The Brussels amusement park, which displays replicas of buildings of all European Union countries, doesn’t quite know what to do now after the U.K. voted to leave.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport has confirmed Russia’s ban from the Paralympic Games as punishment for a state-backed doping program.
Just hours after arriving in Latvia to reassure Baltic states’ leaders that the U.S. is committed to protecting them as part of NATO, Vice President Joe Biden criticized Republican nominee Donald Trump’s statements on the alliance.
Clashes between Ukrainian soldiers and Russia-backed separatists continued for another night in Shyrokyne, near the port city of Mariupol. The nighttime fighting has been nearly constant in the town for several weeks. (RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service)
Colombia said Monday that it deported 33 Venezuelans in the country illegally amid warnings that the recent reopening of the two nations’ border could be fueling a wave of illegal immigration.
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A Russian military court has sentenced a soldier to life in prison for killing a family of seven outside a military base in Armenia.
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A Saudi newspaper is reporting that an Egyptian man has been sentenced to six years in prison on charges of attempting to disturb public order, violating the kingdom’s labor laws and communicating with a sorcerer to bewitch his employer.
WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - When U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Turkey in January, he struck a difficult balance between showing support for a NATO ally faced with multiple security threats while criticizing its record on free speech and dissent.
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. humanitarian chief on Monday urged all combatants in Aleppo to agree to a 48-hour pause to allow delivery of desperately needed aid, warning that otherwise the world risks seeing a “humanitarian catastrophe unparalleled in the over five years of bloodshed” in Syria.
Stephen O’Brien said Aleppo is being bombed every day, including a dozen new attacks on Monday, and has become “the apex of horror” in “the greatest crisis of our time.”
He told the U.N. Security Council, which has been deeply divided over Syria, that “you have the power with a pen — a simple pen stroke — to allow food to people.”
O’Brien said the U.N. asked to deliver aid to nearly 1 million people in besieged and hard-to-reach areas in August, but the Syrian government approved less than 50 percent of the requests, denying aid to rebel-held eastern Aleppo and several other besieged areas.
O’Brien said that not one aid convoy has moved yet due to fighting, insecurity and bureaucratic requirements, and the end of the month is just nine days away.
Russia, a close ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, said last Thursday it was ready to back the U.N. call for weekly 48-hour cease-fires in Aleppo, provided aid convoys travel to both rebel-controlled and government-controlled parts of the city.
U.S. deputy ambassador Michele Sison reiterated American support for the humanitarian pauses in her speech to the council, saying “it is imperative that all armed groups in Aleppo respect these pauses.” She urged Russia to follow its unilateral declaration “with genuine steps to support regular and sustained access to Aleppo.”
O’Brien welcomed the Russian announcement but also stressed that “we need the agreement of all parties to let us do our job.”
“In Aleppo we risk seeing a humanitarian catastrophe unparalleled in the over five years of bloodshed and carnage in the Syrian conflict,” he said. “Once again, I cannot stress strongly enough the need for a 48-hour pause in fighting to be approved by all sides and come into effect, so that safe and sustained humanitarian access is opened to all areas of Aleppo.”
The U.N. humanitarian chief said he and his office are working with all sides seeking to ensure that the Russian offer can be turned into “a comprehensive pause.”
Rebel-held eastern Aleppo, where up to 275,000 people live, has been almost entirely cut off from vital supplies including food, water, medicine and electricity for over a month, O’Brien said, while access to the estimated 1.5 million people in government-controlled western Aleppo “remains extremely difficult.”
The U.N. has found a new route into western Aleppo and has delivered some aid, and it is preparing 20 trucks to deliver food and other supplies to eastern Aleppo as soon as a cease-fire takes place, he said.
“This is a race against time, as fighting rages on, with ever more shocking reports of bombed hospitals and wrecked schools,” O’Brien said. “Electricity is out, water is scarce, and movement is restricted.”
He repeated his appeals for U.N. action, not just on Aleppo, but to end the war in Syria saying: “When hospital attacks have become the new normal, when medieval sieges of entire cities and neighborhoods have become a lasting reality for hundreds of thousands of people, this council cannot look the other way.”
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin urged all those with influence to spur the opposition to move forward to a political settlement.
“Without that and without effectively combatting terrorism the necessary radical improvement in the humanitarian situation in Syria is impossible,” Churkin said.
Syria’s U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari agreed, stressing that a political solution must be Syrian-led “without any external preconditions or interference” and must be parallel to “fighting terrorism.”
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· · · ·
Making light of Donald Trump’s recent speculation about her health, Hillary Clinton opens a pickle jar on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Speaking on Monday night, Clinton also rebuts the National Enquirer’s statement that she would be dead in six months and queries why they made the suggestion
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San Francisco Chronicle |
Merkel Urges Turkish-Rooted Residents to Be Loyal to Germany
New York Times BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel is calling on people with Turkish roots who are longtime German residents to be loyal to Germany. Merkel's comments in an interview with the daily Ruhr Nachrichten published Tuesday come during a tense period in ... Headaches accumulate for Angela MerkelWashington Times William to meet angela merkel at gala honouring uk role in germanyDaily Mail Merkel's refugee policy faces stern test in her home regionFinancial Times all 18 news articles » |
New York Times |
After Failed Coup, Turkey Settles Into a Rare Period of Unity
New York Times Members of various political parties gathered in Taksim Square in Istanbul last month to condemn the coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Credit Bulent Kilic/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images. ISTANBUL — President Recep Tayyip ... |
Turkish, US officials discuss US-based cleric's extraditionFox News
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Reuters |
Vice President Biden says US committed to NATO obligations
Reuters RIGA U.S. Vice President Joe Biden assured Baltic countries on Tuesday the United States would respect NATO's pledge to protect them and said comments to the contrary by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump should not be taken seriously. and more » |
Washington Post |
'Soup is money in here': Ramen has become the black-market currency in American prisons
Washington Post Instant ramen is delicious, easy to cook, ludicrously cheap and surprisingly non-perishable. For all those reasons and more, the noodles are taking over tobacco as the preferred underground currency inmates use in prisons, according to a new study by ... Ramen noodles 'are most valuable US prison commodity', study suggestsBBC News Ramen |
This Surprising Product Has Become the Most Valuable Commodity in US PrisonsFortune
TIME-Reason (blog)- Marketplace.org-CNET
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Washington Times |
U.S. Vice President Biden says U.S. committed to NATO obligations
TODAYonline RIGA - The United States is fully committed to NATO's promise to come to the defense of any member of the alliance, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday. "We are absolutely, thoroughly, 100 percent committed to our NATO obligations including ... Biden: Trump's immigration plan would 'tarnish' U.S. valuesWashington Examiner (blog) Biden Blasts 'Inflammatory Rhetoric' on Immigration, Wants More Central Americans Brought InNewsmax all 13 news articles » |
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said talks between the United States and Russia on military cooperation in the fight against
the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria are nearing an end.
the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria are nearing an end.
Britain's Princess Anne, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, plans to visit Russia's Arkhangelsk region to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the arrival of
the first Arctic Convoys from Great Britain at the port of Arkhangelsk during World War II.
the first Arctic Convoys from Great Britain at the port of Arkhangelsk during World War II.
Editorial: The Fake $400 Million Iran ‘Ransom’ Storyby THE EDITORIAL BOARD
The money was a real debt and had to be paid at some point, but the United States exploited the timing so Iran didn’t delay freeing its hostages.
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Both sides have threatened to walk away from the agreement.
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CARACAS (Reuters) - President Nicolas Maduro has set a 48-hour deadline for ministers to dismiss some public workers who requested a recall referendum against him, a Socialist Party spokesman said Monday. Hundreds of public workers have already said they were dismissed for signing a petition for a referendum against the unpopular president, according to testimony seen by Reuters, human rights groups and local media.
RIGA (Reuters) - The United States is fully committed to NATO's promise to come to the defense of any member of the alliance, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday.
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MOSCOW (Reuters) - The leaders of Russia, Germany and France have agreed to meet to discuss the situation in Ukraine on September 4-5 in China on the sidelines of the G20 summit, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Thousands of children trying to escape gang violence and poverty in Central America have made their way to the United States this year - and there is no sign that the flow is letting up, the U.N. children's agency said in a report released late Monday....
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Hillary Clinton pushed back Monday against charges that she's physically unfit for the White House....
The Kremlin says the leaders of Russia, Germany and France have raised the alarm about a recent uptick in fighting in eastern Ukraine.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has assured Baltic countries that Washington would respect NATO's pledge to protect them.
KAZAN, Russia — For many outside Russia, the first thing that comes to mind when they think about Islam and Russia is the country's turbulent north Caucasus region.
Poverty, war, and slow-burn insurrection have left large areas there under the sway of religious authorities who advocate tough sharia law, polygamy, and even female circumcision. Chechnya, where local nationalist-minded separatists were gradually supplanted by militant Islamists, has beenpacified after two brutal Kremlin-ordered wars. But now it is ironically under control of a pro-Moscow strongman who is reportedly imposing elements of sharia law in violation of the Russian constitution.
About a thousand miles north, the mainly Muslim republic of Tatarstan has also seen a good deal of turmoil since the USSR's breakup a quarter century ago. Both Tatarstan and Chechnya tried to separate from Russia amid the Soviet twilight and sought national independence. But since then their paths have subsequently diverged radically.
Unlike the Chechens, the Tatars never took up arms, and their leaders quietly shelved notions of independence when Vladimir Putin came to power espousing tough top-down central power. Islamist extremists, who abound in Tatarstan, never got a foothold in power, says Irina Zyagelskaya, an expert with the Institute of Oriental Studies in Moscow.
Instead, the Tatars have been gradually winning their fight to craft a tolerant and moderate strain of Islam that would enable believers to navigate the complexities of modern secular society – and comfortably coexist with Christian neighbors and co-workers.
"We have two completely different examples of how regions with Islamic identities emerged from the Soviet Union and related to being part of Russia," she says. "Of course this is far from settled in either region, and we are only beginning to understand the lessons of these experiences."
A Wahabbi problem
Russia has about 20 million Muslims, 15 percent of the population, mostly concentrated in "ethnic republics" like these. All these regions lived under 70 years of enforced Soviet secularism, until the implosion of communism left an ideological vacuum which religious authorities rushed to fill. In most of Russia the Orthodox Church was quick to revive and claim its rights over Slavic populations.
But here in Tatarstan, and in most of Russia's mostly Sunni Muslim regions, local scholars were few, religious organization was weak, and funding was scarce. The new, nationalist-minded Tatar government turned to benefactors in Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf to help fill the gap.
"Hundreds of students were sent abroad in the 1990s, mainly to Saudi Arabia, where they were offered free education. When they came back, they became our first wave of religious authorities," says Eleonora Rilova, a correspondent who covers religious affairs for Evening Kazan, a leading Tatar newspaper. "We just didn't know in those days that there were very different strains of Islam. When these students returned, and became imams in all the new Saudi-financed mosques, they preached what they'd learned. And that was Wahabbism," the uncompromising, intolerant fundamentalist version of Islam that prevails in Saudi Arabia.
Tatar leaders realized they had a Wahabbi problem a few years ago, after it was revealed that a large contingent of Tatar militants had gone to fight alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan, says Rais Suleimanov, an expert with the security service-linked Institute of National Strategy and author of an upcoming book about terrorism in Russia. Arguably the turning point came when Islamist extremistsstruck here in Kazan, killing a leading Muslim scholar and badly injuring Tatarstan's chief mufti, Ildus Faizov, the republic's Muslim spiritual head.
A tough police crackdown since the attempted assassination of the mufti has driven Wahabbi ideas underground. The republic's religious authorities have vigorously purged radical imams from Tatarstan's 1,500 mosques.
"Some Tatars ended up in Guantanamo. One prominent Tatar radical, Irek Khamidullin, wasconvicted of terrorism in a US court last year," Mr. Suleimanov says. "We've had several terrorist acts here, which the authorities try to hush up. And we know that Wahabbi ideas are popular in prisons, and have even penetrated into the security services. But now our authorities are wide awake. They do see the danger, and are taking firm steps to combat radical influences."
"In theory we have separation of church and state, but not in reality," says Mr. Garipov, the imam. "You cannot openly propagate anything outside of the religious establishment, and that is closely linked with the authorities. We used to struggle openly with Wahabbis in the mosques, now we only do so on the internet. It cannot be denied that many have just gone underground, but the good thing is that we no longer have open calls to radical action, as we did in the past."
Another factor, according to Suleimanov, is that most Tatar militants who would be willing to take up arms have decamped to Syria. "Altogether about 3,000 Russians have gone to fight with Islamic State in Syria. Most of those are from the north Caucasus, but we estimate maybe 300 Tatars are among them."
Tatarstan's Muslim heritage
Tatarstan, and the neighboring, mainly Muslim Urals republic of Bashkortostan, differs from the north Caucasus in other key respects.
The Caucasus territories that are today so unstable were conquered by the Russian Empire in the 19th century, and they remain the poorest and most backward Russian regions to this day.
Tatars have been part of Russia and coexisted – if not always easily – with Russian neighbors for almost 500 years. Oil-rich Tatarstan, with an educated population, is one of the most prosperous parts of Russia. Although the republic tried to declare independence from Moscow in the 1990s, as did Chechnya, it crucially avoided the military conflicts that have turned some of Russia's mainly Muslim southern regions into no-go zones for law enforcement and active incubators of terrorism.
Perhaps more importantly, Tatarstan has its own thousand-year-old indigenous brand of Islam, which experts say presents the strongest barrier to extremist ideas.
"The Arab countries that exported their ideas to Tatarstan are mono-religious states, whereas here we have a long history of living alongside people of other faiths. We have a lot of mixed marriages," says Nail Khazrat Garipov, an imam at Kazan's central Apanayevskaya mosque. "We have a Sufiheritage here, plus our own ways. Women have much more freedom, for instance, they sit at the same table with men. They wear headscarves, but not veils. The Wahabbis assail us for these things, but most Tatar people prefer their own traditions."
Investment, not Islamism
More than a decade ago scholars at Tatarstan's Islamic University at first tried to create a fully secular ideology, dubbed "Euro-Islam," to counter the Wahabbi influence. By most accounts, that has fallen flat. But experts say traditional Tatar religious practice has proven resilient.
The republic's leaders are investing heavily in ways to accentuate the local brand of Islam, including a lavish historical reconstruction of the Tatars' ancient capital of Bulgar, where they were converted to Islam a millennium ago. The project will feature a huge mosque and an Islamic Academy, to better steer local religious beliefs. Tatarstan's former president, Mintimer Shaimiyev, is also sponsoring the revival of a 500-year-old Russian Orthodox center near Kazan, Sviyazhsk, to stress the republic's present-day commitment to religious tolerance and diversity.
"Our authorities now prioritize business and investment, and they are doing everything to suppress any discussion of Islamist radicalism because they could undermine Tatarstan's economic attractiveness," says Sergei Sergeyev, a political scientist at Kazan's National Research University. "They are sincerely promoting civic and religious tolerance. They don't need any nationalism or religious radicalism, they need investment."
But Garipov, the imam, says he is not sure things are normalizing. "A lot of people have stopped exhibiting their [radical] views as openly as they did in the past. Maybe quite a few of them have gone to Syria. But I feel the threat is still there. It's possible we just have a false feeling of calm these days."
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The U.N. children’s agency says thousands of children trying to escape gang violence and poverty in Central America have made their way to the United States this year — and there is no sign that the flow is letting up.
A former Army physician who worked at what may have been among the last of the “pill mills” in the South pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to conspiring to unlawfully distribute drugs and laundering the profits.
While in Islamic State (IS) captivity for two years, this Yazdi woman pretended to be mute to discourage the fighters from buying her. For VOA, Kawa Omar spoke to her.
Еврейскому движению в СССР посвящена очередная серия проекта «Параллели, события, люди»
Originally published at - http://www.golos-ameriki.ru/a/2752693.html
Originally published at - http://www.golos-ameriki.ru/a/2752693.html
Why The Russia-Azerbaijan Alliance Is Weaker Than It Looks
Huffington Post On August 8, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Baku. Shortly after their meeting, Putin announced Russia's intention to forge a strategic partnership with Azerbaijan. Putin also expressed interest in ... and more » |
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Дом Хемингуэя by golosamerikius
«Старик рыбачил один на своей лодке в Гольфстриме. Вот уже восемьдесят четыре дня он ходил в море и не поймал ни одной рыбы. Первые сорок дней с ним был мальчик». Повесть «Старик и море» Эрнест Хемингуэй закончил на Багамах, но первые строки он написал на Кубе, в доме, который теперь пытаются сохранить энтузиасты.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said in Havana his visit would open a new chapter in the Islamic Republic’s relations with Communist-ruled Cuba.
Military Times |
US commander skeptical of cooperation with Russia in Syria
Military Times Townsend's comments on Russia reflect a broader U.S. military reluctance to work more closely with Moscow on operations in Syria, despite requests from Russia to the U.S. to join forces against the Islamic State group in Syria. The U.S. is reluctant to ... Report: In less than a year, Russia has killed more civilians than ISISBusiness Insider US military commander warns Russia and Syria: 'We will defend ourselves'The Independent Top US commander warns Russia, SyriaCNN SOFREP (press release) (subscription) -International Business Times UK all 62 news articles » |
DefenseNews.com |
Pentagon: No Done Deal with Russia on Syria
DefenseNews.com “Contrary to recent claims, we have not finalized plans with Russia on potential coordinated efforts. Serious issues must first be resolved before we can implement the steps [Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov ... and more » |
В ходе заседания будет обсуждаться ход дальнейшего развития системы предупреждения о ракетном нападении.
Ukraine Day 917: LIVE UPDATES BELOW. While there were no casualties reported today, Russian-backed militants kept up their attacks on the usual areas around Donetsk and Mariupol defended by the Ukrainian Army. The Ukrainian Prosecutor General cited top Russian officials responsible for instigating the war on Ukraine.
Yesterday’s live coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found here.
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Washington Post |
Iranian Bases And Odd Murders: It's Been A No Good, Very Bad Week For Russia
Daily Caller Serbian paratroopers descend to the ground holding Serbian and Russian (L) national flags during a training exercise in the village of Nikinci, west from Belgrade, November 14, 2014.Russian soldiers parachuted into open fields in western Serbia on ... Tensions mount between Russia and Ukraine ahead of military drillsWashington Post Ukraine, Russia flex muscles ahead of Independence DayDeutsche Welle Ukraine's Long Fight Against Russia for FreedomDaily Signal Ukraine Today-Financial Times -Newsweek all 97 news articles » |
Washington Post |
Tensions mount between Russia and Ukraine ahead of military drills
Washington Post KIEV, Ukraine — By any standard, the drumbeat of growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine this month has been especially ominous. It began as Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kiev of embracing the “tactics of terror,” after Russia claimed ... and more » |
CBS News |
Judge orders expedited release of 15000 Hillary Clinton documents found by FBI
CBS News At a heated hearing Monday, a federal judge pressed the State Department on when it would release the 15,000 documents uncovered by the FBI during its investigation of Hillary Clinton's private email server. Initially, the State Department attorney ... The FBI found 15000 emails Hillary Clinton didn't turn over. Uh oh.Washington Post FBI uncovers 15000 more documents in Clinton email probeChicago Tribune State: Nearly 15000 new Clinton emails gleaned…The Denver Post LawNewz -The Hill -Washington Times -Washington Post all 69 news articles » |
Breitbart News |
FBI Finds 15000 Hillary Clinton Documents That She Didn't Turn Over
Breitbart News Although there may be other aspects of Secretary Clinton's sworn testimony that are at odds with the FBI's findings, her testimony in those four areas bears specific scrutiny in light of the facts and evidence FBI Director James Comey described in his ... and more » |
FBI to probe laser beam incident at pipeline protest site
Bismarck Tribune BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The FBI has been called to investigate a laser beam allegedly being aimed at the cockpit of an airplane that was doing surveillance of an ongoing oil pipeline protest in southern North Dakota. Morton County Sheriff's Office ... and more » |
Minnesota Public Radio News |
FBI to probe laser beam incident at North Dakota pipeline protest site
Minnesota Public Radio News The FBI has been called to investigate a laser beam allegedly being aimed at the cockpit of an airplane that was doing surveillance of an ongoing oil pipeline protest in southern North Dakota. Morton County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Donnell Preskey ... FBI to investigate claim protesters pointed laser beam at a state plane cockpitKFYR-TV FBI called over 2 laser beam cases at pipeline protest siteSioux City Journal FBI to probe laser beam incident at pipeline protest siteRapid City Journal all 15 news articles » |
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The top U.S. commander for the fight against the Islamic State group
said Monday that he isskeptical of any additional military cooperation with Russia in
Syria.
said Monday that he isskeptical of any additional military cooperation with Russia in
Syria.
FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) - Officials are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a Fort Hood soldier from Illinois.
Spc. Dion Shannon Servant was found unresponsive in his barracks room at the Texas military base on Aug. 19.
The 24-year-old entered active-duty service in June 2014 as a ...
The Pentagon said Monday the United States has not created a de facto no-fly zone in northern Syria despite back-to-back incidents in which jets were scrambled to protect troops on the ground.
President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico in July. A report by an investigative journalist said he plagiarized nearly a third of his thesis in law school.
Tehran has stopped allowing Russian planes to fly into Syria from one of its bases, complaining that the Kremlin has been too public about the deal.
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Washington Post |
FBI uncovers 14900 more documents in Clinton email probe
Washington Post The FBI's year-long investigation of Hillary Clinton's private email server uncovered 14,900 emails and documents from her time as secretary of state that had not been disclosed by her attorneys, and a federal judge on Monday pressed the State ... Politics|Hillary Clinton's 15000 New Emails to Get Timetable for ReleaseNew York Times New emails show Clinton aide setting up meeting with major foundation donorPolitico New Emails Show Clinton Foundation Sought Access to State Department on Donors' BehalfWall Street Journal |
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