Stalin Grandson Libel Case...[ 2705 ]

Court Dismisses Stalin Grandson Libel Case

Topic: Katyn massacre discussion

Yevgeny Dzhugashvili. Archive//© RIA Novosti. Vladimir Fedorenko

MOSCOW, February 14 (RIA Novosti)

A Moscow court dismissed on Tuesday a libel suit filed by Stalin’s grandson Yevgeny Dzhugashvili against the State Duma, which approved a declaration blaming the Soviet leader for the 1940 Katyn massacre, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.

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More than 20,000 Polish officers, police and civilians taken prisoner during the 1939 partition of Poland by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany were executed by the Soviet secret police, the NKVD, in Katyn, near the western Russian city of Smolensk.

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Dzhugashvili said he would appeal against Tuesday’s court ruling. He is demanding refutation of the phrase: “The Katyn crime was carried out on the direct instruction of Stalin and other Soviet leaders.”

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Dzhugashvili’s previous lawsuit seeking 100 million rubles ($3.3 mln at current rates) in damages from Duma deputies has been dismissed by the court.

The Soviet Union always blamed the Katyn massacre on the Nazis, saying the killings took place in 1941, when the territory was in German hands. However, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev formally admitted in 1990 that the executions took place around 1940 and were carried out by the NKVD.

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In the 1990s, Russia handed over copies of documents from top-secret File No.1 to Poland, which placed the blame squarely on the Soviet Union. The lower house of Russia's parliament approved the declaration recognizing the Katyn massacre as a crime committed by Joseph Stalin's regime in November last year.

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In October 2011, Dzhugashvili filed a defamation lawsuit against Channel One television host Vladimir Pozner, who maintains that Stalin authorized the killing of thousands of the Polish POWs in Katyn. Dzhugashvili has lost several similar lawsuits filed against other Russian media outlets.

Iran says that suffers Nuclear cyber attacks...[ 2704 ]

Nuclear facilities immune to cyber attacks: Iran

 

AP | Feb 14, 2012, 12.39PM IST

TEHRAN: A senior Iranian military official today said that Tehran's nuclear and other industrial facilities suffer periodic cyber attacks, but that the country has the technology to protect itself from the threat, an official news agency reported.

Iran considers itself to have been waging a complicated cyber war since 2010, when a virus known as Stuxnet disrupted controls of some nuclear centrifuges.

"Most enemy threats target nuclear energy sites as well as electronic trade and banking operations," said Gholam Reza Jalali, who heads an Iranian military unit in charge of combatting sabotage.

Jalali said that in addition to Stuxnet, Iran has discovered two espionage viruses, Stars and Doku, but that the malware did no harm to Iran's nuclear or industrial sites.

Iran says Stuxnet and other computer virus attacks are part of a concerted campaign by Israel, the US and their allies to undermine its nuclear programme.

The US and its allies suspect Iran's nuclear programme aims to develop atomic weapons. Iran says its programme is meant to produce fuel for future nuclear power reactors and medical radioisotopes needed for cancer patients.

Jalali was quoted by the state news agency IRNA as saying that Iran's nuclear facilities possess the technology and skills to deal with malicious software.

"Iranian experts possess adequate knowledge to confront cyber threats. All nuclear facilities in the country are immune from cyber attacks," he said.

Iran has acknowledged that Stuxnet affected a limited number of its centrifuges -- a key component in the production of nuclear fuel -- at its main uranium enrichment facility in the central city of Natanz. But Tehran has said its scientists discovered and neutralised the malware before it could cause serious damage.

Iranian officials in April 2011 announced the discovery of Stars, which they said embedded itself in the file systems of government institutions and had the capability to cause minor damage.

Jalili described a third virus, Doku, which he said "only spies and gathers information".

"Doku has not created any troubles for Iranian industrial organizations," he said.

He said all three attacks had been stopped and the viruses cleaned up from Iranian systems. "Many viruses are produced in the world every day, and (Iran's) cyberdefense headquarters monitors them. So far there has been no destructive impact inside the country," he said.

China vows to help on eurozone debt...[ 2703 ]

China Premier Wen Jiabao vows to help on eurozone debt

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China's Premier Wen Jiabao: ''We are facing enormous challenges''

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BBC., 14 February 2012 Last updated at 11:40 GMT

 

China has promised to help resolve the eurozone's debt crisis, after talks with EU leaders in Beijing.

Premier Wen Jiabao offered co-operation to help stabilise debt-ridden EU nations, but made no specific promise to invest in a European bailout fund.

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EU leaders have been seeking Chinese money to help bolster a planned fund of about 500bn euros ($665bn; £420bn).

In another sign of the EU's troubles, credit-rating agency Moody's earlier downgraded Spain, Italy and Portugal.

Moody's also downgraded the credit outlook for France, the UK and Austria.

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The crisis in eurozone counties has intensified in recent days.

Greece passed a package of severe cuts late on Sunday, demanded by the EU and IMF in return for a 130bn euro bailout.

But the austerity measures have proved deeply unpopular and caused riots in Athens.

No commitment

Europe is China's biggest trading partner, with trade worth 560bn euros flowing between the two last year.

European leaders have long courted Chinese investment in their bailout fund.

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Jose Manuel Barroso: ''We need to work closely together on different fronts''

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In a joint news conference with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Mr Wen said China was willing to "increase its involvement" in attempts to stabilise the eurozone.

"China is firm in supporting the EU side in dealing with the debt problems. We match our words with our actions," he said.

"We are willing to conduct close communication and co-operation with the EU side."

He reiterated that China supported the EU and hoped the bloc would continue to "send clear, strong and positive messages" about stability.

But he offered no specific investment.

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A press statement released after the talks listed 31 points of agreement covering a range of issues from cyber security to urban development.

But the statement made no mention of the eurozone crisis.

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The BBC's Damian Grammaticas in Beijing says China has made similar promises to increase involvement in the past, but has been reluctant to follow through.

Mr Van Rompuy told reporters that he welcomed Mr Wen's comments.

"It is up to China to make its own decision in order to contribute to the stability of the eurozone," he said.

"We agreed that we will co-operate with each other in these matters."

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But analysts say it appears the EU delegation failed to get the solid commitment they wanted from China.

Mr Wen and other Chinese officials at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned last week that a recession in Europe could halve China's growth rates.

EU officials had hoped that such reports would encourage China to be more forthcoming.

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• Q&A: Greek debt crisis
• What if Greece got a new currency?
• Timeline of crisis
• Why Greece won't go away

Stocks Rise After Greek Austerity Approval..[ 2702 ]

U.S. Stocks Advance as Greek Lawmakers Approve Austerity Plan

February 13, 2012, 10:40 AM EST

By Rita Nazareth

Feb. 13 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks rose, after the first weekly loss for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index in 2012, as Greece approved austerity plans to secure rescue funds.
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Read more 

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• U.S. Stocks Advance as Greek Lawmakers Approve Austerity Plan

European Stocks Rise After Greek Austerity Approval;

February 13, 2012, 10:52 AM EST

By Corinne Gretler

Feb. 13 (Bloomberg) -- European stocks advanced the most in more than a week after Greek lawmakers approved austerity measures needed to get the financial rescue the nation seeks.
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Read more 

•  European Stocks Rise After Greek Austerity Approval; C&W Rallies

Greek Parliament Approves Austerity Plan...[ 2701 ]

Greek Parliament Approves Austerity Plan

Topic: Financial crisis in Greece

Related News In Greek:[1610],Τα διεθνή ΜΜΕ για τις ταραχές στην Ελλάδα 

 

Greek police fire tear gas to disperse protesters outside the Greek parliament in Athens on February 12, 2012//© AFP/ Louisa Goulimaki//03:49 13/02/2012

ATHENS, February 13 (RIA Novosti)

Greece’s parliament has approved austerity measures requested by the Eurozone and the International Monetary Fund to secure a 130-billion euro ($170bln) bailout to avoid default, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported on Monday.

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The vote on the unpopular package that envisions belt-tightening and wage and pension cuts was preceded by riots and looting in Athens that also spread to other cities. A total of 199 out of 300 deputies of the unicameral parliament voted for the bill, 74 were against with five abstentions.

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A few buildings in Athens were set on fire as tens of thousands of protesters expressed their anger at the austerity plan. About 70 people, half of them police officers, were injured, health authorities said.

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Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos earlier warned against failing to agree spending cuts, saying Greece was facing “uncontrolled economic chaos.”

The bill is yet to be approved by the Eurozone finance ministers.
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Related News

• Tens of Greek MPs Set to Vote Against New Austerity Measures
• Greece Approves New Austerity Measures
• Eurozone Sets New Conditions for Greek Bailout
• Greek Deputy Labor Minister Resigns in Protest
• Greece Agrees to Fresh Austerity Measures