PBS NewsHour Weekend full episode October 11, 2015by PBSNewsHour
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On this edition for Sunday, October 11th, 2015, Turkey mourns the victims of terrorist bombings that killed nearly 100 people, and in our signature segment, upcoming elections in Myanmar could be a boon for democracy in the country, and Houston's low-cost plan to increase bus ridership. Hari Sreenivasan anchors from New York.
Договориться о переходном правительстве Сирии и, в конечном итоге, об отстранении от власти Башара Асада - попытался министр обороны Саудовской Аравии Мухаммад ибн Сальман в ходе своих переговоров с Владимиром Путиным в Сочи. Москва в свою очередь убеждает Эр-Рияд, что их цели в Сирии совпадают, - недопущение к власти террористов.
Сергей Лавров, министр иностранных дел РФ:
"Это прежде всего недопущение того, чтобы в Сирии восторжествовал террористический халифат. И в этом смысле президент че…
ЧИТАТЬ ДАЛЕЕ: http://ru.euronews.com/2015/10/12/russia-tries-to-reassure-saudi-arabia-over-syria-air-strikes
ЧИТАТЬ ДАЛЕЕ: http://ru.euronews.com/2015/10/12/russia-tries-to-reassure-saudi-arabia-over-syria-air-strikes
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Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared in a television interview with state media on Sunday, saying that Russia's task is to stabilize the Syrian government and help create conditions for reaching a political compromise. Photo: RU-RTR
British economist Angus Deaton has won the 2015 Nobel Economics Prize for his work in analyzing consumption, poverty and welfare. Rough Cut (No reporter narration).
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U.S.-based economist Angus Deaton won the 2015 Nobel Prize in economics for his analysis of consumption, poverty and welfare.
Published on Oct 12, 2015
The EU is piling pressure on Russia to end its aerial bombing campaign in Syria.
Foreign ministers, who have been meeting in Luxembourg, are warning that strikes designed to support President Bashar al-Assad could deepen the civil war, which has left around a quarter of a million people dead.
Russian incursions into Turkish airspace and air strikes not directed at ISIL militants, but at relatively moderate opposition groups, have alienated the West, while leaving EU and UN diplomacy in disarr…
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2015/10/12/eu...
Foreign ministers, who have been meeting in Luxembourg, are warning that strikes designed to support President Bashar al-Assad could deepen the civil war, which has left around a quarter of a million people dead.
Russian incursions into Turkish airspace and air strikes not directed at ISIL militants, but at relatively moderate opposition groups, have alienated the West, while leaving EU and UN diplomacy in disarr…
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2015/10/12/eu...
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Angus Deaton Wins Nobel Economics Prize by AssociatedPress
Angus Deaton of Princeton University won the Nobel prize in economics for improving understanding of poverty and how people in poor countries respond to changes in economic policy. (Oct. 12)
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AP’s commitment to independent, comprehensive journalism has deep roots. Founded in 1846, AP has covered all the major news events of the past 165 years, providing high-quality, informed reporting of everything from wars and elections to championship games and royal weddings. AP is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information.
Today, AP employs the latest technology to collect and distribute content - we have daily uploads covering the latest and breaking news in the world of politics, sport and entertainment. Join us in a conversation about world events, the newsgathering process or whatever aspect of the news universe you find interesting or important. Subscribe: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress
Russia's FSB Says It Foiled Attack by IS-Trained-Terrorists Group by webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Russia's main security agency says it foiled a terrorist attack in Moscow by a group of Russian citizens, several of whom it claims were trained in Syria by the Islamic State group. The Federal Security Service (FSB) said Monday that it raided an apartment in the Russian capital where six to 11 people had periodically lived, after receiving information the group was plotting a terrorist act targeting Moscow's public transportation system. The FSB said that during the raid it...
Saudi King Reaffirms Commitment to Hajj After Iran Criticismby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Monday rejected any suggestions his country should give up its role as the organizer of the hajj following last month's deadly stampede in Mina. The Saudi monarch said "irresponsible comments" and criticism against the kingdom's handling of security during the hajj will not affect his country's oversight of the annual Islamic pilgrimage. The event was marred by a disaster when two crowds converged on a narrow street just...
Russia's Defence Ministry has released three videos showing, what they say to be, bombs hitting targets across Syria. Report by Grace Dean.
 Reuters |
US air drops ammunition to Syria rebels
Reuters BEIRUT/WASHINGTON U.S. forces have carried out an air drop of small arms ammunition to Syrian Arab rebels in northern Syria, barely two weeks after Russia raised the stakes by intervening in the war on the side of President Bashar al-Assad. Obama Arms Islamic Terrorists Who Called for "Slaughtering Americans Like Cattle"FrontPage Magazine Syria conflict: US air drop for anti-IS forces in HassakehBBC News Syria Regime Advances, US Drops Ammunition to Anti-Islamic State RebelsNDTV all 71 news articles » |
Puerto Rico’s education secretary says public school students can for the first time choose to wear pants or skirts as part of their uniform regardless of their gender without being punished.
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Amid Russian airstrikes, a Putin craze takes hold in Mideastby ZEINA KARAMVIVIAN SALAMA
BEIRUT (AP) -- Amid the ornate walls of Damascus' famed Omayyad Mosque, preacher Maamoun Rahmeh stood before worshippers last week, declaring Russian President Vladimir Putin a "giant and beloved leader" who has "destroyed the myth of the self-aggrandizing America."...
Amid Russian airstrikes, a Putin craze takes hold in Mideastby Zeina Karam and Vivian Salama | AP
Amid the ornate walls of Damascus’ famed Omayyad Mosque, preacher Maamoun Rahmeh stood before worshippers last week, declaring Russian President Vladimir Putin a “giant and beloved leader” who has “destroyed the myth of the self-aggrandizing America.”
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Luisa Isabel ?lvarez de Toledo, the 21st Duchess of Medina Sidonia, wed her secretary of 20 years and left her in charge of family inheritance foundation
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Not that Russia was ever a slouch, but there’s no denying the recent uptick in activity. As we approach the juicy middle of President Vladimir Putin’s third term, Russia is extending, and fighting for, its interests in nearly every corner of the globe. Somewhat lost amid the bombing in Syria – though hardly unaffected – is Russia’s Turkish gambit.
Putin has long valued Turkey as a territorial and ideological play against NATO and the E.U. The strategic partnership has taken time to develop, but 2014 was a particularly notable year for the Eurasian nations. Cross border trade exceeded $31 billion – good for sixth among Russia’s major trading partners – and U.S. and E.U. sanctions have expanded the horizons for further trade between the two nations.
Natural gas in particular forms the backbone of this growing trade relationship. In 2014, Gazpromdelivered 27.3 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas to Turkey via its Blue Stream and Trans-Balkan pipelines. Gas exports from Russia are up some 34 percent since 2010, and Turkey – now Russia’s second largest market after Germany – is only getting hungrier. By 2030, gas demand in Turkey isexpected to expand 30 percent, reaching 70 bcm per year.
With European demand projected to grow by just over 1 bcm per year in the same period, Russia’s South Stream pipeline proposal was as misguided as it was non-compliant with the E.U.’s Third Energy Package. Routed through Turkey however, Russia’s newest pipeline, TurkStream, promised to add greater utility. Turkey gets its gas and partly fulfills its transit aspirations; Russia bypasses Ukraine while opening windows to Europe and the Middle East; and Europe, if it wants it, will have gas on demand.
It sounds good – okay, at least – but as so often happens in Russia, the tale has taken a turn for the worse. TurkStream has stumbled out of the gates and larger happenings in Syria look to significantly damage Russia-Turkey relations.
Originally intended as a four-pipe 63-bcm project, TurkStream will now top out at 32 bcm, if it gets off the ground at all. As it stands, the parties have agreed to draft the text of an intergovernmental agreement, with a targeted signing date of early next year, following Turkey’s general election. And that’s it.
The primary sticking point remains the price. Gazprom conceded a 10.25 percent gas discount in February, but Turkey would like to see that figure reach 15 percent by the time TurkStream makes its first deliveries. Moreover, Ankara is wary of handcuffing its energy future to Russia; Gazprom delivered roughly 57 percent of Turkey’s gas imports in 2014.
Should TurkStream fail to get off the ground, Turkey will not be short on options. Its regasification facilities can handle greater LNG imports and domestic fixes could increase the efficiency of current piped imports. Long-term, the country is well positioned to receive gas from Israel and Turkmenistan. That being said, the country’s current, and future, imports through Azerbaijan, Iran, and Iraq are far less sound from a security perspective.
A failed TurkStream doesn’t particularly threaten Europe’s energy security either. Nord Stream-2, another Gazprom project, which has the backing of Shell and Wintershall among others, looks toprovide an additional 55 bcm of capacity beneath the Baltic Sea.
The current commercial stalemate is also affecting existing infrastructure. Gazprom’s Blue Stream pipeline will do well to boost throughput by 1 bcm, after originally targeting a 3-bcm expansion. Russia’s breakthrough nuclear work in the country is also experiencing delays.
To be sure, energy is hardly Turkey’s primary concern at the moment. Russia’s bombing campaign in Syria has stoked fires in a region that was already burning. Russia’s air offensive – viewed principally as a veiled attempt to support Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad – was never going to win over Turkey, who supports the uprising, but extracurricular activities in Turkish airspace have brought the once promising relationship to a standstill.
Commercially – and barring any direct conflict, which remains unlikely – the Turkish gambit may still bear fruit, but politically, Putin failed to bring Turkey into his fold, an opportunity that now appears lost.
This article originally appeared on Oilprice.com
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(DAMASCUS, Syria) — Russian jets intensified their airstrikes Monday in central Syria as government forces battled insurgents in a strategic area near a rebel-held province and a government stronghold.
The government push is the latest in a bid to regain the Sahl al-Ghab plain, which is adjacent to Latakia province, a stronghold of President Bashar Assad and the Alawite religious minority to which he belongs.
After a heavy barrage of Russian airstrikes, the fighting was focused on the village of Kfar Nabudeh, which officials said had been seized by government troops. Activists said Syrian rebels repelled the attack.
Capturing Kfar Nabudeh would cut off a major highway, giving the pro-government forces access to the northwestern province of Idlib. A rebel coalition that includes the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front drove Assad’s forces out of Idlib in September, in a major setback for the government. Their hold on the province threatened Latakia.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it has struck 53 alleged Islamic State targets in the past 24 hours, destroying command centers, ammunition and fuel depots as well as training camps allegedly used by foreign militants. The ministry said the IS positions were in the central provinces of Homs and Hama, as well as in Latakia and Idlib. IS has a limited presence in Hama, away from where the fighting has been concentrated.
Russia insists it is mainly targeting the IS group and other “terrorists,” but the multi-pronged ground-and-air offensive is being waged in areas controlled by mainstream rebels as well as the Nusra Front. The government ground offensive began on Oct. 7, a week after Russia began its airstrikes.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 30 airstrikes were carried out in Kfar Nabudeh, while government troops and Lebanon’s Hezbollah fighters entered the village from the south. Another activist-run monitoring group, the Shaam News Network, said the insurgents ambushed government forces inside the village, which is reportedly laden with tunnels.
The Syrian military said in a statement that it took control of the village and others nearby. Activist Hadi Abdullah, who travels with insurgents to report from the front lines, said the fighters had regained control of the village. It was not possible to reconcile the two accounts.
The Observatory reported that the fighting and air raids on Kfar Nabudeh left nine militants and five troops and pro-government gunmen dead.
Later Monday, Syrian state media and the Observatory said government forces captured the village of Mansoura on the northern edge of Hama province.
During the last six days of ground operations, government troops have seized at least two villages in eastern Hama province, Atshan and Tal Sukayk, and a third in the plain area. Activists say rebels seized a village south of Idlib.
The Russian defense ministry statement said its jets have hit mortar positions around Tal Sukayk in the last 24 hours, as well as a training camp for foreign militants in Mastouma, in Idlib. The ministry said it used Su-34, Su-24M and Su-25SM planes to strike the targets.
“The terrorists in the past days were desperately trying to transport ammunition, armaments, fuel and supplies from Raqqa to the front line,” the ministry said, in reference to the northern province controlled by the Islamic State group, adding that a “significant part” of their supplies have been destroyed by Russian airstrikes.
The Syrian military statement also said troops gained control of an area in rural Aleppo province. It was not immediately clear whether the area had previously been controlled by IS or other insurgents.
In a separate development, the French Defense Ministry said it cannot confirm whether some French citizens were killed in its airstrikes last week on the IS group’s de facto capital, Raqqa.
“We know that this camp aimed at training combatants to attack Europe or France. Some of them might be French citizens or French speakers,” the ministry said in a statement Monday. The ministry said it could not yet confirm details about the strikes.
France joined the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq last year and expanded its campaign to Syria last month. Britain has acknowledged its airstrikes targeted citizens in Syria.
The Observatory’s chief Rami Abdurrahman said 16 militants were killed in the airstrike, and there were no reports of French citizens among them. One of those killed was believed to be Belgian, he said.
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Russia Says It Has Detained a Terrorist Cell in Moscowby By IVAN NECHEPURENKO
Russia’s main security agency said an “explosive device” was found in an apartment frequented by people who had trained with the Islamic State.
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British troops killed in Kabul chopper crash Afghan security forces arrive at the scene of a suicide car bomb attack that targeted foreign military vehicles at Jo-e-Sher in Kabul on October 11, 2015 KABUL – Two Britons were among five NATO troops killed in a helicopter crash in Kabul, a second blow for British forces […]
[SEE: Islamic State: ‘Unclear’ if terrorist group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed in air strike, Iraq says ; The Iraqi air force bombed a convoy of the leader of the Islamic State. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi likely to survive ; Al-Baghdadi’s Son-In-Law Killed Near Hawija (Walhan Waziri was head of IS intelligence activities in the area)] […]
U.S. delivers 50 tons of ammunition to Syria rebel groups By Barbara Starr (CNN)U.S. military cargo planes gave 50 tons of ammunition to rebel groups overnight in northern Syria, using an air drop of 112 pallets as the first step in the Obama Administration’s urgent effort to find new ways to support those groups. Details […]
The meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin took Sunday at Sochi on the sidelines of the Russian Grand Prix with the powerful Defense Minister of Saudi Arabia and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud (son of King Salman) signifies a dramatic shift of the templates in the geopolitics of the Syrian question.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Saudi Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud in Sochi Sunday
The very fact that Mohammed bin Salman travelled to Russia for a second time this year already (ostensibly to watch the Formula 1, but intentionally to meet up with Putin) becomes hugely symbolic against the backdrop of the Russian military operations in Syria.
The bottom line is that Saudi Arabia has far from shifted into a hostile mood vis-à-vis Russia following the latter’s commencement of military operations in Syria.
The scant details available so far make out that Syria figured in Mohammed bin Salman’s talks with Putin, with the visiting Saudi prince maintaining that Riyadh backs a solution to the crisis in Syria, which would result in the formation of a transitional government and the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Now, is there a vague sign of a softening in the Saudi stance? Possibly so. At least, Mohammed bin Salman did not make Assad’s removal a precondition for the transition itself.
According to the Russian account, Mohammed bin Salman said Saudi Arabia desires improvement of ties with Russia and reportedly discussed cooperation in military technology (Russian code for arms deals.)
The most interesting part could be that Mohammed bin Salman flagged the Saudi interest in increased cooperation with Russia in fighting terrorism. The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow sought to assuage Riyadh’s concerns on Syria and both sides shared the objective of preventing a “terrorist caliphate” from taking root in Syria.
Earlier Sunday, Putin also held a meeting in Sochi with the UAE Crown Prince Mohammad bin Zayed al-Nahyan in which, again, Syria figured.
Conceivably, there would have been some degree of back-to-back consultations between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi prior to Monday’s dramatic diplomatic engagements in Sochi.
Ironically, as recently as Thursday, BBC had quoted a “well-placed Saudi government official” to the effect that Riyadh is set to increase supplies of “lethal’” weaponry to the extremist rebel groups fighting the Syrian government forces to make up for the losses they might be suffering from the Russian air strikes. The recipient groups mentioned were Jaish al-Fatah, Free Syrian Army and the Southern Front.
Equally, the Jerusalem Post newspaper followed up Saturday with an analysis entitled ‘Gulf states boost aid to Syrian rebels’, arguing that the “Sunni world is revving up for an explosive counterattack to have powerful intervention in Syria”.
The visits by Mohammed bin Salman and Sheikh Zayed to Russia would point in an opposite direction. It seems there could be a whole lot of highly motivated assessments floating around lately on the geopolitics of the Syrian question that border on disinformation or propaganda and are out of touch with the reality.
One key point to be noted is that Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the two key GCC powers, have opened a direct line to the Kremlin within no time after the US President Barack Obama summarily decided that the $500 million program to train a Syrian rebel force is being terminated.
Of course, without the US involvement, Washington’s regional allies – Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey in particular – are forced to do some quick rethink. After all, they are sensible enough to know their limits in confronting the Russian military might on own steam.
Secondly, most analysts assessing the Gulf states’ attitude to the Russian build-up in Syria have overlooked that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are seriously overstretched in Yemen. The Saudi-Emirati intervention in Yemen was always a high-risk gambit and a classic dilemma faces them today after over six months into the war – wade deeper into the river of blood by taking the war to the Houthi heartland in the north (which would require deployment of much larger forces) or to cut free by accepting some form of Houthi self-rule in the north.
But then, the specter that is haunting Saudi Arabia and the UAE is also of Yemen undergoing a north-south split as two entities (as they used to be in the Cold War era.) However, acquiescing with a break-up of Yemen would mean that Riyadh will be not only presiding over the split of a fellow Arab state on sectarian lines (which would be precedent-setting and highly damaging to the Saudi prestige) but also demands that Saudi Arabia would have to learn to live with a de facto Houthi state on its southern border which is certain to be hostile.
On the other hand, if the Saudis plunge deeper into the Houthi heartland, they would be taking on a battle-hardened and highly capable guerilla army on its native turf, which also happens to be an extremely difficult terrain. (Indeed, the risks for Saudi Arabia’s finances if it plunges deeper into the Yemeni morass are self-evident, too.)
Suffice it so say, Yemen needs to be brought up before the UN Security Council where, needless to say, Russia would have a decisive role to play in helping the Saudis and the Emiratis to make a decent face-saving exit from the war.
Now, annoying Russia or confronting Russia would be the last thing on the Saudi mind today. Russia has a great tradition in diplomacy and without doubt, Putin’s confidence that the improvement of the security situation in Syria will open the door for negotiations leading to a political settlement is well-founded, contrary to the apocalyptic visions being disseminated by the US media reports.
Conceivably, Obama understands Putin’s game plan but is unable to say so openly. (And in any case, America’s political class and intelligentsia is not a mood to listen to Obama, either.)
Thus, Washington’s move Friday to start removing the Patriot batteries from Turkey; the Pentagon announcement Friday regarding the termination of the covert operation to build a rebel Syrian army to overthrow the Assad government; the US decision to shift its own military operations to northeastern regions of Syria (away from the theatre of the Russian air strikes); Obama’s categorical statement ruling out a proxy war in Syria against Russia (even while estimating that Moscow is risking a quagmire in Syria); Obama’s pledge that the only war US intends to fight in Syria is the war against the Islamic State – all these need to be seen in perspective.
Put differently, the visit by the Saudi Deputy Crown Prince to meet Putin underscores that the prospects for a Moscow-led diplomatic track opening on Syria in a foreseeable future might have significantly improved. To be sure, Obama has no reason to view the Russian-Saudi proximity in zero sum terms. (By the way, Putin disclosed in a TV interview Sunday that the “first steps in the establishment of contacts [with the US] have been made already”.)
The horrific terrorist strike in Ankara on Saturday killing over 95 people would only have brought the Saudis and the other GCC states (and Washington) closer than ever before to Putin’s thinking that fighting the Islamic State is a common cause and should be the top priority today in Syria.
Turkey has pointed the finger at the Islamic State militants for Saturday’s terrorist attacks. Putin has been quoted as saying that his talks with Sheikh Zayed were particularly important “in the light of the recent terrorist acts in Turkey”. It is possible that cooperation with the Russian intelligence has become vital at a practical level too for the Gulf states in the best interests of their national security.
(Copyright 2015 Asia Times Holdings Limited, a duly registered Hong Kong company. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)
Tags: Ankara carnage brings UAE, Gulf wants Russia to save them from IS, Mohammed bin Salman seks warmer Saudi-Russian ties, Russian diplomacy may work to end Syrian conflict, Saudi closer to Russia, Saudi softening on Syria?, Saudi-UAE princes' meet with Putin significant, Yemen 'split' haunting Saudia
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Putin’s Syrian Power Play Forces Rethink On All Playersby therearenosunglasses
2 powerful Gulf sheikhs talk Syria with Putin By M.K. Bhadrakumar The meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin took Sunday at Sochi on the sidelines of the Russian Grand Prix with the powerful Defense Minister of Saudi Arabia and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud (son of King Salman) signifies a dramatic shift of […]
Iran’s recent test firing of a ballistic missile does not violate the recent nuclear deal, Obama administration officials said on Monday. However, nuclear experts disagree and are calling on the administration to hold Iran accountable for violating international agreements barring such action.
Iran announced over the weekend that it had successfully test-fired a domestically produced long-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile.
Iran maintained that the test does not violate the nuclear deal, though U.S. experts quibbled with this analysis.
Asked to address the reports on Monday, John Kirby, a spokesman for the State Department, said that the administration is “aware of reports that Iran is conducting a new round of missile tests.”
“We will take appropriate actions at the United Nations if these tests violate any existing UN Security Council resolutions,” Kirby said in the statement. “Separately, we remain confident in our ability to defend ourselves and our allies in the region. And we will continue to work closely with our regional partners to boost their capabilities to defend themselves against any threats by Iran.”
However, Secretary of State John Kerry has stated in the past that such tests would not violate the accord. The State Department maintains that this is still its position.
Kerry informed Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) in recent correspondence obtained by the Free Beaconthat a ballistic missile test would not violate the accord.
“It would not be a violation of the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] if Iran tested a conventional ballistic missile,” Kerry wrote to Rubio.
Ballistic missile testing is not addressed in the nuclear accord, but rather by newly implemented U.N. Security Council resolutions.
“Since the Security Council has called upon Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology, any such activity would be inconsistent with the UNSCR and a serious matter for the Security Council to review,” Kerry wrote to Rubio.
Iran has also maintained that its ongoing ballistic missile work does not violate the JCPOA. Iranian official have said that it will continue to violate U.N. resolutions barring such work.
“To follow our defense programs, we don’t seek permission from anyone,” the Iranian diplomat Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying over the weekend by Iran’s IRNA news agency.
U.S. nuclear experts took issue with Iran’s interpretation and said that the recent missile test is an opportunity for the Obama administration to put its foot down.
Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, described the situation as a “test case” for the Obama administration.
“This is a clear violation of Annex B paragraph 3 of UNSCR 2231 (2015) and a test case for the Obama administration to make it clear to Iran that a violation of UNSCR 2231 will be considered a violation of the JCPOA despite Iranian regime protestations to the contrary,” Dubowitz said.
Iran is prohibited under this resolution from testing missiles and “any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.”
The test came several days after Iran’s parliament issued a report declaring that Tehran would violate the JCPOA’s restrictions on weapons. A translation of the report performed by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies noted that the parliament was rejecting U.N. resolutions that are “apparently the JCPOA’s only legal backing.”
Other experts said the test marks a clear violation of the deal, one that the administration should immediately address.
“If the missile launch is not a violation of the Iran deal, then it shows just how comically bad the Iran deal actually was: it’d be a nuclear deal that doesn’t stop Iran from developing missiles to deliver nuclear weapons,” said Omri Ceren, managing director at the Israel Project, an organization opposed to the terms of the final deal.
“But even if the launch doesn’t violate the agreement, it’s a blatant violation of the United Nations Security Council resolution that gave the agreement force under international law,” Ceren explained. “So either it violates the deal, or it violates the resolution that gives the deal force, and either way the Iranians are playing the Obama administration for chumps.”
The post Iranian Ballistic Missile Tests Could Violate Nuke Deal appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.
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Wall Street Journal (blog) |
FBI No Longer Checks Its Records for 'Nonserious' Crimes
Wall Street Journal (blog) Federal regulations require the FBI to exclude from its rap-sheet database “nonserious” arrests and convictions of juveniles and adults, such as drunkenness, vagrancy, disturbing the peace and curfew violations. But states are not prohibited from ... |
As Afghan officials reported the crashes of a small plane and a helicopter, the NATO coalition identified victims of a helicopter crash the day before.
Russia Resumes Gas Supply to Ukraineby The Associated Press
Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom resumed supplies to Ukraine Monday, in a development that will help the country meet its energy needs through the harsh winter months.
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War Is Peace: Russia's Orwellian Propaganda (Op-Ed)by By Alexander Golts
Most Russians approve of their country's involvement in the Syrian conflict without even taking the trouble to understand its purpose, writes columnist Alexander Golts.
The number of Russians entering a competition to win the right to permanently reside in the U.S. has grown by 58 percent - nearly 100,000 people - since 2012,В Znak.com reported Monday.
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A report into the causes of the downing over Ukraine last year of flight MH17, on which most of the passengers were Dutch nationals, is likely to put a further strain on the Netherlands' relations with Russia.
Russian media will be obliged to report funding they receive from abroad to the media watchdog Roskomnadzor, if an inter-party group of deputies get their way.
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