Russia’s Online Assault Evaporates Internet Freedom

Russia’s Online Assault Evaporates Internet Freedom

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The recent threats by Russian authorities to block access to popular U.S.-based websites such as Google come amid a larger and growing effort by the Kremlin to wall off sections of the Internet from Russians. What’s more troubling: there’s new research that suggests the Russian public may be ambivalent. Last week, the Kremlin’s Internet and media regulator Roskomnadzor sent letters to the U.S.-based web services Twitter, Facebook and Google, requesting large amounts of private information on Russian’s who use their services. Additionally, Roskomnadzor authorities asked that various pages deemed illegal for advocating “unsanctioned protests” in Russia be permanently taken down. If the requests are not honored, the letters warned, the websites may be completely blocked in Russia. “In our letters, we regularly remind of the consequences of violating the legislation.” a Roskomnadzor spokesperson said. The spokesperson was referring to a law passed by the Duma and signed by President Putin in 2014. It requires Russian bloggers with over 3,000 daily visitors to register with the government, hand over information about their users, and comply with Russian restrictions on what can and can’t be published. The law was only one of many moves made over the past several years to restrict what Russians can see and say online. Frozen out In the last year, sites run by opposition leaders Garry Kasparov and Alexei Navalny, and independent media like the Ekho Moskvy radio station and Grani newspaper, among others, have been frozen out. Hundreds of websites based in other countries have also been blocked, including archive.org, which stores screen captures of now-banned sites going back for years. The government has exerted its control in other ways as well. In April of 2014, Pavel Durov, founder of the popular VKontakte social network, was fired as CEO and replaced by a Kremlin ally. Durov says he was “forced to flee” the country for refusing to hand over information about Euromaidan protestors. Given his fiery rhetoric about the evils of the web, there’s no doubt among observers that the push for these and other restrictions comes directly from Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian president famously called the Internet a “CIA project” designed specifically to diminish Russia’s standing in the world, weaken its government and punish it economically. He has repeatedly vowed to build a Russia-only Intra-net to keep “false information” about his regime at bay and, in the words of blogger and Putin critic Andrei Malgin, has “vowed to kill off the blogosphere.” It wasn’t always like this, said Russian journalist Ivan Kopakov. “Several years ago, the Russian Internet was one of the freest in the world,” Kolpakov told VOA’s Russian service. “Literally, in the past two or three years, it’s become over-regulated.” Kolpakov would know. For years he led the investigative team at the independent Russian journalism website Lenta.ru, which was no friend of Putin. In March of 2014 during Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula, Lenta.ru’s head, Galina Timchenko, was removed from office and replaced with a pro-Putin editor. Journalists like Kolpakov decided to move to Riga, Latvia, to start the digital news site Meduza.io, where he serves as deputy editor. Kolpakov is angered by Russia’s increasing censorship of the web, calling it foolish. “The most unpleasant thing is that (the new regulations) are baseless; that is, they’re a tool to persecute the disloyal, or to censor information that shouldn’t fall into the hands of average citizens,” he said.  However, new research suggests that even if anti-Putin information were to fall into the hands of Russian Internet users, a sizable portion of them wouldn’t be interested. Public opinion on censorship Researchers Erik Nisbet and Sarah Mikati of The Ohio State University surveyed 1,600 Russians on their attitudes about the Internet and freedom of expression online. Their study concluded that nearly half of those surveyed believe information on the web should be censored, with a near-equal percentage saying news from websites outside Russia should be filtered. Fully one quarter of those asked said they believed the Internet threatens political stability. “I am not sure if it’s so much about the Internet itself that makes some Russians think it’s a CIA project. It’s more about the rhetoric that permeates Russian political discourse and mass media that colors Russia perceptions about it,” said Nisbet, an associate professor of communication in an email to VOA. “So Russians who are supportive of the Russian government and its policies and encounter information online that challenges their pre-existing beliefs or attitudes would be naturally skeptical or dismissive of its veracity,” Nisbet said. “The Kremlin rhetoric about the Internet being controlled by and a tool of the CIA, especially in the context of the conflict with Ukraine, reaffirms this skepticism - and further reduces the likelihood of Russians using the Internet to seek out counter-Kremlin information,” Nisbet said. Nisbet describes several different types of Internet censorship. One of is the legal route, such as the blogger law, and another is the technical route, such as blocking sites, which he likens to a game of cat-and-mouse. “It’s a constant game of escalation between Internet censors and circumventors as individuals who are motivated enough can find ways to bypass Internet censorship,” he said. But the third type is what Nisbet calls the most insidious: self-censorship. “It’s called motivated reasoning in political psychology. We work backwards from our strongly held beliefs, values, and attitudes to avoid information that might challenge them - and if exposed to information that does challenge them, we process that information in a biased manner that discounts or dismisses it,” Nisbet said. In other words, said Nisbet, if the public believes the web is dominated by hostile Western interests or threatens national stability, it’s easy to get people to support censorship and even censor themselves. “ “How does the U.S. State Department create a (circumvention) technology to bypass that?” Nisbet asked.  It’s not yet clear if any of the three U.S. companies will comply with the Roskomnadzor requests, and if they do, how much data they will turn over. Email inquiries to Facebook and Google were not returned by publication time. VOA’s Vadim Alenichev contributed to this report

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Russia's Online Assault Evaporates Internet Freedom - Voice of America

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Voice of America

Russia's Online Assault Evaporates Internet Freedom
Voice of America
WASHINGTON—. The recent threats by Russian authorities to block access to popular U.S.-based websites such as Google come amid a larger and growing effort by the Kremlin to wall off sections of the Internet from Russians. What's more troubling: there ...
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New US Law Puts Curbs on Surveillance Programs

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The bill signed into law by President Barack Obama ends the government's massive collection of telephone call data intended to prevent terrorist attacks, part of a national security program that had expired earlier this week. The controversial surveillance program was part of a bill given final passage earlier Tuesday by the U.S. Senate, after being approved by the House several days earlier. The measure also reauthorizes two other national security programs that had also lapsed. "Glad the Senate finally passed the USA Freedom Act. It protects civil liberties and our national security," President Barack Obama said on Twitter shortly before he signed it Tuesday afternoon. In a separate statement earlier, Obama chided lawmakers for the "needless delay and inexcusable lapse in important national security authorities," in the days leading up to the bill's eventual passage. The bill halts the National Security Agency's ability to scoop up and store metadata -- telephone numbers, dates and times of calls -- from millions of Americans who have no connection to terrorism. It shifts responsibility for storing the data to telephone companies, such as Verizon and AT&T, allowing authorities to access the information only with a warrant from a secret counterterror court that identifies a specific person or group of people suspected of terror ties. Many major Internet firms declared victory with the congressional approval. "The USA Freedom Act realizes hard-fought and much-needed wins for Internet users everywhere, including prohibiting the bulk collection of user data," Yahoo said in a statement. Microsoft Corp. General Counsel Brad Smith praised Congress. "Today's vote by the Senate on the USA Freedom Act will help to restore the balance between protecting public safety and preserving civil liberties," he said in a statement. Reform possible, not enough The American Civil Liberties Union said the measure was a milestone, but it did not go far enough. "The passage of the bill is an indication that comprehensive reform is possible, but it is not comprehensive reform in itself," ACLU deputy legal director Jameel Jaffer said in a statement. Human Rights Watch issued a statement saying passage of the USA Freedom Act "marks what could be a turn of the tide against mass surveillance" in the United States, while failing to address many other modern surveillance capabilities, including intercepting mobile calls. "It's a historic moment," Senator Patrick Leahy, the senior Democratic sponsor of the bill, said after the 67-32 vote, describing the bill as "the first major overhaul of government surveillance laws in decades." The government began keeping records of telephone numbers, but not the content of those calls, just after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The vote followed days of sharp debate on the floor, with many Republicans split over their support for strong counterterror measures and the need for personal privacy protections in the wake of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden's bombshell revelations about the bulk data dragnet in 2013. Some specifics about the bill: Q: What happens with the phone records collection? A: It will resume for six months, provided that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court orders phone companies to turn over the records and that no court stops it under various pending lawsuits. During that period, the NSA will seek to work with providers to come up with a way to quickly query their records against known terrorist phone numbers, pursuant to a court order. It will be able to collect data for all the numbers in contact with the suspect number, and all the numbers in contact with those numbers, meaning the NSA will still be rooting around in Americans' phone records, but it won't be collecting all of them. Q: What about the American calling records the NSA has been collecting for years? A: Obama administration officials have not said what they will do with those and whether they will continue to search them. Q: What about the other surveillance provisions that expired? A: The roving wiretap provision, which allows the FBI to eavesdrop on espionage and terror suspects who discard cellphones frequently, will go back into effect, as will the lone-wolf provision, which has never been used.  The FBI will still be able to use Section 215 of the Patriot Act to collect a variety of business records in national security investigations. But the new law requires the government to limit the scope of its collection, prohibiting it from grabbing, for example, all information relating to a particular service provider or area code. Q: What else will change under the USA Freedom Act? A: The new law gives private companies more leeway to publicly report information about the number of national security surveillance demands they receive. And it requires declassification of FISA Court opinions containing significant legal decisions, or a summary if declassification is not possible. That is designed to prevent secret interpretations such as the one that allowed bulk collection of U.S. phone records. Q: Does this legislation address the concerns raised by Snowden's disclosures? A: It addresses the most controversial program he revealed, the domestic phone records collection. But it does nothing to affect another major Snowden revelation: the NSA's collection of foreign Internet content from U.S. tech companies, a program that sweeps up lots of American communications. And it doesn't address the bulk of Snowden disclosures about foreign intelligence gathering and the NSA's attempts to exploit technology, such as encryption, for the benefit of U.S. intelligence. Q: Who are the political winners and losers coming out of this legislative fight? A: Winners include Obama, who proposed this idea more than a year ago to assuage public concerns about surveillance, and congressional Democrats, who backed it. Also coming out ahead are libertarian Republicans, including Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, a 2016 presidential candidate who used Senate rules to box in his own party's leaders. The biggest loser by any measure is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, also of Kentucky, who opposed the USA Freedom Act and thought he could force the House to accept a last-minute extension of current law. But because of Paul and others, McConnell couldn't make that happen. He then saw his proposed changes to the USA Freedom Act defeated. McConnell called the reform bill "a step backward." "This is going to diminish our ability to respond to the myriad threats we have today," he said in a provocative floor speech in which he accused the Obama administration of withdrawing from leadership in the battle against extremism. Some Republicans on Tuesday seemed eager to put the surveillance debate behind them, and to give McConnell a break. "It was a busy month," said Senator Lamar Alexander, pointing to a major trade bill and other legislation the Senate handled. "We just ran out of time." But Senator Mike Lee of Utah was less forgiving. Congress knew for years that the Patriot Act would expire, he said in a speech Tuesday, and the Senate should have resolved the matter "long before now." Material for this report came from AP, AFP and Reuters. Related video: U.S. Senate ends government collection of phone records

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Russia, China Get Energy Deals Under Way - Forbes

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Forbes

Russia, China Get Energy Deals Under Way
Forbes
China is moving quickly on its $400 billion deal to get Gazprom natural gas out of Russia and into northern China. The Chinese state run oil firms are reportedly working on the Power of Siberia pipeline, which was part of the multi-billion dollar deal ...
Russia's Gazprom presses on with Turkey pipeline despite questionsReuters
Athens Defies Washington: Greece to Join Russia's Turkish Stream Pipeline ...Center for Research on Globalization

all 68 news articles »

Fearing Repeat of Crimea, Baltic States Prepare for 'Hybrid War' With Russia 

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From sabotage of energy installations to cyber attacks and declarations of "independence" by Russian-speaking border villages, the Baltics are preparing for possible flashpoints of war.

В генштабе заявили о применении украинскими силовиками тяжелой артиллерии - Газета.Ru

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РБК Украина

В генштабе заявили о применении украинскими силовиками тяжелой артиллерии
Газета.Ru
В генштабе Украины заявили, что украинские военные применили против ополченцев в Донбассе тяжелую артиллерию, которая была отведена согласно минских соглашениям. Об этом сообщает РИА «Новости». «Украинские военные героически приняли бой и дали врагу достойный ...
Генштаб ВСУ открыто заявил о нарушении Минских соглашенийИА REGNUM
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Украина вернула отведенную в тыл артиллериюИнтерфакс
Новый Регион -Подробности -Новостной проект INFOX.ru
Все похожие статьи: 70 »
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Chechnya Rights Activists' Office Attacked by Mob

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Human rights activists in Chechnya say that masked men bashed their way into the group's office, sending the occupants fleeing through the windows. The Committee against Torture wrote on its Twitter account on Wednesday that several young men, wearing surgical masks and armed with crowbars, attacked the group's office in the capital of Grozny. The employees escaped through the windows, the group said.   The Committee against Torture is a leading and one of the few remaining human rights groups operating in Chechnya, governed by Kremlin-backed Ramzan Kadyrov. The group has aroused Kadyrov's ire before when it openly blamed him for persecuting the families of those who joined anti-government militants.

Turkey’s Erdogan borrows some bad habits

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The president seems to combine many vices in a single leadership

Will FIFA's Mounting Scandal Affect Russia?

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The sudden resignation of FIFA President Sepp Blatter amid a widening scandal at soccer's world governing body could leave Russians jittery as the spotlight turns to their successful World Cup 2018 bid.

Russian Finance Ministry Rebuffs Rosneft Oil Firm's Request for State Aid 

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Russia's Finance Ministry has rejected an application by oil giant Rosneft for a multibillion-dollar cash injection from one of the country's reserve funds, the Vedomosti newspaper reported Wednesday citing a ministry document.

District Near Donetsk Comes Under Attack

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The Tekstilshik District on the outskirts of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine appears to have come under artillery fire. Emergency workers rushed to the market in the territory held by Russian-backed rebels. Separatists and government forces blamed each other for the attack. (RFE/RL's Current Time)

В Грозном разгромили офис правозащитной организации

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From: SvobodaRadio
Duration: 01:06

Люди в масках разгромили в среду офис правозащитной организации "Комитет против пыток" в столице Чеченской республики. Это уже второе нападение за полгода. По словам активистов комитета, полиция не ответила на их призывы о помощи.Подробности в репортаже "Рейтер". Рассказывает Мария Яблонская.
Ссылка на источник - http://www.svoboda.org/media/video/27051780.html
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Gunmen Kill 2 Egyptian Policemen Near Pyramids

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Gunmen on a motorbike shot and killed two policemen Wednesday, near Egypt's iconic pyramids. The attack came a day after a hearing to confirm death sentences against top Muslim Brotherhood leaders was postponed by a Cairo court. The shooting took place in broad daylight in an area teeming with activity, near Egypt's iconic grand pyramids in Giza. Witnesses said three assailants opened fire on members of Egypt's tourist police, killing one instantly. A second officer died at a local hospital. The gunmen fled on their motorbike. Islamic militants and opponents of the Egyptian government have been waging a low-level street war against members of the police and military since Islamist President Mohamed Morsi was toppled in July 2013 by the army, following large street protests against him. Most of the violence against government targets has taken place in Egypt's northern Sinai region, where militants have attacked police and army compounds, checkpoints, and military convoys, killing dozens. Sporadic attacks on police and army targets in Cairo and elsewhere have also prompted tighter security and more arrests of suspected militants. Muslim Brotherhood trial Tuesday, an Egyptian court postponed a decision on whether to uphold death sentences against top Muslim Brotherhood leaders in several high profile cases. Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi is on a state visit to Germany, where he said Egypt's judiciary followed international norms and many of those sentenced to death were tried in absentia and would be retried if arrested. Sissi also said that on the day of Morsi's ouster a statement was issued which "did not hurt or harm a single Egyptian, and the chance was given to everyone to participate in a new political process, and we never imagined entering into violence against each other for several years." Calls for violence Calls for violence against the Egyptian government, military, police and judiciary have been frequent on Facebook, Twitter and various Islamist-leaning satellite TV channels in the months since Morsi was ousted. In a recent interview on a Turkish-funded satellite channel, Islamist Egyptian attorney Mohamed Awad justifies the toppling of the Sissi government, claiming the judiciary and other branches of power are illegitimate, and alludes to using violence to achieve that end. Despite sporadic violence in parts of the country, Egyptian security forces have largely kept a lid on high profile attacks and terrorist activity in recent months. Minor explosions have targeted police and judiciary officials and infrastructure targets like electricity pylons and rail lines, causing minor damage.

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Бои на окраине Донецка 

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From: SvobodaRadio
Duration: 00:44

Район "Текстильщик" на окраине Донецка попал под огонь артеллерии. Пожарные работают на рынке, находящемся на контролируемой сепаратистами территории. Власти самопровозглашенной ДНР и украинские военные обвиняют в обстреле друг друга.

Ex-Finance Minister Says Russia In 'Full-Blown Crisis'

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Former Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin says the Russian economy is in a "full-blown crisis" fueled by capital flight and low economic growth due to the conflict in eastern Ukraine and low global oil prices.

Turkey election: Axe-wielding police officers round up dozens of Kurds ahead of parliamentary poll

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Turkish police have detained dozens of people in the mainly Kurdish south-east in an operation a pro-Kurdish politician described as a “provocation” ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary election.

Ukraine Crisis Torpedoes Russia's Naval Expansion

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Moscow's breakup with Ukraine has forced the Russian navy to suspend construction of a variety of next-generation warships, throwing the future of Russia's naval rearmament campaign into question.

Reports Paint Mixed Picture of US Economy

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Reports published Wednesday show a mixed picture of the U.S. economy, and a top official of the U.S. central bank says slow economic growth may continue for a while. A measure of the services sector of the U.S. economy showed continued growth, but at a slower pace than previously thought. A separate study shows the U.S. trade picture improving, with fewer imports and more exports.  U.S. exports have been hampered by the strong dollar, which raises the cost of U.S.-made goods to foreign customers.  And a company that processes paychecks says private-sector employment rose 201,000 in May.   We will learn more about the U.S. job market on Thursday and Friday, when government experts report the number of people applying for unemployment aid, the net gain in jobs across the economy, and the unemployment rate. The jobless rate will probably stay steady at 5.4 per cent, and the economy is likely to show a gain of 220,000 jobs, according to a survey of economists by the Bloomberg financial news service.   The recent blend of both gloomy and positive economic data is complicating the task of the Federal Reserve as it tries to steer the economy toward full employment and stable prices. Earlier this week, Lael Brainard, a member of the Fed's Board of Governors, said the U.S. economy's weak growth in the first few months may continue longer than many experts expected.  The economy contracted at an annual rate of seven-tenths of one percent in the first few months of this year, which was blamed on temporary factors including unusually foul winter weather and labor problems at key ports. But Brainard says falling oil prices have saved consumers a lot of money, but they are saving rather than spending it.  These cautious consumers are not giving the economy the kind of boost many experts expected.  She says slower growth in China's economy and worries about Greece's debt problems are among the other factors that could hamper U.S. trade and growth. Brainard and other Fed officials are examining all kinds of economic data as they decide when and how fast to raise the key U.S. interest rate.  The Fed slashed rates nearly to zero during the financial crisis in a bid to boost economic growth and cut unemployment.

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США возложили на Россию ответственность за возобновление боев в Донбассе - РБК

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РБК

США возложили на Россию ответственность за возобновление боев в Донбассе
РБК
Госдеп США прокомментировал возобновление боевых действий на востоке Украины. Вашингтон считает, что прямую ответственность за события в Донбассе несет Россия. Военнослужащий ДНР. Архивное фото. Фото: ТАСС. В этом сюжете. Киев сообщил о трех погибших и более 30 ...
США обвинили Россию в эскалации конфликта в ДонбассеBBC Russian
Госдеп возложил на РФ прямую ответственность за ситуацию в ДонбассеРИА Новости
Госдеп винит РФ в обострении ситуации в ДонбассеИА REGNUM
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Attack on NGO in Grozny Renews Concerns About Russian Control Over Chechnya 

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The attack perpetrated Wednesday on the Grozny office of the Committee Against Torture, a prominent human rights NGO, adds to the long list of recent incidents in Russia's republic of Chechnya.

Ukraine Battle Tests Cease-Fire to Breaking Point

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A major battle erupted Wednesday on the western edge of the main separatist rebel stronghold in eastern Ukraine, leaving more than a dozen dead and threatening to tip the country back into full-blown war.

Europe's Seven Deadly Sins - Transitions Online

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Transitions Online

Europe's Seven Deadly Sins
Transitions Online
France defends the Mistral contracts worth $1.7 billion, but Western companies have lost billions more in Russia from missed investment opportunities, trade wars, and bond losses, because the politics isn't right. Ukraine's bondholders face a “haircut ... 

and more »

European parliament hits back at Russia blacklist - Yahoo News

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Yahoo News

European parliament hits back at Russia blacklist
Yahoo News
Brussels (AFP) - European parliament head Martin Schulz on Tuesday said he was limiting access to the institution to the Russian ambassador to the EU and one other diplomat in retaliation for a travel ban imposed by Moscow on 89 European citizens  ... 
European Parliament retaliates over Russia entry banReuters UK 
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Foreign Ministry blasts EU's anti-Russian 'witch hunt'RT
The Daily Star-Wall Street Journal (blog)
all 125 news articles »

No return to a G8 with Russia - ever - Deutsche Welle

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Deutsche Welle

No return to a G8 with Russia - ever
Deutsche Welle
Eckhard Cordes, chairman of the German business association representing companies with significant investments in Russia, recently said that barring Russia from the summit was a missed opportunity: "A G7 meeting with Russia could contribute to solving ...

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Page 10

Baltics eye flashpoints with Russia, guard against 'green men' - Reuters

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Reuters

Baltics eye flashpoints with Russia, guard against 'green men'
Reuters
TALLINN/RIGA From sabotage of energy installations to cyber attacks and declarations of "independence" by Russian-speaking border villages, the Baltics are preparing for possible flashpoints of war. Ukraine's conflict with Moscow-backed separatists has ...

and more »

Baltics eye flashpoints with Russia, guard against 'green men' - Yahoo News

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Yahoo News

Baltics eye flashpoints with Russia, guard against 'green men'
Yahoo News
TALLINN/RIGA (Reuters) - From sabotage of energy installations to cyber attacks and declarations of "independence" by Russian-speaking border villages, the Baltics are preparing for possible flashpoints of war. Ukraine's conflict with Moscow-backed ...

and more »

EU Set to Roll Over Sanctions on Russia, Officials Say - Wall Street Journal

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Wall Street Journal

EU Set to Roll Over Sanctions on Russia, Officials Say
Wall Street Journal
While the plans aren't finalized—some haven't even been formally discussed yet at EU level—the officials say there is growing confidence in Brussels that the bloc is united behind a policy which would ensure no weakening of EU pressure on Russia ... 
European parliament hits back at Russia blacklistYahoo News
European Parliament retaliates over Russia entry banReuters UK
European Parliament blacklists Russian diplomatsDeutsche Welle
RT-The Daily Star
all 143 news articles »

Anti-ISIS Coalition Makes Little Progress at Paris Meeting

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The coalition of countries arrayed against the Islamic State has been hobbled by a variety of weaknesses.

Media: “Browning of America” Good, “Bleaching Out” of San Fran Bad 

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media-browning-of-america-good-bleaching-out-of-san-fran-bad
For people who once claimed the ideal is a colorblind attitude toward race, leftists talk an awful lot about race.

Baltimore Is Now Paying the Price 

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baltimore-is-now-paying-the-price
Baltimore is now paying the price for irresponsible words and actions, not only by young thugs in the streets, but also by its mayor and the state prosecutor, both of whom threw the police to the wolves, in order to curry favor with local voters.
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Shocking Interviews: The Muslims in America Who Want Sharia

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shocking-interviews-the-muslims-in-america-who-want-sharia
Shocking new interviews with Muslims in America reflect what polls have shown: A distressingly high number of them prefer sharia law to our Constitution.

ISIS Seized $1 Billion of U.S. Military Aid, Iraqi Leader Admits

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isis-seized-1-billion-of-u-s-military-aid-iraqi-leader-admits
The so-called Islamic State, a brutal terrorist group also known as ISIS, seized 2,300 U.S. military Humvees and other weaponry from Iraq’s U.S. taxpayer-funded armed forces in Mosul, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi admitted in a TV interview over the weekend. ISIS militants then paraded the captured U.S. military equipment, reportedly worth over $1 billion, through the streets of the city. They then proceeded to use the American Humvees to lynch and burn Iraqi troops — many of whom had dropped their U.S. supplies and fled — before putting the vehicles to work in suicide bombings and other attacks. One of them was used on June 1 in a suicide strike in Baghdad that killed some 45 people. But the problem goes much deeper than that.  

11112015-06-02ISIS Advances in Syria & Iraq Upends US Strategy | Obama: 'We Have Put

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ISIS Advances in Syria & Iraq Upends US Strategy | Obama: 'We Have Put Our International Relationships on Very Strong Footing'ISIS Advances in Syria & Iraq Upends US Strategy by Glynn Cosker Tuesday June 2 nd , 2015  at  11:21 AM In Homeland Security 1 Share By John Ubaldi Contributor, In Homeland Security The fall of the Iraqi city of Ramadi and the Syrian city of Palmyra has pla...
ISIS Advances in Syria & Iraq Upends US Strategyby Glynn Cosker Tuesday June 2nd, 2015 at 11:21 AM In Homeland Security 1 Share By John Ubaldi Contributor, In Homeland Security The fall of the Iraqi c...
» Why Every American Should Care About Puerto Rico's Austerity Crisis 02/06/15 10:27Mike Nova's Shared NewsLinks Review   From The Major News Sources »   Why Every American Should Care About Puerto Rico's Austerity Crisis 02/06/15 10:27 from  Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks mikenova shared this story from Latino Voices - The Huffington Post. ...
Mike Nova's Shared NewsLinks Review   From The Major News Sources » Why Every American Should Care About Puerto Rico's Austerity Crisis 02/06/15 10:27 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks mikenova shared this story from ...
Puerto Rico should pay its debts - The HillIn Puerto Rico Debt Talks, Things Are Heating Up - Wall Street Journal Tuesday June 2 nd , 2015  at  9:43 AM Puerto Rico - Google News 1 Share Wall Street Journal In  Puerto Rico  Debt Talks, Things Are Heating Up Wall Street Journal It is shaping up as a h...
In Puerto Rico Debt Talks, Things Are Heating Up - Wall Street Journal Tuesday June 2nd, 2015 at 9:43 AM Puerto Rico - Google News 1 Share Wall Street Journal In Puerto Rico Debt Talks, Things Are...
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» Oil up ahead of OPEC meeting as dollar slips 02/06/15 09:39 | » China's Military Isn't Worried About Obama - Bloomberg View 01/06/15 21:10Mike Nova's Shared NewsLinks Review   From The Major News Sources »   Why Every American Should Care About Puerto Rico's Austerity Crisis 02/06/15 10:27 from  Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks mikenova shared this story from Latino Voices - The Huffington Post. ...
Mike Nova's Shared NewsLinks Review   From The Major News Sources » Why Every American Should Care About Puerto Rico's Austerity Crisis 02/06/15 10:27 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks mikenova shared this story from ...
Vladimir Putin Hides the Truth - Editorial - NYT | New York Police Department Deploys More Officers to Street Patrols as Shootings, Homicides Rise | Here's how Latin America, Europe, and Africa see China'Dark Knight' gunman wanted to avoid shooting kids Tuesday June 2 nd , 2015  at  8:46 AM 1 Share DENVER - A psychiatrist testified on Monday that Colorado theater gunman James Holmes chose a midnight screening of a movie to commit mass murder because he bel...
'Dark Knight' gunman wanted to avoid shooting kids Tuesday June 2nd, 2015 at 8:46 AM 1 Share DENVER - A psychiatrist testified on Monday that Colorado theater gunman James Holmes chose a midnight scre...
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2015-06-02Russia's economy contracts 4.2% in April - MarketWatch | » ​Are Americans

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Russia's economy contracts 4.2% in April - MarketWatch | » ​Are Americans blind to widening inequality? 02/06/15 16:03Russia's economy contracts 4.2% in April - MarketWatch Tuesday June 2 nd , 2015  at  3:19 PM Russia - Google News 1 Share Omaha World-Herald Russia's  economy contracts 4.2% in April MarketWatch MOSCOW-- Russia's  economic contraction deepened in April as i...
Russia's economy contracts 4.2% in April - MarketWatch Tuesday June 2nd, 2015 at 3:19 PM Russia - Google News 1 Share Omaha World-Herald Russia's economy contracts 4.2% in April MarketWatch MOSCOW...
Blatter Resigns as FIFA Chief
One Million Smokers Win £8bn In Compensation Tuesday June 2 nd , 2015  at  2:41 PM World News - Breaking International News And Headlines | Sky News 1 Share A Canadian judge rules that tobacco companies failed to adequately warn consumers about the health r...
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One Million Smokers Win £8bn In Compensation Tuesday June 2nd, 2015 at 2:41 PM World News - Breaking International News And Headlines | Sky News 1 Share A Canadian judge rules that tobacco companies f...

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2015-06-03Obama: "I want to, I would love to, I am all for it, I am all itching

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Obama: "I want to, I would love to, I am all for it, I am all itching so bad, but my "Mommy", the Bundes-Chancellor wouldn't let me..." - Lethal aid to Ukraine, Obama and MerkelLethal aid to Ukraine, Obama and Merkel   or Obama's exercise in outsourcing the Ukranian Freedom:  "И хочется и колется, да моя "Мамка" (Бундес-Канцлер) не велит..." Obama: "I want to, I would love to, I am all for it, I am all itching so bad, but my "Momm...
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Lethal aid to Ukraine, Obama and Merkel  or Obama's exercise in outsourcing the Ukranian Freedom:  "И хочется и колется, да моя "Мамка" (Бундес-Канцлер) не велит..." Obama: "I want to, I would love to, I am all fo...
Russia's Online Assault Evaporates Internet Freedom - Voice of America | Hammer-wielding raiders storm human rights group offices in Chechnya | Ukraine Live Day 471: Russian-Backed Forces Launch Major Assaults North And South-West Of Donetsk | Shelling in east Ukraine kills at least three civilians - Globalnews.ca | After FIFA President Blatter's Resignation, Doubts Grow Over Russia, Qatar ... - Wall Street Journal | Барак Обама выступил против выделения Украине $300 млн военной помощи на условиях Сената - Коммерсантъ | Украина нашла способ компенсировать убытки от потери Крыма - Новости Крыма | Украина хочет получить собственность России как компенсацию за Крым - Radio Азаттык - Russia News Review»   Russia's Online Assault Evaporates Internet Freedom - Voice of America 03/06/15 08:32 from  Russia - Google News Voice of America Russia's Online Assault Evaporates Internet Freedom Voice of America WASHINGTON—. The recent threats by Russian authorities...
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Russia's Online Assault Evaporates Internet Freedom - Voice of America | Hammer-wielding raiders storm human rights group offices in Chechnya | Ukraine Live Day 471: Russian-Backed Forces Launch Major Assaults North And South-West Of Donetsk | Shelling in east Ukraine kills at least three civilians - Globalnews.ca | After FIFA President Blatter's Resignation, Doubts Grow Over Russia, Qatar ... - Wall Street Journal | Барак Обама выступил против выделения Украине $300 млн военной помощи на условиях Сената - Коммерсантъ | Украина нашла способ компенсировать убытки от потери Крыма - Новости Крыма | Украина хочет получить собственность России как компенсацию за Крым - Radio Азаттык - Russia News Review
» Russia's Online Assault Evaporates Internet Freedom - Voice of America 03/06/15 08:32 from Russia - Google News Voice of America Russia's Online Assault Evaporates Internet Freedom Voice of America WASHINGTON—. The recent t...
A bill authorizing US lethal arms deliveries to Ukraine in 2016 will be put up for vote in the US Senate later this week, after it cleared the US House in May. - Ukraine NewsUkraine News The US Congress has been considering supplying Ukraine with lethal military aid since the conflict in southeast flared up in spring 2014. The current level of assistance has been reduced to military training and millions of dollars worth of wha...
Ukraine News The US Congress has been considering supplying Ukraine with lethal military aid since the conflict in southeast flared up in spring 2014. The current level of assistance has been reduced to military training and ...
New Black Panther Party Members Who Met in Ferguson Admit Planning to Kill Prosecutor, Blow Up Police Station | » S. Korea test-fires missile that can strike all of N. Korea - Washington Post 03/06/15 05:57New Black Panther Party  |  war on police | war on cops  |  Obama and war on police  |  Urban unrest 2015 New Black Panther Party Members Who Met in Ferguson Admit Planning to Kill Prosecutor, Blow Up Police Station Wednesday June 3 rd , 2015  at  8:49 AM C...
New Black Panther Party | war on police | war on cops | Obama and war on police |  Urban unrest 2015 New Black Panther Party Members Who Met in Ferguson Admit Planning to Kill Prosecutor, Blow Up Police Station Wedne...

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Black Lives Matter Protesters Admit Plot to Bomb Police Station 

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Pair planned Michael Brown revenge attack.
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San Francisco’s Median Rent Hits a Ridiculous $4,225

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The whole Bay Area shows a rental market on fire.

How Deng Xiaoping Helped Create a Corrupt China - New York Times

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New York Times

How Deng Xiaoping Helped Create a Corrupt China
New York Times
The big news these days is the Communist Party's campaign against corruption. In the three years since the 18th Party Congress, which installed the current generation of China's leaders, the government has called on officials to “slay tigers and swat ...

Jihad in Boston

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Jihad in Boston: Knife-Wielding Terrorists Plotted to Behead Cops

Although early statements from the FBI and local authorities on Tuesday afternoon indicated Rahim was not considered an imminent threat to public safety, that opinion appears to have been revised overnight. “The FBI knew Usaama Rahim was armed and potentially dangerous and moved on him Tuesday morning when it appeared the threat he posed to uniformed officers in the Boston area had somehow increased,” sources told ABC News.
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    Chechen leader's show of strength muddies loyalty to Putin

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    Ramzan Kadyrov’s show of loyalty to Putin could be warning of Chechen forces’ huge potential
    Chechnya’s macho leader Ramzan Kadyrov is the most loyal of Vladimir Putin’s regional heads, at least in theory. Grozny’s central street is called Putin Avenue, and the lampposts lining it are adorned with the Russian tricolour. Putin’s portrait looks down from dozens of buildings across the city, and Kadyrov’s Instagram account, his main method of communication with the outside world, is full of protestations that he is a “foot soldier”, supremely loyal to Russia’s great leader.
    But recent events, especially the murder of Boris Nemtsov in Moscow, have led to renewed debate over whether the Kremlin’s political control over the region, won back after two gruesome wars in the post-Soviet years, may be loosening.
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    Official: Boston terror suspects wanted to behead cops

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    Last Updated Jun 3, 2015 1:55 PM EDT
    BOSTON - The terror suspects at the center of an investigation in the Boston area were actively plotting multiple attacks on law enforcement, including the possible beheading of police officers, a source tells CBS News.
    They had been discussing attack plans on social media, the law enforcement source told CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton.
    One suspect, David Wright, was taken into custody Tuesday by officers in Everett, Massachusetts. The other, Usaama Rahim, was killed earlier in the day after he pulled out a knife and lunged at a police officer and a FBI agent in Boston. He was under 24-hour surveillance at the time he was killed.
    "We believed he was a threat," Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said.
    Evans said the shooting was caught on nearby surveillance cameras, and the video shows police guns weren't drawn at first.
    "And they kept retreating, verbally giving commands to 'drop the weapon, drop the weapon,"' Evans said. "At some point the individual -- proximity came [so] close that the officers were in danger."
    Officials have shown video of the incident to members of Boston Muslim and civil rights communities in a closed-door meeting at police headquarters, CBS Boston reports. The surveillance video came from a nearby restaurant across the street from the scene.
    Abdullah Faaruuq, a frequent spokesperson for the Islamic Society of Boston, told reporters afterwards that the video was "inconclusive" about whether officers had to use deadly force on Rahim, but it did not appear they shot him in the back.
    "They might have approached him in a different way," Farooq said.
    Investigators said the video will not be released publicly at least until members of Rahim's family have had the opportunity to see it themselves.
    Rahim's brother, an Imam in a mosque in Oakland, tweeted that, before Rahim was shot, he was on the phone with his father and his last words were, "I can't breathe."
    "It's unfortunate that it feels like we've become a place where we shoot first and ask questions later," said Ali Samee, a member of the mosque. "This is deeply troubling and we're all very, very hurt right now."
    Usaama Rahim had been under surveillance by a Joint Terrorism Task Force and spreading online propaganda for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) before he was shot and killed on Tuesday, said U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee.
    The task force was investigating Usaama Rahim because he had been "communicating with and spreading ISIS propaganda online," the Texas Republican said. "These cases are a reminder of the dangers posed by individuals radicalized through social media."
    Sources told CBS News that Rahim and Wright were communicating with each other about attacks in the U.S., which is why Wright was arrested. Authorities continue to search for other people both Rahim and Wright were communicating with, the sources said.
    Wright is expected to appear in federal court in Boston Wednesday, according to Christina Sterling, a spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz.
    In the aftermath of the failed attack in Garland, Texas, the FBI increased surveillance and investigations of closed cases and perceived low priority threats.
    Recent intelligence bulletins have warned about homegrown violent extremists influenced by online propaganda from ISIS which has been urging attacks against law enforcement and military targets.
    Ibrahim Rahim has spent decades as an imam leading prayers and teaching moderation in Boston and around the country. He "is a great guy and preaches a very moderate form of Islam," said Yusufi Vali, executive director of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, where Usaama Rahim worked as a guard.
    After the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013, Ibrahim Rahim described Jihadis who promote terror as "hell-bent on Islam's destruction from within," and urged fellow Islamic leaders to drive "a mass recall of the rhetoric of hate and to suppress any and all human desire to harm others based on any contrived justification."
    The imam could not be reached for comment Wednesday. His e-mail said he was traveling to Boston to bury his brother.
    Boston voter registration records for Rahim list him as a student. Records indicate that as recently as two years ago he was licensed as a security officer in Miami, but they don't specify in what capacity. A spokeswoman said Rahim had worked for CVS since March.
    Vali said Usaama Rahim did not regularly pray at the center and did not volunteer there or serve in any leadership positions.
    © 2015 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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    Official: Terror suspects wanted to behead cops

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    After one terror suspect killed by Mass. police, and another taken into custody, officials begin detailing the case against them
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    US authorizes $300mln in lethal defensive aid and training to Ukraine

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    10:01, 15 May, 2015
    YEREVAN, MAY 15, ARMENPRESS: The United States authorized providing Ukraine defensive lethal aid and training that the country needs to protect its sovereignty, US Senate Armed Forces Committee Chairman John McCain said in a press conference, Armenpress reports, citing RIA Novosti.

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