Category: International Affairs,

Syria chemical ‘attack’: Damascus attaches conditions to UN inquiry 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Middle East,Leave a comment

At least 27 children were killed in the alleged chemical attack on Tuesday.

…The Syrian foreign minister has set out conditions for any UN investigation into the deaths of dozens of people from a chemical agent on Tuesday.

Walid Muallem told the BBC it would have to be non-political, involve “many countries” and “start from Damascus” before his government could accept.

He denied Syria had dropped chemical weapons from the air, despite facing widespread scepticism.

Syria chemical ‘attack’: Damascus attaches conditions to UN inquiry – BBC News

Oi….

ISIL kills dozens execution-style in Syria 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Middle East,Leave a comment

[ISIL] killed 33 people execution-style in eastern Syria on Wednesday, according to a monitoring group.

…The report said the people were between ages 18 and 25 and were “killed by sharp tools.” It added that it is unknown whether the victims were Syrian government forces, allied militia or rebel factions.

The report came as [ISIL] killed at least 22 people in the Iraqi city of Tikrit, also on Wednesday.

[ISIL] gunmen indiscriminately opened fire on police and civilians in the central Iraqi city before they blew themselves up, police officials told CNN. At least 31 other people were wounded in the attack.

ISIS kills dozens execution-style in Syria – CNN.com

hmmmm

Putin’s ex-wife and the fancy French villa the official disclosed “facts” would have her in no way able to afford 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Central Northern Asia and The Caucasus,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

But the OCCRP’s discovery of the luxury villa in France also raised questions about how Lyudmila or her new husband could afford such a lavish property. Artur Ocheretny is the director of a nonprofit organization, the Center for the Development of Interpersonal Communications, which is best known for being closely linked to Lyudmila. …The OCCRP notes that Russian NGO directors do not generally receive high salaries, and none of Ocheretny’s business ventures appear to be a success.

Lyudmila is not officially wealthy, either. Until her divorce, she was required by law to declare her assets and income, and she never declared much. In fact, Vladimir Putin’s own wealth declarations are similarly sparse, with a $147,000 salary and limited assets, including a Moscow apartment, a plot of land and three cars, listed on his 2015 statement.

There has long been speculation, however, that Putin and those close to him are significantly wealthier than they let on. Some estimates for the Russian president’s personal wealth go as high as $200 billion, though they are backed by sparse evidence. A 2016 leak of records from a law firm based in Panama did suggest that associates known to be close to Putin held as much as $2 billion through offshore accounts.

…Reuters reported in 2015 that Katerina Tikhonova, widely said to be the younger of Putin’s two daughters, owned a seaside villa in Biarritz that was worth about $3.7 million at the time. She and her husband, Kirill Shamalov, the son of a friend of the Russian president, together were worth around $2 billion, the news agency reported.

Putin’s ex-wife returns to the spotlight with a dashing young husband and a fancy French villa – The Washington Post

hmmm

China Uighurs: Xinjiang ban on long beards and veils

On By peanutgallerynhIn East Asia,Leave a comment

Beijing says the measures, which also ban refusing to watch state TV, will combat Islamist extremism.

…But rights groups say the unrest is more a reaction to repressive policies, and argue that the new measures may end up pushing some Uighurs into extremism.

…Reuters news agency reports that the new laws also ban:

  • Not allowing children to attend government schools
  • Not abiding by family planning policies
  • Deliberately damaging legal documents
  • Marrying using only religious procedures

China Uighurs: Xinjiang ban on long beards and veils – BBC News

hmmmm

John Oliver’s interview with the Dalai Lama is an unexpected delight 

On By peanutgallerynhIn East Asia,, Media and Culture,, Religion,Leave a comment

The Dalai Lama wants the Last Week Tonight host to be his demon best friend forever.

Source: John Oliver’s interview with the Dalai Lama is an unexpected delight – Vox

 

How can you not just love both of these men?

(Sorry, China. You’ll never captivate American hearts and minds or be seen as honorable truth-tellers the way either of these guys do. It’s not you… It’s us. Apart from our own politics we just do love ourselves some authentic stuff.)