russia

Putin supports bill granting amnesty to white-collar criminals

"Putin said the new law would cover only those who committed business-related crimes for the first time and not be applied to repeat offenders. The amnesty has been heavily backed by Russia’s business community as well as human rights figures who argue that bureaucrats use complex laws to hound entrepreneurs and jail those who refuse to pay heavy bribes. In a keynote address to the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin also unveiled a $13.7-billion stimulus package designed to help Russia spend its way out of an economic slump that threatens to reach recession by the end of the year." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPutin supports bill granting amnesty to white-collar criminals

Snowden headed to Venezuela via Moscow and Cuba

"Former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden will fly from Moscow to Cuba on Monday and then plans to go to Venezuela, a source at the Russian airline Aeroflot said on Sunday. The source said Snowden was already on his way to Moscow from Hong Kong and would leave for Havana within 24 hours. The South China Morning Post also reported that Snowden had left Hong Kong for Moscow and that his final destination might be Ecuador or Iceland. The WikiLeaks anti-secrecy website said Snowden was heading for an unnamed 'democratic nation'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSnowden headed to Venezuela via Moscow and Cuba

Canada’s Harper gives up on Russia assisting Syrian rebels, labels G8 summit ‘G-7 plus 1’

"At least one official at the G-8, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, suggested that Russia shouldn’t even be at the table with other world leaders. He blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin and all but dismissed Russia from meaningful involvement in this week’s talks. The G-8 includes the U.S., Canada, Russia. Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany and Japan. The group is holding its annual meeting this week at a resort in Northern Ireland, with the Syrian civil war expected to dominate the agenda. The recent U.S. decision to arm Syrian rebel forces has been met with approval from Great Britain, France and other nations." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCanada’s Harper gives up on Russia assisting Syrian rebels, labels G8 summit ‘G-7 plus 1’

Putin questions why Western powers support Syrian rebels who ‘eat human organs’

"Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West against arming Syrian rebels on Sunday. In his first public comments since a decision by President Barack Obama’s administration to arm rebels trying to overthrow Assad, Putin said Russia wanted to create the conditions for settling the two-year conflict. 'I think you will not deny that one does not really need to support the people who not only kill their enemies, but open up their bodies, eat their intestines, in front of the public and cameras,' Putin said at a joint news conference in London. 'Are these the people you want to support? Is it them who you want to supply with weapons?'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPutin questions why Western powers support Syrian rebels who ‘eat human organs’

Thousands march through Moscow against Putin

"Several thousand people marched through Moscow on Wednesday to support detained or jailed anti-Kremlin protesters, a day after President Vladimir Putin accused Washington of supporting a protest movement against him. Some 7,000 to 10,000 people participated in the march, according to AFP correspondents, while police put the turnout at 5,000 people. The march, timed to coincide with the Day of Russia, a national holiday, comes after Putin on Tuesday evening accused Washington of supporting the opposition against him." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThousands march through Moscow against Putin

Vladimir Putin defends the U.S. on spying programs, drones and Occupy Wall Street

"Russian President Vladimir Putin called the massive U.S. surveillance programs, revealed last week by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, 'generally practicable' and 'the way a civilized society should go about fighting terrorism.' His comments seemed to defend programs that have been deeply controversial in the United States and much of Europe, offering an endorsement that the Obama administration is probably not thrilled to receive. He said of the New York city police response to Occupy Wall Street, in a comment sympathetic toward controversial U.S. programs, 'That’s the way it’s done in the U.S., and that’s the way it’s done in Russia.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingVladimir Putin defends the U.S. on spying programs, drones and Occupy Wall Street

Putin Lectures Obama on the Need for Greater Privacy

"So here is a former KGB official saying that America has gone too far in spying on its people. Worse, he’s correct. He said that Snowden’s revelations have revealed nothing new. He is correct. James Bamford has repeatedly revealed how far the NSA has gone. But the American public did not know. Snowden has gotten media attention for spilling beans that have long been out of the bag. Americans need a good scandal to catch their attention. Snowden is the source of the scandal. Bamford should have been, but he wasn’t. He was ignored. But the cloak-and-dagger story of Snowden in Hong Kong is irresistible. And now we get Vladimir Putin, defender of civil rights." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPutin Lectures Obama on the Need for Greater Privacy

Russia offers to consider possible Edward Snowden asylum request

"Russia has offered to consider an asylum request from the US whistleblower Edward Snowden in the Kremlin’s latest move to woo critics of the west. Snowden fled the United States before leaking the details of a top-secret US surveillance programme to the Guardian earlier this month. He is currently believed to be in Hong Kong, but has reportedly changed hotels to keep his location secret. Snowden is not known to have made any asylum requests, including to Russia. Yet speaking to the Russian newspaper Kommersant, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said: 'If such an appeal is given, it will be considered.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussia offers to consider possible Edward Snowden asylum request

Israel: Syria Missile Defense Acquisition a ‘Red Line’ for Military Action

"In a meeting with EU ambassadors, Israeli National Security Advisor Yaakov Amidror declared the Syrian government’s imminent acquisition of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to be a 'red line' that would obligate Israeli military action to prevent them becoming operational. Syria is eager to acquire them after several recent Israeli air strikes, which their existing defensive systems proved unable to prevent. The comments come just a day after Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon suggested in an interview that Israel might attack the Russian Navy in an attempt to sink the ships and prevent the delivery." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIsrael: Syria Missile Defense Acquisition a ‘Red Line’ for Military Action

Prominent Russian Economist Flees Country

"A top Russian economist and government adviser abruptly stepped down from his posts and left the country amid pressure on him from investigators, people familiar with the situation said Tuesday. While Mr. Guriev frequently attacked the Kremlin for its repressive tactics and publicly supported the regime's opponents, he was long considered a loyalist, regularly participating in top-level government advisory panels and conferences, as well as the boards of state companies. He is also the dean of the New Economic School, a Moscow-based university that was recognized as one of Russia's best, with graduates that included top government officials." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingProminent Russian Economist Flees Country