Geopolitical mosaic: in the West, waiting for "shaking up" the Russian government, and Obama sent ricin twin Elvis
Syria does not give up. The Syrian people celebrated the 67 anniversary of independence. In an interview with Al-Ikhbariya TV channel, timed to coincide with this event, President Bashar Assad said that the UAR was subjected to "aggression by the forces of neo-colonialism." According to him, “the Western powers, led by the United States, do not want to see a state that pursues an independent policy,” reports "RT".
Another enemy is also lurking in the Syrian army - takhirist radicals, behind whom is al-Qaeda. “This is not a war of liberation, it is a struggle against terrorism,” comrade Assad said, stressing that “despite all efforts to stir up religious unrest in Syria, there is no threat of a split of the country on religious grounds.” The president added that the West will pay a high price for supporting Al-Qaida in this conflict.
He does not intend to give up: “We have no choice but to win. Because if we lose, then Syria will cease to exist. And I do not think that the Syrian people will take such a step. ”
He also noted that the situation in the country is "better compared to the one at the beginning of the crisis."
From the Jordanian side. About two hundred soldiers will be sent to the Jordanian-Syrian border in order to prevent the spread of civil conflict from Syria to other countries. This became known from the statement by US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, which he made during a speech at a hearing in the Senate of the US Congress on Wednesday, the channel "RT".
Designers, specialists in intelligence, logistics and operations from the First Armored Division will be replaced by troops sent there earlier. It is also planned to place there a commanding officer, who could lead a large number of troops, if they need to be sent in the future. The Pentagon means that a peaceful solution to the conflict in Syria will be optimal, but it also considers it necessary to prevent the possible spread of violence, Chuck Hagel said. According to him, now it is important not to allow Syria to become a haven for extremists.
Conn Hallinan from the Foreign Policy In Focus Research Institute believes that “since the troops will mainly be involved in logistics, it is very likely that they are conducting training similar to the one that was carried out before the attack on Iraq when the troops were sent to Saudi Arabia and preparing there ... It increases tension and gives concern. "
Brisk trade. “Terrorist groups make money on kidnapping thousands of Syrian lira and 10 thousands killed from combat sites for the wounded,” say witnesses in an interview with the Arab press. This tells Mixednews.ru with reference to farsnews.com.
After the escalation of the conflict in the Sheikh Maksoud area (Aleppo), it was reported that armed people quickly took the wounded and were taken to clinical centers. Later it turned out that they were selling the organs of these people on the black market. One of the residents of the area, Maj Hadut, confirmed this information, adding that the militants took a wounded son from one of their neighbors under the pretext of hospitalization. Two days later, the family discovered his mutilated body.
In October last year, there were also cases when the Free Syrian Army, which abducted and killed Syrian citizens and the military, traded their organs.
The correspondent of the Turkish newspaper Yurt recently shed light on the terrible events and details of the organ trade. “Most of those who fall victim to abduction are killed. After this, the liver, kidneys and eyes are taken from the bodies of the dead, ”the Syrian citizen told him. He said that "unknown persons contacted him, offering 300 thousands of Syrian pounds in exchange for the body of his deceased brother, who, being in the hands of terrorists, was brutally murdered."
Baghdad: 27 dead. As transmits ITAR-TASS, as a result of an explosion committed yesterday by a suicide bomber in the Iraqi capital, 27 people died. Dozens of people were injured.
The attack occurred in a cafe in Baghdad, popular with young people.
American guarantee to Israel. Olga Gritsenko ("Sight") said that the US Senate guaranteed Israel full support in the event of a war with Iran. The corresponding resolution was adopted by the American parliamentarians on Israel’s Independence Day.
"If the Jewish state takes military action against Tehran in self-defense, the US government should support Israel and provide it with diplomatic, military and economic assistance to protect its territory and people," stated the resolution number 65, the Cursor agency reported. The document also notes that the United States supports the current international sanctions against Iran.
Earlier, Israel itself has repeatedly made it clear that it is ready to independently strike at Iranian nuclear facilities. “The steps of the West against the nuclear program of the Islamic Republic do not impress Iran, and Israel should prepare for the possibility of attacking Iranian nuclear facilities independently,” Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said on the eve.
Possessing an iri nuclear weaponsin his opinion, will be a disaster. “This will spur the arms race in the Middle East and lead to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, even to terrorist organizations, it will become a nightmare for the Western world. The world has postponed a response to Iran, Tehran does not see the determination of the Western world in stopping the project, and it can be stopped only by putting Tehran a dilemma: either a nuclear project or a survival regime, ”ZMAN.com quotes the Minister.
But what Iran thinks. “A possible Israeli attack on Iran to destroy our nuclear or scientific potential is a real insanity. Its consequences will be devastating and unpredictable. In this case, Iran will not sit idly. This could be the beginning of an escalation of violence that will lead to the Third World War, ”the Press TV channel quotes a warning by Ali Ahani, the Iranian ambassador to France.
According to Olga Gritsenko, observers do not exclude that the conflict may happen this year. "Military confrontation may occur this year if Iran takes the path of accelerating the pace of its nuclear development, above all uranium enrichment," said the former White House coordinator on weapons of mass destruction policy, executive director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Relations Harvard University Gary Samore. He added that Iran itself does not seek confrontation with the United States, soberly assessing the difference in military capabilities, and "again and again demonstrates caution."
Four of the "Islamic Salvation Army." Algerian security services detained four people who were members of the Islamic Salvation Army, reports SANA.
These people are suspected of having links with members of organizations related to terrorist groups in Syria. This organization recruits young Algerians and sends them to the UAR to take part in fights on the side of “Dzhebhat An-Nusra”.
The Algerian newspaper Al-Shuruk, citing responsible sources, reported that among these four people there is one who had previously held a leading position in the Islamic Salvation Army before it was dissolved. The newspaper noted that they are members of an organization that has relations with extremists in Syria, Tunisia and Libya and is recruiting Algerians to be sent to the SAR.
Pervez Musharraf arrested. Pakistani police arrested the former president of the country, General Pervez Musharraf, who escaped from the courtroom yesterday, reports RIA News" with reference to Reuters.
The arrest warrant for Musharraf was issued in the case of the unlawful arrest of judges when a state of emergency was imposed in 2007. Earlier, the court extended Musharraf until April 18 the opportunity to be free, subject to the payment of bail. Yesterday morning, the general arrived in court to get another renewal, but the court refused him and decided to arrest the ex-president. He fled, accompanied by close protection.
1860 years in prison. In Thailand, former police officer Chanthima Petchkhanorm was sentenced to 1860 years of imprisonment for fraud. The term of imprisonment turned out to be so long, as 44-year-old Petchkhanorm committed many crimes related to one article, writes MIGnews.com with reference to The Bangkok Post.
The sentences for each case of the same type were summarized and then reduced to 50 years - the maximum prison term allowed by law. In addition, she must pay compensation to victims of her actions.
From October 1994 to June 1998 this woman 372 once forged signatures and illegally received about 395 thousand baht (about 15 thousand dollars). At that time, she worked in the financial police station, which is responsible for paying pensions to government officials.
"Take me right here." In an editorial «Die Welt» (source of abbreviated translation - "Inopressa") tells about the network preferences of the North Korean elite.
An analysis of the files downloaded from the World Wide Web by the North Korean elite suggests that it does not particularly adhere to the official line of the party. The Torrentfreak blog, referring to data from the American service Scaneye, which monitors torrents, reports that the American television series “How I Met Your Mother” and the thriller “Followers” enjoy special love with North Korean users. In addition, the North Korean party bosses are very fond of hard porn movies. The DPRK leadership has quite a few admirers of Japanese porn actress Marika Hase and her American colleague Ellis Frost, and in general films with titles like “Take me right here.”
Jihad warriors from Europe. Nikita Sorokin ("Voice of Russia") spoke about the liquidation by the Belgian police of a network of recruiting stations for recruiting for the Syrian rebels.
Police detained over twenty suspects in one day in Antwerp, Vilvoorde and Brussels. Among them is one of the leaders of the Sharia for Belgium group, Fouad Belkasem. This group was engaged in the recruitment and sending to Syria of young Europeans to replenish the ranks of Islamist militants. According to police, on the side of the Syrian opposition are fighting about eighty royal subjects.
European police departments are worried not because their compatriots can harm Bashar Assad. Indigenous Europeans are frightened by the prospect of the return of Islamist mercenaries from the war. What will these “soldiers of fortune” do in Europe? After all, except how to fight the infidels, these mostly young people really did not have time to learn anything. They will not return to universities, but to numerous Muslim communities. And in this environment, a fairly clear structure of extremist cells and groups was formed, expert of crisis situations, a veteran of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation, Colonel Lev Korolkov, explained to the Voice of Russia:
There is also a material base for recruiting new Islamist militants, adds Comrade Korolkov. The expert is convinced that volunteer recruitment activities are financed mainly by the countries of the Persian Gulf.
Europe has come to a dangerous point, I'm sure Korolkov. When this contingent, frankly hostile to the existing European order, reaches a critical mass, the ethnic catastrophe in Europe will become inevitable.
Maria Efimova (Kommersant) on the Belgian topic writes that in October, Fuad Belkasem announced that his organization had ceased to exist, but according to the police, in recent months, she has been particularly active in recruiting. Belgian law enforcement authorities have confirmed data on 80 Muslims with Belgian passports fighting in Syria against the Assad army. According to experts, among the “Belgian terrorists” there are quite a few Chechens who constitute a significant part of the Muslim diaspora of Belgium (it numbers about 630 thousand, or almost 6% of the country's population).
If you believe the report, released in early April by London Kings College, the situation is much more serious. Of the 600 Muslims with 14 citizenship of European countries fighting in Syria, small Belgium provided the largest number of volunteers (more than 100) - along with the UK and the Netherlands, whose authorities have also sounded the alarm over the recent return of jihadists to their homeland. Considering all this, the Belgian authorities were the first to decide on preventive measures in order to neutralize potential militants at the stage of their recruitment in Belgium, writes Maria Efimova.
Claude Monika, head of the Brussels Center for Strategic Intelligence and Security, told Kommersant that it was possible to make such raids thanks to the specifics of Belgian law. Of all European countries that are facing the threat of Islamic terrorism, so far only Belgium and France have passed laws allowing for the detention and arrest of citizens even before sending them to jihadist training camps. In other states, such operations are possible only in respect of persons who have already returned from the "holy war" in the Middle East or North Africa. The adoption of such laws is a big step forward from a security point of view, the publication’s source is sure, but these measures are not enough: justice has problems with evidence; In addition, the police are not able to coordinate with colleagues from other countries where members of the same extremist networks live.
Are you building terrorist plans? - Go to jail! Four people in the UK were sentenced to lengthy prison terms for using a toy car to transport a bomb, reports "Lenta.ru" with reference to BBC News.
Zahid Iqbal, Mohammed Sharfaraz Ahmed, Umar Arshad and Syed Farhan Hussein were found guilty of preparing a terrorist attack on the basis of a territorial army. Iqbal and Ahmed, as the leaders of the group, received 16 years and three months, Arshad six years and nine months, and Hussein received five years and three months.
This four was arrested in April on charges of terrorism. They underwent training in a camp in Pakistan, intended to acquire weapons to arrange a terrorist attack, and tried to find funding for their plans.
The group was watched by the police and military counterintelligence of Great Britain. The basis of the conviction was the recording of a telephone conversation between terrorists, in which Ahmed talks about the plan of attack on a military base. According to him, he drove past one of the bases of the territorial troops and saw in the fence an opening through which a radio-controlled toy car with a bomb fixed on it could pass. Then it was planned to send a toy, for example, to the car at the base and blow it up. In addition, the terrorists discussed how to make explosives at home according to the instructions of an English-language Islamist magazine.
"Puzzle of Europe". Polish publicist Tsiprian Darchevski commented "Voice of Russia" appearance in the sale of shocking children's toys.
Polish television (TVN) reported on its website that the “Puzzle Europe” toy, a jigsaw puzzle, was put on sale, having assembled a map of Europe. In the puzzle of 58 elements, it is intended for children from 6 years. The attached map contains information on stories some places. There was a place for Katyn and Smolensk.
The text reads: “The murder of Polish officers in 1940. The death of President Lech Kaczynski with a possible assassination attempt in 2010.” The inscription evolves! On the map above, we see an “inexplicable catastrophe”, and on a map bought by a Polish journalist, “a possible attempt”. Moreover, in an interview with tvp.info, the toy manufacturer said that these are the old versions, and in the following drawing, the “possible” may fall away from the “attempt”.
According to various studies, the Smolensk assassination believes in 24 to 33% of Poles. The victims of the catastrophe are called “martyrs”, “dead” in the Polish media, the author writes, as if they gave their lives for the faith or fought on Russian soil with arms.
Urgent status canceled. On April 18, the Latvian Saeima abolished the urgent status of the draft law on the complete prohibition of Soviet and Nazi symbols. According to "Lenta.ru" with reference to "DELFI", this means that the document will not have time to accept until May 9.
Representatives of the Reform Party, which is part of the ruling coalition, offered to consider the bill in the usual way. Deputies noted that the text of the document is too unclear and vague, and its wording requires revision, and the bill itself does not contain an assessment of compliance with the European Convention for the Protection of Fundamental Freedoms and Human Rights.
As recalled by "Lenta", the bill that tightens the ban on the use of Soviet and Nazi symbols, was introduced to the Seimas in early April by a deputy from the Unity party that is part of the ruling coalition. The urgent status of the document, which was originally assigned to it, suggested its consideration in two, not three readings. Representatives of the Latvian Nationalist Party, in particular, expressed the hope that by May 9 the law would already come into force.
Now Latvian legislation prohibits the use of Soviet and Nazi symbols at public events, but this prohibition does not apply to promotions timed to memorable dates, such as May 9.
Some details from the life of Saakashvili: a translator ... for a cook. The General Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia found out that millions of budget funds were spent on foreign trips and expensive gifts to President Saakashvili, as well as to his family members, friends and guests. This information was announced at a briefing in Kutaisi by a parliamentarian from the ruling coalition, Irina Imerlishvili, quoted by ITAR-TASS.
How to tell the channel "RT", the deputy asked the prosecutor's office data on the costs of the state security service. The magnitude of non-earmarked spending over 2010-2013 years is simply amazing.
Only for the personal cook Saakashvili brought from Spain, the budget spent 303 thousand dollars only for translation services. The President and several of his confidants spent 145 thousand dollars for the New Year in Dubai.
The rest of Saakashvili and the mayor of Tbilisi, Gigi Ugulava, at the expensive resort in Austria were also paid from the special services. Procedures for their weight loss cost the treasury 70 thousand dollars. Also, Saakashvili bought tax money from a taxpayer and bought a gold bracelet and an expensive mobile phone for an unnamed woman deputy.
Finally, the purchase of 42 sheep with a total value of 4,8 thousand dollars, later distributed to citizens, turned out to be a dubious item of expenditure.
MiG on the border. The Ministry of Defense of Belarus rejected accusations of violating Lithuanian airspace, previously made by the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry. Reports about it "Lenta.ru" with reference to the RIA "News". According to the Ministry of Defense, the Belarusian fighter MiG-29 flew along the border of Lithuania, not crossing it.
The MiG-29 fighter was lifted into the air on April 18 due to the fact that in 13: 00 local time (14: 00 Moscow) in the Grodno region a violation of the airspace of Belarus was recorded, the Belarusian Defense Ministry reported. But later the object that crossed the border of Belarus was identified as a flock of birds.
18 April, reminds "Lenta", the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry sent a note to Belarus, demanding to explain the violation of the Lithuanian border by the Belarusian fighter. According to the Lithuanian side, the aircraft appeared in Lithuanian airspace over the village of Pogaryanda in the Varensky region in 13: 05 local time (14: 05 in Moscow) and stayed there for about two minutes.
“Elements of Mafia and Gangs” Fired. Minister of Energy of Belarus Alexander Ozerets dismissed from his post. This was reported on the official website of the President of the country, writes "Lenta.ru".
The reason for the resignation of Ozerts was the "failures in the management of the energy industry." The first deputy minister, Eduard Tovpenets, and the general director of Belenergo, Aleksey Shirma, also lost their posts.
Resignations followed after Alexander Lukashenko sharply criticized the work of the country's energy industry. According to the president’s friend, the energy sector created “some kind of independent organization with elements of the mafia and gang”. The president’s discontent was also caused by the non-transparent, in his opinion, the formation of electricity tariffs.
"Angry Putin". "InoPressa" made a review on the recent criticism of the Russian president of the government. Western media responded to the video of Putin’s statements, made at a meeting with ministers and governors in Kalmykia, like “not for recording”, but posted later by the Life News portal.
"The Wall Street Journal" gave the following title to the material: "Putin’s rant instills fears that the government will be shaken up." "Another warning that in the near future Medvedev's office may be rotated," said journalist Alexander Kolyandr.
The video appeared just a few hours before the premier’s annual report to parliament, the author stresses. According to Kremlinologists, in a situation where economic growth in Russia has slowed down and public discontent is growing, Medvedev can be made a scapegoat, the article says.
Putin’s displeasure was quickly picked up by the leader of United Russia in the State Duma Vladimir Vasilyev: he expressed the hope that some ministers would resign due to lack of competence.
Ellen Barry from The New York Times informs readers: “An angry Putin is depicted on the video threatening to dismiss officials.” The journalist also notes that the video spurred rumors about the imminent resignation of Medvedev and members of his cabinet.
It is also said that Putin’s press secretary called the video leakage unethical: the president asked his TV cameras to be turned off before his tirade.
“But in Russia, political life takes place among tricks that are multi-layered, like the peel on a bulb. Many analysts concluded that the Kremlin deliberately distributed the video as a “warning volley” to Medvedev, ”the article says.
“Not so much a KGB excerpt: in the latest video, Putin attacked his office,” is the title of the article in the The Christian Science Monitor blog. The author also recalls that Putin recently allowed himself a flash of anger in front of television cameras: he condemned delays and budget overruns while preparing for the Olympics in Sochi, on which his personal prestige depends.
The Russian media, the author notes, almost never mention Putin’s “luxurious lifestyle: he has 20 lush official residences, while the entire British royal family has only eight,” and his habit of being late. "His periodic outbursts of anger, too, were not covered - at least until recently," the publication says.
Putin’s speech with sharp criticism of the government, delivered not for the cameras, testifies to the ongoing war between the teams of the president and the prime minister, believes columnist Le Figaro. Not a month goes by without Dmitry Medvedev becoming the object of attacks, clearly orchestrated at the pinnacle of power, writes journalist Pierre Avril.
"The presidential administration formed a common desire to weaken Medvedev, attributing to him the features of a leader who is unable to help Russian citizens, and at the same time show that only Putin plays the role of public defender," says the French newspaper, the opinion of the deputy director of the Center for Political Technologies (Moscow), Alexei Makarkin. And the director of the St. Petersburg Politics Foundation, Mikhail Vinogradov, says: “Even if the relationship between Putin and Medvedev cannot be called simple, they have not yet reached a critical threshold.” He states that the society is “tired” of power, but he points out: in the conditions of deteriorating economic situation, the prime minister performs the function of a “safety valve”.
On Navalny sew one thing after another. Against Alexei Navalny, another criminal case was opened, according to "Vesti", referring to the Investigative Committee. The well-known blogger and oppositionist are again accused of fraud, which, according to investigators, he committed with the help of his brother Oleg in 2008, when he led one of the divisions of the Post of Russia.
Militiamen believe that the brothers imposed on a private company a contract for the provision of services to a firm under their control. According to the investigation, their company did not perform the work, but almost 4 received a million rubles for it.
Foreigners are interested in Navalny affairs. The US Embassy stated that their representative was on trial as an independent observer, and that this is a common diplomatic practice. And in the diplomatic mission of Sweden confirmed that their employee was at the court meeting on the case of Navalny. The explanation is simple: this is a very high-profile case, and it is being watched both in Russia and in Sweden, so the diplomats considered it important to pay attention to it.
Innovations in dissertation technologies from the Ministry of Education and Science. The Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation announced a draft of a new model for the attestation of scientists, according to which the dissertations will be laid out in open access to defense, reports Interfax. The text of the project was published on Thursday on the website of the department, as well as on the website of the public council at the Ministry of Education and Science.
The project was reviewed and supported by the Presidium of the Higher Attestation Commission; Now anyone can make their comments and suggestions - on the website of the public council and the official page of the Ministry of Education and Science in the LiveJournal.
The key position of the project is the proposal to publish the texts of dissertations with reviews and conclusions about the novelty and volume on the Internet, and up to defense.
It is also planned to strengthen the responsibility of members of dissertation councils and to make the results of their work more transparent, to work out in detail the principles for dealing with cases of incorrect borrowing.
Instead of one hundred percent recalculation - “civil audit”. The National Electoral Council of Venezuela announced last night that there would be no recount of one hundred percent of the votes in the presidential election, reports RIA News".
As the head of the Council Tibisay Lucena, it was decided to conduct a "civil audit" of the results of the elections. The Council decided to “expand the audit and civil verification” of all ballot boxes that were not checked on election day.
According to Venezuelan law, voting is automated, and 54% of ballot boxes with receipts are audited on election day. Now the remaining 46% of ballot boxes will be audited. Lucena stressed that auditing does not mean manual recount.
Kirchner forgave Mujica. Argentine President Cristina Kirchner and Uruguay’s leader José Mujica yesterday, together on the presidential airliner Kirchner, flew to Peru, where the summit of the Union of South American States will be held. According to Argentine media, this indicates that Kirchner forgave the unpleasant words addressed to him two words ago to Muhike correspondent RIA Novosti Oleg Vyazmitinov.
Relations between the leaders of the two countries became complicated after Mujika, in front of one of the press conferences, talking with one of the invited and not noticing working microphones, called Kirchner “an old woman who is even worse” than her late husband, former president Nestor Kirchner. Later, Mujica publicly apologized, explaining his comments with the habit of common expressions left over from the guerrilla struggle and many years spent behind bars.
At the UNASUR summit, its participants will discuss the situation in Venezuela that has developed since the presidential elections last Sunday.
Two in caps. The FBI announced photos of suspected terrorists at the finish of the Boston Marathon, reports correspondent ITAR-TASS Andrey Bekrenev.
Yesterday, at a press conference, Richard Delorye, the FBI spokesman in charge of the investigation, presented photographs of the suspects to journalists: the first of them was a dark man in a black baseball cap, the second was a white man in a white cap, wearing a visor back. According to Delorye, these images were obtained from surveillance cameras installed in the area of the explosions.
A video was made public showing how the suspects follow each other down Boylston Street, where the marathon finished. Both men have backpacks behind their backs. The record shows how a man in a white cap leaves a backpack where an explosion subsequently thundered.
Delorye said the suspects were “armed and extremely dangerous.” “Does anyone know these people as friends, neighbors, colleagues, or relatives. We expect them to share this information with us, ”the FBI representative said.
Palba in Cambridge. Unknown opened on Thursday evening, shooting in the territory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, located in the suburb of Boston Cambridge. Now the police is looking for a criminal, transmits correspondent ITAR-TASS Andrey Bekrenev.
According to preliminary information, a policeman was killed in the accident.
Obama pretended not to be afraid of a gun lobby. On April 17, the Upper House of Congress rejected initiatives aimed at controlling the circulation and use of weapons. None of the bills received the necessary votes for 60. Representatives of the Republican Party opposed these initiatives, as they considered this a violation of the constitutional right of US citizens to self-defense, reports "RT".
Between the first and two other stages of voting, the president made a speech in which he condemned the decision of members of Congress, calling it "shameful." He said that they “gave intimidating themselves to the influential arms lobby,” stressing that he did not intend to stop trying to change the law. "This is only the first round," - said the American president.
Dangerous Una. Texas Attorney General Republican Greg Abbott told his party colleagues that Barack Obama and some Democrats in the state are "much more dangerous" than the North Korean leader. At a meeting of the Republican club, Abbott said that Obama would deprive the nation of the rights stipulated by the second amendment of the Constitution, if he signs an arms trade treaty, adopted at the UN General Assembly and designed to regulate the supply of arms on a global scale, "RT".
“We won the war of independence not for other states to dictate their will to us again,” Abbott quoted the Waco Tribune. “I want to convey to the president that Texas is not going to show tolerance for UN dictatorship.”
"Texas is facing a new threat — much more powerful than Kim Jong-un's words about the use of nuclear weapons ... The source of this threat is Obama and his political machine," said a possible candidate for governor of the state.
Earlier, in a letter to the White House, the Texas Attorney General threatened to sue the federal government if the treaty was ratified by the US administration.
On 70 billion. The volume of exports of weapons and military equipment from the United States amounted to a record 2012 billion dollars in the past 70 year. This was announced at a meeting with foreign journalists by US Assistant Secretary of State for Military-Political Affairs Andrew Shapiro. According to him, 2012 year was for the United States the largest in history in terms of sales of arms abroad. For comparison, Shapiro added that in 2011, the export of American weapons was estimated at about 30 billion dollars, according to "Vesti" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
According to Shapiro, over the past year, the US government issued more than 85 thousands of licenses for direct commercial sales of weapons - "more than ever."
According to the Assistant Secretary of State, in the course of work on the reform of the export control regime, the United States reduced the time for considering requests for issuing licenses to export weapons from 40-60 days to about 17 days.
Hunger strike in Guantanamo. According to authorities, the number of hungry people in prison has increased from 45 to 52. However, lawyers claim that they are much more.
Fifteen prisoners began to give food by force, reports "RT"; this was probably a reaction to the recent clash of prisoners with guards. According to other data, force-feeding is related to the fact that the weight loss of these 15 people reached critical health values.
Guantanamo prisoners, like the canal, went on a hunger strike in February. The reason for the action was the confiscation of personal belongings and the disrespectful attitude of prison staff to the Koran.
Poisonous letters. The American authorities charged 18 on April with the suspect of sending ricin letters to Barack Obama and several members of the Senate. As reported by the US Department of Justice, Paul Kevin Curtis, who was arrested on Wednesday in the framework of the investigation of this case, was charged with, inter alia, the threat of harm to health, reports correspondent ITAR-TASS Dmitry Kirsanov.
If convicted, Curtis faces up to 15 years in prison. Investigators found that the letters were sent to them on April 8 and contained a number of identical phrases with reproaches addressed to President and Senator Roger Wicker. At the end were the words: "My name is K. K., and I approve of this message." The third letter of the accused sent one of the judges in Mississippi.
Vasily Chepelevsky ("Lenta.ru") indicates that Paul Kevin Curtis is a singer who has passed the notoriety. He became famous only after he was detained on suspicion of sending poison to Obama. Postal terrorist previously acted in the form of famous musicians, starting with Elvis. During the show Curtis took from five hundred to a thousand dollars. In addition to Presley, in the arsenal of Curtis - Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly. Customer feedback on the Internet is entirely positive: almost all of the five out of five stars have put the “master of reincarnation”.
The motives of the “Elvis double”, which have pushed him to ricin distribution, have not yet been clarified.
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