Losses from the "Arab Spring". The economic damage from the so-called "democratic revolutions" in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa will amount to nothing less than 225 billion dollars. He writes about it "Lenta.ru"referring to BreakingViews (a division of Reuters).
As experts from BreakingViews calculated, earlier, in 2010, the International Monetary Fund predicted that the economies of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya together would give 2011 trillion dollars in 2015-2,2 years. However, now this figure is reduced by 10%, which amounted to losses from the "Arab Spring".
Calculations of various organizations and foundations went, as they say, incrementally.
In October, the IMF’s 2011 was calculated: Arab losses from unrest amounted to 55 billions of dollars. In Yemen, damage amounted to 5,4% of GDP, in Tunisia - 5,2 percent, in Egypt - 4,2. The main blow fell on Syria and Libya, whose losses amounted to 7,7 and 6,0 billion dollars, respectively, as of the end of 2011 year.
In April, 2012, the general director of Libyan Foreign Bank, announced that the countries of the Arab world had lost billions of dollars from 75 revolutions.
In mid-December, the Dubai Emirates newspaper, 2012, wrote that the Secretary General of the Jordanian Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Saleh Kharabshi, estimated the losses from the “spring” at 120 billion dollars. In addition, foreign direct investment in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa in 2011 fell to 50 billions of dollars (a decrease of 24 percent). Kharabshi estimated the same figure in 2012 year at 53 billion dollars.
Well, let's add from ourselves, there is nothing to expect from financial uprisings and uprisings. Economic recession, devastation, inflation, unemployment, black markets - these are the usual satellites of wars and revolutions. This is not to mention the death, disease, terrorism and banditry. And those gentlemen who came to power as a result of coups and military actions, now stand with an outstretched hand at the door of the IMF. Mohammed Mursi is the president of a country where life is relatively (relatively!) Stable compared to Libya - the first example.
Aleppo bombings: more than 80 killed. The number of victims of two explosions that occurred on January 15 at the university of the Syrian city of Aleppo exceeded 80 people. Reports about it "Lenta.ru" with reference to France-Presse.
According to the governor of Aleppo Mohammed Vahid Akkad, 82 people died as a result of the explosions. Another 160 man suffered.
Two explosions struck the campus on the first day of the winter session. The center of the explosion was located near the hostel and the faculty of architecture.
No organization has claimed responsibility for what happened. Government forces blamed the rebels for the bombings, claiming the latter used an anti-aircraft missile. Those, in turn, said that the attack was carried out by the Syrian army fighters.
Aleppo is the capital of the province of the same name, divided between government forces and rebel forces. The university is located in the territory controlled by the Syrian army.
US aircraft carrier group is sent to the Persian Gulf. The Pentagon sent a group of ships from the strike group headed by the Nimitz aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf region. This was reported by the US Navy Information Service, transfers resource MIGnews.com.
True, the named aircraft carrier in the group is not: it continues scheduled maintenance. He will have to come to the region later.
The group consists of four missile destroyers. When the Nimitz comes to the Persian Gulf, it will be accompanied by a missile cruiser and a nuclear submarine.
MIGnews.com recalls that in the immediate vicinity of the Americans in Tartus, the Russian Navy's aircraft carrier group cast anchor in the Admiral Kuznetsov heavy aircraft carrier cruiser, the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Chabanenko, the patrol ship Ladny, and the rescue tug Nikolai Chiker and tanker "Lena". In addition, an armada from the Russian military ship 71 goes to the shores of Syria. On board them - 62 thousands of troops. Russian warships are sent to Syria amid speculation in the press about a possible US-Israeli action to neutralize the Syrian chemical arsenal.
Against the background of these events, the White House did not confirm rumors about the use of chemical weapons by the army of Bashar al-Assad.
Tommy Vitor: chemical weapon in Homs, probably not applied. As reported from Washington correspondent ITAR-TASS Andrey Surzhansky, The White House does not confirm reports of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government forces in Homs. This follows from the statement of his representative Tommy Vitor.
This statement was a reaction to a publication in the Foreign Policy magazine, according to which the US Consulate General in Istanbul informed the State Department that the SAR authorities may have used chemical weapons against civilians in Homs last month (December 23). The publication referred to some secret dispatch of diplomats.
“Media reports on alleged chemical weapons incidents in Syria that we have seen do not correspond to how, in our opinion, the situation is with the chemical weapons program in Syria,” Mr. Vitor said. He did not say anything about the dispatch.
Nonetheless, Vitor scared Assad: "If the Assad regime makes a tragic mistake and applies chemical weapons or fails to protect it, it will be held accountable."
Revolutionary theologian Pakistani preacher Tahirul Kadri, who announced a campaign against Islamabad, proclaimed the beginning of the revolution. According to "Lenta.ru" With reference to CNN, the theologian made a statement yesterday in the capital during a protest rally of his supporters.
Addressing the crowd, Kadri demanded that by Wednesday morning the federal and local governments would be dissolved. Otherwise, the preacher threatened that "the people will make them leave."
The authorities rejected the demands of the theologian. According to Reuters, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik called Kadri’s actions unconstitutional.
The minister made this statement after clashes occurred between supporters of a theologian and the police in front of the parliament building in Islamabad. According to BBC News, the first to go on the attack were demonstrators who started throwing stones at the guards. In response, they used tear gas and began to shoot into the air. Reuters announces six affected participants in the action.
Tahirul Kadri announced a campaign from Lahore to the capital of Pakistan on January 12, promising to bring a million people behind him. Meanwhile, on Monday along with him came to Islamabad ... about 10 thousands of people.
Kadri accused the government of corruption. The theologian insists that the judiciary intervenes in the political process, which should prevent corrupt officials from working. He also insists on the presence of the military, under whose leadership temporary authorities should be created.
The Taliban expressed solidarity with the Malian rebels. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban movement, made a statement criticizing French military intervention in the civil war in Mali, reports "Lenta.ru".
France, he said, did not learn from the experience of its and the American military presence in Muslim countries and makes a new mistake. "Paris launched a war against an Islamic country (Mali) without any legitimate reason," said a Taliban spokesman.
The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns the French attack on a Muslim state and calls on all countries of the world to stop this aggression. Muslims in Mali must resolve their problems on their own. The actions of France will not benefit either Mali or France itself, ”said Mujahid. In his opinion, the conflict should end in a world based on “Islamic principles” and without external interference.
Sunset France. Francoise Compuin ("Voice of Russia") tells that France, torn by its own contradictions, not knowing how to maneuver between transatlantic imperatives, requests of international banks and claims of the local Muslim population, is on the verge of financial and cultural collapse.
“The state headed by Francois Hollande is less and less like that France, about which until now it was customary to speak with due respect - as it should be said about the country of Clovis, Joan of Arc, Louis XIV, Clemenceau and de Gaulle.
"Gliding over the precipice and not breathing ..." This phrase alone is enough to describe the general state into which the Republic of Hollande has driven itself ... "
"Gliding over the precipice and not breathing ..." This phrase alone is enough to describe the general state into which the Republic of Hollande has driven itself ... "
It is not without reason to believe, says Compouin, that the misfortunes of France began with the death of General de Gaulle, whose policy was aimed at strengthening the sovereign status of the country and, accordingly, relating to Robert Schumann (he did not hesitate to call him Fritz). The general did not like the indirect mastermind of the European Union, believing that the Loriener was a “pawn of the United States after the war”. After all, everyone knows that Mr. Schumann was committed to the Anglo-Saxon capitalist lobby, one of the incarnations of which is NATO.
“De Gaulle, in fact, expelled NATO from the territory of France and sent a whole ship of dollars towards America, demanding in exchange an allegedly equivalent green paper gold. France regained its sovereignty, separated from the influence of an alien ideology, and most importantly, from the hegemony of banks ... "
Then Georges Pompidou entered the arena, whose line gradually deviated from the Gaullist course. In 1974, the “Rothschild law” is signed, which obliges France to take loans on financial markets at higher and higher interest rates. A further merger of deposit banks with the rest sent France to the edge of the economic abyss.
Another weak political link of the country is migration policy:
“She (France) was counting on getting slaves who remembered nothing but their colonial past. As a result, these alleged slaves rebelled, starting to impose their own cultural criteria on the receiving country. It would seem that the culmination of the process that became apparent under Francois Mitterrand should have come during the rule of Jacques Chirac. In a pinch, Sarkozy, who disappointed everyone and everyone. But it was not there. What is happening now, under the socialist Hollande, does not fit into the scenarios that have been proposed before. ”
Another disadvantage is “minority democracy”, a vivid example of which is the exaggerated law on same-sex marriage. If the majority of the French are against those, then the president is in the wake of a minority.
Today’s France is in an economic deadlock. Since 1973, the country has paid 1,4 trillion. euros from 1,7 trillion owed to banks and other players on the global financial markets. The amount mentioned, by the way, exceeds 87% of GDP. It is expected that during 2013, the amount paid will still increase.
“Moreover, the allegedly palliative law on wealth tax in the amount of 75% of annual income in excess of one million euros confirms once again the extreme superficiality of the measures taken. Instead of trying to get rid of the influence of banks, that is, with minimal losses to leave the euro area, to return to the rut of gollism, taxes are pumped up, such unpromising countries as Greece are supported, and bank speculators are pleased.
Finally, Hollande’s policy in the Middle East (and now in Africa) continues the pro-American line of Sarkozy. The current owner of the Elysian Palace, the journalist notes, is only reaping the benefits of what was sown by his predecessor. For example, the current invasion of Mali is due to the liquidation of the regime of the Libyan leader Gaddafi. Indeed, in Mali, the Tuareg separatists, who merged with the jihadist factions, took over the reins.
The journalist believes that you should not "hang" all these "sins" on Hollande. He is not alone ... It is important to understand, reminds Kompuen, that Hollande is only a pawn, who became president at the behest of the oligarchic elite, who did not know who to nominate instead of Dominic Strauss-Kahn, sexually compromised in the United States.
Germany's population is growing. At the expense of migrants. By the end of 2012, the population of Germany had grown to 82 million people, writes "Lenta.ru" with reference to the newspaper "Die Welt". At the beginning of the year, 81,8 million people were registered in the country.
Meanwhile, the increase in the number of inhabitants is explained only by the immigrant influx — by persons who arrived in the Federal Republic of Germany in 2012. Mortality in the country exceeds the birth rate. Over the past year in Germany was born from 660 to 680 thousands of children, and deaths were recorded 860-880 thousands. The birth deficit was 185-200 of thousands of children, which corresponds to the same indicators for 2011.
The number of immigrants over the past year increased compared with the previous one. If in the 2011 year, about 279 thousand people moved to Germany, in 2012, this figure increased to 340 thousand.
Regular Russian spies. Matvey Popov ("Vesti") spoke about the trial in Germany, which the local media dubbed the largest spy scandal in recent decades.
In the dock was a couple. A husband and wife are accused of spying for the Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia.
While participants in the process only heard the indictment. Public Prosecutor Rolf Hannik reported about the couple: “They have been working in all spheres of intelligence activities for over 20 for years - they recruited new sources of information, instructed other agents, prepared their own reports on the state of affairs in the political and military fields. They handed over to their leadership documents relating to NATO policy, which apparently were of the greatest interest to the recipients. ”
Andreas and Haydrun Anshlag, comrade Popov writes, arrested 2011 of the year in October. According to the German special services, they received up to one hundred thousand euros a year. Over the years, the spouses allegedly handed over to Moscow several hundred secret documents. For information transfer two used satellite communication and sites on the Internet.
The German edition of Spiegel writes that the real names of the “Russian spies” are Alexander and Olga Rost. The defendants themselves have not given any evidence yet.
Closer to the referendum. As transmits correspondent ITAR-TASS Roman Podervyansky, the deputies of the House of Commons of the UK Parliament today approved a decree granting the Scottish Parliament the right to hold a referendum in 2014 on granting independence to this region of the country. Now the document is submitted to the House of Lords.
As noted by the British Minister for Scotland Affairs Michael Moore, the approval of the decree after his approval by the kingdom’s upper house of parliament will allow for a “legitimate, fair and decisive” referendum. "Determining the fate of Scotland in the United Kingdom will be the most important decision in life, which we will take as the Scots," - said Moore.
On a low salary. British authorities will cut police salaries, writes "Lenta.ru" with links to BBC News, Sky News and The Huffington Post.
Constable’s minimum salary is 19 thousand pounds (about 30,5 thousand dollars) per year, which is four thousand pounds (6,4 thousand dollars) less than before.
The head of the Interior Ministry of Great Britain Teresa May followed the recommendations of the police arbitration tribunal. The police were asked to reduce the cost of a billion pounds (about 1,6 billion dollars).
Teresa May explained that the current reforms are necessary for the modernization of the police, so that the remuneration of her employees is perceived as fair by themselves and taxpayers. Those labor contracts that existed until now were developed more than 30 years ago and do not correspond to current realities.
Meanwhile, police officers perceived the reform plans negatively. In 2012, they organized mass demonstrations in protest.
From the Atlantic to the Pacific. The fact that Moscow and Kiev are negotiating the development of new formats for the supply to Ukraine and transit through its territory of Russian gas, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking at the Chernivtsi National University, reports "Russian peacemaker" with reference to the Voice of Russia.
Comrade Lavrov stressed that Russia and Ukraine are tackling similar tasks to ensure sustainable socio-economic development, improve the living standards of citizens, and integrate into the world economy. And the minister said that it is better not to separate the two countries, but in cooperation with each other, the minister said. Bilateral relations, stated Sergey Lavrov, “have become mature enough today to give them a special strategic character and deploy to the future for a long-term perspective.”
At the same time, Lavrov noted that neighboring states should not be confronted with an artificial choice between the western and eastern development vectors: “The integration processes on the continent — both in the European Union and in Eurasian formats — develop according to the same rules, therefore it is necessary to promote an objective trend towards their conjugation, and not trying to artificially set them against each other. ”
According to the minister, Moscow views the development of Eurasian integration as a specific contribution of the Russian Federation to the creation of a single economic and human space from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
Chechens discovered extremism at Lurkomorye. Chechen police officers asked to recognize the content of the Lurkomorye site as extremist and sent relevant materials to the republic’s prosecutor’s office, Interfax with reference to the Ministry of Interior in Chechnya.
In the text, published on the website of the department, it is said that the policemen collected materials testifying to the violation of laws on countering extremism and protecting children from harmful information. “On the basis of the materials we have already collected, the prosecutor’s office will appeal to the court, where subsequent procedural decisions will be taken,” said Rustam Batayev, head of the department of the Center for Countering Extremism at the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Chechnya. He clarified that we are talking about materials that promote drug use and suicide, as well as containing incitement to incite hatred on national and racial grounds.
“Interfax” reminds that “Lurkomore” is a popular encyclopedia of online folklore, whose users create and independently edit articles. All materials of the site are written in a specific language using black humor.
Dmitry Khomak, the founder of “Lurkomorye”, did not give any specific comments, since, according to him, he “does not understand anything”.
“This once again shows that it’s useless to negotiate with Roskomsenzura. While you are trying to bargain for at least something, you are forbidden altogether, ”he wrote in a microblog.
Rural lad and skier Lukashenko. Yesterday, the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, held a press conference in Minsk with the participation of journalists representing 285 Belarusian and foreign media. Told about it Interfax.
At the meeting, Lukashenko called himself a village lad and said that he intends to remain as head of state until the Belarusian people elect him. “If you have any doubts about the elections, then we know them in this audience. If you have health doubts, then take skates, skis and try tomorrow. Let's run 10 km - if you come first, then you will be president tomorrow, ”comrade Lukashenko said. It was during his presidency, he said, that he "learned to run on skis, on roller skates, he remembered how he played hockey as a child."
Speaking about his wishes for the New Year, the President noted that his most sincere desire was for all Belarusian citizens to treat children spiritually and responsibly: “We must make sure that everyone, even the crooks, gangsters, officials, go to children I say (on the eve of the New Year): I will go to the children, because for me there are no holier children, this is my credo. ”
Lukashenka noted that, following the example of the President of Ukraine, he is ready to invite journalists to his residence to show them the conditions in which he lives. “But I think you will leave my residence very disappointed. I live in the residence, which was built by Peter Mironovich Masherov. I live in old residences where our leaders lived. If you looked at it, said: Lukashenka, you must demolish it and build a new one, ”the president said.
The President of Belarus admitted that he received the Maybach as a birthday present, but he gave it to the state: “I was presented with this Maybach, and I gave it to the state in a special-purpose garage. And if I did not give it to me, I would need to buy a new one. If Lukashenka would be hanged, killed, removed from work tomorrow, you will use it. ”
At the conference, Lukashenko also touched upon foreign policy issues. He promised the western neighbors that he would strengthen the protection of the state border if incidents similar to the “plush landing party” were repeated.
The following words of Comrade Lukashenko draw attention to themselves: “We must do everything so that everyone, even swindlers, gangsters, officials, go to the children ...” To which the President of Belarus hints, putting the servants of the people on a par with swindlers and bandits? ..
Karimov spoke about the threats. The President of Uzbekistan, in his congratulations on the 21 anniversary of the formation of the Armed Forces of the country, recalled the existing threats to international security and the challenges of “sabotage and terrorist groups in the border zone,” reports IA "REGNUM".
In his congratulations to the nation, Islam Karimov said: “In the current difficult conditions, the international community’s particular concern is the danger of the proliferation of nuclear technologies and weapons of mass destruction, the growing opposition, political and religious radicalism and extremism, the ongoing conflicts in our vicinity to our borders, first of all, tensions over the impending withdrawal of ISAF troops from Afghanistan before and after 2014. One should not underestimate the expansion of such non-traditional threats to international security as cybercrime, negative information impact using communication technologies. ”
According to Karimov, the intensifying rivalry of external forces in the region aggravates the situation: “Serious challenges and threats arise in connection with the intensification of gangs and sabotage and terrorist groups in the border zone, aggravation of socio-economic problems, political and interethnic contradictions that could lead to destabilization of military political situation. "
"Caucasian Pol Pot", the creator of the Georgian GULAG. Marina Solntseva ("Voice of Russia") spoke about the amnesty of political prisoners in force in Georgia. Among those released are Vakhtang Maisaya, a diplomat and political scientist, a professor at Tbilisi University. In an interview, he talked about how the charges against him were fabricated, and at the same time he compared the Georgian prison with a concentration camp.
Vakhtang Maisai was accused of collaborating with the secret services of NATO and the Russian Federation ... at the same time. The real motive was political: Maisai allowed himself to criticize the Saakashvili regime: “I criticized him for the actions that he performed during the war, for bombing the peaceful city of Tskhinval. And because he behaved unworthily as commander in chief. ” The Maisai case took up as many as five volumes.
According to the former political prisoner, great changes are coming up in Georgia with the new government: “The totalitarian regime of Saakashvili goes into oblivion ... All the steps and decisions of Mikhail Saakashvili in Georgia’s domestic policy were absolutely wrong. Because Mikhail Saakashvili introduced a repressive regime. It was the regime of "Caucasian Pol Pot". I even in one of my publications called Mikhail Saakashvili “Caucasian Pol Pot”. That adventurous policy that Mikhail Saakashvili led at the international level also proves this. ”
The release from prison was a “second birth” for a political prisoner. He was, in his words, “on the verge of life and death — every day. Because the Georgian prison is not a prison, it is a concentration camp. It was a Georgian gulag, which Mikhail Saakashvili built on the bones of the Georgian people. ”
The number of suicides is growing in the US Army. The number of suicides in the US Army for 2012 year increased by 15% compared with 2011 year. As transmits KM.ru with reference to Reuters, in just 2012 a year, 349 American military personnel committed suicide.
The largest number of suicides occurred in the most numerous branch of the army - the US Army. In the ranks of the Navy, 60 people went to the best world, 59 people went to the Air Force. Among the marines, they settled accounts with the lives of 48 people.
During the same period, 237 people were killed in hostilities in Afghanistan.
The number of soldiers who committed suicide was a record since 2001, when the first units went to Afghanistan. As previously reported, in 2008, this figure was 128 people, in 2007 - 115, and in 2004 - 67. According to analysts, every 80 minutes one American dismissed from military service puts a pistol to his temple and pulls the trigger.
Jackie Chan knows all about corrupt America. The hero of the Hong Kong militants Jackie Chan on Chinese television, said that the United States is the "most corrupt" country in the world, reports Mixednews.ru with reference to Rawstory.
The character of Rush Hour stated: “When talking about corruption - all over the world - is there corruption in the United States? This is the most corrupt country in the world! ”
Chan insists on his point of view: “Of course! Where did the world collapse? The United States started it. "
Chan also said about China: “Our country's leaders admit that they are corrupt, and so on. We are correcting: I see that our country is constantly improving and studying. ” He added that everyone is now making China a problem, because now it has become strong.
And again in America they shoot. As transmits correspondent ITAR-TASS Andrey Bekrenev, two people were killed as a result of the shooting that took place last night at one of the colleges in Hazard, Kentucky. One person was injured.
The weapon incident occurred in a parking lot located on the school grounds. Two people (allegedly shooting) surrendered to the police voluntarily.
Corr. ITAR-TASS recalls that earlier on Tuesday, the shooting occurred in a college in St. Louis (Missouri). A college student entered the building, wounded one of the staff of the school, and then shot himself in the chest. The victim - a man between the ages of 40 and 50 years - and the criminal himself in serious condition were taken to hospital.
The law on limiting the circulation of weapons passed in New York State. The governor of the US state of New York, Andrew Cuomo, signed the law regarding the right of citizens to personal weapons. It prohibits insane people from having weapons, limits the size of the magazine for ammunition, and requires dealers to report all sales to the authorities. Told about it correspondent RIA "Novosti" Ivan Zakharchenko.
In the lower house of the state legislature, MPs voted “for” with 104 votes “against”, when, as in the upper house, the law was supported by 43 senators (43 did not support him). Cuomo signed the law immediately after the vote. The governor stated that the recent execution of schoolchildren in Connecticut was the impetus for the adoption of harsh measures.
According to the New York State Constitution, the law is passed after three days of public discussion, but the day before the governor issued an urgent decree on passing the bill on arms to a vote without delay.
One month after the tragedy. After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, a month passed. Family members of the victims announced the launch of an initiative designed to end violence committed with the use of firearms, reports MIGnews.com.
The goal of the campaign is to call for an ongoing discussion on the introduction of restrictions on the use of weapons. Supporters of the initiative are calling on the US president to bring this issue up for discussion by the nation.
Parents of children who died at the hands of the gunman, said that this initiative is very important for them, because it will help prevent the recurrence of such an incident in the future.
Victoria Soto School. Maxim Dinkevich ("Vesti"), referring to the newspaper “Sun”, said that one of the schools in Stradford, Connecticut, would be named after the teacher Victoria Soto, who was killed by the bullet of the killer Adam Lanza.
Soon the Hani Spot institution in Stradford will be renamed in honor of Vika Soto. The mayor of a city located near Newtown, where 14 of December Adam Lanza killed a 26 man, is going to erect a monument to a woman who sacrificed her life for her students. Perhaps the name Soto would be called one of the streets of the city.
About Victoria Soto's feat “Military Review” told last December. 27-year-old first grade teacher took over fire maniac, trying to save children from certain death. She ordered her little students to take shelter in the toilet room, and she got in the way of the criminal. For the courage Vicki paid with her life.
Observed and commented on Oleg Chuvakin
- especially for topwar.ru
- especially for topwar.ru