report.

Iran, Russia and Syria deployed their forces in readiness for a US-led attack on Syria. Syrian units were ordered to leave their bases and spread out across the country’s broad open areas.

The ten military chiefs meeting in Amman focused on coordination of the joint operation against Syria which is expected to begin very shortly.
Participating in the meeting chaired by US chief of staff Gen. Martin Dempsey were the top commanders of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Canada.

The powerful message coming from US Secretary of State John Kerry and the White House spokesman Jay Carney Monday night indicated that the Obama administration was not about to back off its promise of consequences for those responsible for using chemical weapons against civilians and “shocking the world’s conscience.”

Obama had hoped this understanding would also pave the way to direct dialogue on the nuclear issue with the new Iranian president Hasan Rouhani.

He found cause for optimism in Tehran’s consent to receive Jeffrey Feltman, UN Deputy Secretary, Monday, Aug. 25, although in his former capacity as US Undersecretary of State and US ambassador to Damascus, Feltman was viewed as an adversary of Iran, Syria and Hizballah.

Feltman arrived suddenly in Tehran Monday and was received by Foreign Minister Javad Zarif without delay.The other intermediary was Sultan Qaboos of Oman, who arrived in Tehran Monday for a visit with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

He too made no headway in his attempt to persuade his host that the US was amenable to a last-minute understanding on Syria for holding back an attack.

Khamenei responded with a cold threat: If the Americans attack Syria, “the entire Middle East will suffer from burns,” he said.

This response was the signal for orders to American military assets in the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf to go on a state of high preparedness Monday night, debkafile’s military sources report.

Iran, Russia and Syria deployed their forces in readiness for a US-led attack on Syria. Syrian units were ordered to leave their bases and spread out across the country’s broad open areas.

The ten military chiefs meeting in Amman focused on coordination of the joint operation against Syria which is expected to begin very shortly.
Participating in the meeting chaired by US chief of staff Gen. Martin Dempsey were the top commanders of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Canada.

The powerful message coming from US Secretary of State John Kerry and the White House spokesman Jay Carney Monday night indicated that the Obama administration was not about to back off its promise of consequences for those responsible for using chemical weapons against civilians and “shocking the world’s conscience.”

Obama had hoped this understanding would also pave the way to direct dialogue on the nuclear issue with the new Iranian president Hasan Rouhani.

He found cause for optimism in Tehran’s consent to receive Jeffrey Feltman, UN Deputy Secretary, Monday, Aug. 25, although in his former capacity as US Undersecretary of State and US ambassador to Damascus, Feltman was viewed as an adversary of Iran, Syria and Hizballah.

Feltman arrived suddenly in Tehran Monday and was received by Foreign Minister Javad Zarif without delay.The other intermediary was Sultan Qaboos of Oman, who arrived in Tehran Monday for a visit with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

He too made no headway in his attempt to persuade his host that the US was amenable to a last-minute understanding on Syria for holding back an attack.

Khamenei responded with a cold threat: If the Americans attack Syria, “the entire Middle East will suffer from burns,” he said.

This response was the signal for orders to American military assets in the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf to go on a state of high preparedness Monday night, debkafile’s military sources report.

Iran, Russia and Syria deployed their forces in readiness for a US-led attack on Syria. Syrian units were ordered to leave their bases and spread out across the country’s broad open areas.

The ten military chiefs meeting in Amman focused on coordination of the joint operation against Syria which is expected to begin very shortly.
Participating in the meeting chaired by US chief of staff Gen. Martin Dempsey were the top commanders of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Canada.

The powerful message coming from US Secretary of State John Kerry and the White House spokesman Jay Carney Monday night indicated that the Obama administration was not about to back off its promise of consequences for those responsible for using chemical weapons against civilians and “shocking the world’s conscience.”

Obama had hoped this understanding would also pave the way to direct dialogue on the nuclear issue with the new Iranian president Hasan Rouhani.

He found cause for optimism in Tehran’s consent to receive Jeffrey Feltman, UN Deputy Secretary, Monday, Aug. 25, although in his former capacity as US Undersecretary of State and US ambassador to Damascus, Feltman was viewed as an adversary of Iran, Syria and Hizballah.

Feltman arrived suddenly in Tehran Monday and was received by Foreign Minister Javad Zarif without delay.The other intermediary was Sultan Qaboos of Oman, who arrived in Tehran Monday for a visit with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

He too made no headway in his attempt to persuade his host that the US was amenable to a last-minute understanding on Syria for holding back an attack.

Khamenei responded with a cold threat: If the Americans attack Syria, “the entire Middle East will suffer from burns,” he said.

This response was the signal for orders to American military assets in the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf to go on a state of high preparedness Monday night, debkafile’s military sources report.

Iran, Russia and Syria deployed their forces in readiness for a US-led attack on Syria. Syrian units were ordered to leave their bases and spread out across the country’s broad open areas.

The ten military chiefs meeting in Amman focused on coordination of the joint operation against Syria which is expected to begin very shortly.
Participating in the meeting chaired by US chief of staff Gen. Martin Dempsey were the top commanders of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Canada.

The powerful message coming from US Secretary of State John Kerry and the White House spokesman Jay Carney Monday night indicated that the Obama administration was not about to back off its promise of consequences for those responsible for using chemical weapons against civilians and “shocking the world’s conscience.”

The U.S. government may be considering military action in response to chemical strikes near Damascus. But a generation ago, America's military and intelligence communities knew about and did nothing to stop a series of nerve gas attacks far more devastating than anything Syria has seen, Foreign Policy has learned.


In 1988, during the waning days of Iraq's war with Iran, the United States learned through satellite imagery that Iran was about to gain a major strategic advantage by exploiting a hole in Iraqi defenses. U.S. intelligence officials conveyed the location of the Iranian troops to Iraq, fully aware that Hussein's military would attack with chemical weapons, including sarin, a lethal nerve agent.

The intelligence included imagery and maps about Iranian troop movements, as well as the locations of Iranian logistics facilities and details about Iranian air defenses. The Iraqis used mustard gas and sarin prior to four major offensives in early 1988 that relied on U.S. satellite imagery, maps, and other intelligence. These attacks helped to tilt the war in Iraq's favor and bring Iran to the negotiating table, and they ensured that the Reagan administration's long-standing policy of securing an Iraqi victory would succeed. But they were also the last in a series of chemical strikes stretching back several years that the Reagan administration knew about and didn't disclose.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/08/25/secret_cia_files_prove_america_helped_saddam_as_he_gassed_iran

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-26/western-warplanes-begin-arriving-cyprus

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-26/clear-staggering-and-compelling-attack-full-kerry-transcript

Well, it has begun. Guardian reports that "Warplanes and military transporters have begun arriving at Britain's Akrotiri airbase on Cyprus, less than 100 miles from the Syrian coast, in a sign of increasing preparations for a military strike against the Assad regime in Syria

May God help this country

Military commanders from Western and Muslim countries are meeting Sunday in the Jordanian capital of Amman to coordinate action in Syria, with the participation of the US, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, France, Italy and Canada. Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the US Chiefs of Staff chairs the meeting.

Saturday night, four American destroyers were moving closer to Syria, armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, which are capable of precision strikes