May 29th, 1453,,A Day to Remenber [ 1321 ]

     ΕΑΛΩ  Η  ΠΟΛΙΣ    

Constantinos Paleologos the Last Emperor of Byzantium, 
died fighting at Constantinoupolis 
on May 29th 1453 
in the gate of  "Saint Romanos'

Ιράν-Βραζιλία-Τουρκία: συμφωνία για ανταλλαγή πυρηνικών..[1320]

ΗΠΑ: Δεν είναι αποδεκτή η συμφωνία Βραζιλίας-Τουρκίας με το Ιράν

NAFTEMPORIKI.GR Παρασκευή, 28 Μαϊου 2010 23:21

 

Οι υπουργοί Εξωτερικών του Ιράν, της Βραζιλίας και της Τουρκίας υπέγραψαν πριν από λίγο στην Τεχεράνη συμφωνία για την ανταλλαγή πυρηνικών καυσίμων.

Οι ΗΠΑ πιστεύουν πως μία νέα συμφωνία πυρηνικού καυσίμου για το Ιράν, την οποία επεξεργάστηκαν η Βραζιλία και η Τουρκία, δεν είναι αποδεκτή και πως το Συμβούλιο Ασφαλείας του ΟΗΕ πρέπει να προχωρήσει στην επιβολή νέων κυρώσεων εναντίον της Τεχεράνης, δήλωσε υψηλόβαθμος αξιωματούχος των ΗΠΑ.

«Κατά την άποψή μας η κοινή διακήρυξη δεν ανταποκρίνεται σε ό,τι απαιτείται. Αλλά ανεξάρτητα από αυτή ...την πρόταση, είναι σημαντικό να προχωρήσουμε στη Νέα Υόρκη για να υιοθετήσουμε το ψήφισμα», πρόσθεσε ο αξιωματούχος.

Russia : Negligence Over Stavropol Bomb Attack[ 1319 ]

Officials Face Negligence Probe Over Stavropol Bomb Attack

Medics and police help a wounded person after the bombing in Stavropol on May 26.

STAVROPOL, Russia -( REE/RL., May 28, 2010 ) 

Security officials in Stavropol are being investigated for negligence in connection with a bomb blast that killed seven people in the southern Russian city on May 26, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.

Russia's presidential envoy in the North Caucasus Federal District, Aleksandr Khloponin, made the announcement today. He did not identify any of the officials.

The bomb went off near a cultural center as people were gathering for a Chechen dance performance.

Earlier today, Russian officials announced they had detained two suspects in the Republic of Ingushetia.

The Stavropol region of Russia, which borders Russia’s volatile Muslim republics in the North Caucasus, is observing a day of mourning today for the victims.

Thirty people injured in the bomb attack are still in hospital, RFE/RL reports.

D. Medvedev,: With the "Cheget," wherever he goes. [ 1318 ]

The Nuclear Russian button

 

 The Cheget, accompanies the Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, wherever he goes

FP,by David E. Hoffman, May 27,2010
 In the event of a nuclear missile attack on Russia, three hard-shell briefcases filled with electronics are set to alert their holders simultaneously. Inside each is a portable terminal, linked to the command and control network for Russia's strategic nuclear forces. One of them accompanies the Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, wherever he goes. It is known as the Cheget, and allows the president to monitor a missile crisis, make decisions, and transmit those decisions to the military. It's similar to the nuclear "football" that accompanies the American president.

But a new book by a leading Russian security analyst points to a surprising disconnect in the system, a potential flaw that has not been widely understood. Under Russia's 1993 Constitution, the president is the commander in chief, and if incapacitated in any way, all of his duties fall to the prime minister. Yet the prime minister does not have a nuclear briefcase at his disposal. The other two Cheget briefcases are actually held by the defense minister and the chief of the general staff, as was the case in Soviet times. 

The resulting ambiguity, warns Alexei Arbatov, could be dangerous in the event of a nuclear crisis. In today's Russia, neither of the military men has the constitutional or legal responsibility to make a decision about how or whether to launch a nuclear attack. Certainly, they would be among the top advisors to the president at a time of crisis, but they are not decision-makers.

 

Why the danger? The United States and Russia still maintain nuclear-tipped missiles on alert for rapid launch. The land-based U.S. missiles can be ready to launch in four minutes. Warning of an imminent attack might require a president to make very rapid decisions with limited information. In such an emergency, whether in the White House or the Kremlin, you'd want very precise roles for each decision-maker, without ambiguity or uncertainty.

But it seems like there is still some uncertainty in Russia, where the command-and-control system is shrouded in secrecy, as it was in Soviet times. This makes it all the more interesting that Arbatov is airing his concerns in public. His critique is included in his new book, Uravnenie Bezopasnosti, or The Security Equation, just published in Moscow. The volume, in Russian, covers a wide range of security issues, from Europe to Iran, from nuclear terrorism to tactical nuclear weapons. His comments on the nuclear command and control system come in a chapter titled "Democracy, the military and nuclear weapons."

Arbatov, who heads the Center for International Security at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations in Moscow, is also a scholar in residence at the Carnegie Moscow Center and one of the foremost Russian analysts of strategic weapons and security issues. He has been a long-time member of the liberal Yabloko bloc, and in earlier years served in the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, where he was deputy chairman of the Duma defense committee.

Arbatov wants Russia to bring the nuclear weapons launch procedure -- the three briefcases -- in synch with the Russian Constitution. He wants to make sure it is the president and the prime minister who are making the big decision. He is a strong believer in the idea that democracy means civilian control over military affairs.

The Soviet Union created the current command and control system at the peak of the Cold War in the early 1980s. The three nuclear briefcases were put on duty just as Mikhail Gorbachev became Soviet leader in 1985. They are linked to a redundant network, called Kavkaz, made of cables, radio transmissions, and satellites. The three briefcases are essentially communications terminals to give those using them information about a possible attack, and allowing them to consult with each other. Initially, they were given to the Soviet general secretary, defense minister, and chief of the general staff because, in the Soviet system, the military has historically played a larger role in decisions about nuclear war.  If a nuclear launch were ordered, it would go from the Cheget to a receiving terminal called Baksan, located at the command posts of the General Staff, rocket forces, navy, and air force. The overall communications network is called Kazbek.

A postman has admitted guilty to 27 child sex offences [1317]

Postman admits child sex offences

The London Evening Standard., 28.05.10

A postman has admitted that he groomed hundreds of children for sex over a five-year period, using social networking sites to court his victims.

Michael Williams, 28, from Penryn, Cornwall, pleaded guilty to 27 child sex offences when he appeared at Truro Crown Court.

Michael Williams, 28, admitted a string of child sex offences

He admitted three counts of grooming, eight counts of sexual activity with a child aged between 13 and 15, nine counts of causing or inciting a child aged between 13 and 15 to engage in sexual activity, four counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and one count of voyeurism.

Williams also admitted two counts of making and possessing indecent images. He has been remanded in custody for psychiatric reports and will be sentenced on a date to be fixed.

The former match secretary of Falmouth Town amateur football club also asked for some 460 similar offences to be taken into consideration.

Between 2005 and 2009 Williams pursued hundreds of schoolchildren, signing up to sites such as Facebook and Bebo, posting as a youngster.

He then carefully groomed his victims online, winning their confidence and often asking them to use an internet video camera, or webcam.

Detective Inspector Simon Snell said after the guilty plea: "He created a number of spurious profiles, portraying himself as a child and was making contact with children of the same age. He sent them questionnaires, asked about where they lived, asking for their mobile numbers, and if they had had sex. He is a manipulative and predatory paedophile."

Speaking outside court, Mr Snell added: "I hope he now understands the harm that he has caused to victims, their families and the many people who thought they could trust him. He is a predatory, manipulative and prolific offender. I hope he can reflect and if he wishes to talk to us about any other offences he should make contact with us."

Williams, who had also worked as a taxi driver, used all of his positions to bring himself in contact with the children, Mr Snell added.