Merkel in Turkey for migrants talks as 33 people die at sea

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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel held talks in Ankara Monday on how to reduce the influx of people into Europe as reports emerged that another 33 people died off Turkey's coast attempting to reach Greece.

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Turkey's coast guard said 22 migrants died after their boat capsized in the Bay of Edremit, while four people were rescued. Further south, another 11 people died in a separate boat accident, according to the private Dogan news agency.

The coast guard has launched a search-and-rescue mission, including helicopters, to try to find 14 migrants who are reported to be missing.

The International Organization for Migration says 374 refugees and other migrants have died so far this year while trying to reach Greece. Turkey, a key country on their route to Europe, is central to Merkel's diplomatic efforts to reduce the flow. Germany saw an unprecedented 1.1 million asylum seekers arrive last year, many of them fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

In her weekly video message on Saturday, Merkel said European Union countries agree that the bloc needs to protect its external borders better, and that that is why she is seeking a solution with Turkey. She added that, if Europe wants to prevent smuggling, "we must be prepared to take in quotas of refugees legally and bear our part of the task."

"I don't think Europe can keep itself completely out of this," Merkel said.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu inspect a militar …

Her talks in Ankara come as Turkey faces pressure from the EU to open its border to up to 35,000 Syrians who have massed along the frontier in the past few days fleeing an onslaught by government forces.

Turkey, home 2.5 million Syrian refugees, says it has reached its capacity to absorb refugees but has indicated that it will continue to provide refuge.

Turkey agreed in November to fight smuggling networks and help curb irregular migration. In return, the EU has pledged 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) to help improve the condition of refugees, and to grant political concessions to Turkey, including an easing of visa restrictions and the fast-tracking of its EU membership process.

Turkey has since started to require Syrians arriving from third countries to apply for visas, in a bid to exclude those who aim to continue on to Greece.

Turkey has agreed to grant work permits to Syrians as an incentive for them to stay in Turkey. Ankara has also announced plans to increase coast guards' capabilities and designate human smuggling as a form of organized crime — which would bring stiffer punishments.

America, Meet Your New Owners: Chinese Buy Chicago Stock Exchange

Obama, paying his respects

END OF ISIS IS NEAR, LIFELINE WITH TURKEY CUT-OFF

Under the cover of Russian Aviation, the Syrian Army and volunteers, Hezbollah fighters, Iranian Special Forces, and Iraqi Army, are now encircling Daesh terrorists inside Aleppo.

This is the reason why both Turkey and Saudi Arabia are now floating the idea of a ground invasion to “fight terrorism” which could only mean one thing, i.e. they want to rescue their ISIS Daesh mercenaries trapped inside Aleppo where its most valuable supply line for arms and oil smuggling with Turkey has been effectively cut-off.

Sun Feb 07, 2016 11:4

Syrian Army, Hezbollah Cut off Militants’ Main Supply Route from Turkey

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army troops alongside Hezbollah fighters drove the militant groups back from their main supply line near the border with Turkey and imposed full control over the highway.

The Syrian army men and Hezbollah ultimately cut off the terrorist groups’ main supply route from the Turkish city of Gaziantep, marking the first time in nearly 3 years that they have had a presence along the Aleppo-Gaziantep Highway that stretches through the Aleppo province’s Northern countryside.

With the recent capture of Ratyan and Mayer in Northern Aleppo, the Syrian Armed Forces have finally reached the Aleppo-Gaziantep Highway near the contested villages of Bayanoun, Kafr Naya, and Hayyan after an intense battle with the terrorists of al-Nusra Front, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), Jeish Al-Mujahiddeen, Harakat Nouriddeen al-Zinki, and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham.

The Aleppo-Gaziantep Highway was the primary roadway for the militants to transfer supplies and reinforcements to the provincial capital of Aleppo province; its obstruction forces the opposition to rely on seasonal roads from the Idlib province that are easy targets for the Russian and Syrian Air Forces.

Also on Saturday, the Syrian army troops and their popular allies continued to target the militant groups’ positions along one of the supply routes of the terrorists in the Northern part of Aleppo and pushed them back form the battlefield following hours of intense battle.

The Syrian army troops, Hezbollah, the National Defense Forces (NDF) and several Iraqi paramilitary units imposed full control over Bashkoy-Ratyan Road after seizing the important Soap Factory from al-Nusra Front and Jeish al-Mujahiddeen.

The capture of Bashkoy-Ratyan Road has allowed the Syrian Armed Forces and their allies to advance against the militants in Hayyan.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941118000402

Previous to this very significant development inside Aleppo, the Syrian Army has also wiped out critical Daesh high ground positions in the mountainous parts of Latakia which should give the Russian-led coalition more strategic advantage .

“The Syrian Army took control of most of the Jabal Al-Turkmen mountainous region leaving hundreds of militants killed and wounded. The government forces inflicted heavy losses on the terrorists in other provinces too.

Al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front and the Free Syrian Army lost scores of their fighters during the fierce clashes in northern Latakia, retreating over a vast region to avoid more casualties, the agency reported.”

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160130/1033962100/syria-army-advance.html#ixzz3zVJA7DFL

So, when Turkey refused to allow Russian monitoring party to fly over the country under the Open Skies Treaty with NATO, Russia’s intelligence about Turkish military movement along the border was confirmed. This latest Erdogan stunt could be his way of dragging NATO to war one more time, i.e. just like he did when he ordered the shooting down of one Su-24 bomber inside Syria.

The problem for the two countries is that while some rouge elements in the CIA may be prodding them to instigate hostilities in Syria even at this late hour in the game, the White House is not willing to start WW3 with the Russians.

The White House was pinning some hope at the negotiation table in Geneva for some geopolitical concessions, but the scheduled pep talk collapsed early on as both sides could not agree on who the real oppositions are, and the Russian-led coalition has been pounding even harder on Daesh for the last 3 days, because it is sheer stupidity to pepper any talks about peace with ridiculous preconditions that would allow the terrorists to regroup.

The ongoing enhanced military operations against Daesh should make any negotiation moot and academic very soon, and Obama’s point man understands the situation very well:

“America’s top diplomat also said that the country should expect another three months of bombing that would “decimate” the opposition, according to Middle East Eye who also says that Kerry left the aid workers with “the distinct impression” thatthe US is abandoning efforts to support rebel fighters.

In other words, Washington has come to terms with the fact that there’s only one way out of this now. It’s either go to war with Russia and Iran or admit that this particular effort to bring about regime change in the Mid-East simply isn’t salvageable.

“He said that basically, it was the opposition that didn’t want to negotiate and didn’t want a ceasefire, and they walked away,” a second aid worker told MEE.

“‘What do you want me to do? Go to war with Russia? Is that what you want?’” the aid worker said Kerry told her.”

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-02-07/exasperated-john-kerry-throws-towel-syria-what-do-you-want-me-do-go-war-russians

So, while Daesh militants are having a nightmare in hell for the last 127 days, Kerry is having a good time with his bestfriend Lavrov.

Saudi, for its part, hasn’t been making headways in Yemen. In fact, it’s the Houthis that’s been gaining ground since Russia and Iran became visibly active in Syria.

Saudi Arabia’s call to send its ground troops to aid the coalition against Daesh – also known as ISIS – in Syria has received ridicule from the commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard.

“They claim they will send troops (to Syria), but I don’t think they will dare do so,” Jafari told reporters in Tehran. “They have a classic army and history tells us such armies stand no chance in fighting irregular resistance forces. This will be like a coup de grace for them.

“Apparently, they see no other way but this, and if this is the case, then their fate is sealed.”

http://sputniknews.com/news/20160207/1034378696/Iran-General-Saudi-Arabia-Should-Stay-Out-of-Syria-Fight.html

As with Kerry, three months of constant bombardment against Daesh positions seem realistic.

Here’s Aleppo today,

Aside from from the fiat monetary scam and blood-soaked petrodollar, another significant source of funds for the Nazionist Khazarian Mafia is the “healthcare” industry which registered a whopping $3.09 trillion in 2014, and is projected to soar to $3.57 trillion in 2017, in the US alone. We believe that this is just a conservative figure.

RT: Bee virus pandemic is human made, started with European bees – study

Published time: 7 Feb, 2016 13:56

© Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters

The spread of a devastating virus that is endangering global bee populations is manmade with human trade and transportation of bees for pollination driving the pandemic, a new study says.

UK researchers from the University of Exeter have found that the Apis mellifera honeybee, native to Europe, is a transmitter of Deformed Wings Virus (DWV). The deadly infection, mostly carried by the Varroa Destructor mite, threatens the existence of bees worldwide.

Read more: EPA admits popular insecticide threatens honeybees

“The deformed wing virus is a major threat to honeybee populations across the world and this epidemic has been driven by the trade and movement of honeybee colonies,”says the study, published in the Science magazine on Friday.

Varroa mites are parasites that feed on adult honeybees and also on their larvae, and endanger entire hives. The virus attacks a honeybee pupa, causing it to shrink and deform bees’ wings.

Researchers have studied genetic samples of mites and honeybees from over 17 countries. They discovered the virus originated in Europe and subsequently migrated to North America, Australia and New Zealand.

“This is the first study to conclude that Europe is the backbone of the global spread of the bee-killing combination of Deformed Wing Virus and Varroa,” said Dr Lena Wilfert, senior author of the study.

The report calls for immediate action to halt the spread of the virus and prevent it from entering regions where the infection is yet to manifest.

“We must now maintain strict limits on the movement of bees, whether they are known to carry Varroa or not. It’s also really important that beekeepers at all levels take steps to control Varroa in their hives, as this viral disease can also affect wild pollinators,”Wilfert said, advocating stricter approaches to the transportation of bees.

Though vet checks are being carried out at the border, they are clearly not sufficient to stop the bug. Infected bees continue to appear in other continents. In addition, there is also the potential threat that other infections could pass through borders as easily as DWV has.

If trade controls are not tightened, “the consequences can be devastating, both for domestic animals and for wildlife,” warn the authors in the introduction to the study.

Honeybees are widely used in agriculture as efficient pollinators, which is vital for producing fruit and nut crops. The shortage of the bees may threaten agriculture in the long run.

While the demand for pollination services increases, bee numbers have been decreasing since the onset of the so-called colony collapse disorder in 2006. This was marked by a drastic decrease in North America’s honeybee population, and also in some European countries.