Russia

NOVANEWS  http://theuglytruth.wordpress.com Reuters UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Russia’s U.N. envoy on Monday demanded there be a thorough investigation of civilians killed in NATO air strikes during its military operations in Libya, which led to the ouster and death of former leader Muammar Gaddafi. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin was reacting to news reports about civilian deaths caused by NATO. Reuters reported on Friday that human rights groups estimated over 50 civilians were killed by the air strikes, while the New York Times published on Sunday an estimate of 40 to over 70. Churkin told reporters the NATO alliance has so far failed to provide the U.N. Security Council with details about civilian casualties. “Unfortunately NATO adopted a pure propaganda stand, claiming zero civilian ca...

NOVANEWS US Presses Russia for More Details Amid Call for Iran Sanctions antiwar.com In the ongoing effort to find stories with the words “Iranian” and “nuclear” in them and spin them into some insidious plot, officials are now pressing Russia for “more details”following the claim that Russian authorities prevented a shipment of radioactive material into Iran. The shipment, which contained a quantity of Sodium-22 (22Na), was stopped by Russian customs officials for some unknown reason. Though initially reported as something that could “only be created in a nuclear reactor officials later corrected this to confirm that it was not only not exclusive to reactors but not commonly created within them, and instead is mostly created in particle accelerators and research reactors in university a...

NOVANEWS Russia’s foreign minister has accused the West of an “immoral” stance on Syria, saying it should condemn the opposition as well as security forces. bbc.com Sergei Lavrov said opposition groups were trying to provoke a “humanitarian catastrophe” to get foreign help. The comments came after UN human rights chief Navi Pillay told the Security Council Syria should be referred to the International Criminal Court over its crackdown on the nine-month uprising. She said 5,000 people had been killed. In October, Russia and China vetoed a Security Council resolution condemning Syria. The draft, introduced by France and the UK, was supported by other Western countries. On Tuesday Mr Lavrov defended an alternative text drafted by Russia and China which urges both sides in the conflict to r...

NOVANEWS  Responsible major media journalism was never America’s long suit. At a time of grave global dangers, they’re pointing fingers the wrong way. by Stephen Lendman On December 4, parliamentary elections were held to fill 450 State Duma seats, Russia’s Federal Assembly lower house. With nearly all votes counted, RIA Novostisaid Medvedev/Putin’s United Russia party won 238 seats, falling slightly below a majority with 49.67% of the vote. It added that it’s “a far cry from the commanding two-thirds constitutional majority the party held in the State Duma for the past four years” based on tabulated results so far. United Russia is the nation’s dominant party. In December 2001, it was founded by merging the Unity and Fatherland-All Russia parties. Vladimir Putin served as acting Presiden...

NOVANEWS  by Montecristo CRIMES OF THE BOLSHEVIKS A revised and re-edited version of A Sea of Blood: the Truth about Bolshevik Russia, a 12,000-word pamphlet originally published in Munich (1926) and authored by a Russian émigré  known as “Dr Gregor”. Pictures and captions by Lasha Darkmoon 1.  Introduction Nine years have already passed since an indescribable crime against humanity, the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, was systematically begun. Now in its ninth year [1926], a government exists which calls itself a worker-and-peasant government—but not one true worker or farmer has ever sat on it. For nine years, torture has been used in the name of democra­cy as an official instrument of the state. And in the name of socialism millions of upright individu­als have been murdered, put to de...

NOVANEWS  in Uncategorized  Associated Press Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sternly warned the West not to interfere in Russia’s elections, as he launched his campaign to reclaim the presidency in a speech Sunday before thousands of flag-waving supporters. Putin stepped down in 2008 after two presidential terms, but kept his hold on power. He announced in September that he intended to return to the top job next year and was formally nominated Sunday by his United Russia party. “All our foreign partners need to understand this: Russia is a democratic country, it’s a reliable and predictable partner with which they can and must reach agreement, but on which they cannot impose anything from the outside,” Putin told his audience. The party congress, which was televised live, was aimed at boos...

NOVANEWS  Saber Rattling or Genuine Threat? By Michael Chester In a November 17th speech to Russia’s parliament, General Nikolai Makarov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, spoke of concerns over NATO’s expansioneastward and stated that the risks of Russia being pulled into local conflicts have “risen sharply.” Countries who previously were members of the Warsaw Pact and have since become NATO members include Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. Russia also has deeply strained relations with Georgia after a 2008 war over two disputed provinces. Georgia is seeking NATO membership. Ukraine, at one point indicated its plans to align with Western powers, but it is now ruled by a pro-Russia president, and its liberal opposition leader has bee...

NOVANEWS Uncategorized  Russian IAEA envoy says leak of report indicating that Iran is working to develop nuclear weapons ‘plays into the hands’ of those who object to a diplomatic solution of the Iranian issue. Haaretz A recently published report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Iran’s nuclear program is neither professional nor objective, a top Russian official said on Saturday, criticizing a decision by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog to leak the report’s findings to the press. Earlier this month, the IAEA published a report that claimed that there was a high probability that Iran’s nuclear program has military aspects, prompting Israel and the U.S. to urge the international community to toughen economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic. On Friday, sources fa...

NOVANEWS Uncategorized    Russia is facing a heightened risk of being drawn into conflicts at its borders that have the potential of turning nuclear, the nation’s top military officer said Thursday. Gen. Nikolai Makarov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, cautioned over NATO’s expansion eastward and warned that the risks of Russia being pulled into local conflicts have “risen sharply.” Makarov added, according to Russian news agencies, that “under certain conditions local and regional conflicts may develop into a full-scale war involving nuclear weapons.” A steady decline in Russia’s conventional forces has prompted the Kremlin to rely increasingly on its nuclear deterrent. The nation’s military doctrine says it may use nuclear weapons to counter a nuclear att...

NOVANEWS Uncategorized   Haaretz Russian warships are due to arrive at Syrian territorial waters, a Syrian news agency said on Thursday, indicating that the move represented a clear message to the West that Moscow would resist any foreign intervention in the country’s civil unrest. Also on Friday, a Syrian official said Damascus has agreed “in principle” to allow an Arab League observer mission into the country. But the official said Friday that Syria was still studying the details. The official asked not to be named because the issue is so sensitive. The Arab League suspended Syria earlier this week over its deadly crackdown on an eight-month-old uprising. The 22-member body has proposed sending hundreds of observers to the country to try to help end the bloodshed. The report came a day...