"Russian, Chinese firms most likely to bribe" November 03, 2011|Associated Press
BERLIN - Companies from Russia, followed closely by those from China, are seen as most likely to use bribery to secure foreign contracts, according to a new survey released yesterday by Transparency International....
No country was seen as wholly clean, and the survey found companies were almost as likely to pay bribes to other businesses as to public officials in order to win public tenders, avoid regulations, speed up government processes, or influence policy.
Agriculture and light manufacturing were seen as the sectors in which firms were least engaged in bribery, while the public works and construction sector was seen as the one in which most bribes were paid....
--more--"
"Russia, China steal technology, US says; Nations hacking into computers, a report asserts" November 04, 2011|By Thom Shanker, New York Times
WASHINGTON - US intelligence agencies, in an unusually blunt public criticism of China and Russia, reported to Congress yesterday that those two foreign governments steal valuable US technology over the Internet as a matter of national policy.
Both China and Russia hide behind the anonymity of proxy computers and dispersed routers in third countries to pilfer proprietary corporate information to accelerate their own economic development, according to the new intelligence assessment.
They have also targeted the computer networks of government agencies and universities, the report said.
US officials have for years hinted that China and Russia were leading suspects in the Internet theft of economic secrets, and those accusations have appeared as scattered commentary in government reports. Among many highly publicized episodes, Google has accused China twice in as many years of broad Internet intrusions targeting its users.
See: Googling China
However, US officials, when pressed, have said pinpointing the culprits remained difficult in cyberspace, and they also usually stressed that specific complaints of computer-network spying were best raised in government-to-government channels.
In contrast, the new intelligence study, compiled as a report to Congress on foreign economic and industrial espionage during the past two years, presents a pointed case that China and Russia are the leading actors in the Internet theft of economic secrets. Officials took pains to make sure journalists were alerted to its significance....
Yes, BY ALL MEANS GET the WAR-DRUMMING PROPAGANDA OUT THERE!!
The governments in Beijing and Moscow, and their intelligence services, contract with independent hackers to expand their capabilities and cloak responsibility for the computer intrusions, the report said.
Even friendly nations spy on the United States using computers. The report warns that “some US allies and partners use their broad access to US institutions to acquire sensitive US economic and technology information.’’
Oh, so ISRAEL goes UNNAMED in my newspaper?!?!
Related: Six Zionist Companies Own 96% of the World's Media
Declassified: Massive Israeli manipulation of US media exposed
Oh, NOW I UNDERSTAND WHY!
Also see: Why Am I No Longer Reading the Newspaper?
Because it's all an intelligence agency operation!
In addition, some of the efforts to steal US economic, technical, and trade secrets are conducted by foreign corporations, by organized criminal groups, and by individuals acting on their own.
Internet espionage exists within the United States, but it is subject to domestic criminal law, and intelligence officials underscored that the United States does not conduct economic espionage as a matter of policy.
Yeah, we do it covertly.
Most computer-network espionage against US economic targets has focused on these areas, according to the study: Information and communications technology; assessments of supplies of scarce natural resources; technologies for clean energy and health care systems or pharmaceuticals; and military information, in particular maritime systems, unmanned aerial vehicles and airplane and space technologies.
The report is the collective assessment of 14 US intelligence agencies and was compiled by the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive, which reports to the director of national intelligence.
Although it described the theft of economic and trade information as a national security threat, the study says there are no reliable estimates of the monetary value of the losses....
--more--"
And then there is the Iranian issue:
"US, allies face tough decision on Iran" November 17, 2011|By ASSOCIATED PRESS
VIENNA - The United States and its Western allies face an unpalatable choice about Iran at a key UN atomic agency meeting today.
They can defy Russia and China with a demand that the Islamic Republic start answering questions on its alleged secret nuclear arms program or face renewed referral to the UN Security Council. Or they can settle for a milder rebuke of Tehran that leaves the big powers formally speaking with one voice but leaves the world’s hands tied in investigating the suspicions about Iran.
They took the second course.
Both ways, the United States, Britain, France, and Germany stand to lose as they head into the first session of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation board meeting.
If they push for a tough resolution that sets a time frame for Iran to cooperate with the IAEA’s inquiry, then Russia and China are likely to vote against it. That may doom further attempts to speak with one Security Council voice at future talks with Iran over its nuclear defiance - and raise Sino-Russian resistance against new UN Security Council sanctions.
Going too far the other way keeps the facade of unity, by allowing Moscow and Beijing to endorse a weakly worded resolution with no deadline for Iran’s cooperation and no warnings of penalties if it does not. But it stalls efforts to investigate and signals Iran that it can ignore the global community.
The split along East-West lines is more of a problem for Washington and its allies as Iran advances in enriching uranium, which can be used for weapons.
--more--"
Whose side is Russia on?
"Russia backs US, UK on Israel stance" November 23, 2011|Associated Press
VIENNA - In a boost to Israel, Russia joined the United States and Britain yesterday in backing the Jewish state’s view that the Middle East cannot be turned into a nuclear-arms-free zone without progress on regional peace.
The three nations, who are charged with registering new members to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, also blunted Arab efforts to get them involved in creating such a zone, telling an International Atomic Energy Agency meeting that that was the sole responsibility of countries in the region.
The three-nation statement was made at a rare venue: a meeting bringing Israel and the Arab states together for a discussion of how to work toward establishing a Mideast nuclear-arms free zone.
Yeah, ISRAEL is the ONLY NATION that HAS THEM!
Although nearly 100 nations attended the forum, it was primarily meant to allow those two opposing camps to exchange views on the issue, one of many dividing Israel from its Arab neighbors.
Organizers had warned against high expectations, and officials at the two-day meeting said it ended Friday without bridging the differences. “This was a small positive step,’’ said Norwegian Ambassador Jan Petersen, who chaired the gathering, acknowledging “there is a very, very long way ahead.’’
--more--"
And Russia is readying for war:
"Russia to increase volunteer soldiers" November 26, 2011|By ASSOCIATED PRESS
MOSCOW - The pledge to reduce Russia’s unpopular draft appears to be part of campaigning for Dec. 4 parliamentary elections....
Liberal politicians and military analysts have long urged the Kremlin to abolish the draft, which has been extremely unpopular because of the poor conditions and high crime rates within the ranks, particularly the vicious bullying of young conscripts by older soldiers.
The government already has launched a sweeping military reform intended to trim the military and turn it into a more modern force....
--more--"
Or are they?
"Russia seizes radioactive metal from Iranian" December 17, 2011|Associated Press
MOSCOW - Russia’s customs agency announced yesterday that it had seized pieces of radioactive metal from the luggage of an Iranian passenger bound for Tehran from one of Moscow’s main airports.
It was not immediately clear if the substance could be any use to Iran’s controversial nuclear program.
Iran’s semi-official news agency ISNA confirmed that material had been seized from the luggage of an Iranian passenger in Moscow about a month ago, but denied it was radioactive.
Russia’s Federal Customs Service said in a statement that agents found 18 pieces of metal, packed in steel pencil cases, at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport after a radiation alert went off. It said the gauges showed that radiation levels were 20 times higher than normal.
Spokeswoman Kseniya Grebenkina told the Associated Press the luggage was seized some time ago, but did not say when.
The Iranian wasn’t detained, she said, and it was not clear whether he was still in Russia or not. She did not give his name. The pieces contained Sodium-22, she said, a radioactive isotope that could be produced in a particle accelerator. Kelly Classic, a health physicist at the United States’ renowned Mayo Clinic, said: “You can’t make a nuclear bomb or dirty bomb with it.’’
“You’d certainly wonder where it came from and why,’’ Classic told the Associated Press.
Smells like a set-up.
--more--"
Oh, and let us not forget Syria:
"With Syrian strife mounting, US closes embassy; Another grim day reported in city of Homs" by Anthony Shadid | New York Times, February 07, 2012
BEIRUT - Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, was scornful of the criticism of the vetoes of Russia and China on Saturday of a Security Council resolution backed by Western and Arab states, saying it was “perhaps on the verge of hysterical.’’
In China, a commentary in the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily argued that the chaos that followed toppled governments in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya proved that forced leadership changes only made matters worse.
Yeah, that's right.
“Simply backing one side and beating down the other, seemingly helpful, will in fact only sow seeds of future disasters,’’ said the article, which was signed Zhong Sheng, an often-used pseudonym that can be read to mean “China’s voice.’’
--more--"
Also see: The Song Remains the Same Regarding Syria
"Russia makes diplomacy effort in Syria crisis; Visit to Assad follows veto of UN action" by Nada Bakri | New York Times, February 08, 2012
BEIRUT - Russia’s foreign minister visited Syria’s top leaders in Damascus yesterday, at a moment when Western and Arab nations are withdrawing ambassadors and trying to isolate Syria diplomatically over its increasingly violent response to the 11-month-old popular uprising in the country.
The foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, was greeted by thousands of pro-government Syrians lining the capital’s streets and waving Russian flags of welcome. He pronounced his visit as “very productive.’’
Translation: when the U.N. is not a useful tool the US will simply ignore it.
Russia, along with China, vetoed an Arab League-backed resolution at the UN Security Council on Saturday that called on President Bashar Assad to hand over some powers as part of a plan to defuse the crisis, which is increasingly resembling a civil war. Rebuffing harsh criticism from the resolution’s sponsors and Western critics of Assad, the Russians insisted that the resolution amounted to outside interference in Syria’s affairs.
At the same time, the Kremlin is sensitive to the perception that Russia, Assad’s strongest foreign backer, had given him a green light to violently crush his political opponents. So Lavrov, and Mikhail Fradkov, the head of the Russian foreign intelligence service, were sent to Syria yesterday with what the Russians said was a proposal to end the crisis; its substance was not divulged.
With the collapse of other diplomatic efforts, first by the Arab League and then at the Security Council, the Russian overture, however tepid, appeared to be one of the last avenues of engagement left....
Before what? Invasion? A NATO leveling of the place from on high like in Libya?
--more--"
"Russia rebuts Western criticism of Syria outreach; Defends effort, vows to push for peace talks" by Michael Schwirtz and Neil MacFarquhar | New York Times, February 09, 2012
BEIRUT - As reports of assaults by Syrian tanks and other forces at several major flash points across Syria continued for a fifth day, Russia’s leaders tried yesterday to fend off international criticism that they were doing nothing effective to stop the bloodshed, arguing that Moscow’s efforts were far more productive and balanced than the combined Western and Arab plan.
In Moscow, Sergey V. Lavrov, the foreign minister, stressed that Russia would seek to inaugurate open negotiations between the government and the opposition. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the once and probable future president, as well as Dmitry Medvedev, the incumbent, weighed in, trumpeting the Kremlin’s effort as unbiased.
The Russians faced a chorus of voices wondering why Syrian government tanks and artillery continued to shell civilian neighborhoods in numerous towns and cities a day after Lavrov met with President Bashar Assad in Damascus, Syria’s capital....
Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, when asked about Syrian promises to Russia, said that by vetoing a UN Security Council resolution last Saturday condemning the violence, Russia and China had “set themselves against Arab opinion and world opinion.’’
Have they?
***************************
In Moscow, Lavrov voiced frustration at Western and Arab attitudes.
“Sometimes there is an impression that the more the Syrian leadership shows understanding about the necessity to move forward - albeit belatedly and under pressure - the more we see rejection of reciprocal steps on the opposite side,’’ Lavrov said.
Russia, clearly hoping to stage a diplomatic coup while protecting an ally and arms customer, sees demands that Assad step down before any negotiations as unacceptable international interference in a country’s sovereign matters....
Yeah, right, Russia's interest is self-serving. Good thing AmeriKa's never i$, huh?
Btw, I am INSULTED by the choice of words regarding a "diplomatic coup" when the West is engaged in REGIME CHANGE by VIOLENCE!
Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. It is typical and common for the slop I sift through on a daily basis.
The Russian minister suggested that the Arab and Western players had been too quick to ignore armed attacks against the government....
That's because they are behind the attacks against the government. That's why we get nothing but one-sided s*** passing itself off as news.
With no concrete diplomatic plan in sight, Navi Pillay, the UN humans rights chief, pressed the international community to act....
Pillay emphasized “the extreme urgency’’ needed to protect civilians....
Yeah, so let's KILL A WHOLE BUNCH of THEM like in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya....
--more--"
Also see: Sager defends support of dictator
"Russia and China are being the "adults in the room" at the UN on this issue.
This is one of the reasons the US is doing everything in its power to destabilize Putin in the next round of Russian elections, and have someone in power more sympathetic to the geopolitical outcomes it wants to see happen.
But here is what I see potentially coming with Syria; without any UN mandate, NATO and the US, which have been doing their best to foment unrest in Syria, will find a way to bring the Assad government down, at an horrendous cost in money and blood.
The idea of the Syrian opposition dancing to a foreign tune has been floated by John R. Bradley, author of the book, After the Arab Spring. He says NATO members are committed to toppling the regime and will make Iran their next target. Bradley points out that two Arab states play a particularly important role in NATO’s plans for Syria. These are Saudi Arabia and Qatar. “Saudi Arabia is financially and politically backing the civilian opposition [in Syria], and Qatar has been widely reported to be funding and arming the jihad rebels who were leading this insurrection,” he said. “We can be absolutely sure that this is nothing to do with human rights when it comes to the West’s concern, and even more sure when it comes to the concern of Saudi Arabia. This is how preposterous the Western media coverage is, of this uprising.”
But the real prize here is Iran. Syria has a mutual defense pact with Iran, and if Syria is attacked by outside elements, Iran is duty-bound to respond militarily. Should this happen, that would be the "justification" for an attack against Iran.
And trust me, such an attack has nothing to do with Iran's nuclear program, and everything to do with Iran's wanting to accept payment for its oil in any currency but that of the US dollar."-- Wake the Flock Up
That is why they went after Saddam, or at least one of the reasons.
UPDATE:
US and allies 'considering plans' for military aid to Syrian rebels
"The war on Iran is on hold (because neither the US nor Israel can sell that to the public and fear a new false-flag would not be believed) so the plan now is to pour weapons into Syria so they can kill each other, then invade because, well, the Syrians are killing each other, then hope Iran will honor its treaty obligations and come to Syria's aid, giving the US and Israel the war they wanted with Iran all along.
This is a repeat of how Franklin Roosevelt, unable to sell a war against Germany to the American people, instead goaded Japan into the attack at Pearl Harbor, pretended it was a surprise, and bulldozed the American people into WW2." -- Wake the Flock Up
Also read: Independent Report Contradicts Western Portrait of Syria
Gee, what a surprise.
Russia’s Federal Customs Service said in a statement that agents found 18 pieces of metal, packed in steel pencil cases, at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport after a radiation alert went off. It said the gauges showed that radiation levels were 20 times higher than normal.
Spokeswoman Kseniya Grebenkina told the Associated Press the luggage was seized some time ago, but did not say when.
The Iranian wasn’t detained, she said, and it was not clear whether he was still in Russia or not. She did not give his name. The pieces contained Sodium-22, she said, a radioactive isotope that could be produced in a particle accelerator. Kelly Classic, a health physicist at the United States’ renowned Mayo Clinic, said: “You can’t make a nuclear bomb or dirty bomb with it.’’
“You’d certainly wonder where it came from and why,’’ Classic told the Associated Press.
Smells like a set-up.
--more--"
Oh, and let us not forget Syria:
"With Syrian strife mounting, US closes embassy; Another grim day reported in city of Homs" by Anthony Shadid | New York Times, February 07, 2012
BEIRUT - Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, was scornful of the criticism of the vetoes of Russia and China on Saturday of a Security Council resolution backed by Western and Arab states, saying it was “perhaps on the verge of hysterical.’’
In China, a commentary in the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily argued that the chaos that followed toppled governments in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya proved that forced leadership changes only made matters worse.
Yeah, that's right.
“Simply backing one side and beating down the other, seemingly helpful, will in fact only sow seeds of future disasters,’’ said the article, which was signed Zhong Sheng, an often-used pseudonym that can be read to mean “China’s voice.’’
--more--"
Also see: The Song Remains the Same Regarding Syria
"Russia makes diplomacy effort in Syria crisis; Visit to Assad follows veto of UN action" by Nada Bakri | New York Times, February 08, 2012
BEIRUT - Russia’s foreign minister visited Syria’s top leaders in Damascus yesterday, at a moment when Western and Arab nations are withdrawing ambassadors and trying to isolate Syria diplomatically over its increasingly violent response to the 11-month-old popular uprising in the country.
The foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, was greeted by thousands of pro-government Syrians lining the capital’s streets and waving Russian flags of welcome. He pronounced his visit as “very productive.’’
Obviously hoping that the Russians can forestall a western attack.
The Russian diplomatic effort came as the United States, which has bitterly criticized Russia’s stance over the Syria crisis, suggested that it may provide “humanitarian aid to Syrians’’ without specifying how or to whom.
Russia, along with China, vetoed an Arab League-backed resolution at the UN Security Council on Saturday that called on President Bashar Assad to hand over some powers as part of a plan to defuse the crisis, which is increasingly resembling a civil war. Rebuffing harsh criticism from the resolution’s sponsors and Western critics of Assad, the Russians insisted that the resolution amounted to outside interference in Syria’s affairs.
At the same time, the Kremlin is sensitive to the perception that Russia, Assad’s strongest foreign backer, had given him a green light to violently crush his political opponents. So Lavrov, and Mikhail Fradkov, the head of the Russian foreign intelligence service, were sent to Syria yesterday with what the Russians said was a proposal to end the crisis; its substance was not divulged.
With the collapse of other diplomatic efforts, first by the Arab League and then at the Security Council, the Russian overture, however tepid, appeared to be one of the last avenues of engagement left....
Before what? Invasion? A NATO leveling of the place from on high like in Libya?
--more--"
"Russia rebuts Western criticism of Syria outreach; Defends effort, vows to push for peace talks" by Michael Schwirtz and Neil MacFarquhar | New York Times, February 09, 2012
BEIRUT - As reports of assaults by Syrian tanks and other forces at several major flash points across Syria continued for a fifth day, Russia’s leaders tried yesterday to fend off international criticism that they were doing nothing effective to stop the bloodshed, arguing that Moscow’s efforts were far more productive and balanced than the combined Western and Arab plan.
In Moscow, Sergey V. Lavrov, the foreign minister, stressed that Russia would seek to inaugurate open negotiations between the government and the opposition. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the once and probable future president, as well as Dmitry Medvedev, the incumbent, weighed in, trumpeting the Kremlin’s effort as unbiased.
The Russians faced a chorus of voices wondering why Syrian government tanks and artillery continued to shell civilian neighborhoods in numerous towns and cities a day after Lavrov met with President Bashar Assad in Damascus, Syria’s capital....
Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, when asked about Syrian promises to Russia, said that by vetoing a UN Security Council resolution last Saturday condemning the violence, Russia and China had “set themselves against Arab opinion and world opinion.’’
Have they?
***************************
In Moscow, Lavrov voiced frustration at Western and Arab attitudes.
“Sometimes there is an impression that the more the Syrian leadership shows understanding about the necessity to move forward - albeit belatedly and under pressure - the more we see rejection of reciprocal steps on the opposite side,’’ Lavrov said.
Russia, clearly hoping to stage a diplomatic coup while protecting an ally and arms customer, sees demands that Assad step down before any negotiations as unacceptable international interference in a country’s sovereign matters....
Yeah, right, Russia's interest is self-serving. Good thing AmeriKa's never i$, huh?
Btw, I am INSULTED by the choice of words regarding a "diplomatic coup" when the West is engaged in REGIME CHANGE by VIOLENCE!
Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. It is typical and common for the slop I sift through on a daily basis.
The Russian minister suggested that the Arab and Western players had been too quick to ignore armed attacks against the government....
That's because they are behind the attacks against the government. That's why we get nothing but one-sided s*** passing itself off as news.
With no concrete diplomatic plan in sight, Navi Pillay, the UN humans rights chief, pressed the international community to act....
Pillay emphasized “the extreme urgency’’ needed to protect civilians....
Yeah, so let's KILL A WHOLE BUNCH of THEM like in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya....
--more--"
Also see: Sager defends support of dictator
"Russia and China are being the "adults in the room" at the UN on this issue.
This is one of the reasons the US is doing everything in its power to destabilize Putin in the next round of Russian elections, and have someone in power more sympathetic to the geopolitical outcomes it wants to see happen.
But here is what I see potentially coming with Syria; without any UN mandate, NATO and the US, which have been doing their best to foment unrest in Syria, will find a way to bring the Assad government down, at an horrendous cost in money and blood.
The idea of the Syrian opposition dancing to a foreign tune has been floated by John R. Bradley, author of the book, After the Arab Spring. He says NATO members are committed to toppling the regime and will make Iran their next target. Bradley points out that two Arab states play a particularly important role in NATO’s plans for Syria. These are Saudi Arabia and Qatar. “Saudi Arabia is financially and politically backing the civilian opposition [in Syria], and Qatar has been widely reported to be funding and arming the jihad rebels who were leading this insurrection,” he said. “We can be absolutely sure that this is nothing to do with human rights when it comes to the West’s concern, and even more sure when it comes to the concern of Saudi Arabia. This is how preposterous the Western media coverage is, of this uprising.”
But the real prize here is Iran. Syria has a mutual defense pact with Iran, and if Syria is attacked by outside elements, Iran is duty-bound to respond militarily. Should this happen, that would be the "justification" for an attack against Iran.
And trust me, such an attack has nothing to do with Iran's nuclear program, and everything to do with Iran's wanting to accept payment for its oil in any currency but that of the US dollar."-- Wake the Flock Up
That is why they went after Saddam, or at least one of the reasons.
UPDATE:
US and allies 'considering plans' for military aid to Syrian rebels
"The war on Iran is on hold (because neither the US nor Israel can sell that to the public and fear a new false-flag would not be believed) so the plan now is to pour weapons into Syria so they can kill each other, then invade because, well, the Syrians are killing each other, then hope Iran will honor its treaty obligations and come to Syria's aid, giving the US and Israel the war they wanted with Iran all along.
Also read: Independent Report Contradicts Western Portrait of Syria
Gee, what a surprise.
