russia

Georgian president accused of using state funds for botox treatments

"Georgian prosecutors said Friday they were probing the alleged misuse of state funds, as accusations surfaced that President Mikheil Saakashvili had spent thousands of dollars of government money on botox treatments in the United States. According to alleged expense documents aired by anti-Saakashvili broadcaster Imedi on Friday, the president splashed out more than $11,000 (8500 euro) in government money on cosmetic procedures while visiting New York in 2009 and 2011. The documents also purported to show that Saakashvili spent around $9,000 of state money in the United Kingdom on a naked portrait of an unspecified US actress." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGeorgian president accused of using state funds for botox treatments

Israeli defense chief indicates if Russia ships advanced missiles to Syria, they could be hit

"Israel’s defense chief said Tuesday a Russian plan to supply sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles to Syria was a 'threat' and signaled that Israel is prepared to use force to stop the delivery. The warning by Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon ratcheted up tensions with Moscow over the planned sale of S-300 air-defense missiles to Syria. Earlier in the day, a top Russian official said his government remained committed to the deal. Israel has been lobbying Moscow to halt the sale, fearing the missiles would upset the balance of power in the region and could slip into the hands of hostile groups, including the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, a close ally of the Syrian regime." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIsraeli defense chief indicates if Russia ships advanced missiles to Syria, they could be hit

Bitcoin Comes To SWIFT

"The dichotomy between EU and U.S. approaches to e-money becomes even more apparent when one looks at the uniformity of the EU e-Money and Payment Services Directives versus the almost hostile FinCEN guidance on virtual currencies and the incomprehensible patchwork of state money transmitter laws. Because of this, I estimate that the EU currently enjoys at least a five-year head start over its U.S. brethren in accommodating evolving payments efforts. The U.S seems content to extinguish innovations like e-Gold in an effort to maintain complete control over money businesses and to project dollar hegemony within its borders." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBitcoin Comes To SWIFT

Lucerne orchestra axes concert with Depardieu over tax shopping

"The orchestra in the central Swiss city decided to scrap the May 25th concert over worries that the political waves caused by Depardieu’s tax avoidance activities would overshadow the performance. The film actor, one of the highest paid in France, recently took up official residence in Belgium and obtained Russian nationality to lower his income tax bill. Depardieu was criticized as 'rather pathetic' by French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault last December for his departure to Belgium, which sparked an angry response from the actor, who said he was handing back his French passport." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLucerne orchestra axes concert with Depardieu over tax shopping

FBI and Tsarneav: What Did They Know and When Did They Know it?

"This is getting awkward. Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee were told today that Russian authorities warned the FBI about the potential threat Tamerlan Tsarneav posed not once but 'multiple times' and 'at least once since October 2011.' Also, in a blow to some Russophiles who want to draw the US into Russia's fight against separatism in the Caucuses -- 'it's the Chechens!!!' -- a statement appeared on a website run by Russia's North Caucasus rebels that disavowed any link to the Boston Marathon bombing. So what gives?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFBI and Tsarneav: What Did They Know and When Did They Know it?

Chechnya: “We Will Make You Feel What We Feel”

"When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Chechen demanded independence like the Soviet republics. Instead, Boris Yeltsin’s government invaded Chechnya, killing some 100,000 Chechen civilians through massive carpet bombing and shelling. FSB chief Vladimir Putin was catapulted into power by anti-Chechen hysteria caused by mysterious bombings in 1999. Powerful Russian forces invaded and crushed the life out of Chechen resistance. All moderate Chechen leaders were assassinated, the last in Qatar in 2004, leaving mostly militant Islamists." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChechnya: “We Will Make You Feel What We Feel”

Chechen Terrorists and the Neocons

"Rudy Giuliani pompously claimed on national TV that he was surprised about any Chechens being responsible for the Boston Marathon bombings because he’s never seen any indication that Chechen extremists harbored animosity toward the U.S.; Guiliani thought they were only focused on Russia. Giuliani knows full well how the Chechen 'terrorists' proved useful to the U.S. in keeping pressure on the Russians, much as the Afghan mujahedeen were used in the anti-Soviet war in Afghanistan from 1980 to 1989. In fact, many neocons signed up as Chechnya’s 'friends,' including former CIA Director James Woolsey." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChechen Terrorists and the Neocons

Sibel Edmonds: USA Is The Creator & Sustainer of Chechen Terrorism

"They are going to tell you about the new frontiers in the so-called Islamic Terror Cells: The Caucasus and Central Asia. They’ve been planning this for a long time. In fact, the plans were in motion as early as the mid-1990s. Since 2002, despite the gag orders and attacks, I have been talking about: Central Asia & the Caucasus. I have been talking about our operations-grooming our very own terrorists in that region. I have been talking about Chechnya." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSibel Edmonds: USA Is The Creator & Sustainer of Chechen Terrorism

U.S. and Russia to bolster ties after Boston bombings

"Russia and the United States agreed Saturday to step up cooperation in their fight against terror in the wake of news that two ethnic Chechens were suspected of organising the deadly Boston Marathon bombings. The Kremlin said Russian leader Vladimir Putin called US President Barack Obama to once again express his condolences and discuss ways the two sides can work more closely on security in the runup to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. 'I think that contacts will be conducted between our intelligence services,' Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in separate televised remarks." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. and Russia to bolster ties after Boston bombings

Chechnya Isn’t Czechoslovakia

"All day I was wondering what the heck the deal was and at about 11 pm I figured it out. On Facebook, I found this – a link to a list if tweets that in some way confused Czechoslovakia and Chechnya. Traffic was spiking so heavily because people were confusing the ethnically Chechen Boston bombing suspects with the no longer existent country of Czechoslovakia. I would like to reaffirm the important statement that there has been no such place as Czechoslovakia for over two decades. Maybe we need to better challenge a few trends in our society if we are calling authoritatively for the bombing of countries that don’t even exist." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChechnya Isn’t Czechoslovakia