YOU BETTER UNDERSTAND SHARIA LAW: Video: Muslim Brotherhood leader explains how to implement sharia, caliphate in the West

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Video: Muslim Brotherhood leader explains how to implement sharia, caliphate in the West

creeping at Creeping Sharia 

via Ban Koran He’ll be spreading his sharia in Tennessee in the coming weeks. More details in our next post later today.

OH NO AMERICA...We warned you about your president so DO NOT complain now! The information about this criminal was out there and your blind ignorance did not care!!!! His war crimes are on your hands!!!!!

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REPENT BABYLON.....REPENT BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!

Majority of Americans disapprove of Obama’s foreign policy handling

Approval for Barack Obama’s foreign policy has dropped to an all-time low, with just 40 percent of Americans backing the president’s handling of international affairs, while 52 percent disagree with his performance on the global stage, a new poll reveals.

The survey, released by Quinnipiac University on Thursday, shows that overall assessments of Obama’s foreign policy are equally bleak when broken down on an issue-by-issue basis.

Only 33 percent of Americans support Obama’s proposed path on dealing with Syria, with the majority opposed to intervention.

Among those polled, only 27 percent of registered voters believe US involvement in Syria serves the national interest, while the same number Americans support the president’s plan of providing arms and military supplies to forces fighting to topple the government of President Bashar Assad.

Meanwhile, 59 percent of Americans remain opposed to providing material support to Syrian rebels, with the overall lack of support cutting across party lines.

Read More: http://rt.com/usa/americans-disapprove-obama-policy-952/

BREAKING: Putin and Obama agree to push both sides in Syrian conflict to Geneva talks

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barack Obama have agreed to push the sides of the ongoing Syrian conflict to the negotiating table in Geneva. The leaders made the pledge after a 2 hour meeting at the G8 summit.

“We have agreed to push the sides of the Syrian conflict to come to the negotiating table at the international Geneva conference,” Putin said. 

“On some points, we still have a different stance, but we are united by an aspiration to prevent violence, to put an end to the growing number of victims, to solve the problem by peaceful means, including through negotiations at the international conference at Geneva,” the Russian President added. 

President Obama conceded that he has a “different perspective” on Syria than his Russian counterpart, but confirmed that both countries have a shared interest in stopping the violence and “securing chemical weapons” in Syria. 

Read More: http://rt.com/news/putin-obama-syria-talks-838/

Israel gearing up for ‘surprise war’ with Syria if Assad falls – general

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The unrest engulfing the Middle East could result in Israel becoming involved in a “surprise war” with Syria, according to the head of the Israeli air force.

"When you look [around] today I think that a surprise war can be born in very many configurations," Major General Amir Eshel said at a conference near Tel Aviv.

In particular, the general stressed that if rebels ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad and seized the huge stockpiles of missiles within the country, it could lead to a major conflict in the region.

"If Syria collapses tomorrow, we are liable to find ourselves in this stew very quickly and in a very big way,"Eshel said.

"The enormous arsenal parked there... will be spread all over the place and you find yourself having to act on a very broad scale."

On Tuesday, Israeli chief of staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz issued a personal warning to President Assad, saying the Syrian leader would “bear the consequences” in the event of further attacks on Israeli forces. The threat followed the Syrian military firing across the armistice line on the Golan Heights, hitting an Israeli military vehicle. Israeli troops have responded to such events by taking retaliatory shots at targets across the Syrian border.

Read More: http://rt.com/news/israel-syria-surprise-war-685/

Vermont approves assisted suicide bill

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Vermont is about to become the third US state to legalize doctor-assisted suicide. A bill passed by the state legislature will allow physicians to prescribe lethal drugs to terminally ill patients that want to end their life.

State lawmakers on Monday approved the bill, which is now awaiting the signature of Gov. Peter Shumlin, who has already pledged he would sign it. Legalizing assisted suicide “gives Vermonters who are suffering from a terminal illness and anticipating excruciating pain peace of mind in knowing that this is an option,” Shumlin told the Wall Street Journal.

Physician-assisted suicide is already legal in Oregon and Washington, where it was approved through general elections and enacted in 1997 and 2009, respectively. A similar bill failed to garner enough voter support to pass in Massachusetts last November, and was defeated 51 percent to 49 percent. Vermont is the first US state to pass such a measure through the legislative assembly.

Vermont’s legislation will let anyone over the age of 18 with an “incurable and irreversible disease” and a maximum of six months to live to get a prescription for lethal drugs. The measure requires two doctors to make the medical determination whether or not a patient qualifies for assisted suicide. The patient must also be capable of self-administering drugs, which would be difficult in the rare instances in which someone is fully paralyzed.

In order to obtain the lethal drugs, a terminally ill patient must make written and oral requests to the prescribing physician and wait at least 48 hours before receiving the drugs. The requests would need to be witnessed by two “disinterested” individuals, which the bill defines as anyone that is not related to the patient, doctors or employees of the healthcare facility. Doctors will not be obliged to help the patient with his or her suicide.

Read More: http://rt.com/usa/vermont-assited-suicide-bill-398/

US, EU may start training and equipping Syrian rebels

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The US will increase aid to the Syrian opposition, the White House has announced. Europe may follow suit by increasing aid to the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The decision is expected after a key conference on Syria in Rome.

"We will continue to provide assistance to the Syrian people, to the Syrian opposition, we will continue to increase our assistance in the effort to bring about a post-Assad Syria," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a statement.

"We are constantly reviewing the nature of the assistance we provide to both the Syrian people, in form of humanitarian assistance, and to the Syrian opposition in the form of non-lethal assistance," he said.

So far the US has no plans to provide the Syrian insurgency with body armor, vehicles or military training, Reuters reported citing sources familiar with the matter.

Washington is however changing its policy on the conflict, and will send “medical supplies and food” directly to the rebels, sources said.

Earlier, the Washington Post reported that the White House is considering sending the rebels body armor and armed vehicles, and also possibly providing military training.

 

Read more: http://rt.com/news/us-eu-armor-syrian-rebels-516/

EU report slams Israeli settlements, calls for economic sanctions

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An internal report by the European Union has come down hard on Israel’s decision to continue settlement construction in occupied East Jerusalem, threatening to end economic projects that involve the Jewish settlements.

The harshly worded 15-page report provides recommendations to the 27 member-states for responding to Israel’s activities in the occupied territories – which the document described as “systematic, deliberate and provocative” – and endorses a strategy that aims at “making it impossible for Jerusalem to become the capital of two states.”

Seven of the report’s 10 recommendations propose slapping tough economic sanctions on organizations directly involved in construction projects in the Jewish settlements, Israeli daily Haaretz reported. The report also called on the EU’s 27 member-states to “prevent, discourage and raise awareness” about doing business with companies that work in the disputed settlement zones.

It advised EU states to work to ensure that products exported from the settlements not receive an unfair advantage through “preferential tariffs,” and to give consumers an opportunity to make an “informed choice” through clear labeling of products’ origins.

The report advocated “closer supervision” of technological research and development programs between the EU and Israel. The measures would work to ensure that “no research grants, scholarships or other technological investments assist settlements, either directly or indirectly,” or be provided to agencies working in the settlements.

Read More: http://rt.com/news/eu-israel-palestinian-conflict-report-519/

US justifies terrorism by blocking Damascus bombing condemnation - Russia

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Russia has accused the US of blocking a draft UN Security Council statement condemning the suicide bombings in the Syrian capital, which were among the deadliest in the two years of the armed conflict. The US blamed Russia in return.

The draft document submitted by Russia was aiming to express condolences to the victims of the Thursday attack on Damascus, which killed at least 53 people and wounded more than 250, and to condemn terrorism in any form. The anti-regime London-based Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll even higher, saying Friday that the coordinated bombings killed a total of 90 people, including some 60 in the most powerful blast in the Mazraa district.

But the adoption was blocked by the US and its allies, which wanted to add language condemning the Syrian President Bashar Assad, a move that Russia could not accept.

“Unfortunately, such an indispensable reaction by the Security Council to this terrorist attack has been once again blocked by the US delegation linking it with other questions,”the office of, Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s envoy to the UN, said.

“We consider unacceptable this search for justifications for terrorist actions. It is obvious that by doing so the US delegation encourages those who have been repeatedly targeting American interests, including US diplomatic missions,” the statement added.

The words are a thinly-veiled reference to the September 2012 attack on the US diplomatic mission in Libya’s Benghazi, in which America’s ambassador to the country and three other staff members were killed by Al-Qaeda-linked militants. Russia’s embassy in Damascus was among the buildings damaged by the suicide bombings, which Syria says were also carried out by Al-Qaeda-linked militants.

Spokeswoman for the US mission to the UN, Erin Peltin, said“We strongly condemn all indiscriminate terrorist attacks against civilians or against diplomatic facilities.

“We agreed with the Russian draft of a statement from the Security Council and only sought to add similar language on the regime’s brutal attacks against the Syrian people. Unfortunately, Russia refused to engage on a credible text.”

Opponents of the Syrian regime both among the rebel fighters and the international backers of the opposition have been pressuring Assad to step down. They accuse Russia of supporting him despite the thousands of lives the confrontation has claimed, saying most of the violence is his and his government’s fault.

“The problem is that the opposition saying every five minutes that they don’t want to talk to Bashar Assad,” told RT in an interview UN and Arab League special envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi.

The latest opposition demand for Assad to step down comes in a political statement from the Western-, Arab- and Turkish-backed Syrian National Coalition, which the body adopted after a late session on Thursday in Cairo.

The statement was passed after an angry debate, in which some members both Islamist and liberal camps of the 70-strong body criticized their chief Moaz Khatib for his earlier proposal of talks without setting a “clear goal”, as the critics said.

“We have adopted a political document that sets the parameters for any talks. The main addition to the draft is a clause about the necessity of Assad stepping step down,” said Abdelbasset Sida, a member of the coalition's 12-member politburo and one of Khatib’s critics.

Russia has on many occasions insisted that the personal fate of Assad is not Moscow’s concern. But Moscow insists that Assad staying in power or stepping down can only be discussed after the violence is stopped and a diplomatic solution to the conflict in found, and cannot be a precondition for negotiations. It offers itself as mediator for possible talks between Damascus and the opposition, including hosting such a meeting in Moscow.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem is due for talks in Moscow. Russia hopes that Khatib will also visit soon in search of a breakthrough.

 

http://rt.com/news/syria-terrorism-un-row-264/



Russian Christians, Muslims and Jews launch political party

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Christians of various confessions supported by Muslims, Jews and even some agnostics have gathered for a founding convention of the Ten Commandments Party – a secular movement which seeks to establish religious ethical principles in the society.

The founding convention hosted 134 delegates from 45 different regions of Russia. The head of the newly-established movement is Sergey Mezentsev – a professional philosopher and the leader of the Blissful Russia movement.

He began to create the party about a year ago and back then said that the project would follow the common spiritual and ethical norms based on the well-known Decameron of the Old Testament.

Despite the fact that the Blissful Russia unites mostly Evangelical Baptists, the Ten Commandments Party gained support from the Russian Orthodox Church.

The head of the Holy Synod’s department for relations between the Church and the society, Vsevolod Chaplin, spoke at the convention and stated that he hoped that the new party could “bring back the ethical dimension and God’s Ten Commandments to the everyday political practice and the society’s life.”

“Unfortunately, many of our citizens understand the secular society as a manifestation of militant secularism connected with the destruction of the traditional cultures of the peoples of our country.

None of the religions can give an adequate response to these challenges by itself,” the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Chaplin as saying.

However, in later press comments Chaplin noted that the Russian Orthodox Church is not planning to grant any preferences to the Ten Commandments Party, as it is open for equal dialogue with all political forces that do not reject such communication.

He added that Orthodox priests cannot join the party, as the Church has officially forbidden them from any participation in political projects since 1997.

Chaplin, however again stated that he welcomed the participation of various believers in the project – be they Protestants, Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics, Muslims, Jews and even agnostics who follow the traditional religious values in their lives.

The Ten Commandments Party is not yet registered as a political party that can run in elections and this can be a problem for its founders.

Russian law forbids the creation of political parties based on religious beliefs – the regulations, and even names, of political parties cannot state the protection of religious interests as an objective.

 

http://rt.com/politics/russian-muslims-jews-political-575/

Obama signs executive order on cybersecurity

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Barack Obama has signed an executive order on cybersecurity aimed at boosting the defense of critical US infrastructure, while also avoiding the criticism over compromising civil liberties that its legislative predecessors suffered from.

­The legislative push continues, and will cover the same area and make the increase in security mandatory for the private sector. A new version of the controversial bill CISPA is expected to be introduced to the House on Wednesday.

President Obama revealed the long-expected executive order in his State of the Union address on Tuesday. He cited “growing threat from cyber-attacks” as the reason he used his executive power where legislators failed, adding that America must face this rapidly growing threat.

“We know hackers steal people’s identities and infiltrate private e-mail,” he said. “We know foreign countries and companies swipe our corporate secrets. Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions, and our air traffic control systems.”

Years from now, Americans cannot look back and wonder “why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and our economy,” Obama said.

The order directs government officials to come up with standards to reduce cybersecurity risks within the next 240 days, and to encourage companies to adopt the new framework. However, it has no legal power to force companies to adopt the framework of cybersecurity best practices.

The framework will be technology-neutral and aimed at addressing security gaps in the computer networks of crucial parts of the country's infrastructure – the electric grid, gas lines, water treatment plants and transportation networks.

Federal agencies are also being encouraged to share information with private companies on potential cyber threats. This would encompass technical data, such as identifying malicious code, and not private information, senior administration officials said.

­

Not a substitute for legislation

­The executive order comes in place of cybersecurity legislation that failed to pass legislative scrutiny last year. The issue of protecting infrastructure from cyber-attacks was initially free of partisan divide, but became increasingly politicized as work on it progressed.

Democrats favored the Cybersecurity Act of 2012, a bill that would have the Department of Homeland Security identify private owners of infrastructure considered critical and force them to introduce tighter defenses against hacker attacks, as advised by the federal government. Business lobbyists and Republican lawmakers opposed and eventually killed the bill, saying it would over-regulate the private sector and cost too much.

The Republican-backed Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, passed the House only to be later strangled in the Senate amid criticism from Internet privacy and civil liberties advocates. Among other things, the bill would allow legal blanket protection to companies volunteering private information to the government, and would allow the National Security Agency, which is normally restricted to foreign intelligence, to collect data domestically.

The new executive order has yet to raise any red flags from business owners or rights groups. The ACLU said it was "encouraged" by the move, and – in an apparent reference to CISPA – added that it shows "there are smart ways to bolster cybersecurity while protecting privacy."

However the administration does not view the order as a replacement for the legislative process. Obama urged Congress to follow his lead and pass legislation giving Washington “a greater capacity to secure networks and deter attacks.”

In a joint statement, Republican Senators John McCain, Saxby Chambliss and John Thune said the executive action could not "achieve the balanced approach" that a Congressional law would.

“The Senate should follow regular order and craft legislation that will have an immediate impact on our nation's cybersecurity without adding or prompting regulations that could discourage innovation and negatively impact our struggling economy,” they said.

On Wednesday, the key sponsor of CISPA, Republican Representative Mike Rogers, who also chairs the House Intelligence Committee, is expected to reintroduce the bill.

“We agree that our biggest barriers to bolster our cyber defenses can be fixed only with legislation,” Rogers said.

The executive order comes as the number of government agencies and companies targeted by hackers is growing. Over the past two weeks, the Federal Reserve, the Energy Department and the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have all disclosed that their networks were breached by hackers.

http://rt.com/usa/news/obama-signs-cyber-security-order-042/

OBAMA, THE KING DOES NOT NEED CONGRESS! Obama to 'bypass Congress' on CISPA with cybersecurity executive order

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Unable to reach a deal with Congress, President Obama plans to use his power to exert executive actions against the will of lawmakers. The president will issue orders addressing controversial topics including cybersecurity.

Although President Obama has issued fewer executive orders than any president in over 100 years, he is making extensive plans to change that, Washington Post reports quoting people outside the White House involved in discussions on the issues. Due to conflicts with a Congress that too often disagrees on proposed legislation, Obama plans to act alone and is likely "to rely heavily" on his executive powers in future, according to the newspaper.

Obama’s first executive order is expected to be issued this week when the president calls for the creation of new standards on what private-sector companies must do to protect their computer systems from a cybersecurity breach.

The order is a direct response to Congress’ refusal to pass the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) last year, which the administration deemed crucial to prevent crippling attacks on the nation’s infrastructure. But members of Congress who opposed the legislation cited serious privacy concerns with giving the government greater access to Americans’ personal information that only private companies and servers might have access to.

Despite opposition from lawmakers, the president will use his executive powers to issue an order addressing cybersecurity initiatives.

“It is a very dangerous road he’s going down contrary to the spirit of the Constitution,” Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) told the Washington Post. “Just because Congress doesn’t act doesn’t mean the president has a right to act.”

But the president has increasingly been issuing executive orders, including 23 actions addressing gun violence after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The 23 orders angered lawmakers who are opposed to tighter gun legislation. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) accused the president of demonstrating a “king complex” by exerting so many orders.

Major executive actions implemented by the president also include orders delaying deportations of young illegal immigrants and orders to lower student loan payments.

The president plans to have a greater impact during his second term by increasing his number of executive actions. He is currently considering extending anti-discrimination protections for homosexuals employed by the government and working with the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate carbon emissions. He is also planning to allow nearly 11 million struggling homeowners to refinance their mortgages at low interest rates.

The White House has made it clear that if Congress continues to disagree on issues that Obama considers important, the president will go ahead and use his power to pass new laws on his own.

And even though the president has passed executive orders at a lower rate than most of his predecessors – including former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, doing so has not come without criticism.

"Obama's increasing reliance on executive orders to push policy and skirt congressional deliberation is worrisome," tweeted Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

The president is expected to reference some of his imminent executive actions in his State of the Union address on Tuesday.

http://rt.com/usa/news/congress-executive-actions-president-958/

US senators have requested the legal justification for the killings of US citizens suspected of terrorism by the Obama administration. Meanwhile a ‘chilling’ leaked memo showed that the government sees little need for constraint on the issue

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US senators have requested the legal justification for the killings of US citizens suspected of terrorism by the Obama administration. Meanwhile a ‘chilling’ leaked memo showed that the government sees little need for constraint on the issue.

A group of 11 senators on Monday wrote a letter to President Barack Obama, asking him to release all Justice Department memos on the practice of targeting US citizens suspected of being terrorist leaders with lethal force, particularly drone airstrikes. The request comes as the administration seeks Senate approval for John Brennan, Obama's nomination for CIA chief.
"As the Senate considers a number of nominees for senior national security positions, we ask that you ensure that Congress is provided with the secret legal opinions outlining your authority to authorize the killing of Americans in the course of counterterrorism operations," the letter's opening paragraph reads.
Brennan, who is deputy national security advisor to the president, is to face questioning from the Senate Intelligence Committee on February 7. As the Obama administration carries on many of the Bush-era policies that exist in something of a legal gray area, lawmakers want to be sure they have all the information possible in order to "avoid an unnecessary confrontation that could affect the Senate's consideration of nominees for national security positions."
And in case the White House attempts to block the release of the documents by appealing to some legal "privilege," the legislators continue, "We would encourage you to simply waive whatever privilege might apply, if you would like to make it clear that you are not setting a precedent that applies to other categories of documents."
The legislators are not alone in their desire to see the secret justification for targeted killing of Americans by the US administration. The New York Times and the ACLU have filed a lawsuit seeking access to the Justice Department memos on the issue under the Freedom of Information Act.
Previously a number of US officials, including Brannon, Attorney General Eric Holder and others, have argued in public speeches in favor of drone killings of Americans who pose an imminent threat to the country. But apparently in practice the administration has a broader view on what constitutes the imminence of a threat.
NBC News published on Tuesday a copy of a 16-page memo detailing legal reasoning of the killings, which was provided to members of the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary committees in June on condition that it would not be discussed publicly.
The white paper argues that the US is operating lawfully in kill “senior operational leaders of Al-Qaeda or an associated force” even if a person happens to be a US citizen and is not known to be planning an attack on America.
“The condition that an operational leader present an ‘imminent’ threat of violent attack against the United States does not require the United States to have clear evidence that a specific attack on US persons and interests will take place in the immediate future,” the memo states.
It is sufficient that an “informed, high-level” official of the US government determines that the target of the killing has been “recently” involved in “activities” posing a threat of a violent attack and “there is no evidence suggesting that he has renounced or abandoned such activities” the document says. It gives no definitions of “recently” or “activities”.
Jameel Jaffer, deputy legal director of the ACLU, called the white paper “a chilling document” that “redefines the word imminence in a way that deprives the word of its ordinary meaning.”
“Basically, it argues that the government has the right to carry out the extrajudicial killing of an American citizen. It recognizes some limits on the authority it sets out, but the limits are elastic and vaguely defined, and it’s easy to see how they could be manipulated,” he told NBC News.
Obama had attempted to nominate Brennan for the post in 2009, at the start of his first term, but Brennan withdrew his name from consideration after facing claims that he supported former President George W. Bush’s torture program. Brennan was described as a “supporter of the ‘dark side’ policies,” with critics claiming his appointment “would dishearten and alienate those who opposed torture under the Bush administration,” read a letter sent to Obama in 2008.

http://rt.com/usa/news/senators-legal-assassinations-inquiry-452/

‘Russia is ending its dependency on the global superpower’ – Pushkov

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Moscow announced that it has terminated an agreement with Washington to cooperate in law and drug enforcement, continuing the trend of deteriorating diplomatic relations.

“Russia is reforming its relationship with the US. We have terminated the third agreement with the U.S. in the last six months,” Aleksey Pushkov, the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Lower House, commented on Twitter.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed an order to terminate the bilateral deal, the government said in a statement on its official website on Wednesday. The agreement, formalized between Russia and the US on September 25, 2002, was declared “out of touch with today’s realities and has exhausted its potential,” the statement read.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has been instructed to notify Washington of the decision.

As part of the now-defunct bilateral deal, the US agreed to provide financial assistance to relevant Russian entities for anti-crime measures, among other activities. Such philanthropy, however, has raised eyebrows in Russia and prompted questions over the real motive behind Washington’s efforts.

It was largely due to these suspicions that Moscow informed the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in September that its services in Russia were no longer wanted or needed.

In a recent interview with NPR, outgoing US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commented on Russia’s decision to shut down the USAID office: “We can take our aid money and go elsewhere and help people who welcome us.”
Clinton’s comment goes far towards explaining the rift in Russia-US relations: Russia has largely escaped from the clutches of its post-Soviet depression, and is now has a dynamic economy with a growing middle class and huge natural resources, which no longer needs handouts from Washington.

The Foreign Ministry said that Russian civil society has become fully mature, and did not need any "external direction" from USAID, which was also blamed for attempting to manipulate Russia’s internal political processes.

Is Washington, feeling a bit like a jaded partner in a tumultuous relationship, seeking to break off the honeymoon in dramatic fashion?

Last year, the decision by a group of US legislators to implement the so-called ‘Magnitsky Act’ against specific Russian officials – who the US Senators believe should be held accountable in the death of Sergey Magnitsky, an accountant with Hermitage Capital who died in prison in 2009 amidst a tax evasion investigation – has triggered a diplomatic domino effect between the two countries.

Shortly after the passage of the Magnitsky Act, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Dima Yakovlev bill, which bans American citizens from adopting Russian orphans.

In an interview with US media, Prime Minister Medvedev emphasized that Russia’s decision to introduce the adoption legislation had no connection with US legislation against Russian citizens.

“This law expresses concerns of the Russian parliament, the Russian State Duma and the Federal Council over destiny of our children… Therefore, despite the fact that many saw it as targeting individual American citizens who want to adopt Russian children, that’s certainly not the case,” Medvedev told CNN.

The US also recently said it would end its cooperation in the Russian-American Bilateral Presidential Commission on Civil Society.

This ongoing atmosphere of animosity between the two former Cold War rivals shows that relations between Moscow and Washington have entered a cooling period. It also shows that Russia is less willing to depend on the United States for services that it can afford on its own.

Meanwhile, Russian experts say that relations between Moscow and Washington have entered a dangerous tit-for-tat stage and warned against further escalation.

Honorary chairman of the Foreign and Defense Policy Council, Sergey Karaganov told RIA Novosti news agency that in his view Russia and US have put themselves on a path that is very difficult to step off. At the same time, the analyst noted that the so called ‘reset’ had not created any solid foundation for better relations between the two countries.
Karaganov added that he hoped that the leaders of the two nations would be wise enough not to allow further deterioration in relations.

Viktor Kuvaldin of the Gorbachev Foundation also urged the leaders of Russia and the United States to put an end to the standoff as soon as possible.
“Unfortunately, when a spiral starts unwinding it acquires its own logic. People tend to forget who started what and resort to the ‘eye for an eye tooth for a tooth’ policy, Kuvaldin said.

Russian authorities should stop the process and reach an agreement with their US partners so that they (Washington) would follow suit.

http://rt.com/politics/russia-us-moscow-medvedev-clinton-071/



Revolutionary Cyber-Guard? Iran boosts Web-warfare capabilities after centrifuge virus attack

The 2010 cyber-attack on an Iranian uranium enrichment facility, which destroyed more than 1,000 centrifuges, has sparked a buildup of Tehran’s hacking capabilities, a US cyberwarfare commander said. Tehran may soon be a formidable foe in cyberspace.

While no government has officially claimed responsibility for the Stuxnet virus that targeted Iran’s Natanz facility, the US and Israel are widely believed to be behind the attack. The sophisticated cyberweapon infected industrial computers and interfered with centrifuge operations, causing damage to the equipment.

"It's clear that the Natanz situation generated a reaction by them. They are going to be a force to be reckoned with, with the potential capabilities that they will develop over the years and the potential threat that will represent to the United States," General William Shelton told journalists. Shelton heads the US Air Force’s Space Command, and also oversees the Air Force's cyber operations.
General Shelton declined to elaborate on Iran’s offensive hacking capabilities, or the damage that Tehran could inflict on US computer networks. Earlier, a newsletter from the Department of Homeland Security’s cyber unit warned that critical US infrastructure is becoming increasingly vulnerable to hacker attacks.
Tehran has denied several accusations it was involved hacking operations; the latest such incident was a hacking attack on nine US banks and financial institutions last week, which cost the firms millions of dollars.
A hacker group claimed responsibility for the denial-of-service onslaught against the financial websites, saying it was retaliation for an amateur video deemed offensive to Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. But US media cited a number of officials and experts who said that Washington is certain Tehran was behind the attack. Tehran denied any involvement, saying in a statement that it “denounces such methods, which are a violation of the sovereignty of nations.”
Another alleged Iranian cyberwarfare operation was last year’s attack on Saudi oil giant Aramco. A virus uploaded to the state-owned firm’s computer networks damaged files on some 30,000 computers. At the time, US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta called the incident “a significant escalation of the cyber threat,” and warned that a “cyber Pearl Harbor” could soon hit America.
Iran has recently grappled with a number of cyber-attacks. In December 2012, Tehran complained that a number of hacking attacks aimed at disrupting the networks of Iranian industrial facilities – including a power plant – took place over the course of several months.
Iran is currently under crippling financial sanctions championed by the US that have significantly cut its oil revenues and damaged its economy. Washington and its allies have stepped up pressure on Tehran in a bid to halt its uranium enrichment program, and have accused Iran of trying to build a nuclear weapon.
The Islamic Republic has for years denied allegations it is weaponizing its nuclear industry, arguing that its enrichment capabilities are needed to produce fuel for nuclear power plants and radioactive isotopes for medical applications.

http://rt.com/news/iran-cyber-warfare-buildup-239/

Something is getting ready to go down folks!

Germany’s central bank is set to reclaim some of its vast gold reserves held in the US and France. The move follows an audit criticizing Bundesbank for mismanagement, stating the funds had never been “verified physically.”

Bundesbank announced plans to withdraw its entire 374-ton store of gold bullion from the Bank of France in Paris, and 300 tons of the 1,500 tons currently held by the New York Federal Reserve.

The German government refrained from commenting on the reports ahead of its presentation of a new plan for the management of its gold reserves on Wednesday. Germany boasts the world’s second-largest bullion reserves at 270,000 gold bars ($177.5 billion), second only to the US.
Germany’s gold stockpile was relocated abroad during the Cold War amid fears of a possible Soviet invasion. There is no reason now to maintain overseas stockpiles, Bundesbank said – from now on, the bank will only keep small amounts of gold abroad for trading purposes.
About 30 percent of Germany’s gold reserves are currently being held in the country at the facilities of Frankfurt-based Bundesbank.
"Now, the political security situation has changed because the East-West conflict is over. Considerations to store the gold as far west and as far from the Iron Curtain as possible had to be reconsidered," Bundesbank board member Carl-Ludwig Thiele told reporters on Wednesday. He added that gold was an important resource “to create confidence in the currency and in the economic power of our country."
The move follows a damning report by the German Court of Auditors criticizing the management of Bundesbank’s foreign bullion stockpiles. Auditors said that the stores “had never been verified physically,” and were not under proper control.
Bundesbank was taken aback by the criticism, stressing there was no need for speculation on Germany’s overseas holdings and that "there is no doubt about the integrity of the foreign storage sites." The central bank is widely regarded as one of the most trustworthy institutions in German society.
Veteran gold dealer Jim Sinclair said that Bundesbank’s strategy marked a change in trends in the global gold market, heralding a move away from paper administration of funds.

http://rt.com/news/germany-reclaims-gold-us-094/



Malian army gains ground in conflict as UN warns of mass refugee exodus

The Malian army has beaten back Islamist rebels entrenched in a strategically important town in central Mali. Meanwhile, the UN has predicted a potential exodus of up to 700,000 refugees amid fears the conflict could spill into neighboring countries.

Fighting was reported in the town of Konna in central Mali on Thursday. Islamist rebels seized the strategically important town on January 10, prompting the Malian government to request aid from France to push the rebels back.
"We have wrested total control of Konna after inflicting heavy losses on the enemy," the Malian army said in a brief statement. Regional security agencies confirmed the claims.
The international community fears that if the rebels reach the capital Bamako they will form "a terrorist safe haven in the heart of Africa.”
A hundred Togolese and Nigerian soldiers arrived in Mali late on Thursday to reinforce the 1,400 French soldiers already deployed in the country.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has pledged 3,000 troops to the conflict, but the initial date for their deployment was September of this year. As a result, many of the nine regional allies have said they cannot send immediate help.
French President Francois Hollande has repeatedly promised that the French presence in Mali will be short-lived, and will end when the Islamist rebels have been eradicated. However, concerns have been raised that France will be there for the long haul, given that the rebels were well-armed and better-prepared than originally believed.
The UN refugee agency warned on Friday that if the conflict becomes drawn-out, as many as 700,000 people could end up fleeing the area.
"We believe there could be in the near future an additional 300,000 displaced inside Mali and up to 400,000 additional displaced [refugees] in neighboring countries," UN refugee agency spokesperson Melissa Fleming said at a news briefing.
Around 147,000 Malians have sought refuge in neighboring countries since Islamist militants seized control of the north of the country nine months ago. The UN estimates that since France began its aerial bombardment last Friday, more than 2,700 people have fled the region.
­

France architect of conflict that could ‘burn Africa’

President Hollande has claimed that France’s intervention in Mali is justified because of the hostage crisis in Algeria propagated by Malian rebels.
"What's happening in Algeria provides further evidence that my decision to intervene in Mali was justified," the French President told business leaders in Paris.
Peace activist Reiner Braun painted a different picture when he told RT “the French government is responsible for the crisis.”
“There is no argument for sending these troops to Mali, you cannot solve the problems of Mali with military intervention,” Braun said.
He stressed that France’s move was “immoral,” and will result in a similar situation to Afghanistan that will kill hundreds of thousands and “burn Africa.”

Nigerian soldiers arrive at the airport in Bamako on January 17, 2013.(AFP Photo / Issouf Sanogo)

Togolese Army soldiers stand in preparation to leave for deployment to Mali from Togo's capital Lome January 17, 2013.

(Reuters / Stringer)

Nigerian soldiers prepare to load weapons stored in boxes into a military plane before leaving for Mali, at the airport in Nigeria's northern state of Kaduna January 17, 2013.(Reuters / Afolabi Sotunde)

WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS!!!!Unchartered waters: Japan and China scramble fighter jets in island dispute

 

The standoff between Japan and China escalated to a new level after both sides sent their jets to tail each other in airspace near the cluster of disputed islands that has created tension between the two powers.
A Chinese Y-8 transport plane flew near the vicinity of the Diaoyu or Senkaku islands (as they are known by the Chinese and the Japanese respectively) on what the Defense Ministry in Beijing described as a “routine patrol” on Thursday. It was immediately tailed by a Japanese F-15. Chinese authorities then ordered two more J-10 planes into the air, to perform “verification and monitoring” on the Japanese aircraft.
"Aircraft from Japan's Self-Defense Forces have intensified their surveillance activities against China, and expanded the area of their scope, disturbing the normal patrols and training of Chinese civilian and military aircraft," said a spokesman from China’s Ministry of Defense.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman followed with another statement, accusing Tokyo of “creating tension”.
Japanese officials responded by claiming that Chinese planes have increasingly intruded into the airspace above the islands, which are currently owned by Japan. They noted that over the past year alone jets protecting the area had to be scrambled over 150 times, though it is not clear how many of those were a reaction to China’s presence.

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force F-15 jet fighter (AFP Photo/Kazuhiro Nogi)

The Senkaku Islands, located in the East China Sea, have been controlled by Japan since 1895, but China insists that it has historic rights to them dating back to the 16th century. The archipelago, which is halfway between both countries, is currently uninhabited, but the ground below could house significant mineral resources.
"Our stance that we will adamantly protect our waters and territories has not changed at all. As I said before, there is no room for negotiations," said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the wake.
Japan has just increased its defense budget for the first time in 11 years, while China’s has more than quintupled over the past decade and now trails that only of the US.
For some time the islands have proven a blight in relations, with nationalist politicians from both sides increasing their rhetoric in recent years, but tensions have grown rapidly since the Japanese government purchased all privately owned islands in September last year.
This provoked outrage in China, which turned into several violent demonstrations, with Japanese stores ransacked across the country. Some Chinese workers also organized strikes against Japanese employers.
Economic ties between Asia’s two biggest economies, which amount to an annual trade of $340 billion, have also been damaged, with Japanese businesses withdrawing investment, and Chinese ones looking for suppliers elsewhere. Some have estimated that Japan has lost up to 1 per cent of GDP as a result of the dispute.

http://rt.com/news/china-japan-diaoyu-senkaku-822/

Post-Assad plans: US focuses on Syrian chemical arms

 

Painting a picture of a post-Assad Syria, Washington has voiced concern over how it can secure the country's chemical weapons stockpiles in case the regime falls while under attack. Some experts warn that this is only a new pretext for meddling.

Speaking to reporters, US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said he was concerned about how the US and its allies would be able to secure the chemical and biological weapons stored in various locations across Syria and make sure they do not end up in the wrong hands.

"I think the greater concern right now is, what steps does the international community take to make sure that when Assad comes down, that there is a process and procedure to make sure we get our hands on securing those sites," Panetta told a news conference. "That, I think, is the greater challenge right now."

Stressing that the US has no plans of putting ground troops in Syria, the Pentagon chief did however add that the US could provide forces if the Assad government agrees to a peaceful transition. “You always have to keep the possibility that, if there is a peaceful transition and international organizations get involved, that they might ask for assistance in that situation."

At the same press conference, General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned that if the Assad government decides to use its chemical weapons, the US military would be unable to stop it. He therefore stressed that the US must rely on deterrence and continue warning Syria that using them would be unacceptable.

“The act of preventing the use of chemical weapons would be almost unachievable,” Dempsey told reporters at the Pentagon. “You would have to have such clarity of intelligence, persistent surveillance, you’d have to actually see it before it happened. And that’s unlikely, to be sure.”

US President Barack Obama has said that the Assad government's use of chemical weapons would cross a “red line” and cause him to change his “calculus” about possible military intervention in Syria.

Earlier, the Pentagon said that any military effort to seize Syria’s stockpiles of chemical weapons would require some 75,000 troops.

Middle East commentator and blogger Karl Sharro believes the talk about such stockpiles is just another pretext for Washington to get involved in Syrian affairs.

“There is a process of planning for the day after Assad, as Western powers are imagining it,” he told RT. “They are piling up different reasons for them to step in and take control of the country.”

He stressed that there are multiple forces engaged in this process, saying that “it is really shocking that the fate of Syria can be decided from outside this blatantly.” 

Brahimi ‘flagrantly biased’

Meanwhile, Damascus has slammed UN and Arab League envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi as “flagrantly biased,” casting doubt on his role as a mediator in the crisis that has claimed over 60,000 lives since March 2011.

The international peace envoy told the BBC that he didn’t see Assad as a part of a transitional government, and called for him to step down. Brahimi added that “ruling for 40 years is a little bit too long,” referring to Assad, who inherited the presidency from his father, whose tenure lasted 30 years.

The pro-Assad al-Watan newspaper referred to Brahimi as "a tool for the implementation of the policy of some Western countries."

http://rt.com/news/syria-us-chemical-weapons-758/

Moscow, Beijing reconnect as reset with US fizzles

 

 

Russia and China, which share many of the same international concerns, are looking to fortify their strategic partnership.

­At a time when the neighboring countries are beginning to feel the heat of the US military, it seems only natural that Moscow and Beijing are beginning to plant the seeds of a long-term strategic relationship.
Xi Jinping, the secretary-general of the Chinese Communist Party, underlined his country’s commitment to a Russian partnership when he noted that he and President Vladimir Putin "came to the unanimous conclusion” that a “comprehensive strategic partnership” between Moscow and Beijing remains the “top priority of their foreign policy."
The comments were made on Tuesday during a visit to Beijing by Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev, who is participating in the eighth round of Russian-Chinese consultations on strategic security.
Xi Jingping, 59, who was sworn as the highest-ranking Communist official in November, echoed the sentiments of the Russian president, who noted at his recent Q&A session with international media that Russo-Chinese relations “have become one of the most important factors in the (realm of) international affairs."
Given the geopolitical realities of the region, it should come as no surprise that Moscow and Beijing are looking to forge a strategic partnership.
Whereas China, traditionally an isolationist country that shuns bilateral alliances, rarely reveals its political hand, Russia made a leap of faith when it attempted to forge a so-called reset in relations with Washington. Today, the reset is in shambles, while many in Moscow accuse Washington of allowing the partnership to deteriorate.
Indeed, much of the blame for the Russia-US fallout is due to Washington’s plans to place a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe, just miles from the Russian border. NATO, originally declaring its intention to cooperate with Russia on the project, remains intransigent, while even refusing to provide Moscow with a legal guarantee that the system will never be aimed at Russian territory.
Moscow rightly warned its Western partners that without Russia’s participation in the system the strategic balance would be upset and there would be another arms race. Still, US and NATO officials have been reluctant to bring Russia on board, and this refusal has played havoc with Moscow’s and Washington’s efforts to nurture a reset between the former Cold War enemies.
In fact, given the current stalemate, the reset itself seems to have been merely a ploy to win Russia’s trust at the same time that a threatening military technology was being introduced courtesy of the Obama administration.
Meanwhile, China, which recently celebrated the launch of its first aircraft carrier (the US Navy already has six carriers assigned to the Pacific), is witnessing a growing US naval presence in the Pacific.
The US military brass announced in June that up to 60 per cent of the Navy's fleet will be deployed to the Pacific by 2020.
At the same time, Moscow and Beijing hold similar positions on a variety of other international issues, including the situation in Syria, where militants are attempting to force President Bashar Assad from power. Russian and Chinese diplomats have called for a general ceasefire followed by negotiations, whereas the United States has thrown its weight behind the opposition.
“Moscow and Beijing both hold similar positions on the global hotspots, including in Syria, North Korea, Afghanistan and Iran,” Evgeny Bazhanov, president of the Diplomatic Academy of Russia’s Foreign Ministry, told RT in an earlier interview. “They are also both deeply suspicious of the US missile defense system.”
Finally, the China-Russia relationship is motivated by other factors aside from their increasing wariness of American geopolitical intentions.
For example, considering China’s exploding economy, Beijing requires a reliable flow of oil and gas. Russia, meanwhile, welcomes the opportunity to diversify its ample supply of natural resources.
Interstate consultations on strategic issues between Russia and China were launched in 2005.

http://rt.com/politics/russia-china-patrushev-security-military-616/