Geopolitical mosaic: Russians are not genetically capable of pretending, and 85 super rich people have as much money as half the population of the Earth
Lavrov in Montreux. - To whom Ban Ki-moon plays along. - Putin spoke with Obama on Middle Eastern topics. - Collected Works of Assad of the Qatari Edition. - Hello, democracy! - Caught the Russians at the border. - In the Chinese Internet - only with a passport. - State of emergency in Bangkok. - The British army is being stolen weapon, aircraft parts, trucks and even Viagra. “Tony Blair was almost arrested.” - Lonely Romanians on the horizon. - "Vile white, ugly Frenchman." - In Kiev, restless. - “Well done!” - Lukashenko supports Yanukovych. - Russian is harmful to Latvian children. - Unpatriotic Tajiks. - The Americans are going to listen to Sochi. - "In this country ..." - About pies, ketchup and heavy sighs. - Russia is like a gangster hangout. - International Space Station - for the Nobel Peace Prize! - New competitor Hillary Clinton? - "The spirit of courage and self-sacrifice." - Spies are treated better. “Snowden will be protected by Russian police.” - Americans do not like the NSA. - "Good guys". - Eighty five.
Lavrov in Montreux. The Russian Foreign Minister arrived from Geneva in Montreux to participate in an international conference on Syria. According to Interfax, Lavrov has scheduled talks with the US Secretary of State, the foreign ministers of China, Syria and Egypt, as well as a trilateral meeting with John Kerry and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
The conference starts today. "All those who are not indifferent to the fate of the Syrian people who participate in the conference will express their approaches," Lavrov explained earlier at a press conference.
“Inter-Syrian negotiations will begin. We will not be very far with the Americans and other colleagues to help the Syrians, if necessary, to find mutually acceptable solutions. Representatives of the government and the opposition (Syria) should sit down at the negotiating table and negotiate to a victorious end, but the victory should be common, ”said Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.
The conference will probably take more than one day. “No one knows what time it will take, the timing of the first round is now agreed, but it is clear that there will be more than one round, so the January-Geneva 22 will not end, but will only start,” Lavrov explained.
As Interfax reminds, serious disputes during the preparation of the conference turned around the participation of Iran in it. Many countries have demanded that Tehran: recognize the commitment of the Geneva communique. The UN Secretary General sent an invitation to Tehran to the conference without this condition, and Iran decided to participate. But later, under pressure from NCRF, Ban Ki-moon withdrew the invitation, citing the demand to recognize the results of the “Geneva-1”.
Comrade Lavrov called the UN Secretary General’s decision erroneous, but stressed that this was not a catastrophe. The Russian Foreign Minister called the formulation of the Secretary General “sly” and regarded his decision as a concession to those who set a goal of regime change in Syria. Lavrov stressed that "those who insist that the implementation of the Geneva communique should end with a regime change" demanded to withdraw the invitation from Iran.
Criticized the decision of the UN Secretary General and Medvedev.
The withdrawal of the invitation for Iran to participate in the “Geneva-2” is “an absolutely unacceptable thing,” the Russian prime minister said in an interview with CNN, answering a question about the prospects for the upcoming conference on Syria, reports ITAR-TASS.
“Does anyone really think that the Syrian problem can be seriously discussed without taking into account the Iranian factor?” Of course, all this should be taken into account, - said Medvedev. “But when the international community or the United Nations first sends an invitation, then withdraws it, it is inconsistent and not conducive to achieving a result.”
The meeting of the UN Secretary-General with the head of NKRS looks right on the spot just before the conference.
To whom Ban Ki-moon plays along. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met in Montreux with NKRS head Ahmed Jarboy on the eve of an international conference on the settlement of the Syrian conflict, reports RIA News".
“The Secretary General welcomed the participation of the delegation of the Syrian opposition in the January conference on Syria 22. They discussed the inter-Syrian talks, which will begin on January 24 with the participation of the UN Special Representative and the League of Arab States Lakhdar Brahimi and will be aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement on a political settlement and the implementation of the Geneva communique, ”the UN said.
Putin spoke with Obama on Middle Eastern topics. During the telephone conversation, the presidents of Russia and the United States discussed issues relating to the international conference on Syria. The conversation took place on the initiative of the American side, reported "Vesti".
According to the Russia 24 channel, referring to the Kremlin’s press service, during the conversation, Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama raised a number of other issues, including the implementation of the agreements reached in November to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue.
Collected Works of Assad of the Qatari Edition. In light of the huge collection of evidence secretly exported from Syria, Syrian officials can be charged with war crimes, according to The Guardian, referring to "three prominent international lawyers." Evidence points to a "systematic murder" of about 11 thousand arrested, writes journalist Ian Black. A brief translation of the article posted on the portal "Inopressa".
What are three lawyers? It turns out that this is really experts with experience.
All three are former prosecutors in criminal proceedings related to Yugoslavia and Sierra Leone. These experts, the journalist writes, “studied thousands of photographs and materials of the Syrian government, which recorded the death of persons in custody of the security forces of the regime, from March 2011 to August last year. Most of the victims are young men. Many corpses are stained with blood, have signs of exhaustion and marks from torture. Some did not have eyes; others had visible signs of suffocation or death from an electrical discharge. ”
Lawyers talked with the source from which information comes. “This is a military policeman who secretly collaborated with a Syrian opposition group, and later deserted and fled the country. With the three conversations that took place in the last 10 days, they found that he is trustworthy and truthful, and his story is “very convincing,” the article says.
The lawyers report says that they have subjected all the evidence to meticulous verification. “The authors of the report are royal lawyer Sir Desmond de Silva, former chief prosecutor of the special court in the Sierra Leone case, royal lawyer Sir Jeffrey Nice, former chief prosecutor of the case of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, and Professor Dewig Crane, who presented indictment of the President of Liberia, Charles Taylor, in the trial of Sierra Leone, ”the newspaper said.
Ian Black cites the details: the defector (“for security reasons, he is simply referred to as“ Caesar ”) was a photographer of the Syrian military police. “He secretly took the images out of the country on flash drives and handed him over to a friend from the Syrian national movement who enjoys the support of Qatar. Qatar, sponsoring and arming the rebel groups, called for the overthrow of Assad and demanded that he be brought to justice. ”
Once there is such a report, we note there is a customer. And for sure.
Further, the author writes that the report was commissioned by a large law firm from London, representing the interests of the same Qatar.
And then, we note, the road of this kind of papers is known.
The document is going to be sent to the UN, to governments of different countries and human rights organizations. "It seems that the time of its publication was chosen specifically for the Geneva-2 peace conference, which the UN is organizing this week," the journalist said.
Caesar explained to the investigators that his work consisted in "photographing the dead of those arrested." “He did not claim to have witnessed executions or torture. But he described a highly bureaucratized system. ” According to the report, Caesar photographed up to 50 corpses per day. The photographs were taken so that it was possible to issue a death certificate without relatives identifying the body and “to confirm that the orders for the execution of specific persons were executed”. According to the report, relatives were told that a man died of a heart attack or problems with the respiratory system.
Already connected the United States.
A certain “unnamed official” from the US administration said: “We, along with the rest of the world, are terrified of these images, which have become known. We condemn in the strongest terms the actions of the regime and urge it to comply with international obligations in the field of the treatment of prisoners. ”
This corpse photographic essay, we add, is no longer surprising. The cruel tyrant, the chemical warrior and the fighter of his own people, against whom the democratic Qatar fights in vain, purposely created evidence of mass torture and murder - even the photographer hired him. And he didn’t just create evidence, but scrupulously: every corpse, every person who was tortured was filmed.
And the recruitment of lawyers in this “case” is not accidental. Asad is still being prepared for the fate of Milosevic, and Syria is the fate of Yugoslavia. True, NATO has not the same strengths of NATO ... But neither Qatar, nor Saudi Arabia will not abandon its bloody Islamist plans.
Hello, democracy! The grouping "The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" imposed a ban on music and smoking in public places in the occupied territories. Sale of cigarettes and tobacco for hookah is also prohibited. A statement about this was posted on the official website of the Islamist organization, reports "RT" with reference to France Press.
In the territories controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a ban has been declared on the “sale of music CDs, players, music in cars, buses, shops and other public places”.
What prevented the music of these Islamists?
Representatives of the LIH explained: the ban - in order "not to distract believers from prayer and reading the Quran."
The statement says that “it is completely forbidden to sell cigarettes or hookahs”. According to LIH, smoking is an objectionable occupation.
As recalled by "RT", earlier similar bans were introduced in Afghanistan. Representatives of the Taliban banned television, movies and music; these restrictions were valid until 2001.
How to comment on this? Welcome to the Middle Ages? No - hello, democracy!
Caught the Russians at the border. Turkish border guards detained two Russians with bags on the Syrian border on 20 in January. The Russians were in the Turkish military restricted area of the highest level, according to "Vesti" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
The Glock pistol, a computer hard drive, seven mobile phones and three microcards of memory were withdrawn from them. The detainees were taken to the gendarme department of the Turkish district of Altynos.
Now Russian diplomats are clarifying the circumstances of the incident and clarifying information about the detainees.
In the Chinese Internet - only with a passport. The PRC State Radio and Television Administration issued regulations according to which citizens of China are required to submit a copy of their passport to the provider for uploading files to video hosting sites and log in with their real name. He writes about it MIGnews.com with reference to "TSN".
“The Internet should be a civilized and healthy medium for communication,” say Chinese officials. According to them, “we need some kind of mechanism that would help prevent the use of Internet sites to popularize violent works of art and pornography based on violence”.
State of emergency in Bangkok. In the capital of Thailand, a state of emergency has been introduced since January 22. The state of emergency will operate in Bangkok for two months, reports correspondent ITAR-TASS Alexey Skovoronsky.
As the head of the National Security Council of Thailand, Paradorn Pattanatabut, said, the authorities will attempt to “liberate” the city’s streets, government buildings and banks occupied by the opposition.
The introduction of a state of emergency allows the authorities to declare a curfew, detain suspects without charge and impose censorship in the media.
As the correspondent reminds, the opposition is seeking the resignation of the Acting Prime Minister of Thailand, Yinglak Shinawatra, and the abolition of early elections to the National Assembly. The head of government said she did not intend to resign and did not agree to postpone the election date to the country's parliament.
As a result of unrest in Bangkok, nine people were killed and more than 500 were injured.
The British army steals weapons, aircraft parts, trucks and even Viagra. The Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom lost stocks of "Viagra" by several thousand pounds. The drug was among other items stolen from the department over the past seven years, writes "The Times".
As transmits "Lenta.ru", the drug was stolen along with other medicines from the Marem airbase in Norfolk. The cost of stolen drugs is estimated at 5,8 thousand pounds.
At various British military bases in recent years, a lot of things have been lost. Weapons were stolen, including 100 bayonets, firearm parts, shops, idle and warheads. Inspectors have missed the aircraft's fuselage, a Bedford truck and an industrial washing machine. The total damage is expressed in the sum of seven million pounds!
Moreover, the Ministry of Defense provided data only on those crimes that were not disclosed ...
Tony Blair was almost arrested. A waiter at a restaurant in London tried to arrest former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, reports "Voice of Russia" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
It was at the fashionable Tramshed restaurant in Shoreditch, where Blair had dinner with family and friends.
The Anglo-Saxon legal system provides for civil arrest. A person who is wanted for committing offenses or who was caught at the scene of a crime may be detained by a person who does not have official authority to do so. Waiter Twiggy Garcia told how he tried to arrest Blair:
But the family stood up for Blair.
A spokesman for Tony Blair confirmed that the incident took place, and added that there was nothing remarkable about that.
Last true, note. It would have been remarkable if Blair were arrested, brought to justice, and then answered for the very invasion. And so - we see all the same that we saw before. Blairs and Bushes are doing well, and ugly children are born in post-war Iraq ...
Lonely Romanians on the horizon. The status of the so-called “temporary worker” allows immigrants from the EU to work in another EU country on the conditions and with the salary of this country, writes Mirelle Bran in the newspaper “Le Monde” (a source of short translation - "Inopressa").
The author writes: “The New Year at London’s Luton Airport was extremely lively. Teams of journalists armed with cameras and two British diplomats arrived at Luton to meet the hordes of Romanians who were planning to seize the banks of the Thames. The event was announced a few days later by local media that predicted an invasion from the East: from 1 in January, the EU markets became open to immigrants from Romania and Bulgaria. But thousands of “invaders” that the British press scared have never arrived. Journalists and deputies spent the whole day at the airport and saw only one Romanian who arrived in the UK to find work. All the other passengers were tourists who wished to spend the New Year holidays in London. ”
Mirel Bran continues: “The fears associated with the massive invasion of workers from Eastern Europe have led to discussions in populist and nationalist circles in many countries in Western Europe. But in Britain, media hysteria has affected the very top of power. Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron restricted the right to social assistance for new arrivals and even reached the point of talking about the right of their free movement in the European Union. ” “We have a national free health service, not an international free health service,” Mr. Cameron said.
“The negative reaction of the authorities of Great Britain, Germany and France makes the Romanians think that they are second-class citizens,” the author believes. - Liberalization of the labor market has not led to a change in the situation associated with migration. Romanians have been moving in the visa-free Schengen space since 2002, and since 2007, when the country joined the EU, about 3 million Romanians have left to work in Western European countries. The first reason for departures was low wages at home: on average, 350 euros. This phenomenon creates problems in Romania: fewer and fewer qualified specialists remain in the country. For example, in some hospitals one cannot find a full-time anesthetist. ”
"A nasty white, nasty Frenchman." First in stories French jurisprudence convicted the Court of Appeal in Paris on the occasion of racism against a representative of the indigenous white population. The accused, convicted of beating a passerby, accompanied by racist insults, received a four-year prison sentence, and the racial background became in his case an aggravating circumstance. Told about it correspondent ITAR-TASS Ivan Batyrev.
In places of imprisonment the convict will spend at least three years; one year he was appointed conditionally. Due to racial motives, the court’s decision turned out to be tougher than the prosecutor demanded.
Last, we add, says that not “visitors” adapt to the new life in France, but the French began to assimilate among those hordes of migrants who in 30-40 years would easily rule the new Europe.
In Kiev, restless. In Kiev, on the night of today, clashes between the protesters and the police resumed near the entrance to the Dynamo football stadium. Reports about it "Lenta.ru" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
Activists began to throw firecrackers, torches and improvised incendiary devices to police officers. Militiamen answer noise grenades and smoke bombs.
Interfax correspondent notes that both parties take such actions rarely. In general, the situation remains calm.
It is noted, however, that the protesters create a constant rumble, knocking with wooden and metal sticks on the bodies of burnt machinery and barrels. According to UNIAN, in 1: 00 Moscow time on the street Grushevsky left about a thousand activists.
"Well done!" The mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk Viktor Anushkevichus refused to comply with the laws adopted recently by the Verkhovna Rada. On this, as reported UNN, he said January 20.
His words leads "Lenta.ru":
Punishment? No, he is not afraid of him:
Speech by the mayor, notes "Lenta", was held on the central square of the city, where they organized a "popular assembly" in support of protest actions taking place in Kiev. An extraordinary session of the City Council took place on the square. The gathered people reacted to the speech of Anushkevichus with shouts: “Well done!”
Lukashenko supports Yanukovych. The president of Belarus said he would maintain stability in Ukraine and its president. Well, the rest of the Ukrainians have to figure it out themselves. He writes about it RIA News".
“We will thus support Ukraine and stability in it, and the current president, because this is the main representative of the authorities ... Otherwise, they have to figure it out themselves. Individual politicians have too many ambitions, ”Tut.by portal cites Lukashenko.
On Tuesday, the Belarusian president held a press conference for a number of media outlets, and the head of Tut.by was also present there.
“What is happening in Ukraine is a nightmare, it is a disaster. This is not my business, they will figure it out without me, ask me - I will say yes or no, whether I will help or not. If they take power in this presidential election, those who are trashed are for a long time, ”Lukashenka added.
In his opinion, external forces also influence the situation: “I am afraid that Ukraine will finally and publicly not become the scene of clashes between the West and the East.”
Russian is harmful for Latvian children. From 1 September 2018 in Latvia it is planned to translate all general education schools into the state language, which in fact means the elimination of Russian schools. Such a clause, as noted by DELFI, is spelled out in the draft agreement on cooperation that the ruling coalition parties plan to sign today. Reports about it "Lenta.ru".
According to this document, all state and municipal educational institutions of national minorities within the specified period “must begin to master all educational programs in the state language with the exception of foreign languages and subjects necessary for the study of languages and ethnic cultures of national minorities.”
Lenta reminds that hundreds of thousands of Russian-speaking people live in Latvia. In Riga alone, there are several dozen Russian schools where the Latvian and Russian languages are used approximately equally.
The issue of the elimination of bilingual education in the country has long been promoted by the nationalist association VL-TB / LNNK (Alliance of the Parties for Latvia and the Fatherland and Freedom Alliance / Movement for National Independence of Latvia). Ombudsman Juris Jansons also announced the need to close Russian schools in early January 2014. According to this human rights activist, learning in Russian in Latvia harms the interests of children. “Schoolchildren are interested in knowing the state language and fully participating in public life,” he said.
Unpatriotic Tajiks. Prosecutor General of Tajikistan Sherkhon Salimzoda is unhappy with the growing popularity of Russian spelling of names and middle names among young people. It is reported by "Radio Ozodi" (local service "Radio Liberty"), transmits "Lenta.ru".
According to the Prosecutor General, the checks carried out in the education system indicate this tendency. Over the past three years, at the State Commercial Institute 177 students abandoned the Tajik national style of writing surnames and patronymic names, at the Pedagogical University of such students there were 113, at the State Medical University - 223.
According to Salimzoda, the rejection of Tajik writing in favor of Russian endings of surnames ("-s") and patronymic names ("-ovich") indicates a "low level of self-awareness and patriotism" among young people, as well as deficiencies in the education system.
Lenta reminds that the campaign for the national spelling of names in Tajikistan was previously initiated by the President of the Republic, Emomali Rakhmonov. In 2007, he called for “returning to cultural roots” and restoring the spelling of the names on the father’s name, as was the case before Soviet rule. He himself became known as Rahmon. The president forbade the registry office to register the names of children in the "-s" and "-ev".
But by the end of the same 2007, some of the citizens who had refused Russian endings of surnames turned to the registry offices with a request to restore the previous spelling. Later it was reported that the popularity of Russian endings only grows. According to the 2011 of the year, hundreds of people applied to the registry offices every month asking to change their last name. Migrant workers, noted Asia-Plus, “it’s more comfortable to draw up documents with“ sounding ”endings in Russia for last names”.
This is not surprising, we note: the gross product of Tajikistan is forged in Russia ...
The Americans gathered to listen to Sochi. The US military offered Russian colleagues to use their technology to provide security at the Olympics in Sochi. About this writes “The New York Times”, reports Alexander Korchnitsky (Utro.ru).
Apply the US practices in the fight against improvised explosive devices offered to the Chief of General Staff of the Russian Defense Ministry Valery Gerasimov at a meeting in Brussels, his colleague - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey. The American general said that the Pentagon is ready to provide equipment designed to detect mobile phones and listen to conversations on them, as well as equipment for intercepting radio signals with which terrorists activate bombs.
And then Mr. Dempsey warned: before using American equipment, experts should make sure that it can be integrated into Russian communication networks and security systems.
And something else explained in the Pentagon. The American system, they say, may be ineffective if other systems work along with it.
How the Russian side reacted to these proposals is not known. It is only known that D. Medvedev spoke on the topic of Russia's readiness to provide security at the Olympics itself.
"In this country…" Dmitry Medvedev confirmed that Russia is ready to ensure security during the Olympic Games in Sochi, reports "Voice of Russia" with reference to the RIA "News».
“At public events there are always threats, not only in this country, but also in others. In this country, they have certain peculiarities in terms of their nature and consequences. Of course, we know about it and take it into account during the Olympics. And speaking of police mobilization ... A large number of police officers will follow the Games process, ”said Medvedev.
About pies, ketchup and heavy sighs. Alina Simon's article entitled “How are you?”, Or The Clash of Cultures, was published in The New York Times (the source of the short translation is "Inopressa").
“When Americans ask me this question, an ice wall appears between us,” says Galina, a friend of the singer and writer Alina Simon. Simon herself - a native of Ukraine. She explains: the question is not about Putin at all, not about “Pussy Riot”, not about whether it is permissible to pour pirogi with ketchup - this is a banal question: “How are you?”
"Americans, of course, answer:" Fine. " But the Russians, having heard such an answer, make one of two conclusions: either, by the grace of heaven, you are granted a respite in the tedious routine to which man’s being reduces, and this means that you have had a rare, impressive moment of perfect well-being; either you are lying, ”writes Simon.
Well, if you ask a Russian: “How are you?”, Then the questioner will hear the truth. "The expression of discontent bluntly, flavored, for example, with details of the recent indigestion," - explains the author.
The Russians seem genetically incapable of pretending, stating that everything is fine with them. Therefore, Simon advises Americans in Russia to take a break from the answer “Great!” And learn suitable expressions like “tak sebe”. If you decide to answer "khorosho", then insert a sigh before that ...
Russia as a gangster hangout. Mikhail Khodorkovsky always answered questions about Vladimir Putin “diplomatically”, writes Thomas Kittan in “Bild” (the source of the short translation is "Inopressa").
However, last Sunday, at the event dedicated to the memory of Yuri Schmidt, Khodorkovsky still “began to settle accounts with the President of Russia,” although “he never called him by name”.
The former head of Yukos complained about the persecution of Russian businessmen: “Additional parcels and visits are allowed to criminals, admitting their guilt, they often leave for parole. And we, the political ones, on the contrary, get only additional penalties ... We in Russia have modern slavery ”.
He also mentioned the difficulties faced by human rights activists: "The regime is trying to expose human rights defenders, either to people who are looking for benefits, or crazy."
The former disgraced oligarch made a promise: "I will do everything in my power to help unjustly imprisoned people."
According to Bild, Khodorkovsky compared Russia with a gangster hangout (although these words in the article are given without quotes).
International Space Station - for the Nobel Peace Prize! The Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences supported the proposal of the Federal Space Agency to nominate the International Space Station for the Nobel Peace Prize. This decision was taken at a meeting of the presidium, reports ARMS-TASS.
The speaker, director of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences Lev Zeleny, noted that the ISS was created in 1998 and has been exceptionally successful for 16 years. The director called the experience of the ISS "a successful experience in the construction of the Tower of Babel in space, where builders did not quarrel with each other, but successfully exploited this tower."
The station was visited by more than 200 astronauts from 15 countries, almost a thousand experiments were conducted. The life of the station has been extended to 2020 and the issue of extending it by another 5-7 years is being discussed.
New rival Hillary Clinton? American billionaire and TV presenter Donald Trump does not rule out that he will take part in the US presidential election in 2016 from the Republicans. Reports about it correspondent ITAR-TASS Alexander Bekreneva with reference to Reuters.
“I do not exclude that I will fight for the presidency of the United States. And you know why? I’m not happy with how things are going in America, ”Trump said.
The billionaire sharply criticized the policy of Barack Obama, in particular, health care reform. Trump also pointed out that Obama did not do enough to strengthen the American economy and pursued the wrong policies in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.
"The spirit of courage and self-sacrifice." Edward Snowden was nominated for the post of rector of the Scottish University of Glasgow. This was reported by the broadcasting corporation "Bi-bi-si", reports correspondent ITAR-TASS Roman Podervyansky.
Snowden’s nomination for the post was organized through his lawyer by a group of university students. At the University of Glasgow indicate that all candidates gave personal consent to participate in the election of the rector. Voting will take place in February.
“The candidacy of Edward Snowden represents a unique opportunity to express our gratitude to the bold debater,” said a representative of a group of students. “He showed the spirit of courage and self-sacrifice, which are almost absent in our social life.”
Spies are treated better. Edward Snowden was interviewed by The New Yorker magazine, in which he denied the accusations of some American congressmen of spying on Russia, they report "Vesti" with reference to Interfax.
“This passage that I am a Russian spy is absurd,” said Snowden. - I worked alone, without any help, especially without government. It does not stick to me. It is quite clear that this is a fake. The American people are smarter than politicians think. ”
Snowden said that if he had really been a Russian agent, he would not have been sitting in the Sheremetyevo transit zone for so long. “Spies are treated much better,” he added.
Snowden protects the Russian police. Anatoly Kucherena, Snowden's lawyer, said that his client was concerned about the threats of physical violence that are addressed to him abroad. Therefore, he intends to appeal to the Russian law enforcement agencies with a request to protect him. This is reported by the channel "RT".
"We are worried about the situation around Edward: we see statements that some US officials make, they contain potential and hidden threats that openly call for physical violence against Edward," RIA Novosti quotes Kucheren.
The lawyer obviously has in mind the statement of the ex-CIA chief James Woolsey, who in December declared that anyone who deems it necessary to “forgive” Edward Snowden and grant him an amnesty “is not in his head”. In his opinion, the former agent of the American special services should be “hanged”.
According to Kucherena, there is a real threat to the life of Snowden. “And we are concerned about the fact that no one reacts to this. Therefore, we will write a statement to the law enforcement agencies, ”he added.
The lawyer explained that he intended to ask the police to "examine and verify such statements," because under Russian law, the threat of murder is a criminal offense.
Americans do not like the NSA. Most Americans oppose the massive collection of data by local intelligence agencies. Researchers came to such conclusions, having studied the results of the USA Today and Pew Research Center survey, the channel "RT".
More than 1,5 thousand adult Americans took part in the survey.
About 53% of them said that they did not approve of the activities of the NSA in monitoring data on residents of the United States even in the framework of anti-terrorism activities, reports The Hill. 40% do not object to total control.
The ratio of opposing opinions has changed since July last year: then 50% of respondents favored surveillance, and 44% was against.
"Good guys". In the article “We are the good guys” (Antiwar.com, USA; the source of translation is "InoSMI") Philip Giraldi spoke about his meetings with former CIA officers and their "hurray-patriotic statements."
It is necessary to give a quote:
And the author of the material asked a question to one of his former colleagues: “If the president can kill, who does he want, why do we need a constitution then?”
He ignored the question.
Things that are obvious to the opponents of wars look different for those people who tried to manipulate events throughout their adult lives, “because we are good guys,” the author notes.
No comments, comrades.
Eighty five. "The richest people in the world do not have the habit of riding a bus, but if they decided to change the situation, then the richest 85 people on Earth - who own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world's population combined - would fit in one two-story the bus, ”wrote Graham Werden in The Guardian (the source of the short translation is "Inopressa").
The new report, Oxfam, indicates that 85 persons in total belong to 1 trillion. pounds - that is as much as the poorest 3,5 billion of the world population, the journalist writes. And he continues: "It was a frightening reminder of the depth of the inequality of property against the background of how political leaders and top business people headed to the snowy peaks of Davos for the World Economic Forum to be held this week."
“We will soon live in a world where equality of opportunity will only be a dream,” said the head of Oxfam, Winnie Bianya.
The journalist notes: “The Oxfam report showed that over the past few decades, the rich have successfully appropriated political influence to the extent that they change policies to their advantage in matters of financial deregulation, creating tax havens, against the competition of business practices, to lowering tax rates on high incomes and cuts in public services for the majority of the population. ”
And the main result of this, we add, is one: the poor will get poorer, the rich will get richer. A cleaner in a restaurant can become mayor only in the movie “Back to the Future”.
Lavrov in Montreux. The Russian Foreign Minister arrived from Geneva in Montreux to participate in an international conference on Syria. According to Interfax, Lavrov has scheduled talks with the US Secretary of State, the foreign ministers of China, Syria and Egypt, as well as a trilateral meeting with John Kerry and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
The conference starts today. "All those who are not indifferent to the fate of the Syrian people who participate in the conference will express their approaches," Lavrov explained earlier at a press conference.
“Inter-Syrian negotiations will begin. We will not be very far with the Americans and other colleagues to help the Syrians, if necessary, to find mutually acceptable solutions. Representatives of the government and the opposition (Syria) should sit down at the negotiating table and negotiate to a victorious end, but the victory should be common, ”said Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.
The conference will probably take more than one day. “No one knows what time it will take, the timing of the first round is now agreed, but it is clear that there will be more than one round, so the January-Geneva 22 will not end, but will only start,” Lavrov explained.
As Interfax reminds, serious disputes during the preparation of the conference turned around the participation of Iran in it. Many countries have demanded that Tehran: recognize the commitment of the Geneva communique. The UN Secretary General sent an invitation to Tehran to the conference without this condition, and Iran decided to participate. But later, under pressure from NCRF, Ban Ki-moon withdrew the invitation, citing the demand to recognize the results of the “Geneva-1”.
Comrade Lavrov called the UN Secretary General’s decision erroneous, but stressed that this was not a catastrophe. The Russian Foreign Minister called the formulation of the Secretary General “sly” and regarded his decision as a concession to those who set a goal of regime change in Syria. Lavrov stressed that "those who insist that the implementation of the Geneva communique should end with a regime change" demanded to withdraw the invitation from Iran.
Criticized the decision of the UN Secretary General and Medvedev.
The withdrawal of the invitation for Iran to participate in the “Geneva-2” is “an absolutely unacceptable thing,” the Russian prime minister said in an interview with CNN, answering a question about the prospects for the upcoming conference on Syria, reports ITAR-TASS.
“Does anyone really think that the Syrian problem can be seriously discussed without taking into account the Iranian factor?” Of course, all this should be taken into account, - said Medvedev. “But when the international community or the United Nations first sends an invitation, then withdraws it, it is inconsistent and not conducive to achieving a result.”
The meeting of the UN Secretary-General with the head of NKRS looks right on the spot just before the conference.
To whom Ban Ki-moon plays along. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met in Montreux with NKRS head Ahmed Jarboy on the eve of an international conference on the settlement of the Syrian conflict, reports RIA News".
“The Secretary General welcomed the participation of the delegation of the Syrian opposition in the January conference on Syria 22. They discussed the inter-Syrian talks, which will begin on January 24 with the participation of the UN Special Representative and the League of Arab States Lakhdar Brahimi and will be aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement on a political settlement and the implementation of the Geneva communique, ”the UN said.
Putin spoke with Obama on Middle Eastern topics. During the telephone conversation, the presidents of Russia and the United States discussed issues relating to the international conference on Syria. The conversation took place on the initiative of the American side, reported "Vesti".
According to the Russia 24 channel, referring to the Kremlin’s press service, during the conversation, Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama raised a number of other issues, including the implementation of the agreements reached in November to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue.
Collected Works of Assad of the Qatari Edition. In light of the huge collection of evidence secretly exported from Syria, Syrian officials can be charged with war crimes, according to The Guardian, referring to "three prominent international lawyers." Evidence points to a "systematic murder" of about 11 thousand arrested, writes journalist Ian Black. A brief translation of the article posted on the portal "Inopressa".
What are three lawyers? It turns out that this is really experts with experience.
All three are former prosecutors in criminal proceedings related to Yugoslavia and Sierra Leone. These experts, the journalist writes, “studied thousands of photographs and materials of the Syrian government, which recorded the death of persons in custody of the security forces of the regime, from March 2011 to August last year. Most of the victims are young men. Many corpses are stained with blood, have signs of exhaustion and marks from torture. Some did not have eyes; others had visible signs of suffocation or death from an electrical discharge. ”
Lawyers talked with the source from which information comes. “This is a military policeman who secretly collaborated with a Syrian opposition group, and later deserted and fled the country. With the three conversations that took place in the last 10 days, they found that he is trustworthy and truthful, and his story is “very convincing,” the article says.
The lawyers report says that they have subjected all the evidence to meticulous verification. “The authors of the report are royal lawyer Sir Desmond de Silva, former chief prosecutor of the special court in the Sierra Leone case, royal lawyer Sir Jeffrey Nice, former chief prosecutor of the case of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, and Professor Dewig Crane, who presented indictment of the President of Liberia, Charles Taylor, in the trial of Sierra Leone, ”the newspaper said.
Ian Black cites the details: the defector (“for security reasons, he is simply referred to as“ Caesar ”) was a photographer of the Syrian military police. “He secretly took the images out of the country on flash drives and handed him over to a friend from the Syrian national movement who enjoys the support of Qatar. Qatar, sponsoring and arming the rebel groups, called for the overthrow of Assad and demanded that he be brought to justice. ”
Once there is such a report, we note there is a customer. And for sure.
Further, the author writes that the report was commissioned by a large law firm from London, representing the interests of the same Qatar.
And then, we note, the road of this kind of papers is known.
The document is going to be sent to the UN, to governments of different countries and human rights organizations. "It seems that the time of its publication was chosen specifically for the Geneva-2 peace conference, which the UN is organizing this week," the journalist said.
Caesar explained to the investigators that his work consisted in "photographing the dead of those arrested." “He did not claim to have witnessed executions or torture. But he described a highly bureaucratized system. ” According to the report, Caesar photographed up to 50 corpses per day. The photographs were taken so that it was possible to issue a death certificate without relatives identifying the body and “to confirm that the orders for the execution of specific persons were executed”. According to the report, relatives were told that a man died of a heart attack or problems with the respiratory system.
Already connected the United States.
A certain “unnamed official” from the US administration said: “We, along with the rest of the world, are terrified of these images, which have become known. We condemn in the strongest terms the actions of the regime and urge it to comply with international obligations in the field of the treatment of prisoners. ”
This corpse photographic essay, we add, is no longer surprising. The cruel tyrant, the chemical warrior and the fighter of his own people, against whom the democratic Qatar fights in vain, purposely created evidence of mass torture and murder - even the photographer hired him. And he didn’t just create evidence, but scrupulously: every corpse, every person who was tortured was filmed.
And the recruitment of lawyers in this “case” is not accidental. Asad is still being prepared for the fate of Milosevic, and Syria is the fate of Yugoslavia. True, NATO has not the same strengths of NATO ... But neither Qatar, nor Saudi Arabia will not abandon its bloody Islamist plans.
Hello, democracy! The grouping "The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" imposed a ban on music and smoking in public places in the occupied territories. Sale of cigarettes and tobacco for hookah is also prohibited. A statement about this was posted on the official website of the Islamist organization, reports "RT" with reference to France Press.
In the territories controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a ban has been declared on the “sale of music CDs, players, music in cars, buses, shops and other public places”.
What prevented the music of these Islamists?
Representatives of the LIH explained: the ban - in order "not to distract believers from prayer and reading the Quran."
The statement says that “it is completely forbidden to sell cigarettes or hookahs”. According to LIH, smoking is an objectionable occupation.
As recalled by "RT", earlier similar bans were introduced in Afghanistan. Representatives of the Taliban banned television, movies and music; these restrictions were valid until 2001.
How to comment on this? Welcome to the Middle Ages? No - hello, democracy!
Caught the Russians at the border. Turkish border guards detained two Russians with bags on the Syrian border on 20 in January. The Russians were in the Turkish military restricted area of the highest level, according to "Vesti" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
The Glock pistol, a computer hard drive, seven mobile phones and three microcards of memory were withdrawn from them. The detainees were taken to the gendarme department of the Turkish district of Altynos.
Now Russian diplomats are clarifying the circumstances of the incident and clarifying information about the detainees.
In the Chinese Internet - only with a passport. The PRC State Radio and Television Administration issued regulations according to which citizens of China are required to submit a copy of their passport to the provider for uploading files to video hosting sites and log in with their real name. He writes about it MIGnews.com with reference to "TSN".
“The Internet should be a civilized and healthy medium for communication,” say Chinese officials. According to them, “we need some kind of mechanism that would help prevent the use of Internet sites to popularize violent works of art and pornography based on violence”.
State of emergency in Bangkok. In the capital of Thailand, a state of emergency has been introduced since January 22. The state of emergency will operate in Bangkok for two months, reports correspondent ITAR-TASS Alexey Skovoronsky.
As the head of the National Security Council of Thailand, Paradorn Pattanatabut, said, the authorities will attempt to “liberate” the city’s streets, government buildings and banks occupied by the opposition.
The introduction of a state of emergency allows the authorities to declare a curfew, detain suspects without charge and impose censorship in the media.
As the correspondent reminds, the opposition is seeking the resignation of the Acting Prime Minister of Thailand, Yinglak Shinawatra, and the abolition of early elections to the National Assembly. The head of government said she did not intend to resign and did not agree to postpone the election date to the country's parliament.
As a result of unrest in Bangkok, nine people were killed and more than 500 were injured.
The British army steals weapons, aircraft parts, trucks and even Viagra. The Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom lost stocks of "Viagra" by several thousand pounds. The drug was among other items stolen from the department over the past seven years, writes "The Times".
As transmits "Lenta.ru", the drug was stolen along with other medicines from the Marem airbase in Norfolk. The cost of stolen drugs is estimated at 5,8 thousand pounds.
At various British military bases in recent years, a lot of things have been lost. Weapons were stolen, including 100 bayonets, firearm parts, shops, idle and warheads. Inspectors have missed the aircraft's fuselage, a Bedford truck and an industrial washing machine. The total damage is expressed in the sum of seven million pounds!
Moreover, the Ministry of Defense provided data only on those crimes that were not disclosed ...
Tony Blair was almost arrested. A waiter at a restaurant in London tried to arrest former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, reports "Voice of Russia" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
It was at the fashionable Tramshed restaurant in Shoreditch, where Blair had dinner with family and friends.
The Anglo-Saxon legal system provides for civil arrest. A person who is wanted for committing offenses or who was caught at the scene of a crime may be detained by a person who does not have official authority to do so. Waiter Twiggy Garcia told how he tried to arrest Blair:
“I approached him, put a hand on his shoulder and said:“ Mr. Blair, this is a civil arrest for a crime against peace, namely, for your decision to start an unprovoked war against Iraq. I invite you to go to the police station with me to answer this charge. ”
But the family stood up for Blair.
“One of his sons got up to bring a civilian guard who was on the floor below. I decided to “evaporate” as quickly as possible; I had several disagreements with the police several times in the past, and this never ends well. ”
A spokesman for Tony Blair confirmed that the incident took place, and added that there was nothing remarkable about that.
Last true, note. It would have been remarkable if Blair were arrested, brought to justice, and then answered for the very invasion. And so - we see all the same that we saw before. Blairs and Bushes are doing well, and ugly children are born in post-war Iraq ...
Lonely Romanians on the horizon. The status of the so-called “temporary worker” allows immigrants from the EU to work in another EU country on the conditions and with the salary of this country, writes Mirelle Bran in the newspaper “Le Monde” (a source of short translation - "Inopressa").
The author writes: “The New Year at London’s Luton Airport was extremely lively. Teams of journalists armed with cameras and two British diplomats arrived at Luton to meet the hordes of Romanians who were planning to seize the banks of the Thames. The event was announced a few days later by local media that predicted an invasion from the East: from 1 in January, the EU markets became open to immigrants from Romania and Bulgaria. But thousands of “invaders” that the British press scared have never arrived. Journalists and deputies spent the whole day at the airport and saw only one Romanian who arrived in the UK to find work. All the other passengers were tourists who wished to spend the New Year holidays in London. ”
Mirel Bran continues: “The fears associated with the massive invasion of workers from Eastern Europe have led to discussions in populist and nationalist circles in many countries in Western Europe. But in Britain, media hysteria has affected the very top of power. Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron restricted the right to social assistance for new arrivals and even reached the point of talking about the right of their free movement in the European Union. ” “We have a national free health service, not an international free health service,” Mr. Cameron said.
“The negative reaction of the authorities of Great Britain, Germany and France makes the Romanians think that they are second-class citizens,” the author believes. - Liberalization of the labor market has not led to a change in the situation associated with migration. Romanians have been moving in the visa-free Schengen space since 2002, and since 2007, when the country joined the EU, about 3 million Romanians have left to work in Western European countries. The first reason for departures was low wages at home: on average, 350 euros. This phenomenon creates problems in Romania: fewer and fewer qualified specialists remain in the country. For example, in some hospitals one cannot find a full-time anesthetist. ”
"A nasty white, nasty Frenchman." First in stories French jurisprudence convicted the Court of Appeal in Paris on the occasion of racism against a representative of the indigenous white population. The accused, convicted of beating a passerby, accompanied by racist insults, received a four-year prison sentence, and the racial background became in his case an aggravating circumstance. Told about it correspondent ITAR-TASS Ivan Batyrev.
In places of imprisonment the convict will spend at least three years; one year he was appointed conditionally. Due to racial motives, the court’s decision turned out to be tougher than the prosecutor demanded.
“The incident that triggered the proceedings occurred in September 2010 at the station of the Paris subway near the North Station, the neighborhood of which is known for the unfavorable criminogenic situation. Early in the morning two young people asked a passerby for a cigarette. According to the victims, having met the refusal, they began to insult him and soon went over to the beating, accompanying their actions with cries of “vile white, nasty French woman”. During the fight, the victim received several serious wounds as a result of strikes with a sharp object. The attackers themselves fled.
Only one of the criminals appeared before the court: the investigators could not find the second one. Ironically, a person who finds himself in the dock himself belongs to the racial majority. He bears the original French name of Arnaud, and, as he claims, is by no means a racist, but explains what happened by the action of the reflexes he had developed during his residence alongside immigrants in the disadvantaged suburbs of Paris. ”
Only one of the criminals appeared before the court: the investigators could not find the second one. Ironically, a person who finds himself in the dock himself belongs to the racial majority. He bears the original French name of Arnaud, and, as he claims, is by no means a racist, but explains what happened by the action of the reflexes he had developed during his residence alongside immigrants in the disadvantaged suburbs of Paris. ”
Last, we add, says that not “visitors” adapt to the new life in France, but the French began to assimilate among those hordes of migrants who in 30-40 years would easily rule the new Europe.
In Kiev, restless. In Kiev, on the night of today, clashes between the protesters and the police resumed near the entrance to the Dynamo football stadium. Reports about it "Lenta.ru" with reference to ITAR-TASS.
Activists began to throw firecrackers, torches and improvised incendiary devices to police officers. Militiamen answer noise grenades and smoke bombs.
Interfax correspondent notes that both parties take such actions rarely. In general, the situation remains calm.
It is noted, however, that the protesters create a constant rumble, knocking with wooden and metal sticks on the bodies of burnt machinery and barrels. According to UNIAN, in 1: 00 Moscow time on the street Grushevsky left about a thousand activists.
"Well done!" The mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk Viktor Anushkevichus refused to comply with the laws adopted recently by the Verkhovna Rada. On this, as reported UNN, he said January 20.
His words leads "Lenta.ru":
“Those laws of Ukraine, I don’t want to enumerate them, which were adopted manually, in violation of the rules of the Verkhovna Rada’s regulations, contrary to the Constitution of Ukraine, I consider them invalid. And I personally am not going to carry them out. ”
Punishment? No, he is not afraid of him:
“I am not afraid of prison. All will not be transplanted. All of us today are one as never before. ”
Speech by the mayor, notes "Lenta", was held on the central square of the city, where they organized a "popular assembly" in support of protest actions taking place in Kiev. An extraordinary session of the City Council took place on the square. The gathered people reacted to the speech of Anushkevichus with shouts: “Well done!”
Lukashenko supports Yanukovych. The president of Belarus said he would maintain stability in Ukraine and its president. Well, the rest of the Ukrainians have to figure it out themselves. He writes about it RIA News".
“We will thus support Ukraine and stability in it, and the current president, because this is the main representative of the authorities ... Otherwise, they have to figure it out themselves. Individual politicians have too many ambitions, ”Tut.by portal cites Lukashenko.
On Tuesday, the Belarusian president held a press conference for a number of media outlets, and the head of Tut.by was also present there.
“What is happening in Ukraine is a nightmare, it is a disaster. This is not my business, they will figure it out without me, ask me - I will say yes or no, whether I will help or not. If they take power in this presidential election, those who are trashed are for a long time, ”Lukashenka added.
In his opinion, external forces also influence the situation: “I am afraid that Ukraine will finally and publicly not become the scene of clashes between the West and the East.”
Russian is harmful for Latvian children. From 1 September 2018 in Latvia it is planned to translate all general education schools into the state language, which in fact means the elimination of Russian schools. Such a clause, as noted by DELFI, is spelled out in the draft agreement on cooperation that the ruling coalition parties plan to sign today. Reports about it "Lenta.ru".
According to this document, all state and municipal educational institutions of national minorities within the specified period “must begin to master all educational programs in the state language with the exception of foreign languages and subjects necessary for the study of languages and ethnic cultures of national minorities.”
Lenta reminds that hundreds of thousands of Russian-speaking people live in Latvia. In Riga alone, there are several dozen Russian schools where the Latvian and Russian languages are used approximately equally.
The issue of the elimination of bilingual education in the country has long been promoted by the nationalist association VL-TB / LNNK (Alliance of the Parties for Latvia and the Fatherland and Freedom Alliance / Movement for National Independence of Latvia). Ombudsman Juris Jansons also announced the need to close Russian schools in early January 2014. According to this human rights activist, learning in Russian in Latvia harms the interests of children. “Schoolchildren are interested in knowing the state language and fully participating in public life,” he said.
Unpatriotic Tajiks. Prosecutor General of Tajikistan Sherkhon Salimzoda is unhappy with the growing popularity of Russian spelling of names and middle names among young people. It is reported by "Radio Ozodi" (local service "Radio Liberty"), transmits "Lenta.ru".
According to the Prosecutor General, the checks carried out in the education system indicate this tendency. Over the past three years, at the State Commercial Institute 177 students abandoned the Tajik national style of writing surnames and patronymic names, at the Pedagogical University of such students there were 113, at the State Medical University - 223.
According to Salimzoda, the rejection of Tajik writing in favor of Russian endings of surnames ("-s") and patronymic names ("-ovich") indicates a "low level of self-awareness and patriotism" among young people, as well as deficiencies in the education system.
Lenta reminds that the campaign for the national spelling of names in Tajikistan was previously initiated by the President of the Republic, Emomali Rakhmonov. In 2007, he called for “returning to cultural roots” and restoring the spelling of the names on the father’s name, as was the case before Soviet rule. He himself became known as Rahmon. The president forbade the registry office to register the names of children in the "-s" and "-ev".
But by the end of the same 2007, some of the citizens who had refused Russian endings of surnames turned to the registry offices with a request to restore the previous spelling. Later it was reported that the popularity of Russian endings only grows. According to the 2011 of the year, hundreds of people applied to the registry offices every month asking to change their last name. Migrant workers, noted Asia-Plus, “it’s more comfortable to draw up documents with“ sounding ”endings in Russia for last names”.
This is not surprising, we note: the gross product of Tajikistan is forged in Russia ...
The Americans gathered to listen to Sochi. The US military offered Russian colleagues to use their technology to provide security at the Olympics in Sochi. About this writes “The New York Times”, reports Alexander Korchnitsky (Utro.ru).
Apply the US practices in the fight against improvised explosive devices offered to the Chief of General Staff of the Russian Defense Ministry Valery Gerasimov at a meeting in Brussels, his colleague - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey. The American general said that the Pentagon is ready to provide equipment designed to detect mobile phones and listen to conversations on them, as well as equipment for intercepting radio signals with which terrorists activate bombs.
And then Mr. Dempsey warned: before using American equipment, experts should make sure that it can be integrated into Russian communication networks and security systems.
And something else explained in the Pentagon. The American system, they say, may be ineffective if other systems work along with it.
How the Russian side reacted to these proposals is not known. It is only known that D. Medvedev spoke on the topic of Russia's readiness to provide security at the Olympics itself.
"In this country…" Dmitry Medvedev confirmed that Russia is ready to ensure security during the Olympic Games in Sochi, reports "Voice of Russia" with reference to the RIA "News».
“At public events there are always threats, not only in this country, but also in others. In this country, they have certain peculiarities in terms of their nature and consequences. Of course, we know about it and take it into account during the Olympics. And speaking of police mobilization ... A large number of police officers will follow the Games process, ”said Medvedev.
About pies, ketchup and heavy sighs. Alina Simon's article entitled “How are you?”, Or The Clash of Cultures, was published in The New York Times (the source of the short translation is "Inopressa").
“When Americans ask me this question, an ice wall appears between us,” says Galina, a friend of the singer and writer Alina Simon. Simon herself - a native of Ukraine. She explains: the question is not about Putin at all, not about “Pussy Riot”, not about whether it is permissible to pour pirogi with ketchup - this is a banal question: “How are you?”
"Americans, of course, answer:" Fine. " But the Russians, having heard such an answer, make one of two conclusions: either, by the grace of heaven, you are granted a respite in the tedious routine to which man’s being reduces, and this means that you have had a rare, impressive moment of perfect well-being; either you are lying, ”writes Simon.
Well, if you ask a Russian: “How are you?”, Then the questioner will hear the truth. "The expression of discontent bluntly, flavored, for example, with details of the recent indigestion," - explains the author.
The Russians seem genetically incapable of pretending, stating that everything is fine with them. Therefore, Simon advises Americans in Russia to take a break from the answer “Great!” And learn suitable expressions like “tak sebe”. If you decide to answer "khorosho", then insert a sigh before that ...
Russia as a gangster hangout. Mikhail Khodorkovsky always answered questions about Vladimir Putin “diplomatically”, writes Thomas Kittan in “Bild” (the source of the short translation is "Inopressa").
However, last Sunday, at the event dedicated to the memory of Yuri Schmidt, Khodorkovsky still “began to settle accounts with the President of Russia,” although “he never called him by name”.
The former head of Yukos complained about the persecution of Russian businessmen: “Additional parcels and visits are allowed to criminals, admitting their guilt, they often leave for parole. And we, the political ones, on the contrary, get only additional penalties ... We in Russia have modern slavery ”.
He also mentioned the difficulties faced by human rights activists: "The regime is trying to expose human rights defenders, either to people who are looking for benefits, or crazy."
The former disgraced oligarch made a promise: "I will do everything in my power to help unjustly imprisoned people."
According to Bild, Khodorkovsky compared Russia with a gangster hangout (although these words in the article are given without quotes).
International Space Station - for the Nobel Peace Prize! The Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences supported the proposal of the Federal Space Agency to nominate the International Space Station for the Nobel Peace Prize. This decision was taken at a meeting of the presidium, reports ARMS-TASS.
The speaker, director of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences Lev Zeleny, noted that the ISS was created in 1998 and has been exceptionally successful for 16 years. The director called the experience of the ISS "a successful experience in the construction of the Tower of Babel in space, where builders did not quarrel with each other, but successfully exploited this tower."
The station was visited by more than 200 astronauts from 15 countries, almost a thousand experiments were conducted. The life of the station has been extended to 2020 and the issue of extending it by another 5-7 years is being discussed.
New rival Hillary Clinton? American billionaire and TV presenter Donald Trump does not rule out that he will take part in the US presidential election in 2016 from the Republicans. Reports about it correspondent ITAR-TASS Alexander Bekreneva with reference to Reuters.
“I do not exclude that I will fight for the presidency of the United States. And you know why? I’m not happy with how things are going in America, ”Trump said.
The billionaire sharply criticized the policy of Barack Obama, in particular, health care reform. Trump also pointed out that Obama did not do enough to strengthen the American economy and pursued the wrong policies in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.
"The spirit of courage and self-sacrifice." Edward Snowden was nominated for the post of rector of the Scottish University of Glasgow. This was reported by the broadcasting corporation "Bi-bi-si", reports correspondent ITAR-TASS Roman Podervyansky.
Snowden’s nomination for the post was organized through his lawyer by a group of university students. At the University of Glasgow indicate that all candidates gave personal consent to participate in the election of the rector. Voting will take place in February.
“The candidacy of Edward Snowden represents a unique opportunity to express our gratitude to the bold debater,” said a representative of a group of students. “He showed the spirit of courage and self-sacrifice, which are almost absent in our social life.”
Spies are treated better. Edward Snowden was interviewed by The New Yorker magazine, in which he denied the accusations of some American congressmen of spying on Russia, they report "Vesti" with reference to Interfax.
“This passage that I am a Russian spy is absurd,” said Snowden. - I worked alone, without any help, especially without government. It does not stick to me. It is quite clear that this is a fake. The American people are smarter than politicians think. ”
Snowden said that if he had really been a Russian agent, he would not have been sitting in the Sheremetyevo transit zone for so long. “Spies are treated much better,” he added.
Snowden protects the Russian police. Anatoly Kucherena, Snowden's lawyer, said that his client was concerned about the threats of physical violence that are addressed to him abroad. Therefore, he intends to appeal to the Russian law enforcement agencies with a request to protect him. This is reported by the channel "RT".
"We are worried about the situation around Edward: we see statements that some US officials make, they contain potential and hidden threats that openly call for physical violence against Edward," RIA Novosti quotes Kucheren.
The lawyer obviously has in mind the statement of the ex-CIA chief James Woolsey, who in December declared that anyone who deems it necessary to “forgive” Edward Snowden and grant him an amnesty “is not in his head”. In his opinion, the former agent of the American special services should be “hanged”.
According to Kucherena, there is a real threat to the life of Snowden. “And we are concerned about the fact that no one reacts to this. Therefore, we will write a statement to the law enforcement agencies, ”he added.
The lawyer explained that he intended to ask the police to "examine and verify such statements," because under Russian law, the threat of murder is a criminal offense.
Americans do not like the NSA. Most Americans oppose the massive collection of data by local intelligence agencies. Researchers came to such conclusions, having studied the results of the USA Today and Pew Research Center survey, the channel "RT".
More than 1,5 thousand adult Americans took part in the survey.
About 53% of them said that they did not approve of the activities of the NSA in monitoring data on residents of the United States even in the framework of anti-terrorism activities, reports The Hill. 40% do not object to total control.
The ratio of opposing opinions has changed since July last year: then 50% of respondents favored surveillance, and 44% was against.
"Good guys". In the article “We are the good guys” (Antiwar.com, USA; the source of translation is "InoSMI") Philip Giraldi spoke about his meetings with former CIA officers and their "hurray-patriotic statements."
It is necessary to give a quote:
“During the Christmas holidays, I often attend meetings of former CIA officers with whom I served together in one or another station. This year, veterans of the Istanbul residency first met, then the Spanish, and then the Roman residency of the early 1980s. Some of the retirees are still working for the government as contractors, so at these events I try to keep quiet, do not ask what anyone is doing, and rarely criticize government policy. However, sometimes it becomes difficult for my wife and me to endure jingoistic statements in support of torturers and cameramen. dronesand then we have to react.
My former colleagues have different political views. Most of them are Republicans, but there are Democrats. Often, they are quite progressively looking at issues related to domestic politics and social programs. Long work abroad under the leadership of bosses, who are ready to kill their own mother for the sake of improvement, instilled in them a cynical view of how the CIA works and how politics is done in principle, but they are still proud of their service, believing that this dirty work In any case, someone must do. They are also generally unanimous regarding the “traitors” - such as Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden. The point is not that they approve of the surveillance that the NSA does — they do not approve of it — but that the whistleblowers are crossing, in their opinion, reasonable boundaries, giving out classified information.
All this often means “hawkish” approach to what is happening in the world. For this Christmas, for example, I learned that UAVs are the only effective mechanism for eliminating terrorists hiding in the mountains of Pakistan, and heard at least three times that "we are good guys." Apparently, now it is considered to be the last line of protection resorted to when other arguments do not work. At some point, I said in response that it’s hard to be a good guy if you kill American citizens without a trial or blow up entire weddings. The reaction to this was vague, as if I were talking about something unproved or taken out of context that explains everything. Then I asked the wife of a former operative who looked like Sarah Palin how a bearded turbaned man hiding in a cave near the Pakistani border could threaten the United States. She just shrugged.
My former colleagues have different political views. Most of them are Republicans, but there are Democrats. Often, they are quite progressively looking at issues related to domestic politics and social programs. Long work abroad under the leadership of bosses, who are ready to kill their own mother for the sake of improvement, instilled in them a cynical view of how the CIA works and how politics is done in principle, but they are still proud of their service, believing that this dirty work In any case, someone must do. They are also generally unanimous regarding the “traitors” - such as Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden. The point is not that they approve of the surveillance that the NSA does — they do not approve of it — but that the whistleblowers are crossing, in their opinion, reasonable boundaries, giving out classified information.
All this often means “hawkish” approach to what is happening in the world. For this Christmas, for example, I learned that UAVs are the only effective mechanism for eliminating terrorists hiding in the mountains of Pakistan, and heard at least three times that "we are good guys." Apparently, now it is considered to be the last line of protection resorted to when other arguments do not work. At some point, I said in response that it’s hard to be a good guy if you kill American citizens without a trial or blow up entire weddings. The reaction to this was vague, as if I were talking about something unproved or taken out of context that explains everything. Then I asked the wife of a former operative who looked like Sarah Palin how a bearded turbaned man hiding in a cave near the Pakistani border could threaten the United States. She just shrugged.
And the author of the material asked a question to one of his former colleagues: “If the president can kill, who does he want, why do we need a constitution then?”
He ignored the question.
Things that are obvious to the opponents of wars look different for those people who tried to manipulate events throughout their adult lives, “because we are good guys,” the author notes.
“I have to admit that I myself was once the same. However, I left it in the past when I saw that America’s good name had been crushed, and my country had become a state that we could have once called a “evil empire” in jest. I don’t know how fair it was to talk about the Soviet Union in the 1980s, but now we certainly deserve such a name. ”
No comments, comrades.
Eighty five. "The richest people in the world do not have the habit of riding a bus, but if they decided to change the situation, then the richest 85 people on Earth - who own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world's population combined - would fit in one two-story the bus, ”wrote Graham Werden in The Guardian (the source of the short translation is "Inopressa").
The new report, Oxfam, indicates that 85 persons in total belong to 1 trillion. pounds - that is as much as the poorest 3,5 billion of the world population, the journalist writes. And he continues: "It was a frightening reminder of the depth of the inequality of property against the background of how political leaders and top business people headed to the snowy peaks of Davos for the World Economic Forum to be held this week."
“We will soon live in a world where equality of opportunity will only be a dream,” said the head of Oxfam, Winnie Bianya.
The journalist notes: “The Oxfam report showed that over the past few decades, the rich have successfully appropriated political influence to the extent that they change policies to their advantage in matters of financial deregulation, creating tax havens, against the competition of business practices, to lowering tax rates on high incomes and cuts in public services for the majority of the population. ”
And the main result of this, we add, is one: the poor will get poorer, the rich will get richer. A cleaner in a restaurant can become mayor only in the movie “Back to the Future”.
Observed and commented on Oleg Chuvakin
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- especially for topwar.ru
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