» Putin Addresses Russia Amid Economic Crisis 18/12/14 16:54 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks | E.U. Imposes New Sanctions Over Russia’s Inteference in Ukraine | Obama Signs Ukraine Aid Bill, Won't Immediately Impose Russia Sanctions | Vladimir Putin looks like a man trying to hide his own incompetence | German researchers discover a flaw that could let anyone listen to your cell calls

December 18, 2014

Did historical Jesus really exist? The evidence just doesn’t add up.

Russian Video Game Requires Players to Kill Ukrainian Soldiers and Civilians by Paul Goble
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:56 PM

Staunton, December 18 – Russian children are now playing a video game called “The Liberation War in Novorossiya” in which to win, they are required to kill “Ukrainians, soldiers, militiamen, and the civilian population,” a disturbing message being implanted in the minds of the rising generation.

But more immediately, the game may disturb the Kremlin as well. That is because it calls for not two players but three: the Ukrainian army, the Novorossiya militants, and Russian forces — which aren’t even in Ukraine, according to Russia’s version of events.

Meanwhile, some Russian outlets are upset by what they call “the de-humanization” of Ukrainian children because their teachers are having them put up New Year’s trees decorated with Ukrainian flags, angels symbolizing those who have died fighting Russia, and notes condemning Moscow.

Some of the Ukrainian children in the Chernovitsi school wrote on the home-made ornaments that they want their soldiers to return home and the war to end, but others wrote that “Putler and the bandits must all burn in hell,” a reflection of what students and teachers alike said was a universal view there.

“We do not support our neighbors because we see and know the truth. In our gymnasium, people come and we want them to see that we will defend our state come what may,” one girl in the 11th class said. Her teacher added that “that which is being done against our state by the aggressor is wrong. We therefore declare that anyone who acts that way must go to hell.”

The development of such attitudes in both countries, the result of Vladimir Putin’s aggression, will make it far more difficult to overcome the current crisis than many now suppose. Some agreements may be reached by the governments, but the two peoples are likely to remain hostile not just for a few years but for a generation or more.

E.U. Imposes New Sanctions Over Russia’s Inteference in Ukraine by By ANDREW HIGGINS
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:55 PM

NYT > Europe

The European Union outlawed European investment, trade and tourism in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in March.

Obama Signs Ukraine Aid Bill, Won't Immediately Impose Russia Sanctions by noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL)
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:55 PM

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

U.S. President Barack Obama signed a bill authorizing new sanctions against Russia on December 18 but said that he would not impose them "at this time."

Putin Addresses Russia Amid Economic Crisisby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:54 PM

Voice Of America

President Vladimir Putin struck an optimistic chord at his end-of-year news conference Thursday, telling Russians the country's economy will rebound and the ruble will stabilize. He said the current crisis could last two years at most, but the economy could recover faster if external factors change for the better. Putin said the nation's currency reserves are sufficient to keep the economy in stable condition. The ruble strengthened on Thursday morning ahead of Putin's speech. It hit an all-time low on Tuesday, prompting Russia's central bank to reassure banks and financial companies that it would provide additional capital if necessary. At one point the currency plunged to 80 rubles to the dollar. The ruble has lost nearly 60 percent of its value against key Western currencies this year.Putin addressed the Ukraine crisis Thursday, saying he wants Ukraine to remain one political entity. He voiced hope that the crisis could be solved through peace talks, suggesting that Kyiv and the Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine should conduct a prisoner swap before Christmas. Russia has been hit by Western sanctions, put in place after Putin annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March.

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Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:54 PM

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Beyond Tetris: a brief history of patriotic video gaming in Russiaby Cat Goodfellow for The Calvert Journal, part of the New East network
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:52 PM

Russia | The Guardian

Retro favourite Tetris might be Russia’s best known games export, but a closer look at the industry finds a creative powerhouse that has mirrored the country’s politics for decades. The Calvert Journalreports

The Russian gaming industry is best known for Tetris, the classic game which turned 30 this year,but has until recently had little recognition outside of the Russian-speaking world.

In the west the perception of what it means to be Russian in a game (or in a film) is built on familiar tropes. They are the bad guys smoking cigarettes, swigging vodka, dressed as Soviet soldiers or gangsters.

In a climate where engineering, science and mathematics were highly prized, games promised mental training. They were socially palatable, devoid of political ideology and they offered a comforting view of the world.

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Google Looks to Head off US Antitrust Lawsuit over Androidby webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:51 PM

Voice Of America

Google will try to persuade a U.S. judge on Thursday to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit over its Android smartphone operating system, as the Internet search company faces increased regulatory pressure from European authorities. The hearing in San Jose, California, federal court is over the lawsuit filed by two smartphone consumers who say Google Inc requires Android handset manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd to restrict competing apps like Microsoft Corp's Bing search, partly by making Google's own apps the default. Google argues in its court filings that the proposed class action should be dismissed because consumers still are free to use the other apps. The plaintiffs counter that most consumers either do not know how to switch default settings, or will not go to the trouble. Last month, the European Parliament overwhelmingly passed a non-binding resolution urging antitrust authorities to break up Google. The lawmakers called on the European Commission to consider proposals to unbundle search engines from other commercial services. 4-year investigation Google is the subject of a four-year investigation by the Commission, over allegations that it improperly manipulated search results to rank its own services higher than competitors. European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who took over the post last month, said she would sample industry views and developments before taking any action. Separately, Google's competitors including Microsoft filed a complaint with the European Commission over some of the same issues at play in the U.S. consumer lawsuit. Google apps "are widely used on Android by requiring default placement and other mechanisms for disadvantaging competing apps," the companies said in a summary of their complaint. Should U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman allow the class action to proceed, plaintiffs' attorneys would be allowed to delve into internal Google emails and contracts with smartphone companies, and could interview Google executives under oath. "I'm confident we will get into juicy stuff, and I think that will up the pressure on Google as some of the material we discover becomes public," lawyer Steve Berman said in July. Google, however, said in filings that its deals with handset makers do not prevent rival search engines "from reaching consumers through the various distribution channels available to them." The case is Gary Feitelson and Daniel McKee, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated vs. Google Inc, in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California No. 14-2007.

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Collapse of ruble costs Arsenal’s Alisher Usmanov £517m in 48 hours by Guardian sport
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:51 PM

Russia | The Guardian

• Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich lost nearly £300m
• Usmanov is Arsenal’s second largest shareholder with 30%

An index of the world’s richest people has claimed that Arsenal’s second largest shareholder, Alisher Usmanov, has been among the hardest hit by this week’s collapse of the rouble, with the Uzbek-born businessman losing $809m (£517m) in the last 48 hours, while Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich lost nearly $450m.

The Russian currency has fallen to its lowest value in more than a decade as a result of falling oil prices. That has led to major losses among some of the country’s oligarchs, with a total of $10bnwiped off their collective fortunes since Monday night.

Charting the Fall (and Fall) of the Ruble, in Graphsby By Katrin Scheib
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:51 PM

The Moscow Times Top Stories

Given the ruble's collapse, you'd think there's only one way to depict its journey downwards. But you would be wrong.

Google Is Now Worth More Than the Entire Russian Stock Market - TIME
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:50 PM

Russia - Google News

Google Is Now Worth More Than the Entire Russian Stock Market
TIME
The news comes as Russia's currency, the ruble, continues to stumble under pressure from declining oil prices and western sanctions. Russia's gold reserves have also declined to their lowest point since 2009. Google joins an elite list of companies ...

and more »

U.S. Says Ties With Baku 'Jeopardized' By Crackdownby noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL)
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:50 PM

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Tom Malinowski told RFE/RL that Washington is concerned about Azerbaijan's recent crackdown on rights activists and journalists

Latin America Welcomes Obama's Move to Restore US-Cuba Ties by webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:50 PM

Voice Of America

Latin American leaders who for years have pressured the United States to drop its economic embargo against Cuba praised President Barack Obama for moving on Wednesday to restore diplomatic relations with its communist-run Cold War foe. Regional leaders said the move and a U.S.-Cuban prisoner swap would further ease an ideological battle that has divided the Americas for decades, even spurring revolutions and dictatorships. Venezuela's socialist government, Washington's leading adversary in Latin America, was quick to praise Obama. “We have to recognize President Obama's bold and historic gesture. He has taken perhaps the most important step of his presidency,” said President Nicolas Maduro, whose government has supported Cuba with generous supplies of cheap oil. U.S. policy toward Cuba has soured its reputation across much of Latin America, especially in recent years as leftist leaders came to power. Many admired Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. Two of those presidents, Brazil's Dilma Rousseff and Argentina's Cristina Fernandez, said their generation of “fighters for social justice” had thought they would never see diplomatic relations restored between Cuba and the United States. Jose Miguel Insulza, secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), the regional forum where Cuba's seat has been empty since 1962, said Obama's decision removed a major irritant in Washington's relations with Latin America. “This ends the attempt to isolate Cuba for so long. Cuba is undertaking a process of economic reforms that will, I hope, lead to political reforms,” he said on Chilean television TVN. Calls to lift trade embargo He also called on the U.S. Congress to take another major step and abolish the trade embargo that Washington slapped on Cuba more than five decades ago after Castro seized power in a revolution. Obama can take steps to weaken the embargo but he can't end it without the support of Congress, and he will face resistance. Latin American governments had insisted that Cuba be allowed to attend the next OAS summit in Panama in April, meaning Obama had faced a choice of either agreeing to sit down at the same table as Cuban President Raul Castro or staying away. That dilemma disappeared on Wednesday as both Obama and Castro said in separate televised addresses that they would resume diplomatic relations. They spoke by phone before the announcement and they will meet again in Panama. Despite the widespread praise for Obama's move, Latin American countries are likely to continue pressuring Washington until it substantially eases or eliminates the trade embargo. “We hope to see more than today's gestures, that the blockade against Cuba is definitely lifted and relations normalized for the good of the whole region,” said Chile's foreign minister, Heraldo Munoz.

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Vladimir Putin looks like a man trying to hide his own incompetence by Charles Crawford
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:47 PM

Russian News, All The Latest And Breaking Russia News

Was 2014 the year that all President Putin's chickens came home to roost, asks Charles Crawford

Putin signals he will not back down over Ukraine by Tom Parfitt
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:47 PM

Russian News, All The Latest And Breaking Russia News

Russia's president signals he will not back down over the Ukraine crisis and insists Russian economy will recover at annual press conference

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What does two more years of crisis mean for Russia? And how will it affect us?
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:47 PM

- Europe RSS Feed

The Russian president Vladimir Putin warned today that it could take the country two years to emerge from its current crisis.

Putin: West wants to put Russian bear 'on a chain' - USA TODAY
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:47 PM

Russia - Google News

USA TODAY

Putin: West wants to put Russian bear 'on a chain'
USA TODAY
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out at the West on Thursday for causing his country's economic crisis, saying it would take two years to recover. "Sometimes I think, maybe they'll (the West) let the bear eat berries and honey in the ...
Putin says Russia economy will be cured, offers no remedyReuters
Putin: West Is Trying to 'Defang' the Russian BearABC News
Ruble Crisis Is Testing Russia's ResourcesNew York Times
CNBC-Washington Post-CNN
all 6,215 news articles »

Obama's Cuba 'lovefest': A real move to check Russia? - Jerusalem Post
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:46 PM

Russia - Google News

Jerusalem Post

Obama's Cuba 'lovefest': A real move to check Russia?
Jerusalem Post
Missing in much of the national conversation is how this White House maneuver checksRussia's growing influence in Cuba, where Moscow, in Cold War fashion, has been flexing its military and economic muscles just 90 miles from the US coast in an overt ...
Latest News: US-Cuba, Putin on Russia, Stephen ColbertNew York Times
Sanctions: Tragedy in Cuba, Farce in RussiaBloomberg View
Cuba move comes as Russia tries to revive ties to HavanaWashington Times
CBS News-Power Line (blog)
all 9,199 news articles »

European Parliament Endorses Georgia's Association Agreement by noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL)
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:46 PM

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

The European Parliament on December 18 endorsed a political and trade agreement with Georgia.

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Page 4

Putin: I feel no responsibility for collapse of roubleby Shaun Walker in Moscow
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:46 PM

Russia | The Guardian

Russian president offers few solid solutions during annual press conference, but promises economy will overcome crises

Vladimir Putin has promised that Russia will weather the rouble crisis, adding that he feels no responsibility for the currency’s fall.

During his annual press conference on Thursday, the Russian president appeared to rule out drastic measures such as introducing capital controls or reshuffling the government. But he offered little in the way of solutions, instead suggesting it was inevitable that oil prices would recover soon, and with them the Russian economy.

Foreign banks retreat from Russia
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:45 PM

Europe News

Syndicated loan volumes this year collapsed to 14% of 2013 total

EU Adopts Tougher Crimea Sanctions, Russia Irateby noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL)
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:45 PM

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

The European Union on December 18 adopted an investment ban that targets firms and individuals in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in March.

German researchers discover a flaw that could let anyone listen to your cell calls.
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:40 PM

REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

German researchers have discovered security flaws that could let hackers, spies and criminals listen to private phone calls and intercept text messages on a potentially massive scale – even when cellular networks are using the most advanced encryption now available.

The flaws, to be reported at a hacker conference in Hamburg this month, are the latest evidence of widespread insecurity on SS7, the global network that allows the world’s cellular carriers to route calls, texts and other services to each other. Experts say it’s increasingly clear that SS7, first designed in the 1980s, is riddled with serious vulnerabilities that undermine the privacy of the world’s billions of cellular customers.

The flaws discovered by the German researchers are actually functions built into SS7 for other purposes – such as keeping calls connected as users speed down highways, switching from cell tower to cell tower – that hackers can repurpose for surveillance because of the lax security on the network.

Those skilled at the myriad functions built into SS7 can locate callers anywhere in the world, listen to calls as they happen or record hundreds of encrypted calls and texts at a time for later decryption. There also is potential to defraud users and cellular carriers by using SS7 functions, the researchers say.

These vulnerabilities continue to exist even as cellular carriers invest billions of dollars to upgrade to advanced 3G technology aimed, in part, at securing communications against unauthorized eavesdropping. But even as individual carriers harden their systems, they still must communicate with each other over SS7, leaving them open to any of thousands of companies worldwide with access to the network. That means that a single carrier in Congo or Kazakhstan, for example, could be used to hack into cellular networks in the United States, Europe or anywhere else.

“It’s like you secure the front door of the house, but the back door is wide open,” said Tobias Engel, one of the German researchers.

Engel, founder of Sternraute, and Karsten Nohl, chief scientist for Security Research Labs, separately discovered these security weaknesses as they studied SS7 networks in recent months, after The Washington Post reported the widespread marketing of surveillance systems that use SS7 networks to locate callers anywhere in the world. The Post reported that dozens of nations had bought such systems to track surveillance targets and that skilled hackers or criminals could do the same using functions built into SS7. (The term is short for Signaling System 7 and replaced previous networks called SS6, SS5, etc.)

The researchers did not find evidence that their latest discoveries, which allow for the interception of calls and texts, have been marketed to governments on a widespread basis. But vulnerabilities publicly reported by security researchers often turn out to be tools long used by secretive intelligence services, such as the National Security Agency or Britain’s GCHQ, but not revealed to the public.

“Many of the big intelligence agencies probably have teams that do nothing but SS7 research and exploitation,” said Christopher Soghoian, principal technologist for the ACLU and an expert on surveillance technology. “They’ve likely sat on these things and quietly exploited them.”

The GSMA, a global cellular industry group based in London, did not respond to queries seeking comment about the vulnerabilities that Nohl and Engel have found. For the Post’s article in August on location tracking systems that use SS7, GSMA officials acknowledged problems with the network and said it was due to be replaced over the next decade because of a growing list of security and technical issues.

The German researchers found two distinct ways to eavesdrop on calls using SS7 technology. In the first, commands sent over SS7 could be used to hijack a cell phone’s “forwarding” function -- a service offered by many carriers. Hackers would redirect calls to themselves, for listening or recording, and then onward to the intended recipient of a call. Once that system was in place, the hackers could eavesdrop on all incoming and outgoing calls indefinitely, from anywhere in the world.

The second technique requires physical proximity but could be deployed on a much wider scale. Hackers would use radio antennas to collect all the calls and texts passing through the airwaves in an area. For calls or texts transmitted using strong encryption, such as is commonly used for advanced 3G connections, hackers could request through SS7 that each caller’s carrier release a temporary encryption key to unlock the communication after it has been recorded.

Nohl on Wednesday demonstrated the ability to collect and decrypt a text message using the phone of a German senator, who cooperated in the experiment. But Nohl said the process could be automated to allow massive decryption of calls and texts collected across an entire city or a large section of a country, using multiple antennas.

“It’s all automated, at the push of a button,” Nohl said. “It would strike me as a perfect spying capability, to record and decrypt pretty much any network… Any network we have tested, it works.”

Those tests have included more than 20 networks worldwide, including T-Mobile in the United States. The other major U.S. carriers have not been tested, though Nohl and Engel said it’s likely at least some of them have similar vulnerabilities. (Several smartphone-based text messaging systems, such as Apple’s iMessage and Whatsapp, use end-to-end encryption methods that sidestep traditional cellular text systems and likely would defeat the technique described by Nohl and Engel.)

In a statement, T-Mobile said: “T-Mobile remains vigilant in our work with other mobile operators, vendors and standards bodies to promote measures that can detect and prevent these attacks."

The issue of cell phone interception is particularly sensitive in Germany because of news reports last year, based on documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, that a phone belonging to Chancellor Angela Merkel was the subject of NSA surveillance. The techniques of that surveillance have not become public, though Nohl said that the SS7 hacking method that he and Engel discovered is one of several possibilities.

U.S. embassies and consulates in dozens of foreign cities, including Berlin, are outfitted with antennas for collecting cellular signals, according to reports by German magazine Der Spiegel, based on documents released by Snowden. Many cell phone conversations worldwide happen with either no encryption or weak encryption.

The move to 3G networks offers far better encryption and the prospect of private communications, but the hacking techniques revealed by Nohl and Engel undermine that possibility. Carriers can potentially guard their networks against efforts by hackers to collect encryption keys, but it’s unclear how many have done so. One network that operates in Germany, Vodafone, recently began blocking such requests after Nohl reported the problem to the company two weeks ago.

Nohl and Engel also have discovered new ways to track the locations of cell phone users through SS7. The Post story, in August, reported that several companies were offering governments worldwide the ability to find virtually any cell phone user, virtually anywhere in the world, by learning the location of their cell phones through an SS7 function called an “Any Time Interrogation” query.

Some carriers block such requests, and several began doing so after the Post’s report. But the researchers in recent months have found several other techniques that hackers could use to find the locations of callers by using different SS7 queries. All networks must track their customers in order to route calls to the nearest cellular towers, but they are not required to share that information with other networks or foreign governments.

Carriers everywhere must turn over location information and allow eavesdropping of calls when ordered to by government officials in whatever country they are operating in. But the techniques discovered by Nohl and Engel offer the possibility of much broader collection of caller locations and conversations, by anyone with access to SS7 and the required technical skills to send the appropriate queries.

“I doubt we are the first ones in the world who realize how open the SS7 network is,” Engel said.

Secretly eavesdropping on calls and texts would violate laws in many countries, including the United States, except when done with explicit court or other government authorization. Such restrictions likely do little to deter criminals or foreign spies, say surveillance experts, who say that embassies based in Washington likely collect cellular signals.

The researchers also found that it was possible to use SS7 to learn the phone numbers of people whose cellular signals are collected using surveillance devices. The calls transmit a temporary identification number which, by sending SS7 queries, can lead to the discovery of the phone number. That allows location tracking within a certain area, such as near government buildings.

The German senator who cooperated in Nohl’s demonstration of the technology, Thomas Jarzombek of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union party, said that while many in that nation have been deeply angered by revelations about NSA spying, few are surprised that such intrusions are possible.

“After all the NSA and Snowden things we’ve heard, I guess nobody believes it’s possible to have a truly private conversation on a mobile phone,” he said. “When I really need a confidential conversation, I use a fixed-line” phone.

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Putin predicts economic recovery but warns West against pressuring Russian ‘bear’
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:37 PM

Amid increasing speculation that the ruble's collapse could shake Vladimir Putin's grip on power, the Russian president addressed his critics at his annual news conference. (Reuters)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, under pressure to show a path out of the country’s economic misery, predicted Thursday a recovery in two years despite mounting bad news: a looming recession, a severely weakened ruble and growing fears about the financial instability.

While Russia’s economic storms dominated Putin’s annual year-end news conference, Putin thrashed his way through an array of other topics — at times combative, wry and evasive — as he fielded questions from the national and foreign media.

It was, in many ways, a highlight reel of his biggest challenges of the year.

He defended Russia’s annexation of Crimea and Moscow’s policies in Ukraine’s conflict, and blasted the West for its sanctions in return. He defiantly described Russia as a bear that cannot be chained, yet playfully noted that leaders make mistakes and dodged questions over whether he will seek re-election in 2018.

But attention always circled back to the Russia’s deepening fiscal quagmire, which has pushed Putin into an uncomfortable role as crisis manager.

Russian police arrested about 20 people outside of Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual news conference on Thursday. Several protesters said they wanted to ask Putin questions. (AP)

Putin’s news conference came as Russia suffers through its most serious economic downturn since a 1998 meltdown shortly before Putin’s rise to political power. The current troubles also represent a major test for Putin, whose reputation is largely built on safeguarding Russia’s strength and stability.

“Rates of growth may be slowing down, but the economy will still grow and our economy will overcome the current situation,” Putin said at the televised news conference. “I believe about two years is the worst-case scenario. After that, I believe growth is imminent.”

The ruble has been on a steady downward trajectory for months, fueled by falling oil prices — Russia’s main export — and Western economic sanctions over Russia’s involvement in neighboring Ukraine.

In the past week, however, the ruble has faced wild swings in value. Exchange rates peaked at almost 80 rubles to the dollar Tuesday after the central bank dramatically raised interest rates.

The ruble lost more ground Thursday despite central bank action to shore up the currency, which is around 45 percent down against the U.S. dollar this year.

A weakened currency drives up prices, makes it harder for companies to repay loans that were taken out in dollars or euros, and waters down Russians’ savings.

Putin had been silent as the currency collapsed this week. On Thursday, he acknowledged partly that Russia had helped to lay the groundwork for the current crisis by failing to diversify the economy.

But, in general, he blamed “external factors, first and foremost” for creating Russia’s situation — accusing the West of intentionally trying to weaken Russia.

“No matter what we do they are always against us,” Putin said, one of a series of observations directed at how he said the West has been treating Russia.

Putin attributed Western sanctions that have targeted Russia’s defense, oil and gas and banking sectors for about “25 percent” of Russia’s current difficulties.

But Putin stood firm over the actions that brought on the Western backlash, including Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula and subsequent support for pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine . Putin repeated Moscow’s claim that Russia has not directly aided the rebels.

“Taking Texas from Mexico is fair, but whatever we are doing is not fair?” he said, in comments seemingly directed at the United States.

Putin also suggested that the West was demanding too many concessions from Russia, including further nuclear disarmament. Likening Russia to a bear — a longtime symbol of the country — he chided the West for insisting the Russian bear “just eat honey instead of hunting animals.”

“They are trying to chain the bear. And when they manage to chain the bear, they will take out his fangs and claws,” Putin said. “This is how nuclear deterrence is working at the moment.”

The news conference was heavily promoted on Russian state television Wednesday in a 40-second trailer with images of Russian triumph against the perils of the world.

Despite the economic woes, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Thursday found that some 80 percent of Russians still support him.

The Kremlin views the crisis not just as an economic threat but as a danger to Russia’s fundamental security. The Russian Security Council said Wednesday it had drawn up a response plan and given it to Putin to review.

The head of the council, Nikolai Patrushev, a former head of the successor agency to the KGB, did not disclose details. The body usually focuses on matters of war and peace, and it is highly unusual for it to become involved in economic policymaking.

“The government and central bank have begun working seriously on stopping this bacchanalia on the currency market,” Putin aide Andrei Belousov told Russian news agencies after Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev convened an emergency meeting of top economic officials and the heads of major energy companies.

Putin’s press secretary on Wednesday promised “a number of measures” in coming days to fight the crisis.

Russian leaders also have sounded somewhat more conciliatory toward Ukraine in recent days, perhaps in a bid to ease sanctions.

On another question, however, Putin was a moving target: whether he would run for president again when his term ends in 2018.

“I think it is too early to make any decisions about running for office or not,” Putin said, noting that it would be better to wait until the public can react to “the results of our work.”

“The head of state is always responsible for everything that has taken place in a state. I never tried to evade that responsibility,” Putin said.

But then he forgave himself: “Speaking of the mistakes I have made — people always make mistakes.”

Michael Birnbaum is The Post’s Moscow bureau chief. He previously served as the Berlin correspondent and an education reporter.

Karoun Demirjian is a reporting fellow in The Post's Moscow bureau. She previously served as the Washington Correspondent for the Las Vegas Sun, and reported for the Associated Press in Jerusalem and the Chicago Tribune in Chicago.

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On Cuba, GOP presidential hopefuls trapped by older voters and the past
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:36 PM

By Paul WaldmanDecember 18 at 11:39 AM

For a guy who was supposed to be mired in unpopularity and bored with his job, Barack Obama is sure making life hard for Republicans, not to mention complicating their task in winning the White House in 2016. The Republican reaction to his decision to normalize relations with Cuba may have been exactly what everyone expected, but it shows just how trapped those who want to get the GOP presidential nomination are. They’re snared by the past, by the need to oppose everything that Obama does, and by what we might consider the base of their base — older voters for whom Cold War antagonisms still feel fresh, even as the rest of the country is leaving them behind.

Every Republican contender who found himself facing a microphone yesterday condemned the decision to normalize relations, none more so than Marco Rubio, who appeared on over a dozen TV programs to condemn it. While there’s no doubt that Rubio’s position is sincere (he’s the child of Cuban immigrants), consider what position you’d be in if you were a GOP contender who actually thought this move was overdue. While both parties have supported the embargo and a policy of unceasing antagonism toward the Castro regime for decades, your party held that belief particularly close to its heart. In order to win the nomination, you’re going to need the support of lots of older voters. For them, the Cold War defined their political coming-of-age and most of their lives. Vigorous anti-communism was at the core of what it meant to be a conservative, along with support for low taxes, small government, and traditional social values. Their kids and grandkids may see opposition to communism as an issue that’s in the past, but it’s still important to the way those older voters think about the world.

This means that while some Republican politicians (like Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona) may support normalizing relations, if you want to get the GOP presidential nomination, it just isn’t an option. And that’s despite the fact that not only is normalization supported by a majority of Americans, but also in some polls even a majority of Republicans support it, or if not a majority then nearly so. For instance, in this 2009 Gallup poll (they haven’t asked recently), 42 percent of Republicans supported re-establishing diplomatic relations, 44 percent supported ending the trade embargo, and 57 percent supported ending travel restrictions. Or look at this poll from the bipartisan Atlantic Council earlier this year:

As on many other issues, the passage of time and the change of generations make a move away from the traditional Republican position all but inevitable. Even a majority of Cuban-Americans in Florida now support ending the embargo. In the time period in which so many Republicans still live psychologically — the 1980s, when Reagan was president, we knew who our enemies were, and everything was going great — such a thing would have been inconceivable. It’s happening because the children and grandchildren of those who fled Castro’s regime don’t have the same intense feelings that the immigrant generation had, and they don’t see what continuing Cuba’s isolation will accomplish.

Despite these changes in the broader population and among Republican voters in particular, a candidate seeking the presidential nomination can’t take the risk of alienating the older voters who will play such a key role in the GOP primaries. And by bringing the issue to the front pages and the top of the policy agenda, Barack Obama has forced them to loudly take a position that will hurt whoever the nominee is in the general election. Not bad for a lame duck.

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Page 5

Did historical Jesus really exist? The evidence just doesn’t add up.
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:31 PM

A partial view of the Nativity scene unveiled in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Did a man called Jesus of Nazareth walk the earth? Discussions over whether the figure known as the “Historical Jesus” actually existed primarily reflect disagreements among atheists. Believers, who uphold the implausible and more easily-dismissed “Christ of Faith” (the divine Jesus who walked on water), ought not to get involved.

Numerous secular scholars have presented their own versions of the so-called “Historical Jesus” – and most of them are, as biblical scholar J.D. Crossan puts it, “an academic embarrassment.” From Crossan’s view of Jesus as the wise sage, to Robert Eisenman’s Jesus the revolutionary, and Bart Ehrman’s apocalyptic prophet, about the only thing New Testament scholars seem to agree on is Jesus’ historical existence. But can even that be questioned?

The first problem we encounter when trying to discover more about the Historical Jesus is the lack of early sources. The earliest sources only reference the clearly fictional Christ of Faith. These early sources, compiled decades after the alleged events, all stem from Christian authors eager to promote Christianity – which gives us reason to question them. The authors of the Gospels fail to name themselves, describe their qualifications, or show any criticism with their foundational sources – which they also fail to identify. Filled with mythical and non-historical information, and heavily edited over time, the Gospels certainly should not convince critics to trust even the more mundane claims made therein.

The methods traditionally used to tease out rare nuggets of truth from the Gospels are dubious. Thecriterion of embarrassment says that if a section would be embarrassing for the author, it is more likely authentic. Unfortunately, given the diverse nature of Christianity and Judaism back then (things have not changed all that much), and the anonymity of the authors, it is impossible to determine what truly would be embarrassing or counter-intuitive, let alone if that might not serve some evangelistic purpose.

The criterion of Aramaic context is similarly unhelpful. Jesus and his closest followers were surely not the only Aramaic-speakers in first-century Judea. The criterion of multiple independent attestationcan also hardly be used properly here, given that the sources clearly are not independent.

Paul’s Epistles, written earlier than the Gospels, give us no reason to dogmatically declare Jesus must have existed. Avoiding Jesus’ earthly events and teachings, even when the latter could have bolstered his own claims, Paul only describes his “Heavenly Jesus.” Even when discussing what appear to be the resurrection and the last supper, his only stated sources are his direct revelations from the Lord, and his indirect revelations from the Old Testament. In fact, Paul actually rules out human sources (see Galatians 1:11-12).

Also important are the sources we don’t have. There are no existing eyewitness or contemporary accounts of Jesus. All we have are later descriptions of Jesus’ life events by non-eyewitnesses, most of whom are obviously biased. Little can be gleaned from the few non-Biblical and non-Christian sources, with only Roman scholar Josephus and historian Tacitus having any reasonable claim to be writing about Jesus within 100 years of his life. And even those sparse accounts are shrouded in controversy, with disagreements over what parts have obviously been changed by Christian scribes (the manuscripts were preserved by Christians), the fact that both these authors were born after Jesus died (they would thus have probably received this information from Christians), and the oddity that centuries go by before Christian apologists start referencing them.

Agnosticism over the matter is already seemingly appropriate, and support for this position comes from independent historian Richard Carrier’s recent defense of another theory — namely, that the belief in Jesus started as the belief in a purely celestial being (who was killed by demons in an upper realm), who became historicized over time. To summarize Carrier’s 800-page tome, this theory and the traditional theory – that Jesus was a historical figure who became mythicized over time – both align well with the Gospels, which are later mixtures of obvious myth and what at least sounds historical.

The Pauline Epistles, however, overwhelmingly support the “celestial Jesus” theory, particularly with the passage indicating that demons killed Jesus, and would not have done so if they knew who he was (see: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10). Humans – the murderers according to the Gospels – of course would still have killed Jesus, knowing full well that his death results in their salvation, and the defeat of the evil spirits.

So what do the mainstream (and non-Christian) scholars say about all this? Surprisingly very little – of substance anyway. Only Bart Ehrman and Maurice Casey have thoroughly attempted to prove Jesus’ historical existence in recent times. Their most decisive point? The Gospels can generally be trusted – after we ignore the many, many bits that are untrustworthy – because of the hypothetical (i.e. non-existent) sources behind them. Who produced these hypothetical sources? When? What did they say? Were they reliable? Were they intended to be accurate historical portrayals, enlightening allegories, or entertaining fictions?

Ehrman and Casey can’t tell you – and neither can any New Testament scholar. Given the poor state of the existing sources, and the atrocious methods used by mainstream Biblical historians, the matter will likely never be resolved. In sum, there are clearly good reasons to doubt Jesus’ historical existence – if not to think it outright improbable.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Silence on Bowe Bergdahl, months after Army investigation concludes
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:27 PM

Six months after the military began an investigation into the disappearance of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and his capture by the Taliban, which held him for five years, the results remain under wraps as senior Army officials determine what to do next.

Bergdahl was recovered in Afghanistan by U.S. troops in a controversial swap for five Taliban officials on May 31. He had disappeared from his small patrol base on June 30, 2009, under a cloud of suspicion and fear as it became clear he been captured by militants.

The Army in June launched a new investigation into Bergdahl’s disappearance and capture, amid araft of accusations from his fellow soldiers that he walked away from his unit on the battlefield and questions about whether the Obama administration handled the prisoner swap legally. But six months later there is silence about the probe from all corners.

Army Lt. Col. Alayne Conway, a spokeswoman at Army headquarters, and Army Col. Steve Warren, a spokesman for the Pentagon, both said Monday that they had no updates about the case. Bergdahl’s lawyer, Eugene R. Fidell, declined to comment. Fidell, a military justice expert whoteaches at Yale University, was hired in July.

The military has released few updates since this summer. In August, Army officials said the Bergdahl investigation was in its final stages, but warned that a draft report prepared by the investigating officer, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl, would undergo a legal review before being presented to top Army officials. Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said in November that the work on the investigation was complete and it was under review.

The accusations against Bergdahl are serious: Any service member who leaves their unit in a war zone without authorization commonly faces one of two criminal charges in the Army: desertion or going absent without leave (AWOL). Desertion is the more serious one, and usually arises in cases where an individual intends to remain away from the military or to “shirk important duty,” including a combat deployment such as Bergdahl’s.

Desertion can lead to a variety of sentences, include a demotion in rank, forfeiture of pay and a bad-conduct discharge that takes away medical benefits. It also can lead to confinement, as the 2013 sentencing of a Coast Guard rescue swimmer Russell Matthews illustrated. He was sentenced to six months imprisonment on top of 119 days he already had served in a Navy brig for disappearing from his unit and camping in the mountains of Hawaii for three months.

But there also is precedent for President Obama to pardon Bergdahl, while citing his past imprisonment at the hands of the Taliban, should he choose.

In one example, then-Marine Capt. Ernest Brace was found guilty of desertion by the Marine Corps after crashing a government aircraft and disappearing in Maryland in 1961 while trying to avoid gambling debts, according to a recent obituary. He later became a pilot on contract with the CIA, and was captured in Vietnam and taken as a prisoner of war in 1965. He was released in 1974, and President Gerald R. Ford granted him a full pardon for his earlier desertion in recognition of his long captivity.

In November, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R.-Calif.) suggested in a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, that the United States had tried to pay ransom to get Bergdahl back, but failed after it was taken by an Afghan “intermediary” who disappeared with the cash and didn’t help free the soldier.

Kirby denied that Nov. 20, saying no money was paid and there was no failed attempt to pay ransom.

A spokesman for Hunter, Joe Kasper, said Monday that “the only logical conclusion” at this point is that the release of the investigation is being “slow rolled” by Army Secretary John McHugh.

“Even though the process for investigating permits delays, there’s no reasonable excuse for the amount of time this has taken,” Kasper said. “Secretary McHugh should be motivated to get this done, but at this point he’s shown he’s committed to sitting on the investigation, which will get no complaints from the administration.”

A spokesman for McHugh could not immediately be reached for comment.

Dan Lamothe covers national security for The Washington Post and anchors its military blog, Checkpoint.

Read the whole story

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» Did historical Jesus really exist? The evidence just doesn’t add up.
18/12/14 16:31 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
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18/12/14 16:27 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
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18/12/14 03:34 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
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18/12/14 03:34 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
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18/12/14 03:34 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
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18/12/14 03:33 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
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mikenova shared this story from Reuters: World News. MOSCOW (Reuters) - Western sanctions over Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis are likely to last "for a very long time", possibly decades, Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev told Vedomo...

» Iran Slams U.S. Fight Against IS, Backs Russia's Push For Syria Talks
18/12/14 03:32 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Washington is "not serious about fighting terrorism," Iran's deputy foreign minister has said, in a sharply worded criticism of the United States and its allies fighting ...

» brian latell Puerto Rico - Google Search
18/12/14 03:19 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Brothers in Arms: The Kennedys, the Castros, and the ... <a href="https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1608192474" rel="nofollow">https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1608192474</a> Gus Russo , R...

» brian latell - Google Search
18/12/14 03:15 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Amazon.com: Brian Latell: Books, Biography, Blog ... <a href="http://www.amazon.com/" rel="nofollow">www.amazon.com/</a> Brian - Latell /e/B001K8O2LE Cached Similar <a href="http://Amazon.com" ...

» marlene hunter fbi - Google Search
18/12/14 02:07 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Marlene Hunter | ZoomInfo.com <a href="http://www.zoominfo.com/p/" rel="nofollow">www.zoominfo.com/p/</a> Marlene - Hunter /48067611 Cached "I think the sentencing put a period at the end of thing...

» Suspect in $7 million robbery arrested after decades as fugitive
18/12/14 01:04 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from CNN.com - Justice. Feedback By the CNN Wire Staff May 11, 2011 3:08 p.m. EDT STORY HIGHLIGHTS Norberto Gonzalez Claudio is arrested in Puerto Rico He is accused of participating in a 1983 Connecticut robbe...

» macheteros gerena - Google Search
18/12/14 00:58 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Víctor Manuel Gerena - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Víctor_Manuel_ Gerena Cached Similar Wikipedia Loading... Víctor Manuel Gerena (born June 24, 1958) is an American ...

» Case Closed On Wells Fargo Robbery — Except For Missing $7 Million And Top Fugitive
18/12/14 00:54 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . 1983 file photo: Victor Gerena, 25, of Hartford, an employee of Wells Fargo… (UPI ) November 24, 2012 | By EDMUND H. MAHONY, <a href="mailto:emahony@courant.com">emahony@courant.com</a> , Th...

» Víctor Manuel Gerena - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
18/12/14 00:46 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Wikipedia - Recent changes [en]. Víctor Manuel Gerena (born June 24, 1958) is an American fugitive wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the September 1983 White Eagle armed robbery , as a...

» Tells the Facts, Names the Names
18/12/14 00:41 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names. With the holiday season underway and Eric Holder on his way out the door as Attorney General, many Puerto Ricans are stepping up their calls for President Ba...

» Prensa Latina News Agency - Puerto Rican Leaders Applaud Obama''s Decision on Cuba
18/12/14 00:16 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Prensa Latina: Main News. 17 de diciembre de 2014, 17:25 San Juan, Dec 17 (Prensa Latina) Puerto Rican governor, Alejandro Garcia applauded today the decision of United States President Barack Obama, to re...

» Growing crisis in Puerto Rico’s colonial regime » Around the world » Workers World
18/12/14 00:06 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Workers World. The following article was written by Panamanian sociologist Olmedo Beluche , who recently visited Puerto Rico to participate in a series of conferences on the anticolonial struggle in Panama...

» Mess in Venezuela Is One Reason Cuba Turned to the U.S.
17/12/14 23:42 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Cuba’s decision to agree to a prisoner exchange with the U.S. in return for easing a five-decade embargo comes as the Caribbean island's key benefactor, Venezuela , struggles to avoid default. With Vene...

» Puerto Rico Debt Sets Record Low After Utility Meets Investors
17/12/14 23:40 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Prices on Puerto Rico bonds fell to a record low after a meeting between investors and officials of the commonwealth’s power utility, which may restructure $8.6 billion of debt in coming months. Commonw...

» Puerto Rico: U.S. shift on Cuba will have impact on Caribbean trade, tourism
17/12/14 23:36 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Puerto Rico's secretary of state said Wednesday that the United States' plans to restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba - and potentially lift its longstanding economic embargo on the Communist-ruled isl...

» The debilitating outbreak sweeping the Americas
17/12/14 23:04 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from CNN.com - Health. Your video will play in 0 secs STORY HIGHLIGHTS In 2014 an outbreak of Chikungunya has spread across the Americas The mosquito-borne virus causes debilitating symptoms such as joint pain ...

» Debilitating outbreak hits Americas
17/12/14 23:00 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from CNN.com - World. Its name means "bending over in pain." It has no treatment or vaccine. Its symptoms resemble Dengue fever. And it has infected more than 1 million people -- 155 of them fatally -- since sp...

» Asia Central Bankers on Guard but Feel Safe from Ruble Crisis
17/12/14 22:59 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. Asian central bankers are on guard but say they are not overly concerned that the Russian ruble's collapse will trigger a big sell-off of their own currencies, saying their fundamentals a...

» Scavenging for Art | The New York Times
17/12/14 22:58 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Uploads by The New York Times. Scavenging for Art | The New York Times Free Art Friday is an art scavenger hunt open to all artists and art enthusiasts. It has popped up in cities globally, including New Y...

» A Special Edition of On the Line: Talk to America - Racial Justice
17/12/14 22:56 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Uploads by VOAvideo. A Special Edition of On the Line: Talk to America - Racial Justice Originally published at - http://www.voanews.com/media/video/special-on-the-line-talk-to-america-racial-justice/25625...

» Jeb Bush’s interests face scrutiny
17/12/14 22:56 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World News. Donors are concerned about Bush’s complex business dealings

» CIA torture report: UK intelligence agencies questioned over redactions
17/12/14 22:56 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. MPs investigate whether redactions were sought on national security grounds or to avoid embarrassment The British parliament’s intelligence and security committee (ISC) has st...

» U.S. to start talks with Cuba to normalize ties
17/12/14 22:55 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World: World News, International News, Foreign Reporting - The Washington Post. The United States and Cuba will begin talks to normalize relations, including opening an embassy in Havana and putting to res...

» U.S. to open embassy in Cuba: AP
17/12/14 22:55 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Reuters: World News. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is planning to open an embassy in Cuba as part of its plan to open talks and normalize relations with the island nation, the Associated Press r...

» Russian Ruble Gains Back Some Of Lost Value
17/12/14 22:55 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. The Russian ruble has gained back some of the value it lost in a steep slide that brought the currency's exchange rate to as low as 80 to the U.S. dollar this week.

» EU Moves to Counter Money Laundering
17/12/14 22:54 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from WSJ.com: World News. New European anti-money laundering rules will require company owners to be listed on national registers to which journalists and others with “legitimate interest” will have access.

» Rouble halts fall but remains volatile as Russia awaits Vladimir Putin speech
17/12/14 22:54 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. Russian president to give annual press conference on Thursday, with currency crisis and economic fallout likely to dominate The rouble stopped its downward spiral on Wednesday...

» Darius Kazemi: the Oscar Wilde of internet bots – Tech Weekly podcast
17/12/14 22:54 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. How Twitter and Tumblr bots use algorithmic algorythmic skill to bring wit, warmth and a critical eye to internet culture Continue reading...

» What to Know About the American Released By Cuba
17/12/14 22:44 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from TIME. Alan Gross, the 65-year-old American whose release from a Cuban prison was announced Wednesday , was a contractor trying to bring Internet services to Cuba. He’s reported to be in poor health after d...

» Ukraine Leader Wants to Join 'Euro-Atlantic' Security Alliance
17/12/14 22:43 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Wednesday he had decided his country should set out on a course towards Euro-Atlantic security integration, and would press for that in parlia...

» Latin American leftist exiles hold faith in Maduro's Venezuela
17/12/14 22:42 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Reuters: World News. CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's aging community of fugitives from 1970s South American dictatorships are staying loyal to their revolutionary roots and defending President Nicolas Madu...

» Here’s What Hillary Clinton Said About Alan Gross, U.S.-Cuba Relations in Hard Choices
17/12/14 22:42 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from TIME. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote in her recent autobiography one of her biggest regrets of her tenure was that she was not able to bring home an American who was held as a prisoner in ...

» Pope appoints British child sexual abuse survivor to church commission
17/12/14 22:41 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. Peter Saunders invited to nine-member body to protect children and help others abused by members of Catholic church A British survivor of child sexual abuse who set up a chari...

» Afghan spy chief laments intelligence vacuum as foreign troops leave
17/12/14 22:41 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Reuters: World News. KABUL (Reuters) - The departure of most foreign troops from Afghanistan has left an intelligence-gathering vacuum that facilitates Taliban attacks, the head of the Afghan spy agency sa...

» USAID administrator Shah resigns - The State
17/12/14 22:38 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Sacramento Bee USA TODAY USAID administrator Shah resigns The State Raj Shah, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development who most recently helped lead the...

» Blame Game Begins As Ruble Plummets
17/12/14 22:32 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Economists say the collapse of the ruble is due to a combination of Western sanctions and the uncontrollable drop in world oil prices. But many Russians are still searchi...

» 2nd victim added to pope's sex abuse commission - San Francisco Chronicle
17/12/14 22:32 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Fox News 2nd victim added to pope's sex abuse commission San Francisco Chronicle VATICAN CITY (AP) — A second survivor of sexual abuse has been appointed to Pope Francis' sex abu...

» The Ebola virus is strengthening its grip on Sierra Leone as the country becomes...
17/12/14 22:31 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from FT World News's Facebook Wall. The Ebola virus is strengthening its grip on Sierra Leone as the country becomes the new frontline in the regional battle to contain the epidemic. Yet there is hope, and ...

» Heart-pounding video documents American Airlines flight turbulence - Washington Post (blog)
17/12/14 22:23 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World - Google News. Heart-pounding video documents American Airlines flight turbulence Washington Post (blog) Video of the American Airlines flight that was rocked by severe turbulence on Tuesday will mak...

» Bookies suspend betting on Queen abdicating in Christmas Day speech after flurry of bets
17/12/14 22:16 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from News | Mail Online. The firm was offering odds of 10-1 that Her Majesty would announce her decision to step down during her address to the nation, but today's unusual gambling instantly set alarm bells rin...

» Obama Announces Historic Revamp of US-Cuba Relations
17/12/14 22:15 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. U.S. President Barack Obama announced a major shift in U.S. relations with Cuba, after the country’s communist leaders released Alan Gross, an American who had been imprisoned there for f...

» Ukraine's president urges more political, economic ties with his changing country - Fox News
17/12/14 22:15 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World - Google News. Fox News Ukraine's president urges more political, economic ties with his changing country Fox News Dec. 17, 2014: Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko addresses lawmakers at the Polis...

» Over $6 Trillion Lost to Illicit Flows
17/12/14 22:12 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. Poor countries lose a lot more money each year from corruption and corporate tax evasion than they receive in foreign aid. A new report called the losses a structural cause of extreme pov...

» EU resists Ukraine’s plea to find funding
17/12/14 22:11 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World News. Assistance sought from EU and others to avoid a possible default after IMF identifies shortfall

» Gérard Depardieu launches luxury watch in Russia amid economic turmoil
17/12/14 22:11 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. French actor and Russian citizen says luxury depends on ‘spiritual strength’, not rouble, at launch for £10,000 watch called ‘Proud to Be Russian’ Cometh the hour, cometh the ...

» Poroshenko Sets Course For 'Euro-Atlantic' Security Integration
17/12/14 22:10 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on December 17 that he will soon ask parliament to abandon the country's neutral "nonbloc" status, and suggested he would steer ...

» Cuomo to Ban Fracking in New York State, Citing Health Risks - New York Times
17/12/14 22:09 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. New York Times Cuomo to Ban Fracking in New York State, Citing Health Risks New York Times ALBANY — The Cuomo administration announced Wednesday that it would ban hydraulic fract...

» In 1945, Scientists Calculated How Many Nukes Could Destroy The World - io9
17/12/14 22:09 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from world - Google News. io9 In 1945, Scientists Calculated How Many Nukes Could Destroy The World io9 A newly declassified document obtained by a nuclear historian reveals that the Manhattan Project scientist...

» Spy freed by Cuba ID'd key Cuban agents in U.S. government: U.S. spy chief
17/12/14 22:09 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Reuters: World News. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Cuban national freed from prison by the Cuban government provided "critical assistance" to United States agencies in exposing Cuban agents who had infiltrated ...

» Polls show Cuban-American views on U.S.-Cuba relations are nuanced - Minnesota Public Radio News
17/12/14 22:08 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World - Google News. Polls show Cuban-American views on U.S.-Cuba relations are nuanced Minnesota Public Radio News An elderly man makes a move on a chess board at the Maximo Gomez Domino park in Little Ha...

» Russia’s Neighbors in Europe Warily Watch Ruble Crisis
17/12/14 22:08 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > World. The impact of the currency turmoil on Central and Eastern European nations will depend on how much each country relies on Russian trade and visitors.

» In speech, Raul Castro thanks Obama, Pope Francis
17/12/14 21:54 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World: World News, International News, Foreign Reporting - The Washington Post. Cuban leader Raul Castro appeared on state television at precisely noon Wednesday to announce the prisoner swap, thanking Pre...

» Poroshenko: Ukraine is a new, changing country - U-T San Diego
17/12/14 21:54 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World - Google News. U-T San Diego Poroshenko: Ukraine is a new, changing country U-T San Diego Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko addresses lawmakers at the Polish parliament in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesda...

» Dalai Lama says his role should cease after his death - Reuters
17/12/14 21:51 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World - Google News. Reuters Dalai Lama says his role should cease after his death Reuters BEIJING (Reuters) - The Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, has said he thinks his traditional religious ...

» New York state to ban fracking for two years over 'red flags' to public health
17/12/14 21:51 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. Decision comes after two-year study spearheaded by health commissioner into the effects of fracking on the state’s air and water raises ‘serious questions’ The state of New Yo...

» Secret talks in Canada, Vatican City led to Cuba breakthrough
17/12/14 21:51 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Reuters: World News. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The historic breakthrough in U.S.-Cuban relations began in spring 2013, when President Barack Obama authorized secret talks with Cuba, the same tactic he used to...

» A look at the 'Cuban Five' agents jailed in the US - Dothan Eagle
17/12/14 21:50 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World - Google News. The Independent A look at the 'Cuban Five' agents jailed in the US Dothan Eagle HAVANA (AP) — The "Cuban Five" Washington Post HAVANA — The “Cuban Five” refers to intelligence agents w...

» New York will move to prohibit fracking
17/12/14 21:50 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from AP Top Headlines At 8:18 p.m. EST. ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration will move to prevent fracking in the state, citing unresolved health issues and dubious economic benefits of the w...

» The Guardian view on Russia’s economic turmoil: a good time to talk to Vladimir Putin
17/12/14 21:49 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. With the fall of the rouble, the Russian president is cornered. Creative western diplomacy must prevent him from pulling his country further into nationalism and military adve...

» Rouble crisis opens up Putin to attack
17/12/14 21:48 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World News. Financial upheaval alters terms of Russian political debate

» Ukraine President: Peace Talks Could Resume Dec. 21
17/12/14 21:48 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko says preparations are under way to reopen long-stalled his government could resume peace talks with Russian-backed separatists in the Belarusian capit...

» U.S., Citing Syria Embargo Violations, Moves Against Companies
17/12/14 21:48 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > World. The Obama administration, seeking to cut off oil to the government of President Bashar al-Assad, imposed penalties on five people and six companies.

» How Al Capone could have escaped Alcatraz - Hamilton Spectator
17/12/14 21:48 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. How Al Capone could have escaped Alcatraz Hamilton Spectator Al (Scarface) Capone could have learned a thing or two from a team of Dutch scientists from the Delft University of T...

» Scientists: Alcatraz prisoners could have survived - KFOX El Paso
17/12/14 21:48 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Scientists: Alcatraz prisoners could have survived KFOX El Paso SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Scientists say the three prisoners who escaped from Alcatraz in one of the most famous and e...

» Raul Castro to Obama: Thanks, Barack. Now end the sanctions
17/12/14 21:47 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from GlobalPost - Home. LIMA — For such a historic Castro speech, it was curiously short. Cuban President Raul Castro spoke for just nine minutes, starting at noon Eastern time, to respond to the mo...

» Obama mistaken for waiter, valet driver - GlobalPost
17/12/14 21:42 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Telegraph.co.uk Obama mistaken for waiter, valet driver GlobalPost Barack and Michelle Obama have revealed their experiences of racism in a wide-ranging interview with celebrity ...

» Alcatraz escapees could have lived, study says - CNN
17/12/14 21:41 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. CNN Alcatraz escapees could have lived, study says CNN (CNN) -- On June 11, 1962, three Alcatraz inmates -- John Anglin, Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris -- attempted to leave th...

» Mystery man among 5 freed in historic U.S.-Cuba deal
17/12/14 21:41 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from CNN.com - World. Five men are tasting freedom for the first time in years -- including one President Barack Obama described as "one of the most important intelligence agents that the United States has ever...

» Mass grave of 230 uncovered in Syria after ISIS slaughtered tribe
17/12/14 21:41 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from News | Mail Online. Relatives of the dead, who were from the Shaitaat tribe, discovered the burial site in the country's eastern Deir el-Zour province, a monitoring group said today. Pictured is a previous...

» Russian father on the run after videos in which he fed pet snake live animals
17/12/14 21:40 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from News | Mail Online. Father-of-two Andrei Generalov, 32, from St. Petersburg, Russia, who fed parrots, guinea pigs, cats and puppies to his pet snake and filmed the gruesome footage is being hunted by police.

» People Affected by Hunger in West African Ebola Nations Could Double
17/12/14 21:38 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from WSJ.com: World News. The number of people threatened by hunger in three West African nations battling the worst Ebola outbreak in history could double to one million by March if food supplies don't improve...

» China’s controversial ray gun inflicts unbearable pain
17/12/14 21:34 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The European Union Times - World News, Breaking News. Poly WB-1 China has presented Poly WB-1, a non-lethal ray gun that can be used for crowd dispersal, by making its targets feel like their skin is on fi...

» Obama on Cuba’s Release of Alan Gross | The New York Times
17/12/14 21:31 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Uploads by The New York Times. Obama on Cuba’s Release of Alan Gross | The New York Times President Obama discussed the release of the contractor, Alan P. Gross, who had been held in Cuba for five years, a...

» Obama on Change to U.S.-Cuba Relations | The New York Times
17/12/14 21:31 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Uploads by The New York Times. Obama on Change to U.S.-Cuba Relations | The New York Times The president outlined the steps the United States would take to “end an outdated approach” and begin to normalize...

» U.S.-led coalition conducts 67 air strikes against Islamic State: task force
17/12/14 21:31 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Reuters: World News. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies have conducted 61 air strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq in the past the three days, the Combined Joint Task Force ...

» After 53 years, time is right for US and Cuba
17/12/14 21:31 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from AP Top Headlines At 8:18 p.m. EST. MEXICO CITY (AP) -- After 53 years of hostility between the United States and Cuba, the timing to make amends was perfect for both governments....

» Pakistan’s prime minister promises day of reckoning with militants
17/12/14 21:30 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. As massacre victims are buried, Nawaz Sharif says there will be no more differentiation between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Taliban Pakistan buried its slaughtered children on Wednesday,...

» Dow jumps after Fed pledges patience in rate hikes
17/12/14 21:30 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from AP Top Headlines At 8:18 p.m. EST. NEW YORK (AP) -- The Dow Jones industrial average surged as much as 300 points after the Federal Reserve signaled it was edging closer to raising interest rates because o...

» Taliban Attack Reflects a Barbaric Competition
17/12/14 21:30 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from WSJ.com: World News. ANALYSIS: The Pakistani Taliban’s attack on a school—one of their bloodiest atrocities—was likely the result of a rational cost-benefit analysis. Its bottom line: in this business, bar...

» Italy police break up international money laundering ring in Rome
17/12/14 21:29 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Reuters: World News. ROME (Reuters) - Italian finance police on Wednesday arrested 17 people accused of running an international money laundering ring through a British-based money transfer services compan...

» Russian Sailors Finish Training at French Port, but Will Leave Without Warship
17/12/14 21:29 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > World. Amid tensions over Ukraine, France continues to delay the delivery of a Mistral-class warship, one of two ordered by Russia and built in the French port city of Saint-Nazaire.

» Free exchange - The Economist
17/12/14 21:25 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from world - Google News. The Economist Free exchange The Economist WHAT is the point of economics? It often seems that the objective is to make the world richer. When global GDP is growing quickly, dismal scie...

» A look at 'Cuban 5' agents who were jailed in US
17/12/14 21:25 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from AP Top Headlines At 8:18 p.m. EST. HAVANA (AP) -- The "Cuban Five" refers to intelligence agents whose so-called "Wasp Network" operated in Florida in the 1990s. They were arrested in 1998 and later convic...

» U.S., Cuba to restore ties after 50 years of hostility
17/12/14 21:24 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Reuters: World News. HAVANA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will restore diplomatic relations it severed with Cuba more than 50 years ago, a major policy shift ending decades of hostile ties with ...

» Cuba Action Is Obama’s Latest Step Away From 6 Years of Caution
17/12/14 21:24 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > World. President Obama seems to be putting Republican critics on notice that he will use his last two years in office to pursue his earlier campaign promises.

» Barack Obama announces thaw in US-Cuba relations - video
17/12/14 21:24 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World news + Video | The Guardian. The US president announces drastic changes to the relationship between the US and Cuba, ending 50 years of hostility. Obama says the US will stop the 'rigid' policy of is...

» Bacardi, Exiled From Cuba in 1960, Is Hopeful for Change
17/12/14 21:23 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from TIME. Bacardi, the spirits maker that was founded in Cuba and later exiled from the country in 1960, says it hopes for better lives for Cubans following the Obama Administration’s decision to normalize dip...

» Cuba welcomes Castro's announce of renewed US ties
17/12/14 21:23 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from AP Top Headlines At 8:18 p.m. EST. HAVANA (AP) -- Bells tolled in celebration and teachers halted lessons midday as President Raul Castro told his country Wednesday that Cuba was restoring relations with t...

» Cruise Line Shares Sail Higher as U.S., Cuba Relations Improve
17/12/14 21:23 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from TIME. Shares of cruise-line operators sailed to big gains on Wednesday as investors placed a bet that improving relations between the U.S. and Cuba could lead to new opportunities for tourism. Shares of Ca...

» Whites the new minority in America by 2044
17/12/14 21:22 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The European Union Times - World News, Breaking News. New population projections by the US Census Bureau show that whites will become a minority by 2044. The US will be home to a youthful, growing minority...

» USAID Chief Submits Resignation
17/12/14 21:19 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. Rajiv Shah, head of the United States' global development agency, announced Wednesday that he would resign in February. In a statement, Shah, who was confirmed in 2009 as the 16th adminis...

» Breakthrough on Cuba Highlights Pope’s Role as Diplomatic Broker
17/12/14 21:19 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > World. The agreement between the United States and Cuba, coming on Francis’s 78th birthday, was a “beautiful present for the Holy Father,” a Vatican official said. says.

» Sony needs 'Team America: World Police' - Washington Times
17/12/14 21:18 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from world - Google News. Washington Times Sony needs 'Team America: World Police' Washington Times What's curious about all of this is, when Trey Parker and Matt Stone, (the creators of “South Park”) released ...

» Sun journalists in corruption trial ‘acted in public interest’
17/12/14 21:18 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. Stories involving alleged payments to officials included exposé about Halloween fancy-dress party for Broadmoor inmates The six Sun journalists on trial for allegedly “bunging...

» Ukraine says possible peace talks in Minsk on Sunday
17/12/14 21:17 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Uploads by AFP news agency. Ukraine says possible peace talks in Minsk on Sunday Trilateral peace talks towards ending the Ukraine crisis could take place on Sunday in Minsk, according to the conflict-ridd...

» Parthenon Marbles statue on display in Russia
17/12/14 21:17 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Uploads by AFP news agency. Parthenon Marbles statue on display in Russia A headless scultpure of a Greek river god from the Parthenon Marbles - known in Britain as the Elgin Marbles - is on display at a R...

» Top theater chains cancel 'The Interview' showings
17/12/14 21:16 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from AP Top Headlines At 7:04 p.m. EST. NEW YORK (AP) -- The top theater chains in North America have dropped "The Interview" after hackers threatened terrorist attacks at theaters showing the comedy, effective...

» TV meteorologist shot outside Texas studio - New York Daily News
17/12/14 21:16 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. New York Daily News TV meteorologist shot outside Texas studio New York Daily News The manhunt is on for a gunman who shot a Texas meteorologist shot three times outside his tele...

» Fidel Loses the Race to the Grave
17/12/14 21:16 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from TIME. The world now has the answer to a question as old as the New World Order: Which would die first? Fidel Castro? Or the chokehold his angry critics maintained on U.S. foreign policy since El Comandante...

» U.S. global aid chief announces resignation
17/12/14 21:14 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Reuters: World News. WASHINGTON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The head of the U.S. global development agency announced on Wednesday that he will step down from his post in February, saying he had "mixed e...

» Alan Gross thanks Obama for release from Cuba - video
17/12/14 21:14 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World news + Video | The Guardian. Alan Gross speaks to press after being released from a Cuban prison where he was held for five years. Gross, 65, says knowing he was being thought of made his stay in jai...

» Colombian Rebels Announce Unilateral Cease-Fire
17/12/14 21:14 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from TIME. (HAVANA) — Colombian rebels at peace talks with government representatives in Cuba have announced an indefinite, unilateral cease-fire as long as military units don’t attack them. The Rev...

» American Lawmakers, Others Split on US-Cuba Moves
17/12/14 21:13 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. U.S. President Barack Obama’s move to normalize U.S. relations with Cuba drew sharp and sharply differing reactions across America’s political spectrum, among Cuban exiles in Florida and ...

» WorldViews: 4 reasons an opening to Cuba is long overdue
17/12/14 21:13 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World: World News, International News, Foreign Reporting - The Washington Post. "Change is hard, but today America chooses to cut loose the shackles of the past," said President Obama on Wednesday, announc...

» Raul Castro: 'President Obama deserves respect and recognition' - video
17/12/14 21:13 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World news + Video | The Guardian. Cuban president Raul Castro urges the US to end the economic embargo, but praises President Obama for the agreement to re-establish diplomatic relations. Castro spoke in ...

» Afghan Spy Chief Blames NATO Pullout, Technology Vacuum For Security Woes
17/12/14 21:12 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Afghanistan's acting spy chief has blamed the dwindling number of NATO troops and a technology vacuum for the surge in militant attacks across the country.

» Mocking Kim Jong Un, a Serious Matter
17/12/14 20:43 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. A new Hollywood comedy about a U.S. plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has drawn widespread attention after the film's release was linked to a massive cyber attack on its...

» Russian Authorities Order Tycoon Freed From House Arrest
17/12/14 20:43 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Russian authorities have released billionaire Vladimir Yevtushenkov from house arrest less than two months after a controversial ruling to nationalize his stake in an oil...

» Opponent calls for Putin's exit as Russia slides into crisis
17/12/14 19:56 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Reuters: World News. MOSCOW (Reuters) - A prominent opponent has warned Vladimir Putin his days in power are numbered, as Russia awaits the president's response to the dramatic decline of the rouble.

» WorldViews: 6 graphs that explain Cuba
17/12/14 19:56 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World: World News, International News, Foreign Reporting - The Washington Post. President Obama has announced an effort to normalize relations with Cuba more than half a century after the historic rift bet...

» Ruble Volatile Despite Intervention
17/12/14 19:55 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from WSJ.com: World News. The ruble strengthened in afternoon trading after Russia’s central bank announced measures to shore up the country’s banks following another volatile day for the currency.

» Sony Cancels Kim Jong-Un Movie After Threats
17/12/14 19:54 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World News - Breaking international news and headlines | Sky News. Sony Pictures Sony has cancelled the release of the controversial film The Interview, which depicts depicting an assassination of North Ko...

» Letter From China: Reporters in China Say Media Freeze Is Intensifying
17/12/14 19:54 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > World. Progress on visa renewals for journalists obscures what many correspondents say is a mounting hostility toward Western media outlets operating in China.

» Hamas removed from EU terrorist list on technicality - Ynetnews
17/12/14 19:54 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Hamas removed from EU terrorist list on technicality Ynetnews European Union General Court annuls decision to keep Hamas on list of terrorist organizations, but temporarily maint...

» Obama Starts Dismantling Cuba Embargo
17/12/14 19:54 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. President Obama has announced a major shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba and begun dismantling the decades-old embargo against the communist island nation. VOA White House correspondent Lui...

» Detente between US and Cuba triggers mixed reactions
17/12/14 19:53 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Uploads by AFP news agency. Detente between US and Cuba triggers mixed reactions Long-time Cuban exiles in Miami, Florida, reacted with disbelief to the news that the US and Cuba would normalize their rela...

» UPDATE 1-After first big step, US faces long path to forge ties to Cuba - Reuters
17/12/14 19:53 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World - Google News. MiamiHerald.com UPDATE 1-After first big step, US faces long path to forge ties to Cuba Reuters (Adds quotes from Obama, Rubio; details). By Alistair Bell. WASHINGTON Dec 17 (Reuters) ...

» Obama Starts Dismantling Cuba Embargo - YouTube
17/12/14 19:49 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Published on Dec 17, 2014 President Obama has announced a major shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba and begun dismantling the decades-old embargo against the communist island nation. VOA White House corresponden...

» World Briefing: Foul Play Ruled Out in German Politician’s Death
17/12/14 19:48 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > World. Andreas Schockenhoff, a well-known critic of Russia, died last weekend of heart failure or heat exposure, an autopsy showed.

» World Briefing: German Soldiers May Help Train Forces in Iraq
17/12/14 19:47 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > World. Germany’s cabinet approved a plan for 100 soldiers to help train Kurdish pesh merga forces.

» US-Cuba rapprochement exposes Venezuela's Maduro - Reuters
17/12/14 19:47 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World - Google News. Latin American Herald Tribune Yahoo! Maktoob News US-Cuba rapprochement exposes Venezuela's Maduro Reuters CARACAS Dec 17 (Reuters) - Even as Cuba and the United States try to bury 50 ...

» North Koreans Toil for Little Pay Overseas
17/12/14 19:47 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. In the heat of Qatar, nearly 3,000 North Koreans labor on construction sites, under harsh conditions. The laborers and local construction managers tell VOA that they work very long hours ...

» Dalai Lama says his role should cease after his death but Tibetans, not China ... - ABC Online
17/12/14 19:46 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World - Google News. ABC Online Dalai Lama says his role should cease after his death but Tibetans, not China ... ABC Online The Dalai Lama says he thinks his traditional religious role should cease with h...

» Sen. Jeff Sessions drops bid for budget chairmanship, will lead welfare reform ... - AL.com
17/12/14 19:46 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Sen. Jeff Sessions drops bid for budget chairmanship, will lead welfare reform ... AL.com Sen. Jeff Sessions is stepping aside in his bid to become the next chairman of the Senat...

» Economic Fears May Push Russia Into Ukraine Deal - New York Times
17/12/14 19:46 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World - Google News. The Nation Economic Fears May Push Russia Into Ukraine Deal New York Times BERLIN — The turmoil in the Russian economy appears to be encouraging Moscow to seek compromise in the crisis...

» U.S. Links North Korea to Sony Hacking
17/12/14 19:45 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > World. American intelligence officials have concluded that the government of Kim Jong-un was “centrally involved” in the attacks on the film company’s computers.

» Cold War-Style Spy Swap Key To US-Cuba Deal
17/12/14 19:45 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World News - Breaking international news and headlines | Sky News. A Cuban who provided intelligence on agents in the US government is exchanged for three jailed members of Cuba's Wasp Network.

» Cuba has always been a fantasy. Can it ever be something close to normal?
17/12/14 17:20 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. US foreign policy may no longer be frozen in time, but on both shores of this failed experiment, the healing has just begun Plus: Complete coverage of the Cuba deal Many years...

» Putin Orders Feared “Samson Defense” To Collapse US-EU Economies
17/12/14 17:20 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The European Union Times - World News, Breaking News. A chilling report published today by the Ministry of Economic Development ( MED ) is warning of potentially “catastrophic unknown consequences” relatin...

» The US and Cuba are now on equal terms for the first time in history
17/12/14 17:15 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. For most of the half-century since the US broke off diplomatic relations, Washington fought a war of economic attrition that affected millions The decision to restore normal d...

» A New Beginning With Cuba
17/12/14 17:10 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Following months of secret negotiations with the Cuban government, President Obama on Wednesday announced sweeping changes to normalize relations with Havana, a bold move that ends one of the most misguided c...

» Russia’s Economic Turmoil Could Push Putin to Close Deal on Ukraine
17/12/14 16:36 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . BERLIN — The turmoil in the Russian economy appears to be encouraging Moscow to seek compromise in the crisis over Ukraine , although President Vladimir V. Putin has proved so erratic in past months tha...

» Obama announces 'new chapter' in US-Cuba ties - YouTube
17/12/14 16:33 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Published on Dec 17, 2014 US President Barack Obama said Wednesday a "new chapter" had been opened in Washington's ties with Cuba, saying it was time to end an "outdated approach" that had failed to move rela...

» Tortured by Psychologists and Doctors
17/12/14 16:22 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . One of the most disturbing revelations in the Senate report on the Central Intelligence Agency’s interrogation program was the deep complicity of psychologists and doctors in torturing suspected terrori...

» Ruble Remains Volatile as Russia Pledges to Sell Foreign Currency
17/12/14 16:19 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from DealBook. LONDON — Trading in the Russian ruble was volatile early Wednesday morning, rallying briefly on news that the Finance Ministry was ready to sell some of its foreign currency reserves, and t...

» Moscow’s Anti-American ‘Cultural Komintern’ Will Trump US Soft Power, Russian Analyst Says
16/12/14 13:54 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Window on Eurasia -- New Series. Paul Goble Stripped of its scholarly verbiage, the Russian commentator says, Nye’s ideas about Amer...

» Kerry, Lavrov Meet Again on Ukraine Conflict
16/12/14 13:50 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met again Sunday to discuss Ukraine, just days after U.S. lawmakers voted in support of providing military ai...

» Patriarch calls for warmer US-Russian relations : News Headlines
16/12/14 13:48 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . 1 0 Google + 0 Delicious 0 Catholic World News - December 04, 2014 The head of the Russian Orthodox Church met with the US ambassador to Russia on November 28 and called for warmer US-Russian re...

» Экстренное совещание по экономике у Медведева: эксперт рассказал о мерах по спасению рубля - Экономика
16/12/14 13:19 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Сможет ли изменить ситуацию валют&...

» Лавров: НАТО Разорвало отношения с РФ, но по-тихому хотело продолжать сотрудничать - Политика
16/12/14 13:18 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Сегодня в 19:16, просмотров: 7164 Россия ник&#...

» Children massacred in Pakistan school attack - YouTube
16/12/14 13:08 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Published on Dec 16, 2014 At least 141 people, including 132 children, have been killed in a horrific attack by Pakistani Taliban fighters (TTP) on a military-run school in Peshawar in Pakistan's northwest. S...

» Taliban Gunmen Storm Pakistani School, 126 Dead - YouTube
16/12/14 13:04 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Published on Dec 16, 2014 Militants of the Tehreek-e-Taliban, TTP, stormed a military-run school in Peshawar early Tuesday, killing 126 people. A majority of the dead were young students in what officials cal...

» Can Putin Turn the ISIS Mess to Russia’s Advantage?
16/12/14 12:47 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The World. Photo by Andrey Smirnov/AFP/Getty Images Sputnik News, the slick new-media rebranding of the venerable Russian news wire RIA-Novosti, reports that Russia has called on the U.N. Security Council ...

» Why Russia is hung up on homosexuality
16/12/14 12:32 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from CNN.com - Europe. By Matthew Chance, CNN updated 10:00 AM EST, Tue December 16, 2014 STORY HIGHLIGHTS CNN's Matthew Chance: It's not only Russia where sexual minorities suffer discrimination Some U.S. stat...

» Vladimir Putin vs. the Currency Markets: What to Know About the Ruble’s Collapse
16/12/14 12:16 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > The Upshot. Vladimir Putin ’s biggest enemy right now may well be the currency markets. Even as it spars with Ukraine, Russia’s government is in the midst of a full-scale war to preser...

» The Talk: After Ferguson, a Shaded Conversation About Race
16/12/14 12:15 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . LIKE so many African-American parents, I had rehearsed “the talk,” that nausea-inducing discussion I needed to have with my son about how to conduct himself in the presence of the police. I was pr...

» Dershowitz Seeks to Bring Close to Polanski Case
16/12/14 12:13 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . LOS ANGELES — Alan M. Dershowitz , a lawyer whose celebrity clients have included the heiress Patty Hearst and the hacker Julian Assange , is seeking to lead what could be the final effort to end the le...

» Army Deserter Is Jailed for Chasing the Conflicts That Steadied His Mind
16/12/14 12:10 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . FORT DRUM, N.Y. — After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point near the top of his class in 2008, Second Lt. Lawrence J. Franks Jr. went on to a stellar career with three deplo...

» Board-Certification Has Gone Too Far
16/12/14 12:07 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . IT’S hard to believe that another 10 years have passed, but the proof is the 11-volume stack of medical review books at my bedside. It’s time for the decennial rite of cramming a thousand pages of...

» Egypt’s Latest Outrage - NYTimes.com
16/12/14 12:06 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Two events over the weekend illustrated the contradictory relationship between the United States and Egypt. On Friday, Egypt refused to grant entry to an American scholar and former diplomat, Michele Dunne, w...

» Ruble Continues Its Decline in Russia, Despite Interest Rate Increase
16/12/14 11:49 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . MOSCOW — The ruble’s value continued to slide on Tuesday despite the Russian central bank’s extraordinary effort to defend it, inducing further panic in the nation’s financial industry...

» Pakistani Taliban Attack on Peshawar School Leaves 145 Dead
16/12/14 11:48 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Credit Bilawal Arbab/European Pressphoto Agency PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistani Taliban gunmen stormed into a military-run school in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing scores of teachers and schoo...

» Rampage Killings Fast Facts - CNN.com
16/12/14 11:47 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from CNN.com - U.S.. Police officers walk on a rooftop at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday, September 16, after a shooting rampage in the nation's capital. At least 12 people and suspect Aaron Alexis were kil...

» Pennsylvania town tense as police hunt alleged killer
16/12/14 11:46 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from CNN.com - U.S.. Your video will begin momentarily. STORY HIGHLIGHTS The Upper Perkiomen School District calls off classes for Tuesday Killings break the calm in three small towns in Pennsylvania The distri...

» Death of Merkel Ally Who Criticized Russia Being Probed
16/12/14 11:44 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Businessweek.com -- Top News. German authorities are carrying out an autopsy on a lawmaker in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party who criticized Russia, saying they want to rule out foul play. Andreas S...

» Russia failing to prevent homophobic violence, says Human Rights Watch
15/12/14 22:13 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russia | The Guardian. Anti-gay harassment has risen since controversial law banning ‘homosexual propaganda’ was passed last year, report says Gay people in Russia are being subjected to increasing amounts...

» Violence Against LGBTs Getting Worse in Russia, Study Says
15/12/14 22:12 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The Moscow Times Top Stories. Russia's controversial law against gay propaganda has become a "license to harm" for Russian homophobes, who have expanded to target closeted gays, a new study says.

» Window on Eurasia: Are Kadyrov’s Days as Head of Chechnya Numbered?
15/12/14 22:12 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Window on Eurasia -- New Series. Paul Goble Staunton, December 15 – Ramzan Kadyrov’s ouster as head of Chechnya has been rumored so...

» $60 Oil Would See Russia's Economy Shrink 4.5 Percent Next Year – Central Bank
15/12/14 22:10 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The Moscow Times Top Stories. Russia's Central Bank said Monday that it was likely the economy would contract in the first quarter of next year and perhaps by around 4.5 percent in 2015 as a whole if oil p...

» Ex-White House Press Secretary Jay Carney Was Right About The Russian ... - Business Insider
15/12/14 22:10 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russia - Google News. Business Insider Ex-White House Press Secretary Jay Carney Was Right About The Russian ... Business Insider Carney, then the White House press secretary, said in March that the only t...

» Will Russia Follow the USSR into the Dustbin of History – and for the Same Reasons?
15/12/14 22:10 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The InterpreterThe Interpreter. Staunton, December 13 – Four Russian analysts suggest that the six causes they identify as being behind the collapse of the USSR are again to varying degrees present in Russ...

» Russia heading for crash as ruble plummets - CNNMoney
15/12/14 22:09 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russia - Google News. Christian Science Monitor BBC News Russia heading for crash as ruble plummets CNNMoney Cash is flooding out of the country and the risk that some Russian companies may default is incr...

» Сколько Путин отвел Медведеву
15/12/14 22:09 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Uploads by Радио Свобода. Сколько Путин отвел Медведеву Дмитрий Медведев дает интервью и пишет статьи, в то время, как его отставки от Путина требуют все настойчиве... From: Радио Свобода Views: 301 22 0 0...

» Ruble Collapse Stokes Russian Mortgage Boom
15/12/14 22:08 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The Moscow Times Top Stories. One real estate developer and mortgage provider is eager to highlight the collapse of the Russian currency.

» Ходаковский: ДНР нужно выходить на границы Донецкой области - ИА REGNUM
15/12/14 22:08 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. РИА Новости Комсомольская Правда в Украине Ходаковский: ДНР нужно выходить на границы Донецкой области ИА REGNUM «Нужно выходить на границы Донецкой области. Если Украина не соглас...

» Украина может не получить помощь ЕС в полном размере – Ковтун - СЕГОДНЯ
15/12/14 22:07 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. СЕГОДНЯ Украина может не получить помощь ЕС в полном размере – Ковтун СЕГОДНЯ Украина может не получить полную сумму второго транша помощи ЕС в размере 105 млн евро в 2015 году, по...

» Конгресс давит на Кремль
15/12/14 22:06 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Uploads by Радио Свобода. Конгресс давит на Кремль Помо...

» White House has not yet decided on Russia sanctions bill - Reuters
15/12/14 22:06 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russia - Google News. Reuters White House has not yet decided on Russia sanctions bill Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Monday that President Barack Obama had not yet decided how to r...

» Russia raises key rate to 17%, effective Tuesday - CNBC
15/12/14 22:06 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russia - Google News. CNBC TIME Russia raises key rate to 17%, effective Tuesday CNBC In September, the United States and the European Union imposed a new round of sanctions for Moscow's actions in Ukraine...

» Obama: Not Enough Thanks for US Troops Who Served in Afghanistan
15/12/14 22:06 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. With the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan coming to a close, President Barack Obama saluted returning U.S. troops Monday, saying the country cannot thank them enough. The president was ...

» Лукашенко заявил, что США сняли с Белоруссии все санкции - ИА REGNUM
15/12/14 22:05 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. Lenta.ru Лукашенко заявил, что США сняли с Белоруссии все санкции ИА REGNUM Белоруссии следует диверсифицировать рынки, не надеясь на Россию. Об этом 15 декабря в Минске заявил Але...

» Denmark challenges Russia and Canada over North Pole - BBC News
15/12/14 22:05 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russia - Google News. BBC News Denmark challenges Russia and Canada over North Pole BBC News Canada and Russia have already asserted their own sovereignty over the energy-rich Arctic territory. Arctic nati...

» RUSSIAN RATE-HIKE STUNNER - Business Insider
15/12/14 22:04 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russia - Google News. Business Insider RUSSIAN RATE-HIKE STUNNER Business Insider This surprise announcement from Russia comes after the ruble got absolutely crushed on Monday, losing more than 10% of its ...

» What is Vladimir Putin doing in the skies of the Baltics?
15/12/14 22:04 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russian news, all the latest and breaking Russia news. A near-miss between a Scandinavian airliner and a Russian spy plane shows the Kremlin's war gaming

» The big risk of the Russian central bank’s drastic interest rate rise
15/12/14 22:04 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russia | The Guardian. As the pressure grows on the rouble and Putin’s regime, the geopolitical temperature goes up rises Burn some speculators and show you’re serious. That’s the thinking behind the Russi...

» World Briefing: Denmark: A Claim to the North Pole
15/12/14 22:03 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > Europe. Scientific data shows that Greenland’s continental shelf is connected to a ridge beneath the Arctic Ocean, giving Denmark a claim to the North Pole and any energy resources beneath it, Den...

» World Briefing | Europe: Russia: NATO Voices Aviation Protest
15/12/14 22:03 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > Europe. NATO on Monday accused Russia of posing a danger to civil aviation in the Baltic region after Sweden protested that a Russian Air Force jet had flown too close to an airliner and had turne...

» Ukraine PM: $10B Needed to Avoid Bankruptcy
15/12/14 22:03 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says his country urgently needs $10 billion to avoid bankruptcy. After meeting with European Union ministers in Brussels Monday, reporters asked...

» Вице-премьер США пообещал обеспечить помощь Украине от МВФ - Полит.ру
15/12/14 22:03 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. Корреспондент.net Вице-премьер США пообещал обеспечить помощь Украине от МВФ Полит.ру Вице-президент США Джо Байден пообещал украинскому лидеру Петру Порошенко сделать все необходи...

» Russian Military Jet Nearly Collides With Passenger Plane
15/12/14 22:02 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. There's been another close call between a Russian military aircraft and a commercial jetliner.

» US Senate passes $1.1tn spending bill
15/12/14 22:02 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. Vote ends threat of government shutdown and ensures funding for federal agencies until September 2015 The US Senate passed a $1.1tn spending bill on Saturday, ending the threa...

» US protesters march against police slayings of black men
15/12/14 22:01 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from AP Top Headlines At 8 p.m. EST. WASHINGTON (AP) -- Demonstrators nationwide protesting the fatal shootings of unarmed black men killed by police chanted "I can't breathe!" "Hands up, don't shoot!" and wave...

» 45 arrested after police protests in SF Bay Area - MiamiHerald.com
15/12/14 22:01 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. 45 arrested after police protests in SF Bay Area MiamiHerald.com Police arrested 45 people Saturday in the hours after thousands of protesters took to the streets of San Francisc...

» Russian Human Rights Group Under Pressure In Chechnya
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mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. The Grozny apartment that served as the office of the local monitoring group branch of the Committee to Prevent Torture (KPP) was destroyed by a fire late on December 13.

» Azerbaijani Opposition Rallies For Release Of Political Prisoners
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mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Azerbaijani opposition activists and their supporters urged the government to release political prisoners and end repression at a rally in Baku.

» Lupica: America continues to protect gun nuts after Newtown - New York Daily News
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mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Kansas City Star ABC News Lupica: America continues to protect gun nuts after Newtown New York Daily News Peg Brokaw, 95, had missed the early Saturday morning Mass at St. Rose o...

Russian Video Game Requires Players to Kill Ukrainian Soldiers and Civilians by Paul Goble Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:56 PM

E.U. Imposes New Sanctions Over Russia’s Inteference in Ukraine by By ANDREW HIGGINS Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:55 PM

Obama Signs Ukraine Aid Bill, Won't Immediately Impose Russia Sanctions by noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL) Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:55 PM

Putin Addresses Russia Amid Economic Crisisby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:54 PM

У микрофона - товарищ Путин by Радио Свобода Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:54 PM

Beyond Tetris: a brief history of patriotic video gaming in Russiaby Cat Goodfellow for The Calvert Journal, part of the New East network Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:52 PM

Google Looks to Head off US Antitrust Lawsuit over Androidby webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:51 PM

Collapse of ruble costs Arsenal’s Alisher Usmanov £517m in 48 hours by Guardian sport Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:51 PM

Charting the Fall (and Fall) of the Ruble, in Graphsby By Katrin Scheib Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:51 PM

U.S. Says Ties With Baku 'Jeopardized' By Crackdownby noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL) Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:50 PM

Latin America Welcomes Obama's Move to Restore US-Cuba Ties by webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:50 PM

Vladimir Putin looks like a man trying to hide his own incompetence by Charles Crawford Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:47 PM

Putin signals he will not back down over Ukraine by Tom Parfitt Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:47 PM

European Parliament Endorses Georgia's Association Agreement by noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL) Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:46 PM

Putin: I feel no responsibility for collapse of roubleby Shaun Walker in Moscow Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:46 PM

EU Adopts Tougher Crimea Sanctions, Russia Irateby noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL) Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:45 PM

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Russian Video Game Requires Players to Kill Ukrainian Soldiers and Civilians by Paul Goble
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:56 PM

E.U. Imposes New Sanctions Over Russia’s Inteference in Ukraine by By ANDREW HIGGINS
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:55 PM

Obama Signs Ukraine Aid Bill, Won't Immediately Impose Russia Sanctions by noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL)
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:55 PM

Putin Addresses Russia Amid Economic Crisisby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:54 PM

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Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:54 PM

Beyond Tetris: a brief history of patriotic video gaming in Russiaby Cat Goodfellow for The Calvert Journal, part of the New East network
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:52 PM

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Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:51 PM

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Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:51 PM

Charting the Fall (and Fall) of the Ruble, in Graphsby By Katrin Scheib
Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:51 PM

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Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:50 PM

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Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:50 PM

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Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:47 PM

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Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:47 PM

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Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:46 PM

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Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:46 PM

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Thursday December 18th, 2014 at 5:45 PM