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Vladimir Putin’s newest enemy: Australia
Australia will host the leaders of the Group of 20 nations at their annual meeting this weekend, with the world's major economies coming together in Brisbane for major talks. For one guest, however, there might not be a warm welcome.
Over the past few weeks, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has repeatedly warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that he intended to take him to task for his government's alleged role in shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in July. Pointing to widely accepted evidence that Kremlin-backed rebels shot down the plane, Abbott has argued that Russia should not just help more with the investigation but should also pay compensation to the victims.
It's an emotional issue for many Australians – 38 of the passengers killed on the flight were citizens of the country – and one that the prime minister has seized on. Abbott, a conservative politician who has frequently caused controversy in Australia, went so far as to publicly threaten to "shirtfront" the Russian president – a colloquialism from Australian rules football that means to bump someone "forcefully in the chest."
"I am going to be saying to Mr. Putin, 'Australians were murdered; they were murdered by Russian-backed rebels using Russian-supplied equipment,'" Abbott added – though he later walked back his comments, promising only a "robust" discussion with Putin.
In the end, Abbott decided to bring forward his confrontation with Putin, challenging him for 15 minutes at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing on Tuesday. According to the Guardian, the Australian leader told his Russian counterpart that he had evidence that the missile launcher used to down the Malaysia Airlines plane had come from Russia and was returned to Russia afterward. Abbott pointed to the example set by the United States when it shot down Iran Air Flight 655 in 1988 and subsequently apologized and paid compensation to the victims' families.
The response may not be what Abbott was hoping for, however. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, joked to Russian reportersthat Abbott "did not even try" to "shirtfront" Putin, and on Wednesday, a representative of the Russian Embassy in Canberra flatly rejected the Australian position.
"We totally refute the allegations and we want to commit to the full and impartial international investigation," spokesman Alexander Odoevskiytold the Sydney Morning Herald. "If the prime minister has, as he declares, any clear evidence, then he should bring it to the table. We haven't seen it." Odoevskiy also told the newspaper that the situation with Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was "incomparable" to Iran Air Flight 655 due to the lack of agreement over who was was behind the downing of the plane.
To make matters worse, Australian media are also reporting that Russia may be flexing its military muscles near Australia. 7News reported Wednesday that "four Russian warships are bearing down on Australian waters, led by the guided missile Cruiser, Varyag, the flag ship of Russia's Pacific fleet." Australia's government has downplayed this development, pointing out that the "movements of these vessels [are] entirely consistent with provisions under international law." Any direct military confrontation between the two nations certainly appears extremely unlikely, though the movement of the ships draws an interesting parallel with a number of "unusual" recent incidents involving Russian air power in Europe.
It leaves Abbott in an awkward position. For all his tough talk, an apology from Russia seems as distant as ever, and his macho "shirtfront" comment has been widely mocked; one online survey published by the paper Sydney Morning Herald found that the majority of readers were unhappy with his efforts. And while Putin may receive a cold reception in Brisbane, he's probably sure he has come out on top.
www.washingtonpost.com/
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Police hunt for tiger loose near Disneyland Paris
PARIS (AP) — French authorities say a young tiger is on the loose near Disneyland Paris, one of Europe's top tourist destinations, and have urged residents in three nearby towns to stay indoors.
The town of Montevrain sent out a news alert on its Facebook page Thursday saying a young tiger was spotted in the brush behind tennis courts and a soccer field about 9 kilometers (5 1/2 miles) from Disneyland Paris.
An examination of a muddy footprint showed the tiger weighs about 70 kilograms (154 pounds) and is about 1 ½ years old, said Clement Joly, a Montevrain spokesman.
Police and rescue squads roped off a security perimeter and urged people living in Montevrain, Chessy and Chalifert to remain indoors. If they must travel, residents were told to stay inside their cars as around 60 police, fire and other security forces tried to track the tiger.
Police were using a helicopter, a specially trained dog and a wolf-catcher to aid the search, authorities in Seine-et-Marne said.
To be safe, school children in Montevrain were accompanied home at the end of Thursday's classes, Joly said.
Where the tiger came from is still a mystery.
The Parc des Felins, a wild cat animal park 29 kilometers (18 miles) from Montevrain, said all of its animals were accounted for. EuroDisney, the operator of Disneyland Paris, said it has no tigers in its theme park.
Disneyland Paris calls itself Europe's No. 1 tourist destination with 14.2 million visits in 2013. Officials at the theme park said no special precautions were being taken Thursday inside the park due to the tiger.
www.usatoday.com
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Americans are quitting their jobs more, and that's a good thing
WASHINGTON: In a paradoxically good development for the US economy, Americans quit their jobs in September at the fastest rate in over six years.
Other data on Thursday showed the number of new jobless claims rose last week but remained near a 14-year low, and the two readings suggested the US labor market was moving toward full health.
Two percent of US job-holders, or about 2.8 million workers, left their jobs under their own volition in September, the Labor Department said.
That's important for two reasons.
One, the quits rate fell during the 2007-09 recession and has been slower to recover than other labor market indicators because workers lacked confidence to leave their jobs for greener pastures. Some analysts believe this has helped keep wage gains stagnant even as the jobless rate has fallen because employers don't have to raise wages as much to retain talent when there is less employee turnover.
Second, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen has signaled the quits rate as an indicator she is following on her "dashboard" for assessing progress in the labor market's recovery.
"It's definitely good for wages," said Joseph LaVorgna, chief US economist at Deutsche Bank. "Also, the chair of the Federal Reserve is looking at it, and if she's looking at it, we have to as well."
The Fed last month gave an upbeat view of the jobs market, saying that labor market slack was "gradually diminishing."
Thursday's data also showed the rate of hiring, which occupies another place on Yellen's dashboard, rose in September. The job openings rate, which has already returned to the levels seen just before the recession, fell.
In a separate report, the Labor Department said initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 12,000 to 290,000 for the week ended Nov. 8.
That was a bigger increase than expected, but claims have now been below 300,000 for nine straight weeks, suggesting firms are well past a cycle of elevated layoffs that began in the recession.
"This increase is nothing to worry about," said Ian Shepherdson, an economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. "Claims can remain close to their current trend for an extended period."
Yields on US government debt were little changed following the publication of the two Labor Department reports.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
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Russian bomb patrols over Gulf would be "very significant"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkxAn43Pp7A
www.cbsnews.com
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Putin Berates US Over Sanctions Before G20 Meeting
MOSCOW—President Vladimir Putin accused the United States on Friday of undermining the very trade institutions it created by imposing sanctions on Russia, a “mistake” he hoped would be overcome in the “final count.”
In an interview with Russian state news agency TASS before a meeting of the G20 major and developing economies, Putin said sanctions imposed by the United States and European Union on Russia over Ukraine harmed Russia, but also the global economy.
The Russian leader said the asset freezes, visa bans and measures preventing Russian companies accessing Western financial markets and technology went against international law because only the United Nations had the right to impose them.
They also went against trade agreements, including the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, which the United States created, he said.
“The United States itself created that organization at a certain point. Now it is crudely violating its principles,” he said. “I do hope... that in the final count the awareness of this will prevail and bygones will be bygones.”
Putin said he would not bring up sanctions at the G20 meeting, which starts on Saturday in Australia, as “it'll make no sense.”
The Russian leader was not asked about Ukraine, a topic that may take center stage at talks in Brisbane following reports of Russian troops pouring into the country's east, where Kyiv has fought a separatist uprising.
Ukraine accuses Russia of sending soldiers and weapons to help rebels launch a new offensive in a conflict that has killed more than 4,000 people. Russia denies the charges.
Putin admitted the sanctions, imposed to try to change Russian policy in Ukraine, and falling oil prices were taking their toll on the economy, but added: “Our reserves are big enough and they allow us to be sure that we will meet our social commitments.”
He also said Russia was turning eastwards towards China, a move spearheaded by state-controlled energy producer Rosneft , which has asked the government for more than 2 trillion rubles in financial support.
Putin said any decision on giving Rosneft money from the National Welfare Fund, created to protect the pension system, would be taken after a thorough analysis of the needs of a company “we truly treasure.”
“This will be a real assessment and I don't rule out that Rosneft may get some funds,” he said.
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Meeting U.S. Envoy, Putin Appears to Soften His Tone
MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said Wednesday that Moscow and Washington could find avenues of practical cooperation if the partnership were based on “mutual respect and pragmatism.”
It may have seemed a frosty reception for John F. Tefft, the new American ambassador to Russia, who presented his credentials at a ceremony in the gilded St. Alexander Hall in the Kremlin, but given Mr. Putin’s more bellicose statements of late, the president’s remarks seemed almost diplomatic.
“We are ready for practical cooperation with our American partners in all different areas, based on the principles of respect for each other’s interests, equality and nonintervention in domestic affairs,” Mr. Putin said, as he addressed Mr. Tefft and 14 other diplomats who presented their credentials during the ceremony.
“We take the view that Russia and the United States bear special responsibility for maintaining international security and stability and combating global threats and challenges,” he said.
Mr. Tefft, a career diplomat who has served as ambassador to Ukraine, Georgia and Lithuania, has kept a low profile since arriving in Moscow in September, as relations between the United States and Russia have descended to their worst state since the Cold War.
Mr. Putin has blamed the West for setting off the conflict in Ukraine and told political supporters on Monday that the United States sought to “subjugate” Russia.
On Tuesday, at an exhibition of armored personnel carriers, Mr. Putin observed that “you can do a lot more with weapons and politeness than just politeness,” a reference to the “polite” Russian soldiers who appeared in Crimea in early March.
The United States and the European Union have leveled punishing sanctions against Russia in response to its annexation of Crimea and subsequent sponsorship of separatists in a proxy war in southeastern Ukraine. At last week’s meeting of the Group of 20, Mr. Obama claimed the sanctions were working, and foreign leaders vied to get in a good barb against Mr. Putin.
“I guess I’ll shake your hand,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada told Mr. Putin at the summit meeting. “But you need to get out of Ukraine.”
Mr. Tefft’s mission is straightforward, said Matthew Rojansky, a Russia expert at the Wilson Center: Maintain an open line between Moscow and Washington.
“He is sent to do the classic, core job of an ambassador, to be a truly trusted channel of communications between the political leadership, as opposed to being sent as a statement of some kind,” Mr. Rojansky said in a telephone interview.
Mr. Tefft’s predecessor, Michael McFaul, left Moscow in February after a stormy two-year term in which he aimed to engage with ordinary Russians through public events and social media, but he was hounded by the state news media and accused of being sent to foment revolution.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mr. Tefft said it was “a privilege” to attend Wednesday’s ceremony, during which he shared a few words with Mr. Putin and posed quickly for a photo.
“We have serious differences over Russia’s policy in Ukraine,” Mr. Tefft said, adding that he hoped to improve “people-to-people ties.”
“I will do my best to engage Russians from all parts of society,” he said. “I will explain what the United States stands for and promote respect for the dignity of every citizen, democratic values, good governance, and rule of law.”
http://www.nytimes.com
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Ukraine’s Slow Collapse
The crisis in Ukraine has reached an impasse. The cease-fire signed in Minsk, Belarus, in September never really took hold, but at least it provided a cover for efforts to reduce the level of fighting and focus on stabilizing and reforming the Ukrainian economy as a prelude to a serious, long-term search for a resolution of the crisis. Now even the fig leaf of cease-fire is gone. Russian armored vehicles are rolling into eastern Ukraine — disowned, of course, by Moscow.
Gunfire is exchanged constantly in and around Donetsk, and Kiev has basically disowned residents of territories claimed by separatists by cutting most government services, benefits and pensions. And though elections to the Ukrainian Parliament on Oct. 26 brought in a new, pro-Western legislature, Kiev is still far from forming a government or producing a viable program of reforms.
The United States and the European Union have made clear, and correctly so, that they hold President Vladimir Putin of Russia largely responsible for this state of affairs. He was snubbed at the Group of 20 meeting in Brisbane, Australia. Then Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, once the European leader deemed most cautious in relations with Moscow, assailed him for reviving a Cold War atmosphere 25 years after the Berlin Wall fell.
There is no question that by annexing Crimea and arming separatists in eastern Ukraine, Mr. Putin has done great damage to East-West relations — and to his country, which finds itself isolated and in economic trouble. The decision on Monday by the European Union to add more separatist leaders to the list of Mr. Putin’s allies barred from Europe may be largely symbolic, but along with the cold reception in Brisbane, it does let the Russian leader know that the West is not about to let him off the hook.
That said, it is important to acknowledge that officials in Kiev, and more specifically President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, have responsibilities they must live up to. Ukraine has been plagued by corruption since it became independent, and the current crisis has made it even more imperative for the leaders to form a government and come up with a credible economic and political strategy.
The Ukrainian economy is in terrible shape — the currency has lost almost half its value against the dollar in 2014, the industrial centers of Donetsk and Luhansk are in separatist hands, coal mines have shut down. The International Monetary Fund has provided emergency aid, but the hard fact is that the European Union and the United States cannot be expected to make substantial commitments until Ukraine provides a clear reform plan and priorities for outside investment. Johannes Hahn, the new European Union commissioner for enlargement, is right to insist that the union will not hold a donors’ conference without this.
In addition to an economic strategy, Kiev needs to prepare a plan for loosening central control in a way that might satisfy residents of the eastern provinces. The decision by President Poroshenko to cut government benefits and pensions to residents of areas under the control of Kremlin-backed separatists, though understandable in the circumstances, has left those unable to flee feeling betrayed by Kiev, creating a vacuum for Moscow to fill.
There is no question that ordering painful reforms when a country is already on its knees is asking a lot. That is why it is imperative that Western leaders make clear that they will give Kiev substantial assistance only after it embarks on a serious program of economic and political reform. After all, that was what the Ukrainians who took to the streets in December 2013 fought for.
www.nytimes.com
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RUSSIAN HACKERS REPORTEDLY SPYING ON UK FAMILIES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyXhGVrb1ao
Sky News
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McFaul: "Ukrainians are disappointed with the results of the revolution"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt7v2ikrW60
www.msnbc.com
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America’s Dangerous Double Standard on Air and Sea “Provocations”
The United States and its NATO allies are mightily agitated about the increase in Russian air and naval activity near the Baltic republics. According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, alliance warplanes have scrambled 400 times in 2014 in response to Russian military flights, an increase of 50 percent over 2013. Western officials repeatedly denounce Moscow’s maneuvers as dangerous and provocative.
Statements by U.S. and NATO leaders, along with Western media accounts, foster the impression that Russian ships and aircraft arrogantly penetrate the airspace and territorial waters of alliance members. But when pressed, officials concede that the vast majority of incidents do not involve such illegality. Stoltenberg stated that most of the flights “are close to NATO airspace,” but he admitted that there were “a very limited number of violations.”
Reading the fine print of other Western complaints reveals similarly misleading imagery. Baltic leaders express anger that a Russian warship entered Latvia’s exclusive economic zone, but it turns out that the location was still some nine nautical miles outside the country’s territorial waters. Latvia’s Ministry of Defense fumed that Russian warships had “approached” Latvian waters some fifty times in 2014 and had “come close” to Latvian airspace some 200 times. Yet the Ministry did not cite verifiable violations of its territorial waters or airspace.
The actual substance of other episodes likewise seems far less dramatic than the scare headlines that have become routine in the Western press. NATO F-16 jets intercepted a Russian Ilyushin transport plane over the Baltic Sea on November 12, after it “approached” Estonian and Lithuanian airspace. Similar incidents took place between NATO aircraft and Russian Su-27 fighter planes on November 15 and 17. Again, the Russian offense was that its aircraft were found “near Latvia’s territorial seas” in the former case and had “approached Estonian and Lithuanian airspace” in the latter. Despite such complaints, the encounters indisputably took place over international waters, Western governments acknowledged.
Calling the Russian actions provocative has some merit. Nations understandably become jittery when foreign ships and aircraft operate near their territory. That nervousness mounts when the foreign power has tense relations with one’s own country, and that is certainly the case, given the deterioration of relations between Russia and the NATO states in response to the Ukraine crisis. Adding to the tension is that Russian military planes are operating without activating their transponders, thereby increasing the hazard to commercial air traffic.
But one might at least expect the United States and its allies to be consistent about their attitude toward provocative air and naval maneuvers. Instead, the United States has adopted a blatant double standard when it comes to the actions of its own armed forces. China, for example, has asked that U.S. (as well as Japanese and South Korean) military aircraft respect Beijing’s air defense identification zone in the East China Sea and provide timely information about flights entering that area. Washington and its allies not only refuse to do so, they refuse even to recognize the legitimacy of that zone. Yet such resistance is not considered to be provocative or creating a threat to aircraft safety.
In addition, the United States routinely operates reconnaissance flights barely outside China’s territorial airspace, including near a major Chinese submarine base on Hainan Island. Those flights, and China’s dispatch of fighter planes to intercept them, have led to a number of nasty incidents, including a near collision earlier this year and an actual collision in 2001. Yet Washington has brushed off Beijing’s complaints, noting that the reconnaissance planes are operating in international airspace. Indeed, U.S. officials chastise China for trying to intercept and harass the spy flights.
All parties need to adopt a more prudent approach and recognize that what may be legitimate under international law is not necessarily wise. The United States has a legal right to send its spy planes near the Chinese coast to monitor sensitive Chinese military installations. And Russia has every legal right to operate military ships and planes in areas close to the boundaries of NATO member states. But such actions by both countries are also provocative and dangerous. As the 2001 U.S. incident with China confirmed, the risk of an accident or miscalculation is unacceptably high. That episode created a major crisis between Washington and Beijing. An incident involving Russian and NATO planes in the Baltic region could easily escalate, leading to a frightening military confrontation between the West and Moscow.
One would hope that all relevant governments would step back and seek ways to reduce the level of risk. In addition, the United States needs to examine its own actions before it smugly denounces those of rival powers. As matters now stand, Washington is guilty of hypocrisy, as well as provocative behavior regarding air and naval maneuvers.
Source: http://nationalinterest.org/feature/america%E2%80%99s-dangerous-double-standard-air-sea-provocations%E2%80%9D-11721
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Russians: Ferguson Protests Threaten American Stability
The Russian Foreign Ministry’s human rights envoy Konstantin Dolgov said protests in Ferguson challenge American “stability.”
“The developments in Ferguson and other cities highlight serious challenges to the American society and its stability,” Dolgov said Tuesday in a Russian state television address.
“Racial discrimination, racial and ethnic tensions are major challenges to the American democracy, to stability and integrity of the American society,” Dolgov said. “We may only hope that U.S. authorities seriously deal with those issues and other serious challenges in the human rights field in their own country and stop what they have been doing all along recently — playing an aggressive mentor lecturing other countries about how to meet human rights standards.”
President Barack Obama said in a speech Tuesday night in Chicago that he supports the Ferguson protesters and urged them to “mobilize, organize.”
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CNN: Путин разочаровал Запад бескомпромиссной речью
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2KKyHhrv4M
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Finland gives go-ahead to joint nuclear venture with Russia’s Rosatom
MPs approve building of reactor despite opposition at home and EU calls for member states to curtail energy deals with Moscow.
Finland’s Green party accuses prime minister Alexander Stubb’s coalition government of subservience to Moscow. Photograph: Heikki Saukkomaa/AFP/Getty Images
Finland’s parliament has given the go-ahead to a controversial joint venture with the Russian energy firm, Rosatom, to build a new nuclear reactor in the north of the country.
The decision comes despite opposition from Finland’s Green party, which has accused prime minister, Alexander Stubb’s coalition government of subservience to Moscow. The vote was 115 to 74 in favour of the venture.
The joint project also ignores EU calls for members states to curtail new energy deals with Russia, following Moscow’s annexation of Crimea last spring.
Fennovoima, the Finnish consortium leading the project, said work started at the Pyhäjoki site, on the Finland’s west coast, in mid-September. Construction of the nuclear plant is scheduled for 2018, with commercial operations expected to begin in 2024.
Carl Haglund, Finland’s defence minister, defended collaboration with Rosatom, telling the Kauppalehti newspaper: “Finland has been closely cooperating with Russia on energy markets for a long time. It’s absolutely natural.”
The Finnish electricity company, Fortum, said this week it would take an up to 15% stake in the €6bn project, prospectively satisfying the government’s requirement that it be at least 60% Finnish-owned.
Rosatom is expected to provide most of the finance.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/05/finland-nuclear-project-russia-rosatom-reactor
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Haiti capital hit by anti-government clashes
Thousands of anti-government protesters have clashed with police in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince.
They burned tyres and threw stones at officers who responded with tear gas.
The protesters want President Michel Martelly and Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe to resign and long-overdue elections to be held.
Some protesters accused the US of supporting Haiti's leadership and called on Russian President Vladimir Putin for help.
Hundreds succeeded in reaching the National Palace, an area which has been restricted for several years.
One protester, who gave his name as Reginald, said: "Today is a victory against President Martelly who destroys the country, for two years we (are not allowed) to cross in front of the National Palace."
President Martelly was supposed to call elections in 2011 but they have been postponed in a stalemate between the government and a group of opposition senators over electoral law.
Haiti is also still struggling to recover from a 2010 earthquake.
Opposition politicians accuse President Martelly of wanting to rule by decree.
The government argues that opposition politicians are also dragging their feet in the hope of extending their time in office without elections.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-30356539
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Two police officers injured as Berkeley protest turns violent
Two officers were injured Saturday night as a California protest over police killings turned violent with protesters smashing windows and throwing rocks and bricks at police, who responded by firing tear gas, authorities said.
Several officers were struck, but there were just two reports of injury, Berkeley police spokeswoman Jenn Coats said. A Berkeley police officer received hospital treatment for a dislocated shoulder after being hit with a sandbag, while another sustained minor injuries.
The demonstration against police killings of unarmed black men in Missouri and New York began peacefully, the latest of several in the Bay Area in recent days. But Coats said that a some protesters later broke away and began throwing rocks, bottles and pipes at officers.
Dozens of law officers from several surrounding agencies joined Berkeley police in trying to quell the unrest, which included protesters attempting to access Interstate 80 and stop traffic. A California Highway Patrol officer told KTVU that the protesters did not make it onto the freeway and only caused temporary delays.
She said several businesses on University Avenue were vandalized and damaged, including Trader Joe's, Radio Shack and a Wells Fargo Bank branch.
"A small splinter group from the original protests continues to march in Berkeley," Coats said in a statement issued shortly before at 11 p.m. PST. "Unfortunately this group has become violent and continues to throw objects, including rocks and bricks at officers."
She said officers attempting to get the crowd to disperse used tear gas.
"Several dispersal orders have been given, and the crowd has ignored the orders. In response to the violence officers have utilized tear gas and smoke in an effort to disperse the crowd," she said.
Police did not provide further details of any injuries or arrests.
"The total number of arrests and injuries is not known at this time," Coats' statement said.
KTVU reported that approximately 400 people took part in the protest march, which was planned to proceed from the University of California, Berkeley campus to Oakland's Civic Center. The station reported that officers closed two Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations due to the protest, but later re-opened them.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/12/07/two-police-officers-injured-as-berkeley-protest-turns-violent/
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HOW NASA WILL SEND HUMANS TO MARS
NASA SCIENTISTS ARE TACKLING A BIG CHALLENGE: BUILDING CAPSULES THAT WILL TAKE HUMANITY TO MARS.
BY NEAL UNGERLEIDER
It’s official: NASA’s Orion project, which will send humans to Mars, is a success. A test flight on Friday morning was successful; NASA’s command center called it "the most perfect flight you could ever imagine."
While the flight today only carried test equipment and a few props like Ernie’s "Rubber Ducky" from Sesame Street, NASA is planning to eventually place humans inside small space capsules and send them to Mars.
Of course, sending a woman or man to the red planet requires a not-insignificant amount of planning and logistics.
Orion’s next flight is planned for 2017 or 2018, will consist of robotic cargo, and take a trip around the moon and back. The first human space travelers on Orion are scheduled to depart on a 2021 test flight. NASA hasn’t shared specifics regarding what the first crewed test flight will include, but it is widely understood that it shall involve an asteroid visit.
(http://g.fastcompany.net/multisite_files/fastcompany/imagecache/inline-large/inline/2014/12/3039465-inline-i-1-journey.jpg)
All these far-off journeys are possible through a new piece of NASA tech called the Space Launch System (SLS).
According to the space agency, the SLS "will give the nation a safe, affordable and sustainable means of reaching beyond our current limits and open new doors of discovery from the unique vantage point of space." The rocket, which is designed for deep space exploration, is a successor vehicle to the 1960s-era Saturn V rocket which took the human race to the moon.
During Friday’s test flight, the SLS weighed 70 tons and included a core stage rocket with booster rockets. The rocket carried a space capsule, launch abort system, and supplementary equipment.
NASA is currently researching the best design for a space capsule to transport astronauts to Mars. You can bet that capsule will be considerably more tricked-out than the one used in today’s test flight; NASA says the system can eventually handle up to 130 tons of weight.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3039465/how-nasa-will-send-humans-to-mars
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Russia assails "unacceptable" Israeli airstrikes in Syria
BEIRUT -- Russia on Monday demanded an explanation for Israeli airstrikes on two areas near Damascus, while the Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers called it an act of aggression that proves Israel is "in the same trench" with extremist groups fighting the Syrian government.
Israeli warplanes struck near Damascus' international airport on Sunday, as well as outside a town close to the Lebanese border.
The attacks are unlikely to have a big impact. Israel has already struck inside Syria on several occasions in the course of the country's chaotic civil war, including a series of airstrikes near Damascus in May 2013. Those strikes, according to Israeli officials, targeted shipments of Iranian-made Fateh-110 missiles bound for the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group.
Syria's reaction has been relatively mute; in previous cases, Damascus has vowed to retaliate without actually doing so.
The Syrian government said Sunday's attacks caused only material damage. Israel has not confirmed the strikes, which Syrian activists said had hit weapons depots.
Appearing on Israel Radio on Monday, Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz would neither confirm nor deny the news.
"We have a very potent defense policy that is oriented toward safeguarding the country and wherever possible preventing the upgrading of weaponry that gives terrorist organizations game-changers or unusually sophisticated means of attack," he said.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem claimed Israel was trying to compensate for losses incurred by Islamic extremist groups in Syria at the hands of the Syrian army. He did not elaborate.
He spoke Monday at a joint news conference in Tehran with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Since Syria's conflict began in March 2011, Israel has carried out several airstrikes in Syria that have targeted sophisticated weapons systems, including Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles and Iranian-made missiles, believed to be destined for Hezbollah.
Although Israel has never confirmed any airstrikes in Syria, it has laid out "red lines" that define various types of weapons it says Hezbollah cannot be allowed to acquire, including sophisticated guided missiles, anti-aircraft systems and missiles that can strike Israeli naval targets.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Moscow "is deeply concerned about this dangerous development which requires a detailed investigation."
In a statement, he said that the use of force is "unacceptable in international relations and deserves an outright condemnation."
Russia, along with Iran, is the Syrian government's chief international ally, and has been trying to convene a dialogue among the warring parties in Moscow.
Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who visited Lebanon last week, said his country is trying to arrange a meeting between Syria's warring sides without preconditions. He then flew to Turkey to meet with the head of Syria's Western-backed opposition group, Hadi Bahra.
Al-Moallem said that Syria, along with Russia and Iran, is working on a political solution for the conflict "based on dialogue between Syrians and without any outside intervention."
In Turkey, the U.N. envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, met with armed and civilian representatives of the Syrian opposition. Spokeswoman Juliette Touma said the meetings in Gaziantep were part of efforts to freeze hostilities in the northern city of Aleppo.
De Mistura has proposed local cease-fires starting with Aleppo as a building block for a wider solution to the Syrian war.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-assails-unacceptable-israeli-airstrikes-in-syria/
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Why Do Russia and Iran Have More Cyber Commandos Than the U.S.?
With new DOD leadership, troops returning to Iraq, and an extension of the U.S. stay in Afghanistan, doing more of the same is clearly not enough; it is time to embrace fresh national security ideas.
One of the key new approaches is the notion of special operations cyber warfare -- merging tactical computer, social network and military informational capabilities with Special Operations Forces (SOF). One would think that in the age of powerful smartphones and Google Glass that countries would have specialized cyber forces that free fall into a country, nonchalantly visit an Internet café and use some kind of James Bond-like gizmo to hijack an enemy's websites, send disruptive messages that seem to originate from an adversary's leadership, and thoroughly dominate a target's social media. And this expectation could be right -- except not for the U.S.
Unlike many other nations, especially Russia and Iran, America lacks a blended cyber and special operations capability. This is a major national security problem as recent events have clearly demonstrated the power of special operations cyber warfare. Russia's successful occupation of Ukraine was greatly assisted by teams of Russian Special Operations Forces, Spetsnaz and other troops, employing and supported by a variety of cyber warfare activities -- from manipulating online social networks to disrupting regional computing. Similarly, Iran, both in its repression of its internal democratic movement and in its projection of force into Syria, has employed teams of specially trained cyber warriors to manipulate networks, target opposition leaders through social media, and influence the Internet-driven view of events. In Ukraine, Iran, and Syria, Special Operations Forces employing cyber warfare greatly enhanced their countries' military and political efforts. These successes were not flukes; today, small teams of specially trained and equipped cyber SOF warriors can affect strategic outcomes more than much larger units of conventional forces. But the U.S. lacks this hybrid cyber commando ability. It is ironic; the country that is home to Silicon Valley has fallen far behind lesser technologically developed states in the military innovation of tactical cyber capabilities.
U.S. cyber warfare reflects a mainframe organizational culture -- one big national organization controlling and directing strategic cyber combat resources -- and given the importance of electronic media in our lives, there is certainly an essential role for a country-level Internet and computer defense. Recent conflicts, however, demonstrate the additional need for a smartphone-like approach, with tactical cyber warfare capabilities pushed to the lowest operational level possible. Tactically distributed SOF cyber capabilities not only increase the probability of victory, they reduce likely American losses. Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel, Patrick Duggan recently wrote, special operations cyber capabilities "strategically offer ways to shape the physical environment while decreasing the risk exposure and attribution to U.S. forces."
Using million-dollar missiles to destroy hundred-dollar tents; killing the "jack of diamonds" again and again, green on blue attacks, all demonstrate the futility of employing traditional counter-terrorism approaches against networked adversaries. For years, prescient thinkers like Dr. John Arquilla have said that it takes a network to fight a network. Even in this interconnected global age, however, there remains a local dimension to many electronic networks. Thus network disruption often requires small, invisible teams to have close physical proximity to a hostile and violent enemy -- a role ideally suited to SOF. Creating commandos that can project force into Internet and social media nodes merges special operations with high technology, matching our best troops with our best technology. Secretary of Defense Nominee Carter would do well to learn more about and promote greater tactical cyber warfare capabilities, so that U.S. SOF have at least as much as, if not more, cyber warfare capabilities than the increasingly slick Russian and Iranian cyber operators.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-sigmund-gartner/why-do-russia-and-iran-ha_b_6289580.html
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Russia India agree energy deal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K97uQvFoEIU
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Obama Makes Up Bible Verse To Justify Immigration Power-Grab
“A watched pot never boils.” “Don’t take any wooden nickels.” “A stitch in time saves nine.” We all remember those powerful words from the Bible, don’t we? Well, at least President Barack Obama does.
He said the following in Nashville yesterday, while ineptly defending his completely unconstitutional executive amnesty:"“I think the good book says don’t throw stones in glass houses” Obama says."
This is a new level of dishonest narcissism, even for Obama: Shut up and let him do whatever he wants, because God said so. Or, okay, maybe God didn’t really say so. But still. Shut up.But I suppose it’s no surprise. He makes up stuff that isn’t in the Constitution all the time. Why not make up stuff that isn’t in the Bible? It’s all the same. Those guys are dead, and he has a lot of power, so too bad.
I used to think he said this kind of stuff to gaslight us, to make us question our very perceptions of reality. But that’s not it. He’s just a liar, and he’s not particularly good at it. The only people he ever manages to fool are leftists and the media. But I repeat myself.
http://dailycaller.com/2014/12/10/obama-makes-up-bible-verse-to-justify-immigration-power-grab/
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U.S. upset at India-Russia deals
Criticism over Putin visit, Crimean Premier’s presence
A day after Russian President Putin’s visit, the United States criticised India for the agreements signed between New Delhi and Moscow. Responding to a question on the 20 agreements signed, including one on the Rupee-Rouble trade, State department spokesperson Jen Psaki said, “Our view remains that it’s not time– for business as usual with Russia. But beyond that, we’d have to take a closer look at what these agreements entail.”
The US and Ukraine have also expressed unhappiness that President Putin was accompanied by the Crimean Premier Sergey Aksyonov. Mr. Aksyonov is on the sanctions list of the U.S., Canada and European Union for his role in the accession of the former Ukrainian region to Russia in March this year.
While the U.S. state department said it was “troubled” by his presence in New Delhi, Ukranian President Petro Poroshenko accused India of putting “money” ahead of “values” and “civilisation”. “The Indian position doesn't help, it doesn't save Aksyonov,” said Mr. Poroshenko, speaking at the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney on Friday, “He is a criminal, it's very simple.”
The Ministry of External affairs refused to comment on the attack from the U.S. and from Ukraine over the issue. Officials told The Hindu that while Mr. Aksyonov’s arrival in Delhi was “not a surprise”, he was not part of the “official delegation”, and was on a private visit. However, The Hindu has learnt his meetings in New Delhi were arranged by the Russian Consul-General in Mumbai Alexey Novikov, and he initialled a “partnership agreement” between Crimean and Indian businesses, particularly in the area of meat exports. Seafood exporter Gul Kripalani, who was present at the meeting told The Hindu, “I am really surprised that this agreement has attracted so much controversy. The meeting with the Crimean Prime Minister followed Russia’s decision to allow the import of Indian buffalo meat last week.”
India has refused to join western sanctions over Russia’s actions in Crimea, and the joint statement issued by President Putin and PM Modi said “India and Russia oppose economic sanctions that do not have the approval of the United Nations Security Council.”
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/us-upset-at-indiarussia-deals-says-cant-be-business-as-usual/article6686903.ece
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"WASHINGTON EXAMINER"
GLOBAL TUG-OF-WAR OVER aRCTIC RESOURCES
On the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev warned that Russia and the West are headed toward another Cold War.
He has a strong case. Russian provocations are on the rise both in the West, where Russia threatens the sovereignty of several Eastern European nations, and in the East, where Russian President Vladimir Putin is using his energy resources to shore up relations with China.
But Putin is not merely looking east or west, but north as well. The Arctic is equally critical in his geopolitical calculus.
The war between the United States and Russia over the Arctic and its abundant resources is definitely a cold one, but it’s as real and harmful of a threat as any facing U.S. security today. Whereas Russia is acutely aware of its opportunities in the north, U.S. leaders and officials refuse to acknowledge the critical importance of the Arctic, which could help the United States lower costs and become more independent of Middle Eastern oil.
Over the past several months, Russia has announced plans for a large-scale militarization of the Arctic. Plans include a 6,000-soldier permanent military force in the northwest Murmansk region, new radar and guidance system capabilities and new nuclear-powered submarines and icebreakers. Increased militarization of the region comes as state-owned oil companies advance Arctic oil and natural gas development programs. Their discoveries — which suggest that the Russian Kara Sea could hold some of the world’s largest oil reserves — have only accelerated Russia’s expansion north. This has frustrated U.S. efforts to cooperate in the Arctic.
According to National Journal, fraying U.S.-Russian relations forced the United States this year to suspend joint naval exercises in the Arctic, cancel a bilateral meeting on Coast Guard operations and suspend a submarine rescue partnership.
In October, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel acknowledged at the Washington Ideas Forum that opening waterways in the Arctic and increased commercial activity by Russia presents a challenge to U.S. interests. The Department of Defense and other U.S. agencies have outlined strategies to respond to the changing landscape of the Arctic, but actions to date have been muted.
The U.S. government must demonstrate that it sees the Arctic as a region of significant geopolitical importance and increase U.S. investments in Arctic infrastructure, including developing a fleet of icebreakers. The United States has only one functioning icebreaker, while Russia has five nuclear-powered icebreakers and more in the queue. Efforts to appropriate greater funds for icebreaker development have fallen drastically short: For fiscal 2015, Congress appropriated $8 million to fund a new ocean icebreaker, but each ship typically costs about $1 billion.
The United States must also take steps to better facilitate development of Arctic energy resources. The federal government issued leases to develop prolific oil and natural gas resources in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas in 2005, 2007 and 2008. Since then, companies have been unable to drill to hydrocarbon depth due to a series of legal and regulatory hurdles that the administration has been unable or unwilling to resolve. Companies have invested billions of dollars in lease payments, technology development and scientific research to be able to move forward with exploration programs. As the administration dithers, Russia has accelerated its commercial activity in the Arctic.
Western leaders shouldn’t expect another rapprochement to occur anytime soon. Putin is no Gorbachev, and U.S. leadership on this issue is nonexistent. For the United States, the most effective response to Russia’s increasing influence would be to exert its own. A beefing up of infrastructure and energy development in the Arctic can serve as a one-two punch to Russia. The United States can better defend its territory and resources while diluting the influence of Russian energy. The United States must win this new cold war, but it must first admit that it’s in one.
David Hunt, a retired U.S. Army colonel, is a former security adviser to the FBI. He served as counterterrorism coordinator for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. . Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions for editorials, available at this link.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/global-tug-of-war-over-arctic-resources/article/2557223
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TRIBLIVE
A COUNTERINTUITIVE PLAN TO DEAL WITH RUSSIA
Recent reports of more troop and equipment movements into the separatist-held regions of Ukraine suggest that Russia is once again seeking to stir up trouble. The natural Western reaction has been to respond with firmness. Sanctions might be tightened; defensive weaponry might be provided to Ukraine's underequipped and overmatched military. Given such bullying Russian tactics, this reaction is not only natural but perhaps inevitable.
Yet the Western policy response is half-wrong and the incorrect part of it risks making 2015 just as bad a year for Ukrainian security and East-West relations as was 2014.
Western policymakers do not deserve blame for the unconscionable tactics that Russian President Vladimir Putin has employed in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. But their actions risk reinforcing an action-reaction dynamic that will quite probably make the No. 1 victim of this crisis to date — the people of Ukraine — worse off than before.
It is entirely justifiable to provide weapons to a sovereign nation seeing its territory assaulted by a much more powerful neighbor. But regardless of right and wrong, the result of providing weapons will not be a robust self-defense capability for Ukraine. The Ukrainian military faces Russian armed forces more than five times as large and perhaps 10 to 20 times as powerful. Indeed, should such arms encourage Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to directly challenge Russian forces on his territory, the most likely outcome is escalation of the military crisis and a dramatic increase in death and destruction in Ukraine.
Before taking such actions, NATO leaders should attempt to work with Moscow to create a new European security order acceptable to both sides. Many Western voices will view any such effort as rewarding Russia and Putin for their miserable behavior of the past year. However, this approach would be designed not as a reward but to protect Ukraine's security — and our own.
In keeping with some of the ideas put forth by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and building as well on suggestions from former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, the deal that we should propose to Russia would include elements like these:
• Russia can make its historically based claim on Crimea but would have to accept a binding referendum under outside monitoring that would determine the region's future, with independence as one option.
• Russia would agree to verifiably remove its military “volunteers” from eastern Ukraine.
• Russia would permanently commit, once the Crimea matter was settled, to uphold Ukraine's territorial security, as promised under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum covering the denuclearization of Ukraine and other former Soviet republics.
• Ukraine and the United States would agree that Ukraine would not be a candidate for NATO membership, now or in the future.
• A new pan-European security structure, building perhaps on the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, would be established with an eye toward upholding the territorial integrity of European states writ large. This association should give Moscow some sense of equal partnership and could include NATO members and former Soviet states.
• NATO would be unapologetically retained with its current membership. But because of the new security arrangement, it could eschew further enlargement and increasingly play only a supporting role in European security, refocusing on missions outside of Europe.
• The European Union would agree to work with Russia to make any possible future Ukrainian relationship with the union, including membership, compatible with Ukraine's participation in Russia's Eurasian Economic Union project.
• Sanctions on Russia would be gradually — and, in the end, completely — lifted as the elements of this agenda came into effect.
To be sure, Putin could claim that this agreement accomplished his core goals and portray it as a great victory. Perhaps his popularity would then rise to 88 percent or 90 percent — for a while. Then, as time went on, this accomplishment would be internalized, and Russian voters would likely hold Putin accountable for what he should have been doing all along: improving their way of life through good economic and political leadership.
Michael O'Hanlon and Jeremy Shapiro are foreign policy scholars at the Brookings Institution
http://triblive.com/opinion/featuredcommentary/7331005-74/ukraine-russia-security#axzz3LrUDqIMh
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Federal judge: Obama immigration actions 'unconstitutional'
A federal judge has declared parts of President Obama's immigration executive actions unconstitutional, in the first court opinion to tackle Obama's controversial policy changes.
In an opinion filed Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Arthur Schwab, in Pennsylvania, said Obama's immigration actions are invalid and effectively count as "legislation" from the Executive Branch.
"President Obama's unilateral legislative action violates the separation of powers provided for in the United States Constitution as well as the Take Care Clause, and therefore, is unconstitutional," the judge wrote.
The opinion, though, is unique in that it did not come in response to a challenge to Obama's immigration policy announcement. It is unclear what impact, if any, the opinion might have other than to rally critics and fuel momentum behind other lawsuits.
Rather, Schwab issued his opinion in response to a criminal case against Honduran illegal immigrant Elionardo Juarez-Escobar, who was previously deported in 2005 -- and was caught in the U.S. again earlier this year.
He already has pleaded guilty to "re-entry of a removed alien," but the court subsequently examined the impact of Obama's immigration actions on the case.
For that review, Schwab left open whether the actions might apply to Juarez-Escobar but determined the executive actions themselves were unconstitutional.
He wrote that the action goes beyond so-called "prosecutorial discretion" -- which is the "discretion" the administration cites in determining whether to pursue deportation against illegal immigrants.
Obama's policy changes would give a reprieve to up to 5 million illegal immigrants, including those whose children are citizens or legal permanent residents and who meet other criteria.
Schwab, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote that this "systematic and rigid process" applies to a "broad range" of enforcement decisions, as opposed to dealing with matters on a "case-by-case basis."
Further, he wrote that the action goes beyond deferring deportation by letting beneficiaries apply for work authorization and allowing some to become "quasi-United States citizens."
He also cited Obama's argument that he was proceeding with executive action after Congress failed to act on comprehensive immigration legislation, and countered: "Congressional inaction does not endow legislative power with the Executive."
The Justice Department downplayed the significance of the opinion.
"The decision is unfounded and the court had no basis to issue such an order," a DOJ spokesperson said in a statement. "No party in the case challenged the constitutionality of the immigration-related executive actions and the department's filing made it clear that the executive actions did not apply to the criminal matter before the court. Moreover, the court's analysis of the legality of the executive actions is flatly wrong. We will respond to the court's decision at the appropriate time."
Critics of the administration's policy, though, hailed the opinion.
"The President's unilateral executive action suspending the nation's immigration laws for roughly five million illegal aliens has received its first judicial test, and it has failed," John Eastman, law professor at Chapman University, said in a statement.
Other direct legal challenges to Obama's immigration actions, including one by two-dozen states, remain pending before the federal courts.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/12/17/federal-judge-obama-immigration-actions-unconstitutional/
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The Guardian
The Guardian view on Russia’s economic turmoil: a good time to talk to Vladimir Putin
With the fall of the rouble, the Russian president is cornered. Creative western diplomacy must prevent him from pulling his country further into nationalism and military adventures
Financial crises of the kind now hitting Russia are not new, but they are always spectacular. They usually involve a currency in freefall, stocks knocked sideways and panicky central bankers jacking up interest rates and spending millions to shore up their currency. So far, so familiar: Russians themselves went through something very similar just over 15 years ago. The rest of the ballet normally goes like this: businesses begin pulling back their operations (as Apple has shut down its Russian online store); the central bank keeps burning through its war chest (which in Moscow’s case is huge: it’s spent $90bn so far this year, and has over $400bn spare); then there is talk of a bank run, or of the government imposing capital controls. All of this is running to the script. But were this any other country, there would be one more act to come: market participants would be counting down the days until the IMF was called in. The twist here is that it is almost impossible to imagine Vladimir Putin begging Washington to come to his aid.
One thing is for certain: the consequences of Russia’s economic rut will be felt beyond its borders. Even if Russia has long since ceased to be the Soviet superpower, it does retain both a nuclear arsenal that compares to that of the US and considerable international reach. Mr Putin has put great effort into reminding the world of this, and not only through inflammatory speeches. Military aggression against Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea this year brought Russia’s assertiveness to a spectacular climax. The Kremlin embarked on a policy that amounted to disrupting Europe’s post-cold-war order, complete with the scrambling of military jets over Nato skies.
Whether a cornered Mr Putin will become more mellow or, on the contrary, resort to still more provocations is anyone’s guess. An upcoming press conference will be scrutinised for answers. Initial indications are that the regime is gearing up public opinion to withstand economic hardships, with much exaltation of the nation’s history of resisting the onslaught of external foes. But nevertheless, it is clear that Mr Putin’s domestic narrative for the last 15 years – the strongman stepping on democratic rights in return for higher living standards – is now at risk of being shattered. The cronyism and the lack of modernisation that have characterised his rule are coming back to haunt him, as both the oil price and the rouble crash.
Some in the west will now calculate that the wounded bear should be wounded some more so that he relents. It is not hard to see the case. The September ceasefire in Ukraine exists only on paper, because there has been no Russian military withdrawal. Brash behaviour could backfire on Mr Putin. His reaction to sanctions – an embargo on European food – has only contributed to higher domestic inflation. Also, Russia can ill afford to threaten anyone with cutting off gas supplies, when it so desperately needs foreign currency revenues just now. On the Middle East, Russia would risk more than it could gain by going confrontational. After all, Mr Putin can only be satisfied with current US policies on Iraq and Syria, seeing as they don’t contradict his strategic aim of keeping Bashar al-Assad in power. Nor is there is any desire in Moscow to kill off the international talks over Iran’s nuclear programme, which are aimed at preventing proliferation.
Yet instead of hastily concluding that it would cost nothing to treat a financially weak Russia as a complete pariah, the time may have come for a burst of diplomatic creativity. The crisis in Russia provides the west with the best possible circumstances for combining smart pressure with new openings for dialogue. Pressure is important if one wants to be taken seriously by a Russian regime that has made great use of western hesitation. So there should be no lifting of sanctions as long as the conflict in Ukraine festers on. But dialogue is equally crucial.
Any talks must be open-eyed, and must not compromise on values that form the core of Europe’s architecture, as Russia tries to assert some regional influence. Reaching out to Mr Putin would deprive him of the possibility of claiming he has no other option but to pull Russia further into insular nationalism and military adventurism. It is precisely when the bear is down that more effort should be put into communicating with him.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/17/guardian-view-russia-economic-turmoil-talk-vladimir-putin
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THE DAILY CURRANT
Russia Shoots Down Santa’s Sleigh Near North Pole
Russia shot down Santa Claus’s sleigh today in international airspace over the Arctic Ocean.
According to local reports, the sleigh was beginning its annual Christmas Eve journey around the world when it was struck by a surface-to-air missile fired from the Russian island of Novaya Zemlya - just a few hundred miles from the North Pole. Santa and nearly all of his reindeer were killed instantly.
Norwegian fisherman soon located the debris field in the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean. Images of the debris aired on CNN and other international news networks show broken limbs, teddy bears, and gift wrapping strewn throughout the sea.
Although Russia has officially denied involvement in the incident, American intelligence forces say they have proof the missile was fired from a Russian military installation on the island. Several ultra-nationalist politicians in Moscow have praised the downing, which targeted a popular Western celebrity.
“Santa Claus is a symbol of Western decadence and consumerism,” said Alexi Onnatopp, leader of the far-right Golden Bear party,”Whoever killed this fat, corrupt man is a patriot and a hero.”
Today’s events bear striking similarities to the downing of Malaysian Flight 17, which was shot down by pro-Russian rebels in Eastern Ukraine this summer using a similar surface-to-air missile. All 285 passengers and 15 crew were killed aboard that flight travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
Remarkably one reindeer survived today’s blast and is currently being treated for his injuries at a hospital in Norway. Authorities have yet to officially release its name, but sources close to the investigation confirm that it is Rudolph -- the crimson-snouted misfit immortalized in an eponymous 1939 song.
“We were able to rescue him first because of his red nose,” says Lars Sommerhielm, an admiral in the Royal Norwegian Navy, “It stood out amongst the ocean waves. The others we couldn’t get to in time.”
In a speech from the oval office President Obama vowed an appropriate response to the tragedy, which may include tightening sanctions on an already crumbling Russian economy.
“Today Russia has gone too far,”he told reporters,“Vladimir Putin has threatened the hopes and dreams of children around the world. He will be brought to justice.”
A funeral for Mr. Claus has been set for December 28th at the North Pole. President Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande and other international dignitaries are scheduled to attend
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WASHINGTON POST
A sober Snowden deems life in Russia ‘great’
MOSCOW — Edward Snowden would like everyone – especially his critics – to know that he is happy with life in Russia. Happy, and also sober.
“They talk about Russia like it’s the worst place on earth. Russia's great,” the former NSA contractor told journalist James Bamford during an interview in Moscow for the PBS program "NOVA," which released a transcript of the conversation Thursday.
During the interview, Snowden focused on a speech that former NSA and CIA director Michael Hayden had given in which he predicted that Snowden would be depressed and drunk.
“It was funny because he was talking about how I was – everybody in Russia is miserable. Russia is a terrible place,” Snowden recalled, hat-tipping Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman’s coverage of the September 2013 speech. “And I’m going to end up miserable and I’m going to be a drunk and I’m never going to do anything.”
Hayden’s exact prediction during that speech was that Snowden would “end up like most of the rest of the defectors who went to the old Soviet Union: isolated, bored, lonely, depressed – and most of them ended up alcoholics.”
But even after two Russian winters, vodka’s siren song apparently has no sway over Snowden.
“I don’t drink. I’ve never been drunk in my life,” Snowden said.
Snowden has been living in Moscow for more than a year, ever since the Russian government gave him asylum after the U.S. government revoked his passport, leaving him stranded at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.
Snowden became the subject of an international manhunt after he revealed himself as the source of highly publicized leaks detailing previously unknown U.S. surveillance programs that led to articles in The Washington Post and the British newspaper the Guardian. He is wanted in the United States on theft and espionage charges.
Snowden, who is about six months into his three-year asylum term, has apparently been settling into life in Russia rather well. His exact whereabouts haven’t been publicized, but his girlfriend moved to Russia to be with him in July, according to the recent documentary “Citizenfour."
And Snowden clearly wanted to tell a U.S. audience how much he is enjoying life in Russia, because he was not specifically asked about it during the PBS interview.
Snowden’s opinions about his new home only came up because toward the end of the interview, the producer offered him a cup of coffee.
“I actually only drink water,” Snowden said, before launching into an explanation of how Hayden wrongly predicted that he would end up drunk, sad and alone, and that nobody expected how much he would like Russia.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/01/09/a-sober-snowden-deems-life-in-russia-great/
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Victory Day in Russia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vicEiHG3ljM
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Russia confirms Sinai plane crash was result of a terrorist attack
A Russian official said that traces of explosives found in the plane’s wreckage indicated that an improvised explosive device had been detonated, killing all 224 people on board.
By Andrew Roth·
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France Wants Alliance With Russia, but Divisions Over Assad’s Future a Hurdle
French seek to broaden coalition fighting Islamic State after Paris attacks
PARIS—France’s plan for enlisting Russia into a “grand coalition” alongside the U.S. to combat Islamic State faces a critical stumbling block: disagreement about the future of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
French President François Hollande has long argued that Mr. Assad’s atrocities created Islamic State in the first place. He viewed it as a betrayal when President Barack Obamapulled back in 2013 from planned joint military action against the Damascus regime.
Russia, by contrast, has intervened militarily in Syria with the express goal of shoring up Mr. Assad. Moscow says that without him, the Syrian state would collapse—to the benefit of Islamist extremists.
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ввс.com
A teenage girl in Germany will be allowed to keep a bar of gold worth €16,000 ($18,000; £11,500) found in a lake after the owner could not be identified, police said.
The 16-year-old found the 500g (1lb) gold bar at a depth of about 2m (6.5ft) while swimming near the shore of Bavaria's Koenigssee lake last August.
She handed it into police, who were unable to find the owner.
It is still not clear how the bar ended up in the lake.
A six-month investigation could not identify the owner and, as a result, the teenager will be allowed to keep the gold. The girl has not been identified.
The bar's identity number had been defaced but officials managed to restore it, German media reported.
The find revived rumours of Nazi gold supposedly lost in the lake, near Germany's southern border with Austria, but reports said the find was not connected to the Nazi era.
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Нашел интересную заметку про принца Джорджа. Да, того самого, чьего появления на всем с таким трепетом и любовью ожидала Великобритания 2 года назад.
Prince George’s Classmates And Teachers Call Him ‘George’ At Nursery School
(http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/lg/public/2016/01/06/prince-george-outside-westacre-montessori-school-nursery.jpg)
Prince George is simply called by his first name “George” at his nursery school near his country home in Norfolk. The tot started his preschool at Westacre Montessori in Norfolk in January. He is currently in his sixth week of nursery school.
The third-in-line to the British throne is just another kid in his nursery school. The school does not give him any special treatment by virtue of him being a royal. Like all the other students of his class, George hangs his coat everyday on a peg with his name written on top.
The two-year-old royal is just called “George” among his classmates and teachers, a royal source confirmed. The name is mostly written on his coat-and-backpack peg. Little George’s teachers write it for him on his artwork, said Louise Livingston, who is director of training at the Maria Montessori Institute.
In the first few weeks, George's teachers will have spent a great deal of time going over the rules that govern Montessori learning.
Little George has settled into his nursery environment which he attends part time. In the Montessori school the kids learn to respect others and also the environment, Livingston said. She added that kids learn to say little things like "Good Morning," how to push their chair back under the table so no one else trips over it. Two-year-old George is learning things at school through play activities like how to unroll a mat for activity, where to place it so as it is not in the way of anyone else's activity and how to ask for help when needed.
Meanwhile, his mother Kate Middleton revealed during her engagement at the 75th anniversary of the RAF’s Air Training Corps on Sunday that George wants to join the air cadets like his dad, Prince William. The 34-year-old royal said that George is obsessed with airplanes and she has shown him pictures of Spitfires. Westacre Montessori training head also told that his teachers will definitely show him pictures of airplanes and teach him their names.
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The most powerful storm to hit Fiji has made landfall on the Pacific nation's main island, Viti Levu.
Cyclone Winston brought winds of over 320 kph (200 mph), torrential rain and waves of up to 12m (40ft).
Flights have been cancelled, evacuation centres activated and a nationwide curfew put in place.
The category five storm - the highest level - is expected to move westwards over the main island overnight Saturday and into Sunday morning.
Before it landed, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama warned that Fiji was facing "an ordeal of the most grievous kind".
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35620649 (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35620649)
"We must stick together as a people and look after each other. Be alert and be prepared," he said.
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Grandmother, 93, becomes one of the oldest high school graduates as she finally gets diploma 74 years after being expelled
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3491630/Grandmother-93-one-oldest-high-school-graduates-finally-gets-diploma-74-years-expelled.html#ixzz42uj4Eggn (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3491630/Grandmother-93-one-oldest-high-school-graduates-finally-gets-diploma-74-years-expelled.html#ixzz42uj4Eggn)
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Apple unveils the new 4-inch ‘iPhone SE’
http://9to5mac.com/2016/03/21/apple-unveils-4-inch-iphone-se/ (http://9to5mac.com/2016/03/21/apple-unveils-4-inch-iphone-se/)
The “iPhone SE” is now official as Apple today unveiled the device on stage at its ‘Let us loop you in’ press event in Cupertino.
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Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child
Extracts
IV. Delivering the Strategy
4. Evaluating performance
75. Progress of the 6 -year Strategy will be evaluated against rhe obectives with reference to the expected impact...
Efforts will be made to duly include the views of children themselves in evaluation of and adjustments to the Strategy.
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The city with $248 billon beneath its pavement
Under London’s streets lies a hidden gold mine.
It stretches across more than 300,000 square feet under the City, the finance quarter in the heart of Britain’s capital. There, beneath the pavement and commuters of Threadneedle Street, lies a maze of eight Bank of England gold vaults – each stacked with gold bars worth a total sum of around £141 billion ($200 billion).
more (http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20160419-the-city-with-248-billion-beneath-its-pavement)
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TEAM NEWS
Wales' Joe Ledley was substituted in the second half of their defeat by England after suffering from a tight calf, but he has declared himself fit.
As a result, Chris Coleman is expected to pick the same XI that started the England match.
Victory would secure Wales' spot in the knockout phase, in their first major international tournament since 1958.
Russia's Oleg Shatov is struggling with a groin problem and is doubtful to feature in Toulouse.
With Russia having underperformed thus far, coach Leonid Slutsky may be tempted to make wholesale changes.
"Whilst everybody will look at this game as the be all and end all, whether we progress or not, it's not the end of the journey for this team," Coleman said.
"Our players have done unbelievably well. It's been an eye-opener and hard, of course. It's really intense but it's been enjoyable."
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Be a part of the most spectacular and interesting events in Moscow.
http://video.dit.mos.ru/window/
Night Moscow Bike Parade
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The European football championship has been quite thrilling and promises to be even more exciting as we are left with only four countries. Who do you think will eventually emerge the winner? The guess is on.....!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4q_xTaJZfQ
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100 cameras. 100 homeless people. 5 days. 1 heart.
100 people affected by homelessness will receive a disposable camera with one task - to tell their story. There is a satisfaction that comes with creating something. Each photographer will have the opportunity to share a piece of their life with the community around them. It's what they see. It's who they spend time with. It's what they eat. It's where they go. These photographers may bе homeless, but they do not have to bе hopeless, nameless or voiceless. This is their chance to tell the community:
"These are our stories. These are our lives. See what we see. Through our eyes."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtsggUTgWr0
instagram (https://www.instagram.com/throughoureyesproject/)
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Sasha Obama,who has lived eight of her 15 years in the luxurious confines of the White House, is learning how the other half lives this summer. The First Daughter is working the takeout window at Nancy’s, a seafood restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard.
Sasha, who’s using her full name of Natasha at Nancy’s, has been learning the ropes of the service industry at the Oak Bluffs eatery this week, working a cash register, busing tables and prepping the restaurant before it opens for lunch.
more (http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/inside_track/2016/08/sasha_obama_lands_summer_job_at_vineyard_seafood_joint)
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Aged 35 He Speaks 11 Languages - Luca Lampariello's 11 Tricks To Learn Any Language
This article is a wake-up call for all those who dream of becoming multilingual: just do it! Luca Lampariello talks about where he finds the motivation for learning languages, and how he’s learned 11 so far.
more (https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/learning-11-languages-taught-me-11-crucial-lessons?bsc=engmag-a54-vid-bv15-lucalanguages-xo-tb&btp=1_eng_tab_tix&utm_campaign=ti_engall_gen_cxo_lucalanguages&utm_medium=CON&utm_source=taboola&utm_term=tmg-mirror)
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ФАС возбудила дело против Microsoft по жалобе «Лаборатории Касперского»
далее (https://vc.ru/n/fas-micro-lk)
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11pictures (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/11/supermoon-pictures/)
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отец, пародирующий дочь (https://rg.ru/2016/11/15/otec-parodiruiushchij-doch-v-instagram-stal-populiarnee-ee.html)
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UNITED NATIONS – A key U.N. committee has approved a resolution condemning Russia's "temporary occupation" of Crimea and reaffirming the United Nations' commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty over the Black Sea peninsula.
more (http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/11/15/un-committee-votes-to-condemn-russian-occupation-crimea.html)
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Growing South Korean protests demand President Park's resignation
more (http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/26/asia/south-korea-mass-protests/index.html)
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Fidel Castro: How Cuban leader changed Southern Africa
Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who died on Friday, played a crucial role in shaping southern Africa's history, writes Richard Dowden, from the UK's Royal Africa Society.
more (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-38130554)
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Amazon will open a physical grocery store — and it won’t require going through checkout!
more (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2016/12/05/amazon-will-open-a-physical-grocery-store-and-it-wont-require-going-through-checkout/?utm_term=.06e2c0333bfb)
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(CNN)The Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, died suddenly in New York, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
He died Monday at age 64, one day before his 65th birthday.
more (http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/20/europe/russia-un-ambassador-vitaly-churkin-dead/index.html)
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INSIDE NORTH KOREA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM
North Korea is one of the world’s most isolated countries and flagrant abuser of human rights. Its citizens are victims of mass media surveillance and monitoring, and are devoid of freedom of speech and association. Yet, not coincidentally, they idolize the Kim family, maintaining the regime for the next heir.
The reason for this irony stem from North Korea’s education system. The North Korean government indoctrinates their citizens with loyalty through idolization in the school curriculum. The school curriculum justifies Kim Jong-Un’s dictatorship and Songun Politics that neglects human rights of North Koreans via historical distortion, and focuses to strengthen violence and hatred through hatred education. The North Korean education system completely ignores international laws that the government has ratified, which is severely disruptive to the intellectual development of the students.
During the height of the Arab Spring, the South Korean government dropped propaganda leaflets in impoverished areas of North Korea containing information of the democracy uprisings in various Middle Eastern countries. It was thought that perhaps this could foment an uprising in North Korea. After all, North Korea shares many of the same characteristics as Egypt, Libya, Syria, and various other nations who participated in the Arab Spring. Ruled by authoritarian leaders who amassed massive amounts of wealth; mass poverty and economic malaise amongst the general population; a few wealthy, politically connected elite; suppression of dissent; human rights abuses conducted by administrations.Yet none of these nations were quite as isolated as North Korea, nor did they have such a large-scale system of indoctrination, brainwashing, propaganda, deification of leader, and distortion or history that North Korea maintains through its education system.
For this very reason, North Korea cannot have a “Korea Spring.” Nowhere in the world has there ever existed a system of ideological manipulation in such magnitude as the education system in North Korea. “I feel such pity for children in the system. They can’t see the world but learn to live like that unconsciously,” said defector Yeon-ri Kim.
It is the education system which renders the people of North Korea blind and voiceless, unable to speak up against their oppressive leader. The rest of the world can’t just be waiting, expecting the Kim regime to be toppled by a revolution. As long as the international community allows for North Korea to continue its education system the way it is, the established cycle of tyranny and suppression will continue.
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INSIDE NORTH KOREA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM
Captivating and extremely educative! A shining example of how education system can negatively affect and distort citizens' minds through various means of ideological manipulation. Is there any hope of overthrowing such tyranny, I wonder?
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To Andrey 1.
During the height of the Arab Spring, the South Korean government dropped propaganda leaflets in impoverished areas of North Korea containing information of the democracy uprisings in various Middle Eastern countries. It was thought that perhaps this could foment an uprising in North Korea
О каком "democracy uprising" и "арабской весне" Вы пишете? Хотелось бы узнать Вашу точку зрения на этот вопрос?
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To Andrey 1.
During the height of the Arab Spring, the South Korean government dropped propaganda leaflets in impoverished areas of North Korea containing information of the democracy uprisings in various Middle Eastern countries. It was thought that perhaps this could foment an uprising in North Korea
О каком "democracy uprising" и "арабской весне" Вы пишете? Хотелось бы узнать Вашу точку зрения на этот вопрос?
Это не мои слова. Точка зрения такая: народ должен знать правду.
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Lottery: 11 things that are more likely than winning the Lotto jackpot
You’re more likely to win an Oscar or become a successful Olympian than winning the lottery.
Thousands of people are rushing to buy lottery tickets in an attempt to win the UK’s highest ever jackpot of £57.8 million - but the chance of winning is incredibly miniscule.
more (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/11-things-that-are-more-likely-than-winning-the-lottery-a6798856.html)
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The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2017 is… youthquake
The noun, youthquake, is defined as ‘a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people’.
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The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2017 is… youthquake
Though the term is not that new, it has been given a new breath and is being used frequently nowadays, characterizing millennials (People who were born before 1981) standing behind pivotal political changes. Interesting and absorbing information!
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Though the term is not that new..
The term was coined in the 1965 by Diana Vreeland. She coined youthquake to describe the youth-led fashion and music movement of the swinging sixties.
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Though the term is not that new, it has been given a new breath and is being used frequently nowadays, characterizing millennials (People who were born before 1981) standing behind pivotal political changes. Interesting and absorbing information!
To DAS about the tem "youthquake". The main component of the term is the word "quake'. I've been thinking.....
Can we find any information about the tragic event called a quake in human history which was accepted by people positively?
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To DAS about the tem "youthquake". The main component of the term is the word "quake'. I've been thinking.....
Can we find any information about the tragic event called a quake in human history which was accepted by people positively?
If we speak about earthquakes, they are typically viewed in a negative light. However, earthquakes bring about benefits to people, environments and the planet as a whole. They help to bring fuels and metals to the surface, provide easier access to the surface and overall help to maintain planetary balance. But the devastating effect cause by earthquakes can't be underestimated. This is all I know about this point.
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R.I.P.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA8GdJJqz_s
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Huge Fissure Opens in Kenya
Overnight on Monday, a 20-meter-crack in the Earth emerged in an area west of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. The opening of the mysterious crack, which is continuing to grow, shook the ground in the area and caused part of the Nairobi-Narok highway to collapse.
more (https://sputniknews.com/africa/201804041063218147-huge-fissure-opens-up-in-kenya-could-signal-continental-split)
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Gibson Files for Bankruptcy in Deal to Renew Guitar Business
Gibson filed for bankruptcy protection, with lenders taking control of the iconic American business that’s supplied guitars to B.B. King, Elvis Presley and Pete Townshend... more (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-01/gibson-files-for-bankruptcy-with-deal-to-renew-guitar-business?utm_content=business&cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_medium=social)
(https://cdni.rt.com/russian/images/2018.05/article/5ae95376370f2c09288b45bd.JPG)
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Musk is going to create a site where the public can rate the core truth of any article and track the credibility score over time of each journalist, editor and publication.
P.S.
He is thinking of calling it Pravda …
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGSNC7Mjwi8
(https://a.radikal.ru/a22/1807/66/aa800c1cee6d.jpg) (https://radikal.ru)
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Предлагаю иллюстрации для слайдов
(https://img2.labirint.ru/books/213708/scrn_big_05.jpg)
(https://img.labirint.ru/images/comments_pic/1508/0_9a4cda6b370ff21526dc49ed7f968042_1424510913.jpg)
(https://img1.labirint.ru/books/95211/scrn_big1.jpg)
(https://img1.labirint.ru/books/95211/scrn_big3.jpg)
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQZk5guZ5sJmhbNczPhUzrRc7nS_UCEZ7j7wD7agqSvjiaIWxtp)
(http://www.papmambook.ru/images/upl/pagephotos/pagephotos_328_5062f1149e914d912370a609089136e35bd0face8bde8.jpg)
(http://www.corsairs-harbour.ru/images/artalbum/album_37/12_treaureisland_wyeth_attackonblockhouse.jpg)
(https://www.stihi.ru/pics/2014/04/07/10157.jpg)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/TI-parrot.jpg/240px-TI-parrot.jpg)
(https://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/9110/13137419.d/0_d5e4a_e2399e6a_XXL.jpg)
(https://cdn.thinglink.me/api/image/708327373057032193/1240/10/scaletowidth)
(https://mollyblooms.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/the-ransom-of-red-chief-illustration.jpg)
(https://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/5705/mihtimak.20/0_657c7_3bd9c4f5_orig.jpg)
(http://grekoline.ru/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/96.jpg)
(https://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/482931/67000176.3c4/0_d2f20_4fa637cc_XL.jpg)
(http://az.lib.ru/img/o/ogenri/text_08_vozhd_krasnokozhih/i_003.jpg)
(http://az.lib.ru/img/o/ogenri/text_08_vozhd_krasnokozhih/i_005.jpg)
(http://cs5318.vk.me/u16300098/137730077/x_5395b75d.jpg)
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Шикарные слайды будут, Мари! Спасибо Вам!
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Обращайтесь))
Спасибо - слишком много)) 500р - как раз))) ;)
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Обращайтесь))
Спасибо - слишком много)) 500р - как раз))) ;)
500 раз Вам Спасибо!
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Russia's Love of Chocolate Is Helping Tighten World Cocoa Market
Russia’s fast-growing appetite for chocolate is helping to boost global cocoa demand.
(https://d.radikal.ru/d19/1810/64/2507a7a32d3f.jpg) (https://radikal.ru)
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— I think we need a new teacher.
— Why is that?
— Our teacher doesn't know anything, she keeps asking us for the answers.
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— I think we need a new teacher.
— Why is that?
— Our teacher doesn't know anything, she keeps asking us for the answers.
Some of our teachers are sure to take this joke seriously.
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Some of our teachers are sure to take this joke seriously.
The best advice for those who are very... :-X
Never lose your sense of humor!!!
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A devastated dog owner has issued a plea to find her miniature chihuahua after a seagull snatched the pet from her garden.
link (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7270503/Seagull-grabs-Gizmo-Chihuahua-garden-Devon-soaring-away-dog.html)
Four-year-old Gizmo was playing behind Becca Hill's house when the bird swooped.
The brown and white dog – whose breed only grows to around nine inches high – has not been seen since he was snatched by the gull on Sunday afternoon in Paignton, Devon.
Today the mother-of-one told those trying to find him: 'My baby is still missing. Doesn't feel right not waking up to him licking my face.'
Miss Hill has also been targeted by cruel trolls who have kept her missing dog hotline engaged with hoax calls.
(https://c.radikal.ru/c37/1907/84/d78d8489c862.jpg) (https://radikal.ru)
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A devastated dog owner has issued a plea to find her miniature chihuahua after a seagull snatched the pet from her garden.
link (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7270503/Seagull-grabs-Gizmo-Chihuahua-garden-Devon-soaring-away-dog.html)
Four-year-old Gizmo was playing behind Becca Hill's house when the bird swooped.
The brown and white dog – whose breed only grows to around nine inches high – has not been seen since he was snatched by the gull on Sunday afternoon in Paignton, Devon.
Today the mother-of-one told those trying to find him: 'My baby is still missing. Doesn't feel right not waking up to him licking my face.'
Miss Hill has also been targeted by cruel trolls who have kept her missing dog hotline engaged with hoax calls.
(https://c.radikal.ru/c37/1907/84/d78d8489c862.jpg) (https://radikal.ru)
A very, very sad story!
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A very, very sad story!
Poor Gizmo!
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Poor Gizmo!
...and bloodthirsty, illogical seagulls(!
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Maria Sh. Is Retiring From Tennis at 32
Sharapova won five Grand Slam singles titles, but had trouble managing injuries as she attempted a comeback after being suspended for taking a banned substance.
NYtimes (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/26/sports/maria-sharapova-retires.html?action=click&module=Latest&pgtype=Homepage)
(https://b.radikal.ru/b13/2002/15/391ef2d073b1.jpg)
Maria Sharapova has struggled since returning to tennis from a 15-month for using meldonium
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When will the cat stop?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cdv932eoU0
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(https://i.insider.com/5e97aa8f8427e9253e192ca3?width=1400&format=jpeg&auto=webp)
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Wednesday said it would spend an additional $150 million on coronavirus response efforts, raising its total commitment to $250 million.
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The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Wednesday said it would spend an additional $150 million on coronavirus response efforts, raising its total commitment to $250 million.
[/quote]
God bless such people!
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RIP Little Richard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVIttmFAzek