The City Of Rome Is On The Brink Of Bankruptcy

Rome Days Away From Bankruptcy -- The Telegraph

Matteo Renzi, the Italian prime minister, came under pressure on Thursday as the city of Rome verged towards bankruptcy after parliament threw out a bill that would have injected fresh funding.

Ignazio Marino, Rome mayor, said city services like public transport would come to a halt and that he would not be a "Nero" - the Roman emperor who, legend has it, strummed his lyre as the city burnt to the ground.

Marino said that Renzi, a centre-left leader and former mayor of Florence who was only confirmed by parliament this week, had promised to adopt urgent measures to help the Italian capital at a cabinet meeting on Friday.

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More News On Reports That The City Of Rome Is On The Brink Of Bankruptcy

Rome mayor: cash-short city risks shut down soon -- Washington Post/AP
City of Rome Risks Bankruptcy After Aid Falls Through -- Wall Street Journal
Renzi Considers Stricter Conditions on City of Rome in Bailout -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Rome on the Brink as Detroit-Style Bankruptcy Meltdown Looms -- IBTimes

A First For NATO: Five Women Defense Chiefs

A First: Five Women Defense Chiefs Shatter NATO's Glass Ceiling -- NBC

Five women made history Wednesday as they took their seats at a meeting of NATO defense ministers.

Italy's Roberta Pinotti, who was sworn in Saturday as her country's first female defense minister, joined her counterparts from Albania, the Netherlands, Germany and Norway at the organization's headquarters in Brussels.

A NATO official told The Associated Press the five constituted the largest number of women defense ministers to serve at one time since the 28-nation alliance was founded in 1949.

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Update: A NATO first: Five female defence ministers -- AP

My Comment: The times are a changing.

U.S. State Department Releases It's Global Human Rights Report

US Alleges Widespread Global Human Rights Violations -- Voice of America

The U.S. is alleging that too many governments around the world are tightening controls on free expression and using repressive laws to "deny citizens their universal human rights."

In the annual U.S. look at global human rights, Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that many governments are engaging in politically motivated prosecutions and using new technologies to control dissent, whether in public squares or through various types of technology.

Kerry singled out several governments he said have abused the human rights of their countrymen, including Syria, Russia, China, Cuba, Egypt, Bangladesh and the recently ousted government in Ukraine.  He said 80 governments around the world have enacted laws discriminating against homosexuals.

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More News On The US State Department's Report On Global Human Rights Violations

Remarks on the Release of the Annual Country Reports on Human Rights -- US Department of Defense
Rights report calls out Syria, Russia; Ukraine protesters praised -- CNN
Syria’s ‘Calamity’ Leads in U.S. Report on Global Human Rights -- Bloomberg Businessweek
US slams armed crackdowns on pro-democracy protests -- Global Post/AFP
U.S. Slams Armed Crackdowns on Global Pro-Democracy Protests -- Naharnet

GCHQ/NSA Collected Webcam Images From Yahoo Users For Years

Yahoo Webcam Images From Millions Of Users Intercepted By GCHQ -- The Guardian

• Optic Nerve program collected Yahoo webcam images in bulk
• 1.8m users targeted by UK agency in six-month period alone
• Yahoo: 'A whole new level of violation of our users' privacy'
• Material included large quantity of sexually explicit images

Britain's surveillance agency GCHQ, with aid from the US National Security Agency, intercepted and stored the webcam images of millions of internet users not suspected of wrongdoing, secret documents reveal.

GCHQ files dating between 2008 and 2010 explicitly state that a surveillance program codenamed Optic Nerve collected still images of Yahoo webcam chats in bulk and saved them to agency databases, regardless of whether individual users were an intelligence target or not.

In one six-month period in 2008 alone, the agency collected webcam imagery – including substantial quantities of sexually explicit communications – from more than 1.8 million Yahoo user accounts globally.

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More News On Reports That The GCHQ/NSA Collected Webcam Images From Yahoo Users For Years

GCHQ's cover for Optic Nerve provided by legislation introduced in 2000 -- The Guardian
UK spies 'intercepted webcam images of Yahoo users' -- BBC
British spy agency collected images of Yahoo webcam chats: Guardian -- Reuters
Report: UK spies intercept webcam pics, nudity -- AP
Report: British intelligence collected millions of Yahoo webcam images -- UPI
Report: U.K. spy agency collected Yahoo webcam images -- USA Today
Report: British spy agency collected millions of Yahoo users' images -- L.A. Times
UK spied on millions of intimate webcam chats -- Al Jazeera
Report: U.K. Spy Agency Stored Millions of Webcam Images -- Time
British surveillance reportedly collected webcam images from millions of Yahoo users -- The Verge
NSA helped UK spy agency collect millions of pics from Yahoo web chats -- BGR
The NSA Is Spying on Your Webcam Sex -- Time
UK spy agency's Optic Nerve monitored millions of Yahoo webcam chats, lots with 'undesirable nudity' -- Global Post
Have millions of British webcam users had their sex pictures harvested by UK spies? -- Daily Mail
UK Spy Agency Surprised Most People Use Webcam for Sex -- Liberty Voice
British spies confronted by ‘surprising’ amount of porn as they secretly monitored webchats -- Michael Higgins, National Post
Quote of the Day: People Sure Use Their Webcams for a Lot of Kinky Stuff -- Mother Jones
GCHQ's interception and storage of Yahoo webcam images condemned -- The Guardian

Russian Spy Ship Makes A Surprise Visit To Cuba

Viktor Leonov SSV-175. The AGI in Curacao on 30 January. (Image via @RussianNavyBlog on Twitter). Liberty Unyielding

Russian Spy Ship Makes Surprise Visit To Havana -- Reuters

Feb 27 (Reuters) - A Russian spy ship slipped into Havana Bay for an unannounced visit during a period of turmoil in Ukraine and displays of military strength elsewhere in the world.

The Viktor Leonov SSV-175, part of the Vishnya class of intelligence ships, quietly entered Cuban waters earlier this week and was docked at a cruise ship terminal on Thursday, its crew casually taking in the view of the old colonial section of the Cuban capital as passers-by gawked.

Russian warships have come and gone in Cuba since the collapse of the Soviet Union, usually with much publicity and the opportunity for Cubans to visit the ship. This time there was no mention in the Cuban state-run media.

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More News On A Russian Spy Ship Visiting Cuba

Russian Spy Ship Docked in Havana -- Defense News/AFP
Russia warship docks in Havana harbour after defence minister announces military expansion plan -- AP
Russian spy ship visits Havana -- USA Today
Cold War Redux: Russian Intelligence-Gathering Ship Docks In Havana -- FOX News
Russian Warship Docks in Cuba -- Voice of America
Mystery: Russian Warship Docks in Cuba Without Warning -- The Blaze
Why did Russia send spy ship to Cuba?: No word from Communist nation as armed vessel docks in Havana -- National Post

Russia's Military Is Rising

Russian military vessels are anchored at a navy base in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Sevastopol in Crimea, Feb. 27, 2014.

Russia Raises Military Clout With Reforms After Georgian War -- Voice of America/Reuters

LONDON — Refitting Soviet-era warships, fielding new aircraft and tanks and seeking new overseas bases, the Russian military that now has troops on alert amidst a crisis in Ukraine is more potent than the force which briefly fought Georgia six years ago.

Moscow is seriously investing in building its clout. Since 2008, it has raised military spending by almost a third and drastically reformed both the armed forces and defense industry to tackle post-Cold War decay.

But Russian forces remain much weaker than at their Soviet peak and face huge problems ranging from corruption to a long-term shortage of recruits, not to mention the risk of insurgency if they ever set foot in Ukraine.

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Update: Russia's Resurgence Is A Reaction To Obama's Retreat -- IBD Editorial

Previous Post: Russian Military To Expand It's Presence Worldwide

My Comment: Moscow has prioritized the modernization of the Russian military in the past few years .... and they show no signs of stopping. But having modern weapons does not mean that old habits are going to die overnight, and for the Russian military that means corruption.

Update #2: Russia with plans for military bases in Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela -- Merco Press

Would The American Public Support A Military Intervention In Ukraine If Russia Invades?

Remember the Cold War? (Reuters)

Would Americans Support A Military Intervention In Ukraine? -- Peter Weber, The Week

The U.S. is squeamish about foreign military adventurism. But if Russia were to invade an Eastern Bloc country...?

The continuing political turmoil in Ukraine, and the geopolitical questions surrounding it, has given rise to a bit of Cold War nostalgia. And not just on Jon Stewart's Daily Show. In warning Russian President Vladimir Putin against sending troops into Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reminded the Russians that "this is not Rocky IV." (That's the one with America's Italian Stallion duking it out with Soviet nemesis Ivan Drago). "Believe me," Kerry added, "we don't see it that way."

That may be true of the Obama administration — President Obama said a week ago that Ukraine isn't "some Cold War chessboard in which we're in competition with Russia" — but it's safe to say that he and Kerry aren't speaking for all Americans. On Sunday, for example, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol had this to say on ABC's This Week:

Look, it's nice for President Obama to say it's not a Cold War chessboard. I don't know why he says that with some disdain. That was not an ignoble thing for us, to play on that chessboard for 45 years. We ended up winning that Cold War. And I do think Putin thinks he's playing chess. He thinks he's playing even a rougher game than chess, and we have to be able to match it. [ABC News]

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My Comment: There is already precedent on what the West would do if Russia should invade Ukraine. East Germany in 1953. Hungary in 1956. Afghanistan in 1979. etc.. In short .... international condemnation. Some sanctions. But no military support. I expect the same policy today if this "worst case scenario" for Ukraine becomes a reality .... and this should not surprise anyone. The American public has zero interest to get involved in another war .... and to get involved in a conflict with another nuclear power (like Russia) .... even more so.

Update: This is worrisome .... Sen. Bob Corker is worried Russia will invade Ukraine, Obama has no plan -- Washington Times

Why Is Russian President Putin Now Silent On The Ukraine Crisis?

Putin Discusses Ukraine at High-Level Security Meeting. © RIA Novosti. Alexei Druzhinin

Putin’s Silence on Ukraine Adds to Confusion -- Steven Lee Myers, New York Times

MOSCOW — Despite repeated vows not to interfere or intervene, President Vladimir V. Putin’s Russia has now found itself more deeply ensnared than ever in Ukraine’s worsening political crisis, facing appeals to support the country’s ethnic Russians, provide haven for its deposed president and perhaps even undertake a military response. The question is whether he intended it that way.

Mr. Putin himself has made no public remarks on the turmoil in Ukraine since President Viktor F. Yanukovych’s flight from Kiev six days ago. That coincided with the end of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, which officials here have celebrated as proof of the emergence of a new, powerful and proud Russia nearly a quarter century after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Mr. Putin’s silence has resulted in confusion over Russia’s policy, even as the crisis in Ukraine has moved closer to Russia’s own border and raised concerns about Ukraine’s geopolitical and economic impact on Russia, which could stand to lose what it considers a place that is not only within its sphere of influence but part of its political and social identity.

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My Comment: For a person who likes the spotlight .... his absence from the public stage during the Ukraine crisis has been a surprise. In his place he has had others speak for him .... and he has used the Russian military to make a point. But he will have to eventually make a public remark on the crisis .... something that I suspect he will do after Friday's news conference by Ukrainian ex-President Viktor F. Yanukovych.

BREAKING NEWS: Reuters Is Reporting That Armed Men In Military Uniforms Have Seized A Major Airport In Crimea

From Reuters: Ukraine: a group of armed men in military uniforms have seized main regional airport in Simferopol, Crimea - Interfax news agency

This is a breaking news story. I will post more news/information when it becomes available.

Update 22:00 EST: Armed men raid Crimea capital airport in search of Ukrainian troops -- RT

Will Russia Invade/Annex Crimea?

Will Russia Invade Crimea? -- Michael Weiss, Daily Beast

Ever since the Charge of the Light Brigade, Crimea has been synonymous with disaster for the West—and saber-rattling Russia now sees it as ground zero in the battle with Ukraine’s new masters.

“I’ll tell you something else, which military historians never realize: they call the Crimea a disaster, which it was, and a hideous botch-up by our staff and supply, which is also true, but what they don’t know is that even with all these things in the balance against you, the difference between hellish catastrophe and brilliant success is sometimes no greater than the width of a sabre blade, but when all is over no one thinks of that. Win gloriously —and the clever dicks forget all about the rickety ambulances that never came, and the rations that were rotten, and the boots that didn’t fit, and the generals who’d have been better employed hawking bedpans round the doors. Lose — and these are the only things they talk about.”

It may not have been George MacDonald Fraser’s fictional antihero Flashman—a Victorian cross between James Bond and Frank Underwood—who tried in vain to stop the Charge of the Light Brigade across the Balaclava plain, but ask any reasonably well-educated Englishman about “the Crimea” and chances are he can do you a shade better than a few lines from Tennyson in descrying stupidity, calamity, and geopolitical misfortune.

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My Comment: An excellent and must read analysis on Russian intentions in the Ukraine. As to what is the U.S. intelligence point of view on Russian intentions, Eli Lake found that the American intel community are of the opinion that there will be no Russian invasion/incursion into Ukraine. As to what is my opinion .... I firmly believe that the IMF/EU/U.S. and probably Russia .... will (in the end) bail out Ukraine and provide to them the economic assistance that they need. But if things go south in Ukraine .... a probability if the economy collapses .... and if the violence escalates appreciably (specifically against Russians) .... and if the central government loses control resulting in Ukraine teetering on the brink of becoming a failed state .... Russian tanks and soldiers will be storming into Crimea and Western Ukraine within a week.