Frustrated American asks the Queen to take back USA
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Queen tells angry American she cannot interfere in USA affairs after getting letter begging Britain to take it back
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Some Experts Question Rosy Picture About Xi's UK Visitby webdesk@voanews.com (Saibal Dasgupta)
As China's President Xi Jinping prepares to travel to Britain next week, officials in both Beijing and London are painting a rosy picture of relations and making grand projections about the impact of the visit going beyond bilateral relations. But just how far the trip will go toward furthering ties is far from certain, diplomatic analysts say, and not everyone is excited about the visit. Ties between the two countries are complicated by Britain's colonial history. Still, in...
 Washington Post |
Palestinian protesters set fire to a Jewish holy shrine in the West Bank
Washington Post JERUSALEM — Palestinians set fire to a Jewish holy shrine in the West Bank on Friday morning, and clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli military flared throughout the day after the militant Islamist group Hamas called for a “day of rage.” The ... 'How to stab a Jew': Israel at UN condemns Palestinian president for inciting ...Fox News 4 Palestinians Killed by Israeli Fire in Unrest, StabbingNew York Times Abbas denounces Palestinian firebombing of Joseph's tomb in West BankLos Angeles Times Voice of America-Minneapolis Star Tribune-Reuters all 1,231 news articles » |
Iran tested a medium-range missile capable of delivering a nuclear weapon, in 'clear violation' of UN ban
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Bishops admit: We don’t know much about sex, need married advisers by Rosie Scammell | Religion News Service
Bishops participating in the Vatican’s synod on the family have admitted that they don’t know much about sex — and that they need the help of laypeople to fully understand marital intimacy.
 Fox News Latino |
Kerry, Netanyahu to Discuss Israeli-Palestinian Tensions
New York Times MILAN — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week in Europe to discuss easing Israeli-Palestinian tensions. The State Department says Kerry and Netanyahu discussed plans to meet during a ... Kerry, Israel's Netanyahu to meet in Germany next weekReuters Netanyahu, Kerry to Meet in Berlin, Discuss Ways to Restore CalmHaaretz Cruz says Kerry 'utterly unfit' for job after Israel comments; wants him to resignFox News Latino Washington Post all 164 news articles » |
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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week in Europe to discuss easing Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
For most of the major players in the complicated conflicts ravaging the Middle East, the defeat of Islamic State is subordinate to a more pressing objective: thwarting each other's ambitions.
Beards without moustaches, the trademark of ultraconservative Islamists, were all the rage at this campaign rally, among both speakers and the men in the audience, while women wearing full-face veils sat on a separate side of a multicolored tent.
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The European Union is offering to make it easier for Turkish nationals to come to the EU if Ankara attempts to slow the numbers of migrants and refugees crossing its borders with Europe.
Turkey says plan agreed by EU officials for joint action on migrants amounts to 'bribery'
The BBC's Jeremy Bowen reports on fresh violence between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, with three Palestinians reportedly killed.
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Barack Obama urged to intervene on behalf of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr after Riyadh rejects his appeal against the death sentence
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Two images show the reality of the refugee crisis playing out on the coast of Greece.
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Inside Germany and in Europe at large, some leaders and the general public worry that the Continent is reaching its limits with the migrant crisis.
The US announces new curbs on oil and gas exploration off Alaska's northern coast, after Shell stopped its Arctic operation there.
European Union leaders have agreed on a plan to offer Turkey $3.5 billion, together with visa-free travel and renewed accession talks, in return for stopping the flow of refugees and migrants into the EU. But as Henry Ridgwell reports from London, the offer is getting a lukewarm reception in Ankara.
Originally published at - http://www.voanews.com/media/video/turkey-says-europes-offer-of-migrant-deal-insincere/3010545.html
Originally published at - http://www.voanews.com/media/video/turkey-says-europes-offer-of-migrant-deal-insincere/3010545.html
Published on Oct 16, 2015
INTERPOL and Europol, two major transnational law enforcement agencies, have outlined fresh measures to break up the organised criminal networks behind "people smuggling":http://www.interpol.int/News-and-medi....
Following an international conference they are to establish a specialist division to counter people smuggling in and across the migration routes
INTERPOL Secretary General is Jürgen Stock
"We have seen that the routes are changing very dynamically. The criminal gr…
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Following an international conference they are to establish a specialist division to counter people smuggling in and across the migration routes
INTERPOL Secretary General is Jürgen Stock
"We have seen that the routes are changing very dynamically. The criminal gr…
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Португальское правосудие отменило домашний арест для бывшего премьер-министра страны Жозе Сократеша. В ноябре прошлого года политику были предъявлены обвинения в коррупции, отмывании денег и уклонении от уплаты налогов. Домашний арест заменен на обязательство не покидать на время следствия территорию Португалии. Изменение меры пресечения власти объяснили тем, что, по их словам, большинство доказательств по делу собраны, а значит, получивший относительную свободу передвижения Сократеш не сможет п…
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Communities across the United States are welcoming Syrian refugees who have fled their war-torn country and often spent many months, if not years, in refugee camps. But, as VOA’s Greg Flakus reports from Houston, some of their biggest challenges come as they try to adapt to life in a new country.
Originally published at - http://www.voanews.com/media/video/syrian-refugees-us-struggle-start-anew/3010651.html
Originally published at - http://www.voanews.com/media/video/syrian-refugees-us-struggle-start-anew/3010651.html
Clashes between Palestinian protesters and the Israel Defense Forces [IDF] went on in Gaza and the West Bank on Friday. The Israeli army deployed hundreds of troops in cities to assist police.
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A Kosovan hacker is accused of stealing personal information on more than a thousand U.S. security officials and passing it to Islamic State, as extremism becomes a growing concern for majority Muslim Malaysia. Praveen Menon reports
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Russian prosecutors open an attempted murder probe after a businessman threw a pedestrian that touched his car into a canal in Saint Petersburg.
US troops to remain there after 2016.
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Настоящей травле со стороны националистов подверглась польская писательница Ольга Токарчук. Причиной волны оскорблений и угроз стали ее высказывания на церемонии вручения ей престижной премии "Нике", на которой литератор заявила, что толерантность Польши - это миф, а на самом деле в истории страны было немало темных страниц в отношении к меньшинствам.
"Я думаю, необходимо описать историю снова, не скрывая все то ужасное, что мы сделали как колонизаторы, как национальное большинство, которое под…
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Director Comey urged closer ties between police and communities at forum in Ohio.
Detroit Free Press |
Area police aid massive FBI human-trafficking sting
The Reporter Now in it's ninth year, the program was started by the FBI in conjunction with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The FBI and NCMEC partnered with local and state law enforcement agencies to blanket the country to root out ... Video shows FBI raid in teen sex trafficking crackdownDetroit Free Press FBI sex trafficking sting operation rescues 149 childrenChristian Science Monitor FBI sex trafficking sting saves 149 children, nabs 150USA TODAY abc7news.com -YourErie -Town Hall -Polaris Project all 138 news articles » |
Jackson Clarion Ledger |
Lawyer: Ex-JPD officer entrapped by FBI
Jackson Clarion Ledger An FBI agent says a former Jackson police officer Bryan Jones admitted to stealing money from suspected drug dealers before he was charged. Jones' lawyer, though, argued in court Friday that Jones was entrapped by the FBI. Jones, 44, pleaded not guilty ... Lawyer: Former Jackson police officer was entrapped by FBI to seize cash from ...The Republic all 7 news articles » |
Muscovites were surprised by news reports of a thwarted terrorist attack (Lenta.ru, October 11) planned by militants with ties to the so-called Islamic State (IS). Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said two people taken into custody testified that they were preparing a terrorist attack on the Russian capital’s public transportation system and that they were IS members. The militants reportedly planned to attack either the subway system or an airport in Moscow. Later, on the morning of October 11, it became known that the security services had detained 10 to 15 suspects. Most of the detainees were citizens of Central Asian countries (Interfax, October 11).
The next day, the Interfax news agency announced that three of the arrested individuals were Syrian citizens (Interfax, October 12). Moreover, an explosive device confiscated in Moscow reportedly resembled the one used in the terrorist attack in Ankara, Turkey, on October 10. The Russian authorities’ thinly veiled message was that Ankara and Moscow are threatened by the same forces and that Moscow should be invited to join the common fight against terrorism.
The FSB might have been praised for its success in uncovering the terrorist plot in Moscow had the organization’s history not raised doubts about the official Russian version. The landlady of one of the suspects said that a colonel of the GRU (the Main Intelligence Directorate, the Russian military’s intelligence service) from Chechnya named Said rented the apartment in February 2015 along with his wife Sabina and their little daughter. Said went to Turkey on vacation in September and handed over the apartment keys to his nephew Musa (Lenta.ru, October 13).
Thus, the apartment was rented out to a GRU colonel. According to the investigators, after Colonel Said gave his apartment keys to Musa and traveled to Turkey in September, his nephew immediately started setting up a workshop for building a bomb (Mk.ru, October 12). Musa reportedly went on to hire an impressive group of supporters, including three citizens of Central Asian countries and a resident of Kabardino-Balkaria. These Islamists also, apparently, used the apartment, located at 5 Strelbishchensky Pereulok, in Moscow, as a hostel (Kommersant, October 12).
It is unclear how they managed to turn the apartment into a hostel to host 10–15 people in the two to three weeks after Said left with his wife and daughter for their vacation destination. After the suspects were arrested, Said’s wife, Sabina, reportedly telephoned the police. Strangely, the investigators were not interested in the details of the family who were renting the apartment.
The owner of the apartment, a 59-year-old identified only as Andrei R., is also a member of the Russian military, who works for the 190th financial department of the Russian Ministry of Defense’s military representative office. Another amusing detail about this story is how the criminal plot was supposedly uncovered. A female living in the building reported her neighbors after she overheard them mentioning the word “detonator” when they spoke in a language that she could not understand on the staircase. Investigators assumed that word “detonator” does not exist either in Chechen or Arabic.
The identities of the suspected Chechens—Mohmad Mezhidov, Elman Ashaev and Aslan Baisultanov—also raise questions. Aslan Baisultanov was mentioned in connection with the special operation against the rebels in Grozny on October 8, when Ramzan Kadyrov said someone by that name was among the rebels killed in the Grozny incident. Later, Aslan Baisultanov’s name was dropped from the official news reports, but reappeared on October 11 in connection with the Moscow incident (Tvrain.ru, October 13).
Investigators say that on October 3, Baisultanov received orders to carry out a bomb attack in Moscow. Someone named Shamil Chergizov reportedly gave Baisultanov a detonator and components for making an improvised explosive device (IED). Together with Ashaev, Baisultanov brought the materials to Moscow on a train and stored them with Mezhidov in the apartment on Strelbishchensky Pereulok (Zona Media, October 13).
These details prompted Kadyrov to expand his claims (Tvc.ru, October 13): he said that Chechen law enforcement agents helped prevent the attack in Moscow because they found Baisultanov’s passport in Grozny, where Chergizov, the organizer of the attack, was killed (Instagram.com, October 13). Some sources close to the investigation believe the suspect from Kabardino-Balkaria, Elbrus Bittirov, was the organizer of the attack (Interfax, October 13), but little is known about Bittirov thus far.
Three days after the thwarted attack in Moscow, the authorities still had not given the names of the Central Asians and Syrians who allegedly plotted the attack. Journalists were also surprised that only ten FSB officers escorted the three Chechen suspects to Lefortovo prison instead of the special vehicles typically used for especially dangerous suspects. Several journalists noted that the court hearing was also quite loosely guarded, and that anyone from the street could have entered the room, which is highly unusual for Russian court trials (Radiovesti.ru, October 13). Two of the three suspects started to confess right at the hearing and the judge had to interrupt them, saying that he only was considering whether they needed to be detained for the duration of the investigation.
The timing of these purported Islamic State actions in Russia, which took place in the North Caucasus and Moscow simultaneously, suits Russian interests: indeed, Moscow needs such “terrorist attacks” against the backdrop of its military intervention in the Syrian conflict on the side of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Russia needs to convince the world that Moscow is under threat and that it has to fight international terrorism alongside other countries. Such an attack would be the best way to prove that Russia is being targeted by the Islamic State because of Russian strikes against the IS in Syria. Moscow is trying to do everything in its power to force the West to stop ignoring it and consider it an equal partner in the anti-terrorism fight, as it was in 2001 after the September 11 attacks.
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The clumsy attempt, in mid-September, of an Italian man to allegedly join pro-Russia separatist forces in Ukraine’s eastern region of Donbas, reignited the issue of Western “volunteers” fighting in this worn-torn country. The would-be Italian combatant for the self-styled separatist “people republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk was arrested by the Ukrainian Border Guard Service on September 19, and released a few days later (Ukraine Today, September 20; Il Mattino, September 25).
Italian fighters in Ukraine fill the ranks of both warring parties: military units loyal to the government in Kyiv and Moscow’s proxy armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk. In the absence of official numbers, journalistic investigations speak of perhaps half a dozen Italian nationals fighting on either side of the conflict (Corriere.it, February 12; Corriere della Sera-Sette, February 20). These are relatively low figures that, nonetheless, outnumber those of Italian fighters engaged in the Syrian war, which is perceived as a more dangerous threat to Italy than the Ukrainian conflict. Italy’s Ministry of Home Affairs stated in September that there were ten Italian foreign fighters in Syria: five with single Italian citizenship and five holding dual nationality (TgCom 24, September 11; Interno.it, September 11).
Italian foreign combatants fighting for the rebel movement in eastern Ukraine are all male individuals of different ages, often unemployed and in some cases with pending convictions at home. Some have military experience, while others lack of any formal armed training. Their core narrative is that they are helping a popular resistance against the “fascist” and “repressive” government in Kyiv, to supposedly stop it from perpetrating a “genocide” by indiscriminately shelling towns and villages in Donbas.
Foreign fighters from Italy are most often members of ultra-leftist political groups (Il Fatto Quotidiano, June 11, 2014). But exceptions also exist: One Italian citizen who took up arms in eastern Ukraine turned out to be a supporter of Lega Nord (Northern League), an Italian political party that advocates the secession of northern Italy from the rest of the country, while another is a neo-fascist sympathizer. These individuals, despite their different backgrounds, fight together in the Moscow-supported rebel militias because they share a common loathing for the United States and its “imperialist” policy in Europe. In large part, they admire Russian President Vladimir Putin and praise Alexander Dugin, a Russian ultra-nationalist philosopher who promotes “Eurasianist” theories about the role of Russia as a bulwark against Washington’s domination of the globe.
Like aspirant fighters from other countries, Italian nationals are encouraged by rebel recruiters to undertake “non-linear” travel to Donbas, so as to deceive the authorities of their own country and those in Kyiv. They usually reach the frontline through Russia, first arriving in Rostov with a tourist visa and then heading across the border to Luhansk and Donetsk by bus. Prospective foreign militiamen for the pro-Russia side are discouraged from traveling to Donbass through territory controlled by the Ukrainian government. Indeed, as the case of the Italian citizen blocked in Ukraine demonstrates, it is difficult and dangerous to try to reach eastern Ukraine from the west (Sputnik News, March 10).
In the words of some Italian volunteers in Donetsk and Luhansk, recruitment is quite simple. Joining the rebel forces involves contact, via online social networks, with “solidarity committees” based outside of Ukraine. Once in Donbas, recruits are given a week of paramilitary training. Some Italian foreign fighters told Italian media outlets that, in summer 2014, they had been trained at a military camp near Luhansk under the supervision of Colonel Igor Girkin (a.k.a. Strelkov), the former commander of separatist forces in Ukraine’s east (La Stampa, September 15, 2014). In this training facility, they were given a uniform and then trained to use AK-47 machineguns and hand grenades. They also underwent psychological training to face the hardship of trench warfare (Il Giornale, April 4).
For the most part, pro-Kremlin volunteers from Italy fight in the Vostok Battalion, one of the largest Russia-backed separatist militias in Ukraine; they do not receive a salary, only room and board. Some foreign combatants, including at least one Italian man, do not fight on the front line, but help with communication and propaganda as well as humanitarian assistance to local civilian populations (Il Giornale, September 22).
Italians in the opposite camp of the conflict live in similar conditions. They fight in the Azov Battalion, an armed militia accused of Nazi sympathies, which is part of the Ukrainian National Guard and under the control of Kyiv’s Ministry of Interior. They largely operate around the strategic Black Sea port city of Mariupol, one of the hottest fronts of the war (Vice Italia, June 12, 2014).
These pro-Kyiv Italian fighters are driven by nationalistic or anti-Communist sentiments and can have links to Pravy Sektor (the Right Sector), the radical ultra-nationalist group that gained notoriety in Ukraine following the ousting of Viktor Yanukovych. Mostly, these fighter declare themselves Italian nationalists with a past in ultra-right-leaning political formations. They also share a common aversion to the United States, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union; some also openly criticize the Ukrainian government.
On this side of the conflict, the Internet is again the main means of recruitment. An important role is played by Italian and Ukrainian facilitators linked to the “Italia-Ucraina Maidan” association, which supports the Ukrainian government through fund-raising initiatives, online propaganda and the shipping of medicines and clothes to Ukrainian soldiers. Other Italian fighters reached Ukraine via the recruiting network managed by Gaston Besson, a well-known French mercenary who fought in Croatia and Bosnia in the 1990s. All foreign volunteers who join pro-Kyiv militias and armed formations like the Azov Battalion have to undertake a period of training in the Ukrainian capital city and receive a salary of $200 a month (Il Giornale, July 2, 2014).
Italy is trying to halt the flow of nationals who go abroad to fight. An anti-terrorism law approved by the Italian government in February contains measures to deter Italian citizens from joining foreign armed groups. It also allows the authorities to clamp down on recruiters and financial backers as well as on websites that support their activities. Punishments range from three to ten years in prison, depending on the violation. Yet, the enforcement of these measures could face serious problems of interpretation. A major issue is that Italian citizens fighting in the Azov Battalion do so under the legal cover provided by the Ukrainian government—which does not apply to foreign volunteers on the separatist side.
Another problem is the potential emergence of “ghost fighters.” The second Minsk ceasefire deal, signed in February 2015, mandates the withdrawal of all foreign armed formations and mercenaries from Ukrainian territory (UNIAN, February 12). Ultimately, Minsk Two may prompt some foreign fighters, including Italian nationals, to hide their identity and presence in Ukraine—thus further complicating current efforts to tackle the phenomenon of European going to fight in Ukraine.
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On October 4, Kyrgyzstan held parliamentary elections—the first in the country’s history in which the authorities used voters’ biometrics to obtain quick and reliable polling data. While the definitive results will only be released 20 days after the vote (by October 25), the Kyrgyzstani Central Electoral Commission, on October 5, issued a statement proclaiming the pro-presidential Social-Democratic Party (SDPK) the winner. It has garnered 27.4 percent of the ballots cast and is followed by the main opposition bloc, Respublika–Ata Zhurt (21 percent), as well as four other parties: Kyrgyzstan (12.8 percent), Onuguu-Progress (9.3 percent), Bir Bol (8.5 percent), and Ata-Meken (7.7 percent) (Interfax, Sputnik News, Kloop.kg, Akipress.org, October 5).
Both SDPK and Ata-Meken are members of the currently ruling coalition, which was formed in September 2012 and was subsequently renewed in its initial composition in April 2014 and May 2015. Including the 25 members of parliament (MP) affiliated with Ar-Namys, the governing coalition has been in control of more than half of all seats (69 out of 120) in Kyrgyzstan’s unicameral legislature in Bishkek since the previous elections of October 2010. Yet, this time, Ar-Namys has failed to surpass the 7 percent threshold to enter the parliament, which was put in place by amendments to the electoral law in 2011, up from the prior level of 5 percent (24.kg, September 5; see EDM, May 6; Tengrinews.kz, March 31, 2014; Azattyk.org, September 1, 2012).
In spring 2015, Ar-Namys chairman Felix Kulov repeatedly suggested amending the law once again by increasing the minimum threshold from 7 to 9 percent. His idea might initially have sounded counterintuitive to a few observers, given Ar-Namys’ limited chances of qualifying under a more stringent system. Yet, Kulov insisted that if only one party received enough votes to enter parliament, the three following contenders should be admitted there automatically regardless of how many votes they had each obtained. However, every time it was fielded, his proposal was struck down at an early stage. In fact, for it to succeed it would have called for constitutional changes that normally require the consent of at least 80 MPs, which Kulov did not have (Kyrtag.kg, July 1; Vb.kg, March 6, February 27).
With Ar-Namys now out of the picture for the next five years, SDPK and Ata-Meken are likely to ally themselves with the three minor parties, thus leaving the Respublika–Ata Zhurt bloc in a vocal but feckless opposition. A less probable scenario consists of a tactical alliance between SDPK and Respublika–Ata Zhurt, which would give these two parties a sure majority in parliament. On October 6, the latter’s leader, Omurbek Babanov, who headed Kyrgyzstan’s government between December 2011 and September 2012, said there were “good chances” that such an alliance might eventually materialize. The moderate Respublika, which left the SDPK-led coalition in late 2012, and the nationalist Ata-Zhurt—known historically as the mouthpiece of the South—merged last October. Despite Babanov’s optimism, his party’s discourse is still tinged with anti-regime undertones, albeit less confrontational than in the past (Gezitter.org, Centasia.ru, October 6; News-asia.ru, October 20, 2014).
All of the above obviously plays into the hands of President Almazbek Atambayev, a two-time prime minister (March–November 2007, December 2010–December 2011), who also used to stand at the helm of the SDPK. In accordance with the 2010 Constitution, which was adopted in the wake of deadly pogroms in southern Kyrgyzstan following the ouster of Kurmanbek Bakiyev, Atambayev’s six-year term will end in October 2017. He is barred from running for a second term and has time and again reiterated his intention to leave office as is required by law (Catoday.org, March 31; Paruskg.info, December 4, 2014). Therefore, the president’s core preoccupation through 2018 will be the preservation of his own legacy, whose key element is related to Kyrgyzstan’s continued membership in the Russia-dominated Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
Bishkek became a full-fledged member of the EEU on August 12, 2015, following months of intense negotiations with the union’s three cofounders—Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus—over the terms of its accession. According to Kyrgyzstan’s Economy Minister Oleg Pankratov, Bishkek’s trade with the EEU expanded by more than 30 percent since the cancelation of border customs controls in mid-August (Sputnik News, Vb.kg, September 22; RIA Novosti, August 12).
In January–July 2015, Russian-Kyrgyzstani trade turnover reached $878 million and Russia’s share of Kyrgyzstan’s total external trade jumped to 27.7 percent, from 25.9 percent the year before. While Russia has drastically curtailed its investments in Kazakhstan to the advantage of China, it remains a key investor in Kyrgyzstan and is notably in charge of several large-scale hydropower projects, such as Kambarata-1. Moreover, Gazprom is currently modernizing Kyrgyzstan’s gas infrastructure in a bid to make the country less dependent on imported gas from Uzbekistan, with which relations have been tense since the 1990s (Azattyk.org, October 2; Akipress.org, September 18; 24kg.org, August 31).
The rising threat of violent extremism, especially in the form of the Islamic State, is another reason for Bishkek to stay close to Moscow both bilaterally and via the CSTO. In contrast, as (and because) its ties with Moscow have grown ever tighter, Bishkek’s relations with Washington are becoming cooler than ever before (see EDM, August 7).
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 Benzinga |
Former CIA Director David Petraeus On Investing In Cybersecurity, The Internet ...
Benzinga The people at Wall Street Week were kind enough to share a preview of this Sunday's broadcast with Benzinga. This week's show will feature the former director of the CIA and current chairman of KKR & Co. L.P. (NYSE: KKR)'s KKR Global Institute, David ... |
The defeat of Islamic State forces at the Baiji refinery is one of the first significant indications of progress against the extremist group in months.
Report on Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess shows cover-up by Foreign Office after continuing communist sympathies of two defectors went unnoticed
Senior Whitehall officials privately admitted to extraordinary security lapses over two of Britain’s most notorious spies for the Soviet Union, and then conspired to play down the hugely embarrassing scandal of their flight to Moscow, according to top secret documents seen by the Guardian.
A hitherto unpublished report on the flight of Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess – two prominent members of the Cambridge spy ring – more than 60 years ago, says they could have been suspected sooner had the Foreign Office linked their bouts of extreme drunken behaviour to their spying.
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Church dioceses will be able to withdraw €10,000 a month, while Greek citizens can withdraw only €60 a day
Numan Kurtulmuş, the deputy prime minister of Turkey, confirms on Friday that the country’s military shot down an unidentified aircraft after it violated Turkish airspace. Kurtulmuş says the aircraft, reported to be a drone, was given several warnings which went unheeded prior to the armed forces taking action near the Syrian border. The unmanned aircraft is said to be of a similar size and shape to those used by Russia for surveillance
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Watch VOA interview with Samantha Powerby webdesk@voanews.com (Margaret Besheer)
U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power told VOA the United States will seek “appropriate action” in the U.N. Security Council “in the coming days” against Iran for its launching of a ballistic missile earlier this week.
Syrian Refugees in US Struggle to Start Anewby webdesk@voanews.com (Greg Flakus)
Communities across the United States are welcoming Syrian refugees who have fled their war-torn country and often spent many months, if not years, in refugee camps. But, as VOA’s Greg Flakus reports from Houston, some of their biggest challenges come as they try to adapt to life in a new country.
Luna 27 robotic lander will be launched in 2016 to search for water, oxygen and fuel on the Moon's unexplored South Pole, under the plans
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President Vladimir V. Putin and leaders of former Soviet states established a joint task force to counter any terrorist threats to Central Asia.
 Financial Times |
Russia and Allies to Raise Guard at Borders With Afghanistan
New York Times MOSCOW — Russia and its allies will have to step up their military activity in the border regions near Afghanistan to prevent militants fanning out from the continuing struggle there to Central Asia and possibly to Syria, President Vladimir V. Putin ... Syria launches Aleppo push after Russia air strikesFinancial Times Russia Kills 'Hundreds Of Terrorists' In SyriaSky News Cuba Is Intervening in Syria to Help Russia. Its Not the First Time Havanas ...Daily Beast Yahoo News -OCRegister -Toronto Star all 3,135 news articles » |
Russia may spearhead a joint task-force of post-Soviet states to secure the borders in Central Asia amid fears of Taliban "spillover" from Afghanistan
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 Комсомольская правда |
В Москве задержали подозреваемых в краже памятника Евгению Леонову
Газета.Ru В Москве полицейские задержали пятерых подозреваемых в краже памятника актеру Евгению Леонову, передает РИА «Новости» заявление руководителя пресс-службы ГУ МВД столицы Андрея Галиакберова. «Сотрудники УВД по Западному округу столицы в ходе проведения ... В Москве задержаны подозреваемые в краже памятника актеру ЛеоновуРИА Новости В сеть выложили видео кражи памятника актеру Евгению ЛеоновуМосковский комсомолец В Москве задержали подозреваемых в краже памятника актеру Евгению ЛеоновуИнформационное агентство России ТАСС НТВ.ru -Российская Газета -Первый канал Все похожие статьи: 203 » |
 РИА Новости |
Борт МЧС РФ забрал из Сирии 56 россиян и граждан стран СНГ
РИА Новости Самолет с гражданами России, Белоруссии, Украины и Сирии вылетел из Латакии рано утром в субботу и приземлится в аэропорту Домодедово. Взлетно-посадочная полоса. Архивное фото. © РИА Новости. Александр Кряжев · Первый замдиректора ФГУ Агентство Эмерком Юрий ... Самолет МЧС России забрал из Сирии 56 граждан РФ и стран СНГКоммерсантъ 01:14 Самолёт МЧС эвакуирует из Сирии граждан России, Белоруссии и УкраиныИА REGNUM Самолет МЧС забрал из Сирии в Москву 56 граждан России и стран СНГГазета.Ru НТВ.ru -Интерфакс -Московский комсомолец -Russia.ru Все похожие статьи: 159 » |
Today's Headlines and Commentaryby Elina Saxena, Quinta Jurecic
Turkish fighter jets have shot down a drone flying in Turkish airspace near the Syrian border, theNew York Times reports. The Turkish military stated that it had warned the aircraft three times before firing, “in accordance with rules of engagement.” According to the BBC, “the images of the downed drone appear to show a small non-military model plane.” Given previous reports of Russian aircraft entering Turkish airspace, a U.S. official suggested that the drone might well be Russia’s—an accusation that the Kremlin has strenuously denied.
Syrian government forces have launched a ground and air offensive in the Aleppo region. Reuterswrites that the government troops are backed by Iranian and Hezbollah forces as well as Russian air power, representing the “first time Iranian fighters had taken part on such a scale in the Syrian conflict.” With foreign support, the government is now managing multiple offensives on rebel-held cities in western Syria.
The United States has charged a hacker, a national of Kosovo detained in Malaysia, of stealing personal data belonging to U.S. miltiary personnel and giving the data to ISIS, the Postwrites. U.S. officials state that the charges represent “the first ever against a suspect for terrorism and hacking, and they represent a troubling convergence of the techniques used in cyberattacks with terrorism.” The suspect will likely be extradited to the United States.
Defense One examines the military’s triumphant reports that 20,000 ISIS fighters have been killed—despite indications that ISIS’s “overall force” remains roughly the same size. The group’s ability to maintain a steady fighting force despite the high rate of attrition is an indication of its effective recruitment, but it’s also a reminder that tallying the deaths of enemy fighters is not a particularly effective measure of battlefield success. That said, earlier today, Russian President Vladimir Putindeclared that Russian strikes had killed hundreds of militants, adding that between 5,000 and 7,000 Russians were fighting among ISIS forces.
European leaders are pushing for Turkey to accept a plan that would “keep more than two million Syrian refugees in Turkey … and prevent them attempting to get to Europe” in exchange for possible movement on Turkey’s bid for E.U. membership, among other favors. So writes the Guardian,reporting on what appears to be the E.U.’s “desperate attempt to gain Turkish cooperation” even as Germany continues to push for a new asylum regime that would distribute asylum seekers more evenly across E.U. member countries.
Meanwhile, the Post tells us that Europe has increased the power of Frontex, the E.U. border agency, to deport “migrants whose asylum claims have been denied.” Hungary will close its border with Croatia to proceed with a “unilateral crackdown on the flow of migrants[.]” The World Bank is also stepping up efforts to help with the crisis as it draws up plans to provide financial assistance for neighboring countries hosting Syria’s refugees. The BBC has the story.
U.S. special operations analysts believed that the MSF hospital in Kunduz attacked by U.S. airstrikes was being used by a Pakistani ISI operative as a headquarters for the Taliban, the AP reports. While the analysts were aware of the facility’s status as a hospital, it is not clear whether the commander who authorized the strike was aware that the location was a medical site or whether the analysts’ assessments of the facility’s misuse played a role in authorizing the strike. For its part, MSF continues to demand an independent international probe, despite the lack of U.S. and Afghan signoff for that approach. MSF has also accused the United States of forcing a tank into the remains of the hospital, potentially destroying evidence for a future investigation. The Guardian has more.
Following President Obama’s announcement of his decision to leave U.S. troops in Afghanistan following his departure from office, Politico suggests that the president has failed to achieve his desired legacy as a “peacemaker.” According to James Jeffrey, the president’s former ambassador to Iraq, Obama’s decision reflects the idea that “’ending wars’ is no longer as important as defending the global system.” The Post shares a map that helps to explain the President’s thinking.
Tensions have reached a boiling point in Israel. As Hamas called for another “day of rage,”Palestinian protesters set fire to Joseph’s Tomb, a Jewish holy site in the West Bank. The Post tells us that a total of 8 Israelis and 34 Palestinians have been killed, with 15 of those Palestinians “labeled as attackers” and others caught in clashes between Palestinian stone-throwers and the Israeli security forces. The Journal reports that Israeli police have begun to restrict movement in and out of East Jerusalem neighborhoods, which are home to many of the attackers. And the Timesnotes comments by Israel's chief rabbi, David Lau, suggesting that the violence stems from a false belief held by young Palestinians that Israel intends to destroy Al Aqsa Mosque.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe discovered a Russian-made rocket launch system in Ukraine; now the United Kingdom is demanding to know just how the system got there.The system, referred to as a “Buratino,” is significantly more destructive than other Russian-made systems that have been found in Ukraine. More on that from the Post.
Iran has met the IAEA’s deadline to supply necessary information concerning its previous nuclear activity, the Times tells us. The IAEA now has until December 15 to reach an assessment of “all past and present outstanding issues” on the Iranian nuclear program.
The Daily Beast’s Shane Harris takes a look at the prisoner swap that Iran seems to be hinting at, with regard to Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian. There are at least 19 people imprisoned in the United States whom Iran might seek to swap for Rezaian. Many of them have been charged with sanctions violations.
The Daily Beast also reports on photos and videos of underground missile bunkers provided by Iranian state TV. At a purported 500 meters below ground, the bunkers are too deep to be destroyed by existing U.S. bunker-buster bombs--though the military is working on fixing that problem. And it’s hard to know how seriously to take that 500-meters-deep figure, given Tehran’s “reputation for military fakery.”
The U.S. is working on a deal to limit the scope of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, the Times says. The talks are the first overt effort to deal with the country’s fast-growing arsenal since revelations that A.Q. Khan had sold Pakistani nuclear technology around the world over a decade ago. Some onlookers described the state of the talks as similar to the initial overtures between the U.S. and Iran three years ago, though others expressed doubts that Pakistan would be able to follow through on any negotiated deal.
Libyan authorities released details on two new suspects in the 1988 Lockerbie bombings, sharing that one of the suspects had served as spy chief under former Libyan leader Gaddafi. Speaking of Gaddafi, the Atlantic's Adam Chandler reflects on the four years since the ruler was ousted from power; apparently the author talked to members of one of Libya’s rival governments, the General National Congress. A critical component of the GNC’s platform seeks “to bar anyone affiliated with the Qaddafi regime from power[.]”
The Journal reports that a suspected Boko Haram attack has killed 30 in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri. A similar attack killed 20 people earlier in the day.
In Military Times: Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson defended planned U.S. naval patrols within waters claimed by China in the South China Sea, stating that the United States considers such tactics to be "part of exercising international rights in international waters.” Others suggest that allowing China a territorial claim over the 12 nautical miles surrounding their artificially constructed islands would set a dangerous precedent.
Today, Beijing convened a meeting of Southeast Asian defense ministers in what the AP describesas “a bid to burnish its reputation in a region weary of Beijing’s territorial ambitions.” This marks China’s first time hosting the ASEAN meeting. Reuters lets us know that, during the meeting, China’s defense minister invited other Southeast Asian countries to join China in its military drills in the South China Sea.
With South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s arrival to Washington, the Journal predicts that North Korea will be high on the agenda. Park and Obama are expected to discuss North Korea’s nuclear program as well as the continuation of the strong U.S.-South Korean alliance.
The Journal reports on opposition within U.S. technology firms toward a global "cyber arms control" arrangements. This would consist of restrictions on the export of cyberweapons, such as surveillance technology used by repressive governments; but now U.S. firms are objecting to what they see as efforts to block what the Journal calls “legitimate spyware.”
A U.S. district court judge suggested yesterday that Tariq Bah Odah, a Guantanamo detainee who is currently on a hunger strike, may be entitled to a medical panel review on whether his poor health requires his release. Yet the Justice Department is arguing that allowing Bah Odah’s release would give other detainees an incentive to harm themselves through similar hunger strikes, the Miami Herald writes. Bah Odah has been on a hunger strike since 2007.
As debates continue about women serving in the U.S. armed forces, the Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said that he “[doesn’t] know what the debate is.” The Post reports that, since the Marine Corps began research on "how to better integrate women into combat roles and unit," seven sexual assaults have been reported.
Parting shot: Need a security clearance for your next job? Try claiming that you were recruited by the CIA. It worked for Wayne Simmons, a frequent Fox News talking head and self-ordained terrorism expert… though he now faces criminal charges for, shall we say, misrepresenting his past. More on that from the Post.
ICYMI: Yesterday, on Lawfare
Quinta examined the law underpinning the presence of U.S. drone bases in Africa and the surrounding areas.
Paul let us know that the NSA may be to perform public key encryption.
Nicholas Weaver explained how the NSA may be using “weak DH” to perform bulk decryption.
David Bosco updated us on the ICC prosecutor’s decision to seek an investigation into the 2008 hostilities between Russia and Georgia.
Adam Klein responded to The Intercept’s story on the drone papers.
Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us onTwitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.
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The signs of the times are everywhere. Estonia is erecting a 2.5-meter-high metal mesh fence reinforced with barbed wire along much of its border with Russia—and backing it up with high-tech drones, sensors, radars, and cameras. Neighboring Latvia has announced plans to build fences along its eastern frontier. Poland plans to build new state-of-the art watchtowers on its border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.
And, of course, Ukraine has floated plans to build a wall along its Russian frontier. A new era of containment, it appears, has begun. Russia’s neighbors, wary of polite little green men appearing to stir up new non-declared hybrid wars, are building walls and becoming vigilant.
And some leading Western commentators are calling for a revival of the spirit of George Kennan’sLong Telegram and Mr. X article, which comprised the philosophical basis for the Western policy of containing an expansionist Soviet Union. Writing in Foreign Affairs in November 2014, Rutgers University-Newark professor Alexander Motyl called on the West to “develop a serious, steady, long-term policy response to Russian expansionism. And that, of course, means containment.”
Likewise, James Goldgeier, dean of the School of International Service at American University, wrote in Slate that “a revived strategy of containment is necessary to counter Russian aggression.” Soviet-era defector Aleksandr Goldfarb made a similar argument in a recent blog post.
So, to paraphrase Kennan, can a newly aggressive Moscow “be contained by the adroit and vigilant application of counterforce at a series of constantly shifting geographical and political points, corresponding to the shifts and maneuvers” of Russian policy?
NATO’s moves at last year’s summit in Wales—setting up military facilities in the Baltic states, Poland, and Romania, rotating troops through countries on the alliance’s eastern flank, and establishing a new rapid-response force that could assist endangered members within two days—certainly seem like steps in that direction. In a speech this week, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Cartersaid Washington “will take all necessary steps to deter Russia’s malign and destabilizing influence, coercion, and aggression."
But 1947 this isn’t. And any serious attempt to contain Vladimir Putin’s Russia—which unlike the Soviet Union is deeply integrated into the global economy—will bear scant resemblance to its Cold War antecedent. This is because unlike the Cold War, when the world was divided into two hermetically sealed systems, today’s conflict between Moscow and the West comes at a time when Russia is very much embedded in the West and has proven adept at exploiting its transparency for nontransparent ends.
And unlike the Soviet Union, today’s Russia isn’t an ideological power seeking global hegemony through military expansion. It is essentially a crime syndicate masquerading as a state. Putin and the made men who make up his inner circle deploy corruption as a tool of statecraft in order to perpetuate their rule, expand their reach, and enrich themselves.
In a 2012 report for Chatham House, James Greene noted how Putin used “the corrupt transnational schemes that flowed seamlessly from Russia into the rest of the former Soviet space—and oozed beyond it” to extend his “shadow influence beyond Russia’s borders and develop a natural, ‘captured’ constituency.”
Toward this end, Moscow has used everything from shady energy deals, to webs of shell companies, to hot money in the City of London, to the financing of extremist political parties in Europe. Its success in doing so raises the economic cost of conflict, reduces resolve to resist Moscow, and gives Russia a ready-made lobby in Western capitals. The Kremlin has effectively weaponized globalization.
Rather than an Iron Curtain with armies facing off across the Fulda Gap, the main fault line of the current conflict is between a Western zone of transparency and a Moscow-dominated sphere of corruption. Any containment policy, therefore, needs first and foremost to limit Russia’s sphere of corruption and extend the Western zone of transparency.
“The front lines of containment are the non-Russian states in the potential path of Russian expansion. Seen in this light, a divided Ukraine occupies the same role in today’s containment strategy as a divided Germany did in yesterday’s,” Motyl wrote in Foreign Affairs. “Ukraine should therefore be the recipient of similar financial, political, and military assistance.”
Georgia and Moldova, likewise, fall into this category. But any true containment of today’s Russia must go beyond this. It also needs to include a rollback of Russia’s ability to exploit and abuse the dynamism and transparency of Western economies.
Part of this is in place with sanctions that deny Russia access to credit from Western banks. Part of it would require shedding light on the web of shadowy shell companies and structures Russia has established in Europe to launder money and stealthily buy influence, as well as bringing more transparency to things like London’s property market.
It would also involve, as Motyl notes, “constraining Russia’s ability to use energy as a weapon.” This reducing Europe’s dependency on Russian natural gas, and strict enforcement of EU antitrust legislation vis-a-vis Gazprom.
And a key weapon in reserve, of course, includes banning Russia from the SWIFT network, which manages secure financial transactions worldwide. The thing about a crime syndicate is that it needs a legitimate economy to feed off of. And denying Putin & Co. this would go a long way toward containing them.
This post appears courtesy of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
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Putin says the air campaign in Syria has achieved "impressive" results as a commander suggests missile strikes from the Med.
German Chancellor’s decision to let migrants in puts her on a collision course with many party colleagues, posing one of the toughest challenges yet to her long political career.
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