Geopolitical mosaic: Russian actor Depardieu knocked 65, and in Albania and Kosovo, armed Santa Claus robbing shops
Destruction of tunnels. - Syria, Russia, oil. - Syrian jihadists dispel the illusions of the West. - In Baghdad restless. - An eye for an eye. - Netanyahu, resolute and mysterious. - Turkish ministers fell down. - Ankara has increased its military budget. - Attack on the palace. - Banda whitebeard. - Pornoskandal between Germany and Switzerland. - Says comrade Snowden. - Three on the Porsche Cayenne. - Georgian all-round defense. - Question about Transnistria. - A glass for the health of Depardieu. - Bangkok: dead and wounded. - The anti-corruption campaign in the PRC continues to mow down officials. - To meet with the souls of war criminals. - The Japanese Air Force Air Base, the Japanese will be transferred to a landfill. - In the USA, five children die every day from violence. - American Congress: nowhere worse. - Uranium bankrupt. - Clinton vs. Christie.
Destruction of tunnels. On the outskirts of Damascus, there is the destruction of underground tunnels that are used by the militants, reports "RT" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
According to military expert Turki Hassan, “the phenomenon of street fighting on the outskirts of Damascus was the emergence of a structure of branched underground tunnels reaching several hundred meters.” And another thing: in the densely built areas, breaks were made within the walls of the houses, which allowed the militants to move quickly and suddenly attack.
Government forces all found bunkers undermine and destroy.
Syria, Russia, oil. Damascus has signed an agreement with the Russian company Soyuzneftegaz on the development of offshore drilling in the territorial waters of Syria, reports "RT" with reference to the RIA "News».
Soyuzneftegaz will conduct exploration work, create the infrastructure necessary for the development of a subsea field, and train local personnel in the Syrian general center for oil production.
In search of a place for drilling, the area of 2190 square kilometers will be explored. The cost of about $ 90 million will be assumed by Soyuzneftegaz.
Syrian Oil Minister Suleiman Abbas said that the contract is 25 years.
Syrian jihadists dispel the illusions of the West. Brookings Doha Center researcher Charles Lister gave pessimistic predictions about the next phase of the Syrian conflict. He writes about it MIGnews.com.
The balance of power within the Syrian opposition has completely changed. The opposition is now clearly dominated by jihadist factions.
The illusion of the West that there is an armed force on the ground, ready to support an air attack against the “tyrannical regime” of Assad, is dying. The arguments of analysts, from which it follows that the "liberated territories" of Syria are controlled by "moderate" opposition members, are fading. The West has a choice: al-Qaeda or Assad.
Most of the Sunni Salafi factions have united in the Islamic Front, and therefore the role of jihadists will increase.
In Baghdad, restless. The camp of the Iranian opposition group "The organization of the Mujahideen of the Iranian people" on the outskirts of Baghdad was subjected to massive shelling last night. In a statement by the leadership of the OMIN, it is noted that "as a result of tens of mines and missiles breaking, two people were killed, several more, including women and children, were seriously injured." Responsibility for this action lies with the government of Nuri al-Maliki, who "wants to enlist the support of Tehran in the run-up to the elections in Iraq scheduled for next year." He writes about it ITAR-TASS.
Official Baghdad has repeatedly denied such allegations.
Responsibility for the shelling of the camp "Liberty", formerly owned by the American military, took over the Shiite group "Army al-Mukhtar", formally not subordinate to the government. Vatik al-Batat, its leader, told foreign journalists that "we have repeatedly demanded that the government that these people (members of the OMIN) be expelled from the country, but they are still here."
ITAR-TASS recalls that the MMI militants, following the defeat in Iran’s territory after the Islamic revolution of 1979, found refuge in Iraq. During the Iran-Iraq war 1981-1989. they fought on the side of Saddam Hussein. In recent years, when Shiite politicians supported by Iran came to power in Baghdad, the “mojaheds” began to be persecuted.
An eye for an eye. Last night israeli aviation responded with new attacks on the Gaza Strip to two missiles fired by Palestinian militants. This was reported by the press service of the IDF, reports RIA News".
There are no casualties on the Israeli side. Reuters reported, with reference, about one wounded in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli military targets called airstrikes armory workshop and weapons warehouse. “Direct hits have been confirmed,” the army press service said.
Netanyahu, resolute and mysterious. The Israeli air force has been conducting clandestine operations in recent years, the prime minister of the Jewish state acknowledged, speaking at the graduation ceremony of the Israeli Air Force flight school. He writes about it correspondent ITAR-TASS Andrey Shirokov.
“The clandestine operations conducted by the Israeli Air Force in recent years testifies to our determination to counter the threats to our existence,” said B. Netanyahu.
Turkish ministers fell down. Amur Hajiyev told about resignations and personnel changes in the Turkish government caused by a corruption scandal."Voice of Russia").
Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday night announced government reshuffle. In addition to the three ministers who had previously resigned, the prime minister dismissed the EU Minister for European Affairs, Egemen Bagis. The ministers of justice, transport, family policy, sports and industry, and the vice-premier also lost their posts.
Pro-government experts believe that outside the "anti-corruption campaign" are external forces seeking to undermine the position of the Erdogan party three months before the local elections. The prime minister himself blames "international groups" and even "dark forces."
Here is what the deputy general chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party and the deputy of the Turkish parliament, Tugrul Turkes, says:
Ankara increased its military budget. The Turkish parliament approved an increase in the country's military budget by 6,71% in 2014. This is reported by the weekly “Defense News” with reference to the data published on the results of the parliament’s session, "Military Industrial Courier".
The Ministry of Defense of Turkey allocated 10,908 billion dollars. The increase compared with the budget 2013 was 7,15%. The cost of the gendarmerie increased by 5,35% and amount to 3,08 billion. Coast Guard budget increased from 216 million to 226 million.
These three structures, whose funds form the military budget of Turkey, will receive 2014 billion dollars in 14,212 year. This figure was 2013 billion dollars in 13,317 year (an increase of 6,71%).
Deductions for defense in the 2014 year, indicates "MIC", occupy a share in 3,7% of the total budget of the country.
Attack on the palace. In the capital of CAR, Bangui, a massive attack on the presidential palace and the residence of the head of state Michel Djotodia was repelled. This was announced by the press secretary of the President, Guy Simplice Codedege, reports correspondent ITAR-TASS Alexander Nechaev with reference to the Associated Press.
The battle with the use of heavy weapons lasted several hours, but the army managed to stop the advance of the attackers.
According to the press secretary, the attack was organized by Christian supporters of the ousted president Francois Bozize. Jotodia is the first Muslim leader in stories a country whose majority of the population professes Christianity.
Banda whitebeard. The criminals in the costumes of Santa Clauses and white beards during the Christmas holidays made two armed raids on jewelry stores in Albania and Kosovo, reports RIA News" with reference to France Press.
The first incident occurred in Tirana: four white-bearded intruders with machine guns broke into a jewelry store at one of the shopping centers of the Albanian capital. "Santa" carried from the store a lot of value.
Later, a gang of three “Klausovs” robbed a jewelry store in the Kosovo city of Prizren. These "Santa" were more brutal: during the raid two people were injured.
It is not clear one is a gang, or different.
Pornoskandal between Germany and Switzerland. About 30 thousands (!) Of Germans received notifications of fines for illegally downloading porn movies from one popular site. The Swiss law firm “U + C”, acting on behalf of the owner of the rights to pornography, announced that the penalty for each (!) Download is 250 euros. This writes Andrey Fedyashin ("Voice of Russia").
Moreover, the representative of the designated Swiss office, Thomas Urmann told the newspaper Die Welt that the Germans should not think that this is a "one-time action." In the new year there will be even more notifications of fines.
Says comrade Snowden. “Private life is important; private life allows us to determine who we are and who we want to be,” explained Snowden on Channel 4 (Britain). Snowden's address is devoted to a new review of Western publications from "Foreign Press".
In a statement released on Wednesday, Edward Snowden called for an end to mass surveillance, claiming that the automated control he had exposed exceeded George Orwell's fantasies, reports The New York Times.
“A child born today will grow up without any idea of personal information and privacy,” Snowden said on Channel 4. “Private life is important, private life allows us to determine who we are and who we want to be,” said a public informer.
“It’s always cheaper to ask than to spy,” comrade Snowden noted further.
In an interview, Snowden assured that if he acted against the US government, it was only for the good of the American people and in the name of higher ideals, Max Fisher notes in The Washington Post.
The observer believes that the statements of E. Snowden are a sign of a worldview that “in any other national context we would call nationalism”. These are ideas about the need to take control of a government, strongly deviating from upholding public interests, that “a person can and, perhaps, should remain loyal to his nation and put it higher than loyalty to the government”.
True, in this case the situation is confusing. Snowden divulged the secrets of the United States, without knowing in advance whether the Americans share his position. The Americans could not oppose mass surveillance: they did not know about it ...
Thanks to Snowden, we learned a lot about what the NSA was secretly doing. As a result, Congress, the Federal District Court and the White House are considering how to curb this agency. But you need to answer the main questions: how US intelligence agencies use the NSA against the Americans. This is what Seth Rosenfeld writes in The Los Angeles Times.
The journalist demands to “convene a new Church Commission” and find out not only what data the NSA collects, but also how other intelligence agencies use it. Does the NSA follow US citizens and organizations involved in the protest movement, such as Occupy? Does it follow immigrants, such as Muslim communities? Is the NSA used to gather information about academic dissident communities?
“History teaches us that this reform requires a public report on exactly how the intelligence services were used against the Americans,” Rosenfeld said.
NSA department is sinking into a sea of useless information gathered as a result of surveillance, The Wall Street Journal writes. This was stated by William Binnie, one of the creators of computer programs with which the NSA spies on the network. Binni worked at the NSA for more than 30 years, “rose to a rank similar to the general’s” and resigned in 2001 in the year after the department refused to use his program. It was Binnie who developed the method of encrypting all American metadata and offered to decrypt information only on the court order.
“They bring themselves to dysfunctionality by collecting all this data,” said Binnie at a privacy conference in Lausanne. Analysts piled up with information cannot do their job effectively, and the colossal archives are an overwhelming temptation, pushing for abuse.
E. Snowden reported through a lawyer that he has "great respect" for Binnie, who "did everything he could do within the rules."
Three on the Porsche Cayenne. The US State Department said it was outraged by the beating of Ukrainian journalist Tatyana Chornovol, reports RIA "Novosti" Alexey Bogdanovsky.
“The United States is deeply concerned about the growing trend of violence and intimidation against activists and journalists who have participated or made reports about the protests of“ euromaidan ”. The brutal beating of journalist Tatyana Chornovol worries us especially, ”said Jen Psaki.
The US and the EU will monitor the Chornovol case and similar proceedings.
About beating the journalist tells "Lenta.ru" with reference to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
December 26 Ukrainian police detained a third suspect in the beating of the journalist "Ukrainian Truth" Tatiana Chornovol. Detained Sergei Kotenko was announced on the eve of the wanted list. At the same time, the first two suspects in the attack were detained. Their names are not reported. Earlier, the Interior Ministry stated that one of the suspects owned a company that was controlled by TVi.
December 26 The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine re-qualified the article, which investigates the beating of Chornovil, from “Hooliganism” to “Grievous bodily harm”. The deputy from “Batkivshchyna” Vladimir Yavorivsky said that in the future the case could be retrained to “Attempt to kill”.
T. Chornovil leads journalistic investigations concerning high-ranking Ukrainian officials, including Viktor Yanukovych. It was she who published a number of materials about corruption. She also participated in promotions in support of European integration.
Georgian circular defense. The expected decision to sell old military equipment, mainly military tanks T-55 and T-72 and Mi-2 and Mi-8 helicopters, which should be adopted by the Ministry of Defense of Georgia, caused a discussion both within the country and abroad, writes Vakhtang Maysaya ("Independent newspaper").
Georgia is trying to bring up for discussion a version of the implementation of its remaining Soviet and Russian equipment in African developing countries. The decision will be made in the coming days. In addition to technical considerations (difficulty in operation, high costs of maintaining military equipment, problems with spare parts), political factors also contribute to the solution.
The analyst notes that Georgia is moving to a new principle of military doctrine - the so-called all-round defense. The country reserves the right to conduct only defensive wars at the regional level.
The current leadership of Georgia has put forward a more flexible approach to resolving conflicts on the example of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. The transition from offensive types of weapons to defensive and is an indicator of the implementation of such a "peacekeeping strategy."
Defense funds in 2014 year - approximately 700 million GEL (about 400 million dollars). This amount does not allow for the operation of offensive weapons.
However, the leadership of the military department of Georgia should take into account the following factors. It will be extremely difficult to get to the market of third countries with the offer of old military equipment that has long been mastered by large manufacturers. Markets and their arms sales segments are redistributed among large “players”: the USA, Great Britain, Russia, China, Ukraine and others.
The question of Transnistria. Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova Yevgeny Karpov did not agree with the decision of the Transdniestrian parliament to introduce Russian legislation in the unrecognized republic. This tells correspondent ITAR-TASS Veniamin Demidetsky.
“This decision was made unilaterally and violates the agreements reached at the recent meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Kiev, where the existing format“ 5 + 2 ”(Moldova, Transdniestria, OSCE, Russia, Ukraine and EU and US observers), ”said Mr. Karpov.
He expressed confidence that "in accordance with the norms of international law, Transnistria is part of Moldova."
Corr. ITAR-TASS recalls that the law on the introduction of Russian federal legislation in the unrecognized republic adopted by the Transnistrian parliament in December on the 25 was commented by its president Yevgeny Shevchuk. “The law adopted by the parliament in the first reading implies the introduction of federal legislation of Russia along with local, and Russian laws should become a priority in the hierarchy,” Shevchuk said.
Earlier, Tiraspol proposed Chisinau to “divorce in a civilized manner,” given that “the Transnistrian priority is integration into the Eurasian space”.
A glass for the health of Depardieu. Today, Russian actor Gerard Depardieu celebrates anniversary. Celebrity performed 65. Write about it "Vesti" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
France can not forget Depardieu his resettlement in Belgium and the adoption of Russian citizenship. The media include him in the list of people, the least likeable nation. However, both the former president of the Fifth Republic of Sarkozy and the current Hollande would give him a big head start in this “race of unpopularity”.
Depardieu has not been filming for compatriot directors for over a year. In foreign cinema, he is all right. Soon he will play the role of Dominique Strauss-Kahn in the American director Abel Ferrara's film Welcome to New York. Depardieu starred in the Russian television movie "Zaitsev + 1".
There are no official ceremonies on the birthday of Depardieu in France. But residents of the town of Chateauroux, where he was born, announced that they would raise a glass in the Sans Chichis cafe for the health of a famous countryman.
Bangkok: dead and wounded. The Bangkok administration has released updated data on the number of victims of street clashes 26 December in the area of the Thai-Japanese friendship stadium. Two people died, 143 injured. He writes about it correspondent ITAR-TASS Alexey Skovoronsky.
Among the injured are 25 police. One policeman died from a gunshot wound in a hospital.
During the clashes, police used tear gas and rubber bullets. Demonstrators used firearms and improvised explosive packets.
Now the situation in the area of the Thai-Japanese friendship stadium, where the Election Commission finishes receiving documents from those who wish to participate in parliamentary elections, is calm.
Anti-Corruption Campaign in China continues to mow down officials. Deputy Chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee of the All-China Committee of the People’s Political Consultative Council of China Yang Gang is suspected of corruption. Reports about it "Lenta.ru" with reference to Xinhua.
As stated in the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the official committed serious violations of the law and disciplinary offenses. What exactly Yan Gan is suspected of is not clear.
The case of Yang Ghana, ITAR-TASS notes, was a continuation of a series of anti-corruption investigations, which included the former head of the State Property Control and Management Committee under the State Council of the PRC, Jiang Jiemin, and the deputy head of the State Committee on Development and Reform of the PRC Liu Tenan.
To meet with the souls of war criminals. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday morning visited the Yasukuni temple, where the souls of war criminals convicted by the Tokyo Tribunal are venerated. Reports about it "Lenta.ru" with reference to France-Presse.
Abe said that he was aware of his view of visiting Yasukuni as an act of honoring war criminals, and clarified that his visit was intended to mark an "era in which people would not suffer from the tragedy of war." He also noted that he did not want to insult the people of China and South Korea.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry reacted negatively to the gesture of the Japanese prime minister. A ministry spokesman said Abe’s visit to Yasukuni was “totally unacceptable for the Chinese people."
On the reaction of South Korea is not reported.
The Japanese Air Force Air Base, the Japanese will be transferred to a landfill. The governor of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa this morning signed documents regulating the organization of the ... landfill. The Japanese will transfer Futemma airbase to this dump. This is reported by the agency "Kyodo" with reference to a high-ranking source in the administration of the prefecture, reports "Lenta.ru".
The military transfer plan was drawn up in 2006 year. It is expected that the garbage island will appear in the area of the city of Nago.
In the US, five children die every day from violence. Every day in the US, five babies die at the hands of adults, reports "Voice of Russia" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
The sad statistics are collected by the public organization National Children's Alliance, funded by the Ministry of Justice, and the non-profit National Association of Children's Lawyers.
In 2011, 1570 was reported in the deaths of children and adolescents. More than 279 thousands of minors became victims of beatings, bullying, rape and psychological harassment.
US Congress: nowhere worse. Two-thirds of US residents consider the current composition of Congress "the worst in history." This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by CNN, together with the research company ORC, writes correspondent ITAR-TASS Andrey Bekrenev.
“This opinion is shared by representatives of different demographic groups and political views. Men and women, rich and poor, young and old, all believe that the current Congress is the worst in their memory, ”said CNN representative Keating Holland.
Moreover, supporters of the Republican and Democratic parties are dissatisfied with the work of the legislators.
73% of respondents are sure: the current Congress did nothing to solve the problems facing the country.
The survey, conducted by 16-19 December by telephone, involved more than a thousand adults in the United States.
The rating of US President Barack Obama, the correspondent notes, is also at a record low. According to a November opinion poll, 54% of Americans are dissatisfied with his work ...
Uranium bankrupt. The US Atomic Energy Corporation USEC Inc., the country's leading supplier of nuclear fuel for commercial nuclear power plants, intends to sue the Delaware Bankruptcy Court for a voluntary petition for bankruptcy in accordance with Art. 11 US Bankruptcy Code. The company expects to file this application in QNUMX Q1, reports RBC.
A bankruptcy statement is required by USEC to implement a financial restructuring plan agreed with the majority of creditors.
Today, USEC, through its subsidiary, United States Enrichment Corporation, operates the only uranium enrichment plant in the United States (gas diffusion plant in Paducah, Kentucky). An enterprise owned by the US Department of Energy has been leased by USEC. In May, 2013, the company announced that it was forced to stop uranium enrichment in Paducah by decision of the Ministry of Energy, which found the plant’s activities commercially unpromising.
On the American side, United States Enrichment Corporation was also the executor of the Megatons to Megawatts program for the conversion of Russian weapons-grade uranium into nuclear fuel for American nuclear power plants. This program was completed in December 2013.
Clinton vs Christie. Among potential US presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie hold the lead. This is evidenced by the results of a survey of CNN and ORC, reports RIA "Novosti" Alexey Bogdanovsky.
True, neither he nor she has yet announced their intention to run for president in 2016.
According to a 950 poll of registered voters in the United States, in a pair of Christie - Clinton, the Republican governor can get 48% of votes, and the former secretary of state - 46%.
Mr. Christie is leading among non-party voters and among men, and Mrs. Clinton is significantly ahead of Christie among female voters.
The survey was conducted on December 16-19; its statistical error is 3 percentage points.
The Americans who are sick of Hillary probably don’t even remember her main slogan, which she almost daily exploited, being Secretary of State: “Assad should leave.” The memory of the electorate is short. Today, many Western experts agreed that Assad is preferable to Al-Qaida. In any 2016 year, whatever one may say, but in the Middle East there will be a lot of questions, and presidential candidates will have to speak on this topic in the election debate. In principle, using the recipes of the “Ministry of Truth” from Orwell’s book, Hillary can say: “Al-Qaida” should leave. I always said that. ”
Destruction of tunnels. On the outskirts of Damascus, there is the destruction of underground tunnels that are used by the militants, reports "RT" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
According to military expert Turki Hassan, “the phenomenon of street fighting on the outskirts of Damascus was the emergence of a structure of branched underground tunnels reaching several hundred meters.” And another thing: in the densely built areas, breaks were made within the walls of the houses, which allowed the militants to move quickly and suddenly attack.
Government forces all found bunkers undermine and destroy.
Syria, Russia, oil. Damascus has signed an agreement with the Russian company Soyuzneftegaz on the development of offshore drilling in the territorial waters of Syria, reports "RT" with reference to the RIA "News».
Soyuzneftegaz will conduct exploration work, create the infrastructure necessary for the development of a subsea field, and train local personnel in the Syrian general center for oil production.
In search of a place for drilling, the area of 2190 square kilometers will be explored. The cost of about $ 90 million will be assumed by Soyuzneftegaz.
Syrian Oil Minister Suleiman Abbas said that the contract is 25 years.
Syrian jihadists dispel the illusions of the West. Brookings Doha Center researcher Charles Lister gave pessimistic predictions about the next phase of the Syrian conflict. He writes about it MIGnews.com.
The balance of power within the Syrian opposition has completely changed. The opposition is now clearly dominated by jihadist factions.
The illusion of the West that there is an armed force on the ground, ready to support an air attack against the “tyrannical regime” of Assad, is dying. The arguments of analysts, from which it follows that the "liberated territories" of Syria are controlled by "moderate" opposition members, are fading. The West has a choice: al-Qaeda or Assad.
Most of the Sunni Salafi factions have united in the Islamic Front, and therefore the role of jihadists will increase.
In Baghdad, restless. The camp of the Iranian opposition group "The organization of the Mujahideen of the Iranian people" on the outskirts of Baghdad was subjected to massive shelling last night. In a statement by the leadership of the OMIN, it is noted that "as a result of tens of mines and missiles breaking, two people were killed, several more, including women and children, were seriously injured." Responsibility for this action lies with the government of Nuri al-Maliki, who "wants to enlist the support of Tehran in the run-up to the elections in Iraq scheduled for next year." He writes about it ITAR-TASS.
Official Baghdad has repeatedly denied such allegations.
Responsibility for the shelling of the camp "Liberty", formerly owned by the American military, took over the Shiite group "Army al-Mukhtar", formally not subordinate to the government. Vatik al-Batat, its leader, told foreign journalists that "we have repeatedly demanded that the government that these people (members of the OMIN) be expelled from the country, but they are still here."
ITAR-TASS recalls that the MMI militants, following the defeat in Iran’s territory after the Islamic revolution of 1979, found refuge in Iraq. During the Iran-Iraq war 1981-1989. they fought on the side of Saddam Hussein. In recent years, when Shiite politicians supported by Iran came to power in Baghdad, the “mojaheds” began to be persecuted.
An eye for an eye. Last night israeli aviation responded with new attacks on the Gaza Strip to two missiles fired by Palestinian militants. This was reported by the press service of the IDF, reports RIA News".
There are no casualties on the Israeli side. Reuters reported, with reference, about one wounded in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli military targets called airstrikes armory workshop and weapons warehouse. “Direct hits have been confirmed,” the army press service said.
Netanyahu, resolute and mysterious. The Israeli air force has been conducting clandestine operations in recent years, the prime minister of the Jewish state acknowledged, speaking at the graduation ceremony of the Israeli Air Force flight school. He writes about it correspondent ITAR-TASS Andrey Shirokov.
“The clandestine operations conducted by the Israeli Air Force in recent years testifies to our determination to counter the threats to our existence,” said B. Netanyahu.
Turkish ministers fell down. Amur Hajiyev told about resignations and personnel changes in the Turkish government caused by a corruption scandal."Voice of Russia").
Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday night announced government reshuffle. In addition to the three ministers who had previously resigned, the prime minister dismissed the EU Minister for European Affairs, Egemen Bagis. The ministers of justice, transport, family policy, sports and industry, and the vice-premier also lost their posts.
Pro-government experts believe that outside the "anti-corruption campaign" are external forces seeking to undermine the position of the Erdogan party three months before the local elections. The prime minister himself blames "international groups" and even "dark forces."
Here is what the deputy general chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party and the deputy of the Turkish parliament, Tugrul Turkes, says:
“It’s not so much the driving forces that are important as the essence and the participants of this corruption scandal. After all, we are talking about close relatives of politicians involved in money laundering. It is necessary to consider these issues as a matter of priority. That is, before considering the question of who launched this process and why, it is necessary to clarify the corpus delicti and identify the participants in the crimes committed. It is necessary to give a clear answer to the question: on what scale is corruption in question? Is everything reported to the Turkish public?
The party of the nationalist movement does not clutch at the various conspiracy theories that are so popular in the Middle East. We are supporters of an objective investigation. We are trying to understand the essence of the processes.
Of course, recent events have been crushing for the government of Erdogan. The Turkish people have lost confidence in the ruling party. Certain permutations are being made, however, in my opinion, this is not enough. The Turkish people are not going to forgive. And no pre-election tours around the country will help. I’m sure that 30 March 2014 will be scored by the people for the Justice and Development Party and will deprive this party of its support. ”
The party of the nationalist movement does not clutch at the various conspiracy theories that are so popular in the Middle East. We are supporters of an objective investigation. We are trying to understand the essence of the processes.
Of course, recent events have been crushing for the government of Erdogan. The Turkish people have lost confidence in the ruling party. Certain permutations are being made, however, in my opinion, this is not enough. The Turkish people are not going to forgive. And no pre-election tours around the country will help. I’m sure that 30 March 2014 will be scored by the people for the Justice and Development Party and will deprive this party of its support. ”
Ankara increased its military budget. The Turkish parliament approved an increase in the country's military budget by 6,71% in 2014. This is reported by the weekly “Defense News” with reference to the data published on the results of the parliament’s session, "Military Industrial Courier".
The Ministry of Defense of Turkey allocated 10,908 billion dollars. The increase compared with the budget 2013 was 7,15%. The cost of the gendarmerie increased by 5,35% and amount to 3,08 billion. Coast Guard budget increased from 216 million to 226 million.
These three structures, whose funds form the military budget of Turkey, will receive 2014 billion dollars in 14,212 year. This figure was 2013 billion dollars in 13,317 year (an increase of 6,71%).
Deductions for defense in the 2014 year, indicates "MIC", occupy a share in 3,7% of the total budget of the country.
Attack on the palace. In the capital of CAR, Bangui, a massive attack on the presidential palace and the residence of the head of state Michel Djotodia was repelled. This was announced by the press secretary of the President, Guy Simplice Codedege, reports correspondent ITAR-TASS Alexander Nechaev with reference to the Associated Press.
The battle with the use of heavy weapons lasted several hours, but the army managed to stop the advance of the attackers.
According to the press secretary, the attack was organized by Christian supporters of the ousted president Francois Bozize. Jotodia is the first Muslim leader in stories a country whose majority of the population professes Christianity.
Banda whitebeard. The criminals in the costumes of Santa Clauses and white beards during the Christmas holidays made two armed raids on jewelry stores in Albania and Kosovo, reports RIA News" with reference to France Press.
The first incident occurred in Tirana: four white-bearded intruders with machine guns broke into a jewelry store at one of the shopping centers of the Albanian capital. "Santa" carried from the store a lot of value.
Later, a gang of three “Klausovs” robbed a jewelry store in the Kosovo city of Prizren. These "Santa" were more brutal: during the raid two people were injured.
It is not clear one is a gang, or different.
Pornoskandal between Germany and Switzerland. About 30 thousands (!) Of Germans received notifications of fines for illegally downloading porn movies from one popular site. The Swiss law firm “U + C”, acting on behalf of the owner of the rights to pornography, announced that the penalty for each (!) Download is 250 euros. This writes Andrey Fedyashin ("Voice of Russia").
Moreover, the representative of the designated Swiss office, Thomas Urmann told the newspaper Die Welt that the Germans should not think that this is a "one-time action." In the new year there will be even more notifications of fines.
Says comrade Snowden. “Private life is important; private life allows us to determine who we are and who we want to be,” explained Snowden on Channel 4 (Britain). Snowden's address is devoted to a new review of Western publications from "Foreign Press".
In a statement released on Wednesday, Edward Snowden called for an end to mass surveillance, claiming that the automated control he had exposed exceeded George Orwell's fantasies, reports The New York Times.
“A child born today will grow up without any idea of personal information and privacy,” Snowden said on Channel 4. “Private life is important, private life allows us to determine who we are and who we want to be,” said a public informer.
“It’s always cheaper to ask than to spy,” comrade Snowden noted further.
In an interview, Snowden assured that if he acted against the US government, it was only for the good of the American people and in the name of higher ideals, Max Fisher notes in The Washington Post.
The observer believes that the statements of E. Snowden are a sign of a worldview that “in any other national context we would call nationalism”. These are ideas about the need to take control of a government, strongly deviating from upholding public interests, that “a person can and, perhaps, should remain loyal to his nation and put it higher than loyalty to the government”.
True, in this case the situation is confusing. Snowden divulged the secrets of the United States, without knowing in advance whether the Americans share his position. The Americans could not oppose mass surveillance: they did not know about it ...
Thanks to Snowden, we learned a lot about what the NSA was secretly doing. As a result, Congress, the Federal District Court and the White House are considering how to curb this agency. But you need to answer the main questions: how US intelligence agencies use the NSA against the Americans. This is what Seth Rosenfeld writes in The Los Angeles Times.
The journalist demands to “convene a new Church Commission” and find out not only what data the NSA collects, but also how other intelligence agencies use it. Does the NSA follow US citizens and organizations involved in the protest movement, such as Occupy? Does it follow immigrants, such as Muslim communities? Is the NSA used to gather information about academic dissident communities?
“History teaches us that this reform requires a public report on exactly how the intelligence services were used against the Americans,” Rosenfeld said.
NSA department is sinking into a sea of useless information gathered as a result of surveillance, The Wall Street Journal writes. This was stated by William Binnie, one of the creators of computer programs with which the NSA spies on the network. Binni worked at the NSA for more than 30 years, “rose to a rank similar to the general’s” and resigned in 2001 in the year after the department refused to use his program. It was Binnie who developed the method of encrypting all American metadata and offered to decrypt information only on the court order.
“They bring themselves to dysfunctionality by collecting all this data,” said Binnie at a privacy conference in Lausanne. Analysts piled up with information cannot do their job effectively, and the colossal archives are an overwhelming temptation, pushing for abuse.
E. Snowden reported through a lawyer that he has "great respect" for Binnie, who "did everything he could do within the rules."
Three on the Porsche Cayenne. The US State Department said it was outraged by the beating of Ukrainian journalist Tatyana Chornovol, reports RIA "Novosti" Alexey Bogdanovsky.
“The United States is deeply concerned about the growing trend of violence and intimidation against activists and journalists who have participated or made reports about the protests of“ euromaidan ”. The brutal beating of journalist Tatyana Chornovol worries us especially, ”said Jen Psaki.
The US and the EU will monitor the Chornovol case and similar proceedings.
About beating the journalist tells "Lenta.ru" with reference to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
December 26 Ukrainian police detained a third suspect in the beating of the journalist "Ukrainian Truth" Tatiana Chornovol. Detained Sergei Kotenko was announced on the eve of the wanted list. At the same time, the first two suspects in the attack were detained. Their names are not reported. Earlier, the Interior Ministry stated that one of the suspects owned a company that was controlled by TVi.
December 26 The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine re-qualified the article, which investigates the beating of Chornovil, from “Hooliganism” to “Grievous bodily harm”. The deputy from “Batkivshchyna” Vladimir Yavorivsky said that in the future the case could be retrained to “Attempt to kill”.
“The attack on Tatiana Chornovol was committed on the night of December 25. Several men on the Porsche Cayenne clipped her car on the way to Kiev, pulled the journalist out of the cabin and beat her, and then fled. Chornovol was hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury and numerous hematomas. According to the doctors, she is in a state of moderate severity. She will have several operations.
The Interior Ministry said they are considering several versions of what happened, including the version of the attack due to the professional activities of the journalist and the version of the provocation and the road conflict. ”
The Interior Ministry said they are considering several versions of what happened, including the version of the attack due to the professional activities of the journalist and the version of the provocation and the road conflict. ”
T. Chornovil leads journalistic investigations concerning high-ranking Ukrainian officials, including Viktor Yanukovych. It was she who published a number of materials about corruption. She also participated in promotions in support of European integration.
Georgian circular defense. The expected decision to sell old military equipment, mainly military tanks T-55 and T-72 and Mi-2 and Mi-8 helicopters, which should be adopted by the Ministry of Defense of Georgia, caused a discussion both within the country and abroad, writes Vakhtang Maysaya ("Independent newspaper").
Georgia is trying to bring up for discussion a version of the implementation of its remaining Soviet and Russian equipment in African developing countries. The decision will be made in the coming days. In addition to technical considerations (difficulty in operation, high costs of maintaining military equipment, problems with spare parts), political factors also contribute to the solution.
The analyst notes that Georgia is moving to a new principle of military doctrine - the so-called all-round defense. The country reserves the right to conduct only defensive wars at the regional level.
The current leadership of Georgia has put forward a more flexible approach to resolving conflicts on the example of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. The transition from offensive types of weapons to defensive and is an indicator of the implementation of such a "peacekeeping strategy."
Defense funds in 2014 year - approximately 700 million GEL (about 400 million dollars). This amount does not allow for the operation of offensive weapons.
However, the leadership of the military department of Georgia should take into account the following factors. It will be extremely difficult to get to the market of third countries with the offer of old military equipment that has long been mastered by large manufacturers. Markets and their arms sales segments are redistributed among large “players”: the USA, Great Britain, Russia, China, Ukraine and others.
The question of Transnistria. Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova Yevgeny Karpov did not agree with the decision of the Transdniestrian parliament to introduce Russian legislation in the unrecognized republic. This tells correspondent ITAR-TASS Veniamin Demidetsky.
“This decision was made unilaterally and violates the agreements reached at the recent meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Kiev, where the existing format“ 5 + 2 ”(Moldova, Transdniestria, OSCE, Russia, Ukraine and EU and US observers), ”said Mr. Karpov.
He expressed confidence that "in accordance with the norms of international law, Transnistria is part of Moldova."
Corr. ITAR-TASS recalls that the law on the introduction of Russian federal legislation in the unrecognized republic adopted by the Transnistrian parliament in December on the 25 was commented by its president Yevgeny Shevchuk. “The law adopted by the parliament in the first reading implies the introduction of federal legislation of Russia along with local, and Russian laws should become a priority in the hierarchy,” Shevchuk said.
Earlier, Tiraspol proposed Chisinau to “divorce in a civilized manner,” given that “the Transnistrian priority is integration into the Eurasian space”.
A glass for the health of Depardieu. Today, Russian actor Gerard Depardieu celebrates anniversary. Celebrity performed 65. Write about it "Vesti" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
France can not forget Depardieu his resettlement in Belgium and the adoption of Russian citizenship. The media include him in the list of people, the least likeable nation. However, both the former president of the Fifth Republic of Sarkozy and the current Hollande would give him a big head start in this “race of unpopularity”.
Depardieu has not been filming for compatriot directors for over a year. In foreign cinema, he is all right. Soon he will play the role of Dominique Strauss-Kahn in the American director Abel Ferrara's film Welcome to New York. Depardieu starred in the Russian television movie "Zaitsev + 1".
There are no official ceremonies on the birthday of Depardieu in France. But residents of the town of Chateauroux, where he was born, announced that they would raise a glass in the Sans Chichis cafe for the health of a famous countryman.
Bangkok: dead and wounded. The Bangkok administration has released updated data on the number of victims of street clashes 26 December in the area of the Thai-Japanese friendship stadium. Two people died, 143 injured. He writes about it correspondent ITAR-TASS Alexey Skovoronsky.
Among the injured are 25 police. One policeman died from a gunshot wound in a hospital.
During the clashes, police used tear gas and rubber bullets. Demonstrators used firearms and improvised explosive packets.
Now the situation in the area of the Thai-Japanese friendship stadium, where the Election Commission finishes receiving documents from those who wish to participate in parliamentary elections, is calm.
Anti-Corruption Campaign in China continues to mow down officials. Deputy Chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee of the All-China Committee of the People’s Political Consultative Council of China Yang Gang is suspected of corruption. Reports about it "Lenta.ru" with reference to Xinhua.
As stated in the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the official committed serious violations of the law and disciplinary offenses. What exactly Yan Gan is suspected of is not clear.
The case of Yang Ghana, ITAR-TASS notes, was a continuation of a series of anti-corruption investigations, which included the former head of the State Property Control and Management Committee under the State Council of the PRC, Jiang Jiemin, and the deputy head of the State Committee on Development and Reform of the PRC Liu Tenan.
To meet with the souls of war criminals. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday morning visited the Yasukuni temple, where the souls of war criminals convicted by the Tokyo Tribunal are venerated. Reports about it "Lenta.ru" with reference to France-Presse.
Abe said that he was aware of his view of visiting Yasukuni as an act of honoring war criminals, and clarified that his visit was intended to mark an "era in which people would not suffer from the tragedy of war." He also noted that he did not want to insult the people of China and South Korea.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry reacted negatively to the gesture of the Japanese prime minister. A ministry spokesman said Abe’s visit to Yasukuni was “totally unacceptable for the Chinese people."
On the reaction of South Korea is not reported.
The Japanese Air Force Air Base, the Japanese will be transferred to a landfill. The governor of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa this morning signed documents regulating the organization of the ... landfill. The Japanese will transfer Futemma airbase to this dump. This is reported by the agency "Kyodo" with reference to a high-ranking source in the administration of the prefecture, reports "Lenta.ru".
The military transfer plan was drawn up in 2006 year. It is expected that the garbage island will appear in the area of the city of Nago.
In the US, five children die every day from violence. Every day in the US, five babies die at the hands of adults, reports "Voice of Russia" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
The sad statistics are collected by the public organization National Children's Alliance, funded by the Ministry of Justice, and the non-profit National Association of Children's Lawyers.
In 2011, 1570 was reported in the deaths of children and adolescents. More than 279 thousands of minors became victims of beatings, bullying, rape and psychological harassment.
US Congress: nowhere worse. Two-thirds of US residents consider the current composition of Congress "the worst in history." This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by CNN, together with the research company ORC, writes correspondent ITAR-TASS Andrey Bekrenev.
“This opinion is shared by representatives of different demographic groups and political views. Men and women, rich and poor, young and old, all believe that the current Congress is the worst in their memory, ”said CNN representative Keating Holland.
Moreover, supporters of the Republican and Democratic parties are dissatisfied with the work of the legislators.
73% of respondents are sure: the current Congress did nothing to solve the problems facing the country.
The survey, conducted by 16-19 December by telephone, involved more than a thousand adults in the United States.
The rating of US President Barack Obama, the correspondent notes, is also at a record low. According to a November opinion poll, 54% of Americans are dissatisfied with his work ...
Uranium bankrupt. The US Atomic Energy Corporation USEC Inc., the country's leading supplier of nuclear fuel for commercial nuclear power plants, intends to sue the Delaware Bankruptcy Court for a voluntary petition for bankruptcy in accordance with Art. 11 US Bankruptcy Code. The company expects to file this application in QNUMX Q1, reports RBC.
A bankruptcy statement is required by USEC to implement a financial restructuring plan agreed with the majority of creditors.
Today, USEC, through its subsidiary, United States Enrichment Corporation, operates the only uranium enrichment plant in the United States (gas diffusion plant in Paducah, Kentucky). An enterprise owned by the US Department of Energy has been leased by USEC. In May, 2013, the company announced that it was forced to stop uranium enrichment in Paducah by decision of the Ministry of Energy, which found the plant’s activities commercially unpromising.
On the American side, United States Enrichment Corporation was also the executor of the Megatons to Megawatts program for the conversion of Russian weapons-grade uranium into nuclear fuel for American nuclear power plants. This program was completed in December 2013.
Clinton vs Christie. Among potential US presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie hold the lead. This is evidenced by the results of a survey of CNN and ORC, reports RIA "Novosti" Alexey Bogdanovsky.
True, neither he nor she has yet announced their intention to run for president in 2016.
According to a 950 poll of registered voters in the United States, in a pair of Christie - Clinton, the Republican governor can get 48% of votes, and the former secretary of state - 46%.
Mr. Christie is leading among non-party voters and among men, and Mrs. Clinton is significantly ahead of Christie among female voters.
The survey was conducted on December 16-19; its statistical error is 3 percentage points.
The Americans who are sick of Hillary probably don’t even remember her main slogan, which she almost daily exploited, being Secretary of State: “Assad should leave.” The memory of the electorate is short. Today, many Western experts agreed that Assad is preferable to Al-Qaida. In any 2016 year, whatever one may say, but in the Middle East there will be a lot of questions, and presidential candidates will have to speak on this topic in the election debate. In principle, using the recipes of the “Ministry of Truth” from Orwell’s book, Hillary can say: “Al-Qaida” should leave. I always said that. ”
Observed and commented on Oleg Chuvakin
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- especially for topwar.ru
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