In final address to parliament, outgoing president says Afghan forces are capable of defending country on their own.
Daily Archives: 15. März 2014
Far East bonanza: Resource-rich Sea of Okhotsk all Russian, UN confirms
A UN maritime commission has confirmed that 52,000 square kilometers in the middle of the Sea of Okhotsk in the Far East is now Russian continental shelf, opening the way for massive oil and gas exploration.
Ron Paul slams US on Crimea crisis and says Russia sanctions are ‚an act of war‘
“The evidence is pretty clear that the NGOs [non-governmental organisations] financed by our government have been agitating with billions of dollars, trying to get that government changed,” he said. “Our hands are not clean.”
The Business of America Is Giving Countries Like Ukraine the Business
But the most-revealing voice in the chorus is Condi Rice.
Was machen die da eigentlich in Moskau, wenn Putin mal wieder in Sochi ist?
Ok. Vergessen wir mal, dass der Planet nur deswegen eine weitere Krise am Hals hat, weil irgendwelche Schwachköpfe in der Nacht vom 19. auf den 20. Februar eine “Waffenruhe” mit den Putschisten schloss und die ukrainische Polizei anhalten ließ als diese schon die Hälfte des Maidan-Platzes geräumt hatte (ohne Tränengas und fast ohne Wasserwerfer-Einsätze, weil, das wäre wahrscheinlich zu aufwendig gewesen) und vorher monatelang zu doof dazu waren dieser Kleinstadt auf dem Maidan-Platz einfach den Strom abzustellen…
Attempt to jam Russian satellites carried out from Western Ukraine
Earlier this week, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) criticized Kiev’s “repressive” move to halt the broadcasting of Russian TV channels after the Ukrainian media watchdog claimed that shutting down TV stations ensured “national security and sovereignty” of Ukraine.
5 referendums that the West has not taken issue with
In the past the West has not batted an eyelid when countries sought to hold referendums and in some cases actively supported them.
College Costs Are Rising Faster For the Poor Than the Rich
The rise in college costs over recent years is not being distributed equally and students from the poorest families are bearing more of the burden than those from wealthier families, according to a new analysis of federal education cost data from the Hechinger Report.
„Giving Hypocrisy a Bad Name“: NSA-Backing Senate Intel Chair Blasts CIA for Spying on Torture Probe
Mike German is with us, fellow at NYU’s Brennan Center for Justice. From 1988 to 2004, he served as an FBI agent specializing in domestic counterterrorism. He left after reporting deficiencies in the FBI’s counterterrorism operations to Congress. His recent piece in The Guardian is „The NSA Won’t Shut Up About Snowden, But What About the Spy Who Stole More?“
New NSA Slides Reveal Tailored Access Run Amok
EFF has the following recommendations for website operators who wish to protect their users from this kind of man-in-the-middle attack:
UK Navy ships fires torpedo at nuclear sub dockyard
Workers were shocked to see a the 2.6-meter long torpedo shoot out of the side of a ship, fly 200 meters through the air, blast a hole through a security fence and then slam into a metal storage container.
Aha, jetzt hat es auch die @zeitonline entdeckt: »Bundestag versteckt Rechnungshof-Akten«
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Handstreich im Bundestag: Wie Abgeordnete um 0:25 Uhr ein Bürgerrecht aushebelten
Doch damit nicht genug. Denn das einstimmige Votum von CDU-CSU-FDP-SPD-Grüne-Linke an jenem 14. Juni 2013, 0:25 Uhr, war lediglich der Schlussakt einer generalstabsmäßig vorbereiteten Vertuschungsaktion. ZEIT ONLINE beschreibt sehr anschaulich, wie der entscheidene Passus in den Gesetzestext geschleust wurde:
Indiana State Police tracking cellphones — but won‘t say how or why
(9.12.2013) This year, the Indiana State Police paid $373,995 for a device that law enforcement personnel have described as a powerful tool in the fight against crime and terrorism.
Bay Area Police Departments Using ‘StingRay’ Surveillance Technology
Several law enforcement agencies around the Bay Area are using a controversial surveillance technology that can track people and collect data in real time.
Die moralischste Armee der Welt
Die israelische Armee meint, dass brutale Härte der einzige Weg ist, zu agieren, und die Israelis weigern sich, das, was Amnesty International und andere ihnen sagen, einzusehen.
China geht auf Distanz zu Russland
Russlands enger Verbündeter China hat sich im UN-Sicherheitsrat enthalten, als es um die Illegalität des Krim-Referendums ging.
@mfa_russia Ok…Do you know the famous German book „Die Blechtrommel“..? START UPDATING YOUR FUCKING WEBSITE, MORONS!
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Eine Gegen-Koalition
Etwas sehr Bedeutendes geschah in dieser Woche am unwahrscheinlichsten Ort: in der Knesset.
Auf der Tagesordnung standen drei Gesetze, eines schlimmer als das andere.
Why State Swe TV/Radio NOT informing #Kharkiv shooting done by far-right group“#Ukrainia Patriots“? Supported by far-right Swe Min.C Bildt?
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Foreign Minister Bildt‘s statement on Ukraine
On March 14th, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt made a statement in the Swedish parliament on the current state of affairs in Ukraine. Read it here below.
Crimeans says Russia might be better
Olga Filipenko, a pensioner who struggles to get by on just over $100 a month, says a president like Russia‘s Vladimir Putin would be a „godsend.“
„Everyone here deifies him,“ she said of her friends in her dilapidated housing complex where she has given up trying to get local authorities to fix the rutted roadways. „We‘ve never had a president who actually does something for his people.“
Thousands come out for rival rallies in Moscow to support Crimea or say no to war
Thousands have gathered in Moscow for a rally ‘In Support of Crimea and Against Fascism’ on the eve of the independence referendum in the Ukrainian autonomous republic. A rival peace rally attracted as many supporters.
Iran says sabotage prevented at nuclear facility
Iranian authorities have prevented attempted sabotage at the country’s heavy water nuclear reactor, a senior official said Saturday without giving specifics as to the nature of the attempted disruption or its suspected initiator.
Asghar Zarean, who heads security at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said domestic intelligence agencies were instrumental in uncovering the plot, which has not been the first attempt to disrupt the contentious nuclear program.
Ukraine: Obama Ups Stakes With Russia
(13.03.) President Obama and Ukraine‘s interim prime minister opened the door on Wednesday to a political solution that could lead to more autonomy for Crimea if Russian troops withdraw, as the United States embarked on a last-ditch diplomatic effort to defuse a crisis that reignited tensions between East and West.
Russia vetoes US-sponsored UN resolution declaring Crimea vote invalid
China abstained as 13 council members supported the resolution and Russia voted against.
Russia Vetoes U.N. Resolution Invalidating Crimea Referendum
Russia has vetoed a U.N. resolution declaring Sunday’s referendum on the future of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula illegal, but its close ally China abstained in a show of Moscow’s isolation.
Ukrainisches Innenamt: Schießerei in Charkiw wurde von Radikalen von Rechtssektor angerichtet
Das ukrainische Innenministerium teilt mit, dass die Schießerei in Charkiw von Rebellen aus der Gruppierung „Rechtssektor“ angerichtet wurde. Es bestätigte, dass die beiden Personen, die beim Zusammenstoß ums Leben kamen, zu den russischfreundlich gestimmten Bürgern gehörten.
Forests Around Chernobyl Aren’t Decaying Properly
Birds around Chernobyl have significantly smaller brains that those living in non-radiation poisoned areas; trees there grow slower; and fewer spiders and insects—including bees, butterflies and grasshoppers—live there. Additionally, game animals such as wild boar caught outside of the exclusion zone—including some bagged as far away as Germany—continue to show abnormal and dangerous levels of radiation.
Die Wälder um Tschernobyl herum vergammeln nicht ordentlich. Die Strahlung hat offenbar die Insekten, Mikroben und Pilze in Mitleidenschaft gezogen.
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AVM sagt, vier Sicherheitsfirmen hätten ihren Code auditiert und den Bug nicht gesehen.
Fakt ist leider einfach mal, dass der Kunde bei Sicherheitsaudits im Allgemeinen dasteht wie der Patient beim Arzt, oder der Kunde beim Klempner oder in der Autowerkstatt. Der Experte kann dem Kunden da einen vom Pferd erzählen. Der Kunde kann das gar nicht prüfen, weil er die Materie gar nicht ausreichend versteht. Ausnahmen bestätigen die Regel.
Do 11 Percent of Americans Really Think HTML Is an STD?
The survey itself may not exist, though. The website iMediaEthics reported Tuesday night that the LAT, which hadn’t linked to the survey, also hadn’t seen the survey—just a press release “reporting” the survey that was disseminated by a publicity firm that represents a British coupon company, Vouchercloud. iMediaEthics then learned that the P.R. firm, 10 Yetis, lists viral marketing and stunts as among the things it does. As of Wednesday around noon, neither iMediaEthics nor any of the people who reported on the survey had actually seen the survey itself.
NTIA Announces Intent to Transition Key Internet Domain Name Functions
NTIA has communicated to ICANN that the transition proposal must have broad community support and address the following four principles:
– Support and enhance the multistakeholder model;
– Maintain the security, stability, and resiliency of the Internet DNS;
– Meet the needs and expectation of the global customers and partners of the IANA services; and,
– Maintain the openness of the Internet.
US Relinquishing What Tiny Control It Had Of The Internet… If UN Isn‘t Allowed To Take Over
That‘s a good thing. From what‘s being said, it sounds like the Commerce Department would like ICANN to continue more or less the way it has been running, just without the official claim to being overseen by the Commerce Department. Could that lead to troubles down the road? Sure. But, frankly, the US more or less forced itself into this position with its idiotic decision to let the NSA spy on everything. Before that, plenty of other countries were happy with de facto US „control“ over the internet. But once it became clear just how deep the NSA‘s claws were within the internet, even former allies began to demand changes.
Venezuela‘s foreign minister calls Kerry ‚murderer‘
In the sternest words during the crisis from Washington, Kerry said on Thursday the Venezuela government was using a „terror campaign“ to repress its own citizens.
„Every time we‘re about to isolate and reduce the violence, Mr. Kerry comes out with a declaration and immediately the street protests are activated,“ Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said in a speech carried on state TV.
Erdogan links dead Turkish teenager to ‚terrorist‘ groups
Elvan, then 14, got caught up in street battles in Istanbul on June 16 while going to buy bread for his family. He was hit in the head by what is believed to be a police gas canister, slipped into a coma and became a rallying point for government opponents, who held regular vigils at the hospital where he lay in intensive care.
Army advances further in Yabroud, tightens control over several areas
With these advances, the army has almost encircled the city of Yabroud especially after many of the takfiri terrorist organizations’ dens and fortifications have collapsed in front of the army’s severe strikes.
Syrian forces enter last rebel bastion near Lebanese border
Syrian soldiers entered eastern districts of the town of Yabroud, the last rebel bastion near the Lebanese border north of Damascus, on Saturday and advanced towards the main street, Al Mayadeen television said.
If We‘re Going To Change DMCA‘s ‚Notice & Takedown,‘ Let‘s Focus On How Widely It‘s Abused
Earlier today, we wrote about a push by copyright maximalists for a new censorship regime that they call „notice and staydown“ as a sort of replacement for SOPA. The idea would be to shred the existing DMCA safe harbors (which give service providers protection from legal liability if they take down content upon notification by the copyright holder that it‘s infringing), and make some dangerous requirements that service providers would then have to proactively police their sites to guarantee that no other versions of that content ever show up (even if the other versions may be legal). But, if we‘re looking at the notice and takedown provisions of the DMCA, we should really be exploring how much damage they do. Rather than „notice and staydown“ or even „notice and takedown“ it‘s time we move to a much more reasonable „notice and notice“ system.
NSA About Attorney-Client Privilege Concerns: We‘ll Probably Grab Your Communications But We‘ll Try Not To ‚Listen In‘
A couple of weeks back we covered the American Bar Association asking for assurance from the NSA that attorney-client communications, even those involving foreign clients, would remain out of the agency‘s reach. This was prompted by a leak that showed the NSA had given an Australian intelligence agency the go-ahead to intercept communications between a US law firm and its Indonesian clients.
For whatever it‘s worth, the NSA has responded and is promising not actively collect and access privileged attorney-client communications.
US-EU Relations After Two Important Votes In European Parliament: It‘s (More) Complicated
Two major votes in the European Parliament — one on data protection, the other on NSA surveillance — could have important ramifications for US-EU relations, particularly the current TAFTA/TTIP negotiations. As we wrote back in October last year, the EU‘s proposed data protection legislation has been one of the most contested proposals in recent years, with massive lobbying from US companies concerned about the effects on their online businesses in Europe. In the end, there was extremely broad support from the European Parliament for the new data protection rules: 621 votes in favor, 10 against and 22 abstentions. Here are the main points as summarized in the official press release:
Crimea referendum opponents manipulate detached norms of intl law – Churkin
Addressing the chorus of criticism at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine, Moscow’s ambassador has reconfirmed that Russia does not want any escalation of the Ukraine crisis and is not interfering with the upcoming referendum in Crimea.
“Russia does not want war and neither do the Russians, and I‘m convinced the Ukrainians don‘t want that either,” ambassador Vitaly Churkin told an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Thursday. “We don’t see any basis to consider the issue in such terms.”
‚We don‘t want war, it‘s not Russia who unfolded spiral of violence in Ukraine‘ – Russia‘s UN envoy
Addressing the chorus of criticism at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine, Moscow‘s ambassador has reconfirmed that Russia does not want any escalation of the Ukraine crisis and is not interfering with the upcoming referendum in Crimea
Source of interference in Russian satellite work is detected
The Russian Ministry of Communications and Mass Media has detected the source of interference in the work of a Russian television satellite.
Appropriate services have detected the exact location of the source in Ukraine’s territory, the ministry said, noting the attempt to use radio-electronic war means against a Russian relay satellite was a violation of the International Telecommunication Union‘s charter of December 22, 1992.
Sewastopol vor Referendum: 50 ausländische Beobachter eingetroffen
Es handle sich um ausländische Beobachter, die sich früher bei der Wahlkommission angemeldet hätten, so Medwedew.
Der Sprecher der Stadtverwaltung, Igor Dolgopolw, teilte mit, dass mehr als 200 Journalisten aus 15 Ländern für die Berichterstattung über das Referendum akkreditiert sind. „Die Journalisten sind aus Russland, China, den USA, Großbritannien, Frankreich und anderen Ländern gekommen“, so Dolgopolow.
Pentagon weist Bericht über abgefangene Drohne über Krim zurück
Das US-Verteidigungsministerium hat einen Bericht zurückgewiesen, nach dem eine US-Aufklärungsdrohne über der Halbinsel Krim abgefangen worden sein soll. „Der Bericht ist nicht wahr“, sagte eine Pentagonsprecherin am Freitag der dpa.
Aircraft Carrier Extends Operations in Mediterranean Sea
WASHINGTON, March 14, 2014 – The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush will remain in the Mediterranean Sea a few days longer than originally scheduled, a Defense Department spokesman said here today. (..)
On the situation in Ukraine, Warren said the department continues to monitor situation “very closely” and continues to call on Russia to de-escalate the situation.
“Russian intervention in Ukraine, we’ve said all along, is a violation of international law and international agreements to which Russia is a signatory,” he said.
USS George H.W. Bush Completes Second Successful Port Visit in Antalya, Turkey
USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) departed Antalya, Turkey March 12, following a three-day port visit.
Angeblich ist US-Drohne über der Krim abgefangen worden
(14.03.) Pikanterweise würde diese Drohne normalerweise in Bayern stationiert sein und von der 66th Military Intelligence Brigade gesteuert werden, die aber nicht in Bayern, wie es heißt, sondern auf dem Wiesbaden Army Airfield stationiert ist. (..)
Sollte der Bericht stimmen, dann war die Brigade Anfang März nach dem Antritt der Interims-Regierung im ukrainischen Kirowohrad stationiert worden, von aus Aufklärungsflüge über der Krim und angeblich auch in russisches Gebiet hinein gestartet wurden.
US-Drohne über der Krim abgefangen
(14.03.) „Die Vermarkung der Drohne MQ-5B deutet darauf, dass die Maschine zur 66. Aufklärungsbrigade mit dem Standort in Bayern gehörte“, heißt es im Bericht auf der Webseite des Konzerns.
Laut der Mitteilung wurde die Brigade Anfang März in die ukrainische Stadt Kirowograd verschoben, wo die Drohnen Aufklärungsflüge in Richtung Krim und Russlands Grenzgebiete starten.