The U.S. and Global Security Review - Blog by Michael Novakhov

ANKARA (Reuters) - Five days before Turkey is due to start taking back illegal migrants from Greece under a landmark deal with the European Union, uncertainty remains over how many will come, how they will be processed, and where they will be housed.

UK's Hammond Says Russia's Conduct 'A Threat To All Of Us'
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 12:27 PM

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond says Russia represents a threat to everyone because it disregards international norms. Answering questions at a news conference during a visit to Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, Hammond said it was time for Russia to play a constructive role on the world stage. (Reuters)

Militant interest in attacking nuclear sites stirs concern in Europe
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 12:27 PM

AP Top News At 11:58 A.M. EDT

PARIS/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Meter-thick concrete walls and 1950s-style analog control rooms help protect nuclear plants from bomb attacks and computer hackers, but Islamist militants are turning their attention to the atomic industry's weak spots, security experts say.

The Latest: Russia sending sappers to Syria’s Palmyraby Associated Press
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 12:27 PM

World

The Latest on Syria’s complex civil war (all times local):

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Obama shortens prison sentences for 61 drug offendersby By JOSH LEDERMAN
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 12:26 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama commuted the prison sentences of 61 drug offenders on Wednesday including more than a third serving life sentences, working to give new energy to calls for overhauling the U.S. criminal justice system....

Families of U.S. Diplomats, Military Personnel Urged to Leave Turkey
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:34 AM

Step seen as a reflection of worries over the wave of terrorist attacks in Turkey and elsewhere in Europe.

Photos of the Day: March 29
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:33 AM

In photos chosen Tuesday by Wall Street Journal editors, the Vietnam War is remembered, oil is cleaned up in Taiwan, children play at the Greek-Macedonian border and more.

Pentagon Readies More Robust U.S. Presence in Eastern Europe
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:33 AM

The Pentagon has drawn up plans to position American troops, tanks and other armored vehicles full-time along NATO’s eastern borders to deter Russian aggression.

Iran Will Continue Missile Program, Khamenei Says
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:33 AM

World News + Video | The Guardian

‘It’s the time of both missiles and dialogue,’ Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says.

Russian warplane crashes into Far East village, no one hurtby Associated Press
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:32 AM

World

Regional authorities in Russia’s Far East say a military jet has crashed into a village, but its pilot ejected safely and no one was hurt on the ground.

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Turkey: 23 Kurdish rebels killed in the southeastby Associated Press
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:32 AM

World

The Turkish military says 23 Kurdish rebels have been killed in security operations in the country’s primarily Kurdish southeast region.

Obama: drug abuse is a health problem, not a criminal one – video by Guardian Staff
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:31 AM

US president Barack Obama says the nation’s heroin and opioid epidemic should not be considered a criminal problem. Speaking at the National Prescription Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit in Atlanta on Tuesday, Obama says it’s time to stop viewing drug addiction through the lens of the criminal justice system

Sleep tight and don't let the sharks bite at Paris aquarium Airbnb offer by Reuters
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:31 AM

World News

Airbnb offering underwater bedroom to rent at the Paris Aquarium - surrounded by sharks

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Jennifer Lopez and Sting sing at wedding of Russian billionaire's son by Telegraph Reporter
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:31 AM

World News

Said Gutseriev marries student in lavish Moscow wedding with stars including Enrique Iglesias performing at reception

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Russian Police Convoy Bombed in Dagestan; 1 Dead, 4 Wounded - New York Times
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:30 AM

World - Google News

CBS News

Russian Police Convoy Bombed in Dagestan; 1 Dead, 4 Wounded
New York Times
MAKHACHKALA, Russia — A police convoy hit a bomb in Russia's restive North Caucasus, killing one person and wounding four others, a Russian official said Wednesday. Fatina Ubaydatova, police spokeswoman in the restive region of Dagestan, said the ...
ISIS claims bomb attack on Russia police in DagestanCBS News
Russia police say blast kills officer, Islamic State claims responsibilityReuters
Bombing of Russian police convoy in Dagestan kills 1 Fox News
Yahoo7 News-Jerusalem Post Israel News- Deutsche Welle-RT
all 27 news articles »

Bombs Planted By IS Removed From Historic Palmyra
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:29 AM

Syrian officials says 150 bombs planted by the Islamic State extremist group have been removed by demining experts in the historic town of Palmyra.

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Russian Boycott Of Nuclear Terrorism Summit Leaves U.S. ‘Scratching Our Heads’ by support@pangea-cms.com (Mike Eckel)
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:24 AM

Russia's decision not to attend the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C., has left many U.S. officials scratching their heads.

Latvia Blocks Russian Sputnik Site As Kremlin 'Propaganda Tool' by support@pangea-cms.com (RFE/RL)
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:24 AM

Latvian authorities shut down Russia's pro-Kremlin news site Sputnik on March 29, calling it a "propaganda tool" and drawing an immediate rebuke from Moscow.

Ukrainian Parties Fail To Form New Governing Coalitionby support@pangea-cms.com (RFE/RL)
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:24 AM

Last-minute demands raised by former Ukrainian President Yulia Tymoshenko's Fatherland party quashed hopes for a new governing coalition in Ukraine on March 29.

The Daily Vertical: Protecting Russia's Culture Of Terror (Transcript)
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:24 AM

How an autocratic regime chooses to prosecute its dissidents can be very revealing.

The Daily Vertical: Protecting Russia's Culture Of Terrorby support@pangea-cms.com (Brian Whitmore)
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:24 AM

The Daily Vertical is a video primer for Russia-watchers that appears Monday through Friday.

Lukashenka: Crisis In Ukraine's East Cannot Be Solved Without U.S.
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:23 AM

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says the ongoing crisis in eastern Ukraine cannot be solved without U.S. involvement.

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ISIS Fighters Laid Mines Around Palmyra’s Ancient Ruins Before Retreating, Syrians Sayby RICK GLADSTONE and HWAIDA SAAD
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:21 AM

Islamic State fighters were reported to have booby-trapped Palmyra’s archaeological treasures before retreating.

Nuclear Materials Remain Vulnerable to Theft, Despite U.S.-Led Effort by DAVID E. SANGER and WILLIAM J. BROAD
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:21 AM

Trucks transported highly enriched uranium in Kiev, Ukraine, in March 2012, part of an American-sponsored effort to remove from the country a stockpile of fuel large enough for eight or more nuclear bombs.

Op-Ed Columnist: When the Necessary Is Impossibleby THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:20 AM

Stabilizing Iraq and Syria depends on crushing ISIS and Shiites and Sunnis agreeing to share power.

Iran's Ayatollah: Missile program trumps talk - Fox News
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:13 AM

Exclusive: Russia, despite draw down, shipping more to Syria than removing
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:12 AM

MOSCOW (Reuters) - When Vladimir Putin announced the withdrawal of most of Russia's military contingent from Syria there was an expectation that the Yauza, a Russian naval icebreaker and one of the mission's main supply vessels, would return home to its Arctic Ocean port.

Khamenei: It is wrong to think Iran's future lies in talks, not missiles
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:09 AM

DUBAI (Reuters) - Those who say Iran's future lies in negotiations rather than missiles are wrong, the Islamic Republic's highest authority Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday, according to his website.

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Around 20 Islamic State recruiters arrested in Moscow: RIA
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:08 AM

AP Top News At 11:58 A.M. EDT

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Around 20 Islamic State followers were arrested in Moscow trying to recruit new fighters for the group, Russia's RIA news agency cited a security source as saying on Wednesday.

US to beef up military presence in Eastern Europeby By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:06 AM

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. officials say the Pentagon will be deploying an armored brigade combat team to Eastern Europe next February as part of the ongoing effort to rotate troops in and out of the region to reassure allies worried about threats from an increasingly aggressive Russia....

Another Car Explodes In Russia's Daghestan, Killing Police Officer
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:02 AM

A car exploded in Russia's North Caucasus region of Daghestan on March 30, killing one police officer and wounding another.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Backs Missile Programby THOMAS ERDBRINK
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 10:02 AM

NEWS: The World And Global Security Review

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei supported the tests and criticized a former president, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who has said that talks are more important.

» Headlines - 9:15 AM 3/30/2016 30/03/16 09:17 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks by Mike Nova (noreply@blogger.com)
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 9:53 AM

30/03/16 09:17 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks

Mike Nova's Shared NewsLinks Review

» Headlines - 9:15 AM 3/30/2016
30/03/16 09:17 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
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» Latest Plan to Rescue Puerto Rico Is Met With Disdain on Island
30/03/16 08:51 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . House Republicans released a draft of a rescue plan for Puerto Rico on Tuesday that they hoped could quickly garner bipartisan support and win over skeptics on the island, on Wall Street and in Congress. The ...

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Headlines - 9:15 AM 3/30/2016by Mike Nova (noreply@blogger.com)
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 9:17 AM

NEWS: The World And Global Security Review

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Sites – News by mikenova
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 9:00 AM

Sites And Names

Sites – News

Sites and Names

Sites and Names – sitesandnames.net

News Sites and Blogs – Sites and Names
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The World Web News
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Latest Plan to Rescue Puerto Rico Is Met With Disdain on Island
Wednesday March 30th, 2016 at 8:51 AM

House Republicans released a draft of a rescue plan for Puerto Rico on Tuesday that they hoped could quickly garner bipartisan support and win over skeptics on the island, on Wall Street and in Congress.

The plan, being drafted by Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee, in consultation with Democrats in Congress and the Treasury Department, calls for putting Puerto Rico’s finances under a presidentially appointed oversight board — a bitter pill to many on the island.

“This discussion draft will change,” said Representative Rob Bishop, Republican of Utah, who has been leading the drafting process. “We are releasing it now to encourage feedback.”

The plan would also establish guidelines for restructuring some portion of Puerto Rico’s $72 billion of debt, “where necessary.” While Puerto Rico would not be granted standing to seek relief in bankruptcy — something its leaders wanted — it could get some of the legal tools found in bankruptcy as long as it first jumps through a number of hoops.

Creditors’ demands for immediate payment would be halted for 18 months, for example, much as creditor lawsuits are automatically stayed in bankruptcy cases. Under certain circumstances Puerto Rico would also have the authority to impose losses on unwilling creditors — an extraordinary power that is normally available only in bankruptcy. The oversight board’s duties would include keeping Puerto Rico from abusing that power.

To some on the island, any federal oversight board at all is a deal-breaker.

Shortly after a summary of the committee’s approach began to circulate late last week, the governor of Puerto Rico, Alejandro García Padilla, denounced it as “shameful and degrading,” and something that would deprive the island “of its own government.”

The president of the Puerto Rican Senate, Eduardo Bhatia, said upon reading the proposal that he was deeply offended by the way it was written, which he said “was from the 18th century,” evoking “the worst colonial subjugations.”

Congressional staff must work at a pace seldom seen in Washington these days, because between May 1 and July 1 Puerto Rico owes debt payments totaling around $2.4 billion. By setting up a legal framework before that, Congress may be able to prevent the chaos and devastation of a disorderly default.

That means devising a package acceptable both to Democrats, who tend to support debt relief for Puerto Rico, and to conservative Republicans, who see debt relief as a bailout that would unacceptably reward profligacy.

Getting a bill onto President Obama’s desk for signature would also mean finding common ground with Senate Republicans, who have seemed less willing to assist Puerto Rico, citing its failure to make required financial disclosures.

Given the need to act quickly, House aides said, lawmakers were trying not to be “overly prescriptive,” and were leaving many details of the rescue plan for the five appointed and two ex-officio oversight board members to sort out. They said they hoped to have a bill ready to be introduced when Congress returns from Easter recess in April.

Mr. García Padilla has been calling Puerto Rico’s $72 billion of debt “unpayable” for almost a year, and asking Congress for extraordinary powers to reduce it. If there had to be an oversight board in the process, the governor had envisioned it made up primarily of people from Puerto Rico.

On Saturday, he called for candidates for governor from all parties on the island to form a united front to block the package as written.

Mr. Bhatia said that as Senate president, he knew enough about the legislative process to know the package would be revised. “It has to be amended, because as written it is not going to pass,” he said.

All over the island, people have been taking on the airwaves and social media to hash out their thoughts about the rescue plan, even though almost none of them had seen a copy of it.

Large numbers seemed to disagree with the governor, saying they would accept a federal oversight board. Some said they expected federal oversight to be like surgery — painful, but necessary to Puerto Rico’s recovery.

The small but well-regarded Puerto Rico Independence Party rejected outright the governor’s calls for unified opposition, saying his longstanding support for Puerto Rico’s territorial status made unity impossible.

And in Washington, Puerto Rico’s nonvoting member of Congress, Pedro Pierluisi, said that the governor’s position was “completely unrealistic.” He said that if Puerto Rico expected Washington to help it reduce its debts, then it should not be surprised when Washington wanted a closer look.

Mr. Pierluisi, a Democrat, also said that he had found dozens of things in the draft proposal that he thought should be changed, and that he planned to keep working with the Republicans.

Investors were less vociferous than critics on the island, but they still found fault with certain parts of the rescue package.

The Mainstreet Bondholders, an organization seeking to represent small investors, expressed concern about the idea of halting creditor lawsuits. The group said it wanted reassurances that no one would get preferential treatment.

Steve Spencer, a financial adviser to creditor groups, said the most troubling aspect he could see was the rescue plan’s “broad ‘cramdown’ provision.”

Cramdowns can happen when companies declare bankruptcy under Chapter 11. They are not, in general, controversial because Chapter 11 also gives creditors legal tools to fight them. But Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy also provides for cramdowns, and during the recent flurry of bankruptcies in places like Detroit and Stockton, Calif., creditors discovered that the law gave them no way to protect themselves.

Now, Mr. Spencer said, creditors see the same risk in the Puerto Rico rescue plan.

“The bill would retroactively eliminate an important investor protection, relied upon by millions of individual investors throughout the U.S. mainland and Puerto Rico,” he said in a statement on Tuesday. “As a result, the bill would transfer billions of dollars from retail investors and retirees to pay for Puerto Rico’s mismanagement and reckless spending.”

He said he hoped the people shaping the rescue plan would “remain open to stakeholder input — and we look forward to being a constructive part of that process.”

Mr. Pierluisi said everybody had a stake in getting a restructuring framework in place before the big defaults expected in May and July.

“If a bill does not become law, Puerto Rico and its creditors will almost certainly go over a cliff — together — this summer,” he said.

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Long Before Brussels, ISIS Sent Terror Operatives to Europeby RUKMINI CALLIMACHI
Tuesday March 29th, 2016 at 8:36 PM

NYT > Europe

Two years before the Paris and Brussels assaults, a special branch of the group was churning out smaller attacks that the authorities repeatedly discounted as isolated or random acts.

US Urges Greater Intelligence Sharing in Europe After Attacksby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Tuesday March 29th, 2016 at 8:36 PM

Voice Of America

The United States says more "can and must be done" with regards to boosting intelligence sharing in Europe following last week's deadly terror attacks in Brussels. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the attacks at the Brussels airport and metro are a reminder of how important it is for the "basic fundamentals of intelligence and national security procedures" to be followed. He reiterated U.S. support for Belgium during its investigation. Belgium's federal prosecutor said Monday authorities had to release a man widely reported to be a main suspect because there was no justification to hold him. Before his release, the man identified as Faycal C. faced preliminary charges of "taking part in a terrorist group, terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder." Media reports suggested his name was Faycal Cheffou and that he was believed to be the third individual seen in an airport security camera footage alongside the two men who blew themselves up there. It is not clear whether investigators believe he could be the man seen in the grainy CCTV photo, taken moments before the blast. Surveillance footage released Earlier Monday, police released more airport surveillance footage and asked the public for help in identifying the man, who was wearing a hat and a white jacket. All three men in the video were pushing suitcases, believed to be filled with explosives, through the airport departure hall. Two of the men were killed in the blasts. The third man, whose bomb failed to explode, has been the subject of an intense manhunt. The attacks killed 35 people and wounded around 300 others. Ongoing raids Authorities have carried out repeated raids in and around the capital, in an attempt to disrupt what appears to be a tight-knit and expansive terrorist network. On Monday, Brussels prosecutors charged three people with involvement in a terrorist group. The men charged were identified as Yassine A., Mohamed B. and Aboubaker O. No other details were released, and the prosecutors did not directly say whether the suspects were involved in the Brussels attack.

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Russia becomes world's top gold buyer - RT
Tuesday March 29th, 2016 at 8:35 PM

RT	Russia becomes world's top gold buyer RT In June 2015, the First Deputy Governor of the Central Bank Dmitry Tulin said the regulator intends to increase Russia's international reserves to $500 billion within three to five years. The Central Bank had previously been spending the reserves to ...

The Daily Vertical: Kadyrov's Big Bluff Pays Offby support@pangea-cms.com (Brian Whitmore)
Tuesday March 29th, 2016 at 8:35 PM

The Daily Vertical is a video primer for Russia-watchers that appears Monday through Friday.

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Russia's Demography Is Looking Different From The Brezhnev-Era Stagnation - Forbes
Tuesday March 29th, 2016 at 8:34 PM

Forbes

Russia's Demography Is Looking Different From The Brezhnev-Era Stagnation
Forbes
Russia's recent economic performance, that is the nasty recession it entered last year along with comprehensive Western sanctions against its banking system, have raised the specter of “stagnation.” Barely a day goes by without another Western outlet ...

Russian Medals Order Could Indicate Number Of Syria Troopsby support@pangea-cms.com (Anna Shamanska)
Tuesday March 29th, 2016 at 8:34 PM

The Russian Defense Ministry is seeking to have 10,300 medals manufactured for “participants in the military operation in Syria,” in what appears to be the closest official indication of the number of people who served in Russia’s six-month military incursion in Syria.

Woody Allen's ‘Cafe Society’ to Open Cannes Film Festivalby webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)
Tuesday March 29th, 2016 at 8:33 PM

Voice Of America

Woody Allen's "Cafe Society" will kick off this year's Cannes film festival, organizers said on Tuesday, the third time the acclaimed American writer and director has opened the event with one of his movies. Allen has previously opened the prestigious annual festival, held in the south of France, with "Hollywood Ending" in 2002 and "Midnight in Paris" in 2011. "Cafe Society", which stars "The Social Network" actor Jesse Eisenberg and "Twilight" actress Kristen Stewart, will screen out of competition on May 11. The movie is the 14th out of competition screening at Cannes for Allen, according to festival organizers. The film tells the story of a young man who arrives in Hollywood during the 1930s hoping to work in the film industry, falls in love, and finds himself swept up in the cafe society that defined the spirit of the age, they said in a statement. The 69th Cannes film festival will run from May 11-22. "Mad Max" director George Miller will head the competition jury.

Russia's campaign in Syria to bring billions in new defense contracts - Pravda
Tuesday March 29th, 2016 at 8:33 PM

Pravda

Russia's campaign in Syria to bring billions in new defense contracts
Pravda
The special operation of the Russian Air Force in Syria gave the Russian defense industry an invaluable opportunity to test different types of arms in combat action. Having witnessed the efficiency of Russian arms in Syria, foreign customers evinced ...

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Memo From Moscow: Russia Shows What Happens When Terrorists’ Families Are Targeted by ANDREW E. KRAMER
Tuesday March 29th, 2016 at 8:32 PM

NYT > Europe

Donald J. Trump was widely condemned when he called for the United States to “take out the families” of terrorists. But Russia has been doing that for years.

Europe|Russia Shows What Happens When Terrorists' Families Are Targeted - New York Times
Tuesday March 29th, 2016 at 8:32 PM