“...The entire Russian political elite consists of criminals... the foreign policy of Russia is based on those same criminal methods as its domestic policy: lies, force, intimidation and provocation. Putin is a criminalized Chekist who has fully accepted the traditions of the criminal world.” | Russian-based website showing thousands of hacked live feeds - Google Search | British Watchdog Wants Russian Hacking Site Shut | Q&A: Who is watching my home webcam?
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Thousands of internet-connected CCTV cameras and baby monitors are streaming their video so that anyone can watch them online without their owners knowledge. Photograph: Alamy
Staunton, November 20 – Sectoral sanctions are not enough to stop Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, and no one in the West wants to fight a war against Russia. But because of the nature of the Russian elite, including Putin, the West has a means of stopping Putin in his tracks, a means it has not yet deployed, according to Igor Eidman.
The Russian analyst, who now lives in Germany, says that “the entire Russian political elite consists of criminals in terms not only of Russian law but even more that of Western countries.” Thus, he says, “the West could declare them criminals and seize [their] holdings” and those of their families and advertise the names.”
“For representatives of the Russian elite, this would be a real catastrophe,” Eidman continues, something that they would see as permanently damaging; and they would unite against Putin and his policies in Ukraine, forcing him to change course or if necessary carrying him out of the Kremlin “feet first.”
Taking this step, however, will not be easy for many in the West although for everyone it should be preferable, the analyst says. Seizing Russian holdings abroad, he points out, will lead to a decline in property values in places like London, and it would violate “the piety” Western countries show to “stolen private property if the thieves are aliens.”
But any who oppose this idea need to recognize that “if a war begins, then all this will be seized. Why wait for war if it is possible to take this step already now? Peace after all is more important,” Eidman argues.
And the world needs to recognize that Putin will continue his aggression until he comes up against forces he can’t overcome. His “new national idea” is nothing but “the very old idea of ordinary fascism.” His Russia “is still not Nazi Germany,” but it is very much like “early fascist Italy” or Spain under Franco, a regime based on nationalist ideology, aggression and xenophobia.
Given the West’s reluctance to stand up to him in the past, Putin has grown “ever more self-confident and now he has decided that his time has come.” He is thus prepared to confront the West with real violence, given that the West has “a pathological fear of cataclysms” and does not want anything to interfere with its peaceful life.
Indeed, if “God forbid,” Putin “seizes Kyiv, the West would react with nothing more than a new round of sanctions,” fearful that otherwise it would have to go to war. But as Eidman points out, there are other means to bring pressure on Putin. And some, such as the isolation of him at the G-20 meeting, have already been employed.
But the West cannot wait to see what Putin will do next, Eidman says. Putin today “feels himself a superman for whom everything is permitted. He does not respect his Western partners because he considers them weaklings to the extent that they follow the rules,” something he as a Chekist does not consider necessary.
Eidman cites the words of Lenin about Stalin: “he has concentrated in his hands unlimited power.’ That is what Putin has done. None of his entourage is able to propose anything … [And] Putin is proud that what is happening is his personal initiative.” What he may do next is “impossible to predict” given that he is someone “with nuclear weapons in his hands.”
In thinking about him, however, “one must keep in mind that the foreign policy of Russia is based on those same criminal methods as its domestic policy: lies, force, intimidation and provocation. Putin is a criminalized Chekist who has fully accepted the traditions of the criminal world.” And he and his entourage act like criminals when they deal with anyone else.
But because they only care about their own personal well-being and because so many of them have put the results of their theft abroad, the West has a very real chance to influence some of them by declaring them criminals and seizing their property and thus making it clear that if they stay with the chief criminal, they will lose everything.
In the course of his interview, Eidman makes a number of other observations. Two are particularly important. On the one hand, he points out, the situation in southeastern Ukraine is very different from that in Georgia because in the former case, Moscow manufactured the conflicts on its own rather than exploiting conflicts that had long existed.
And on the other, he argues that the pro-Moscow militants in the Donbass are effectively “Russian jihadists,” that Putin is prepared to use them and then dispose of them, and that they are not very popular among Russians as a whole, although they do have a constituency in Moscow among former Chekists and others “raised on anti-Western demagogy.”
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Russia can do little to shore up slumping oil prices as its wells will freeze if they stop pumping oil, and the country has no capacity to store the output it would otherwise export, analysts say.
Video Shows French ISIS Fighters Calling for Attacks in Franceby By DAN BILEFSKY and MAÏA de la BAUME
The seven-minute clip, released by Al Hayat Media Center, an Islamic State affiliate, appears to be part of an intensifying effort to recruit young Europeans.
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Russia: Flagship McDonald's reopens despite protests
BBC News Russia's oldest McDonald's has reopened after a three-month closure which was ordered by the authorities. The shutdown was ostensibly for health violations, but it has been seen by some as retaliation for Western sanctions against Russia, The Moscow ... Russia's first ever McDonald's reopens on Moscow's Pushkin SquareITAR-TASS all 54 news articles » |
Why Does Turkey's President Think Muslims Discovered America? by noreply@rferl.org (Coilin O'Connor)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is no stranger to controversy but even many seasoned Turkey watchers were taken aback when he boldly claimed that "Muslims discovered America in 1178, not Christopher Columbus."
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British Watchdog Wants Russian Hacking Site Shut by noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL)
Britain's privacy watchdog is warning the public about a Russian-based website showing thousands of hacked live feeds from homes and businesses around the world.
Paul Goble
Staunton, November 20 – Legislators in the two autonomous districts in Tyumen oblast and the one in Arkhangelsk oblast, the three remaining “matryoshka” federal subjects, this week simultaneously asked for the elimination of direct elections of their governors in favor of one in which the local legislators themselves would make the decision.
Moscow officials say this is not part of a trend, although four republics in the North Caucasus dispensed with such elections last year and none are planned in the two federal subjects in occupied Crimea, or a reflection of a drive by the Russian authorities to save money given the budgetary stringencies that sanctions are making necessary.
But one analyst says that the elimination of direct gubernatorial elections “will lead to the weakening” of the influence of the three, although from the center’s point of view, taking this step now is “logical: the country is being drawn into an economic crisis and it is important htat Moscow establish tight control” over these “rich donor regions” (politcom.ru/18313.html).
In a commentary on Politcom.ru, Valery Vyzhutovich says that the simultaneous appeal by legislators in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District and the Khanty-Mansiisk AD in Tyumen oblast and by their colleagues in the Nenets AD in Arkhangelsk oblast has raised many questions, given Vladimir Putin’s interest in amalgamating non-Russian areas with larger and predominantly Russian ones.
The legislators have asked the Federal Duma to revise the law so that the AD legislatures will select the governor from among a list of three approved by the president rather than having their governors elected directly by the people. That will bring them into correspondence with the pattern in the oblasts within whose borders they exist.
The AD lawmakers add, Vyzhutovich says, that this procedure will be “more democratic” because there will be more candidates and will “guarantee stability in these donor regions,” where much of the income from natural resources comes and goes into the coffers of Moscow and the oblast government.
But those considering what this means, the commentator says, “should remember” that both the Khanty-Mansiisk and Yamalo-Nenets Ads have sought “divorces” from Tyumen oblast so that they will be treated just like any other federal subject and not have to coordinate things with the oblast leadership.
These ADs, he points out, often feel that they are sending money to the oblast center without getting much in return, although the reality is quite different. Not only do they get many benefits from the infrastructure of the oblast, but they would not retain any more money from their natural resources than they do now if they were to separate.
Vladimir Churov, the head of Russia’s Central Election Commission, sought to put what the three AD legislatures have asked for in context. He argued that it does not constitute a new trend against elections, pointing out that there will be “no fewer than 13” regional head elections next September (rusnovosti.ru/news/352939).
Moreover, he rejected suggestions that eliminating elections was a sanctions-driven measure to save money, although he said that in the country’s large northern areas, the cost of holding elections was quite high: In central Russia, each voter costs the state about 60-80 rubles (1.30 – 1.90 US dollars) while in the north, the cost rises to 100,000 rubles (2,000 US dollars) per voter given travel expenses for election officials.
Those differences can be handled, he said, by introducing “distance voting” rather than by scrapping elections altogether.
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 ЛІГА.net |
ООН: конфликт в Донбассе унес 4,3 тысячи жизней
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Swedish Court Rejects Assange Appeal to Revoke Arrest Warrant by webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)
A Swedish appeals court rejected on Thursday an appeal by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to revoke a detention order issued by prosecutors in 2010 over allegations of sexual assault. “In the view of the Court of Appeal there is no reason to set aside the detention solely because Julian Assange is in an embassy and the detention order cannot be enforced at present for that reason,” Svea Court of Appeal said in a statement. Assange has been stuck inside Ecuador's London embassy since June 2012 to avoid a British extradition to Sweden. Sweden wants to question him on allegations of sexual assault and rape, which he denies. The Australian says he fears that if Britain extradited him to Sweden he would then be extradited to the United States where he could be tried for one of the largest information leaks in U.S. history.
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Obama to Announce Immigration Reformsby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
President Barack Obama will discuss his plans to protect undocumented immigrants in the United States from deportation during a nationally televised address Thursday night. The president will address the nation from the White House on Thursday at 8 p.m. EST (0100
UTC Friday). News outlets said an executive order Obama plans to sign will allow as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants to obtain work permits, including those with children born in the country and spouses of U.S. citizens. Marshall Fitz, director of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress, told Reuters that family-centered policies have long been deemed palatable to American voters. “The idea of a kid growing up without his parent is hard to swallow. We've had a history in this country of adopting policies that are pro-family unification,” Fitz said, adding he thought policies should focus not just on family connections but also on rootedness, or ties to the community. Obama is also expected to expand an executive order he signed in 2012, known as the Dream Act, that protects young immigrants who came to the United States as children from deportation by lifting the age restrictions on people who qualify. The parents of these children, however, would not be eligible for delayed deportation. Undocumented immigrants eligible for these protections would not be entitled to receive federal benefits, including subsidies to obtain health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Obama will sign the order Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada, which has a large Hispanic population. Immigration lawyers warn of troubles On Thursday, as details of the possible action circulated, immigration lawyers warned that Obama's televised address may prove the easiest part of his controversial plan. Implementing it will be difficult and many people may never benefit, some lawyers said. Up to 5 million people could benefit from Obama's plan relax U.S. immigration policy. But immigration advocacy groups said they don't have sufficient resources to provide legal services to their existing clients, never mind the millions of potential new ones. Obama's proposal is not expected to provide for federal funding for attorneys to guide immigrants through the process. Karla McKanders, who runs the immigration law clinic at the University of Tennessee College of Law in Knoxville, told Reuters, “If the past is any indication, it's going to be a significant increase in people asking for legal assistance." Also, immigrants who have lived illegally in the United States for many years can be afraid to sign up or lack the proper documentation to back up their claims, said Jacqueline Rishty from the Immigration Legal Services Program of Catholic Charities in Washington. The lack of immigration lawyers also opens the door for self-described legal experts who give bad advice or even scam clients out of thousands of dollars. The American Bar Association has warned of fraudsters offering legal services in Spanish-speaking communities. Republicans denounce plans Republican lawmakers have angrily denounced the president's planned executive order, accusing him of overstepping his authority. House Speaker John Boehner said Obama "will cement his legacy of lawlessness" and potentially ruin any hopes of working with Congress on the issue. Many Republicans said Obama and the Democrats want to grant amnesty to lawbreakers, and are calling for tougher security along the U.S.-Mexican border. But White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Wednesday the country has been waiting for more than a year for the Republican-controlled House to vote on a bipartisan immigration reform bill approved by the Democratic-led Senate. Earnest also said nearly every president from both parties, dating back to Dwight Eisenhower, has taken executive action to tackle problems with immigration. Some material for this report came from Reuters.
UTC Friday). News outlets said an executive order Obama plans to sign will allow as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants to obtain work permits, including those with children born in the country and spouses of U.S. citizens. Marshall Fitz, director of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress, told Reuters that family-centered policies have long been deemed palatable to American voters. “The idea of a kid growing up without his parent is hard to swallow. We've had a history in this country of adopting policies that are pro-family unification,” Fitz said, adding he thought policies should focus not just on family connections but also on rootedness, or ties to the community. Obama is also expected to expand an executive order he signed in 2012, known as the Dream Act, that protects young immigrants who came to the United States as children from deportation by lifting the age restrictions on people who qualify. The parents of these children, however, would not be eligible for delayed deportation. Undocumented immigrants eligible for these protections would not be entitled to receive federal benefits, including subsidies to obtain health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Obama will sign the order Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada, which has a large Hispanic population. Immigration lawyers warn of troubles On Thursday, as details of the possible action circulated, immigration lawyers warned that Obama's televised address may prove the easiest part of his controversial plan. Implementing it will be difficult and many people may never benefit, some lawyers said. Up to 5 million people could benefit from Obama's plan relax U.S. immigration policy. But immigration advocacy groups said they don't have sufficient resources to provide legal services to their existing clients, never mind the millions of potential new ones. Obama's proposal is not expected to provide for federal funding for attorneys to guide immigrants through the process. Karla McKanders, who runs the immigration law clinic at the University of Tennessee College of Law in Knoxville, told Reuters, “If the past is any indication, it's going to be a significant increase in people asking for legal assistance." Also, immigrants who have lived illegally in the United States for many years can be afraid to sign up or lack the proper documentation to back up their claims, said Jacqueline Rishty from the Immigration Legal Services Program of Catholic Charities in Washington. The lack of immigration lawyers also opens the door for self-described legal experts who give bad advice or even scam clients out of thousands of dollars. The American Bar Association has warned of fraudsters offering legal services in Spanish-speaking communities. Republicans denounce plans Republican lawmakers have angrily denounced the president's planned executive order, accusing him of overstepping his authority. House Speaker John Boehner said Obama "will cement his legacy of lawlessness" and potentially ruin any hopes of working with Congress on the issue. Many Republicans said Obama and the Democrats want to grant amnesty to lawbreakers, and are calling for tougher security along the U.S.-Mexican border. But White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Wednesday the country has been waiting for more than a year for the Republican-controlled House to vote on a bipartisan immigration reform bill approved by the Democratic-led Senate. Earnest also said nearly every president from both parties, dating back to Dwight Eisenhower, has taken executive action to tackle problems with immigration. Some material for this report came from Reuters.
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Pakistan and Russia have signed a cooperation agreement between their defense ministries.
Yesterday’s live coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found here. An archive of our liveblogs can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing story see our latest podcast.
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Please help The Interpreter to continue providing this valuable information service by making a donation towards our costs.
For the latest summary of evidence surrounding the shooting down of flight MH17 see our separate article: Evidence Review: Who Shot Down MH17?
Below we will be making regular updates so check back often.
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The UK data protection watchdog warns that thousands of insecure CCTV cameras and baby monitors are broadcasting their streams to the internet without the owners’ knowledge
Footage from hundreds of thousands connected CCTV cameras and baby monitors is being live streamed on the internet unbeknown to their owners, who think they are secure.
A Russian website published thousands of these streams so that people online can easily watch them and the people, places and even babies in them, the Information commissioner’s office has warned.
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A complex set of social, economic and cultural factors are behind the decisions of Kazakh men and women who join Islamic State (IS) in Syria, according to Tatyana Dronzina, an expert in terrorism from Sofia State University in Bulgaria.
Paul Goble
Staunton, November 20 – Human Rights Watch has released an eight-page report on “Rights in Retreat” in Crimea since the Anschluss, and the occupation authorities have gone into full-denial mode in response, dismissing the report as lacking “objective confirmation” and containing only “empty talk.”
In an interview with Moscow’s “Gazeta” yesterday, Sergey Aksyonov, prime minister of the occupation regime, said that the report (available at hrw.org/reports/2014/11/17/rights-retreat-0), not only was baseless but offensive because it called Russian power in Crimea an “occupation” regime (gazeta.ru/social/2014/11/18/6305573.shtml).
He said that the report’s statements about the disappearances of Crimean Tatar were simply wrong, noting that according to his information, one of those listed as “disappeared” had in fact committed suicide. Claiming otherwise, as HRW does, is thus nothing more than propaganda against Russia.
Aksyonov said that international human rights groups should be paying attention to what he described as “the violation of human rights and mass murder” by Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk and Luhansk “republics” rather than focusing on Crimea where he said conditions are good and improving.
His comments were seconded and expanded upon by Lyudmila Lubina, the human rights plenipotentiary in Crimea, in comments to the Russian news media. She too said the HRW report “does not correspond to reality” and criticized in particular the report’s statement that the number of kidnappings of Crimean Tatars is going up (qha.com.ua/ombudsmen-krima-otritsaet-fakti-massovih-pohischenii-krimskih-tatar-141323.html).
Lubina said that Ukrainian officials had not defended human rights in Crimea, but no one investigated them. Now that the peninsula is part of Russia, all of them are racing to do so, a pattern that she said called into question the purposes of those compiling and distributing such reports.
In her efforts to dismiss the issue of disappearances among the Crimean Tatars, however, Lubina in fact provided information showing that that problem is even greater than HRW and other monitors have said. “Only 18” of the “more than 800” missing in Ukraine are Crimean Tatars, she said.
While that means that the Crimean Tatars are suffering this crime at a rate somewhat less than their share in the population, Lubin’s figures also mean that others, presumably ethnic Ukrainians or members of other minorities, are suffering disproportionately and at relatively high levels.
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