'Russia's growing threat': "The West faces a very dangerous crisis: The problem with Russia now is not its strength, but its weakness. The massive energy revenues of the good times were not invested in modernizing Russia, but either squandered at home or shipped abroad by the Oligarchs to buy yachts..."
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 The Independent |
'Russia's growing threat': The West faces a very dangerous crisis – and it's ...
The Independent The problem with Russia now is not its strength, but its weakness. The massive energy revenues of the good times were not invested in modernizing Russia, but either squandered at home or shipped abroad by the Oligarchs to buy yachts and London ... Russia Sends Nuclear Submarine Troops on Arctic ExerciseNewsweek all 63 news articles » |
 Huffington Post |
Russia's Monroe Doctrine
Huffington Post The fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is, at best, progressing slowly; the war in Syria shows no signs of abating; Houthi rebels in Yemen have gained serious ground; the war in Ukraine has raised tensions with Russia ... Anti-Western Sentiment at Record Levels in Russia: PollsterNDTV Anti-American Sentiment Reaches 25-Year High in RussiaThe Moscow Times Russia: Anti-West sentiment hits all-time highInSerbia News TheStreet.com all 9 news articles » |
Probe of Suspended USAID Contractor Deepensby webdesk@voanews.com (Jeffrey Young)
One of its biggest contractors tied to the U.S. Agency for International Development [USAID] faces increasing troubles amid allegations of mismanagement and impropriety. USAID last month suspended its association with International Relief and Development [IRD] and the action means the group will not be given any new USAID contracts. The suspension came after years of reports questioning IRD’s performance and cost claims. In 2012, then-Deputy USAID Inspector General Michael Carroll testified before a Congressional committee on IRD shortcomings in Iraq. “Auditors determined that projects completed under the program did not target identified, prioritized needs of Iraqi communities,” he said. “Of the 146 completed projects we surveyed, 34 percent did not match any needs identified by the corresponding community, and an additional 31 percent did not match the needs communities identified as top priorities,” said Carroll. Questions abound Investigations turned up other questionable items involving IRD and its contracts. In an October 2014 audit by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction [SIGAR], IG John Sopko “identified 14 material weaknesses and significant deficiencies in internal controls and 12 instances of material noncompliance with the cooperative agreement terms.” IG Sopko’s report also said an outside auditor, Crowe Horwath, identified $1.8 million in questionable costs. The Washington area aid group has received more than $2.4 billion in contracts and cooperative agreements through USAID since 2007. Last July, Sopko raised another issue with IRD: its confidentiality agreements signed by departing employees. Sopko wrote IRD that “I remain concerned that IRD is acting improperly to limit the rights of potential whistleblowers to report instances of waste, fraud, and abuse.” Medical supplies The latest USAID Inspector General’s report, covering April to September 2014, cited the NGO’s February 2014 distribution of US$12.2 million in drugs and medical supplies to seven Afghan Ministry of Public Health hospitals. The OIG report says that in reality, orders were given that the aid should be distributed to non-government community health clinics. International Relief and Development was created in 1998 by Arthur B. Keys and his wife, Jasna Basaric-Keys. The group’s website describes IRD as “a nonprofit humanitarian and development organization.” While IRD enjoys the tax breaks allowed for non-profit organization, the NGO has been profitable to Arthur and Jasna Keys, according to The Washington Post. The newspaper reported that between 2007 and 2013, IRD’s revenue was slightly more than $3 billion - with just over three quarters of that coming from USAID. The Post also reported that from 2008 to 2012, the Keys were paid more than $5.9 million. During the same period, their daughter, and a brother of Jasna Keys received $1.3 million. In 2013, a new management team and board decided to reduce the Keys’ compensation - and the couple reportedly gave back some $1.7 million. The Keys retired from IRD in 2014. IRD did not respond to requests for comment from Voice of America. But in a statement last month, IRD said it “is cooperating fully with USAID, remains in close and continuous dialogue with the agency regarding these issues, and is committed to addressing them comprehensively.” Ongoing probe IRD’s Chief Executive Officer, Roger Ervin, said in that statement “it is clear from the suspension notice that USAID has determined that much more remains to be done in certain areas. We are working on a response to USAID that will directly address the agency’s concerns, and re-establish confidence that federal taxpayer funds are being prudently managed by IRD to accomplish USAID’s critical missions.” Meanwhile, USAID continues to probe the contractor. “Depending on the results of USAID’s ongoing review of IRD’s document submissions and management controls, and, if further information is obtained by the Agency (USAID) as the result of the OIG’s investigation, the suspension could lead to debarment,” a senior USAID official who asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak publicly, told VOA.
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A video shared on Russian-language pro-Islamic State (IS) social networks this week features an address by a group of Chechen IS militants outside a palace of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Tikrit.
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The ministers decided not to act until after a possible meeting this week of the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine on ways to halt fighting.
Watch live as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Barack Obama hold a press conference at the White House where they are expected to discuss the Ukraine crisis
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 Правда.Ру |
На Черноморском флоте разоблачили очередного шпиона
Правда.Ру Российские спецслужбы пресекли деятельность предполагаемогошпиона на Черноморском флоте РФ - члена экипажа танкера "Койда" Сергея Минакова. "В отношении Минакова возбуждено уголовное дело, ему предъявлено официальное обвинение в шпионаже. Он служил на танкере ... Служащего Черноморского флота арестовали по обвинению в шпионажеРБК Моряк Черноморского флота арестован за шпионажРадиостанция ЭХО МОСКВЫ Суд заключил в СИЗО обвиняемого в шпионаже Сергея МинаковаBFM.Ru ИА REGNUM -ТАСС -Общественное телевидение России Все похожие статьи: 91 » |
 РИА Новости |
СМИ: премьер-министр Канады назначил новых глав минобороны и МИД
РИА Новости Пост руководителя МИД займет Роб Николсон - экс-министр обороны. Новым министром обороны станет Джейсон Кенни - бывший министр по вопросам занятости. Флаг Канады. Архивное фото. © РИА Новости. Александр Алпаткин. МОСКВА, 9 фев — РИА Новости. Премьер-министр ... и другие » |
Как обществу остановить Путина? by Радио Свобода
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Могут ли предлагаемая "Яблоком" Коалиция политической альтернативы и антивоенные марши предотвратить...
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From: Радио Свобода
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| Time: 55:01 | More in News & Politics |
Staunton, February 9 – Aleksandr Sytin, a former researcher at the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies (RISI), a think-tank which was set up by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), advises the Kremlin and pushed for Moscow to seize Crimea and intervene in the Donbass, says that “a Ukrainian scenario” is “impossible” in the Baltic countries.
(For background on Sytin and RISI, see my “Russian Think Tank that Pushed for Invasion of Ukraine Wants Moscow to Overthrow Lukashenka,” Eurasia Daily Monitor, 27.I.15.)
Sytin told Novy Region 2’s Kseniya Kirillova that “there are no objective bases for the realization of a ‘Donbass’ scenario in the Baltic countries” and that talk about “’the infringement’ of the rights of Russian speakers there “is to a significant degree invented” and artificial.
What the Baltic countries do face, he continues, is the impact of Russian propaganda on those Russian speakers. “The majority [of them] watch Russian television, and in certain regions as a result have been created two parallel information spaces. It is quite hard to solve this problem because if these countries try to limit broadcasting, Gazprom will increase the price of gas.”
What Moscow did in Crimea and is doing in the Donbass, Sytin says, is no precedent for Latvia’s Latgale. Although there is “a not small percent of nationalists and people who love the USSR, especially among military retirees and their descendants,” their numbers aren’t so large as to be in a position to “destabilize” the situation.
Moscow’s complaints about the status of non-citizens in Latvia and Estonia are also misplaced, Sytin argues. It is true that those two countries did not give automatic citizenship to people who had been moved in during the Soviet occupation, but with time and especially after the two joined the EU, they adopted state naturalization programs intended to end this status.
These programs have had the result of a continuing decline in the number of people without citizenship because now anyone can become a citizen who speaks the national language, expresses a desire to obtain citizenship and passes an examination on the history and constitution” of the respective countries.
At present, there are 282,876 non-citizens in Latvia (13 percent of the population) and 87,833 non-citizens in Estonia (6.5 percent). Those numbers may not fall in the future as fast as in the past, Sytin says, because today, many non-citizens see that status as an advantage rather than a disadvantage.
Unlike the citizens of these two countries, non-citizens from them can travel to Russia without a visa; and unlike Russian citizens, they can travel to the European Union without restriction. As a result, “many prefer to remain without citizenship for strictly pragmatic (including business) reasons.” It is thus not the problem many in Moscow believe it is.
Another non-issue, Sytin says, is that of the status of the Russian language. “Officially Russian in the Baltic countries is a foreign language,” and “the sphere of its use continues to decline.” But despite Moscow media reportage, it is not banned and “there is in Latvia no obligatory requirement to speak only Latvian.”
Nonetheless, Russian continues to be widely used. There is a lively Russian-language media; Russian books, published in the Baltic countries and in Russia, are widely available; Russian television is available everywhere, and there are Russian theaters. And because many businesses are linked to the Russian market, there is a demand for Russian speakers.
That has led to the following interesting development, he says. Because there are fewer opportunities to learn Russian in state educational institutions, there has been a growth in the number of private institutions offering Russian language instruction – and the governments are in no way restricting this.
But what is more important is this: many Russian speakers in the Baltic countries “consider themselves patriots” of those countries and “the majority of Russian speakers there do not feel any nostalgia for the Soviet past.” Like Estonians and Latvians around them, they can’t imagine that they would have the opportunities they do had they remained inside the USSR.
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 Правда.Ру |
ДНР: "Дебальцевский котел" замкнут
Правда.Ру Сегодня заместитель командующего армией ДНР Эдуард Басурин сообщил, что ополченцам удалось замкнуть так называемый котел вокруг города областного значения Дебальцево. "Дебальцевский котел" замкнут... В настоящее время идет ожесточенный бой на восточной окраине ... Штаб ДНР: "дебальцевский котел" замкнутРИА Новости В ДНР вновь заявили об окружении украинских военных под ДебальцевоИнтерфакс В ДНР заявили об окружении украинской армии в ДебальцевоПолит.ру Московский комсомолец -СЕГОДНЯ -Биржевой лидер Все похожие статьи: 243 » |
 Deutsche Welle |
Chart: Anti-Americanism is exploding in Russia
Vox However bad you thought attitudes toward the US were in Russia, you're probably underestimating the severity and suddenness of rising anti-Americanism there. Just over 80 percent of Russians now see the US negatively — an astounding and apparently ... Anti-US, anti-EU sentiment swells in RussiaDeutsche Welle Russia's Monroe DoctrineHuffington Post Anti-American Sentiment Reaches 25-Year High in RussiaThe Moscow Times Pravda -NDTV all 16 news articles » |
Why the Ukraine Crisis Hinges On the U.S. Electionby By Ivan Nechepurenko
The outcome of the Ukraine crisis talks in Minsk on Wednesday depends on whether the United States is prepared to exert enough influence on the divergent power elites in Kiev to accept the deal.
U.S. provision of military aid to Ukraine would be seen by Moscow as a declaration of war and spark a global escalation of Ukraine's separatist conflict, Russian defense analysts said.
Russia Sanctions on Hold as EU Waits for Peace Talksby webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant)
European Union foreign ministers agreed Monday to postpone further sanctions against Russia for a week to give time to a peace push to defuse the crisis in Ukraine. EU ministers meeting in Brussels made it clear their decision to delay new sanctions against Russia did not mean repealing them. In remarks to reporters following the talks on Monday, Foreign Policy Chief Frederica Mogherini said the move aimed to "give a space" for a hoped-for summit on Wednesday in Minsk. What counted, she said, were results. "Our point, our priority, is to have the situation on the ground improving. That is the starting point," she stressed. "The situation on the ground has to improve, the cease-fire has to not only be agreed but put in place, implemented…. And when I refer to Ukrainian sovereignty, I also mean that it's in the hands of the Ukrainian authorities - legitimate authorities - to decide to what extent the negotiations can go in all the points that were listed in the Minsk agreement." The EU ministers are waiting to see the outcome of a summit they hope will take place on Wednesday in the Belarusian capital among heads of state from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany. The Europeans hope that will lead to a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis. But previous cease-fire agreements have all but collapsed and skepticism is high among EU members like Britain. "Until we see Russia complying on the ground, withdrawing troops, closing the border, stopping the flow of weapons, we can't relieve the pressure in any way," British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said. "We need to keep that pressure up, until we see - not just words on paper but deeds on the ground." Even before Monday's meeting, the EU had already decided to add more names to its list of people targeted for sanctions, in retaliation against Moscow's alleged backing of Ukrainian rebels. Moscow denies claims it has sent troops and weapons to support the rebellion. Some observers say the sanctions against Russia have not been terribly effective, since the standoff over Ukraine continues. Meanwhile, Spain says the sanctions have cost the EU nearly $24 billion.
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 New York Times |
Obama and Merkel Express Unity in Seeking Diplomatic Solution to Russia ...
New York Times “The prospect for a military solution to this problem has always been low,” Mr. Obama said, given the extraordinarily powerful military that is at the disposal of President Vladimir V. Putin ofRussia, and the length of Russia's border with Ukraine ... The long view with RussiaWashington Post Obama confirms arming Ukraine on the table if diplomacy with Russia failsFox News Obama: Not ready to send arms to Ukraine...yetCNBC The Guardian -ABC News all 6,854 news articles » |
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 НТВ.ru |
Президенты России и Египта посетили Каирскую оперу
Утро.Ru Сегодня начался двухдневный официальный визит президента России Владимира Путина в Египет. В честь приезда главы российского государства в Каирской опере состоялся гала-концерт, который посетили Путин и его египетский коллега Абдельфаттах Сиси. Оркестр оперы ... Владимир Путин прибыл в Египет с двухдневным официальным визитомПервый канал Путин прилетел в Египет в гости к другуКомсомольская правда Свет египетскийЭксперт Online Московский комсомолец -ТАСС Все похожие статьи: 243 » |
CBS Local |
Mass. Gas Prices Jump 11 Cents A Gallon In A Week
CBS Local BOSTON (AP) — After months of steep drops, Massachusetts gas prices are on the rise again. AAA Northeast reports Monday that self-serve, regular has risen 11 cents per gallon the past week to an average of $2.17. Find: Best Gas Prices. It's the first weekly ... Gas Prices On the Rise, Up 11 Cents This WeekPatch.com Roseville Gas Prices Jump: Find Best DealsRocklin and Roseville Today Gas prices on the rise again in San Jose1590 KLIV Silicon Valley News 10TV -Foster's Daily Democrat -WABI all 348 news articles » |
Did you know that the US owes Kazakhstan $35.1 billion?
MILLERSVILLE, Pa. (AP) -- The boyfriend of a student found dead in a Pennsylvania university dormitory room was covered in blood and performing CPR when campus police arrived, according to an arrest affidavit....
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Ministers and central bankers from the world's top 20 economies gathered in Istanbul on Monday to discuss solutions to the debt crisis in Greece and ways to push forward faltering global growth....
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From: AFP news agency
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| Time: 01:11 | More in News & Politics |
VIENNA (Reuters) - The United States has derailed a proposal to toughen nuclear safety standards by amending a global atomic treaty, diplomats said, with opponents of the move arguing it would get mired in lengthy parliamentary ratification.
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Prosecutors in Bucharest say 33 women, some of them big household names, such as Daniela Crudu, pictured. are being investigated over their part in an alleged prostitution ring.
 Telegraph.co.uk |
Ukraine crisis: Obama 'may supply weapons to Ukraine' - latest
Telegraph.co.uk ... • New sanctions suspended until after Weds Minsk summit • Don't threaten Putin with ultimatums, warns Kremlin • US officials compare peace efforts to appeasing Hitler • Civilians continue to be killed despite diplomatic efforts • Putin: a brilliant strategist, ... Ukraine Cease-Fire Talks to Open Wednesday in BelarusVoice of America First Draft | Key Points From the Obama-Merkel News ConferenceNew York Times Obama Says He Might Send Weapons to UkraineABC News |
all 6,764 news articles »
Ruble’s Fall Tests Governor of Russia’s Central Bankby By ANDREW E. KRAMER
Elvira S. Nabiullina, the governor of Russia’s central bank, with President Vladimir V. Putin last year. Ms. Nabiullina is a staunch believer in the benefits of a flexible exchange rate and a weak currency, if market forces dictate.
 New York Daily News |
Third straight Monday storm hits NYC with freezing rain
New York Daily News Three straight Mondays, three straight winter storms. New England and New York woke up to a freezing rain and snow on Monday morning — just like they did the last two Mondays. The storm disrupted morning commutes in hard-hit Boston: Some travelers ... Epic three-day snowstorm wallops winter-weary NortheastChristian Science Monitor Latest snowstorm creates conundrum: Where to put it all?Washington Post Watch Live: Boston Mayor Hold Briefing on Snowstorm - 3p ETNBCNews.com Dorchester Reporter -FOX6 WBRC - MyFoxAL.com all 1,406 news articles » |
TIME |
Jeb Bush says his life is "totally focused" on exploring presidential run
CBS News Jeb Bush told supporters on a conference call "my life is totally focused on this"--his consideration of a run for the presidency, according to the Tampa Bay Times. He also said he would release emails from his time as Florida governor Tuesday, along with the ... Bush set to release e-book, emails ahead of likely '16 bidSTLtoday.com Jeb Bush Set to Release E-Book, Emails Ahead of Likely '16 BidNBC 6 South Florida Jeb Bush to release e-mails from his tenure as Florida governorWashington Post (blog) MSNBC all 88 news articles » |
Toronto Star |
Report: 16-year-old murder suspect took selfie with body, posted it on social media
Q13 FOX PITTSBURGH — A 16-year-old teen is accused of shooting a friend in the face, taking a selfie with the body and sending the photo out on the social media app Snapchat, the Tribune-Review of Pittsburgh reports. According to the newspaper, Maxwell Marion ... Teen shot and killed classmate in the face, posts selfie on SnapChatNews Every day Teen charged as an adult in Snapchat selfie homicideToronto Star Teen Charged After Snapchatting Pic of Murder VictimNew York Magazine WTOV Steubenville all 296 news articles » |
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 ABC News |
Measles Outbreak Swells to 121 Cases This Year, CDC Says
ABC News The measles outbreak continues to grow with an additional 19 confirmed cases in the last week, bringing the total number of measles cases to 121 since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began tracking the outbreak on Jan. 1. The outbreak ... 83% Say Measles Vaccine Is Safe for Healthy ChildrenPew Research Center for the People and the Press 11 Things Every Parent Needs to Know About VaccinationsIJ Review Measles in Georgia, officials sayThe Augusta Chronicle Monthly Prescribing Reference -Deseret News -WALB-TV all 253 news articles » |
with high treason and espionage for the United States
US Northeast Hit Again by Snowstormby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
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