Geopolitical mosaic: the international community condemns the terrorist attack in Volgograd, while in China they will tighten control over the incomes of officials
Condemnation of the terrorist act. - New attack of terrorists. - Sochi and the bomb? - Syria and Russia: oil strategy. - The explosion in Iraq. - The Turkish army is not engaged in politics. - Saudi blogger sentenced to death for apostasy. - Religious police of Saudi Arabia has forbidden to celebrate the New Year. - Israel has found a partner instead of the United States - Russia. - The Israeli Cabinet of Ministers wanted the annexation of the Jordan Valley. - About Israel and Lebanon. - The army of Lebanon will be armed by Saudi Arabia and France. - Communication between Europe, Asia and North Africa - under the hood of the NSA. - North Korea: the seven executed. - In China, will tighten control over the income of officials. - China approved the November decisions. - “The Great Housing Mission.” - In France, approved the "luxury tax". - In the UK, the profession of a bank robber will soon go to history. - Yanukovych "for rent". - Klitschko started talking about a general strike. - The European Parliament against the Ukrainian Nazis. - Azerbaijan does not like the desire of Armenia to enter the CU. - Against Russian espionage. - The NSA is following legally: this is how the American federal court decided. - Stencil for twenty bucks. - In the United States do not like gays and lesbians. - Who will win: globalism or nationalism? The question of the year.
Condemnation of the terrorist act. Venezuelan President condemned the terrorist act committed on Sunday at the railway station of Volgograd, reports correspondent RIA "News" Dmitry Znamensky.
On behalf of the government and all the people, Comrade Maduro expressed words of sympathy and fraternal solidarity with the authorities and the people of Russia in connection with the tragedy, especially to the families of the dead and injured.
Maduro's statement says: "The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is fully confident that <...> the Russian authorities will calculate and punish both the instigators and the perpetrators of this cowardly and criminal act."
RIA "News»Recalls that an explosion at a railway station in Volgograd thundered yesterday. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee reported that an unidentified explosive device had worked there. 17 people died, more than 40 was injured.
The head of the UN Ban Ki-moon condemned the terrorist attack in Volgograd and demanded to punish those responsible for its implementation. This is stated in the common statement of the official representative of the world organization, reports correspondent RIA "Novosti" Ivan Zakharchenko.
"The Secretary-General calls for bringing to justice those responsible for this monstrous act," the statement says. According to the head of the UN, he is "in solidarity with the Russian Federation in the face of terrorism."
Earlier, the Security Council of the world organization also condemned the terrorist attack in Volgograd.
Corr. RIA "Novosti" reminds that, according to the information of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee of the Russian Federation, a bomb with a capacity of about 10 kilograms of TNT brought into action a suicide bomber. But later in the Investigation Committee stated that a man could do it.
US condemned the terrorist attack in Volgograd. This was stated yesterday by State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, writes correspondent RIA "Novosti" Alexey Bogdanovsky.
"The United States strongly condemns today's terrorist attack in Volgograd," Psaki said on Sunday. “We sincerely condole with the families of the victims and stand in solidarity with the Russian people (in the fight) against any terrorism,” the State Department spokeswoman said.
Earlier, condolences in connection with the terrorist attack were expressed by Michael McFaul, the US ambassador to Russia.
New attack of terrorists. Today, another attack occurred in Volgograd: militants blew up a trolleybus with passengers. The victims of this attack, which occurred not far from the Kaczynski market, were an 10 man, and they were also injured. "Vesti" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
“Military Review” expresses its condolences to the families and friends of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to the wounded.
Sochi and the bomb? A bomb may explode at any time in the Sochi resort, writes The Independent columnist Michael Church, also known as the compiler of a collection of Chechen music. An abridged translation of the article by Church is published. "Inopressoy".
"And if this happens, a nightmare will occur, to prevent which Putin is spending billions of rubles," the author continues to develop the theme.
According to the journalist, the Olympics in Sochi will show the world, “how absolute Putin’s control over the territories of which he is president”. After all, Doku Umarov promised to use "maximum power" to stop the Olympics.
“... If Umarov will disrupt the Olympics, he will probably strike a fatal blow to Putin’s carefully cultivated fiction that his country is one big happy family,” the author of the article points out.
Syria and Russia: oil strategy. Russia strengthens ties with Bashar Assad, concluding an energy agreement with Syria, write Borzou Daraghahy and Henry Foy (Financial Times; the source of short translation is "Inopressa").
“The energy agreement between Moscow and Damascus may affect strategic forecasts regarding both the civil war in Syria and the desire of regional powers to exploit oil and gas deposits on the coastal shelf of the Eastern Mediterranean,” the authors point out.
Soyuzneftegaz and the Syrian government signed an agreement on exploration, drilling, development and production of oil and gas off the coast of Syria, journalists remind. The 25-year concession further strengthens Moscow’s ties with Damascus. “For Russians, this is a way to benefit from their political support for the regime,” said Jihad Yazigi, editor-in-chief of Syria Report magazine.
The authors remind that the main oil reserves in Syria are located in the territories controlled by the rebels, and suggest that the deal could create a new source of income for B. Assad. “It will also allow Russia to take part in the struggle for the Mediterranean energy resources, which Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Cyprus and other countries are already leading,” journalists said.
The explosion in Iraq. Eight soldiers of the armed forces, including the general, became victims of the explosion that had thundered in Iraq. This was reported by the Iraqi media, writes correspondent ITAR-TASS Vasily Vavilin.
The explosive device worked in Mosul - along the road, which was followed by an army patrol.
The Turkish army is not engaged in politics. The command of the Turkish army announced that it was not going to intervene in the political crisis caused by a corruption scandal in the government, reports "Lenta.ru" with reference to France-Presse.
"The armed forces of the Turkish Republic do not intend to participate in political debates," the General Staff announced.
Army comments appeared on the background of the discussion in the local media. Some of its participants, including Yalchin Akdogan (Assistant to Prime Minister Erdogan), expressed the opinion that a corruption scandal could be a pretext for the next military coup.
Details about the Turkish corruption scandal - in today's article “Dark forces are viciously oppressing us: the case of the Turkish government”.
Saudi blogger sentenced to death for apostasy. Saudi Supreme Court sentenced Raif Badawi, founder of the Free Saudi Liberals website, to death. This was reported CN channel, citing the blogger's wife. The country's highest court found him guilty of apostasy, says Fahim Al-Surani ("Voice of Russia").
The decision of the court was commented by the Director of the Arab Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Geneva, Riyad al-Saidawi.
In summer, the Jeddah City Court sentenced Badawi to seven years in prison for insulting Islam and for speaking on television. His lawyer filed an appeal. Bottom line: the Supreme Court changed the sentence imposed earlier. Instead of softening the sentence, the blogger was awaiting a death penalty verdict.
More than 40 thousands of prisoners are serving time in prisons in Saudi Arabia today - just because their opinion differs from that of the king. Sit in the cells of writers, poets, journalists, bloggers, ordinary workers who said something sharp about the government.
To the journalist's question, “How is the sentence of Raif Badavi related to the so-called Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice?” The expert answered:
Religious police of Saudi Arabia has forbidden to celebrate the New Year. Religious police of Saudi Arabia (Al-Mutava) warned citizens and foreigners residing in the kingdom about the ban on New Year celebrations. Store owners are advised to stop the sale of Christmas goods. Police officers turn to shops selling flowers and gifts, so that they do not sell goods that can be purchased on the occasion of this holiday, reports "Voice of Russia" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
In its decision, Al-Mutawa was guided by a fatwa issued by the supreme committee of the Saudi ulama.
Israel found a partner instead of the United States - Russia. Jerusalem seriously talked about joining the Customs Union. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that in the coming year, an agreement on the creation of a duty-free trade zone between Israel, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus will be developed and signed, reports Vremya.ua.
Lieberman noted that the signing of the agreement on a single trading space should signal the business community that the partnership between Russia and Israel is viewed positively at the top: the agreement on a free trade zone reflects a high level of political relations.
Recently, the same Lieberman declared that instead of the United States, Israel should look for another strategic partner. "Relations between Israel and its main strategic partner, the United States, have weakened," Lieberman said at a public forum in Sderot. “We should stop demanding, complaining, moaning, instead we should look for countries that do not depend on money from the Arab or Islamic world and who would like to cooperate with us on the basis of innovation.”
The Israeli Cabinet of Ministers wanted the annexation of the Jordan Valley. The Committee of Ministers on Legislation voted 29 December in favor of the bill on the annexation of the Jordan Valley and its transfer under the full sovereignty of Israel, reports MIGnews.com.
Four ministers voted in favor of a draft law that was proposed by a Knesset member from the Likud party, Miri Regev, three were against.
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, in charge of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, attacked the ministers who voted for the bill. She called this document "an irresponsible proposal that could harm Israel and lead to its isolation." Livni threw a sharp reply to Regev: "I have no respect for the bill or its author."
The Jordan Valley has become a topic of controversy in recent months, reminds MIGnews.com. The US Secretary of State is seeking the conclusion of such a deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, in which the Israelis will “leave” all of Judea and Samaria, but temporarily retain a military presence there, and / or international troops will be stationed there (on which the PA leadership insists). And the Israeli government claims that the valley is a strategically important territory, a “buffer”. Netanyahu wants Israel to keep its troops in the area if it leaves Judea and Samaria.
The appeals of nationalist Knesset members to annex this zone are an attempt to prevent Israel’s withdrawal from the Jordan Valley.
About Israel and Lebanon. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday called on all parties in Israel and Lebanon to avoid repetition of border incidents, warning that they could destabilize the situation in the region, reports correspondent ITAR-TASS Oleg Zelenin.
Lebanon fired on Israeli territory for the first time since August. Ban Ki-moon’s statement followed after militants in southern Lebanon fired two missiles at Qaryat Shmona. Ban Ki-moon condemned these actions. According to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, in response to a rocket attack, the Israeli army launched 32 artillery salvoes across the territory of a neighboring country.
“The Secretary-General calls on all parties to show maximum restraint and prevent new incidents that could destabilize the situation in the region,” the press service of the world organization said.
The army of Lebanon is armed with Saudi Arabia and France. Saudi Arabia has allocated 3 billion dollars to re-equip the Lebanese army. This was announced in a televised address to the nation by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, reports correspondent ITAR-TASS Dmitry Zelenin.
The head of state noted that King Abdullah ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud made such a decision during negotiations with the French president in Riyadh. Saudi kingdom takes over the supply of French weapons Lebanon, explained Suleiman. According to him, "this is the largest in the history of retrofitting the Lebanese army."
France is ready to supply weapons to the Lebanese army, said Francois Hollande, who is on an official visit to Riyadh. He writes about it correspondent ITAR-TASS Anton Chudakov.
“I cooperate with the President of Lebanon. If he sends us a request for the supply of his army with armaments, we will satisfy him, ”the French president said after negotiations with the King of Saudi Arabia.
Communication between Europe, Asia and North Africa - under the hood of the NSA. The NSA gains access to information by establishing control over one of the most important telecommunications links between Europe, North Africa and Asia, reports Der Spiegel magazine.
According to the newspaper, the department of this special service for highly specialized operations managed to “extract data by hacking into the management of the underwater cable system Sea-Me-We-4”. This is stated in the “highly classified” document from 13 February 2013 of the year, which came to the editor, reports MIGnews.com with reference to Deutsche Welle.
NSA experts hacked into the consortium site, which is the operator of Sea-Me-We-4, and got access to the data on the technical infrastructure of the cable system. Control over most of the telecommunications system is only the first stage of the operation, the purpose of which is to obtain all the necessary information using this and other communication networks.
North Korea: the seven executed. Seven more people were executed along with the DPRK leader’s uncle, Jang Son Song Thaek, December 12, the South Korean newspaper Chunan Ilbo reports. This tells correspondent RIA "Novosti" Daria Krutov.
According to an unnamed source, two high-ranking party officials, two government members, two military officers and one company manager were executed with Chan Son Thaek. The executed persons occupied positions not lower than the level of deputy minister and head of the department.
The shooting was carried out in the building of the National Security Committee of the DPRK in the presence of key party leaders of the country.
In China, will tighten control over the incomes of officials. Control over the income of Chinese officials and their families should be strengthened and carried out continuously. This was announced in a circular of the Organizational Department of the CPC Central Committee in connection with the country's campaign against corruption, reports correspondent ITAR-TASS Anton Marinin.
The rule of compulsory informing the responsible authorities about the income, marital status, property registered to the spouse, private property abroad is in effect for officials in the PRC since 2010. But, as indicated in the circular, “many civil servants take the opportunity to hide illegal incomes by investing abroad, transferring funds to the next of kin, and do not report in time about changes in their financial status, acquisition of movable and immovable property”.
According to the new order, civil servants who shy away from providing detailed information about incomes are deprived of the right to be promoted. In special cases, they may be dismissed from work and prosecuted.
And one more innovation touched the unfortunate Chinese officials.
From now on, Chinese officials will have to "stand at the head" of a campaign to comply with the ban on smoking in public places, reports "Voice of Russia" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
According to a joint circular published by the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council of the People's Republic of China, officials are now prohibited from smoking in schools, hospitals, at sports facilities, in public transport and other public places. Functionaries were reminded about the ban on the use of public funds to buy cigarettes. Finally, officials are no longer allowed to smoke, as well as offering to smoke others in the performance of their duties.
Meanwhile, China is the world's largest producer and buyer of cigarettes. The number of smokers in the country exceeded 300 million. At least 740 million people are among the passive smokers, notes the Voice of Russia.
In China, the November decisions were approved. China has abolished the system of labor re-education, reports "Lenta.ru" with reference to Xinhua. On Saturday, the corresponding proposal was adopted at the session of the Standing Committee of the All-China People’s Assembly.
Lawmakers also softened the principle of "one family - one child", allowing the second to start if one of the parents was the only child in the family.
Parliament approved the decisions adopted in mid-November by the plenary session of the Communist Party. Changes, according to management, are part of efforts aimed at strengthening human rights and improving the quality of law enforcement.
"Great Housing Mission." China has allocated Venezuela five billion dollars for housing development. This was told by Nicolas Maduro, reports the Associated Press. As notes "Lenta.ru"The funds transferred to the Venezuelan-Chinese Foundation, created in 2008, will also be used for the development of transport, satellite technology and military needs.
Comrade Maduro's statement was made on the background of the opening of several residential complexes in the framework of the Great Housing Mission program in December on 28 in Venezuela. It is assumed that the funds received from China will go to the development of this program.
In France, approved the "luxury tax". The French Constitutional Council approved the introduction of a “luxury tax” in the amount of 75% on income over 1 million euros. This is stated in a press release, reports correspondent ITAR-TASS Anton Chudakov.
The introduction of the 75 percent tax was one of the central promises in the election campaign of Francois Hollande. The Constitutional Council, which declared the fiscal reform to be contrary to the basic law, has previously prevented this plan from being implemented. But the government proposed a different scheme, which was adopted. Now, all businesses paying employees a salary in excess of 1 million euros will be taxed. Football clubs are already panicking ...
In the UK, the bank robber profession will soon go down in history. The number of bank robbery attempts in the country has fallen to a historic low, the BBC reports, citing the Association of British Bankers. According to her, in the 1992 year, 847 cases were registered in the country, and in the 2011 year - only 66, notes correspondent ITAR-TASS Vitaly Makarchev.
“Thus, over the past twenty years, the number of such crimes has decreased by 90%. In the coming years, the UK is able to become the first country in Europe where it will be completely eliminated with bank robberies, ”the channel said.
It turns out that due to the latest technology to protect banks, as well as the widespread use of video cameras in the central city blocks of external and internal surveillance.
Yanukovych "for rent". Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Stephen Peifer says: “I don’t think Yanukovich can be bought. He can be “rented”, but he will always strive for a new deal. ” The Ukrainian theme is devoted to a new review of Western publications from "Foreign Press".
When Yanukovych winked at Putin during the signing of an economic aid agreement in the amount of 20 billion dollars, it looked like the president of Ukraine had won this gambit, according to an article by James Marson in The Wall Street Journal.
“In the light of the upcoming elections in 2015, Yanukovych urgently needed money, but he didn’t want to carry out a painful - and potentially diminishing number of votes - reorganization of the economy, which the EU and the IMF demanded,” explains the columnist. - Thanks to the economic assistance from Moscow, he regained the initiative. The flight of his political supporters has stalled. ”
The agreement gives the Kremlin more control over Yanukovych, but leaves room for maneuver: after all, the President of Ukraine did not give promises to join the Customs Union. “I don’t think that Yanukovich can be bought,” notes former US ambassador to Ukraine Stephen Peifer. “He can probably be rented, but he will always strive for a new deal.”
The author of the article further recalls that Yanukovych, who was born in poverty, went to prison twice (for theft and attack), and only then took a leading position in the transport sector. In 2010, Yanukovych won the presidential election, promising to establish balanced relations with the West and Russia.
“Upon taking office, he quickly moved on to restoring relations with Russia, abandoning plans to join NATO and signing an agreement allowing the Russian Black Sea the fleet be based in Ukraine until 2042, ”the author of the article writes.
“At the same time, he rejected Moscow’s insistent requests to join its trade bloc and unite the gas companies of the two countries and began negotiations on free trade agreements and political association with the EU,” the journalist reminds.
“The Ukrainian street protestes have a new face: Tatyana Chornovol’s terribly bloated and swollen face,” writes the author of La Stampa, Anna Zafesova. - Yesterday, photos of the brutally beaten journalist were exposed in front of the villa of the Minister of the Interior Vitaly Zakharchenko. Only one day before the attack, Tatyana published an article about the posh villa Zakharchenko, whom the opposition demands to punish after a rough dispersal of the protesters on the Maidan. Hundreds of protesters besieged the villa and wrote on the walls in red paint: "The executioner lives here."
“Tatiana's drama made a more vehement protest against President Viktor Yanukovych. Yesterday in various Ukrainian cities, journalists declared a strike and went out into the square with bloodied pieces of gauze in their mouths, ”Zafesova writes.
The Security Service of Ukraine announced a temporary ban on entry for a number of foreign citizens, notes The Times correspondent Helen Womack. Earlier, a member of the Party of Regions, Oleg Tsarev, called on foreigners suspected of trying to destabilize the situation in Ukraine to be barred from entering 36, among them Mikhail Saakashvili was mentioned.
Saakashvili said he regrets that he may not be able to visit Kiev in the near future. “But I will be soul and heart with my Ukrainian brothers and sisters fighting for their freedom and a well-deserved future in Europe,” the Georgian ex-president said.
Klitschko spoke of a general strike. On the approaches to the residence of the President of Ukraine "Mezhigorye" gathered more than a thousand protesters. Reports about it "Lenta.ru" with reference to UNIAN.
The demonstrators staged a rally on the road. The way to the residence they blocked the police and internal troops.
Meanwhile, according to RIA Novosti, more than 10 thousand people gathered on Independence Square.
Several hundred people picket the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine yesterday in protest against the beating of the journalist Chornovol.
According to Vitali Klitschko, after the New Year holidays, the protesters intend to declare a general strike. “If they do not hear us, we will all say that we will not work with this government. We will warn, but further pressure will be exercised on this power, ”Klitschko added.
European Parliament against the Ukrainian Nazis. European deputies appealed to the Ukrainian opposition about VO "Svoboda". The European Parliament adopted an amendment to the resolution on Ukraine, which expressed concern about the growth of Nazi sentiments in the country, which is expressed in support of the Svoboda party, which passed to the Verkhovna Rada, notes Vremya.ua.
Deputies of the European Parliament noted that racist and xenophobic views are contrary to the values and principles of the European Union. Also with this appeal, the European Parliament called on the pro-democracy parties of the Verkhovna Rada not to cooperate, support or form coalitions with Freedom.
The above resolution was published on the website of the European Parliament.
Azerbaijan does not like the desire of Armenia to enter the CU. Azerbaijan officially protested against Armenia joining the Customs Union with Russia. On this, as reported by Trend, said the head of the department on political issues of the administration of the Azerbaijani President Ali Hasanov. He connected discontent of Baku with “occupation of Azerbaijani lands”, notes "Lenta.ru".
“Armenia’s entry into the Customs Union or another similar structure is possible only after the liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani lands,” the official said. Otherwise, in his opinion, the accession of Armenia to the CU will be contrary to international law.
To whom the protest is addressed, it is not specified.
Against Russian espionage. Barack Obama signed the law, which significantly complicates the construction of GLONASS stations in the United States. Now the construction of the stations will be possible only after the special report of the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence to the US Congress. The authors of the bill - the Republicans, the channel said "RT".
“According to the new law, the head of the Pentagon and the director of National Intelligence must vouch for the Congress that the GLONASS stations will not be used to spy on the United States or to improve the effectiveness of Russian weapons,” the New York Times writes.
“We wanted to make the construction of stations almost impossible or impossible at all. We also tried to exclude the State Department from the document approval process, ”the assistant to one of the Republican congressmen who worked on the project admitted in an interview with the newspaper.
The creators of the bill were able to include a provision on GLONASS stations in the draft law on the US defense budget for the next year. The GLONASS law was “hidden” among other provisions, states The New York Times.
Representatives of the office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment and suggested that journalists contact the State Department, well, and there the journalists were told that "a decision on this issue will be made in accordance with the legislative framework."
The CIA and the Pentagon, reminiscent of "RT", are distrustful of the plans of Roscosmos to build observation stations in the US to support the GLONASS satellite system.
The NSA is following legally: this is how the US federal court decided. The Federal District Court of the United States has recognized as legitimate surveillance of the NSA for the population, transmit “To lead. Economy".
Judge William Poulie, who made the decision, argued it with an 54-page document. There, the judge explained that citizen observation is an integral part of the anti-terrorism program, and the PRISM system is a “counter-attack by the state in the fight against al-Qaeda.”
In the opinion of the judge, listening to telephone conversations and looking at citizens' messages on the network, the authorities "collect from separate pieces and reconstruct the Al-Qaeda information system, which will allow it to be destroyed." And just the unlimited possibilities of collecting information will provide the NSA with the opportunity to act effectively.
According to the logic of the judge, we add from ourselves, only Al-Qaeda justifies total surveillance - on a planetary scale. Each person at any moment can be a "piece" of al-Qaeda. American intelligence agencies do not need a court to prosecute and arrest. By applying the “Patriotic Act” in place, all formalities are overcome, and any suspect, whether he is a US citizen or a foreigner, can end up in a special prison where he will quickly testify about plans to break into the Russian tank to the White House, about preparing a space attack on New York and signing a secret agreement with Putin on declaring the United States a nuclear-free colony of the occupying Soviet regime. By the way, the American intelligence services equipped with the latest technology in 2013 could not prevent the terrorist attack in Boston.
Stencil for twenty bucks. SpecializedTargets.com began selling aluminum stencils, with which anyone can paint with a paint can of the President of the United States on a target, writes Ukrainian Association of Weapons Owners.
Stencil worth 20 dollars. Stated that it is "anatomically correct."
In the US, do not like gays and lesbians. "The United States is not much more tolerant to gay athletes than Russia" - under such a heading in The Washington Post (the translation source is "InoSMI") Avery Stone article was published.
In her opinion, President Obama, Vice President Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama made a bold (at first glance) gesture, declaring that they would not go to Sochi and that there would be three gays among the athletes in the US delegation: tennis player Billie Jean King, figure skater Brian Boitano and hockey player Keitlin Kehau.
However, there is no reason for American sports to take a moral superiority position, the author writes.
In 2012, the public organization Campus Pride published the results of a study in which more than 8 thousands of students-athletes from the 164 teams belonging to the National University Sports Association participated. It turned out that LGBT athletes, as well as "undecided", were attacked - both personally and on the Internet - twice as often as their heterosexual counterparts. Every fourth gay man felt pressure, which forced him to keep silent about his sexual orientation.
And at the London 2012 Olympiad of the year, only 23 participants from more than 12 thousands openly admitted their LGBT membership. And only three of them were Americans.
Further ... and then the author notes that she herself is from LGBT.
According to Avery, homophobia and transphobia in sport is a national problem. Sports gay men and those suspected of this are still faced with discrimination and hostility in the United States. The American sports world is not much more enlightened than the "opponents in Sochi," the author concludes.
Who will win: globalism or nationalism? The question of the year. Patrick Buchanan wrote a remarkable article titled “The Politics of the Future Is Chauvinism Against Multiculturalism?” It was published in The American Conservative (the translation source "InoSMI").
In his eulogy, recalls Buchanan, Obama put Nelson Mandela on a par with three other heroes: Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln. All four became icons of resistance to the rule of white people over colored ones. Obama's heroes, the author writes, confirm his belief that the moral struggle of our era is a struggle for racial equality.
Obama sent Churchill’s bust back to the British Embassy, which Bush kept in the Oval Office. Obama did not come to the funeral of Churchill fan Margaret Thatcher. Obama and Churchill’s views on the ideal world are incompatible, the publicist concludes.
But this Obama’s world today is “not very much like tomorrow.”
Buchanan continues:
This is the last "Geopolitical Mosaic" in the past year, dear readers.
Many events have happened in 2013, and now it can be said with confidence that these twelve months will go down in the history of geopolitics, marking the turn of humanity towards a multipolar world. Despite the fact that the spiritual doctrine of Obama's equality, which P. Buchanan briefly described to us, clearly contradicts the conviction of the US President and his Secretary of State Kerry about American "exclusivity", this year, after the Russian initiative regarding Syrian chemical weapons, as well as after agreement of the countries of the "six" with Iran, it became clear: the United States is still want to, but already can not. Their hegemony is quickly becoming a thing of the past; even Mr. Brzezinski hints at this. The white house in the international arena now has to reckon with Russia. Obama has to think not only about the equality of races or genders, but also about the equality of countries in the foreign policy sense. Otherwise, the theoretical constructions of the American president will not withstand any criticism.
For this it is impossible not to drink, comrades.
I congratulate you all on the upcoming! Cheers, loved and happy in 2014! My special congratulations to the regular readers of "Mosaic"! Thank you for your attention and your comments! See you in the New Year!
Condemnation of the terrorist act. Venezuelan President condemned the terrorist act committed on Sunday at the railway station of Volgograd, reports correspondent RIA "News" Dmitry Znamensky.
On behalf of the government and all the people, Comrade Maduro expressed words of sympathy and fraternal solidarity with the authorities and the people of Russia in connection with the tragedy, especially to the families of the dead and injured.
Maduro's statement says: "The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is fully confident that <...> the Russian authorities will calculate and punish both the instigators and the perpetrators of this cowardly and criminal act."
RIA "News»Recalls that an explosion at a railway station in Volgograd thundered yesterday. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee reported that an unidentified explosive device had worked there. 17 people died, more than 40 was injured.
The head of the UN Ban Ki-moon condemned the terrorist attack in Volgograd and demanded to punish those responsible for its implementation. This is stated in the common statement of the official representative of the world organization, reports correspondent RIA "Novosti" Ivan Zakharchenko.
"The Secretary-General calls for bringing to justice those responsible for this monstrous act," the statement says. According to the head of the UN, he is "in solidarity with the Russian Federation in the face of terrorism."
Earlier, the Security Council of the world organization also condemned the terrorist attack in Volgograd.
Corr. RIA "Novosti" reminds that, according to the information of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee of the Russian Federation, a bomb with a capacity of about 10 kilograms of TNT brought into action a suicide bomber. But later in the Investigation Committee stated that a man could do it.
US condemned the terrorist attack in Volgograd. This was stated yesterday by State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, writes correspondent RIA "Novosti" Alexey Bogdanovsky.
"The United States strongly condemns today's terrorist attack in Volgograd," Psaki said on Sunday. “We sincerely condole with the families of the victims and stand in solidarity with the Russian people (in the fight) against any terrorism,” the State Department spokeswoman said.
Earlier, condolences in connection with the terrorist attack were expressed by Michael McFaul, the US ambassador to Russia.
New attack of terrorists. Today, another attack occurred in Volgograd: militants blew up a trolleybus with passengers. The victims of this attack, which occurred not far from the Kaczynski market, were an 10 man, and they were also injured. "Vesti" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
“Military Review” expresses its condolences to the families and friends of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to the wounded.
Sochi and the bomb? A bomb may explode at any time in the Sochi resort, writes The Independent columnist Michael Church, also known as the compiler of a collection of Chechen music. An abridged translation of the article by Church is published. "Inopressoy".
"And if this happens, a nightmare will occur, to prevent which Putin is spending billions of rubles," the author continues to develop the theme.
According to the journalist, the Olympics in Sochi will show the world, “how absolute Putin’s control over the territories of which he is president”. After all, Doku Umarov promised to use "maximum power" to stop the Olympics.
“... If Umarov will disrupt the Olympics, he will probably strike a fatal blow to Putin’s carefully cultivated fiction that his country is one big happy family,” the author of the article points out.
Syria and Russia: oil strategy. Russia strengthens ties with Bashar Assad, concluding an energy agreement with Syria, write Borzou Daraghahy and Henry Foy (Financial Times; the source of short translation is "Inopressa").
“The energy agreement between Moscow and Damascus may affect strategic forecasts regarding both the civil war in Syria and the desire of regional powers to exploit oil and gas deposits on the coastal shelf of the Eastern Mediterranean,” the authors point out.
Soyuzneftegaz and the Syrian government signed an agreement on exploration, drilling, development and production of oil and gas off the coast of Syria, journalists remind. The 25-year concession further strengthens Moscow’s ties with Damascus. “For Russians, this is a way to benefit from their political support for the regime,” said Jihad Yazigi, editor-in-chief of Syria Report magazine.
The authors remind that the main oil reserves in Syria are located in the territories controlled by the rebels, and suggest that the deal could create a new source of income for B. Assad. “It will also allow Russia to take part in the struggle for the Mediterranean energy resources, which Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Cyprus and other countries are already leading,” journalists said.
The explosion in Iraq. Eight soldiers of the armed forces, including the general, became victims of the explosion that had thundered in Iraq. This was reported by the Iraqi media, writes correspondent ITAR-TASS Vasily Vavilin.
The explosive device worked in Mosul - along the road, which was followed by an army patrol.
The Turkish army is not engaged in politics. The command of the Turkish army announced that it was not going to intervene in the political crisis caused by a corruption scandal in the government, reports "Lenta.ru" with reference to France-Presse.
"The armed forces of the Turkish Republic do not intend to participate in political debates," the General Staff announced.
Army comments appeared on the background of the discussion in the local media. Some of its participants, including Yalchin Akdogan (Assistant to Prime Minister Erdogan), expressed the opinion that a corruption scandal could be a pretext for the next military coup.
Details about the Turkish corruption scandal - in today's article “Dark forces are viciously oppressing us: the case of the Turkish government”.
Saudi blogger sentenced to death for apostasy. Saudi Supreme Court sentenced Raif Badawi, founder of the Free Saudi Liberals website, to death. This was reported CN channel, citing the blogger's wife. The country's highest court found him guilty of apostasy, says Fahim Al-Surani ("Voice of Russia").
The decision of the court was commented by the Director of the Arab Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Geneva, Riyad al-Saidawi.
In summer, the Jeddah City Court sentenced Badawi to seven years in prison for insulting Islam and for speaking on television. His lawyer filed an appeal. Bottom line: the Supreme Court changed the sentence imposed earlier. Instead of softening the sentence, the blogger was awaiting a death penalty verdict.
“Raif Badawi is now accused not only of insulting Islam, but also of apostasy, which is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia. Previously, he was given 7 years for creating a site that promoted liberal political views. In addition, he in a television program condemned the religious police of Saudi Arabia and revealed several scandalous facts about her. Now the authorities want to execute him. This is quite an expected decision from the Kingdom, since everything in this country is built on Sharia law and, unlike other countries, it lacks a specific set of laws. That is, the judge makes a decision based on his personal judgments. This is not the first time that an innocent person in Saudi Arabia is declared an enemy of religion and executed for this. ”
More than 40 thousands of prisoners are serving time in prisons in Saudi Arabia today - just because their opinion differs from that of the king. Sit in the cells of writers, poets, journalists, bloggers, ordinary workers who said something sharp about the government.
To the journalist's question, “How is the sentence of Raif Badavi related to the so-called Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice?” The expert answered:
“He revealed several scandalous facts about this Committee and in evidence provided documents that shocked the people of Saudi Arabia. This committee is fully subordinate to Interior Minister Mohammed bin Naif. He, like his late father, is working on the development and propaganda of radical Wahhabi Islam. It was they who turned the Committee on the Prevention of Vice into what we have today. In fact, they protect the royal family and their throne, and do not fight for the observance of morality in the Kingdom.
By the way, the country's citizens themselves rate its level quite low. Moreover, former prisoners work in this committee who, for the sake of mitigation of punishment, especially zealously catch simple defenseless people, such as Raif Badawi, who have their own opinions. They are declared apostates, sorcerers or fornicators and executed in the name of religion. The execution takes place in front of passers-by in the squares, the whole process is filmed, and the video is laid out on the Internet. ”
By the way, the country's citizens themselves rate its level quite low. Moreover, former prisoners work in this committee who, for the sake of mitigation of punishment, especially zealously catch simple defenseless people, such as Raif Badawi, who have their own opinions. They are declared apostates, sorcerers or fornicators and executed in the name of religion. The execution takes place in front of passers-by in the squares, the whole process is filmed, and the video is laid out on the Internet. ”
Religious police of Saudi Arabia has forbidden to celebrate the New Year. Religious police of Saudi Arabia (Al-Mutava) warned citizens and foreigners residing in the kingdom about the ban on New Year celebrations. Store owners are advised to stop the sale of Christmas goods. Police officers turn to shops selling flowers and gifts, so that they do not sell goods that can be purchased on the occasion of this holiday, reports "Voice of Russia" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
In its decision, Al-Mutawa was guided by a fatwa issued by the supreme committee of the Saudi ulama.
Israel found a partner instead of the United States - Russia. Jerusalem seriously talked about joining the Customs Union. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that in the coming year, an agreement on the creation of a duty-free trade zone between Israel, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus will be developed and signed, reports Vremya.ua.
Lieberman noted that the signing of the agreement on a single trading space should signal the business community that the partnership between Russia and Israel is viewed positively at the top: the agreement on a free trade zone reflects a high level of political relations.
Recently, the same Lieberman declared that instead of the United States, Israel should look for another strategic partner. "Relations between Israel and its main strategic partner, the United States, have weakened," Lieberman said at a public forum in Sderot. “We should stop demanding, complaining, moaning, instead we should look for countries that do not depend on money from the Arab or Islamic world and who would like to cooperate with us on the basis of innovation.”
The Israeli Cabinet of Ministers wanted the annexation of the Jordan Valley. The Committee of Ministers on Legislation voted 29 December in favor of the bill on the annexation of the Jordan Valley and its transfer under the full sovereignty of Israel, reports MIGnews.com.
Four ministers voted in favor of a draft law that was proposed by a Knesset member from the Likud party, Miri Regev, three were against.
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, in charge of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, attacked the ministers who voted for the bill. She called this document "an irresponsible proposal that could harm Israel and lead to its isolation." Livni threw a sharp reply to Regev: "I have no respect for the bill or its author."
The Jordan Valley has become a topic of controversy in recent months, reminds MIGnews.com. The US Secretary of State is seeking the conclusion of such a deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, in which the Israelis will “leave” all of Judea and Samaria, but temporarily retain a military presence there, and / or international troops will be stationed there (on which the PA leadership insists). And the Israeli government claims that the valley is a strategically important territory, a “buffer”. Netanyahu wants Israel to keep its troops in the area if it leaves Judea and Samaria.
The appeals of nationalist Knesset members to annex this zone are an attempt to prevent Israel’s withdrawal from the Jordan Valley.
About Israel and Lebanon. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday called on all parties in Israel and Lebanon to avoid repetition of border incidents, warning that they could destabilize the situation in the region, reports correspondent ITAR-TASS Oleg Zelenin.
Lebanon fired on Israeli territory for the first time since August. Ban Ki-moon’s statement followed after militants in southern Lebanon fired two missiles at Qaryat Shmona. Ban Ki-moon condemned these actions. According to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, in response to a rocket attack, the Israeli army launched 32 artillery salvoes across the territory of a neighboring country.
“The Secretary-General calls on all parties to show maximum restraint and prevent new incidents that could destabilize the situation in the region,” the press service of the world organization said.
The army of Lebanon is armed with Saudi Arabia and France. Saudi Arabia has allocated 3 billion dollars to re-equip the Lebanese army. This was announced in a televised address to the nation by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, reports correspondent ITAR-TASS Dmitry Zelenin.
The head of state noted that King Abdullah ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud made such a decision during negotiations with the French president in Riyadh. Saudi kingdom takes over the supply of French weapons Lebanon, explained Suleiman. According to him, "this is the largest in the history of retrofitting the Lebanese army."
France is ready to supply weapons to the Lebanese army, said Francois Hollande, who is on an official visit to Riyadh. He writes about it correspondent ITAR-TASS Anton Chudakov.
“I cooperate with the President of Lebanon. If he sends us a request for the supply of his army with armaments, we will satisfy him, ”the French president said after negotiations with the King of Saudi Arabia.
Communication between Europe, Asia and North Africa - under the hood of the NSA. The NSA gains access to information by establishing control over one of the most important telecommunications links between Europe, North Africa and Asia, reports Der Spiegel magazine.
According to the newspaper, the department of this special service for highly specialized operations managed to “extract data by hacking into the management of the underwater cable system Sea-Me-We-4”. This is stated in the “highly classified” document from 13 February 2013 of the year, which came to the editor, reports MIGnews.com with reference to Deutsche Welle.
NSA experts hacked into the consortium site, which is the operator of Sea-Me-We-4, and got access to the data on the technical infrastructure of the cable system. Control over most of the telecommunications system is only the first stage of the operation, the purpose of which is to obtain all the necessary information using this and other communication networks.
North Korea: the seven executed. Seven more people were executed along with the DPRK leader’s uncle, Jang Son Song Thaek, December 12, the South Korean newspaper Chunan Ilbo reports. This tells correspondent RIA "Novosti" Daria Krutov.
According to an unnamed source, two high-ranking party officials, two government members, two military officers and one company manager were executed with Chan Son Thaek. The executed persons occupied positions not lower than the level of deputy minister and head of the department.
The shooting was carried out in the building of the National Security Committee of the DPRK in the presence of key party leaders of the country.
In China, will tighten control over the incomes of officials. Control over the income of Chinese officials and their families should be strengthened and carried out continuously. This was announced in a circular of the Organizational Department of the CPC Central Committee in connection with the country's campaign against corruption, reports correspondent ITAR-TASS Anton Marinin.
The rule of compulsory informing the responsible authorities about the income, marital status, property registered to the spouse, private property abroad is in effect for officials in the PRC since 2010. But, as indicated in the circular, “many civil servants take the opportunity to hide illegal incomes by investing abroad, transferring funds to the next of kin, and do not report in time about changes in their financial status, acquisition of movable and immovable property”.
According to the new order, civil servants who shy away from providing detailed information about incomes are deprived of the right to be promoted. In special cases, they may be dismissed from work and prosecuted.
And one more innovation touched the unfortunate Chinese officials.
From now on, Chinese officials will have to "stand at the head" of a campaign to comply with the ban on smoking in public places, reports "Voice of Russia" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
According to a joint circular published by the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council of the People's Republic of China, officials are now prohibited from smoking in schools, hospitals, at sports facilities, in public transport and other public places. Functionaries were reminded about the ban on the use of public funds to buy cigarettes. Finally, officials are no longer allowed to smoke, as well as offering to smoke others in the performance of their duties.
Meanwhile, China is the world's largest producer and buyer of cigarettes. The number of smokers in the country exceeded 300 million. At least 740 million people are among the passive smokers, notes the Voice of Russia.
In China, the November decisions were approved. China has abolished the system of labor re-education, reports "Lenta.ru" with reference to Xinhua. On Saturday, the corresponding proposal was adopted at the session of the Standing Committee of the All-China People’s Assembly.
Lawmakers also softened the principle of "one family - one child", allowing the second to start if one of the parents was the only child in the family.
Parliament approved the decisions adopted in mid-November by the plenary session of the Communist Party. Changes, according to management, are part of efforts aimed at strengthening human rights and improving the quality of law enforcement.
"Great Housing Mission." China has allocated Venezuela five billion dollars for housing development. This was told by Nicolas Maduro, reports the Associated Press. As notes "Lenta.ru"The funds transferred to the Venezuelan-Chinese Foundation, created in 2008, will also be used for the development of transport, satellite technology and military needs.
Comrade Maduro's statement was made on the background of the opening of several residential complexes in the framework of the Great Housing Mission program in December on 28 in Venezuela. It is assumed that the funds received from China will go to the development of this program.
In France, approved the "luxury tax". The French Constitutional Council approved the introduction of a “luxury tax” in the amount of 75% on income over 1 million euros. This is stated in a press release, reports correspondent ITAR-TASS Anton Chudakov.
The introduction of the 75 percent tax was one of the central promises in the election campaign of Francois Hollande. The Constitutional Council, which declared the fiscal reform to be contrary to the basic law, has previously prevented this plan from being implemented. But the government proposed a different scheme, which was adopted. Now, all businesses paying employees a salary in excess of 1 million euros will be taxed. Football clubs are already panicking ...
In the UK, the bank robber profession will soon go down in history. The number of bank robbery attempts in the country has fallen to a historic low, the BBC reports, citing the Association of British Bankers. According to her, in the 1992 year, 847 cases were registered in the country, and in the 2011 year - only 66, notes correspondent ITAR-TASS Vitaly Makarchev.
“Thus, over the past twenty years, the number of such crimes has decreased by 90%. In the coming years, the UK is able to become the first country in Europe where it will be completely eliminated with bank robberies, ”the channel said.
It turns out that due to the latest technology to protect banks, as well as the widespread use of video cameras in the central city blocks of external and internal surveillance.
Yanukovych "for rent". Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Stephen Peifer says: “I don’t think Yanukovich can be bought. He can be “rented”, but he will always strive for a new deal. ” The Ukrainian theme is devoted to a new review of Western publications from "Foreign Press".
When Yanukovych winked at Putin during the signing of an economic aid agreement in the amount of 20 billion dollars, it looked like the president of Ukraine had won this gambit, according to an article by James Marson in The Wall Street Journal.
“In the light of the upcoming elections in 2015, Yanukovych urgently needed money, but he didn’t want to carry out a painful - and potentially diminishing number of votes - reorganization of the economy, which the EU and the IMF demanded,” explains the columnist. - Thanks to the economic assistance from Moscow, he regained the initiative. The flight of his political supporters has stalled. ”
The agreement gives the Kremlin more control over Yanukovych, but leaves room for maneuver: after all, the President of Ukraine did not give promises to join the Customs Union. “I don’t think that Yanukovich can be bought,” notes former US ambassador to Ukraine Stephen Peifer. “He can probably be rented, but he will always strive for a new deal.”
The author of the article further recalls that Yanukovych, who was born in poverty, went to prison twice (for theft and attack), and only then took a leading position in the transport sector. In 2010, Yanukovych won the presidential election, promising to establish balanced relations with the West and Russia.
“Upon taking office, he quickly moved on to restoring relations with Russia, abandoning plans to join NATO and signing an agreement allowing the Russian Black Sea the fleet be based in Ukraine until 2042, ”the author of the article writes.
“At the same time, he rejected Moscow’s insistent requests to join its trade bloc and unite the gas companies of the two countries and began negotiations on free trade agreements and political association with the EU,” the journalist reminds.
“The Ukrainian street protestes have a new face: Tatyana Chornovol’s terribly bloated and swollen face,” writes the author of La Stampa, Anna Zafesova. - Yesterday, photos of the brutally beaten journalist were exposed in front of the villa of the Minister of the Interior Vitaly Zakharchenko. Only one day before the attack, Tatyana published an article about the posh villa Zakharchenko, whom the opposition demands to punish after a rough dispersal of the protesters on the Maidan. Hundreds of protesters besieged the villa and wrote on the walls in red paint: "The executioner lives here."
“Tatiana's drama made a more vehement protest against President Viktor Yanukovych. Yesterday in various Ukrainian cities, journalists declared a strike and went out into the square with bloodied pieces of gauze in their mouths, ”Zafesova writes.
The Security Service of Ukraine announced a temporary ban on entry for a number of foreign citizens, notes The Times correspondent Helen Womack. Earlier, a member of the Party of Regions, Oleg Tsarev, called on foreigners suspected of trying to destabilize the situation in Ukraine to be barred from entering 36, among them Mikhail Saakashvili was mentioned.
Saakashvili said he regrets that he may not be able to visit Kiev in the near future. “But I will be soul and heart with my Ukrainian brothers and sisters fighting for their freedom and a well-deserved future in Europe,” the Georgian ex-president said.
Klitschko spoke of a general strike. On the approaches to the residence of the President of Ukraine "Mezhigorye" gathered more than a thousand protesters. Reports about it "Lenta.ru" with reference to UNIAN.
The demonstrators staged a rally on the road. The way to the residence they blocked the police and internal troops.
Meanwhile, according to RIA Novosti, more than 10 thousand people gathered on Independence Square.
Several hundred people picket the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine yesterday in protest against the beating of the journalist Chornovol.
According to Vitali Klitschko, after the New Year holidays, the protesters intend to declare a general strike. “If they do not hear us, we will all say that we will not work with this government. We will warn, but further pressure will be exercised on this power, ”Klitschko added.
European Parliament against the Ukrainian Nazis. European deputies appealed to the Ukrainian opposition about VO "Svoboda". The European Parliament adopted an amendment to the resolution on Ukraine, which expressed concern about the growth of Nazi sentiments in the country, which is expressed in support of the Svoboda party, which passed to the Verkhovna Rada, notes Vremya.ua.
Deputies of the European Parliament noted that racist and xenophobic views are contrary to the values and principles of the European Union. Also with this appeal, the European Parliament called on the pro-democracy parties of the Verkhovna Rada not to cooperate, support or form coalitions with Freedom.
The above resolution was published on the website of the European Parliament.
Azerbaijan does not like the desire of Armenia to enter the CU. Azerbaijan officially protested against Armenia joining the Customs Union with Russia. On this, as reported by Trend, said the head of the department on political issues of the administration of the Azerbaijani President Ali Hasanov. He connected discontent of Baku with “occupation of Azerbaijani lands”, notes "Lenta.ru".
“Armenia’s entry into the Customs Union or another similar structure is possible only after the liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani lands,” the official said. Otherwise, in his opinion, the accession of Armenia to the CU will be contrary to international law.
To whom the protest is addressed, it is not specified.
Against Russian espionage. Barack Obama signed the law, which significantly complicates the construction of GLONASS stations in the United States. Now the construction of the stations will be possible only after the special report of the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence to the US Congress. The authors of the bill - the Republicans, the channel said "RT".
“According to the new law, the head of the Pentagon and the director of National Intelligence must vouch for the Congress that the GLONASS stations will not be used to spy on the United States or to improve the effectiveness of Russian weapons,” the New York Times writes.
“We wanted to make the construction of stations almost impossible or impossible at all. We also tried to exclude the State Department from the document approval process, ”the assistant to one of the Republican congressmen who worked on the project admitted in an interview with the newspaper.
The creators of the bill were able to include a provision on GLONASS stations in the draft law on the US defense budget for the next year. The GLONASS law was “hidden” among other provisions, states The New York Times.
Representatives of the office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment and suggested that journalists contact the State Department, well, and there the journalists were told that "a decision on this issue will be made in accordance with the legislative framework."
The CIA and the Pentagon, reminiscent of "RT", are distrustful of the plans of Roscosmos to build observation stations in the US to support the GLONASS satellite system.
The NSA is following legally: this is how the US federal court decided. The Federal District Court of the United States has recognized as legitimate surveillance of the NSA for the population, transmit “To lead. Economy".
Judge William Poulie, who made the decision, argued it with an 54-page document. There, the judge explained that citizen observation is an integral part of the anti-terrorism program, and the PRISM system is a “counter-attack by the state in the fight against al-Qaeda.”
In the opinion of the judge, listening to telephone conversations and looking at citizens' messages on the network, the authorities "collect from separate pieces and reconstruct the Al-Qaeda information system, which will allow it to be destroyed." And just the unlimited possibilities of collecting information will provide the NSA with the opportunity to act effectively.
According to the logic of the judge, we add from ourselves, only Al-Qaeda justifies total surveillance - on a planetary scale. Each person at any moment can be a "piece" of al-Qaeda. American intelligence agencies do not need a court to prosecute and arrest. By applying the “Patriotic Act” in place, all formalities are overcome, and any suspect, whether he is a US citizen or a foreigner, can end up in a special prison where he will quickly testify about plans to break into the Russian tank to the White House, about preparing a space attack on New York and signing a secret agreement with Putin on declaring the United States a nuclear-free colony of the occupying Soviet regime. By the way, the American intelligence services equipped with the latest technology in 2013 could not prevent the terrorist attack in Boston.
Stencil for twenty bucks. SpecializedTargets.com began selling aluminum stencils, with which anyone can paint with a paint can of the President of the United States on a target, writes Ukrainian Association of Weapons Owners.
Stencil worth 20 dollars. Stated that it is "anatomically correct."
In the US, do not like gays and lesbians. "The United States is not much more tolerant to gay athletes than Russia" - under such a heading in The Washington Post (the translation source is "InoSMI") Avery Stone article was published.
In her opinion, President Obama, Vice President Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama made a bold (at first glance) gesture, declaring that they would not go to Sochi and that there would be three gays among the athletes in the US delegation: tennis player Billie Jean King, figure skater Brian Boitano and hockey player Keitlin Kehau.
However, there is no reason for American sports to take a moral superiority position, the author writes.
In 2012, the public organization Campus Pride published the results of a study in which more than 8 thousands of students-athletes from the 164 teams belonging to the National University Sports Association participated. It turned out that LGBT athletes, as well as "undecided", were attacked - both personally and on the Internet - twice as often as their heterosexual counterparts. Every fourth gay man felt pressure, which forced him to keep silent about his sexual orientation.
And at the London 2012 Olympiad of the year, only 23 participants from more than 12 thousands openly admitted their LGBT membership. And only three of them were Americans.
Further ... and then the author notes that she herself is from LGBT.
“This statistic does not surprise me - it is confirmed by my personal experience. I am 22 of the year, and I join the hockey team at Amherst College. I do not hide my orientation from the senior classes, and this never bothered me. Choosing a liberal arts college in New England, I was sure that I would meet in it on Wednesday, ready to receive gay athletes. I was wrong.
In Amherst, women told me that I was “too feminine to be a lesbian,” and men told me that I was too attractive to be pink. I was hunted by one of our team members. I was molested by a female trainer. Besides me, there are almost no open gay sportsmen in our college. Privately, many confessed to me, but the next day these people ignored me. ”
In Amherst, women told me that I was “too feminine to be a lesbian,” and men told me that I was too attractive to be pink. I was hunted by one of our team members. I was molested by a female trainer. Besides me, there are almost no open gay sportsmen in our college. Privately, many confessed to me, but the next day these people ignored me. ”
According to Avery, homophobia and transphobia in sport is a national problem. Sports gay men and those suspected of this are still faced with discrimination and hostility in the United States. The American sports world is not much more enlightened than the "opponents in Sochi," the author concludes.
Who will win: globalism or nationalism? The question of the year. Patrick Buchanan wrote a remarkable article titled “The Politics of the Future Is Chauvinism Against Multiculturalism?” It was published in The American Conservative (the translation source "InoSMI").
In his eulogy, recalls Buchanan, Obama put Nelson Mandela on a par with three other heroes: Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln. All four became icons of resistance to the rule of white people over colored ones. Obama's heroes, the author writes, confirm his belief that the moral struggle of our era is a struggle for racial equality.
Obama sent Churchill’s bust back to the British Embassy, which Bush kept in the Oval Office. Obama did not come to the funeral of Churchill fan Margaret Thatcher. Obama and Churchill’s views on the ideal world are incompatible, the publicist concludes.
“We live in Obama’s world today. In this world, not only all races, religions and civilizations are equal. In this world, the greater the diversity of races, religions, cultures and nationalities on the scale of one country, the better. ”
But this Obama’s world today is “not very much like tomorrow.”
“In the Middle East and Africa, Islamists kill and persecute Christians because they do not consider them to be equal to themselves.
Ethnic nationalism rallied the Chinese against the Tibetans and Uighurs; it leads to increased confrontation with the Japanese, whom China will never forgive for the Nanking massacre.
Vladimir Putin found himself in the crosshairs of the sight of Western secularists, because he seeks to revive and restore Orthodoxy, and raise his moral precepts to the rank of Russian law. This means that we will not see the gay parades on Red Square for a long time. ”
Ethnic nationalism rallied the Chinese against the Tibetans and Uighurs; it leads to increased confrontation with the Japanese, whom China will never forgive for the Nanking massacre.
Vladimir Putin found himself in the crosshairs of the sight of Western secularists, because he seeks to revive and restore Orthodoxy, and raise his moral precepts to the rank of Russian law. This means that we will not see the gay parades on Red Square for a long time. ”
Buchanan continues:
“Across Europe, globalism and transnationalism, represented by the eurozone and the European Union, are turning into a retreat, and nationalism is being reborn. Now on the rise of the United Kingdom Independence Party, which seeks to withdraw its country from the EU - despite the efforts of the Tories.
Let France be France! Let Britain be Britain! Let Scotland be Scotland! Such slogans come from the hearts of Europeans, who reject mass immigration and the insane cacophony of multiculturalism.
Yes, all people are equal in rights. But most prefer their own faith, country, culture, civilization, nation. They cherish their unique identity that distinguishes them from others, and they want to preserve it. They do not want to disappear in some kind of a huge fusion of a new world order.
A big battle is coming, and it is not known what forces will win - behind globalism or nationalism. ”
Let France be France! Let Britain be Britain! Let Scotland be Scotland! Such slogans come from the hearts of Europeans, who reject mass immigration and the insane cacophony of multiculturalism.
Yes, all people are equal in rights. But most prefer their own faith, country, culture, civilization, nation. They cherish their unique identity that distinguishes them from others, and they want to preserve it. They do not want to disappear in some kind of a huge fusion of a new world order.
A big battle is coming, and it is not known what forces will win - behind globalism or nationalism. ”
* * *
This is the last "Geopolitical Mosaic" in the past year, dear readers.
Many events have happened in 2013, and now it can be said with confidence that these twelve months will go down in the history of geopolitics, marking the turn of humanity towards a multipolar world. Despite the fact that the spiritual doctrine of Obama's equality, which P. Buchanan briefly described to us, clearly contradicts the conviction of the US President and his Secretary of State Kerry about American "exclusivity", this year, after the Russian initiative regarding Syrian chemical weapons, as well as after agreement of the countries of the "six" with Iran, it became clear: the United States is still want to, but already can not. Their hegemony is quickly becoming a thing of the past; even Mr. Brzezinski hints at this. The white house in the international arena now has to reckon with Russia. Obama has to think not only about the equality of races or genders, but also about the equality of countries in the foreign policy sense. Otherwise, the theoretical constructions of the American president will not withstand any criticism.
For this it is impossible not to drink, comrades.
I congratulate you all on the upcoming! Cheers, loved and happy in 2014! My special congratulations to the regular readers of "Mosaic"! Thank you for your attention and your comments! See you in the New Year!
Observed and commented on Oleg Chuvakin
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