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	<title>J-H Post &#187; europe</title>
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		<title>Turkey Debates Role in Possible Syria Intervention</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/turkey-debates-role-in-possible-syria-intervention/</link>
		<comments>http://www.j-hady.com/turkey-debates-role-in-possible-syria-intervention/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:22:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Turkey is hardening its stance against the Syrian leadership and its Western allies are increasingly looking to Ankara for efforts to help unseat Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. There is debate in Turkey over whether international sanctions and diplomatic pressure on Syria could lead to military intervention and what role Ankara should play. In his weekly address to his parliamentary deputies Tuesday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the U.N. Security Council's failure last weekend to pass a motion pressuring Syria was a fiasco.  He said Turkey is prepared to offer an alternative plan, even if that might trigger another veto by Russia and China, whose "no" votes blocked the original resolution on Saturday   The prime minister said Turkey is helping to prepare a new initiative with Western allies that support opponents of the Syrian regime.  Turkey's foreign minister is set to visit Washington this week for high-level talks. Mr. Erdogan offered no details, but word of a new plan comes as Ankara has positioned itself at the forefront of those condemning Syria, its neighbor and once close ally, for the bloodshed the Damascus regime has inflicted on protesters. Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal says despite the recent U.N. setback, Ankara is looking to diplomacy to end the Syrian crackdown, even if that means diplomacy outside the U.N. framework. "To get grounds for other countries - of course,YesyYOK.  including Arab countries - and other key partners on what can be done because of the non-response of Syria to those unilateral regional and international efforts, should not keep us from looking for other initiatives," said Unal. Turkey is harboring a number of Syrian opposition leaders, including some from the Free Syrian Army, a militia drawn mainly from defectors from the Syrian armed forces.  Some media reports say Ankara is arming the rebels or allowing arms to be supplied to them from Arab countries. Turkish Foreign Ministry officials deny those charges. Semih Idiz, diplomatic correspondent for the Turkish newspaper Milliyet , says Ankara does not want to act alone against Damascus. "Well Turkey, by nature in terms of its foreign policy, and you can underline this, has always been multilateralist," said Idiz. "So in situations like this, Turkey likes to act with the international community." Washington and London have cited the importance of Ankara, with its 800-kilometer-long border with Syria, in resolving the crisis.  Turkey's army is the second largest in NATO and could enforce a buffer zone within Syria. The opposition Syrian National Council has been calling for intervention with Turkey playing a key role.  But Foreign Ministry spokesman Unal said the international community must be in concert with Turkey. "At the moment there is no sort of [military] project on our agenda," he said. However, Turkish foreign policy expert Soli Ozel says military intervention is possible if the situation in Syria deteriorates further. "[If] you end up with civil war, with massive waves of refugees, that is going to generate a lot of problems for you as well, which is when a buffer-zone idea would, I suppose, come closer to materializing than at any other time," said Ozel. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said recently that Turkey's doors are open to Syrian refugees.  If need be, he pledged, they will be taken into people's homes.  That offer has been interpreted by some Turks as a warning to Damascus: As Mr. Erdogan has said, Turkey will not stand by as Syria implodes. ]]></description>
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		<title>Report: Captain Refused Orders to Return to Cruise Ship</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/report-captain-refused-orders-to-return-to-cruise-ship/</link>
		<comments>http://www.j-hady.com/report-captain-refused-orders-to-return-to-cruise-ship/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:39:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
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		<category><![CDATA[costa]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[ An audio recording of an exchange between the Italian Coast Guard and the captain of a capsized Italian cruise ship reveals the captain refused orders to get back on the ship. A leading Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera, published a transcript Tuesday of the dramatic exchange. In the conversation, Coast Guard Captain Gregory De Falco demands that the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, return by climbing a ladder on one side of the vessel and report how many people are still on board. Related video of Italian rescuers But Schettino responds he is not going anywhere, saying he is coordinating the rescue from a lifeboat. Captain De Falco warns Schettino he is "going to pay" for his actions. The exchange took place during an evacuation process shortly after the Costa Concordia hit rocks and capsized off the coast of northern Italy late Friday. The vessel is now tilted on one side, partly submerged in the water. The captain has denied he abandoned the ship. Rescue operations continued on Tuesday to find possible survivors aboard the ship. At least 11 people are known dead because of the wreck, including five bodies found Tuesday. At least 24 people remain missing. Captain Schettino is in police custody. He faces charges of manslaughter for allegedly abandoning the ship before all passengers were rescued. The ship's owners, Costa Crociere cruise lines, are blaming the accident on human error by the captain. On Tuesday, a Dutch company that specializes in salvage operations said it will take weeks to remove the fuel from the Costa Concordia. The company, Smit, says it plans to conduct a survey of the ship on Tuesday before the extraction process begins. "It is a race against time to empty the fuel tanks on the ship after they finish the inspections to find, to give precedence to finding, any other passengers or crew members," said World Wildlife Federation Italy Spokesman Gaetano Benedetto. The rough seas near where the Costa Concordia remains aground have raised concerns of a possible fuel spill. None of the nearly 2 million liters of fuel have leaked out, but anti-spill booms have been placed around the wreck. "If the fuel starts to come out, it depends how much comes out, but we have learned from experience that even a little bit of fuel coming out is enormously difficult to control if it gets out of the containment booms that are put around the ship when there are these types of operations," said Benedetto. A spokesman for Costa Crociere cruise lines said the captain was steering on an "unauthorized, unapproved" course before the ship got stuck. He said the captain steered too close to shore and made decisions during the emergency that did not follow company procedures, which are based on international standards. Officials say that when the ship hit the rocks, passengers were ordered to put on life jackets and to board life rafts. However, passengers say the ship tilted so sharply and quickly that many lifeboats could not be lowered into the water. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. ]]></description>
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		<title>3 Dead, Dozens Missing in Cruise Liner Wreck in Italy</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/3-dead-dozens-missing-in-cruise-liner-wreck-in-italy/</link>
		<comments>http://www.j-hady.com/3-dead-dozens-missing-in-cruise-liner-wreck-in-italy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:11:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Italian media say authorities have arrested the captain of the luxury cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Tuscany. The ANSA news agency quoted a local prosecutor as saying that Italian Captain Francesco Schettino was taken into custody on Saturday after several hours of questioning. Schettino captained the Costa Concordia that wrecked only a few hundred meters off the Tuscan island of Giglio late Friday. Three bodies were recovered from the sea, and authorities say at least 40 people remain missing nearly 24 hours after the incident. Officials quoted by  ANSA news agency said two Frenchmen died in the incident as well as one Peruvian crew member. Video of survivors Emergency operations halted as night fell on Saturday, after divers spent the day scouring the half submerged cruise liner and the coast guard searched the surrounding waters. Passengers who made it safely to land recounted the chaotic and terrifying evacuation. One American passenger said the ship was tilting so quickly that the lifeboats could not be deployed. A fellow traveler said that is when they decided to jump and swim to shore. Rescuers using lifeboats and helicopters evacuated the more than 4,000 passengers and crew members to the island of Giglio and to Porto Santo Stefano on the mainland early Saturday. Passengers were sitting down to dinner at the time of the incident Friday night and were told the ship was having electrical problems. One passenger told Italian media the situation on the ship was "like a scene from the Titanic."   There is no word yet on why the ship ran aground. When it hit the rocks, officials say, passengers were instructed to put on life jackets and to take to life rafts. The Costa Concordia is 290 meters long, with 13 decks. It had 13 bars, five restaurants, four swimming pools and 500 balconied staterooms. Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters. ]]></description>
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		<title>Massive Russian Protest Poses Growing Challenge to Putin</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/massive-russian-protest-poses-growing-challenge-to-putin/</link>
		<comments>http://www.j-hady.com/massive-russian-protest-poses-growing-challenge-to-putin/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 25 Dec 2011 00:45:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ When Russia’s protest movement started three weeks ago, many in the Kremlin calculated that winter would kill it off. Saturday's rally to protest alleged fraud in the December 4 parliamentary elections, however, was bigger than the first large protest on December 10. The protesters shouted “New Elections, New Elections,” and organizers say their densely packed mass on Sakharov Avenue reached 100,000 people, which would exceed the numbers who showed up to protest at a similar rally in Moscow two weeks ago. Russian police estimated this Saturday's turnout at only 30,000. The crowd Saturday wanted free elections and protested the allegedly tainted victory on December 4 of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia party.   A multicolored sea of flags - of liberals and communists, monarchists and anarchists - all waved at one rally for one goal: fair elections in Russia. Demanding change now Alexei Navalny, an internet blogger and rising star of the opposition, bellowed through towers of loudspeakers that enough people were gathered to storm Prime Minister Putin’s offices. He said that Russia’s opposition is peaceful - for now. But he vowed that “next year the leaders will change.” The United Russia party denies the charges of election fraud raised by Navalny and others. Saturday’s mass rally indicated, though, how sharply the mood seems to have turned against Putin. Focus on Putin In a gathering peppered with homemade signs, one man carried a photograph of Putin wearing a white winter shawl shaped like a condom. Many protesters were insulted last week when Russia’s Prime Minister joked that he confused their white ribbons of peace with condoms. Bundled in wool scarves and parkas, the crowd rocked as one rapper ridiculed Putin and corruption in Russia. Putin has further insulted the protest movement by using old Cold War charges to say that people were demonstrating for money and that they only hit the streets after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave the signal. Grigory Nikolaevich Zaichenko, a 61-year-old retiree, walked the edges of the crowd holding up a sign that asked, “Where is the money Hillary is handing out?” He said the combination of blatant fraud and the new ability to communicate through the internet meant that people’s patience has run out. Kremlin's maneuverings The Kremlin apparently hoped to cut the protest turnout by issuing a statement Saturday morning saying that the government is hurrying through new laws that will liberalize the registration of parties and presidential candidates. But hours before the rally, the presidential human rights panel that advises the Kremlin called for the resignation of Russia’s election chief and for new parliamentary elections. In another reflection of the opposition’s growing strength, Alexei Kudrin, a former finance minister, spoke at the rally. He called for dismissal of the election commissioner and new parliamentary elections. Looking out at the crowd that stretched for nearly one kilometer, Kudrin said that only dialogue between the opposition and the Kremlin would avoid revolution. But Leonid Parfyonov, a TV journalist, warned attendees that Russia’s drive for democracy is now or never. He said if Putin wins a six-year term in the March 4 presidential election, his time in office could equal that of the long-serving Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Laying out a plan Mikhail Kasyanov, a former Prime Minister, offered the opposition’s road map for Russia’s political future: Postpone presidential elections to the end of April; hold new, fair and open parliamentary elections next December. Andrei, a 28-year-old company worker, said he came to the rally to demand the cancellation of the recent parliamentary elections. “We think that parliamentary election results were a fake actually, so we want the results canceled,” he said. Reflecting the nationwide nature of the protest movement, demonstrations were also held Saturday in St. Petersburg and dozens of other Russian cities. By far the biggest was in Moscow, on Sakharov Avenue, a broad boulevard named after the Soviet dissident, Andrei Sakharov. Ilya, a 31-year-old arts worker, came to the rally with a black-and-white photo of Sakharov pinned to his parka. He said that many of Sakharov’s democracy slogans from the Soviet perestroika period are relevant to Russia today. In a reminder that Russia, the world’s biggest country, can make large and sudden political changes, this Sunday, Christmas Day, marks 20 years since former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev appeared on national television and dissolved the Soviet Union. ]]></description>
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		<title>Moscow Protests Get Legs with Social Media</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/moscow-protests-get-legs-with-social-media/</link>
		<comments>http://www.j-hady.com/moscow-protests-get-legs-with-social-media/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:59:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Top News]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[ A Moscow march to protest election fraud unexpectedly drew tens of thousands of people on Saturday. With 40 percent of Russian adults online, many say social media, including the Russian social networking site VKontakte, has made it possible for a long stalled opposition movement in Russia to organize a rally that size. Last Saturday Danila Lindele stood in downtown Moscow tweeting about the revolution. Dressed in a sweater his mother knit him, the 23-year-old is a new breed of Russian activist more likely to reach for an iPad than a bullhorn. "When it comes to the rally today, Internet has played an extremely vital role in making it happen because nothing was broadcast on television. Everything is disseminated through Twitter, Facebook and through our VK site," he said. After recent parliamentary elections, YouTube was flooded with videos alleging vote rigging by the country's ruling United Russia party. Russia's state-run media on the other hand was conspicuously silent. Protesters like 22-year-old student and first-time election observer Denis Kandrotenko are keenly aware of the information divide between television and the Internet. "I know the real amount of votes United Russia received during the elections. It received very few votes. And because of that the people, rose up and came out today. They want fair and honest elections, not what they show us on TV," he said. According to a report by Russian search giant Yandex, Russia has over one million Twitter users. A five-fold increase over last year. And nearly 40,000 people signed up to attend Saturday's rally on Facebook, despite efforts by state-run television to brand such gatherings as dangerous and the protesters themselves as violent rabble rousers. Masha Lipman, an analyst at Carnegie Center Moscow, admits the Internet is an important tool, but says it was election fraud, not micro-blogging, that galvanized people. “As soon as the mood was one of action, not just sitting there and grumbling, the Internet came in very handy and indeed played a huge role ... in actually planning and organizing the rally that brought together an unprecedented number of people," she said. Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Moscow on Saturday, the largest number to rally since the fall of the Soviet Union nearly two decades ago. Organizers were keenly aware they couldn't have done it without the Internet. “I want to say a big hello to Twitter and Facebook. Hoorah Internet! Today they [points at Kremlin] can't control us thanks to social networking sites and us," said writer Sergei Shargunov. Still, Carnegie's Masha Lipman said, "There were revolutions before the age of Internet and even before radio and television. We had a powerful showing of public sentiments and public activism back 20 years ago, late 80s. ... our rallies were 10 times bigger than what we had in Russia on Saturday." ]]></description>
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		<title>Medvedev Orders Probe Of Russian Election Fraud Allegations</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/medvedev-orders-probe-of-russian-election-fraud-allegations/</link>
		<comments>http://www.j-hady.com/medvedev-orders-probe-of-russian-election-fraud-allegations/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:06:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday ordered an investigation into the allegations of electoral fraud during last week's parliamentary vote. The announcement came a day after tens of thousands of people rallied in Moscow and other cities to demand the December 4 polls won by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's ruling United Russia party be annulled and rerun. In a post on the social media site Facebook, Mr. Medvedev said that "although he does not agree with any slogans or speeches made at the rallies, he has given instructions to check all information from polling station regarding compliance with the election laws." Within minutes of his statement, Mr. Medvedev had received over 1,000 comments on his Facebook site, most of them angry and some disrespectful.  "Shame!" and "We do not believe you!" were the most common. Neither the president nor Putin has appeared in public in recent days, as protest organizers sought to harness opposition to the outcome of the polls.  Critics accuse Mr. Putin's ruling United Russia party of complicity in widespread vote rigging and other irregularities.   Saturday's rallies in Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Far Eastern cities of Khabarovsk and Vladivostok were the largest to hit Russia since the tumultuous 1990s and were largely peaceful.  However, protests in Moscow and St. Petersburg last week triggered a massive police presence and the arrests of hundreds of demonstrators. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe on Sunday urged Russia's leaders "to hold a dialogue, to avoid violence, and to let the opposition demonstrate and learn the lessons for the organization of the next presidential elections." Juppe also criticized Putin's plan to return to the presidency by swapping places with Mr. Medvedev.  He said people do not like it very much when one plays with the democratic process.  "To say that I am prime minister and you can have the presidency, and vice-versa, that is something that ends up angering people," Juppe added.   Last month, Mr. Putin formally accepted his party's nomination to return to the presidency -- a post that analysts have said he is certain to win.  He announced his intentions in September, confirming a deal under which he would appoint President Medvedev as his prime minister. The planned job swap has angered many in Russia, who said it would strengthen authoritarian rule and clear the way for Mr. Putin to become Russia's longest-serving leader since communist times. If he regains the presidency, the 59-year-old Mr. Putin could serve two more 6-year terms and remain in power until 2024.  He was first elected president in 2000. Photo Gallery: Russians Protest Against Putin, for Democracy Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. ]]></description>
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		<title>Tens of Thousands Protest Alleged Voter Fraud in Russia</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/tens-of-thousands-protest-alleged-voter-fraud-in-russia/</link>
		<comments>http://www.j-hady.com/tens-of-thousands-protest-alleged-voter-fraud-in-russia/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:38:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Protesters came out across the world’s largest country to demand clean elections and to say what, only one week ago, was unsayable. “Russia Without Putin” was the favorite chant of thousands of demonstrators who marched within earshot of the Kremlin in the largest pro-democracy demonstration since Vladimir Putin came to power in 2000. From Vladivostok on the Pacific Coast to Kaliningrad on the Baltic, tens of thousands of Russians turned out to protest what they called blatant fraud in last Sunday’s parliamentary elections. Standing on Revolution Square in Moscow, Evgenia Chirikova, an opposition leader, talked to VOA before joining a rally police estimated at 20,000 people although organizers claimed there were many more there. Speaking in Russian, she said the democracy movement demands new elections and the release of political prisoners. Last week, police responded harshly to street protests, arresting an estimated 1,600 people. Riot police and military trucks line the streets of downtown Moscow. (VOA - Yuli Weeks) On Saturday, less than 100 people were arrested nationwide. At the end of the Moscow rally, demonstrators faced the long lines of riot police and chanted: “Police, part of the people.” State-run TV broke their weeklong blackout and covered protests, showing thousands of people in Moscow filling a park, spilling over a bridge and covering a facing embankment. Alexei Venediktov, the white haired director of Ekho Moscow Radio, fought Soviet authorities in the 1980s.  "Here is the new generation, the Putin generation," he said. "They voted, had their votes stolen, and now they want a fair system." Authorities did their best to keep Russia’s new generation away. On Friday, Moscow school officials declared a mandatory test for all high school students, scheduling it for the precise time of the Saturday demonstration. Federal health officials warned parents that respiratory diseases can be communicated in large groups of people. The Army warned that they would be checking for draft dodgers as protesters filed through metal detectors. A judge kept the most charismatic protest leader, Alexei Navalny, in jail. The imprisoned leaders responded by banging their cell doors and chanting protest slogans at the time of the mass protest. And when the protest hour approached, thousands upon thousands of Muscovites emerged from nearby metro stations, trudging through the first light snow of winter. Corruption and a rejection of Mr. Putin were the most common reasons cited by people at the protest. Roman Sytnikov, the 32-year-old director of a logistics company, also said it was his first time at a demonstration. Sytnikov said he cannot keep silent any more because the corruption is too great. Like many protesters, Andrei, a 24-year-old computer worker, said he had found about the protest through the internet. He surveyed the massive crowd, the young men who climbed trees to get a better view, and said: “I feel happy, because it is great that people understand what is happening.” Roman Protasevich, a 31-year-old financial advisor, said he no longer has a television. He gets all his information off the web. He said Prime Minister Putin showed a Soviet mentality when he charged Thursday that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton activated the protests by sending out a “signal.” “This is very funny," Protasevich said. "Actually when I heard your English, I wanted to make a joke that you are the American spies here. But Putin continues to say what he used to say before. But it is very funny. No one believes in this.” On March 4, Mr. Putin faces voters as he seeks a new, six-year term as president. One week ago, everyone thought his electoral victory would be automatic. After Saturday's protests across Russia, all bets are off. ]]></description>
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		<title>Most EU Countries Accept New Fiscal Deal</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/most-eu-countries-accept-new-fiscal-deal/</link>
		<comments>http://www.j-hady.com/most-eu-countries-accept-new-fiscal-deal/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 10 Dec 2011 07:44:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.j-hady.com/most-eu-countries-accept-new-fiscal-deal/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Most members of the European Union agreed to a new deal Friday that is intended to address debt problems that have threatened the common euro currency and driven Europe into an economic crisis. The agreement increases EU supervision of government budgets of member nations. France and Germany pushed hard for the deal. After tough negotiations in Brussels, all 17 European Union members that use the euro, and some other EU nations, agreed to the plan. That pleased German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "I am very pleased with the results of yesterday's talks - this is not a foreign compromise for the sake of the Euro. Across the world, people will see that we've learned from mistakes made in the past," said Merkel. EU leaders hope financial markets will be reassured by the plan's long-term solution to the eurozone government debt crisis. Greece, Portugal and Ireland have already received international bailouts because of their debt, and some analysts feared even greater needs from Spain and Italy. EU leaders also agreed to give the International Monetary Fund another $260 billion for programs to keep the current crisis from spreading. But Britain rejected the deal. It is the strongest of the EU nations that do not use the euro and a major financial center. A proposed tax on financial transactions was one of several issues that raised concerns for British Prime Minister David Cameron.   "What is on offer isn't in Britain's interests and I didn't agree to it," said Cameron. Stock markets and the value of the euro rose Friday after the deal was announced. Economists were split about whether the deal would do enough to prevent future fiscal crises and solve the current problems. In Frankfurt, Germany, Chris Zwermann, of Zwermann Financial, said it may be just as well that Britain did not agree to the deal.   "We get the possibility to make decisions for the Euro countries, which means 17 countries without any influence from other countries who don't belong into this area," said Zwermann. Deutsche Bank's Stefan Schneider welcomes the agreement to enforce deficit limits. "Because otherwise, you know, something, 'just let's pull the check book and write a check' - I think that ultimately would cause a serious problem in terms of democracy," said Schneider. The deal needs final ratification by member countries, and could be signed by March. ]]></description>
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		<title>Putin Accuses US of Provoking Unrest</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/putin-accuses-us-of-provoking-unrest/</link>
		<comments>http://www.j-hady.com/putin-accuses-us-of-provoking-unrest/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:19:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.j-hady.com/putin-accuses-us-of-provoking-unrest/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is lashing out at the United States, accusing Washington of riling up the opposition. Putin said Thursday that remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "gave a signal" to his opponents. Clinton said Tuesday that Russia's parliamentary elections were neither free nor fair, and that the results raised "serious concerns." Opposition leaders have overseen three days of protests to express their frustration with the elections.  International observers say Sunday's vote was marred by widespread allegations of ballot-box stuffing and other irregularities. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has called for Russia's parliamentary election to be annulled and a new vote held.  The 80-year-old said the results do not reflect the will of the people. Fifty-thousand police officers backed by helicopters patrolled the streets of Moscow Wednesday - arresting 50 demonstrators - in a show of force.  Security officials said 550 people had been arrested in Moscow protests the night before. A social networking site is promising nightly protests, but Russia's state-run television channels have not mentioned the protests or the police buildup. Opposition organizers have scheduled four major protests to be held in Moscow over the next 10 days, with the first set for Saturday near the Kremlin.  Authorities have granted a permit for 300 people, but 23,000 have pledged to attend through Facebook and a Russian social networking site.   Pro-government supporters also rallied around the Kremlin.  Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia party won Sunday's vote, but with a considerably reduced parliamentary majority, at around 50 percent. Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP. ]]></description>
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		<title>Gorbachev Calls for New Elections, Russian Security Forces Patrol Moscow Streets</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/gorbachev-calls-for-new-elections-russian-security-forces-patrol-moscow-streets/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:44:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.j-hady.com/gorbachev-calls-for-new-elections-russian-security-forces-patrol-moscow-streets/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Russia’s protest movement continues to move from the Internet to the streets and protesters have won an unexpected ally, the last leader of the Soviet Union.   Mikhail Gorbachev says Russia’s elections on Sunday were unfair, and he is calling on authorities to hold new ones. Mr. Gorbachev told Russia’s Interfax news agency, “The leadership of the country should admit that numerous falsifications and ballot-box stuffing took place, and that the announced results do not reflect the will of the people.” The 80-year-old former leader added that “ignoring public opinion discredits authorities and destabilizes the situation.” In 1990, Mr. Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize for loosening Soviet control over Eastern Europe.  But the next year, he presided over the collapse of the Soviet Union, an act that is resented by many Russians today. But Mr. Gorbachev’s low level of popularity in Russia was not enough for authorities to loosen a total TV blackout on criticism of Sunday’s parliamentary elections. On Wednesday, police helicopters patrolled the skies of Moscow, police trucks lined city squares, 50,000 police patrolled streets, and security officials said 550 people had been arrested in Moscow protests the night before.  But state-run TV channels did not carry a word of this. Instead, they found time to air features on reindeer tagging in the Arctic, radioactive baby food in Japan, and President Dmitry Medvedev meeting with Cossack leaders. The only political coverage was a silent video of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin officially registering his candidacy to run for president in the March 4 election. Analyst Vladimir Tikhomirov, of the Moscow investment house Otkritie, says Mr. Putin now faces an unexpectedly hard election fight. “The activity of the protesters shows that Putin would have a very hard time building up his constituency in the presidential elections," he said. Knowledge that Mr. Putin could possibly run Russia through 2024 is fueling the protests. Organizers have scheduled four major protests in Moscow for the next 10 days. The first one is to be Saturday on Revolution Square, 50 meters from the Kremlin. The permit is for 300 people. But 23,000 people have pledged to go through Facebook and a Russian social networking site. Another 15,000 have said they might go. Bracing for more protests in Moscow, police towed away cars and placed metal fences around Triumfalnaya Square, the site of one of four attempted protests Tuesday. With one social networking site promisting nightly protests, police arrested 50 protesters late Wednesday in Moscow and 100 in St. Petersburg. It also appears to be the provinces' turn, as 1,000 people protested the elections in Kaliningrad, Russia’s western-most territory, a region sandwiched between two European Union countries, Poland and Lithuania. Nearby, at a European meeting in Lithuania, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected election criticism by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Lavrov said she attacked the Russian elections “only to impress her voters in the Democratic Party.” Even that, criticism of election criticism, was deemed too controversial to make the news on Russia’s state-run TV. Photo Gallery: Russian Protests ]]></description>
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