NEWS, 26.05.2012.

I made Russia a freer country: Medvedev

 

President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday that Russia had become a freer nation during his four-year term, citing the mass protests of recent months as evidence of change."Spring has come to us, both literally and figuratively. I congratulate you," Medvedev said in a live television interview, his last before he hands the presidency back to Vladimir Putin."Freedom," Medvedev sighed and smiled, "is such a unique feeling that everyone interprets differently."Freedom is a sense of self. And in this sense we've done a lot," he told a group of liberal journalists,who are usually sidelined for their sceptical stance towards the government.Medvedev's political mentor Putin, who became his prime minister after being barred by the constitution from serving more than two successive presidential terms, announced plans in September to return to the Kremlin in a job swap with his close ally.That announcement coupled with fraud-tainted parliamentary polls in December led to the largest protests since the Soviet era, when tens of thousands rallied in Moscow protesting Putin's comeback.Protests lose stingBoth Medvedev and Putin have in the past sought to stress that the protests were the hallmark of a democratic society, and introduced cosmetic political reforms that many analysts called a concession to protesters."Let's ask people who took to various squares whether they are free or not," Medvedev said."It is not important who they support: 'the white', 'the red' or 'the blue'. I am absolutely confident that the overwhelming majority of them will say: 'Yes, I am free because I stand here, I have my own position, I do not like a lot, or on the contrary, I like practically everything, don't you dare touch it. I am free'.""The current accelerated movement towards democracy will not lead to chaos," Medvedev added. "Society has matured."The nascent protest movement has lost much of its sting since Putin's crushing 4 March presidential victory, although it still hopes to muster another major demonstration in Moscow the day before Putin's 7 May inauguration.Medvedev defended his decision to cede the country's top job which has earned him mockery from the liberal opposition and many ordinary Russians calling him a mere seat-warmer incapable of promoting true reform.Hunger strike"We've achieved the political results we were hoping for," said Medvedev, who expects to be appointed prime minister when Putin moves back to the Kremlin."The decisions that were announced in September have been confirmed by political practice and it, as we know, is a criterion of truth.""We've thought it all up not to warm ourselves up but to receive a concrete political result. And we've received it, we've received a mandate to rule," he said.But the outgoing president also spoke disparagingly of the recent 40-day hunger strike by opposition politician Oleg Shein in the southern city of Astrakhan in protest at alleged violations in mayoral elections that he contested."I do not blame anyone. But 'Hunger Games' - I will remind you, is a rather mediocre Hollywood blockbuster, I don't know whether you've watched it or not, I have - whoever does it very often pursues a very obvious political goal."He defended his presidential decisions including the sacking of governors and the reform of the bloated police force, reiterating that Russia's most prominent prisoner Mikhail Khodorkovsky would not be allowed to walk free unless he asked for pardon."Without a request there cannot be a review. This is my firm position."Once Russia's richest man, Khodorkovsky is set to stay in jail until 2016 after being convicted in two fraud trials in what his supporters say is a case of personal vendetta on the part of Putin.

 

Iran: Enriched uranium traces a 'technical issue'

 

A top Iranian nuclear negotiator said that traces of enriched uranium discovered at an underground bunker came from a "routine technical issue," the country's official IRNA news agency reported Saturday.Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Tehran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, was responding to a report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog that said it had found radioactive traces at an Iranian nuclear site. The uranium found had been enriched to a level that is slightly closer to the threshold needed for nuclear weapons than Iran's previous highest-known enrichment grade.The IAEA said in the confidential report obtained Friday by The Associated Press that it was asking Tehran for a full explanation about the traces. But the report was careful to avoid any suggestion that Iran was intentionally increasing the level of its uranium enrichment.Tehran said the find was a technical glitch, according to the report. Analysts and diplomats said Iran's version sounded plausible.The West suspects Iran is pursuing a weapons program. Tehran denies the charge, saying its nuclear program is aimed at peaceful purposes like power generation and cancer treatment.Soltanieh said the report on Iran's nuclear activities was "historic evidence" that proved the peaceful nature of Iranian nuclear activities, while the uranium discovery was blown out of proportion for political reasons."This issue shows that some intend to damage the existing constructive cooperation between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency," he was quoted as saying.The higher the enrichment, the easier it becomes to re-enrich uranium to the 90 percent needed for weapons grade. As a result, the finding of traces at 27 percent at the Fordo enrichment plant in central Iran sparked international interest.Iran denies any plans to develop nuclear weapons, but has for years declined offers of reactor fuel from abroad, including more recent inducements of 20-percent material if it stops Aproducing at that level. The Islamic Republic says it wants to continue producing 20 percent uranium to fuel its research reactor and for medical purposes.But its refusal to accept foreign offers has increased fears Tehran may want to turn its enrichment activities toward producing such arms. The concerns have been fed by IAEA suspicions that Iran has experimented on components of an atomic arms program — suspicions Tehran also denies.The report cited a May 9 letter from Iranian officials suggesting any enrichment at 27 percent was inadvertent. The letter said the particles were produced "above the target value" and could have been for "technical reasons beyond the operator's control."But the IAEA report did detail some progress in talks between the U.N. nuclear agency and Iran that the agency hopes will relaunch a long-stalled probe into the suspicions that Tehran has worked on nuclear-weapons related experiments.Amano will handover the report on Iran's nuclear activities to the board of directors of the agency later in June.IRNA also reported that Iran's nuclear chief, Fereidoun Abbasi, said Saturday that Tehran will not open the Parchin site until the agency convinces the country it is necessary."If a visit to Parchin is to happen, they should convince us in advance. So far, no reason and evidence has been handed to us," Abbas was quoted as saying.After a short visit to Tehran last week, Amano said Iran and the agency will sign an agreement on inspection to the site, soon.

NEWS,09.04.2012.

Police investigate racially-charged comments in Oklahoma shootings

 Alvin Lee Watts and Jacob Carl England are seen in a combination of undated pictures released by Tulsa County Sheriff's Office 

Authorities were investigating racially charged comments on the Facebook page of a suspect in the shootings of five black people in Tulsa.Police arrested two white men on Sunday morning, two days after the shootings killed three people in a mostly black Tulsa neighborhood.There was no connection between the victims and the suspects and without a motive, talk of hate crime charges was premature, authorities said."You could look at the facts of the case and come up with would appear to be a logical theory, but we're going to let the evidence take us where we want to go," Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan to old reporters on Sunday."I certainly couldn't make that determination right now."Roommates Jake England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 32, were arrested in the early Friday shootings.Authorities say they don't know which one pulled the trigger, but are charging both.Shortly before the killings, England had lamented on his Facebook page that two years had passed since his father was killed by a black man, whom he referred to with a racial slur."I'm gone in the head," England wrote.Watts, England's roommate, offered words of support to his friend in response to the posting.Investigators are unsure to what extent the killing of England's father played a role in the shootings, said Tulsa Police Major Walter Evans.Among the dead was one woman, identified as Dannaer Fields, 49, and two men, Bobby Clark, 54, and William Allen, 31.The two wounded men, who were not identified, were expected to survive.Oklahoma authorities have said the suspects will likely face state murder charges.A handgun was recovered when the pair was arrested at a home in Turley, a small town north of Tulsa about four miles from the home they shared.A white pickup truck, similar to that described by a witness, was recovered about 10 miles from the suspects' house, police said.The vehicle had been burned, they said.Sometime after the shootings, England posted another Facebook comment complaining: "people talking (expletive) on me for some (expletive) I didn't do it just mite be the time to call it quits ... I hate to say it like that but I'm done if something does happen tonight be ready for another funeral later."Tulsa City Councilman Jack Henderson said he believed the two suspects simply had a grudge against black people.If that proves to be true, he said, he hopes prosecutors pursue twin charges of murder and committing a hate crime."I think that's probably what will happen," said Henderson, the only black member of the Tulsa City Council and whose northside district is where the shootings took place.Before the arrests, some residents worried about whether it was safe to attend church on Easter Sunday, Henderson said.Police had few clues in the shootings and pleaded for help from the public on Saturday afternoon."We were desperate for leads," Jordan said.About 10 of the 40 telephone tips received proved helpful, Jordan said.

 

Renegade North Korean rocket is ready to go

North Korean space officials have moved all three stages of a long-range rocket into position for a controversial launch. The country has vowed to go ahead with the launch in defiance of international warnings against violating a ban on missile activity.Yesterday foreign news agencies were allowed a look at preparations under way at the coastal Sohae Satellite Station in the northwest of the country.North Korea announced plans last month to launch a communications satellite using a three-stage rocket during mid-April celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the birth of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung.Engineers said the satellite would orbit Earth and send back data for weather forecasts and crop surveys.The US, Japan, Britain and other nations have urged North Korea to cancel the launch, warning that firing the rocket would violate UN resolutions and North Korea's promise to refrain from engaging in nuclear and missile activity.North Korea maintains the launch is meant to display its scientific achievement.Experts say the Unha-3 rocket scheduled for liftoff between April 12 and 16 could test long-range missile technology that might be used to strike the US and other targets.

North Korea has tested two atomic devices, but is not believed to have mastered the technology needed to mount a warhead on a long-range missile.Yesterday, reporters were taken by train to North Korea's new launch pad in the hamlet of Tongchang-ri in North Pyongan province, about 50km south of the border town of Sinuiju along North Korea's west coast.All three stages of the rocket were seen in position at the launch pad, with fuelling due to begin soon, satellite station general manager Jang Myong Jin said during a tour of the Tongchang-ri facilities.He said preparations were on track for liftoff and that international space, aviation and maritime authorities had been advised.Japan and South Korea said they were prepared to shoot down any parts of the rocket that threatened to fall in their territory - a move North Korea's Foreign Ministry warned would be considered a declaration of war.

NEWS,10.03.2012.

Sarkozy says will bow out if French don't pick him

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday he would fight with everything he has to win a second term but will bow out of politics if he loses an April-May election.Riot police using teargas were sent in to clear a crowd of 200 mostly young protestors in a town ahead of a campaign rally he was due to hold in the central French town of Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert just a few weeks from election day.Sarkozy, who is badly lagging Socialist challenger Francois Hollande in opinion polls six weeks before the first round of voting, said Hollande's lack of ministerial or international experience was a problem at a time of economic turmoil.I worry when I look at the Socialist candidate's programme ... and I worry about this dearth of experience in such a troubled period. But if the French people do not put their faith in me, do you really think I would carry on in politics? The answer is no," Sarkozy told .Hollande widened his lead slightly this week, advancing 2 points to 30 percent support for the April 22 first round, while Sarkozy gained only 1 point to 28 percent.The survey, by pollster CSA, saw Hollande beating Sarkozy by 56 percent to 44 percent in a May 6 runoff."I will fight with all my strength to win your confidence, to protect and lead you and build a strong France, but if that is not your choice I will bow out, that's the way it is, and I will have had a great life in politics," he said.His wife, former model-turned singer Carla Bruni, said Sarkozy had devoted himself entirely to his job and would continue to do so if he won a second term, but if he lost he would have little choice but to change direction."What do you expect him to do after being president of the Republic? Do you want him to go back to being a minister or a mayor?" she told French talkshow "C a Vous", adding that she worried about his health and his long working hours.Sarkozy said on a three-hour televised debate on Tuesday that he was not discouraged by his weak poll scores and that one of his characteristics is that he never gives up.But French media are reporting that his campaign team is starting to worry that Sarkozy's efforts to overcome a widespread dislike of his personal style and anger over three years of economic gloom are not working.A week after protestors pelted his escort with eggs in the southwest of France, Sarkozy's impending arrival in Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert triggered a protest by some 200 youths waving banners with slogans such as "no to the president" or "Sarkozy, you're the security problem".A reporter saw riot police move in to clear the crowd and prevent them nearing the rally location.Campaign spokeswoman Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet - who was lambasted as out of touch after she was unable to tell a radio presenter the price of a Paris metro ticket - lamented this week that the race had descended into distracting polemic.Sarkozy launched his campaign in mid-February, several weeks after Hollande, and has opted for a strategy of unveiling his ideas - such as a new minimum tax on company profits, making the unemployed sign up to training to get their benefits and holding policy referendums - week by week. After a strong start that saw him trim the gap with Hollande by a few points, he suffered setbacks in his second week, including being jostled by left-wing militants while out on the campaign trail, and has now lost his initial bounce. Meanwhile Hollande has consolidated his lead position after announcing a surprise 75 percent tax rate on annual income above 1 million euros, a move nearly two in three voters support. On Thursday's radio show, Sarkozy proposed a new household fund for women abandoned by fathers of their children, a new renovation programme for city suburbs and said he would cut the number of lawmakers by 10 to 15 percent to trim public spending.Socialist politician Bernard Cazeneuve said the raft of measures smacked of a last-minute panic, and mocked Sarkozy for diverting attention with talk of life after the presidency.

"We don't care what he does if he loses, what we want to know is what he'll do if he's elected," he told.Sarkozy, whose main focus is on structural reform and tighter immigration rules, is expected to give his first real campaign overview at a big campaign rally on Sunday in the Paris suburb of Villepinte.