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 Daily Mail |
Iran uranium which could fuel nuclear programme without Western monitoring
Daily Mail The Iranian government has found a surprise uranium reserve which could allow the country to fuel its nuclear programme without having to look abroad. It was previously thought that Iran would have to import uranium from other countries in order to ... and more » |
 New York Times |
Eastern Bloc's Resistance to Refugees Highlights Europe's Cultural and ...
New York Times WARSAW — Even though the former Communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe have been asked to accept just a fraction of the refugees that Germany and other nations are taking, their fierce resistance now stands as the main impediment to a ... Pro-migrant rallies in Europe and Australia draw thousandsBBC News Marchers show support for refugees in solidarity events across EuropeCNN International German Chancellor Angela Merkel fends off backlash to open-arms refugee stanceLos Angeles Times Washington Post -CTV News all 701 news articles » |
 New York Times |
With Website to Research Colleges, Obama Abandons Ranking System
New York Times WASHINGTON — President Obama on Saturday abandoned his two-year effort to have the government create a system that explicitly rates the quality of the nation's colleges and universities, a plan that was bitterly opposed by presidents at many of those ... What colleges does the White House like best?CBS News Obama promotes online search tool with college-specific dataThe Denver Post How much do alumni from a college earn? The feds give answersWashington Post MarketWatch-Washington Examiner-Whitehouse.gov (press release) all 171 news articles » |
The party lost its way under and after Blair – Corbyn’s straight talk is just what we need
Although some Blairites fear that the influx of new members to the Labour party is a dangerous conspiracy, you only have to go to Jeremy Corbyn’s rallies to know that is rubbish. The enthusiasm is stunning and I believe that it is a sign that something is happening out there which could really change the direction of British politics.
In the general election many angry people said: “What did the Labour government do for me?” They then went on to vote for Ukip or the SNP. The euphoria when Tony Blair defeated the Tories soon evaporated as he continued Margaret Thatcher’s economic policies of prioritising the banks and ignoring our manufacturing.
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US president will end decades of tradition by not staying at landmark New York hotel amid security concerns
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A coalition led by the United States bombarded Islamic State militants on Friday with 22 air strikes in Iraq and three in Syria, according to a statement released on Saturday.
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Republican front-runner fails to recognise newly elected leader of the Labour Party - in his latest blunder
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Sir Elton John says he wants to meet Vladimir Putin to discuss what he called the Russian president's "ridiculous" attitude on gay rights.
The boy told investigators "someone had dared him to do it."
Dispatch: Why Russians Hate America. Again.by SABRINA TAVERNISE
A Russian politician, Alexei Didenko, took an ice-bucket challenge in Moscow in 2014 to protest what he called “anti-Russian American propaganda.”
A renewed ceasefire in eastern Ukraine has opened up a window for political talks that could resolve the conflict, a monitoring group says.
The Hill |
Obama Officially Ditches Waldorf-Astoria For Hotel Without China Ties
Gothamist ... of Deng Xiaoping, who was China's leader from 1978 to 1992. Its board of directors includes Chen Xiaolu, a former officer in the People's Liberation Army who is the son of Marshal Chen Yi, a revolutionary military commander who later served as ... Obama switching NY hotels amid China spying fearsThe Hill all 195 news articles » |
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With Drone Strike On ISIS Hacker US Escalates Its Response To Cyber Attacks
Forbes He is also alleged to have participated in the hack of the CENTCOM website and Twitter account, as well as posting personal information online about U.S. military personnel and making threats against them. Though CENTCOM has described Hussain as “very ... |
VICE News |
China Is Shrinking Its Army in the Name of Peace — and Practicality
VICE News Xi announced the cuts at last week's parade commemorating the end of World War II, presenting the change as evidence of China's commitment to world peace. A closer look, however, suggests the move is another expected step in a military modernization ... China Just Sent a Message to America: Don't Mess With UsDaily Signal all 12 news articles » |
VICE News |
China Is Shrinking Its Army in the Name of Peace — and Practicality
VICE News Xi announced the cuts at last week's parade commemorating the end of World War II, presenting the change as evidence of China's commitment to world peace. A closer look, however, suggests the move is another expected step in a military modernization ... |
With asylum-seekers flooding into Europe at a record pace, German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday fended off new criticism from inside and outside her country over her government’s decision to essentially accept fleeing migrants and refugees first and ask questions later.
Turkish ethnic violence has killed over 100 security officials, scores of civilians and over 1,000 Kurdish militants
Moscow has signaled that Russian equipment supplied and fitted on two Mistrals could stay on board if Egypt buys the ships, a French official said.
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RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty |
Tatarstan Vote Seen As Test For Russian Regional 'President'
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty Tatarstan, where ethnic Tatars descended from those who long dominated MedievalRussia make up a small majority of the population, has sometimes strained at the limits of its autonomy under Moscow, and has a higher level of independence than other ... and more » |
Left-Winger Corbyn Elected to Lead Britain's Labor Partyby webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)
Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran left-winger who professes an admiration for Karl Marx, was elected leader of Britain's opposition Labor Party on Saturday, a victory that may make a British EU exit more likely and that one former Labor prime minister said could leave the party unelectable. Corbyn's triumph was greeted by cheers from supporters at Labor Party headquarters and hailed by radicals across Europe. The outcome opened up the prospect of deep internal divisions, with some skeptics fearing he would repel voters by pushing such radical policies as unilateral nuclear disarmament, nationalization and wealth taxes. Corbyn, 66, who was considered an unlikely winner when he entered the leadership contest, said in his acceptance speech: "Things can and they will change." He won 59.5 percent of votes cast, a far larger victory margin than anyone had envisaged. "I say thank you in advance to us all working together to achieve great victories — not just electorally for Labor, but emotionally for the whole of our society, to show we don't have to be unequal, it doesn't have to be unfair, poverty isn't inevitable," he said. Corbyn's victory reflects growing support for left-wing movements across Europe, with Syriza winning Greek elections in January and Spain's anti-austerity Podemos party performing well in opinion polls. Both parties welcomed the news. "The election of Corbyn to the Labor leadership ... is a significant boost to the pan-European front against austerity and sends a message of hope to European peoples," Syriza said in a statement. Corbyn's rise also has an echo of the way Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has galvanized left-leaning Democrats in his bid to win his party's nomination for the U.S. presidential race over Hillary Clinton. However, the scale of division Corbyn's victory has created in his own party was immediately laid bare, with one Labor lawmaker quitting his role as a health spokesman while Corbyn was making his acceptance speech. Others quickly followed, saying they would not serve in Corbyn's senior team. "My job is going to be a complicated one, that I fully understand," Corbyn said at a celebration in the tiny Sanctuary House pub near Parliament. Hundreds of his supporters sang the socialist anthem "The Red Flag," Labor's traditional song since 1925. Corbyn, a vegetarian and an opponent of the British monarchy, originally received fellow Labor lawmakers' backing in the leadership contest to ensure a wide debate. Since then, however, he struck a chord with many in the party by repudiating the pro-business consensus of Tony Blair, a three-time election victor for Labor who is now widely unpopular, not least because of his involvement in the invasion of Iraq. Corbyn has proposed new taxes on Britain's wealthiest classes and is ambiguous on the controversial question of whether the nation should leave the European Union. He is a strong opponent of military strikes in Syria, meaning it would be harder for Prime Minister David Cameron to win parliamentary support for military action against Islamic State targets there. "In moments of clamor, in moments of fervor, decisions are made — go here, invade here, bomb here, do this, do that," Corbyn said at a rally a few hours after his victory. "There's lots of military advice, there's lots of apparently simple and easy solutions. Tragically, wars don't end when the last bullet is fired or the last bomb is dropped." Corbyn voted "no" on the question of Britain's joining the European Community in a plebiscite in 1975. His success now could make Britain's exit from the EU more likely when Cameron puts that question to a referendum by 2017. Corbyn defeated two former Labor ministers, Yvette Cooper and Andy Burnham, and Liz Kendall, regarded as an heir to Blair. A parliamentary veteran of more than 30 years with a long history of voting against his own party, Corbyn triumphed on a message of increasing government investment through increasing the money supply and renationalizing vast swaths of the economy. Asked repeatedly whether he supported the views of Karl Marx, co-author of "The Communist Manifesto," Corbyn has said that Marx "was essentially a fascinating figure who observed a great deal and from whom we can learn a great deal." Expressions of admiration for Marx have been largely taboo in the top echelons of Labor since a battle in the 1970s and 1980s to expunge the influence of Marxist militants in the party. Even the word "socialism," which trips easily from Corbyn's lips, has been handled somewhat gingerly. The prospect of a return to the party's socialist origins, in commitment to partnership with trade unions and state ownership, has drawn stark predictions that Labor could be annihilated in the next national elections, in 2020. The British public supported Cameron and his Conservative Party strongly in elections four months ago, after a campaign marked by the prime minister's promise to cut government spending on welfare. "The [Labor] party is walking eyes shut, arms outstretched, over the cliff's edge to the jagged rocks below," centrist Blair, the former prime minister, said in a last-minute plea to stop the Corbyn surge. However, Ed Miliband who led the Labor Party to its heavy defeat at the polls in May, rejected Blair's prediction that the party faced annihilation.
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Saudi authorities say the powerful winds were to blame for the toppling of a massive crane that smashed into Mecca's Grand Mosque, killing at least 107 people ahead of the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
OSCE Official: Eastern Ukraine Cease-Fire Is Holdingby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
The secretary general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe confirmed Saturday that the cease-fire in Eastern Ukraine has been respected for about two weeks. At the end of a three-day trip to southeastern Ukraine, during which he visited the towns of Mariupol and Shyrokyne, Lamberto Zannier expressed hope that the current cease-fire would prove durable. He said he hoped it would lead to negotiations on the implementation of the Minsk accords so monitors on the ground could perform more functions. "The cease-fire now has being holding for more than 10 days, and that's good news," Zannier said, "because that is opening now the space also to make progress at a political level, and that's opening up space also for us with monitors on the ground to reach out and to perform more functions. So one of our roles is to try to be there as a stabilizing presence in a way." Zannier also participated in the annual Yalta European Strategy meeting in Kyiv, discussing “Ukraine’s East and Crimea: Solving the Unsolvable.” As one of the panelists in the forum, Zannier said that the crisis in and around Ukraine had entered a more positive phase, creating conditions to start the withdrawal of tanks and artillery systems. Russian President Vladimir Putin also said Saturday that both Ukrainian armed forces and separatists in eastern Ukraine were observing the cease-fire. Speaking in the Crimean town of Chersoneus, Putin called it the “main achievement” of efforts to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine. Speaking also at the Yalta meeting, Victoria Nuland, U.S. assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, said that "there will be more costs" if Russia violates the Minsk agreement. "With regard to peace and security and the Minsk process and the future of Crimea, we've been very clear that sanctions will stay in place until Minsk is fully implemented," Nuland said. "If and when Minsk is fully implemented, including return of Ukraine sovereignty of its border, we can begin to roll back some sanctions. But if Minsk is further violated, there will be more costs and we will push with our European partners for that. And with regard to Crimea, sanctions stay in place on Crimea unless and until its sovereignty is returned to Ukraine." Despite the cease-fire agreement reached in February, both Ukrainian government forces and the Russia-backed separatists regularly violated it until September 1, the first day of the current school year, when they pledged to implement the truce. According to U.N. estimates, about 8,000 people have been killed since April 2014, when the fighting began in eastern Ukraine.
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Residents of Battered Cizre Emerge After Turkey Lifts Curfewby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Residents of the southeastern Turkish city of Cizre are emerging to scenes of destruction after authorities lifted a nine-day curfew imposed for an operation against Kurdish militants. Life began returning to normal in the city, which was completely out of touch with the rest of the world for more than a week as Turkish security forces confronted the PKK’s armed youth groups who had taken over the town. A VOA Turkish reporter visiting Cizre on Saturday saw houses and vehicles riddled with bullet holes and hundreds of empty shells scattered on every corner. Bombed-out buildings mark every street of the city, near Turkey's border with Iraq and Syria. Some townspeople claim up to 25 civilians, including women and children, were killed during the weeklong fight. Their versions have not been confirmed by official accounts. In the early hours after the lifting of the curfew, the town was quiet, but frustration was evident on the faces of those who came out to streets. Turan Oytun showed VOA his house, while his wife, Saliha, cried in the kitchen, asking: “What have we done to them?” The refrigerator was full of bullet holes, and other appliances were destroyed. “We have been in here for nine days," Oytun said. "There were 23 people hiding here. We neither had food nor electricity.” The rebels apparently dug holes between houses, to provide residents safe passage from the security forces firing at them. Trenches in the streets are now filled with water because the explosions left water pipes damaged in some areas. Most of the town was left without water and electricity for days; homes with water service kept their taps running the whole time to share water with neighbors. The Internet and mobile phone lines were down for more than a week, leaving the town cut off from the rest of the world. The security forces surrounding the town had allowed no one in or out, including parliament members from the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party. Kurdish politicians who managed to get to the town after the blockade said it was too early to talk about casualty numbers.
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In pictures: A Look at Europe migrant crisis
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Khatab’s eyes darted around the torch-lit room as he speaks. His family, part of Iraq’s Yazidi minority, sits around him inside the shell of a half-built home as darkness falls.
Eastern European countries are expected to vent their rage at a meeting of EU home affairs ministers in Brussels aimed at agreeing quotas to relocate 160,000 asylum-seekers across Europe.
Dempsey: Turkish Security Role 'Critical' for NATOby webdesk@voanews.com (Carla Babb)
NATO defense chiefs met in Istanbul on Saturday for their final conference of the year to discuss several security issues, including the support mission in Afghanistan, the threat of Russian aggression on the alliance’s eastern flank, and the Islamic state threat. VOA's Carla Babb spoke with General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.
British singer and composer Elton John has called for Ukraine to give stronger support to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual (LGBT) community.
Christian Science Monitor |
Russia in Syria: Ghosts of Afghanistan may limit Kremlin's options now
Christian Science Monitor The USSR's painful intervention in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989 – which killed 15,000 Soviet troops -- scarred a generation of Russians, arguably contributed to the collapse of the state, and left Russia with an abiding public aversion to using force ... Video shows Russian troops live-fire training in SyriaWashington Post Russian build-up in Syria part of secret deal with Iran's Quds Force leaderFox News all 12 news articles » |
Haaretz |
Russia Sending Advanced Anti-aircraft Missiles to Syria
Haaretz REUTERS - Moscow is sending an advanced anti-aircraft missile system to Syria, two Western officials and a Russian source said, as part of what the West believes is stepped-up military support for embattled President Bashar Assad. The Western officials ... Russia calls on other nations to help arm Syrian governmentMilitary Times Russia calls on US to co-operate with its military in SyriaFinancial Times 'Russia, Iran sending military forces to save Assad's regime'Jerusalem Post Israel News Christian Science Monitor -Business Insider all 422 news articles » |
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Infighting Among IS Extremists On the Riseby webdesk@voanews.com (Jamie Dettmer)
Incidents of violent infighting between Islamic State (IS) extremists in Syria and Iraq are on the rise with rifts developing between elements within the terrorist group and arguments erupting over the distribution of spoils, sex slaves and cash, say local political activists opposed to the militants. A prominent Libya-born commander of the terrorist group, Abu Huzaifa al-Libi, was shot dead last week in the Syrian town of Raqqa during a heated argument over the redeployment of some fighters to the neighboring province of Hasakah, say local activists who asked not to be identified. The incident follows a fierce gunfight that erupted in mid-August between IS members to the west of Iraq’s Mosul in the Baaj region, in which 17 extremists died in an argument over of the division of money and power. According to Saeed Mamouzini, a spokesman for the Kurdistan Democratic Party, that fight involved fighters loyal to some of the most prominent IS commanders, including Abu Omar al-Shishani, a Chechen, and Haj Nasser al-Mawla, who oversees the group’s finances in Mosul. Reports of infighting have noticeably increased since Kurdish-led forces ousted IS fighters in June from the logistically important Syrian border town of Tel Abyad, a crucial way station for the terrorist army’s foreign recruits and supplies entering Syria. “The loss of the city of Tel Abyad has fueled this trend and strengthened the rift that exists between the elements of the organization, where supporters of each party blame the other party for the loss the city,” says Abu Mohammed of the anti-IS activist group “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently.” Much of the infighting involves Syrian-born fighters of the terror army and foreign recruits with the locals resenting the power and rewards given to the foreigners. Foreign fighters receive higher salaries and generally get their pick of enslaved women. Activists say tensions between the Syrians and foreigners can be seen on a daily basis, with each party blaming the other for supposed mistakes, like the fall of Tel Abyad. Activists of the group “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently” have reported a series of internal fights in recent weeks, including a clash between locals and fighters from France and Uzbekistan. Fear of airstrikes, drones Another issue of dispute is over housing with local fighters complaining that the foreigners receive better accommodations. “While the Syrians have been allocated houses on the outskirts of the city, the migrants are granted houses and places within the city and in residential neighborhoods,” Abu Mohammed told VOA. The inner city offers better protection against coalition aerial attacks, as U.S. commanders are cautious about striking inside the city for fear of causing high civilian casualties, which would be a propaganda boon for IS. Even so, drone strikes have taken their toll, contributing to the tensions within the group. A British drone strike on August 21 targeting three U.K. nationals fighting alongside IS, including a prominent recruiter and propagandist of the group, Junaid Hussain, is adding to foreign fighters’ fears that they could be killed without warning at any moment. IS leaders are responding to internal dissension and infighting with increasing harshness, say activists. On September 3, 40 fighters, Saudis among them, were executed for disobeying orders in the eastern Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor, according to media activist Mujahid al-Shami, who is based in the town of Al-Mayadeen. Their crime: refusing to be transferred west to Aleppo. In August, VOA reported IS had been struck by a wave of desertions in Deir ez-Zor, alarming IS leaders, who dispatched three security detachments of trusted militants from Mosul to oversee executions. In email exchanges with VOA, activists from a group called Lift Siege, said a steady stream of IS members has been deserting, including four commanders. They named the commanders as Ammar Haddawi, Aamer Al-Naklawi, Mahmoud Al-Khalaf Al-Rasheideh and Abu Obaidah Al-Masri, who oversaw tax collection in Al-Mayadeen. They said the fleeing commanders absconded with large amounts of cash. This isn’t the first time that IS has been rocked by severe internal disputes. In February, there were reports of internal bloodletting and desertions by fighters picked to be suicide bombers. The head of the feared al-Hisba police force in Raqqa, responsible for the enforcement of Sharia law, fled. More than 60 foreign fighters who wanted to leave were reported to have been executed. Activists also say many militants feel greater loyalty to their sub-groups within IS — whether based on nationality or ideological background. Syrian Kurdish commanders in northeast Syria trace IS’s internal problems to the group’s failure to capture the Syrian border town of Kobani, which the extremists besieged for months. They say the defeat at Kobani lowered morale, especially among foreign fighters who had never experienced a serious reversal in northern Syria before.
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West suspicious of motives for bolstered Moscow presence
Financial Times |
Russia calls on US to co-operate with its military in Syria
Financial Times Russia has called on the US to co-operate with its military in Syria to avert “unintended incidents” as Moscow boosts its forces in the war-torn country in what Russian foreign policy officials say is a bid to lead the battle against the Islamic State ... Russia Sending Advanced Anti-aircraft Missiles to SyriaHaaretz We just got the clearest sign yet that Russia doesn't really care about ...Business Insider Russia calls on other nations to help arm Syrian governmentMilitary Times Fox News all 486 news articles » |
The United States announced this week it would take in 10,000 displaced Syrians during the next 12 months. That's a jump from the less than 2,000 allowed in last fiscal year. But many critics say the United States can do much more. VOA’s Bernard Shusman reports from New York.
Vladimir Putin should not be given the chance to bask in anti-Isis solidarity with the west as if he had no role in Syria’s killing fields
Good news about Syria is so rare that the recent announcement that the United Nations is setting upa special investigation into chemical weapon use is especially welcome. The hope must be that this might prevent more chemical atrocities – which haven’t stopped, despite diplomatic efforts. But the much less positive backdrop is that Russia has made sure any UN text aimed at establishing responsibility will shield Syria’s regime from accountability: Russia will use veto power if need be. This is in line with Vladimir Putin’s overall strategy, which has always been to protect the Assad regime from any UN security council action against the large-scale killing of civilians his forces have been carrying out.
Now there are reports that Russia is setting up a military base in Latakia, on Syria’s coast. The official explanation is anti-terrorism and countering Islamic State – a formula that, on the face of it, aligns Russia with western objectives. The most optimistic take is to say that Russia is now anticipating a grand international bargain over Syria, to end the war while possibly carving up the country into zones of influence. There are signs Russia is worried about a US-Iran rapprochement on Syria that might diminish its clout. It is no coincidence that the new military base is in the heart of Alawite territory, Bashar al-Assad’s core constituency.
Continue reading...HRW: Migrant Crisis Political Because of Islamophobiaby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
European countries, the United States and rich Persian Gulf nations are coming under criticism from human rights groups for not doing enough to help with the Middle East migrant crisis. East European countries have been reluctant to grant refugee status in significant numbers to those fleeing persecution and conflict and allow them to resettle in those countries. Gulf countries are accepting only migrant workers, but leaving open the option of deporting them at any time. In an interview with VOA’s Russian Service, Kenneth Roth, executive director of the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch, said that the newer members of the European Union have displayed a historic phobia when it comes to accepting Muslim refugees from the conflict-ridden Middle East. Roth said that Eastern European countries should share not just the benefits, but also the responsibilities of being part of the union, namely, to share the legal obligation of accepting people seeking asylum. “There is a real need to stand up against that Islamophobia. It is based on this false conception of European history that there is such thing as ethnic purity. Every European country is a product of migration and population flows. Yes, Europe has been predominantly Christian, but countries have been able to integrate Muslims, and those who have not, have frankly been faulty of their social welfare policy,” Roth said. It has been a fact that they have permitted discrimination to keep these populations socially marginalized, Roth said, rather than “enabling them to come to the mainstream of economic fulfillment and political participation.” Political marginalization Roth also said that the current refugee crisis is not a crisis in terms of numbers — they represent only one tenth of one percent of the European Union’s population and the countries can easily absorb them — but it is a political crisis because of Islamophobia and political considerations. No Syrian refugees have been formally resettled in Persian Gulf states like Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, although Gulf officials say some Syrians have entered on visitor visas and just stayed on. Rights groups point out that those who have been allowed to remain come from wealthy and powerful families. Roth also criticized Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries for not taking any refugees. “Would some of them prefer Saudi Arabia and UAE, if it were clear the resettling there were a possibility, we do not know the answer to that. But given that a significant number of Syrians do work in the region, I think that we would anticipate that some refugees would resettle there," he said. "That option is not being given to them. Some of them, if they can get a job, they are allowed to go in, but if you show up on the door like a refugee, the Europeans say, ‘yes,’ we recognize your right to apply for asylum, if you are fleeing persecution and conflict we will allow you to resettle in our countries. The Gulf states do not abide by those rules.” Roth was also critical of the United States for not doing enough in terms of refugee quotas, and called the current U.S. commitment to take in 10,000 refugees over the next year “a pittance.” As a vast and rich country, he said, the U.S. should be doing more to help in addressing the current migrant crisis. Human Rights Watch is one of the world's leading international human rights organizations, operating in more than 90 countries. VOA's Russian Service contributed to this report.
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 Зеркало недели |
В Госдепе США прокомментировали действия Москвы в борьбе против ИГ
РБК Государственный департамент США поприветствует «конструктивную роль» России в борьбе против боевиков террористической группировки «Исламское государство», но Москва при этом не должна пытаться укрепить позиции президента Сирии Башара Асада. Об этом заявил ... И хочется, и колется: американские политики разошлись в оценке действий России в СирииВести.Ru Как беженцы в Дамаске отметили День рождения Башара АсадаМосковский комсомолец В Израиле подтвердили присутствие в Сирии военных из РоссииПодробности Зеркало недели -Росбалт.RU -Газета.Ru Все похожие статьи: 696 » |
U.S. President Barack Obama says Russia's support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is "doomed to fail."
Ally of Slain Russian Politician Takes on Kremlinby webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)
Six months after opposition politician Boris Nemtsov was shot dead outside the Kremlin in an unsolved contract killing, one of his closest allies is trying to take on Vladimir Putin's United Russia party in regional elections this Sunday. A veteran activist at just 32, Ilya Yashin, a prominent figure in the People's Freedom Party or PARNAS, was one of Nemtsov's closest friends and served as his campaign manager. Now, in an unlikely political contest, he is seeking to continue his slain friend's work, drawing on Nemtsov's tactics to try to gain a small foothold in the parliament of Kostroma region, some 187 miles northeast of Moscow. "Nemtsov set an important example not only for me but for everyone," Yashin told Reuters in an interview. "Nemtsov was carrying the opposition banner. They killed him, but we've picked up the banner and we'll carry it further." Sunday's elections, which will see the governors of 21 regions and over 1,300 junior officials elected along with lawmakers in 11 regional parliaments, are seen as a dry-run for nationwide parliamentary elections next year. The ballot is also a test for the opposition, which remains marginal, at a time when the Kremlin is trying to contain the fallout from a deepening economic crisis triggered by falling oil prices and compounded by Western sanctions over Ukraine. Despite mounting anxiety among ordinary Russians about the falling ruble and galloping prices, prospects for the opposition look bleak. Conversely, Putin's ratings, though down a little, remain near record highs of over 70 percent. Though some of its leaders enjoy a high profile in the West, many Russian voters neither know nor care about the opposition, with some associating it with the 1990s, one of the most chaotic and unpredictable periods in modern Russian history. The opposition says that is because the Kremlin has built a fake democracy in which it is not allowed to figure. Kremlin politicians say it is because the opposition is incompetent. Shut out PARNAS applied to contest Sunday's elections in four regions. The authorities, citing technicalities, allowed it to participate in only one: Kostroma, a sprawling region of 670,000 people centred on a town of the same name peppered with onion-domed churches on the banks of the River Volga. Police later arrested Yashin's campaign manager, Andrei Pivovarov, accusing him of attempting to steal personal data. Yashin says those charges are absurd. PARNAS says it has been denied media access in Kostroma, a region with pockets of poverty, and that paid thugs disrupt its meetings, allegations backed by video footage. The authorities say they have followed the letter of electoral law when it comes to registering parties and that the elections are being held in accordance with the constitution. Ahead of Sunday's vote, Kostroma's center was dotted with billboards for Putin's United Russia party, which controls the local parliament. The posters showed a skyline filled with construction cranes. Nearby, campaigners dressed up in giant white bear suits roamed the streets handing out fliers giving voters five reasons to vote for the governing party. The first reason cited was starkly simple: "The United Russia party is the only real political force." "I'll be voting for United Russia," said one woman who only gave her name as Olga, punching the air with enthusiasm. Others were less upbeat. "I don't think the vote will change anything because I think that everything has already been decided for us," said a young woman called Natalia, who declined to give her surname. Mixed results Yashin and PARNAS are trying to compensate for their lack of media access by holdings meetings with voters. But the results have been mixed. At one such meeting this week Reuters watched as Yashin addressed four pensioners on deck chairs near a children's playground amid a light drizzle. Elderly women pushing strollers looked on with curiosity. A second meeting drew a similar crowd. Yashin, who says he has held over 120 such meetings, regaled his audience with stories of official corruption, lamenting what he said were the region's crumbling apartment blocks, potholed roads, and tiny pensions. Several elderly voters challenged his ideas, asking him why he was so negative. Other voters have called him an American or Ukrainian spy. When asked why so few voters attend his meetings, Yashin said people were afraid to be seen with an opposition politician, citing a story about how police had called in the parents of one teenager who had attended a meeting for questioning. Yashin believes he and his party have been allowed to contest Kostroma because more than 60 percent of voters live in rural areas in an area which covers more than 23,000 square miles, making campaigning logistically difficult. Blocked from standing elsewhere, the opposition plans to organize a large rally in Moscow later this month. The murder of Boris Nemtsov, Yashin's friend, remains unsolved. Five suspects have been detained, but it is unclear who ordered his killing and why. Yashin, who travels with a bodyguard, said he was aware of the risks of carrying on Nemtsov's work. "Only a madman wouldn't be afraid," he told Reuters. "This year alone one of my friends has been killed and another jailed." Yashin said he had no grounds for optimism and it seems unlikely his party will win any seats on Sunday. But he said he thought the opposition's time would come even if he could not say when. "Putin is not god, he can't be eternal," he said.
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Russia Fined $44 Million for Refusing to Hand Over Jewish Books
New York Times In a decision likely to prolong a Russian ban on lending art to American museums, a federal judge on Thursday ordered Russia to pay a fine of $43.7 million for refusing to return a collection of Jewish books and documents to the Hasidic Chabad ... |
IS Retreats From Iraqi Villages But Leaves Lethal Roadside Bombs Behind by webdesk@voanews.com (Dilshad Anwar)
Kurdish forces backed by airstrikes from a U.S-led coalition drove Islamic State militants out of nine villages in northern Iraq on Friday, Kurdish authorities said. But the militants left behind numerous roadside bombs that killed many Kurdish fighters and volunteers as they entered those villages. Roger Wilkison narrates this report for VOA's Kurdish service by Dilshad Anwar.
IS Flees Iraqi Villages, Leaving Lethal Roadside Bombsby webdesk@voanews.com (Dilshad Anwar)
Iraqi Kurdish fighters known as Peshmerga have successfully pushed Islamic State militants from parts of the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk, but the militants caused further destruction by leaving roadside bombs as they fled. A Peshmerga lieutenant, Sirwan Muhammad, said land mines had killed and wounded members of his force in the liberated village of Al-Bu Muhammad. "If you look around, you will see that ISIS militants have left many explosives around us," he said. "Houses have also been destroyed.” Despite the militants' booby traps, which affect civilians and security forces alike, Peshmerga fighters said they were happy to be retaking their territory from the terrorist group. “ISIS militants had taken over these villages," said a fighter named Muhammad Chuchani, "but thanks to Peshmerga forces and lieutenants, we have been able to take back Al-Bu Muhammad village and other villages such as Dubuz and all the way to Sabaa Nisan village.” In the last six months, the Peshmerga fighters have cleared more than 530 square kilometers south of Kirkuk in a series of offensives.
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Obama: Refugee Tide Is World's Problemby webdesk@voanews.com (Molly McKitterick)
The current tide of refugees overrunning Europe is not just a European problem, “it is a world problem,” President Barack Obama told an audience of U.S. service members Friday. The president, in a visit to Fort Meade, Maryland, marked the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks by answering questions from service members around the world submitted via social media and satellite video. Obama said the refugee topic would surely come up at the U.N. General Assembly session at the end of this month and that the leaders would “start coming up with a more effective structure for an international response. No one country can solve these problems alone.” He added that NATO, as the premiere alliance in the world, would have to play a central role. The president said the only way to solve the refugee crisis was to go to its source. “There’s the old story about if you see a bunch of bodies floating down a river, part of your job is to pull those folks out and save who you can, but you’ve also got to go upstream and see what exactly is happening,” he said. The source of the refugee river, he said, is the collapse of governance in Syria and the growth of Islamic State. Obama said the refugee problem would continue for decades because too many states are failing their peoples. In addition, he said, the spread of media gives people in war-torn or poor countries a vision of a better life. “They are desperate and will take extraordinary risks to get there,” he said. Watch related video report by Bernard Shusman Other causes Other factors, the president said, will result in even more migration and refugees — for example, climate change. “I just came back from Alaska, where you're seeing glaciers melt rapidly. … People will be displaced from their traditional lands, either by drought or by flooding, and that can create more refugee problems,” he said. Obama summed it up: “We’re going to have to work globally.” Meanwhile, a group Democrats in the House of Representatives is calling on the president to accept 200,000 refugees during the next year. The number is 20 times the 10,000 refugees the president said Thursday that the U.S. would accept. Seventy-three House Democrats signed a letter Friday, saying that accepting the larger number was the “right thing.” The letter said, “It is our moral duty, as a nation founded on the principles of equality and freedom, to do what we can to assist our brethren who are in desperate turmoil, and searching for the slightest sign of goodwill.” The president appeared to open the door a crack to the possibility of additional refugees Friday by telling his service member audience, “I said that we should establish a floor of at least 10,000 refugees that we’re willing to accept.” Relief groups' call Some relief organizations have also urged the U.S. to do more. In a Thursday statement, the International Refugee Committee said the U.S. was “fully equipped to respond in a far more robust way.” A commitment to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees is “barely a token contribution, given the size and scale of the global emergency,” said New York-based Human Rights First. On the other hand, some U.S. lawmakers have voiced concerns about a Syrian refugee influx. Obama wants to “surge thousands of Syrian refugees” into the United States despite intelligence and law enforcement warnings that “we do not have the intelligence needed to vet individuals from the conflict zone,” said Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican who is chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, a Republican presidential candidate, said he was open to the possibility of admitting more Syrian refugees but was concerned that individuals with terrorist ties could slip in. The United States has accepted a total of about 1,600 refugees from Syria since the start of the country’s crisis in 2011.
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Russia calls on world powers to arm Syrian armyby Associated Press in Moscow
Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says president Bashar al-Assad’s forces are most efficient force against Islamic State
Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, has called on world powers to help arm the Syrian army, saying it was the most efficient force against Islamic State.
The US and Nato have raised concerns over Russia’s military buildup in Syria since they see the president, Bashar al-Assad, as the cause of the Syrian crisis, which has claimed more than 250,000 lives over four years. Moscow, meanwhile, has sought to cast arms supplies to Assad’s government as part of international efforts to combat Isis militants.
Continue reading...The Guardian |
Russia calls on world powers to arm Syrian military
The Guardian The US and Nato have raised concerns over Russia's military buildup in Syria since they see the president, Bashar al-Assad, as the cause of the Syrian crisis, which has claimed more than 250,000 lives over four years. Moscow, meanwhile, has sought to ... Russia calls on US to co-operate with its military in SyriaFinancial Times Russia's Risky Military Moves in SyriaNew York Times Obama warns Russia against aiding Assad regimeFox News Business Insider all 791 news articles » |
 Voice of America |
Obama Says US Will Engage Russia Over Arms to Syria
Voice of America President Barack Obama said Friday that Russian actions in Syria could prevent the United States and other members of the U.S-led coalition from getting to a political solution in Syria. Obama said the United States would be engaging Russia about its ... Obama Blames Russia for Making Syrian Crisis WorseTheBlaze.com all 1,554 news articles » |
Via video link, the Republican presidential candidate told Ukrainians at a conference that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia felt free to invade Crimea and eastern Ukraine because he lacks respect for President Obama.
Los Angeles Times |
Russia Defiant As Missile System 'Sent To Syria'
Sky News Two Western officials and a Russian source told Reuters that Moscow is sending Pantsir-S missiles to the war-torn country where the US has been engaging in airstrikes on Islamic State. Russia is also staging naval exercises off Syria's coast. The anti ... Russia's strategy in Syria? It may be to keep the world guessingLos Angeles Times Russia calls on world powers to arm Syrian militaryThe Guardian Russia's Risky Military Moves in SyriaNew York Times Financial Times all 882 Yahoo News all 845 news articles » |
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 РБК |
Акционеры ЮКОСа потребовали арестовать российскую собственность в ФРГ
РБК Акционеры указывают, что с целью выполнения решения Гаагского суда немецкий суд должен арестовать российскую собственность в Германии на $42 млрд. Если иск будет удовлетворен, то под арест теоретически может попасть не только собственность российского государства на ... Германию попросили арестовать российские активыРадиостанция ЭХО МОСКВЫ 17:29 Бывшие акционеры ЮКОСа призывают суд Берлина арестовать активы РоссииИА REGNUM Бывшие акционеры ЮКОСа потребовали арестовать имущество России в ГерманииLenta.ru Вести.Ru -Интерфакс -Взгляд Все похожие статьи: 34 » |
 POLITICO Magazine |
Why Russia Still Loves Putin
POLITICO Magazine “The USA is trying to destroy Russia not only with sanctions, but also with the help of its henchmen, the 'Moscow opposition' that's participating in the elections,” the flier begins. It identifies Yashin as the leader of this group, accusing him of ... Is this the last stand for Russia's beleaguered opposition?CNN Few jobs and little hope, but rural Russia sticks with PutinYahoo News Russia vote: Opposition struggles with smears and isolationBBC News The Economist all 67 news articles » |
Reuters UK |
Germany's Merkel sees need to cooperate with Russia on Syria
Reuters UK Russia had called on Friday for cooperation with the United States to avoid "unintended incidents", as it stages naval exercises off the coast of Syria, where U.S. officials believe Moscow is building up forces to protect long-term ally President ... and more » |
Gerry Adams - President of Sinn Fein (centre) - on a visit to London. His first stop was County Hall, London, for talks with Ken Livingstone (left) and Piers Corbyn (R). They are walking across Westminster Bridge. . REXMAILPIX.
Eastern Europe’s resistance to taking in migrants is the latest evidence of the stubborn cultural and political divides that persist between East and West.
Germany has deployed some 4,000 troops to 'support efforts to care for refugees', as the country prepares for the 40,000 refugees and migrants predicted to arrive in the country this weekend.
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