By Kevin Spak 
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home
Tag Archives: Ukraine
Russia's top cop sets sights on protest movement
Russia‘s top cop has a new star role at the heart of the Putin regime. His mission? Shut down the opposition.
Alexander Bastrykin’s Investigative Committee has become President Vladimir Putin‘s de facto political police, accountable to him alone. The fearsome organization was given the new mandate after Putin returned for a third term as president last year, embittered and shaken by huge protests against his rule.
As new raids, arrests and charges hit the opposition seemingly every week, Bastrykin’s inquisitorial zeal and the degree to which charges often strain credulity show how the Kremlin is ratcheting up its longstanding practice of using the law as a tool to crush political enemies.
“Bastrykin is a man who follows any order — he’ll shut anyone down on any charge — and that’s what makes him so valuable to Putin,” Alexei Navalny, a leading anti-corruption activist embroiled in four separate legal battles with the Investigative Committee, told The Associated Press in an interview.
Russia‘s opposition, weakened and fractured after the protests petered out, is now forced to spend much of its time fighting often outlandish allegations from the Investigative Committee. Navalny is to go on trial in April on charges of leading an organized crime group that stole more than 10,000 cubic meters of timber worth 16 million rubles (about $500,000) while he worked for a provincial governor.
Several activists face charges based on a documentary-style TV show that said they were pawns of a minor Georgian lawmaker, Givi Targamadze, whom the show depicted as a murky figure working in league with rogue oligarchs to seize the Kremlin. When one of the defendants, Leonid Razvozzhayev, said he had been kidnapped in Ukraine and tortured into signing a confession, investigators deported him to Siberia on charges of stealing 500 fur hats in 1997, even though he had been cleared of the charges long ago.
“Those charges are obviously crazy and have no legal basis, but to some degree, that’s part of the point,” Gleb Pavlovsky, a former Kremlin political consultant, said. “It shows that all legal measures have been thrown out the window, and that scares people.”
With Putin’s backing, Bastrykin appears to have a free hand. Ostensibly, his agency is a Russian counterpart to the FBI, handling special crimes like murders, corruption cases and organized crime. In practice, however, the Investigative Committee recalls the FBI under its volatile founder J. Edgar Hoover, who abused the bureau’s considerable power to …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Historic ship short on funds and time
The SS United States is sending out what may be its final distress call.
The 990-foot-long ship could be sold for scrap within two months unless the grass-roots preservation group that’s working to secure a home and purpose for it can raise $500,000 immediately, the group told The Associated Press. Talks are under way with developers and investors about the ship’s long-term future, but without the emergency funding, its caretakers fear they will run out of money before a deal is inked.
The historic ocean liner carried princes and presidents across the Atlantic in the 1950s and 1960s but has spent decades awaiting a savior at its berth on the Philadelphia waterfront.
“We’ve made progress on the fundraising side and the redevelopment side,” said Susan Gibbs, executive director of the SS United States Conservancy and granddaughter of the ship’s Philadelphia-born designer, William Francis Gibbs. “Our immediate goal is to buy some time.”
The group has raised $1 million through fundraisers and a website, where contributors can sponsor a piece of the ship for $1 per square foot, but has received no public funding. What is desperately and immediately needed, they said, are donors with deep pockets and high profiles.
“Are we giving up on successfully redeveloping the ship as a self-sustaining entity? Absolutely not,” said Dan McSweeney, head of the redevelopment efforts. “We continue to have active discussions with potential partners, we have ideas of potential sites for the ship, but we need more time to get it off the ground … and we’re running out of runway.”
It costs $80,000 a month just for mooring, basic maintenance, insurance and security, he said.
The conservancy is exploring potential partnerships with four entities in Philadelphia and New York City to refashion the vessel as a stationary entertainment complex with 500,000 square feet of space for a hotel, theater, restaurants and shopping. The sluggish economy and other factors have slowed negotiations, McSweeney said.
As talks continue, he said, the hope is to convince corporate sponsors, influential politicians and prominent business leaders — are you listening, Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg? — to lend their political and financial capital to the effort.
“Any way you look at it, there is no downside to this project,” McSweeney said. “It’s an economic and community development project that’s going to create jobs.”
The SS United States carried more than 1 million passengers at record-breaking trans-Atlantic speeds over the course of 400 round trips from 1952 to 1969, among them President John F. Kennedy, Prince Rainier of Monaco, Salvador Dali and Elizabeth Taylor. A joint venture between the Navy and ship designer Gibbs & Cox, the luxury liner was made with hidden military might: It could have been converted in a single day to transport 14,000 troops for 10,000 miles before refueling.
After being decommissioned it changed hands multiple times, from the Navy and on through a series of restoration-minded investors.
It was towed from Virginia to Turkey to Ukraine, finally arriving in Philadelphia as a gutted hulk in 1996.
Another succession of developers and a cruise lines failed to …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
Ukraine's Demographic Improvements: A Case Of Too Little Too Late
One of the points I often try to make is that Russia‘s demographics have not only been improving, they’ve actually been improving faster than those of many of its close neighbors. Yesterday a commenter very kindly noted that Ukraine‘s final 2012 demographics numbers are in, so I thought I would do a quick Russia–Ukraine comparison: …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Remarks by the President at a Naturalization Ceremony for Active Duty Service Members and Civilians
East Room
11:36 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much. (Applause.) Well, good morning, everybody. Secretary Napolitano, thank you for administering the oath and making it official. Director Mayorkas, distinguished guests, family and friends, it is a great pleasure to have you here at the White House. And it is an honor to be among the first to greet some of my fellow citizens of the United States.
Today, here in the people’s house — a house designed by an Irish immigrant — we welcome 28 men and women, immigrants themselves, who from this day forward have earned the precious right to call this country home.
And I know this is an incredibly special moment for you and your families, but I have to say, it’s a special moment for the rest of us as well. Because as we look out across this room, we’re reminded that what makes somebody American isn’t just their bloodlines, it’s not just an accident of birth. It’s a fidelity to our founding principles, a faith in the idea that anyone, anywhere, can write the next great chapter in this American story.
That’s the promise of America. And today we know it’s alive and well in each and every one of you.
At first glance, of course, it would be easy to define this group by their differences. They all hail from different corners of the world — from Nigeria to Nicaragua, from the Philippines to Peru. They arrived here in different ways. Some of you came here as children, carried by parents who wished for them a life that they had never had. Others came as adults, leaving behind everything you knew to seek a new life. But what binds you together — what binds us all together — is something more meaningful than anything of that. A love for this country and all that it represents — that’s what unites each and every one of you.
For Nikita Kirichenko — there’s Nikita right here — that love runs so deep it led him to enlist in our military. Nikita came here at the age of 11 from Ukraine. His mother saw America as the one place on Earth where her son could do anything he wanted. And a few years ago, Nikita decided that he wanted to join the Air Force so that, in his words, “I could give back to a country that took me in and gave me a better life.” Thank you, Nikita. Today, we proudly salute him not just as a member of our military but also as a citizen of our country.
Today, we salute Elrina Brits. Where did Elrina go? There she is. Elrina was born in South Africa, came here as a child, grew up in Washington State. When Elrina decided to join the Navy, somebody told her that she wouldn’t be able to …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House Press Office
Ukrainian Parliament members brawl
Malnourished Sons Inspired Hit Product
Danielle Dietz-LiVolsi
Danielle adopted two boys from the Ukraine and needed a healthy way to replenish their nutrients — so she took matters into her own hands. Food that Dr.Oz can’t live without
…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at AOL
Will Wikipedia replace the academic thesis?
By hnn
KYIV, Ukraine — Click on a Wikipedia topic about optometry in the Polish language or Newtonian mechanics in Ukrainian and the article that pops up may well be a college student thesis.
That’s because universities in Poland and Ukraine are exploring new requirements. Instead of cribbing research from Wikipedia for papers that will probably only gather dust, advocates of the idea say students would be better off writing their own Wikipedia articles.
Although critics warn that Wikipedia articles are no substitute for rigorous academic papers, supporters say more than simply putting more information at public disposal, erasing boundaries between the internet and academia will invigorate scholarship by enabling it to benefit everyone.
Source:
GlobalPost via Salon
Source URL:
http://www.salon.com/2013/03/19/will_wikipedia_replace_the_academic_thesis/
Date:
3-19-13
…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at History News Network – George Mason University
White House Announces New Coordinator for Defense Policy, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Arms Control
Today, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon announced that Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall will be moving to a new position on the National Security Staff as the White House Coordinator for Defense Policy, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Arms Control. She will take up her duties on April 8.
National Security Advisor Donilon said, “As one of the President’s closest advisors for the past four years, Liz’s leadership and advice have been instrumental as we have successfully strengthened our alliances and partnerships across Europe, helped to revitalize NATO, and worked with Europe to advance the President’s global agenda. Liz brings deep expertise and a track record of accomplishment in defense issues and in proliferation prevention. The President will look to her to bring significant energy and capability to his second term as we pursue the ambitious goals he set forth in his Prague speech in 2009 and prepare our military to defend the American people and our allies against the threats we face today and in the future.”
During the Clinton Administration, Dr. Sherwood-Randall served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, where she played a central role in the denuclearization of Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. She has also held positions at Harvard University, Stanford University, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Brookings Institution, and previously served as the Chief Foreign Affairs and Defense Policy Advisor to Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
…read more
Source: White House Press Office
European women marry, give hope to Samaritans
The Samaritans, a rapidly dwindling sect dating to biblical times, have opened their insular community to brides imported from eastern Europe in a desperate quest to preserve their ancient culture.
Five young women from Russia and Ukraine have moved to this hilltop village in recent years to marry local men, breathing new life into the community that has been plagued by genetic diseases caused by generations of intermarriage.
Husni Cohen, a 69-year-old village elder, said the marriages are not ideal, since there is always a risk that the newcomers may decide to leave. But in a community whose population has fallen to roughly 360 people, he saw little choice.
“If this is the only solution to our problem, we must take this road. We Samaritans don’t have enough women to marry, so I can’t tell our young men not to marry and not to start a family,” he said. He warned, however, that if the families don’t adhere to the Samaritan religion and traditions, “then our future is in danger.”
For Alla Evdokimova, so far, so good. She left Ukraine, married and joined the community two years ago. “I came here and found a big family,” said Evdokimova, 26.
The Samaritans have lived in the Holy Land for thousands of years. They are probably best known for the parable of the Good Samaritan in the New Testament Book of Luke. Samaritans believe themselves to be the remnants of Israelites exiled by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. They practice a religion closely linked to Judaism and venerate a version of the Old Testament, but they are not Jews.
In the fourth and fifth centuries, the Samaritan population is thought to have topped 1.5 million, but religious persecution and economic hardship had nearly erased it by the early 20th century. Today, there are 750 Samaritans — split between communities in the Israeli city of Holon, near Tel Aviv, and near the West Bank city of Nablus on Mount Gerizim, the group’s holiest place and site of its yearly Passover sacrifice. The Samaritans, who hold both Israeli and Palestinian residency rights, try to steer clear of politics.
Their numbers have been further reduced by the decision by 10 women in recent years to marry outside the community, resulting in excommunication. Today, males outnumber females roughly three to one.
With a limited pool of potential partners, it is common …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
A European invader outcompetes Canadian plants even outside its usual temperature range
Dog-strangling vine (Vincetoxicum rossicum) is an exotic plant originating from the Ukraine and southeastern Russia that is becoming increasingly invasive in southern Ontario, Canada. It has been found growing successfully in both disturbed and undisturbed areas, in open fields, forest edges and understories, parks, road edges and railway embankments. The invasive plant effectively competes for light by forming large and dense stands that climb over other plants. A study published in the open access, peer-reviewed journal NeoBiota explores the effects of V. rossicum invasion in Canada. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
World’s Burliest Camera Car: The World of Director Tim Damon and His F-150 SVT Raptor
“Why put nitrous on a V-12 Vanquish? Why not? I mean come on, you have to.” That statement alone should give you a pretty good idea of the delightfully skewed perspective with which Tim Damon views the automotive world. If you still need convincing, consider that, in addition to a fogged Aston Martin, the Detroit native and automotive photographer’s personal collection also includes a 1966 Lincoln Continental, a Porsche Cayenne, a 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible, and,just for kicks, a 730-hp Lingenfelter prepped Cadillac CTS-V. “I just love cars,” he says unapologetically.
But the latest vehicle to catch Damon’s attention is Ford’s F-150 SVT Raptor pickup, and it’s a company car. As a driving force behind Camera Car Systems, which specializes in providing high-tech, high-speed still and live-action photo and video services to Hollywood and the advertising world, he’s perpetually looking for vehicles to serve as stout yet agile foundations for his cameras and rigging. Although the company’s current roster of fully prepped camera vehicles includes Porsches, Mercedes, a Hummer, and even a Ferrari F360 Modena, the nearly box-stock Ford Raptor is quickly becoming the boss’s favorite. In fact, the company just used it on the recently launched Project Fusion campaign, the first clip from which you can watch here:
As for the Raptor, Damon says, “We needed a robust platform for the next generation of off-road stuff, and, compared to where we are with the Cayenne Turbo, the Raptor is a huge leap forward for us.” With the exception of some minor reinforcements to the rear of the frame, the Raptor’s chassis is essentially unchanged. The Fox shocks and 4.10 axles remain, and, only some minor software tuning from Banks engineering keeps the engine from retaining a stock designation. With its flat-black paint—specially concocted to keep glare and reflection to a minimum—and huge roof-mounted crane, the Raptor’s look is nice blend of paramilitary chic and post-apocalyptic trendiness. At first glance, it’s not entirely clear which side of the camera its supposed to be on, and you can see some beauty footage of the Raptor in action at the bottom of this story.
According to Damon, one of the keys to the Raptor’s success is its comparatively primitive body-on-frame construction. The other cars are all very capable, but their unibodies tend to transmit the energy from harsh impacts and directional changes directly to the crane, and ultimately to the camera. By attaching the Raptor’s camera crane to a custom-built exoskeleton mounted only to the cab, the simplistic isolation solution between the Ford’s cab and chassis somewhat paradoxically delivers high levels of stability. This holds true even at speeds exceeding 100 mph.
The crane arm sprouting from the Raptor’s roof and its attendant stabilized head—the part on the end that holds the camera—is supplied by Filmotechnic, a company run by Damon’s Ukraine-based partner Anatoliy Kokush. A two-time Academy Award winner for technical achievement, Kokush designs …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver
Top Tymoshenko lawyer loses parliamentary immunity
The top lawyer for jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was stripped of parliamentary immunity and his seat in the Ukrainian legislature on Wednesday, in a move that is likely to further strain Kiev’s ties with the West.
Serhiy Vlasenko, Tymoshenko’s main defense lawyer and close ally, has accused the authorities of preparing to arrest him in order to deprive Ukraine‘s top opposition leader of qualified legal defense. The United States and the European Union have warned Kiev against this move.
Ukraine‘s Highest Administrative Court on Wednesday ruled to strip Vlasenko of his legislative seat on the ground that he illegally combined the jobs of a legislator and a lawyer.
Vlasenko denies the charges, saying he defended Tymoshenko for free and thus did not break any rules. While the Ukrainian constitution prohibits national legislators from holding public office or engaging in any other jobs to prevent a conflict of interest, this regulation has been overlooked by many lawmakers in the past.
For instance, pop diva Taisia Povaliy continues to perform at concerts even though she was elected to parliament on the ticket of the ruling Party of Regions. Other legislators are known to run business empires through friends and family.
Tymoshenko’s party accused President Viktor Yanukovych of going after Vlasenko to crush the opposition and predicted Ukraine will find itself further alienated from the West.
“It’s a strictly politically motivated case,” said Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a leader of Tymoshenko’s party. “This case has a client: Yanukovych; an organizer: the presidential administrator; and those who carried it out: five guys dressed in judge’s robes.”
The decision was likely to cause anger in Washington and Brussels, which have condemned the prosecution of Tymoshenko and her top allies as politically motivated. Brussels said it would not sign a strategic cooperation agreement with Kiev unless its democratic record improves.
Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in jail on charges of abuse of office while negotiating a gas contract with Russia in 2009 and has also been accused of organizing the murder of a businessman nearly 20 years ago. Vlasenko told reporters in January that he was under criminal investigation in several cases, including being accused of stealing his own car.
The U.S. State Department warned Kiev on Tuesday against moving against Vlasenko.
Darth Vader Invades Ukraine’s Justice Ministry Demanding Recognition Of Internet Party (VIDEO)
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Not much may be able to stop Darth Vader in the fictional “Star Wars” universe, but in Ukraine, apparently all it takes is a few security guards.
On Tuesday, an individual dressed as Darth Vader and accompanied by a coterie of Stormtroopers marched on the Ukraine’s Justice Ministry and demanded recognition for the Internet Party of Ukraine.
In a video posted on YouTube, Vader and his Stormtroopers are seen approaching the entrance of the Justice Ministry and ordering the security guards to open the doors “In the name of the Emperor,” according to a translation by Russia Today. Surrounded by photographers and curious onlookers, the costumed gang are denied entrance and forced to step outside.
Reports: China carrier permanent base is Qingdao
Chinese reports say the country’s first aircraft carrier is headed for its permanent base in the northern port of Qingdao.
Speculation has swirled over where the ship christened the Liaoning would call home since it officially entered service on Sept. 25 amid a series of maritime disputes between China and its neighbors.
Qingdao is home to China‘s Northern Fleet responsible for operations in waters surrounding Japan, Russia, the Korean Peninsula, and the Bohai Gulf, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Beijing.
The Liaoning is a refurbished Soviet-era carrier purchased from Ukraine that China has described as an experimental model. China is believed to have plans to use its experience with the Liaoning to build four or more carriers of its own, basing some in the South China Sea.
This is Your Brain on Body Language
By Carol Kinsey Goman, Contributor
For insight into the body language of pride and shame, scientists studied the behaviors of judo matches at the 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The competitors represented 30 countries, including Algeria, Taiwan, Ukraine and the United States. The research report in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences stated that body language of blind and sighted athletes showed the same patterns. Their conclusion was that since congenitally blind individuals could not have learned the nonverbal aspects of pride and shame from watching others, these displays of victory or defeat are likely to be innate biological responses that have evolved over time. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Billionaire Azim Premji Is Spending Big To Close India's Teacher Gap
The Giving Pledge gained a new crop of signatories today. The growing group of wealthy philanthropists who commit to giving away at least half of their fortune now extends to billionaires outside the U.S., notably the UK’s Richard Branson, Victor Pinchuk of the Ukraine, and South Africa’s Patrice Motsepe. The framers of the Giving Pledge, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, had always intended to get more names onto the list from outside the U.S., but because of billionaires’ pride, discretion or insufficient persuasion, the non-Americans took longer to come around. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
New Zealand plans logo-free cigarette packs
Strict against smoking already, New Zealand plans to make tobacco companies remove their logos from cigarette packs but will wait until a challenge to Australian legislation is resolved.
The packaging law “will remove the last remaining vestige of glamor from these deadly products,” Associate Minister of Health Tariana Turia said in announcing the plan Tuesday.
New Zealand already has increased cigarette taxes and makes retailers hide packs below the counter. The new legislation would be similar to an Australian law that took effect in December and replaced logos on packs with graphic warnings including cancer-riddled mouths.
The proposed law could be introduced in Parliament later this year to take effect when the trade case over Australia‘s law plays out — next year at the earliest.
Tobacco companies lost a legal challenge in Australia‘s highest court last year, but the World Trade Organization has agreed to hear a complaint about it from several tobacco-growing countries led by the Ukraine.
The Ukraine, Zimbabwe, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Indonesia argued that governments should pursue health policies “without unnecessarily restricting international trade and without nullifying intellectual property rights.”
New Zealand, Norway and Uruguay have lined up behind Australia in the WTO case. Uruguay told the trade body it couldn’t remain silent about “the most serious pandemic confronting humanity.”
Turia said the New Zealand government wants to minimize its legal exposure by waiting until the outcome of the Australian challenge. Even so, she said, the government is planning to set aside up to 6 million New Zealand dollars ($5.1 million) to defend against possible lawsuits from the “very litigious” tobacco companies.
Steve Rush, the New Zealand general manager of British American Tobacco, said in a statement Tuesday that the company is exploring its legal options.
“We expect to see numerous repercussions as a result of the government ignoring several international agreements as well as setting a dangerous precedent for other industries,” he said.
New Zealand has set itself a target of eliminating smoking altogether by 2025. Turia said the government would consider introducing further measures, such as banning smoking in cars and public places and further hiking taxes.
Ukraine: conflicting reports for cause of crash
Witnesses and officials are giving conflicting information on what caused a plane to crash land in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk.
The Soviet-designed AN-24 passenger plane carrying soccer fans headed for a match against a German team crash-landed during a scheduled landing at Donetsk airport Wednesday evening. It hit the ground between two landing strips, broke into two parts and caught fire. Of the 52 people on board, five were killed and nine were injured.
The head of the Southern Airlines, which operated the flight, told a local TV channel he believed the pilot of the plane should not have landed due to heavy fog. But one survivor reported engine failure, while a student pilot said one of the engines caught fire after hitting the ground.
Ukraine: 2 dead as plane skids, overturns
Ukrainian emergency officials say two people were killed and the fate of four is unknown after a passenger plane skidded past the landing strip and overturned in the eastern city of Donetsk.
Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Volodymyr Ovsyanyk said the plane flying from Odessa arrived at the Donetsk airport Wednesday evening.
Of the 45 people on the aircraft, 39 have been rescued, two were found dead and the condition of four remains unknown.
It was not immediately clear what caused the accident. Rescuers and investigators are working at the scene.