ISIS fight in Iraq not hindered by 'Green Zone' breach in Baghdad: Pentagon by Carlo Muñoz Monday May 2nd, 2016 at 4:26 PM

ISIS fight in Iraq not hindered by 'Green Zone' breach in Baghdad: Pentagon 

1 Share
Recent political turmoil in Iraq culminating in an unprecedented breach of the highly-fortified "Green Zone" by Shi'ite protesters in Baghdad over the weekend will not hinder U.S.-led military operations against the Islamic State, the Pentagon said Monday.
Military officials have found no indication that the protesters, followers of influential Shi'ite ...

Carter: NATO considering rotational ground force in Baltics

1 Share
STUTTGART, Germany (AP) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says the NATO alliance is considering establishing a rotational ground force in the Baltic states and possibly Poland as a deterrent to Russian aggression.
Carter made the comment to reporters flying with him Monday to Stuttgart, Germany, home of the U.S. ...

ISIS-linked hackers post target list of New Yorkers along with their address  | Daily Mail Online 

1 Share
Thousands of ordinary New Yorkers were boggled to discover their names were on an ISIS hit list posted by the Caliphate Cyber Army when the FBI contacted them in recent weeks.

Thugs beat teen in Queens hate crime | New York Post

1 Share
A 19-year-old man was beaten in broad daylight by three young thugs who called him “Arab” and shouted “ISIS” in a bias attack in Queens this week, authorities said Saturday.The violence broke

Puerto Rico faces default as governor plans to address island | Reuters 

1 Share
Puerto Rico, a tropical paradise in economic purgatory, faces a $70 billion debt bill it knows it cannot pay, a staggering 45 percent poverty rate and a shrinking population as its U.S. citizens flee to the mainland.Though island agencies have defaulted in the past, they have been small and isolated. A default by GDB, which acts as the government’s main depositary and source of liquidity, could reverberate through the local economy.

Washington DC chemical leak after CSX freight train derails – BBC News 

1 Share
A freight train derails in Washington DC, spilling hazardous liquid, but no injuries are reported and no evacuation orders are issued.
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 2

M.N.: The very strange and puzzling case against V. Bukovsky...

1 Share
M.N.: The very strange and puzzling case against V. Bukovsky. I believe that it is entirely possible that the "forbidden pedophilic images" were somehow planted into his computer by Russian intelligence services or their equivalents. Given all this hullabaloo with cybersecurity these days and the "achievements" of  Russian hackers, it would not be surprising at all. It would also fit neatly into the evident, counteracting "anti-Putin pedophilia narrative", apparently pursued actively by "his post-Soviet majesty's" servants. The most poignant thing is that this affair pits such a figure as V. Bukovsky against the British judicial system, which he called "Kafkaesque". I guess, some people in some Moscow offices rub their hands with glee and satisfaction. This "case", I am sure, is watched by many and it might produce some investigative, legal, cyber and political lessons to learn. 

Russian dissident, who was a close friend of Litvinenko, is protesting at ‘Kafkaesque’ judicial system in UK. Source:Vladimir Bukovsky: ‘I’m on hunger strike for the British public’ | World news | The Guardian


Read the whole story
 
· ·

Vladimir Bukovsky: ‘I’m on hunger strike for the British public’ | World news | The Guardian 

1 Share
Russian dissident, who was a close friend of Litvinenko, is protesting at ‘Kafkaesque’ judicial system in UK

First NATO-Russia Meeting In Over 2 Years Goes Horribly - Daily Caller

1 Share

First NATO-Russia Meeting In Over 2 Years Goes Horribly
Daily Caller
The first meeting between NATO and Russia in nearly two years ended in representatives trading accusations, creating more tension than existed before. Historically, the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) has met regularly to resolve disputes and discuss various ...

Why Islamic State Is Down But Not Out

1 Share
Islamic State may have lost territory in Syria and Iraq, but the terror group has increased the tempo of its ground operations in both countries in the past three months, pulling off the highest quarterly attack total since it overran the Iraqi city of Mosul in June 2014, according to a new battlefield analysis. While the IS attacks have not seen the militants wrest back any substantial chunks of its shrinking self-proclaimed caliphate, the ferocity and pace of the group’s attacks are testimony to its continued durability and resourcefulness, highlighting the challenge its various foes face in defeating it.    “Following territorial losses, we are seeing a steady upward trend in the tempo of Islamic State operations worldwide, but particularly in Syria and Iraq,” warns Matthew Henman, head of Jane’s Terrorism & Insurgency Center, part of the U.S.-based analysis firm IHS. Attacks on rise “Attack and fatality numbers have jumped.  The group is resorting more and more to mass-casualty violence as it comes under heavy pressure from multiple angles,” he added. There were 891 IS attacks during the first quarter of 2016 in Iraq and Syria, more than in any three-month period since mid-2014, when the terror group made sweeping advances across both countries.  The 2016 attacks have killed 2,150 people, a 44 percent rise over the previous quarter and the highest three-month death toll in almost a year, according to the IHS analysis. U.S. officials estimate IS has lost about 40 percent of the territory it once held in Iraq and nearly 25 percent in Syria.  The serious loss of territory began with the fall of Tikrit last May to Shi’ite Iraqi militias.  In December, Iraqi government forces took back the western Iraqi city of Ramadi. Russian-backed Syrian regime forces recaptured the town of Palmyra from the militants last March. IS recalibrating The accumulating battlefield losses for the terror army were greeted as a serious setback for an organization that once boasted it would “remain and expand.”  Last month IHS concluded in another report the tide had turned decisively against the extremist organization in Syria.  IS has failed to pull-off a successful large-scale ground offensive in Syria since May 2015 when it captured Palmyra after a lightning offensive across the desert, but it has learned to recalibrate its battlefield tactics to better evade airstrikes by using highly mobile small-force attacks, say analysts. In Iraq, IS has managed to slow advances on Mosul using snipers, improvised explosive devices, suicide bombers and small-force attacks.  When they lose villages, attacking forces have to spend considerable amounts of time sweeping for mines and clearing out booby-trap bombs. And since the successful Russian-backed assault by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Palmyra, the grabbing back of territory from IS has been painfully slow, with the various alliances against it grappling with their own internal problems and disunity or distracted by targeting other foes. Iraqi government forces have been bogged down for weeks on the outskirts of the village of Al-Nasr, 56 kilometers south of Mosul.  IS has battered back assaults on the village, which reportedly had been designated for capture more than a month ago.  Iraqi Kurdish fighters have publicly complained at the slow pace of movement by Iraqi government forces, which are in the lead. Key ingredient missing According to analysts, one key ingredient in fighting IS is missing as local tribes are not turning en masse against Islamic militants in either Syria or Iraq.  U.S. and anti-IS coalition allies have been seeking to replicate the Sunni Awakening of 2006, when a Washington-coaxed tribal uprising was a key element in assisting U.S. troops to drive al-Qaida jihadists from Iraq’s westernmost Anbar province. An expected flood of defecting tribesmen has not materialized, Charlie Winter, an analyst at Georgia State University’s Transcultural Conflict and Violence Initiative, told VOA earlier this year.  He said much of the reason for the absence of a tribal uprising lies with IS efforts to keep the tribes in line. “IS has been working on tribal relations for a very long time now.  The networking infrastructure IS has established, principally in the form of the Diwan al-'Asha'ir (Diwan for Tribal Outreach), enables it to anticipate and carefully respond to the complex tribal dynamics of Iraq and Syria.” It has also used brute force to discipline the tribes with massacres and collective punishment for any dissent or defiance.  With the high tempo of IS operations, locals who may have been tempted to break with the terror group are deterred from doing so, fearing the consequences. The highly complicated and sectarian politics unleashed by the micro-conflicts in the Syrian war and Iraq battles also pull against a tribal uprising.   And the sectarian disputes in Baghdad, which teetered on the edge of political chaos this past weekend when protesters led by Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr crowded the streets in front of the country’s parliament, will likely further disrupt the focus on Mosul.  U.S. officials fear the loss of political momentum and unity in Baghdad will lead to a loss of military momentum against the Islamic militants.

Read the whole story
 
· · · ·

May 2, 2016

1 Share
A look at the best news photos from around the world.

US Navy chief asks Russia to stop buzzing his ships - CBS News

1 Share

CBS News

US Navy chief asks Russia to stop buzzing his ships
CBS News
WASHINGTON -- Russian jets buzzing a U.S. military ship and planes in the Baltics are escalating tension between the two nations, the chief of naval operations said Monday. "My hope is that we can stop this sort of activity," Adm. John M. Richardson ...

and more »
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 3

В Венесуэле оппозиция представила 1,85 млн подписей за референдум по отзыву Мадуро - ТАСС

1 Share

Slon.ru - Редакция деловых новостей

В Венесуэле оппозиция представила 1,85 млн подписей за референдум по отзыву Мадуро
ТАСС
Согласно закону, заявка на референдум по вопросу отзыва президента должна содержать подписи 1% имеющих право голоса венесуэльцев - порядка 200 тыс. человек. Материал из 1 страницы. МЕХИКО, 2 мая. /Корр. ТАСС Иван Валюк/. Венесуэльские оппозиционеры передали в ... 
В Венесуэле перевели часы с целью экономии электричестваBBC Russian

Оппозиция Венесуэлы собрала подписи для референдума по отставке МадуроГазета.Ru
Венесуэла перевела часы ради экономии электричестваРосбалт.RU
ИА REGNUMНовости туризма Турции- РЫБИНСКonLine-Новости 24 часа - MyNewsOnline24.ru 
Все похожие статьи: 51 »

Islamic State Eradicating Afghan Poppy Crops

1 Share
The United States and the West have long targeted Afghan opium and heroin production. Now the industry has a new enemy: Islamic State (IS). Afghan opium farmers in areas under IS control told VOA's Afghan service that IS has started eradicating poppy crops in eastern parts of the country. IS has reportedly destroyed opium plants used for heroin production in Nangarhar's Achin and Dehbala districts and has warned farmers to find another cash crop. IS "eradicated our poppy crop because they say it is illegal," said Nawab, a local farmer who goes by his first name only. "I had a one-hectare well-grown poppy field. I did not grow wheat, and now I lost the poppy as well." Mohammad Naeem, an Achin resident, told VOA that IS militants destroyed poppy fields in the district and arrested a number of local people for growing poppy. "They say this plant is Haram [prohibited in Islam] … people had cultivated poppy in a few villages but it has been destroyed," Naeem said. Afghan eradication efforts The Afghan government has not confirmed the reports. However, a spokesperson for the Nangarhar governor said poppy plants have been cultivated for decades in some remote areas once controlled by the Taliban insurgent group, but now under IS rule. Afghanistan is responsible for more that 90 percent of the world's heroin, worth an estimated $3 billion a year, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Analysts say the Taliban netted some 30 percent of its annual revenue from the drug trade. The Afghan government last week kicked off its poppy eradication campaign in Nangarhar. With Western aid and expertise, the Afghan government has been trying to eradicate opium crops and help farmers turn to alternative farming. Poppy fields in Surkhrud and Behsud districts are located within six miles of the provincial capital city of Jalalabad. "We do not have an accurate survey about the size of poppy cultivated this year, but poppy eradication has started in the Surkhrud district," Idress Safi, the head of the poppy eradication campaign in Nangarhar, told VOA. But Nawab said the government will not help growers in areas under IS control. "The government so far has done nothing," said Nawab, who lost this year's opium production income.

Read the whole story
 
· ·

How freedom of speech is under attack in Bangladesh

1 Share
From: PBSNewsHour
Duration: 01:19

Brad Adams from Human Rights Watch explains how a recent string of murders targeting bloggers and activists in Bangladesh chills freedom of expression across the country.

White House gets assurances from Iraqis to protect U.S. personnel in Green Zone 

1 Share
The Obama administration said Monday it's received assurances from the Iraqi government that security forces in Baghdad are prepared to protect U.S. diplomatic staff in the wake of Shiite protesters breaching the famed walls of the "Green Zone" in the heart of the city.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest ...

Navy boss: Russian jets should stop buzzing US planes, ship

1 Share
WASHINGTON (AP) - Russian jets buzzing a U.S. military ship and planes in the Baltics are escalating tension between the two nations, the chief of naval operations said Monday.
"My hope is that we can stop this sort of activity," Adm. John M. Richardson told reporters at the Pentagon.
"I ...

Military Tests Unmanned Ship Designed to Cross Oceans - ABC News

1 Share

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Military Tests Unmanned Ship Designed to Cross Oceans
ABC News
The military is launching tests on the world's largest unmanned surface vessel — a self-driving, 132-foot ship designed to travel thousands of miles out at sea without a single crew member on board. The so-called "Sea Hunter" has the potential to ...
US military tests world's largest unmanned shipMinneapolis Star Tribune

all 5 news articles »
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 4

Carter: NATO considering rotational ground force in Baltics

1 Share
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says the NATO alliance is considering establishing a rotational ground force in the Baltic states and possibly Poland as a deterrent to Russian aggression.
     

Austria registers spike in far right extremist crime

1 Share
Austria’s interior ministry says xenophobic and racist crimes committed by far right sympathizers have spiked by more than 50 percent in a year, with Muslims, Jews and other minorities the main targets.

Colorado High Court Rules Local Bans on Fracking Are Illegal - Wall Street Journal

1 Share

Wall Street Journal

Colorado High Court Rules Local Bans on Fracking Are Illegal
Wall Street Journal
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday that municipalities can't bar hydraulic fracturing, a long awaited decision in a legal battle that has rippled across this energy rich state. In a pair of rulings, Colorado's high court found that measures passed ...
Colorado Supreme Court: State law pre-empts local fracking bans in Longmont, Fort CollinsThe Denver Channel 

all 27
 
Colorado Supreme Court rejects towns' attempts to ban frackingkfor.com

all 25 news articles »

Here’s Why China is Dictating Oil Supply

1 Share
Ship tracking data from Bloomberg shows that 83 supertankers carrying around 166 million barrels of oil are headed to China, which has stockpiled an impressive 787,000 barrels a day in the first quarter of 2016—the highest stockpiling rate since 2014.
While the world was speculating about oil prices plunging to $20 and $10 per barrel, China was busy stockpiling its reserves.
The chart below shows an increase in imports as crude prices collapsed. Since the beginning of this year, China has imported a record quantity of oil.
Back in January 2015, Reuters had reported that China planned to increase its strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) from 30 days to 90 days. In January 2016, it was revealed that China was buildingunderground storage to complement its above-ground storage tanks.
The Chinese urgency points to two things. China believes that crude oil prices will not remain at the current levels for long, and that a disruption is possible due to geopolitical reasons, which can propel oil prices higher.
As a net importer of crude, it is protecting itself against a black swan event and using the current low prices to fill its tanks. The filled up tanks will ensure a steady supply of crude for at least three months in case of a disruption.
Does the record buying spree by the Chinese indicate a bottom in crude oil prices?
That is difficult to conclude, but it does put a floor beneath the current lows, because in all likelihood, China will resume its record buying and top up its SPR if prices tank.
The total Chinese imports in March via the very large crude carriers was 7.7 million barrels a day. Other than the supertankers, China also imports oil through pipelines and small tankers.
The Chinese demand doesn’t show a huge uptick corresponding to the rise in imports. JP Morganestimates that in March, the total demand for oil in China was 10.3 million b/d, down 2.5 percent over the previous year and down 2.3 percent month on month, whereas the chart shows that imports are higher compared to the same period last year.
Crude oil prices have been on an upswing this month. The import data coming out of China for April will give a clue as to whether the Chinese demand remains intact at higher crude prices or the imports drop when prices rise.
If the demand drops following a rise in prices, we can assume that China doesn’t believe that the price rally will be sustained. At lower levels, Chinese buying might become a factor in deciding the bottom, as their increased imports will reduce the glut.
Similar to Saudi Arabia, which is a swing producer, China is acting like a swing consumer. However, as China doesn’t report its storage data, it is difficult to estimate how long this trend will continue.
Though other factors were involved in encouraging the bulls to buy at lower levels, the increased demand from China also helped in lapping up the excess production. If their imports drop, the world will return to the supply glut and oil prices will retrace back to the lower $30 s/b.
This article originally appeared on OilPrice.com
Read the whole story
 
· · ·

U.S. says Iraq's PM in 'strong position' amid political unrest

1 Share
STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi is in a strong position despite political unrest in Iraq, thanks in part to his battlefield successes and his commitment to a multi-sectarian state, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Monday.
  

Report: Investors May Have Profited From US Data Leaks

1 Share
New evidence suggests the playing field in the global financial markets may not be level for all investors. Some investors have been able to earn millions of dollars by making investment decisions on U.S. economic data that may have been leaked, according to a report issued Monday by the European Central Bank (ECB). ECB researchers focused on 21 market-moving announcements between 2008 and 2014. In seven cases, there was evidence of “substantial informed trading” before the data was...

Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 5

Carter: NATO considering rotational ground force in Baltics

1 Share
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says the NATO alliance is considering establishing a rotational ground force in the Baltic states and possibly Poland as a deterrent to Russian aggression.

U.S. Urges Russia To Free Jailed Journalist 'Immediately'

1 Share
The U.S. State Department has urged Russia to "immediately" free a journalist currently imprisoned on charges he calls politically motivated.

Photos of the Day: May 2

1 Share
A cruise ship sails into Havana from the U.S. for the first time in decades, a migrant camp beneath a Paris metro station is cleared, workers inspect tulip fields, and more.

U.S. Defense Secretary Says NATO Debating Rotational Ground Force In Baltic

1 Share
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says NATO is considering establishing a rotational ground force in the Baltic states and possibly Poland as a deterrent to Russian aggression.

Secrets Of The IS Files 

1 Share
From: skynews
Duration: 05:04

Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay reveals that details in the IS files obtained by Sky show collusion between the Assad regime and Islamic State.
SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skynews
For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps:

Donald Trump: I can win without Republican Party support

1 Share
From: FoxNewsChannel
Duration: 11:07

How will GOP presidential frontrunner's comments on party unity impact election? The debate continues on 'Outnumbered'
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 6

"Слив" документов по договору TIPP: давят ли США на ЕС?

1 Share
From: deutschewellerussian
Duration: 02:51

Немецким СМИ стали известны подробности договора о свободной торговле между США и ЕС. По мнению активистов, США пытаются надавить на своих европейских партнеров. Так ли это на самом деле?
Другие видео DW на сайте http://dw.com/russian или на канале DW (на русском) в YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/user/deutschewellerussian

Bill Clinton calls FBI probe into Hillary's emails 'a game'

1 Share
From: FoxNewsChannel
Duration: 05:24

Former president's comments raise eyebrows

"The original sin" - Iraq's sectarian state was doomed to fail

1 Share
From: france24english
Duration: 02:22

Subscribe to France 24 now: http://f24.my/youtubeEN
FRANCE 24 live news stream: all the latest news 24/7
http://f24.my/YTliveEN
Supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr stormed Baghdad's Green Zone to demand that the government break with vested interests and militias that are crippling the country, a political gridlock that's enabled Isis to hold vast swathes of territory. A turning point that'll save or doom the Iraqi state? More broadly, 13 years after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by a U-S-led coalition, how does Iraq hold it together between Shias, Sunnis and Kurds? And what role for outside players like the US and Iran?
Watch the full Debate here: http://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/debate/
Visit our website: http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en

A Word With: Sergei Filin of Bolshoi Ballet Discusses His Work and a 2013 Acid Attack 

1 Share
In New York to present a choreography prize, Mr. Filin talks about dance and how his life has changed since the attack, which damaged his eyesight.

Tensions Rising Ahead of South China Sea Ruling

1 Share
As the Philippines awaits an international arbitration ruling that challenges China's claims to nearly all of the South China Sea, it is becoming clear that regardless of which way the decision goes, the dispute is likely to intensify.   A ruling is expected in the coming weeks and, while China has made it clear that it rejects the entire procedure, many are already beginning to watch for signs of what actions China may take in response.   Some suggest that much like it has done elsewhere, Beijing may continue to expand its buildup of what U.S. Pacific Commander Admiral Harry Harris has called the “Great Wall of Sand.”   Since the Philippines filed a case with the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea in 2013, China has moved quickly to bolster its claims, reclaiming enough land on some features it controls in the South China Sea to create airstrips and other facilities.   China claims 'sovereignty’ Some believe China could start reclaiming land to build up Scarborough Shoal, a disputed reef China calls Huangyan Island.  The reef is a little less than 200 kilometers from Subic Bay, well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone or EEZ.   For now, Chinese officials haven’t ruled out the possibility.   Responding to questions about China’s possible response at a recent press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, "I want to reiterate that the Scarborough Shoal is an inherent part of the Chinese territory.  No matter what kind of action that China may take or not, it is something within the scope of China’s sovereignty.” China has long rejected what it calls international intervention in resolving the dispute and has argued claimants should hold bilateral negotiations instead.   Beijing argues growing U.S. military ties and presence in the region is what is really what is driving up tensions in the South China Sea - not its vast claims that cut into other countries EEZs.   US says not provoking anything U.S. officials say the buildup is not aimed at China.   "We are strengthening our military role in the region, both unilaterally and through this wide range of partnerships and alliances we have, but that isn't in order to provoke anything,” said U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter during a recent visit to the Philippines. “It's to continue to stand with the system of principles and peace and security that has kept, that has allowed this region to prosper for many decades here."   Clearly, concerns about Beijing’s intentions and actions in the region are having an impact and boosting cooperation, much to the displeasure of Chinese officials.   Last month, a flotilla of vessels from Japan visited the Philippines, the first such visit to include a submarine in 15 years.  During his visit to the Philippines, which confirmed a boost in the United States military presence there, Ash Carter also visited an aircraft carrier that was operating in the South China Sea. The United States, Britain and others have urged Beijing to abide by the decision when it is finally announced.  But China is showing no signs of shifting its stance.   China drumming up support And as international support is growing for the Philippines before the ruling, which some believe is likely to tilt in Manila’s favor, China is trying to drum up support as well.   During recent meetings, Russia put its weight behind Beijing, arguing against so-called international interference in South China Sea disputes.  Three Southeast Asian nations, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei, have also voiced support for countries handling the disputes bilaterally, but only one of them actually has claims in the disputed waters. Also, the U.S. aircraft carrier John C. Stennis, the same vessel Defense Secretary Carter boarded last month, was recently denied entry to Hong Kong, an apparent slap on the wrist to Washington.

Read the whole story
 
· · ·

IS Files Reveal Assad's Deals With Militants

1 Share
Islamic State forces pulled out of Palmyra in co-operation that has been going on for years, documents handed to Sky News show.

Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 7

Berlin airport 'whistleblower poisoned'

1 Share
German prosecutors investigate allegations that a senior engineer was poisoned in relation to an ongoing corruption scandal hanging over Berlin's new airport.

DNA secrets of Ice Age Europe unlocked

1 Share
Genetic analysis unlocks the secrets of Europe's Ice Age inhabitants.

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough: FBI May Be Pressured Politically to Drag Out Clinton E-Mail Investigation - LawNewz

1 Share

LawNewz

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough: FBI May Be Pressured Politically to Drag Out Clinton E-Mail Investigation
LawNewz
On Morning Joe on Monday, former congressman turned MSNBC host Joe Scarborough questioned the length of time that the FBI has spent investigating Hillary Clinton over her use of a private e-mail server while serving as secretary of state. Scarborough ...

and more »

Satire Is Thriving in Russia, While Many Russians Aren't - Newsweek

1 Share

Newsweek

Satire Is Thriving in Russia, While Many Russians Aren't
Newsweek
05_13_RussiaSatire_01 A puppet of Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, whispers to a puppet of former Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, June 29, 2000 on the set of satirical television show Kukly. NTV refused to remove Putin's puppet from the show after ...
Putin reshuffles Russia's law enforcement structuresReuters

all 57 news articles »

Убить компроматом? - YouTube

1 Share
Published on Apr 21, 2016
Бывший советский диссидент Владимир Буковский, которого прокуратура Великобритании подозревает в изготовлении и хранении детской порнографии, объявил голодовку в знак протеста против своего уголовного преследования. Об этом он сообщил в среду в своем блоге на сайте "Эхо Москвы".
Буковский заявляет, что против него ведется преднамеренная кампания дискредитации и преследования. "Эта спецоперация ФСБ, в отличие от множества предыдущих подобных попыток, почему-то активно поддерживается правоохранительными органами Великобритании", – пишет он.
Писатель подчеркнул, что его голодовка продлится до тех пор, пока обвинения не будут сняты.

Владимир Буковский – один из самых непримиримых критиков внутренней и внешней политики России и лично президента Владимира Путина. В 2007 году он выдвигался кандидатом в президенты России, однако ему было отказано в регистрации. В 2009 году Буковский вошел в политсовет оппозиционного движения "Солидарность". С 1976 года писатель живет в Великобритании. В апреле 2015 года кембриджская королевская прокуратура предъявила ему обвинение в изготовлении и хранении "непристойных детских фотографий". В ответ Буковский подал в суд на британскую прокуратуру, обвинив ее в клевете и превышении служебных полномочий.

Кто и в чем обвиняет советского диссидента? - обсуждают правозащитник Сергей Григорьянц, политэмигрант Даниил Константинов, сам Владимир Буковский.
Ведущий - Владимир Кара - Мурза - старший.
Read the whole story
 
· ·

Православный Первомай 

1 Share
From: SvobodaRadio
Duration: 07:15

Совпадение Первомая и Православной христианской Пасхи вывело на улицы Москвы десятки тысяч людей: коммунистов, социалистов, профсоюзных деятелей, анархистов, феминисток и активистов ЛГБТ-сообщества. Все акции были согласованы с властями, однако без задержаний не обошлось.
Ссылка на источник - http://www.svoboda.org/media/video/27711321.html
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 8

Moscow Moves To Alleviate Major Ecological Problem In North Ossetia 

1 Share
For years, activists in Vladikavkaz, capital of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, have demanded the closure of the Elektrotsink metallurgical plant, a major source of environmental pollution.

FBI Hacking Authority Expanded By Supreme Court - InformationWeek

1 Share

InformationWeek

FBI Hacking Authority Expanded By Supreme Court
InformationWeek
In June last year, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), wrote a letter toFBI Director James Comey inquiring about government-authorized hacking. "Obviously, the use of such capabilities by the government can raise serious privacy ...
Supreme Court Allows FBI to Hack Any Computer Anywhere With a WarrantNewsweek
Supreme Court: FBI Hacking Ability To Be Expanded By Court RulingThe Inquisitr
Supreme court grants FBI massive expansion of powers to hack computersThe Guardian
Gizmodo -TechWeekEurope UK -ExtremeTech
all 97 news articles »

iPhone user told to give FBI the finger - Computerworld

1 Share

Computerworld

iPhone user told to give FBI the finger
Computerworld
An iPhone user was ordered to unlock her iPhone with a fingerprint. The FBI argued Paytsar Bkhchadzhyan's iPhone contained evidence in a gang-related crime. Wait, doesn't the Fifth Amendment prevent cops from forcing people to unlock phones?
FBI Won't Reveal Vulnerability that Unlocked iPhoneNewsFactor Network
FBI granted federal court warrant forcing suspect to unlock iPhone using Touch ID9 to 5 Mac
FBI Makes Official Its Decision to Keep Apple iPhone Hack SecretThe Indian Panorama (registration)

all 20 news articles »

What The Bangladesh SWIFT Hack Teaches About The Future Of Cybersecurity And Cyberwar 

1 Share
The most important lesson learned from the Bangladesh central bank cyber heist this past February is that we live in a world now in which looting a central bank of tens of millions of dollars is no longer the plot line of a summer blockbuster. It's actually relatively easy.

Muslim Labour candidate, favored to win, shapes London mayoral race 

1 Share
With Britain struggling to integrate minorities, Sadiq Khan is favored to win the election on Thursday, which would make him the first Muslim to lead the city and give a boost to the Labour Party.

Syrian civil war: "Everyone has an enemy on this battlefield"

1 Share
From: france24english
Duration: 07:27

Subscribe to France 24 now :
http://f24.my/youtubeEN
FRANCE 24 live news stream: all the latest news 24/7
http://f24.my/YTliveEN
US Secretary of State John Kerry has once more called for cooperation from Russia as he begins urgent talks in Geneva aimed at bolstering a fragile ceasefire in Syria.
Visit our website :
http://www.france24.com
Subscribe to our YouTube channel :
http://f24.my/youtubeEN
Follow us on Twitter :
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 9

Protesters Leave Iraqi Parliament Building, But Vow to Return

1 Share
Baghdad is largely back to normal after it teetered on the edge of political chaos. Anti-government protesters who had taken over the Iraqi parliament building disbanded in a mostly peaceful fashion as loud speaker announcements urged them to leave. On Saturday, protesters led by Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr crowded the streets in front of the country’s parliament and poured into the heavily secured Green Zone, or International Zone (IZ), which is home to the Iraqi government building...

Car Bomb Kills Shi'ite Pilgrims in Iraq

1 Share
A car bomb has killed at least 13 Shi'ite pilgrims in Baghdad on the anniversary of the death of a revered 8th century religious leader. Police and medical sources say at least 28 others, including women and children, were wounded. A parked car containing explosives detonated Monday in the southwestern Saydiyah neighborhood, as Shi'ite Muslims conducted an annual pilgrimage to Imam Moussa al-Kadhim's shrine in northern Baghdad. There was no immediate claim of...

Swiss intelligence monitoring online activity of 400 possible jihadists

1 Share
BERN (Reuters) - Swiss authorities were monitoring the social media activity of about 400 possible jihadists who might pose a security threat, the NDB federal intelligence service said on Monday.
  

Talks Seek to Extend Fragile Syrian Truce to Northern City of Aleppo 

1 Share
A sharp rise in violence has left the city in ruins, but Secretary of State John Kerry said negotiations in Geneva were progressing.

Afghanistan’s Ghani Expedites Executions

1 Share
Afghanistan's president is expected to soon sign the execution orders for prisoners who have been convicted on terrorism-related charges. Ashraf Ghani promised to expedite the execution process for insurgents sentenced to death, following the April 19 explosion in Kabul that killed 64 people and wounded an additional 300.   The president's vow came one day before the Taliban asked human rights organizations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene on...

Kerry sees hope of extending truce to Syria's Aleppo - Reuters

1 Share

Reuters

Kerry sees hope of extending truce to Syria's Aleppo
Reuters
AMMAN/GENEVA U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday talks were closer to extending a Syrian truce to Aleppo, the divided northern city where a sharp escalation of violence in recent weeks has torpedoed peace talks and left a ceasefire in ...
Kerry Seeks Path to Calm in Syria, Holds Talks in GenevaABC News
"Critical hours" for US push to salvage hope for SyriaCBS News
The Latest: Red Cross says aid delivered to Syria townFox News
Voice of America -Politico -Hindustan Times -Xinhua
all 145 news articles »
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 10

Turkish PM loses authority over party appointments in boost to Erdogan

1 Share
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's ruling AK Party has taken authority to appoint provincial party officials away from Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in a move seen reducing his power over grass roots supporters and consolidating the influence of President Tayyip Erdogan.
  

Killing of 5 Egyptians Deepens Mystery Over Italian’s Death

1 Share
It was a brutal killing that became an international incident: An Italian graduate student disappeared from the streets of the Egyptian capital in January, his mutilated body discovered days later dumped by a roadside. Giulio Regeni’s death quickly poisoned ties between Egypt and Italy, where suspicions were high that Egyptian police – who have long been accused of using torture and secret detentions – snatched the 28-year-old and killed him. Egyptian officials – as high up as President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, in a national address – have denied any police role. But in the months since the slayings, the Italian government has hiked the pressure for answers. Then in March came a surprise twist. Egyptian police announced they had killed a gang of five Egyptian men they said specialized in kidnapping and robbing foreigners and, while searching the gang leader's sister's home, came upon Regeni's passport. Government media proclaimed that Regeni's killers had been found. The claim was immediately dismissed by Italian officials, with some Italian media calling it an outright cover-up. Even the editor-in-chief of Egypt's top government newspaper, Al-Ahram, wrote that Egyptian authorities had to get serious about uncovering the truth and that such “naive stories” about Regeni's death were only hurting the country. Questions arise Now accounts from witnesses and family members interviewed by The Associated Press raise further questions about the official version of the March 24 shooting in a wealthy suburban enclave outside Cairo. The Interior Ministry said security forces hunting for the gang stopped their minibus and the men opened fire on them, prompting a gun battle in which all five were killed. But witnesses say that the men were unarmed and tried to flee as police fired on them, and that afterward police confiscated footage from nearby security cameras. The men's relatives say they were house painters merely heading to a job in the suburb, Tagammu al-Khamis, when they were killed. “I am accusing the Interior Ministry of trying to cover up their wrong deeds by killing my family,” said Rasha Tareq Saad, whose husband, brother and father were among those killed. “I want my family's rights.” The AP spoke to six witnesses in Tagammu al-Khamis as well as six relatives and lawyers of the slain men. No video footage from the shooting has emerged, so their accounts could not be independently verified. Other family members have been arrested, and their lawyers say they have not been allowed to see investigators' reports on the shooting. Asked about their accounts, Interior Ministry spokesman Abu Bakr Abdel-Karim said he was not authorized to comment and referred questions to the prosecutor-general investigating the case. Repeated calls to the prosecutor-general's office went unanswered. A series of visits to the forensic agency, security headquarters in Cairo and the Tagammu al-Khamis police station were also unfruitful: Officers and prosecutors refused to speak to the AP.  The shooting adds a new layer to the mystery surrounding Regeni's slaying. The Italian Ph.D. student vanished after leaving his apartment January 25, the anniversary of the 2011 uprising that ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak. It was a tense day: Police were out in force to prevent demonstrations commemorating the day, and in the preceding days dozens of activists had been arrested. Regeni had been researching the labor movement, a sensitive subject in Egypt because labor activists are frequently protest organizers, and security agents are known to monitor activities by foreign researchers. The Interior Ministry has denied that police detained Regeni, and authorities have offered various possible scenarios for his death, including a personal dispute or a robbery. The day Regeni's body was found, a top police official said he died in a car accident – until investigators reported extensive signs of torture, including cigarette burns, broken bones and bruises from beatings. The announcement about the gang is the closest that authorities have come to an explanation for Regeni's slaying. Backed off claims Since the Italian reaction – including Rome withdrawing its ambassador from Cairo – Egyptian officials have avoided claiming the culprits have been found. In a speech this month, el-Sissi angrily rejected accusations that police were behind the Italian's death but he made no mention of any gang involvement. Interior Ministry spokesman Abdel-Karim has said that the gang was “a new variable'' but that Regeni's death was still under investigation. There has been no explanation of how the men allegedly obtained Regeni's passport if they were not his killers. Two witnesses told the AP the five men were not armed. They said seven police vehicles surrounded the minibus in which they were riding and opened fire on it around 6 a.m. As police sprayed the vehicle with bullets, several men jumped out and ran, only to be gunned down “in cold blood,'' one witness said. Afterward, police confiscated footage from security cameras at nearby houses, said the two witnesses as well as four others who saw the aftermath of the shooting. The bodies were left in the street for around 10 hours, the witnesses said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. The slain men included three members of a single family: 62-year-old Tareq Saad, his son, Saad, and his son-in-law, Salah Ali. A family friend, Mustafa Bakr, was killed as was the minibus driver, Ibrahim Farouk, 26. Announcing their deaths, the Interior Ministry said the five had criminal records and claimed their gang had been posing as policemen to abduct and rob foreigners. It listed a string of nine robberies in the past months in which they allegedly were involved, though none bore any mention of kidnappings. All except the younger Saad had past offenses but nothing involving theft, their relatives acknowledge. Tareq Saad and Ali were jailed for two years in the mid-2000s for impersonating police officers, after they were arrested at a checkpoint for carrying a police ID card, said Tareq Saad's son, Sameh. Later, he said, the two were jailed for drug possession. Bakr served 15 years in prison for drug offenses, according to his ex-wife's uncle, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Rasha Saad, Ali's wife and Tareq Saad's daughter, said police were well acquainted with the family and often raided their homes in the lower-class Cairo district of Shubra al-Kheima after the men's release from prison. She said her husband was a house painter and got a call from a client to paint a villa in Tagammu al-Khamis, and she showed the AP photos of past jobs he'd done. She said she suspected her husband was secretly having an affair so she asked her father and brother to go with him, along with Bakr, a friend of her father. Sameh Saad, who went to the morgue with his sister to identify the bodies, said he was shocked by the injuries. All five were riddled with bullet wounds and “the heads were blown up so much you could see the bones of the skull,” he said.  Later that day, police searched the house of one of Tareq Saad's sisters and said they found Regeni's passport, his university ID and other items in a bag decorated with the Italian flag. They arrested Tareq Saad's wife, one of his brothers and the sisters, along with her husband and son, on suspicion of hiding stolen goods. Days later, police arrested Bakr's ex-wife and her two sons, witnesses said. Police photos of the bag's contents showed a man's black wallet, a woman's pocketbook with the word “love” on it, a watch and several pairs of sunglasses. Rasha Saad said the pocketbook belonged to her mother and the watch to her brother, Sameh. The wallet was her husband's and he carried it at all times, she said, causing her to suspect it was planted along with the other possessions. ``They took the wallet from his jeans and put it in the bag,'' she said. The siblings said their father, brother and Ali were in the Nile Delta region of Sharqiya on January 25, the day that Regeni disappeared in Cairo. Choking back tears, Ali's mother, Umm al-Hassan, said, the police killed her son “and now they are the ones investigating the case. Everything is in their hands. They control everything.” It appeared the driver, 26-year-old Farouk, had little connection to the other men.  While the authorities quickly announced the identities of the four men, they initially listed the fifth as “unknown,'' until days later when they identified him as a gang member as well. A lawyer for Farouk's family, Abdel-Wahab Youssef, told the AP that he had been refused access to forensic reports or investigation documents in the case. “The secrecy of the investigation raises suspicions. They tell me these are instructions from the top prosecutor,” he said.

Read the whole story
 
· · · · ·

TTIP leak could spell the end of controversial trade deal, say campaigners 

1 Share
Documents shed unprecedented light on controversial agreement, which includes provisions to allow US companies to help change European law and weaken consumer protections

Russia's Economic Pain Reveals Limits to Putin's Power - New York Times

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

New questions arise about House Democratic caucus’s loyalty to Obama | » Democrats Stymie Obama on Trade 12/06/15 22:13 from WSJ.com: World News - World News Review

Немецкий историк: Запад был наивен, надеясь, что Россия станет партнёром - Военное обозрение

8:45 AM 11/9/2017 - Putin Is Hoping He And Trump Can Patch Things Up At Meeting In Vietnam

Review: ‘The Great War of Our Time’ by Michael Morell with Bill Harlow | FBI File Shows Whitney Houston Blackmailed Over Lesbian Affair | Schiff, King call on Obama to be aggressive in cyberwar, after purported China hacking | The Iraqi Army No Longer Exists | Hacking Linked to China Exposes Millions of U.S. Workers | Was China Behind the Latest Hack Attack? I Don’t Think So - U.S. National Security and Military News Review - Cyberwarfare, Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity - News Review

10:37 AM 11/2/2017 - RECENT POSTS: Russian propagandists sought to influence LGBT voters with a "Buff Bernie" ad

3:49 AM 11/7/2017 - Recent Posts

» Suddenly, Russia Is Confident No Longer - NPR 20/12/14 11:55 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks | Russia invites North Korean leader to Moscow for May visit - Reuters | Belarus Refuses to Trade With Russia in Roubles - Newsweek | F.B.I. Evidence Is Often Mishandled, an Internal Inquiry Finds - NYT | Ukraine crisis: Russia defies fresh Western sanctions - BBC News | Website Critical Of Uzbek Government Ceases Operation | North Korea calls for joint inquiry into Sony Pictures hacking case | Turkey's Erdogan 'closely following' legal case against rival cleric | Dozens arrested in Milwaukee police violence protest