Month: August 2017

‘No more waiting!’ Syrians Stuck in Greece Protest at German Embassy

Posted by Worldcrew On 02/08/2017

Syrian refugees stranded in Greece chanted “no more waiting!” and protested outside the German embassy in Athens on Wednesday against delays in reuniting with their relatives in Germany.

About 100 people, among them young children, marched from parliament to the embassy holding up cardboard banners in English reading “I want my family” and shouting slogans about travel to Germany.

Greek media have reported that Greece and Germany have informally agreed to slow down refugee reunification, stranding families in Greece for months after they fled Syria’s civil war.

About 60,000 refugees and migrants, mostly Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis, have been in Greece for over a year after border closures in the Balkans halted the onward journey many planned to take to central and western Europe.

“My message is ‘enough waiting, enough suffering’,” said 41-year-old Syrian Malak Rahmoun, who lives in a Greek camp with her three daughters while her husband and son are in Berlin. “I feel my heart [is] miserable,” she said.

Rahmoun said she and her daughter applied for family reunification last year but that the Greek authorities have not given a clear reply.

A deal between Turkey and the European Union in March 2016 slowed the flow of people crossing to Greece but about 100 a day continue to arrive on Greek islands.

Nearly 11,000 refugees and migrants have crossed to Greece from Turkey this year, down from 173,000 in 2016 and a fraction of the nearly 1 million arrivals in 2015.

Most of the new arrivals this year are women and children, according to United Nations data. In earlier years, men were the first to flee to Europe, leaving other family members to follow.

“I’ve never seen my son [in] two years,” Rahmoun said.
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Russia Takes Over US Compound in Moscow in Retaliation Over Sanctions

Posted by Worldcrew On 02/08/2017

Russian authorities on Wednesday took over a summer-house compound in Moscow leased by the U.S. Embassy, five days after the Kremlin ordered Washington to slash its diplomatic presence in Russia.

In retaliation for new U.S. sanctions, President Vladimir Putin has ordered the United States to cut around 60 percent of its diplomatic staff in Russia by Sept. 1, and said Moscow would seize a dacha country villa used by U.S. Embassy staff and a warehouse.

U.S. employees cleared out the dacha on Tuesday and a Reuters journalist who visited the property on Wednesday saw a large metal padlock securing the front gate.

The one-story building and courtyard, previously used by diplomatic staff at weekends and to host embassy parties, was empty and cleared of barbecue equipment and garden furniture.

Two policemen in a car in front of the main entrance said they had been instructed to guard the property and did not expect any visits from U.S. or Russian officials.

“I don’t know when this situation will change,” one of the policemen said.

Maria Olson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy, had no immediate comment when contacted by Reuters. She was quoted by Russia’s Interfax news agency as saying the embassy had retrieved all its possessions from the villa, and from the warehouse.

Putin said on Sunday Russia had ordered the United States to cut 755 of its 1,200 diplomatic staff in its embassy and consular operations, though many of those let go will be Russian citizens, with the United States allowed to choose who leaves.

The ultimatum issued by the Russian leader is a display to voters at home that he is prepared to stand up to Washington — but is also carefully calibrated to avoid directly affecting the U.S. investment he needs, or burning his bridges with U.S. President Donald Trump.

One local Russian employee at the embassy, who declined to be named when speaking to the media, said staff were still in the dark about their future employment.

“They say they will have to cut a lot of jobs, not just diplomats and technical staff, but also in the ancillary services, including drivers, janitors and cooks,” he said. “I hope I won’t be in trouble, but who knows.”

 
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Тіллерсон планує зустрітися з Лавровим у Манілі

Posted by UAcrew On 01/08/2017

Державний секретар США Рекс Тіллерсон повідомляє, що планує зустрітися з головою МЗС Росії Сергієм Лавровим 5-6 серпня у Манілі. Про це він заявив 1 серпня, зазначивши, що відносини між Вашингтоном і Москвою «продовжують залишатися напруженими».

При цьому Тіллерсон наголосив, що Вашингтон працює з Росією та іншими країнами задля створення умов для продовження переговорного процесу щодо Сирії. За його словами, США й надалі вважають, що президент Сирії Башар аль-Асад мусить піти, а іранські бойовики, що допомагають сирійським урядовим військам, повинні покинути країну.

Рекс Тіллерсон наголосив: попри рішення Москви скоротити американський дипломатичний корпус і санкції США проти Росії, сторони досі мають інтерес щодо співпраці у сфері боротьби з тероризмом.

Тіллерсон поїде до Філіппін 5 серпня у рамках п’ятиденного турне Південною Азією, під час якого він також відвідає Тайланд і Малайзію.
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Gov. Walker: Wisconsin Was Outbid for Foxconn but Still Won

Posted by Worldcrew On 01/08/2017

At least one other state offered Foxconn more than the $3 billion incentives package Wisconsin used to lure a plant that will be the electronics giant’s first in the U.S., Gov. Scott Walker said Tuesday.

Walker said “at least one if not several other states were prepared to give the Taiwan-based company more money, although the governor added “it wasn’t a huge gap.” He didn’t indicate which state or states topped the offer or signal how he learned about it.

Foxconn also considered sites in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. The company said in a press release last week when it announced that Wisconsin had been selected that it was the first of several expected investments in the country.

The company is expected to invest $10 billion on the plant, which will produce liquid-crystal display panels that are used in televisions and computer screens, with the potential for 13,000 jobs created in southeastern Wisconsin.

Walker’s comments came before he was set to meet privately with Republican state lawmakers as the GOP-controlled Legislature began its process for considering the tax break bill. A public hearing on the measure was expected later in the week, with votes in the Legislature as soon as next week.

The discussions over Foxconn are happening at the same time lawmakers are trying to reach a deal on a new two-year state budget, which is a month overdue. Walker said he wants “to see progress on the budget run parallel to” the work on Foxconn. The incentives package needs to be finalized by September 30 and while the budget is late, state spending continues at current levels until there is a new deal.

The Foxconn bill includes $252 million in new borrowing backed by the state’s general fund to pay for rebuilding Interstate 94, which connects Milwaukee to Chicago and would run near where the Foxconn plant is considering building. Road funding, including how much to borrow for projects like the I-94 work, has been the biggest snag in reaching a budget deal.

The state could only spend money from the borrowing if it receives additional federal money for the I-94 work, which Walker has previously said he would seek.

Concerns have been raised both about the cost to taxpayers and other provisions designed to accommodate Foxconn, like the waiving of numerous environmental permitting requirements and other regulations.

But Walker insisted Tuesday that the company still has “to abide by all the rules of the federal government in the same way they have to abide by the laws of the state.”

Foxconn plans to produce liquid-crystal display panels that are used in televisions and computer screens at a location in southeastern Wisconsin that’s yet to be announced.
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Declassify Afghan Child Sex Report, Government Watchdog Tells Pentagon

Posted by Worldcrew On 01/08/2017

The U.S. government oversight agency for operations in Afghanistan has requested the Pentagon declassify a report detailing alleged sexual abuse of children by Afghan soldiers.

The request from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) says the report, which recently was issued to Congress, is classified because much of the information upon which it is based is classified.

According to SIGAR, Afghan officials are failing to properly deal with the sexual abuse and, in some cases, the Afghan government has arrested and prosecuted victims of sexual abuse.

“Afghan officials remain complicit, especially in the sexual exploitation and recruitment of children by Afghan security forces,” SIGAR said in a published document outlining the Congressional report.

The issue now, according to SIGAR, is determining whether the U.S. is ignoring the abuse in violation of the Leahy Laws, which forbid U.S. agencies from providing support to foreign government organizations credibly suspected of committing human rights violations.

A spokesman for the Defense Department called child sex abuse “heinous,” but said that each case needs to be handled on an individual basis.

“Child rape is always heinous and certainly could constitute a gross violation of human rights; however, each case requires a factual and legal review to determine whether it is a credible allegation of a gross violation of human rights under the Leahy Law,” spokesman Adam Stump said.

The report also noted that violence in Afghanistan has increased by more than 20 percent since March 1, and revenue from the sale of opium in the country doubled between 2015 and 2016, spiking above $3 billion.
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У Росії відбулися православні стояння проти фільму «Матильда»

Posted by UAcrew On 01/08/2017

У кількох містах Росії пройшли так звані стояння «За вірою! За народ і Царя!» проти фільму Олексія Учителя «Матильда».

Акції православних активістів, які організували рухи «Сорок Сороків» і «Царський хрест», відбулися у Москві, Єкатеринбурзі, Орлі і Петропавловську-Камчатському.

Організатори заявили, що стояння пройдуть у десятках міст Росії, Білорусі, Сербії, Австрії, Болгарії і Казахстану.

Депутат Держдуми Росії, екс-прокурор окупованого Криму Наталія Поклонська запросила режисера Олексія Учителя взяти участь в акції у Москві. Самої Поклонской на акції не було, повідомляє телеканал «Дождь».

В Єкатеринбурзі акція пройшла попри відсутність узгодження з боку влади. Активісти провели її у форматі одиночних пікетів.

У фільмі Олексія Учителя, який має вийти у прокат у жовтні, розповідається про стосунки майбутнього імператора Миколи II і балерини Матильди Кшесинської.

Наталія Поклонская упродовж кількох місяців бореться за заборону фільму, намагаючись довести, що він ображає почуття вірян.
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Віце-президент США прибув до Чорногорії

Posted by UAcrew On 01/08/2017

Віце-президент США Майк Пенс прибув до Чорногорії, яка є останньою країною у його східноєвропейському турне.

Візит Пенса до Подгориці має продемонструвати підтримку вступу Чорногорії до НАТО на тлі протистояння Москви.

Раніше 1 серпня під час візиту до Тбілісі Майк Пенс передав Грузії слова підтримки з боку президента США Дональда Трампа.

31 липня в Естонії віце-президент США заявив, що Вашингтон не змінить своїх зобов’язань перед союзниками через зменшення Кремлем кількості американських дипломатів у Росії у відповідь на санкції.

Сенат США 27 липня майже одностайно проголосував на підтримку нових санкцій проти Росії. Документ був схвалений обома палатами Конгресу США майже одностайно, попри протести Білого дому та його нарікання, що Конгрес позбавляє чинного президента можливості здійснювати ефективну зовнішню політику.
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Survey: IS and Climate Change Identified as Top Global Threats

Posted by Worldcrew On 01/08/2017

People identify so-called Islamic State (IS) and climate change as the most pressing global threats of 2017, according to a Pew Research Center survey published Tuesday.

The survey asked people in 38 countries about eight possible threats — IS, climate change, cyberattacks, the global economy, and the Syrian and Iraqi refugee crisis — as well as U.S., Russian or Chinese power and influence.

IS and climate change are identified as major threats by about 60 percent of those surveyed.

Pew said IS was named the top threat in 18 countries, most of them concentrated in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia — places that have experienced frequent terror attacks in the past year.

Climate change is identified as the leading threat in 13 countries, many from Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. In Europe and Asia climate change is widely viewed as the second most pressing global threat.

In the United States, only 56 percent see climate change as a major issue, according to the poll.

Pew identifies a stark ideological divide in the U.S. on climate change, with 86 percent of liberals seeing it as a major threat versus only 31 percent of conservatives saying so. A similar right-left divide also exists in Canada, the Netherlands, Britain, Sweden, and Germany, although not to the same degree.

Cyberattacks and the condition of the global economy are also identified as major threats to national security by 51 percent of those surveyed.

In Spain and Greece, countries long mired in economic crises, 72 and 88 percent of respondents identify the global economy as a major threat to national security.

Widespread concerns over cyberattacks from other countries are mainly clustered in countries like the U.S., Japan, Germany, and Britain where large cyberattacks have taken place in recent months.

In the U.S., 47 percent of respondents list Russia as a major threat over concerns that Russia interfered in the America’s 2016 presidential election linger.

Meanwhile, the poll shows a surge in global concerns about U.S. power. About 38 percent see the U.S. as a threat to global security, up from only 25 percent in 2013 — the last time a similar survey was conducted by Pew.

In Turkey, 72 percent of respondents list the U.S. as a major threat. Turkey has accused U.S. based cleric Fethullah Gulen of orchestrating last year’s failed coup, allegations that Gulen has denied.

China’s power and influence is rated the top concern in South Korea and Vietnam, and concerns about Russian aggression are highest in Poland.

The report notes, however, that global concerns about Russia, China, and the U.S. remain far lower than the other five threats.

“It’s worth noting that worries about all three countries trail concerns about other tested threats,” the report said. “People are much more likely to feel threatened by ISIS and climate change, in particular, but also by the condition of the global economy, cyberattacks and refugees from countries like Iraq and Syria.”
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Trials Begin for Hundreds Accused in Failed Turkey Coup

Posted by Worldcrew On 01/08/2017

Nearly 500 people suspected of involvement in an unsuccessful coup attempt in Turkey last year went on trial Tuesday, where they face the prospect of the death penalty if found guilty.

Those on trial Tuesday include top Army generals and pilots who are accused of directing the coup and bombing government buildings. They face charges that include murder and attempting to overthrow the government.

The main defendant named in the case is the U.S.-based cleric Fetullah Gulen, whom has been blamed of masterminding the coup attempt. He has denied any involvement and is being tried in absentia.

The trial is expected to last at least a month and comes amidst a massive post-coup crackdown that has seen more than 100,000 government workers fired and the imprisonment of around 50,000 people.

Protesters lined the street outside the courthouse as a group of 41 defendants were made to march there from the jail where they were being held.

A total of 461 suspects are currently being held in jail, while another 18 have been freed while they await trial. Seven others, including Gulen, are being tried in absentia as the Turkish government works to track them down.

 
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In Georgia, Pence Assures Eastern Europe of US Backing

Posted by Worldcrew On 01/08/2017

On the latest leg of his first official tour of Eastern Europe, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence assured regional allies the United States will stand by their side.

Facing a crowd of Georgian and international journalists at government offices in Tbilisi, Pence, standing alongside his host, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, said America first does not mean America alone.

“President Trump has sent me with the simple message to you and to the people of Georgia, we are with you, we stand with you …  America stands with Georgia,” said Pence.

The vice president came to Georgia, the only non-NATO member country on his itinerary, from Estonia, a model of a successful EU-leaning transformation, before heading to Montenegro, NATO’s newest member.

Pence is the highest-ranking American official of the current administration to visit Georgia and the larger Caucasus region.

“Thanks to your help, Georgia is no longer a Soviet or a post-Soviet country,” said Kvirikashvili at Tuesday’s joint press conference.  “Today we are a democracy closely associated with the European Union.”

Kvirikashvili’s comments, in which he touted Georgia’s role as “a key strategic partner of America,” come amid an ongoing partial Russian occupation.

About 60 kilometers from the news conference, Russian tank units maintain control over 20 percent of Georgian terrain, a holdover from the August 2008 five-day war.

Pence reiterated the U.S. non-recognition policy regarding the Russian-occupied zone, condemning Moscow’s presence on Georgian soil, what many observers describe as an evolving, “creeping” occupation.

“President Trump has called on Russia to cease its destabilizing activities,” Pence said, adding that President Donald Trump will soon sign sanctions against Russia.

“Our country prefers a constructive relations with Russia, based on cooperation and common interest.  But the president and our Congress are unified in our message to Russia: a better relationship, lifting of sanctions, will require Russia to reverse actions that caused sanctions to be imposed in the first place.”

‘Reset’ jitters

Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Georgia about a year after the 2008 war.  Biden’s visit came shortly after the Obama administration’s “reset” policy with Russia, which caused concern among many Europeans that the United States would give Moscow a pass for its invasion of Georgia.

Years later, Russia annexed Crimea and destabilized Eastern Ukraine, which led the West to unilaterally impose sanctions on Russia.

Both Georgia and Ukraine are aspiring NATO members.  Some observers argue Georgia’s 2008 war and Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea could have been avoided if those countries hadn’t been denied Membership Action Plan status at NATO’s Bucharest summit in April, 2008.

“President Trump and I stand by the 2008 NATO Bucharest statement, which made it clear that Georgia, one day, will become a member of NATO,” said Pence.

According to recent nationwide polls carried by National Democratic Institute, 66 percent of Georgia’s population approves of the government’s stated goal to join NATO.  Sixty-two percent of Georgians say the country should join the European Union.  Both organizations are largely seen as security instruments that would protect Georgia independence and development.

2017 represents the 25th anniversary of U.S.-Georgian diplomatic relations.

George W. Bush is the only U.S. president who has visited Georgia, which he called “a beacon of democracy.”

This story originated in VOA’s Georgian Service. 
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3 Defendants Dead After Attempted Escape From Moscow Courthouse

Posted by Worldcrew On 01/08/2017

An attempted escape from a Moscow courthouse has left three gang members dead, authorities said Tuesday.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said the ill-fated incident occurred at the Moscow Regional Court as the defendants were being escorted under guard in an elevator. Officials say a suspect attacked one of the guards and tried to strangle him before the defendants seized the weapons from the guards.

A shootout with court guards erupted once the elevator doors opened, leaving three of the suspects dead and two wounded. At least two guards also were injured, authorities said.

The trouble happened prior to a hearing for the defendants, who are accused of killing 17 motorists over the course of a few months in 2014.

Prosecutors said the men would lay spike strips across roads as cars were driving by, popping the tires and forcing the drivers to exit their vehicles.

When the drivers left their cars, the gang, totaling nine members, would shoot them dead, investigators said.
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