Clashes in Ukraine Ahead of Cease-Fire | Ties Deepen Between Greece and Russia | Stage set for lengthy Argentine probe - Financial Times
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Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists clashed less than half a day before a cease-fire brokered by European leaders was due to come into effect.
 Financial Times |
Stage set for lengthy Argentine probe
Financial Times An investigation in Argentina into President Cristina Fernández's alleged attempt to protect terrorists is to continue despite the death of the prosecutor who first made the accusations a month ago. Gerardo Pollicita, the prosecutor who took on the case left by ... and more » |
Shared Orthodox Christianity and political sympathies have forged a bond between Moscow and the new leaders in Athens, complicating Western efforts to address problems with both governments.
Canadian police say young man and woman planned to shoot members of public on Valentine’s Day, then kill themselves
Canadian police said on Friday they foiled a plot in which at least two people allegedly planned to commit a mass shooting in the East Coast province of Nova Scotia on Valentine’s Day. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement the plot involved a 19-year-old man from Timberlea, Nova Scotia, and 23-year-old woman from Geneva, Illinois.
Police said they obtained information that suggested the two had access to firearms and intended to go to a public venue in the Halifax, Nova Scotia, region on February 14 to kill people, and then themselves. The police statement did not suggest a possible motive for the shooting.
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Venezuela’s government said it foiled an alleged military plot to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro, prompting the country’s defense minister to publicly pledge allegiance to the embattled leader.
Weak approval ratings, scandals, a sluggish economy and an outcry over a coming speech to the U.S. Congress aren’t preventing Benjamin Netanyahu from emerging as a favorite to win an election mandate for a fourth term.
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Obama Summit Targets American Extremismby webdesk@voanews.com (Luis Ramirez)
President Barack Obama on Wednesday will host a summit bringing together police, religious leaders and others to confront extremism in American neighborhoods. The White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism will look at domestic and international efforts to go after the root causes of extremism and find ways to stop young people in America and elsewhere from joining terrorist groups like the Islamic State. The January terrorist attacks in Paris raised concerns enough for Obama...
Genetically modified wheat is wheat that has been genetically engineered by the direct manipulation of its genome using biotechnology. It has also been termed GMO wheat, GMO standing forgenetically modified organism. As of 2013, no GM wheat is grown commercially, but many field tests have been conducted.
Background[edit]
Wheat (Triticum spp.) is an important domesticated grass used worldwide for food, and its evolution has been influenced by human intervention since the dawn of agriculture.[1]
Wheat is a natural hybrid derived from interspecies breeding. It is theorized that wheat's ancestors (Triticum monococcum, Aegilops speltoides, and Aegilops tauschii, all diploid grasses) hybridized naturally over millennia somewhere in West Asia, to create natural polyploid hybrids, the best known of which are common wheat and durum wheat.[2]
Interspecies transfer of genes continued to occur in farmers fields during the shift from the Paleolithic diet to the diet adopted by humans following the Neolithic Revolution, or first green revolution.[3]Therefore, during the transition from a hunter-gatherer social structure to more agrarian societies, humans began to cultivate wheat and further transform it for their needs. Thus, the social and cultural roots of humans and the development of wheat have been bound closely together since before recorded history.
This process of wheat transformation has continued for millennia, resulting in various wheat species that are grown for specific purposes and climates. Experiments by Stephen Wilson in 1873[4]resulted in yet another hybridization, the cross-pollination of rye and wheat to create triticale. Further transformations of wheat using cytogenic hybridization techniques enabled Norman Borlaug, father of the Second Green Revolution,[3] to develop wheat species (the semidwarf varieties) that would grow in harsh environments.
When recombinant DNA techniques were developed in the 1980s, work began on creating the firsttransgenic wheat, coincident with the third Green Revolution.[3] Of the three most important cereals in the world (corn, rice and wheat), wheat was the last to be transformed by transgenic, biolistic methods in 1992, and by Agrobacterium methods in 1997,[5][6] but unlike corn and rice, its widespread use in the human diet has found slow acceptance due to cultural resistance.[7][8]
Field trials and approvals[edit]
As of 2013, 34 field trials of GM wheat have taken place in Europe and 419 have taken place in the US.[9] Modifications tested include those to create resistance to herbicides, create resistance to insects[10][11][12] and to fungal pathogens (especially fusarium) and viruses,[13][14] tolerance to drought and resistance to salinity,[15] and heat tolerant.[16] increased content of glutenin to aid bakers,[17][18] improved nutrition (higher protein content, increased heat stability of the enzymephytase, increased content of water-soluble dietary fiber, increased lysine content),[19][20] improved qualities for use as biofuel feedstock, production of drugs via pharming, and yield increases.[9][21][22][23][24][25]
As of 2013, no GM wheat has been approved for release anywhere in the world.[26]
Monsanto's MON 71800[edit]
The transgenic wheat that was furthest developed was Monsanto's MON 71800, which is glyphosate-resistant via a CP4/maize EPSPS gene.[27] Monsanto received approval from the FDA for its use in food, but withdrew its EPA application in 2004, so the product was never marketed. It also received approval for use as food in Colombia.[28]
Studies conducted by Monsanto showed that its nutritional components are equivalent to nontransgenic commercially available wheat,[29] and animal studies that have used MON 71800 for feed have confirmed this.[30] Environmental Risk assessments have been conducted by Monsanto,[31] and government regulatory agencies have approved its use in food;[32]
However, farmers were worried about the potential loss of markets in Europe and Asia due to public refusal of the end-product,[33][34] so Monsanto withdrew its EPA application for Roundup-Ready Wheat.[35]
In 2010 Monsanto's partner in India, Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co, announced that it planned to seek approval to market GM wheat in India in the next three to five years.[36]
Escape of GM wheat seed[edit]
In 1999 scientists in Thailand claimed they discovered glyphosate-resistant wheat in a grain shipment from the Pacific Northwest of the United States, even though transgenic wheat had never been approved for sale and was only ever grown in test plots. No one could explain how the transgenic wheat got into the food supply.[37]
In May 2013 a strain of genetically-engineered glyphosate-resistant wheat was found on a farm in Oregon. Extensive testing confirmed the wheat as a variety – MON71800.[38] The wheat had been developed by Monsanto but never been approved or marketed after the company had tested it between 1998 and 2005. The unexplained presence of this type of wheat presents a problem to wheat growers when buyers demand GMO-free wheat.[39] Japan subsequently suspended import of soft white wheat from the United States.[40] A Kansas farmer sued Monsanto over the release, saying it had caused the price of wheat grown in the US to fall.[41] Monsanto suggested that the presence of this wheat was likely an act of sabotage.[42] On Jun 14, 2013, the USDA announced: "As of today, USDA has neither found nor been informed of anything that would indicate that this incident amounts to more than a single isolated incident in a single field on a single farm. All information collected so far shows no indication of the presence of GE wheat in commerce."[43] As of August 30, 2013, while the source of the GM wheat remained unknown, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan had all resumed placing orders, and the disruption of the export market was minimal.[44]
Regulation[edit]
The regulation of genetic engineering concerns the approaches taken by governments to assess and manage the risks associated with the development and release of genetically modified crops. There are differences in the regulation of GM crops between countries, with some of the most marked differences occurring between the USA and Europe. Regulation varies in a given country depending on the intended use of the products of the genetic engineering. For example, a crop not intended for food use is generally not reviewed by authorities responsible for food safety.
Controversy[edit]
Critics have objected to GM crops per se on several grounds, including ecological concerns, and economic concerns raised by the fact these organisms are subject to intellectual property law. GM crops also are involved in controversies over GM food with respect to whether food produced from GM crops is safe and whether GM crops are needed to address the world's food needs. See thegenetically modified food controversies article for discussion of issues about GM crops and GM food. These controversies have led to litigation, international trade disputes, and protests, and to restrictive legislation in a limited number of countries.
References[edit]
- Jump up ^ Wrigley, Corke & Walker 2004, p. 323
- Jump up ^ Wrigley, Corke & Walker 2004, p. 330
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Nelson 2001, p. 144
- Jump up ^ Wilson 1876, p. 286
- Jump up ^ Jones & Shewry 2009, table on p.4
- Jump up ^ Plant Genetics/Genomics: Crops and Models Vol. 7: Genetics and Genomics of the Triticeae. Feuillet, C. and Muehlbauer, G. (eds.) p. 372
- Jump up ^ Jones & Shewry 2009, p. 273
- Jump up ^ "Wheat at Forefront of Battle Over Genetically Modified Organisms". <a href="http://Theitem.com" rel="nofollow">Theitem.com</a>. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Staff, GMO Compass. Last updated June 2010. GM Wheat
- Jump up ^ Avise 2004, p. 47
- Jump up ^ "Production of Transgenic Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Plants with Insect-resisting gene via Three Optimized Genetic Transformation Systems". <a href="http://Latest-science-articles.com" rel="nofollow">Latest-science-articles.com</a>. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- Jump up ^ Picket, John (2 May 2012) Respect the need to experiment with GM crops New scientist, Retrieved 2 May 2012
- Jump up ^ Heller 2003, p. 41
- Jump up ^ "You reap what you sow: field trial with genetically modified wheat". Agroscope.admin.ch. 3 February 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- Jump up ^ Kempken, F. and Jun, C. (eds.).Genetic Modification of Plants: Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry.(2010) p. 291
- Jump up ^ Lal et al. 2004, p. 13
- Jump up ^ Heller 2003, p. 49
- Jump up ^ Hamaker 2008, p. 466
- Jump up ^ Avise 2004, p. 65
- Jump up ^ Allan K. Ayella, Harold N. Trick, Weiqun Wang. "Enhancing lignan biosynthesis by over-expressing pinoresinol lariciresinol reductase in transgenic wheat" 51 (12). Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. pp. 1518–1526.
- Jump up ^ Jansson, J., Elsas, J., and Bailey, M. Tracking Genetically-Engineered Microorganisms. (2000) pp. 94–95
- Jump up ^ Hamaker 2008, p. 102
- Jump up ^ Heller 2003, p. 47
- Jump up ^ Bailey, Ronald. "Anti-Biotech Superstition Being Beaten Back in Europe?" Reason, 21 July 2011.
- Jump up ^ Avise 2004, p. 62
- Jump up ^ Staff, USDA Economic Research Service. Last updated: January 24, 2013 Wheat Background
- Jump up ^ Heller 2006, p. 36
- Jump up ^ "Biosafety Clearing-House Living Modified Organism identity database". Bch.cbd.int. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- Jump up ^ Obert J.C., et al. (2004) "The composition of grain and forage from glyphosate tolerant wheat MON 71800 is equivalent to that of conventional wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)." J.Agric Food Chem. 2004 Mar 10:53(5):1375-84
- Jump up ^ Kan, C. A. and Hartnell, G. F. (2004) "Evaluation of broiler performance when fed Roundup-Ready wheat (event MON 71800), control, and commercial wheat varieties" Poultry Science, Vol 83, Issue 8, 1325–1334
- Jump up ^ "The Center for Environmental Risk Assessment database". <a href="http://Cera-gmc.org" rel="nofollow">Cera-gmc.org</a>. 30 June 2005. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- Jump up ^ "U.S. Food and Drug Administration Biotechnology Consultation Note to the File BNF No. 000080". <a href="http://Cera-gmc.org" rel="nofollow">Cera-gmc.org</a>. 18 January 2001. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- Jump up ^ "Network of Concerned Farmers, Submission on APPLICATION A524 FOOD DERIVED FROM HERBICIDE-TOLERANT WHEAT MON 71800". <a href="http://Non-gm-farmers.com" rel="nofollow">Non-gm-farmers.com</a>. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- Jump up ^ "Monsanto scrubs transgenic wheat" Bioedonline (2004)
- Jump up ^ "WestBred Sale Could Change Wheat Industry". <a href="http://Foodmanufacturing.com" rel="nofollow">Foodmanufacturing.com</a>. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- Jump up ^ Thomas Kutty Abraham (6 August 2010). "Monsanto-backed Mahyco Plans India’s First GM Wheat". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on June 25, 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
- Jump up ^ Hannelore Sudermann for the Spokesman Review (Spokane, WA). October 14, 1999Genetically Altered Wheat Flagged – Thailand Detects Shipment Not Cleared for Commercial Sales
- Jump up ^ Staff (June 14, 2013). "Genetically modified wheat investigation". Oregon Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
- Jump up ^ Reuters (2013-05-29). "Unapproved Monsanto GMO Wheat Found in Oregon". CNBC. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
- Jump up ^ Allison M (06/01/2013). "Japan’s wheat-import suspension worries state growers". Seattle Times. Retrieved 06/05/2013.
- Jump up ^ Hegeman, Roxana (2013-06-04). "Monsanto sued over genetically modified wheat". USA Today. AP. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
- Jump up ^ Ian Berry (June 21, 2013). "Monsanto Says Sabotage Is Likely in Wheat Case". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- Jump up ^ Staff, Food Safety News. June 17, 2013. GMO Wheat Found in Oregon Was Isolated Incident, Says USDA
- Jump up ^ Associated Press. August 30, 2013. Source of GMO wheat in Oregon remains mystery
Bibliography[edit]
- Nelson, Gerald C, ed. (2001). Genetically Modified Organisms in Agriculture: economics and politics.Academic Press. ISBN 9780080488868. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- Jones, Huw D; Shewry, Peter R, eds. (2009). Transgenic Wheat, Barley and Oats: Production and Characterization Protocols. Humana Press. ISBN 9781588299611. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- Lal, Rattan; Hobbs, Peter R; Uphoff, Norman et al., eds. (2004). Sustainable Agriculture and the International Rice-Wheat System. CRC Press. ISBN 9780824754914. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- Hamaker, Bruce R, ed. (2008). The Technology of Functional Cereal Products. CRC Press.ISBN 9781420066739. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- Heller, Knut J, ed. (2003). Genetically Engineered Food: Methods and Detection. John Wiley & Sons.ISBN 9783527606450. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- Heller, Knut J, ed. (2006). Genetically Engineered Food: Methods and Detection (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9783527609390. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- Avise, John C (2004). The Hope, Hype and Reality of Genetic Engineering: Remarkable Stories from Agriculture, Industry, Medicine and the Environment (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.ISBN 9780198037903. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- Brunk, Conrad Grebel; Coward, Harold G., eds. (2009). Acceptable Genes?: Religious Traditions and Genetically Modified Foods. SUNY Press. ISBN 9781438428963. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- Wilson, A Stephen (1876). "Wheat and Rye Hybrids". Transactions and Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh 12. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- Wrigley, Colin W; Corke, Harold; Walker, Charles, eds. (2004). Encyclopedia of Grain Science 3.Elsevier Academic Press. ISBN 9780127654904. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
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Genetically modified wheat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
GMO Wheat Investigation Closed, But Another One Opens ...
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Monsanto | Monsanto and GM Wheat
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Can Genetically Engineered Foods Trigger Gluten Sensitivity?
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Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, said to have responded to overture from US president about collaborating against Isis if nuclear deal is reached
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has responded to overtures from Barack Obama amid nuclear talks by sending the US president a secret letter, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
Citing an Iranian diplomat, the paper said the cleric had written to Obama in recent weeks in response to a presidential letter sent in October.
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Members of the Ukrainian armed forces ride on military vehicles near Artemivsk, eastern Ukraine, February 13, 2015.
 Washington Post |
Eddie Ray Routh Shot 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle Because 'They Wouldn't Talk ...
NBCNews.com The former Marine accused of killing "American Sniper" Chris Kyle and his friend said he shot the two men because they wouldn't talk to him, a police officer testified during his murder trial in Texas Friday. Eddie Ray Routh, 27, is charged with capital murder in ... Deputy: Routh said he killed 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle, friend because 'they...Dallas Morning News Shooter killed Chris Kyle because he 'wouldn't talk to me'New York Daily News Competence at center of 'American Sniper' murder trialTemple Daily Telegram Greenville News- San Angelo Standard Times -WHAS 11.com (subscription) all 180 news articles » |
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The leader helped Iranians avoid prosecution over the 1994 AMIA bombing in exchange for oil, it is alleged.
DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates announced the closure of its embassy in Sanaa on Saturday, state news agency WAM said.
Report: Iranian leader Khamenei sent Obama secret letter
Ynetnews WSJ cites Iranian diplomat saying Khamenei replied to letter sent by US president in which he suggested possibility of US-Iranian cooperation in fighting Islamic State if nuclear deal was secured. Reuters ... and more » |
Fox News |
Iran's supreme leader wrote letter to Obama, report says
Fox News Iran's supreme leader reportedly sent a secret letter to President Obama responding to his calls to improve relations between the two countries. The Wall Street Journal reports Iran's top political figure Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote to Obama in recent weeks ... Report: Iranian leader Khamenei sent Obama secret letterYnetnews Khamenei writes letter to ObamaiAfrica.com Iran's Ayatollah Sends New Letter to Obama Amid Nuclear TalksWall Street Journal Firstpost all 154 news articles » |
NEW YORK (AP) -- They're considered one of mankind's greatest medical achievements, yet people have balked at vaccines almost since the time of the first vaccination - in 1796, when an English country doctor named Edward Jenner inoculated an 8-year-old boy against smallpox....
Subpoenas arrive as Oregon governor announces departureby By JONATHAN J. COOPER
SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Just hours after Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber announced he decision to resign, a subpoena arrived in a state office building confirming that federal agents are looking into the influence-peddling scandal that led to the abrupt end of a four-decade political career....
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Ukraine receives British troop carriers by Press Association
Out-of-service Saxon armoured vehicles were sold commercially in deal dating back to 2013, says Ministry of Defence
Ukraine has taken delivery of former British military armoured vehicles in a commercial arms deal, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed, with the troop carriers arriving in the midst of the conflict with pro-Russia separatists.
Reports in Ukraine said 20 Saxon armoured personnel carriers had been delivered and a further 55 were to follow but the MoD did not confirm the figures.
Continue reading...Genetically Modified Apples Approved in USby The European Union Times
For the first time US regulators have approved commercialized biotech apples amid attempts by the organic industry and other institutes to block the genetically modified fruit.
The two apple varieties modified to resist browning are developed by the Canadian company Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc., and were approved by the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Friday.
The Canadian company is set to commence marketing the biotech apples under the commercial names of Arctic Golden and Arctic Granny, Reuters reported.
The apples are exactly the same as their regular counterparts with the expectation that they will maintain a fresh appearance even after being sliced or receiving blows.
Neal Carter, president of Okanagan referred to the approval as “a monumental occasion.”
“It is the biggest milestone yet for us, and we can’t wait until they’re available for consumers,” he said in a statement.
The new variety of apples will become available in small quantities in 2016 but will not be widely distributed for some time.
“This whole thing is just another big experiment on humans for no good reason,” he said.
Biotech apples broadly opposed
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) had petitioned the US Department of Agriculture to withhold approval, on the premise that the genetic alterations may prove harmful to humans and the apples may require excess levels of pesticides.
OCA Director Ronnie Cummins has said that his organization will pressure food companies and retailers not to sell the fruits.
Several consumer, environmental and science groups have stated worries that the alterations may have unintentional negative impacts on humans and other species.
Okanagan said via a statement their apples have undergone “rigorous review,” and are “likely the most tested apples on the planet.”
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 Chron.com |
'American Sniper' murder trial centers on competency
Chron.com STEPHENVILLE, Texas (AP) — While defense attorneys mount an insanity defense for the former Marine on trial in the shooting deaths of "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield, prosecutors have described Eddie Ray Routh as a ... and more » |
 Times of India |
Ukraine ceasefire deadline provokes bitter last-gasp battle
Hindustan Times Russia-backed separatists mounted a vicious assault in eastern Ukraine ahead of a weekend ceasefire deadline, pummeling a strategic railway hub with wave upon wave of shelling in a last-minute grab for territory killing at least 26 people across the region. Russia asks UN Security Council to support cease-fire agreementFox News 25 killed as fierce Ukraine battles persist despite peace dealHamilton Spectator UNSC to meet on Ukraine ceasefireRTE.ie SBS -Kyiv Post all 230 news articles » |
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Cold War didn't end. It just took on a 24-year pause. The East-West showdown over Ukraine makes that clear....
Duma rejects nationalists request to change Russia’s Flagby The European Union Times
The State Duma Committee for Constitutional Law has rejected a suggestion to change the existing white, blue and red flag of the Russian Federation to the black, yellow and white tricolor used in the Russian Empire of the late 19th century.
The bill was rejected on Wednesday almost without discussion, TASS reported.
The original motion was drafted in July last year by MP Mikhail Degtyaryov of the populist nationalist party LDPR. The lawmaker claimed that the imperial flag was much more appropriate at current historical stage marked by many important events, such as Crimea’s accession into the Russian Federation, the start of the Russia-led economic bloc the Customs Union, and the rise of patriotism in general.
Degtyaryov also notedthat when the Russian state was using the old flag its territory increased greatly and included Alaska, the Caucasus, Crimea, Eastern Prussia, Poland, the Baltic States, several Central Asian states and Finland.
The suggestion met strong opposition from lawmakers and the community the moment it appeared. MPs said that the populace was content with the existing flag and the costly change was simply unnecessary. The head of Russia’s Monarchist Party, Anton Bakov, noted in press comments that the move was discrediting the very idea of monarchy.
“How can Russia use the Romanov dynasty flag before the descendants of the emperors return to their homeland? The tsars got the Kremlin stolen from them, and the Hermitage Palace. Now the LDPR deputy wants to steal their flag,” Bakov told reporters.
The black, yellow and white flag was approved as a national symbol by Emperor Alexander II in 1858 and remained as such till 1896. According to the official explanation the flag borrowed the colors from the imperial coat of arms, the Byzantium eagle was black, the Byzantium banner was gold, and the horse of St. George, also pictured on the Moscow City emblem, was white. However, the black, yellow and white scheme was also used by German Kaiser of the same period, and back then Russia allied with Prussia and other German states.
Various combinations of the imperial standard and the white-blue-red tricolor were used between the 1896 and 1917.
Modern Russia approved the white, blue and red tricolor in 1991. It was the flag used by supporters of Boris Yeltsin during the 1991 coup attempt and was modeled on the flag of the Russian Republic, the state that existed between the Tsar’s abdication in February 1917 and the October Revolution. The official explanation of the tricolor colors was the claim that it symbolizes the principles of Russian statehood.
These days the imperial standard is used only by fringe Russian nationalists who blame Yeltsin and his pro-Western policies for most of Russia’s present-day problems.
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KIEV (Reuters) - The Ukrainian military said on Saturday there was no let-up in a pro-Russian rebel offensive in east Ukraine ahead of a planned ceasefire, reporting 120 separate attacks in the past 24 hours.
 Times of India |
Iran's Khamenei sends letter to Obama: Report
Times of India WASHINGTON: Iran's supreme leader has sent a secret but noncommittal letter to US President Barack Obama in response to American overtures, amid talks to strike a nuclear accord. The Wall Street Journal yesterday quoted an Iranian diplomat as saying ... and more » |
 Independent Online |
Dozens killed in Mexico bus, train crash
Independent Online Monterrey - At least 16 were killed and 30 injured in a collision between a freight train and a bus on a highway in the north of Mexico on Friday evening, an emergency official said. The bus, ignoring the stop light at a railway crossing, was split in half by the ... and more » |
A Canadian teenager and a 23-year-old US woman were suspected of planning a deadly shooting before committing suicide.
I used to think everything had to be perfect for love – including me. Now I’m learning to surrender to its possibilities
It is not every year that I appreciate Valentine’s Day. I have been in relationships and hated Valentine’s Day; I have been single and hated Valentine’s Day. I have railed against the corporatization of love and romance and how Valentine’s Day is, largely, a marketing holiday designed to exploit rank consumerism. I have rolled my eyes at commercials for shopping mall jewelry stores because I know for a fact that every kiss does not begin with Kay.
This year, I am surrendering to Valentine’s Day – willingly. It is far too exhausting to invest so much energy in disliking a holiday that, at its purest, is designed to celebrate love.
Continue reading...16 Killed in Mexico Bus-Train Crashby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
A collision between a bus and a train has killed 16 people in northern Mexico. Another 30 people were injured Friday when the train slammed into the bus in the city of Anahuace, Nuevo Leon state emergency officials say. Witnesses say the bus failed to stop at a railroad crossing, despite a warning light. The death toll for the accident that happened near Mexico's border with Texas is expected to rise, authorities say. Some information for this report is from Reuters.
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Peer to step down as TheCityUK advisory council chair amid claims HSBC Swiss subsidiary enabled tax dodging while he was in
chargeLord Stephen
Green, the former HSBC boss at the centre of the storm over the bank’s alleged tax dodging, is to resign from his role with an influential financial services lobby group.
The peer, who also served as a trade minister in David Cameron’s government, will step down aschair of TheCityUK’s advisory council immediately.
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ISIS militants donning Iraqi uniforms attacked a military base in Iraq housing U.S. advisers on Friday, but the Iraqi military largely repelled the attack. No U.S. or Iraqi service members were reported killed.
The assault was one of the most brazen in recent weeks by ISIS fighters. According to the Wall Street Journal, an initial wave of fighters attacked the base in suicide vests, followed by a second set of militants firing rockets and mortars.
Earlier this week, ISIS fighters captured al-Baghdadi, a town near the air base, which holds roughly 300 U.S. Marines.
ISIS has targeted the base for several months with mortar fire, which U.S. officials describe as largely ineffective. The U.S. military is training Iraqi troops and Sunni tribal members to fight ISIS at the base, according to ABC News.
MOSCOW – The Obama administration on Saturday released satellite images that it said showed that the Russian army had joined rebels to mount a full-scale assault on surrounded government troops in eastern Ukraine, hours before a cease-fire set to take effect at midnight.Read full article >>
 CBC.ca |
Ukraine ceasfire: Fighting intensifies in day before pact
CBC.ca Fighting intensified in eastern Ukraine on Saturday as separatist rebels tried to seize more territory before a ceasefire takes effect at midnight, the Ukrainian military said. The truce envisages the creation of a neutral "buffer zone" and withdrawal of heavy ... and more » |
TORONTO (Reuters) - A group of "murderous misfits" planned to massacre as many people as possible in a Valentine's Day shooting spree that police foiled after an anonymous tipoff, Canada's justice minister said on Saturday.
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Kim and Regina Gebauer found themselves in the news media spotlight while waiting for a federal judge to order Mobile County to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Produced by: ...
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(Gen. Ret.) Yevhen K. Marchuk (Ukrainian: Євген Кирилович Марчук), born on January 28, 1941, is a Ukrainian statesman and politician. During his career, Marchuk was prime minister of Ukraine, presidential candidate, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, and Defense Minister of Ukraine. Marchuk is affiliated with the Ukrainian Den newspaper, edited by his wife. He has been a general in the Army of Ukraine since March 23, 1994.
Biography[edit]
Yevhen Marchuk was born soon before World War II into a peasant family in Central Ukraine. In 1963,[1] upon graduation from the Kirovohrad Pedagogical Institute, Marchuk was recruited by theKGB and steadily rose through the ranks of that organization. As an operative officer he served first in Kirovohrad Oblast, then in the republican KGB branch in Kiev as an intelligence and secret service officer, for a total of 31 years of service. Marchuk has admitted specializing in secret police functions. However, he claims to have been a humane lawful agent, secretly protecting some Ukrainiandissidents from harsh persecution.[citation needed]
In the early 1990s, Marchuk was one of the first high-level KGB officers who appeared to be loyal to the newly established Ukrainian independence and was one of the reformers of the Ukrainian Secret Service (later SBU) serving as the first Chief of SBU. At first he was appointed the Ukrainian SSR Minister of National Security and Defence. That position held no actual power since local KGB,militsiya, and the army were still subordinated to Moscow until 1991. The Soviet Union then collapsed, ending Marchuk’s service to the KGB, and he was able to participate fully in the Ukrainian independent government. He headed the SBU until 1994.[1]
After the 1994 parliamentary elections, Marchuk became head of the liberal Social Market Choice faction, whose members included former President Kravchuk.[2] Marchuk was appointed the actingPrime minister of Ukraine on March 1, 1995, holding the position of the first vice-Premier Minister in the cabinet of Vitaliy Masol. He was later promoted to the position of the Premier Minister on June 8, 1995. He formed his cabinet, which was confirmed on July 3, 1995. After being elected to theVerkhovna Rada (December 1995), he resigned on May 27, 1996. Marchuk and Kravchuk became members of the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united) before the 1998 elections.[3] From April to December 1998 he was the leader of the party. From July 1998 Marchuk headed a parliamentary committee in Social Policy and Labor.
When the SDPU(u) refused to back Marchuk in the 1999 presidential elections, he left to create his own Social Democratic Union.[2] He ran as an independent in the 1999 presidential election, coming in fifth place with 8.13% of the vote in the first tour of the elections, and was appointed secretary of the National Security and Defense Council by the re-elected President Leonid Kuchma. Marchuk was secretary of the National Security and Defense Council from November 10, 1999, to June 25, 2003 (till June 2009 he stayed on as chairperson of the council's interagency commission on information policy).[4] Later, he was the Defense Minister of Ukraine from June 2003 to September 2004.[1]
During the 2006 parliamentary elections Marchuk lead the electoral alliance (Electoral Bloc "Yevhen Marchuk" — "Unity")[5] (including his own party, Party of Freedom) which didn't make it into parliament, winning only 0.06% of the votes.[6]
Controversy[edit]
On December 6, 2001, the Italian prosecutor's office accused Marchuk of violating the UN embargoon supplying arms to various parts of the world. The accusations remained, never investigated nor prosecuted.
Recent career developments[edit]
In May 2008, Marchuk was appointed one of the personal advisors to President Yushchenko.[7]
References[edit]
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Marchuk, Yevhen |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Ukrainian politician |
| Date of birth | January 28, 1941 |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death |
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