Reuters: Russian opposition leader Nemtsov shot dead in Moscow
(Reuters) - Boris Nemtsov, a Russian opposition politician and former deputy prime minister, has been shot dead in central Moscow, the Interior Ministry said early on Saturday.
Nemtsov, 55, an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin, had been due to take part on Sunday in the first big opposition protest in months in the Russian capital.
MIDDLE EAST
Eight killed in Baghdad bombs and rocket fire.
U.S. begins vetting Syrian rebels for military training: Pentagon.
Islamic State statue-smashing in Iraq was 'war crime', UN says.
Islamic State aims to eradicate Iraq minorities: rights groups.
Kurdish fighters rout IS militants from town near Iraq.
Iran nuclear talks advancing, no deal likely next week: U.S. official. Iran, six powers to hold nuclear talks in Switzerland on March 5: EU.
Rebels accuse Saudis of fueling unrest to divide Yemen.
Saudi ambassador in Yemen resumes duties from Aden.
ASIA
5 Philippine soldiers killed in communist rebel ambush.
Obama to meet with Afghan president in March.
Indian PM riles China.
North Korea steps up threats over drills; U.S. Congress advances sanctions bill.
Desperate Afghan avalanche survivors await rescue on roofs.
US-Bangladesh blogger Avijit Roy hacked to death.
Brutal 'ISIS-inspired' teenager’s killing shocks Japan.
Clashes in Maldives as thousands call for president to quit.
AFRICA
Congo army drives rebels from eastern hills in fierce fighting.
US bank regulators may destroy Somalia’s economy.
Libyan PM says Turkey supplying weapons to rival Tripoli group.
Libyan aircraft crashes near Tunisian border: state news agency.
Boko Haram raid villages after Chadian offensive: residents.
China questions U.S. threat of U.N. sanctions on South Sudan.
Robert Mugabe admits Zimbabwe's land reform flaws.
Lesotho prepares for early vote in bid to ease political crisis.
EUROPE
Prominent Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov shot dead. Putin condemns opposition leader's killing, says may be contract killing.
Ukraine government forces, rebels withdraw heavy weapons.
Three Ukrainian servicemen killed in past 24 hours: Kiev military.
Ukraine said to risk losing support for aid if war escalates.
Spain arrests eight nationals for fighting with pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine.
Russian President Putin cuts staff's salaries by 10%.
Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov shot dead in Moscow. Russia opposition politician Boris Nemtsov shot dead.
Greek debt crisis: German MPs back bailout extension.
Nearly half of Greeks would back Syriza in new election: poll.
Fears for Macedonia's fragile democracy amid 'coup' and wiretap claims.
Unmasking of 'Jihadi John' as a London lad shocks Britain.
Italian coast guard, humiliated, demands weapons for Islamic State defense.
AMERICAS
John Boehner seeks extension, leverage with Homeland Security funding plan.
U.S., Cuba say progress made in talks; no date for diplomatic ties.
Terror list status complicates second round of US-Cuba talks.
Mexico captures Knights Templar drug lord Servando 'La Tuta' Gomez. Mexico official: Police capture top capo 'La Tuta' Gomez.
Teacher denies radicalizing Canadian teens headed to Syria.
TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR
U.K. Jihadists first drawn to al-Shabaab in Somalia.
Pentagon revokes order telling military judges to move to Guantánamo Bay. Pentagon pulls order relocating military judges to Guantanamo.
Different countries, different ways of countering terrorism.
Osama bin Laden aide found guilty of 1998 U.S. embassy bombings.
ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS
Carl Icahn got whacked by the oil crash.
Oil up sharply, posts first monthly gain since June.
US growth revised down to 2.2%.
19 comments:
He wasn't the Leader of the Opposition., that would be the Leader of the Communist Party, Zugyanov,
He wasn't even an elected politician at the time of his death.
Miguel,
How exactly is War News Updates Editor a disgrace? Assuming the reports are correct there will be a dozen or so who will step forward to replace this leader. Again assuming such reports are credible. Given the corrupt nature of the present Ukrainian government and likely corruption of the past Ukrainian government, its hard to know if such reports are credible or is anything coming out of Ukraine, past or present, credible.
While the Ukrainian situation is far from clear, what is clear is Russia is the most powerful country on earth militarily with China the second most powerful military on earth. For America to pursue policies that either cause or risk conflict between it and these powers is stupid beyond measure. I've been saying since the US idiotically waded into the Ukrainian conflict it needed to extricate itself from this by ANY and ALL means necessary. This is even more dire if the US actually had a direct hand in this situation as some reports have indicated.
As perhaps a "face saving" exit to this situation for America, the article linked to by WNU Editor about aid to Ukraine being impacted if the war escalates offers a ray of opportunity for the US to extricate itself from this. The current Ukrainian government seems to have misrepresented itself on a number of occasions. As such, blaming the situation on them would likely provide somewhat adequate even if flimsy cover for getting out of this. After all there's no one in the Ukraine situation either past or present we can support, It needs to be clear that regardless of whether a face saving exit can be found America needs to extricate itself from this by ANY and ALL means necessary.
As for Europe, they are welcome to continue the conflict with Russia over Ukraine should they choose to do so. After all it would be America who would bear the brunt of Russian military retaliation not Western Europe. As such, it has always been easy for them to talk tough. If America is hurt, their "strategic competitor" is harmed!!
The better approach would be to acknowledge the superiority of Russia and China and act accordingly. For America to "catch up" would take at least ten years assuming these powers stood still!! Humans have been doing this sort of thing successfully for centuries. While I can speculate intelligently, as an American, how this might look from our perspective. Not knowing where you are from Miguel or knowing your situation I'm not sure how this will look from your perspective.
What does seem clear is policies that risk conflict between us and Russia, the world's most powerful military or China, the world's second most powerful military are, at best, unwise and, at worst, downright stupid. It would seem that those who propose or support such policies should be opposed.
Miguel you should keep your hateful comments to yourself.
B.Poster move to Russia or China volunteer in the military and live the dream....and let us know how it goes:)
Phil,
At no point did I suggest that I would want to move to Russia or China or that I support the policies of those countries. I'm an American and would not want to live anywhere else. Russia and China are the world's most powerful countries right now and it is going to remain this way for the foreseeable future. It is precisely because I love America that I'm suggesting it might well be prudent for America to adjust its policies in accordance to this reality.
Like I stated humans have been adjusting their actions in accordance to such realities for centuries. America and Western Europe need to draw upon such experiences, especially America, as America has no control over what Western Europe does nor do I really care what our "strategic competitor" desires.
As for volunteering for the military, I wanted to serve in the US military more than anything I've ever wanted but my eyesight is poor and I was unable to do so. As for "living the dream" perhaps it will not turn into a nightmare for the United States if American leaders, Western European leaders, former Soviet Republic leaders, and former Eastern Bloc leaders recognize the geopolitical realities of the second decade of the 21st century and recognize these realities not only will not change in the foreseeable future but will only become more pronounced and act accordingly.
Since America cannot control what the aforementioned leaders do, the best approach for America would be to act in its interests which is to extricate itself from the Ukrainian situation by ANY and ALL means necessary!! WHATEVER IT TAKES!!
Guess you didn't see the smiley face at the end of my post comrade.
Explain how Russia or China are more powerful mililtaries?
Just by going by these facts alone:
US planes/heli/airlift - roughly 18,000
Russia: roughly 2,700
China: roughly 1,800
Navy... lmao.. 11 aircraft carriers compared to 2... 1 Chinese, 1 Russian
Even manpower, the US is no slouch.
Now politically they might be more powerful or something, but you make it seem like the US military is weak.
I'm Canadian so I'm not really biased, just curious how you came about your conclusions.
Russia is "there", China is "there", while other than for 157,000 troops scattered across 740+ bases scattered all across the ROW, the US is "here".
As an example, NATO supplies for Operations in Afghanistan, were shipped either by rail through Russia, or via Pakistan. That's why so much NATO gear has been abandoned there.
If there is war with Russia, or China, the wars will not be taking place on American borders, but theirs.
The other aspect, is while the US economy is in decline, China and Russia's are on the rise.
My "dream" is a prosperous and secure America. Policies that promote conflict between America and Russia and China the world's most powerful militaries seem unlikely to achieve such an outcome.
I've long admired the policies of Canada and Australia. These countries have generally stayed out of things that do not concern them and they've recognized who the superior powers are and have acted accordingly. Australians and Canadians have a better quality of life, more choices are available to them, they are generally wealthier, they are more secure, and are healthier than the average American is. In summary, America should try and be more like Canada and Australia!!
It is most distressing to see Canadian, Australian, and some Western European leaders acting in a "get tough" manner towards Vladimir Putin and Russia. I would have expected such countries and their leaders to act as a check against American leadership stupidity. Perhaps it is the stupidity of Western European nations that America is acting in accordance with!!
As stated previously, it costs them NOTHING to act in such a manner as the Russian military response will be directed against America and not them. Perhaps if America withdrew its support for the Ukrainian government they might redirect their support for the support for the Russian position. In any event, I'd expect a more sensible foreign policy from these people.
Internet tough guy keep up the kind words and you might get moderated....by a great blogger and even greater man.
What you are telling me is shocking Miguel LM .... because I never knew that I was entitled to any money. Since you are very knowledgeable on these things, I will give you the mandate to collect my money for me .... and in return we will split the proceeds in half. This will make you happy, definitely me happy, and everyone else that we know because we can then say that we screwed Moscow out of their money.
Anonymous,
You asked how exactly Russia and China are more powerful than the US. The answer is several fold. Russia holds a vast edge in nuclear weapons capabilities, cyber war fare capabilities, and space based weapons and systems. Essentially US military weapons would be yielded blind, deaf, and dumb very quickly in a military conflict with Russia. Anything not taken out straight away would be finished off with tactical nuclear or conventional weapons.
Hopefully I'm wrong but this is the most likely scenario.
I didn't mean to imply the US military is weak. It is likely in the top 5 in the world but definitely not number 1. A poll recently conducted showed that 41% of Americans believe the US to be one of several major military powers. While the 59% who believe the US is number 1, got it wrong, it is encouraging to me to see that many of my fellow citizens are beginning to grasp the true geopolitical realties.
Essentially a foreign policy that recognizes the superiority of Russia, China, and their allies over us has a chance for success. Being blind to reality would seem to be a poor strategy at best and at worst would lead to disaster.
Jay,
America is the primary target and will be. As such, it is easy for those who aren't going to be bearing the brunt of Russian military reprisals to talk tough and act tough. Those, like America, who would be bearing the brunt of the attack should take a more cautious approach. The article at www.jrnquist.com/war-preparations-and-secret-structures.html pretty much explains why America is and would be the primary target.
You correctly point out that America's economy is in decline while Russia and China are on the rise. As such, even if America could confront Russia and China militarily which is unlikely it lacks the economic capacity to fight a sustained conflict with these powers.
As for sanctions, they only weaken the US dollar and speed up its inevitable demise which plays into Russian, Chinese, and Western European hands. We need to be working toward a "SOFT LANDING" with regards to the dollars end as world reserve currency. To say the current policies are unhelpful in this regard is an understatement.
Finally, you correctly point out how the US/NATO needed the cooperation of Russia to deliver many of the supplies to Afghanistan to battle the Taliban. We will also need to have their cooperation to get our men and materials out. No wonder much of it had to be abandoned!! This further illustrates the stupidity of the current policy. An entire book could be written on this but I would not know where to begin!!
Miguel LM,
WNU has been critical of Mr. Putin at times on this website. As such, to suggest he is somehow a paid tool of the Russian leader is an extraordinary claim. Such claims require extraordinary proof which you fail to present. Not only do you fail to present such proof but it would seem you have not even read website enough to know what you are talking about.
B.Poster
Do you have any proof Russia has a vast edge in cyber warfare or space based weapons you speak of. I thought we already went over this America can match or even surpass what they can do. That's your opinion not fact.
I'll give you they have advantage by simply having more nuclear weapons. But they couldn't even see a nuclear attack coming because they haven't replaced they're early warning satellite's that went out of commission. So even that's a mute point.
I thought I pointed out the information Russian cyber warfare capabilities previously. There have been reports on this at www.worldnetdaily.com, as I recall Forbes had a report on this, as well as some other news sources. world net daily and others have also discussed Russia's advancement in space weapons.
Also, one has to take into account US officials tend to overestimate American capabilities while underestimating the capabilities of adversaries and potential adversaries. In this area, the media often lends a helping hand. As such, I think it safe to assume that US officials are overestimating American capabilities, underestimating Russian capabilities. the reports on Russian cyber war and nuclear capabilities are largely correct, and finally Russia generally does an excellent job of keeping secrets meaning Russia likely has capabilities we do not even know about!!
As such, given the past histories of both nations and their leaderships and present realities, the prudent conclusion would be that Russia is the most powerful military on earth and we need to act accordingly.
Admittedly an opinion but likely the correct one based upon the facts at hand. Many things in the universe we cannot "know" with certainty but we can hypothesize based upon the facts at hand. For example, we do not "know" when we take a commercial flight that the plane is safe, the pilot and the flight crew can operate it safely, or air traffic control is up to the task but we can confer based upon prior history and the facts at hand that this mode of travel is in fact safe. A similar thing is at work when analyzing US military capabilities with those of foreign adversaries like Russia or potential foreign adversaries.
I might also add that nations like China and Russia have generally been ascending economically while America has been declining in this area. This combined with America's massive national debt likely means that even if America could match these nations militarily which seems unlikely anyway America would be unable to economically afford such a confrontation to the extent the other side could.
Finally, even if we have differing opinions in this area, I very much respect and appreciate your comments. I thin we can agree that America choosing to intricate itself into the Ukrainian situation was not an intelligent move and this is one we need to be extricating ourselves from this as soon as possible by whatever means are necessary.
www.worldnetdaily.com repeatedly publicized conspiracy theories about Barack Obama's citizenship. This news site shares OPINIONS and theories and shouldn't be taken as fact. Russia nor China have a magic button that can just cripple the United States all at once.
I'll continue to disagree and point out your fact as fiction. You have a habit saying Russia has the most powerful military in the world and China second for your own reasons.
Discussion is good B.Poster that's one of the reasons I like this blog so much.
I do recall WND running a number of stories regarding the issue of where POTUs was born. As I recall, they were one of the few to actually seriously investigate this after serious questions were raised. In short, the media failed to vet POTUS the way they have typically done. In any event, it does little good to focus on such things, as the voting public has been inoculated against this. Frankly I lean in the direction that he was born in America for what its worth.
While wnd may be discredited, I'm not so sure it is as easy to discredit Forbes who reported some of these things regarding Russian military capabilities. (I think it was Forbes. In any event, it was a well known publication. If interested, you should be able to Google it.) The only way to really "know" would be to actually get into a war with either of these major powers. I point out above why the analysis put forth by American officials is likely flawed. Additionally I would add given the spectacular intelligence failures by US intelligence services in recent years pretty much anything they put out should be treated with extreme skepticism at best and as complete nonsense at worst.
You have an opinion for your own reasons and I have mine. The main reason for mine is I don't like the leaders of the nation I love risking Americans lives and the very survival of America confronting an enemy we cannot defeat without something miraculous happening for a purpose that makes absolutely no sense for our national interests. There may be a time and place for fighting a more powerful adversary but this does not seem to be it!!
As for the opinions, it is true that anyone can say anything on the intent and just because someone writes does not make it true. Furthermore polls can be skewed by the way the questions are worded. As an example a poll recently pointed out the 41% of Americans believe the US to be one of several major military powers on earth as opposed to the clear dominant power. I find this encouraging as it means that many more Americans are catching onto what I believe to be the most likely geopolitical realities.
I would put America in the top five military powers on earth. Definitely not number one or even number two.
While neither Russia or China possess a magic button that could cripple the US all at once, the US can't do this to either of these countries itself either. I do believe however that Russia and China would be in a better position to cripple America than vice versa. They've already penetrated the US power grid. As to what damage they could do with this is debatable, however, given the history of US officials as pointed out previously I think it reasonable to assume the situation is much more serious than is generally reported.
In any event, I pray we never have to actually find out what the outcome of a war between the US and Russia, the US and China, or between the US vs. Russia and China. I think we can probably agree on that.
This is one of the reasons why I like doing this blog .... other readers talking to each other on issues or news of the day. it makes it all worth while.
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