Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Russia has no far-reaching plans to suspend U.S. agreements: Kremlin Tuesday October 4th, 2016 at 10:37 AM

Russia has no far-reaching plans to suspend U.S. agreements: Kremlin

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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has no far-reaching plans to suspend further agreements with the United States, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.
  

Syrian pro-government forces press attack on city of Aleppo

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BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian government forces pressed their assault Tuesday on the eastern, rebel-held neighborhoods of Aleppo, opposition activists said, while state media reported that rebel shelling of government-controlled part of the city left six dead, including two students killed at a university campus.
Also Tuesday, activists raised the death ...

Bill Clinton Calls Obamacare Model ‘Crazy System’ That ‘Makes No Sense’ 

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Former president Bill Clinton slammed the Obamacare insurance model during a Monday rally in Saginaw, Michigan, calling the law “the craziest thing in the world” and saying that it is harming small businesses.
“You’ve got this crazy system where all of a sudden 25 million more people have health care and then the people that are out there busting it, sometimes 60 hours a week, wind up with their premiums doubled and their coverage cut in half,” Clinton said.
“It’s the craziest thing in the world,” Clinton added later.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has expressed strong support for President Obama’s health care overhaul in public, but has more readily acknowledged its flaws in private conversations with donors, as the Washington Free Beacon has reported.
Bill Clinton took another dig at the Obamacare insurance model later in the address.
“So, they [insurance companies] overcharge you just to make sure and on good years, they just make a whoppin’ profit out of the people least able to pay it,” Clinton said. “It doesn’t many any sense. The insurance model doesn’t work here.”

Clinton ended his discussion about Obamacare by stating that the model was hurting small businesses that have to assume the expense of their employees’ health coverage.
“But the people who are getting killed in this deal are small business people and individuals who made just a little too much to get into these subsidies,” he said.
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AFGHANISTAN: Cell Phone Warfare

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WikiLeaks' Assange promises leaks on US election, Google

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange promised "significant" disclosures on subjects including the U.S. election and Google in the coming weeks as the secret-spilling group marked its 10th anniversary on Tuesday.
     

Duterte tells Obama 'you can go to hell' in new tirade

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told his U.S. ally Barack Obama "you can go to hell" in a speech Tuesday that was his latest tirade against the U.S. over its criticism of his deadly anti-drug campaign.
     
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The Early Edition: October 4, 2016 

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Before the start of business, Just Securityprovides a curated summary of up-to-the-minute developments at home and abroad. Here’s today’s news.
SYRIA
The US suspended talks with Russia over the ongoing war in Syria yesterday, accusing Russia of joining with the Assad regime in the brutal bombing of the besieged city of Aleppo, Michael R. Gordon and Andrew E. Kramer report at the New York Times.
The UN Security Council began negotiations on a draft resolution seeking an immediate truce in Aleppo yesterday,Russia immediately rejecting any grounding of aircraft and questioning whether a resolution at this time would produce any results, Michael Astor reports at theAP.
Aleppo’s crisis needs bold new initiatives including “proposals to limit the use of the veto by permanent members of the security council,” UN human rights chief Zeid al Hussain said. [Reuters]
Al Hussein also warned Russia over the use of incendiary weapons in Aleppo, saying that crimes by one side do not justify illegal acts by the other. [Reuters]
Rebels repelled a Syrian army offensive in southern Aleppo, they said today. [Reuters]
At least 15 Turkey-backed Syrian rebels were killed as they pressed toward Dabiq, Suzan Fraser and Bassem Mroue report at the AP, citing Turkish officials and an activist group.
A prominent member of the Nusra Front was killed in a US airstrike in rebel-held Idlib in Syria’s northwest yesterday, the US Defense Department said. [Reuters]
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Kurdish wedding party near the northeastern city of Hasaka yesterday, which killed 22, CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq and Emanuella Grinberg report.
Why is Syrian President Assad still in power? Al Jazeera’s Zoe Hu says it’s because of his recurring strategy of exploiting – and sometimes fulfilling – expectations for reform in order to cultivate power.
US-led airstrikes continue. US and coalition forces carried out 20 airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria on Oct. 2. Separately, partner forces conducted 14 strikes against targets in Iraq. [Central Command
IRAQ
Kurdish Peshmerga forces preparing for the attack on Islamic State-stronghold Mosul have asked the UK for equipment to protect themselves from the Islamic State’s chemical attacks, Patrick Wintour reports at the Guardian.
The battle for Mosul could force a million people to flee their homes, which the UN says it is nowhere near ready to deal with, Loveday Morris reports at the Washington Post.
COLOMBIA
The ceasefire will remain in effect,despite the result of a referendum Sunday rejecting a peace deal between the Colombian government and the FARC rebels, President Juan Manuel Santos said, inviting Colombia’s political parties to an emergency meeting Mondayto form a “big-tent coalition” to rework the peace deal. Nick Miroff reports at the Washington Post.
A panel of experts will meet with the right-wing political opponents who opposed the accord, Santos announced yesterday as he sought to salvage the peace deal. [Wall Street Journal’s Sara SchaeferMunoz]
Colombian Senator and previous president Álvaro Uribe is seen by some as the only person who can renegotiate the peace deal in a way that will convince those who oppose it that it isn’t too lenient toward the rebels, Juan Forero and Kejal Vyas write at the Wall Street Journal.
There may still be a chance of renegotiating the terms of the deal, but the political hurdles are high and hope now largely rests in “the exhaustion of both sides,” suggests the New York Times editorial board.
The future of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia is in limbo following the peace deal’s defeat Sunday. Leader Rodrigo Londono reaffirmed the group’s commitment to peace and said his troops would honor FARC’s commitment to the government by sticking to the ceasefire after the referendum result, yet it is not clear how many concessions the group will now take, and nobody expects them to turn in their weapons just to end up in jail, Joshua Goodman and Andrea Rondruiguez reflect at the AP.
Why did Colombians reject the peace deal? Hisham Aidi at Al Jazeera explains the “shocking” but “not inexplicable” result of Sunday’s referendum.
AFGHANISTAN
Taliban forces in Kunduz have been defeated, the BBC quotes the governor of Kunduz province as saying today. The Taliban launched a coordinated attack on the city before dawn Monday, a year after they briefly retook the city.
Despite this, heavy fighting continued in and around the provincial capital for a second day today, according to Al Jazeera.
American military advisers were on the ground helping in the defense of the governor’s compound, a focus of the Taliban attack, Mujib Mashal and Najim Rahim report at the New York Times.
PHILIPPINES
The Phiblex amphibious landing drills between the US and the Philippines began today, perhaps for the last time now that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed a desire for a more “independent” foreign policy, observes Trefor Moss at the Wall Street Journal.
The US’s alliance system in East Asia, which has helped to keep the peace – with the exception of the Vietnam War – for more than half a century, is now in trouble on account of Duterte’s anti-American hostility, Andrew Browne writes at the Wall Street Journal.
TURKEY
Turkey is extending its state of emergency by three months to help it fight terrorism, Turkey’s government said. Emre Peker reports at the Wall Street Journal.
Turkey suspended 12,801 police officers today on suspicion of links to Pennsylvania-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, representing 5 percent of Turkey’s entire police force, Reuters reports.
Turks accused of complicity in the failed July 15 coup can attend a new “crisis management center” and submit their written defensesNPR’s Peter Kenyon reports.
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
The UK government unveiled a new policy that could suspend parts of the European Convention on Human Rights during future conflicts. The measure is aimed at protecting British troops from “vexatious” legal claims by “a whole industry of lawyers,” the BBC reports.
Former Washington Post bureau chief in Tehran Jason Rezaian has filed a federal lawsuit against the Iranian government accusing it of hostage-taking, torture and terrorism over his 544-day imprisonment in Iran during its nuclear negotiations with the US, Rick Gladstone reports at the New York Times.
Libya is a “strategic gateway” to the rest of Africa for the Islamic State, according to an essay by one member, and unless the West acts quickly, the jihadists are poised to make the situation in Libya look “like a mere preamble,” suggests Nicholas Jubber at The Daily Beast.
Two US warships docked at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, Sunday, the first such port call since the two nations normalized relations 21 years ago, and a sign of warming military ties between them, Khanh Vu suggests at the Wall Street Journal.
A Maryland man has been charged with plotting to attack a member of the US military on behalf of the Islamic State, the Justice Department said yesterday. After spending months expressing support for the militant group on social media, Nelash Mohamed Das met with an FBI source whom he believed was a fellow Islamic State supporter, the Baltimore Sun’s Kevin Rector reports.
Two former CIA captives have described how they were threatened with a makeshift electric chairwhile being held in the infamous “Salt Pit” prison in Afghanistan in independent interviews with Human Rights Watch, Alex Emmons reports at the Intercept.
WikiLeaks will publish around one million documents related to three governments and the US election before the end of the year, founder Julian Assange said today. [Reuters]
The UK will continue to block the formation of a European Union army as long as it remains a member of the bloc, Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said today. [Reuters]
Read on Just Security »
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Analysis: Is Putin planning to restore the Soviet-era KGB?

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Last week, following the results of Russia’s parliamentary election, Russian media run a story suggesting that the Kremlin is planning to implement far-reaching changes to the country’s intelligence apparatus. Could this be the beginning of the resurgence of the Soviet-era KGB?



Unjustified Police Killings: The New Homeland Security Threat?

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Unjustified killings by police officers has plagued the United States over the past decade. Does this trend pose a threat to our national security?

The F.B.I. Crime Report

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A former Times reporter writes that “research shows that reported property crime is in many cases very different from actual crime.”

FBI releases annual crime data - KSAT San Antonio

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KSAT San Antonio

FBI releases annual crime data
KSAT San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO - The FBI last week released its annual compilation of crime data, showing trends in violent and property crimes across the nation. According to the new numbers, violent crimes were up 3.9 percent across the country from 2014 to 2015, but ...

Putin's cyber play: What are all these Russian hackers up to? - Mail & Guardian

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Mail & Guardian

Putin's cyber play: What are all these Russian hackers up to?
Mail & Guardian
Russia has been implicated in many breaches of U.S. networks in recent months, most notably the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee hacks, whose data were subsequently dumped to the whistleblowing ...

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WikiLeaks Plans Publishing Documents 'Significant' to U.S. Election

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange promised to publish documents related to the U.S. presidential campaign before the Nov. 8 election day.

WikiLeaks’ Assange promises leaks on US election, Google

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is promising “significant” disclosures on subjects including the U.S. election and Google in the coming weeks as the organization marks its 10th anniversary.

Philippine president tells Obama ‘you can go to hell’ in his latest tirade against the US leader 

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Philippine president tells Obama ‘you can go to hell’ in his latest tirade against the US leader.

Trump backers realize they've been played as WikiLeaks fails to deliver October surprise 

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If there's a bombshell coming on Hillary Clinton, it will have to wait for another day.





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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte Tells Obama to ‘Go to Hell’

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte lashed out at President Barack Obama on Tuesday, telling the U.S. commander-in-chief, “you can go to hell,” according to the Associated Press.
Duterte, who just last month called Obama a “son of a bitch” before denying ever having done so, made the latest comment during a speech in which he expressed anger at Obama and the European Union over heightened criticism of his deadly drug crackdown. The E.U. “better choose purgatory, hell is filled up,” he said, according to the AP.
Duterte’s anti-drug campaign has left more than about 3,000 dead since he took office in June. The leader of the Philippines has threatened to end a defense pact with the U.S. in response to a lack of support from the country’s officials and legislators.
[AP]


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Philippine President Duterte Flips Off President Obama—Again - Huffington Post

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Huffington Post

Philippine President Duterte Flips Off President Obama—Again
Huffington Post
He says Obama can “go to hell” for refusing to sell arms to the Philippines. 10/04/2016 07:53 am ET. Romeo Ranoco / Reuters. Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday told U.S. President Barack Obama to “go to hell” and said the United States had ... 
US, Philippines launch war games amid uncertainty over tiesDeutsche Welle


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Philippine leader tells Obama 'go to hell', says can buy arms from Russia, China

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MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday told U.S. President Barack Obama to "go to hell" and said the United States had refused to sell some weapons to his country but he did not care because Russia and China were willing suppliers.
  

Конец американо-филиппинского военного союза или начало новой игры - РИА Новости

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РИА Новости

Конец американо-филиппинского военного союза или начало новой игры
РИА Новости
Начавшиеся в этот вторник учения морской пехоты США и Филиппин могут оказаться последними, поскольку страна будет проводить независимую внешнюю политику. Таков смысл заявлений президента Филиппин Родриго Дутерте. Суть вопроса тут в том, что Дутерте делает много ...
Запад критикует Филиппины за истребление наркоманов, Дутерте шлет Обаму к чертуВести.Ru
Дутерте послал Обаму к чертуLenta.ru
Президент Филиппин предложил Обаме отправиться в адВзгляд
Дни.Ру -Газета.Ru -NEWSru.com -Версия
Все похожие статьи: 243 »

Column: Beware of the Fancy Bears in Russian doping scandal - Washington Post

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Column: Beware of the Fancy Bears in Russian doping scandal
Washington Post
By stealing and then publishing the private medical files of more than 120 international athletes from a World Anti-Doping Agency database, the self-described “Fancy Bears hack team” has diverted attention from Russia's systemic abuse of banned ...

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Плутониевый ультиматум: зачем Путин вышел из договора с США по утилизации - РБК

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РБК

Плутониевый ультиматум: зачем Путин вышел из договора с США по утилизации
РБК
Президент Путин своим указом приостановил действие российско-американского договора об утилизации оружейного плутония. Возобновление действия соглашения возможно при отмене санкций и выполнении еще ряда таких же малоисполнимых условий. Эксперты называют это ...

и другие »

Проклятие Ичкерии. Доклад «Новой газеты» - Новая газета

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Новая газета

Проклятие Ичкерии. Доклад «Новой газеты»
Новая газета
Совершенно очевидно, что предтечей комиссий была масштабная чеченская амнистия, санкционированная Путиным и эффективно проведенная в Чечне еще в начале 2000-х отцом Рамзана Кадырова — Ахматом Кадыровым. ..... В этом смысле посмертную судьбу Ахмата Кадырова можно сравнить с ролью мертвого Ленина ...

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Documentation of Putin’s ‘Crime within a Crime’ has Far Reaching Consequences, Eidman Says

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Paul Goble

            Staunton, October 3 – Proof that Moscow was behind the shooting down of the Malaysian airliner has far larger and more explosive consequences than many now think because unlike the Soviet Union’s shooting down of the KAL jet, this latest action was “a crime within the crime” of invading Ukraine, according to Russian commentator Igor Eidman.

That fact makes Vladimir Putin, now “an unmasked but not yet disarmed criminal” even “more dangerous” because he is likely to conclude that he has “nothing to lose” by acting ever more aggressively at home and abroad and every reason to do so in order to delay any day of reckoning for his crimes (kasparov.ru/material.php?id=57F1292E8F5B2).

Some analysts have suggested that neither the USSR nor the US suffered “any particular consequences” when the first by intention shot down the Korean jetliner and the latter accidentally shot the Iranian one.  But that was the case, Eidman says, only because these actions, unlike the shooting down of MH17 didn’t occur in the course of a larger crime.

He suggests that the following analogy helps to understand why the current case is different. If gangsters kill an innocent bystander while robbing a bank, “in recognizing that these gangers killed someone, one cannot fail to recognize that they also robbed the bank and shot at policemen.”

In the current case, if one has the kind of proof that the international commission has now provided that Russia shot down the MH17, “one must automatically recognize Russian aggression” because the Russian forces which did this were illegally on the territory of a foreign state – Ukraine – and were firing from positions acquired by aggression.

That puts the final nail in the coffin of Putin’s insistence that “’there is no evidence’ of the participation of the Russian army in the war against Ukraine,” Eidman points out. Now , it has been demonstrated that “the Russian president began a secret war against a neighboring European state as a result of which tens of thousands of people have died.”

“The entire world not only knows but has legal evidence,” the Russian commentator continues, “that the blood of these victims is on [Putin] and his subordinates, and this means that they de facto have already been recognized as international military criminals.”

Those who suggest that Putin will now back down in some way do not understand him or his position.  The Kremlin leader “cannot but understand that only remaining in office will defend him from a reckoning for his crimes.”  He will thus hold onto the presidency ever more tightly, Eidman argues, and won’t even consider a 2008 arrangement in which he allows someone else to function under his control.

Putin will certainly continue to suggest that the conclusions about MH17 are evidence of “a conspiracy against Russia,” which may win him some support at home for a time. And he is likely to continue to try to present himself to the West as its ally against Islamist terrorism, although that too will be ever less successful given what he says at home and does in Aleppo.

The Kremlin leader’s next moves, Eidman argues, are likely to include both the imposition of “a chauvinist and xenophobic ideology” on the Russian people and more actions in foreign affairs based on the proposition that “’the best defense is a good offense’”  with “ever more new military adventures” to follow.

As Putin himself has observed, “a rat finds himself cornered will lash out at those around him until he falls under the irreversible wheel of history.”
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Kadyrov’s Time has ‘Really Passed,’ Moscow Paper Says

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Paul Goble

            Staunton, October 3 – The report by “Novaya gazeta” that Ramzan Kadyrov barely escaped an assassination attempt some months ago is attracting a great deal of attention, but the paper’s argument as to why it has concluded after a length study that the Chechen leader’s time in office has “really passed” is far more important.

            In a 6,000-word article, Elena Milashina argues that “Kadyrov is constrained in ways no other Russian politician is. No one else faces such challenges or has such enemies.”  As a result, “his time has really passed” with Moscow now recognizing that “there must be a new contract” between the center and Grozny to “keep Chechnya in Russia’s legal space”(novayagazeta.ru/politics/74779.html).
     
       Drawing on recent reports on Chechnya under Kadyrov by Human Rights Watch (hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/chechnya0816ru_web.pdf) and by Memorial (hrc.org/reports/kontrterror-na-severnom-kavkaze-vzglyad-pravozashchitnikov-2014-g-pervaya-polovina-2016-g), the “Novaya gazeta” journalist argues Moscow’s old “contract with Kadyrov” has exhausted itself.
   
         That contract, which involved Kadyrov’s complete loyalty to Putin in exchange for Putin agreeing to delegate to him extraordinary authority so that the Chechen leader, working with Moscow, would carry out two first-order tasks: combatting the Chechen underround and restoring the republic from the ravages of war.

            But given the decline in the amount of violence in the North Caucasus, Kadyrov’s approach, which largely has ignored Moscow’s call for reintegrating those who were opposed to the restoration of Russian rule there, is increasingly unacceptable, not only becauase it keeps the pot boiling in Chechnya but risks reigniting violence elsewhere.

            Moreover, Moscow faces a situation in which Kadyrov may entail more costs than benefits, draining enormous amounts of money from the Russian treasury at least nominally to rebuild Chechnya but acting with such independence and untouchability that he has offended many of the most powerful institutions in the Russian capital.

            According to Milashina, “the necessity of revising the old contract which has exhausted itself given that the terrorist underground is practically destroyed and the cities and villages of Chechnya at least partially rebuilt has begun to be recognized in Moscow. That was clearly shown when Kadyrov got in trouble with the Kremlin after the Nemtsov murder.

            Not only did Putin make the point that Kadyrov and any Chechen leader had to ensure that all Russian laws were enforced everywhere in that republic, something Kadyrov had failed to do, but the Chechen head himself even said in public that it appeared to him that his time “had passed.”

            “The legal immunity which the center ten years ago gave to its Chechen vassal has turned out to be a delayed-action bomb because from legal immunity to sovereignty is a single step. And we obsesrve all signs that this step has already been made,” Milashina continues.

            Indeed, she says, there is now an anecdote that suggests that “under the pretext of the struggle with separatism in Chechnya has been esta blished an absolutist regime pretending to both civil and religious (spiritual) power,” a development completely at odds with what Putin has tried to do elsewhere.

            In this situation, Milashina observes, “for Kadyrov, critics of his regime have become more dangerous than terrorists because unlike terrorists, they appeal to the Constitution of the Russian Federation,” and because that is so, he continues to repress society even though most of the underground has been defeated.

            In recent times, Kadyrov has taken the interests of Moscow into consideration only “as long as they correspond with his own.” And that is creating a situation in which Chechens, “nominally citizens of Russia have no defense.” Not surprisingly, many of them fear and also hate Kadyrov and some clearly blame Moscow for allowing this situation to develop.

            Some of them are going abroad, others are going into the underground, and still others are trying to navigate their way through the minefield Kadyrov has created.  But what is striking, Milashina says, is that “for the first time in all this decade, [Chechens] have begun to complain not only in instagrms of officials but also to the courts,” which increasingly side with them.

            Perhaps the most important part of Milashina’s article is not her reportage on a recent attempt on Kadyrov’s life – the issues involved are too murky and the number of people, including Kadryrov himself, with reasons for organizing such an attack is large – but rather her discussion of how Kadyrov rose to power and why his path is so infuriating to many Chechens..

            “Historically,” she notes, there was never one-man rule in Chechnya.” Instead, public life was organized by a consensus among the major taips. But Kadyrov has ignored that, elevated his taip over all others and himself over that taip. Not surprisingly in Chechen society, he has many opponents and even enemies.

            Kadyrov’s rise, which was facilitated by Moscow, sprung from the conflict that had split Chechen society since the end of Soviet times. That conflict pitted the field commanders, known collectively as the Jamaat, who supposed the Islamization and Arabization of Chechnya and saw Moscow rather than other Chechens as the enemy, against “the tariqat,” the followers of Sufi Islam, traditional in Chechnya, and who viewed Chechens as including enemies as well.

            Kadyrov’s father, Akhmat Kadyrov, was “the spiritual leader of the Tariqatists,” Milashina says.   He “sanctioned the murder of Jamaat figures who wer taken prisoner and first proclaimed the principle of collective responsibility on the part of their relatives.”  And he was prepared to use violence to defend traditional Chechen values against foreign ones.

            Because he felt that way, Akhmat Kadyrov found in Moscow a natural ally given that officials in the Russian capital also believed that the only hope for peace in the North Caucasus was to rely on traditional Islam and to oppose all efforts by Muslim missionaries from the Middle East to import any other kind.

“But at the same time,” the “Novaya gazeta” journalist observes, the traditional fundamentalism of Kadyrov senior served as insurance against the establishment of one-man rule in Chechnya. Such a power arrangement for him and for all Chechen politicians of his generation was hardly traditional.”

Moscow did not turn to Ramzan Kadyrov immediately after Akhmat was killed in 2004, but eventually it felt it had not other choice given that Kadyrov had few relatives and his closest allies were people that the Russian security services viewed as bandits with whom they could not make common cause.

When Kadyrov junior was chosen, he immediately promoted “a cult of personality” about his father in order to lay the groundwork for “a cult of personality” around himself.  Indeed, Milashina says, “one can compare the posthumous fate of Akhmat Kadyrov with the role of the dead Lenin in the establishment of Stalin’s cult of personality.”

And like Stalin, Ramzan established “a new public order” in Chechnya “which his father would hardly have been likely to approve.” And the last two years, Milashina concludes, Kadyrov junior has only made things worse by getting rid of his old allies and appointing family members alone to key jobs.

“Chechens have never recognized a dictatorial style of rule,” the journalist says, but that is exactly what Kadyrov junion has put in place.  “How long this will last is not something Kadyrov will decide. But it will be precisely he who will pay a high price” for what he has done. And Milashina clearly believes he will pay that price soon.
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Julian Assange, WikiLeaks Founder, Promises Raft of Revelations

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BERLIN — Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, promised on Tuesday to release “significant material” over the next 10 weeks about arms, Google, mass surveillance, oil, the United States election and war.
Speaking via a video link at a news conference in Berlin to mark a decade since the inception of WikiLeaks, Mr. Assange vowed that his organization would continue to provide a platform for the release of classified documents held by the United States and by other governments and institutions in positions of global power.
“We hope to be publishing every week for the next 10 weeks, we have on schedule, and it’s a very hard schedule, all the U.S. election-related documents to come out before Nov. 8,” said Mr. Assange, who made his announcement from the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, where he has been living since 2012. “Our upcoming series includes significant material on war, arms, oil, Google, the U.S. elections and myself.”
WikiLeaks used the occasion of its 10th anniversary to trumpet some of its most prominent releases of information, including documents about the United States detention camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba; files about the wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan; United States diplomatic cables; andDemocratic Party emails that were made public on the eve of the party’s convention in Philadelphia.
Here are key points in his case since WikiLeaks burst onto the digital scene in 2010.
OPEN Timeline
The remarks from Mr. Assange disappointed many followers of WikiLeaks in the United States, who had stayed up into the early hours hoping to hear information relevant to the presidential election.
Although Mr. Assange promised to release such documents before the election on Nov. 8, he said, “If we are going to make a major publication, we don’t do it at 3 a.m.” in the United States.
He dismissed speculation that the documents related to the United States election would contain information intended to damage the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee. The idea that “we intend to harm Hillary Clinton, or I intend to harm Hillary Clinton, or I don’t like Hillary Clinton, all those are false,” Mr. Assange said.
Mr. Assange laughed when he was asked whether he felt any personal affinity for her Republican rival, Donald J. Trump, saying that he felt “personal affinity for all human beings.” He explained that he felt sorry for both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump, given that “these are two people who are tormented by their ambitions.”
Mr. Assange had been scheduled to make the announcement from the balcony of the embassy where he has been staying since Ecuador granted him political asylum, but he changed that plan at the last minute because of security reasons. He declined to give further details about those concerns.
Mr. Assange sought refuge after he was charged with rape in Sweden, an accusation that he has denied, because he feared that if he were sent there, he would then be extradited to the United States to face espionage charges.
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Julian Assange, WikiLeaks Founder, Promises Raft of Revelations 

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Julian Assange spoke via video link at a news conference in Berlin for the 10th anniversary of WikiLeaks on Tuesday. He vowed that the organization would continue to release classified documents from governments, institutions and others in positions of power.

NATO Warns West Is Losing 'Information War' Against Russia, Islamic State Group - Voice of America

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Voice of America

NATO Warns West Is Losing 'Information War' Against Russia, Islamic State Group
Voice of America
NATO commanders are calling on Western nations to expand efforts against the 'information war' being spread by opponents of the West. The commanders warn that countries like Russia are using the free press in democratic countries to spread ... 

and more »

The West on the brink - The New Times

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The New Times

The West on the brink
The New Times
Internally, nationalism has been gaining strength in nearly all EU member states; externally,Russia is playing great-power politics and pushing for a “Eurasian Union” – a euphemism for renewed Russian dominance over Eastern Europe – as an alternative ...

and more »

All the Kremlin's Men: Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin – review - The Guardian

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The Guardian

All the Kremlin's Men: Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin – review
The Guardian
A former head of the armed forces warned that the UK could not withstand a Russian attack; on the US presidential campaign trail, more evidence emerged of Vladimir Putin's support for Donald Trump. Of the many accounts written about the Russian ...
Putin V. Russia In SyriaHuffington Post
Welcome to the Putinkin VillageWall Street Journal
Do We Really Want Nuclear War with Russia?Common Dreams (press release)

all 171 news articles »
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Putin's cyber play: What are all these Russian hackers up to? - Mail & Guardian

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Mail & Guardian

Putin's cyber play: What are all these Russian hackers up to?
Mail & Guardian
These hackers are tied to, for example, the recent breach of the World Anti-Doping Agency, making public the health records of many Olympians. That attack was an apparent response to the doping scandal that saw many Russian athletes banned from ...

and more »

WikiLeaks Plans Publishing Documents “Significant” to U.S. Election

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BERLIN—WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange promised to publish documents related to the U.S. presidential campaign before the Nov. 8 election.
Mr. Assange, who heads the leaked documents platform, said some of its coming publications would be “significant to the U.S. election” but declined to describe them further. In July, WikiLeaks released internal emails among Democratic National Committee officials just as party delegates convened to nominate Hillary Clinton as the Democrats’ candidate for president.
Mr. Assange was speaking from the Ecuadorean Embassy in London by video link to a news conference in Berlin marking the 10-year anniversary of his website.
He said WikiLeaks planned to publish documents every week for the next 10 weeks. The publications, he said, would relate to the U.S. election, Google, war, arms and oil.
The first publication will come this week, Mr. Assange said, but he declined to say whether it would be related to the U.S. election.
“I would like to keep that ambiguity, but we have quite a pace ahead of us,” Mr. Assange said.
Write to Anton Troianovski at anton.troianovski@wsj.com

Behind Vladimir Putin’s Trouble With the Truth - Washington Wire

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President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with members of the Russian Security Council in September.ENLARGE
President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with members of the Russian Security Council in September.Photo: Mikhail Klimentyav/TASS via Zuma Press
Stephen Sestanovich, a professor at Columbia University and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, is the author of “Maximalist: America in the World From Truman to Obama.” He is on Twitter: @ssestanovich.
Vladimir Putin took a terrific beating in the Western media this past week, and one of the recurrent themes was dishonesty.  The Russian president is widely said to have lied about the Malaysia Airlines plane shot down over Ukraine, about the recent attack on an aid convoy in Syria, about the Democratic National Committee hack—and those are just his most recent fibs. It wouldn’t be hard to add others. Mr. Putin is so associated with lying that we no longer even bother to explain it. What arehis motives? Here’s my list—four that focus on his behavior, background, and beliefs, and a last one that assesses the quality of his leadership.
1. Mr. Putin has a lot to hide. Sure, he could have fessed up about the MH17 shoot-down (as the U.S. did after shooting down an Iranian passenger plane in 1988—eventually paying compensation, expressing regret, and moving on). But doing so would have made it harder to keep lying about the Russian military presence in eastern Ukraine—and Mr. Putin finds it harder to admit the truth about that. His lies are inter-linked.
2. Mr. Putin thinks we all lie as much as he does. His intelligence background clearly disposes him to suspect the truthfulness of others. That’s just the way the world works, he seems to think—and only suckers fail to see it. (Hence the now-widespread analysis of Russian propaganda: that its goal is not to show that Moscow tells the truth; only that nobody does.)
3. Mr. Putin recycles lies that his own people tell him. Anyone who has dealt with senior Russian officials, up to and including the Russian president, has heard them make claims, usually about the secret workings of U.S. policy, that are so bizarre and preposterous you would think no normal person could believe them. This problem—unquestioning acceptance of information circulated by intelligence services—exists everywhere, but it seems especially acute in the Russian system and makes defaming the U.S. all too easy.
4. Mr. Putin’s position depends on keeping the truth covered up. There’s no evidence, in my view, that he was directly involved in Russia’s most shocking murders of recent years, from the journalist Anna Politkovskaya in 2006 to opposition leader Boris Nemtsov in 2015. But Mr. Putin guards the system that covers up these crimes—a system so corrupt that it would be very hard to decide where to let the truth emerge without having everything unravel. Mr. Putin’s solution: Cover it all up.
These explanations paint an unattractive picture of Vladimir Putin as a political leader, but to my mind a final reason for his systematic lying is the most damning of all: Mr. Putin doesn’t see its costs.Russia is more estranged from Europe and the United States than at any point since the end of the Cold War, and perhaps much longer ago than that. The president of Russia is simply a poor judge of the country’s interests. Could there be a harsher indictment than that?
ALSO IN THINK TANK:
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US suspends contacts with Russia on Syria 

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WASHINGTON (AP) - In a sharp deterioration of relations, the U.S. on Monday suspended diplomatic contacts with Russia over Syria, while Moscow halted cooperation on a joint program for disposal of weapons-grade plutonium.
The U.S. move followed a threat last week from Secretary of State John Kerry after new Russian ...

US suspends bilateral discussion on Syria with Russia

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From: FoxNewsChannel
Duration: 01:05

State Department announces end to talks with Moscow over Syria

The state of the race: Clinton vs. Trump 

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From: FoxNewsChannel
Duration: 08:56

Political Insiders give their take on the fallout from the first presidential debate
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Election 2016: The political reality of real war

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From: FoxNewsChannel
Duration: 06:11

Political Insiders talk foreign policy and the campaign

Attorney general to Trump Foundation: Stop fundraising in NY

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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- The New York attorney general's office has ordered the Trump Foundation to immediately stop fundraising in the state, saying it isn't registered to do so....

U.S. suspends talks with Russia on Syria ceasefire

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Monday it was suspending talks with Russia on trying to end the violence in Syria and accused Moscow of not living up to its commitments under a ceasefire agreement.
  

Islamist terrorists tried to kill MI5 spy 

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Syria conflict: Hospital in rebel-held Aleppo 'bombed again'

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The main trauma hospital in the rebel-held east of the Syrian city of Aleppo has reportedly been hit in an air strike for the third time in a week.

U.S. suspends efforts to work with Russia on Syria cease-fire

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The move followed Russia’s suspension of a plutonium agreement, amid a general decline in relations.





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US suspends all contact with Russia over Syria, as relations deteriorate between former Cold War foes 

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The Forger | Times Documentaries | The New York Times

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From: TheNewYorkTimes
Duration: 16:33

As a teenager, Adolfo Kaminsky saved thousands of lives by forging passports to help children flee the Nazis. He spent his life helping others escape atrocities around the world.
Produced by: SAMANTHA STARK, ALEXANDRA GARCIA, PAMELA DRUCKERMAN AND MANUAL CINEMA STUDIOS
Read the story here: http://nyti.ms/2dyuB6R
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The Forger | Times Documentaries | The New York Times
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheNewYorkTimes
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Journalism at war: Ukraine vs Russia - The Listening Post (feature) 

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From: AlJazeeraEnglish
Duration: 09:30

The justification offered by the site is the suspicion that journalists have been collaborating with separatist, pro-Russian forces, in the east.
The separatists in Donbass have enforced their own rules. Journalists wanting to cover the fighting in Eastern Ukraine must have the appropriate accreditation as issued by the separatists.
"It's completely clear why the authorities of DNR introduced this accreditation process. It's not so much to control and regulate the number of journalists coming into the region, but rather to understand who these people are, and whether any of them would be 'inconvenient' to have around or are secret agents," says Katya Serhatskova, journalist at Hromadske TV.
The balancing act for reporters and news consumers in that part of the world is: how do you deal with the confusion and misinformation and sort fact from fiction– on both sides – while still upholding freedom of the press? The Listening Post's Nic Muirhead reports.
Contributors: Ian Bateson, freelance foreign correspondent, Ukraine; Katya Sergatskova, journalist, Hromadske TV; Maria Snegovaya, author, 'Putin's Information War in Ukraine'; Alya Shandra, editor, Euromaidan Press
More from The Listening Post on:
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Праздник Рош Ха‐Шана.  03.10.2016 

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From: 1tv
Duration: 02:31

С новым 5 777 годом. Иудеи празднуют Рош Ха‐Шана в переводе на русский «голова года». Поэтому и на новогоднем столе никаких хвостов. Морковь, нарезанная колечками, символизирует монетки, чтобы год был прибыльным. Гранат — символ священного писания. Считается, в нем шестьсот тринадцать зернышек, ровно столько заповедей в Торе. На столе обязательно свежая хала и яблоки. Их макают в мед и желают друг другу сладкого года… дарят символические подарки. Но ни какого шампанского и танцев до утра. «Фейерверки, карнавалы — это не про Рош Ха‐Шана, — рассказал представитель Федерации еврейских общин Борух Горин. — Это очень серьезный праздник — день покаяния. В этот день молят прощение у Всевышнего». Иудеи верят, в этот день бог перечитывает книгу жизни каждого и решает его судьбу на будущее. «Для тех, у кого остаются какие‐то недостатки, бог дает им еще шанс — десять дней раскаяния, до Йом‐Киппура, — рассказал главный раввин России Лазар Берл. — До судного дня, когда уже решается окончательно приговор». Поэтому главное в эти дни не веселиться, а молиться. Под звуки Шофара — трубы из бараньего рога. Символ раскаяния. Трубит в Шофар всегда один человек. Это традиция. После молитвы иудеи идут к реке, чтобы сбросить в воду хлебные крошки. «Это символическая церемония расставания с прошлым, с грехами — река, которая символизирует, что все пройдет», — рассказал Лазар Берл. По иудейскому приданию именно в день Рош Ха‐Шана появился на свет первый человек. Тогда Всевышний вручил ему мир, чтобы тот сделал его еще лучше.

New York orders Trump Foundation to halt fundraising 

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From: CNN
Duration: 02:24

The New York Attorney General has ordered the Trump Foundation to immediately halt fundraising efforts in the state. CNN's Jim Acosta and Drew Griffin have the latest.

Former MI5 agent: how we foiled terror attacks almost daily

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From: skynews
Duration: 03:08

A former British intelligence agent talks to Alistair Bunkall about how they foil terror attacks- sometimes daily- and how on one operation he was required to cover himself in his own urine.
SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews
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US Suspends Talks with Russia over Syria

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The United States is suspending bilateral contacts with Russia over Syria. "The United States is suspending its participation in bilateral channels with Russia that were established to sustain the cessation of hostilities," U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. "This is not a decision that was taken lightly." Last week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry threatened to end talks with Russia because of its continued bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo. Kirby said the U.S. "spared no effort in negotiating and attempting to implement an arrangement with Russia aimed at reducing violence, providing unhindered humanitarian access and degrading terrorist organization operating in Syria."  But he said Russia did not live up to "its own commitments." VOA State Department correspondent Nike Ching contributed to this report

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