viernes, 29 de agosto de 2014

Liberals' darling Elizabeth Warren defends Israeli attacks on Gaza schools and hospitals

 
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) (Reuters / Joshua Roberts)
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) (Reuters / Joshua Roberts)
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Israel has the right to shell Palestinian hospitals and schools out of self defense as long as Hamas stores rocket launchers next to them, US Sen. Elizabeth Warren said during a town hall meeting in Massachusetts this week.
Warren, darling du jour of American liberals, defended her vote to send more defense funding to Israel in the middle of its recent fierce offensive on Gaza, saying she believes civilian casualties are the “last thing Israel wants,” according to the Cape Cod Times.
"But when Hamas puts its rocket launchers next to hospitals, next to schools, they're using their civilian population to protect their military assets. And I believe Israel has a right, at that point, to defend itself," she said.
Israel and Palestinian authorities reached a long-term ceasefire agreement this week after Israel started its campaign in Gaza on July 8. The death toll from the Gaza conflict has reached at least 2,120 people, of which 577 are children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
During the conflict, Israel targeted schools and hospitals in Gaza, claiming that rockets and militant fighters were nearby. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency criticized both Hamas for storing rockets in two schools and Israel for attacks on separate schools.
Attacks on hospitals are prohibited by the Geneva Convention’s Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War "unless they are used to commit, outside their humanitarian duties, acts harmful to the enemy." Even then, civilian hospitals can only be targeted "after due warning has been given, naming, in all appropriate cases, a reasonable time limit and after such warning has remained unheeded."

Palestinian children run near what remains of Ali ibn Abi Taleb government school after it was targeted overnight by Israeli airstrikes on August 26, 2014 in Gaza City. (AFP Photo / Mohammed Abed)
Palestinian children run near what remains of Ali ibn Abi Taleb government school after it was targeted overnight by Israeli airstrikes on August 26, 2014 in Gaza City. (AFP Photo / Mohammed Abed)
Warren said Hamas has attacked Israel "indiscriminately.” Thanks to Israel’s vaunted Iron Dome defense system, though, those rockets have "not had the terrorist effect Hamas hoped for."
Warren supported Israel’s military aggression, justifying its use of force based on America’s “very special relationship with Israel.”
"Israel lives in a very dangerous part of the world, and a part of the world where there aren't many liberal democracies and democracies that are controlled by the rule of law,” she said. “And we very much need an ally in that part of the world."
Warren also expressed unease with conditioning future US funding for Israel on the cessation of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
"I think there's a question of whether we should go that far," Warren said.
Last month, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said Israel may have committed war crimes in Gaza. Navi Pillay said house demolitions and the killing of children raise the “strong possibility” that Israel is violating international law.
More than 17,000 homes in Gaza were destroyed or damaged beyond repair, making around 100,000 Palestinians homeless, since the war began, according to UN estimates.
According to a senior UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) official, 373,000 Palestinian children are in need of “immediate psychosocial first aid” due to the onslaught of Israeli strikes.
“The impact has truly been vast, both at a very physical level, in terms of casualties, injuries, the infrastructure that's been damaged, but also importantly, emotionally and psychologically in terms of the destabilizing impact that not knowing, not truly feeling like there is anywhere safe place to go in Gaza,” Pernilla Ironside said last week.
UNICEF estimated that at least 219 schools have been damaged by Israeli airstrikes, while 22 were completely destroyed.

A picture taken from Gaza city shows the smoke that results from the launch of a long-range rocket from the north of the city towards Israel on July 12, 2014 following an advance warning of the attack by Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. (AFP Photo / Thomas Coex)
A picture taken from Gaza city shows the smoke that results from the launch of a long-range rocket from the north of the city towards Israel on July 12, 2014 following an advance warning of the attack by Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. (AFP Photo / Thomas Coex)
To demonstrate the extent of the damage in Gaza, Ironside estimated that it could take up to 18 years to rebuild the 17,000 housing units that were damaged in the conflict and in light of the ongoing blockade of the region limiting the movement of goods and people.
Israel has also barred major human rights organizations from entering Gaza territory.
Meanwhile, back in the United States, US Sen. Bernie Sanders, American liberals’ other favorite among establishment progressive politicians, has also defended US funding and arms for Israel. At a recent tense town hall in his native Vermont, Sanders condemned Israeli targeting of civilians, but then defended Israel “in a situation where Hamas is sending missiles into Israel” sent from “populated areas.”
"This is a very depressing and difficult issue. This has gone on for 60 bloody years," he said. "If you're asking me, do I have a magical solution? I don't. And you know what, I doubt very much that you do."

Ruble hits record low against US dollar

 
An exchange office in Moscow. On August 29, the Russian ruble hit an all-time low against the dollar. (RIA Novosti / Alexander Vilf)
An exchange office in Moscow. On August 29, the Russian ruble hit an all-time low against the dollar. (RIA Novosti / Alexander Vilf)
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​The Russian ruble has hit a record low against the US dollar on Friday, dropping to 37.10. The sharp devaluation comes amid rising concerns over the situation in Ukraine and investor fears that the West will unleash fresh sanctions against Russia.
The ruble has lost more than 10 percent against the dollar since the beginning of 2014. The previous record low of 37.0005 was set in March.
“Investors fear new economic sanctions against the Russian Federation and will be monitoring the West’s reaction to the appeals of the Ukrainian authorities. If the EU stance is less dogmatic, the Russian markets have a chance to increase,” Marianna Tkachenko, a portfolio manager at Allianz Investments, told Kommersant newspaper.
The ruble slid to 48.86 against the euro on the Moscow Exchange but hasn’t reached record lows set in March. “The euro’s tendency to weaken against the dollar also puts pressure on the ruble,” VTB Capital Analyst Maksim Korovin told RIA Novosti.
The currency made some gains on Friday afternoon, trading below 37 rubles, before again hitting 37 in the evening. At 7:00pm MSK, the ruble was valued at 37.10 against the dollar. Analysts said it could remain volatile amid developing events in Ukraine.
Heightened rhetoric from the West alleging a Russian military incursion into Ukrainian territory is believed to have triggered the drastic drop.
On Thursday, President Barack Obama said he may widen sanctions against Russia over the latest allegations.
Russia denied the claims and the OSCE confirmed that it had no evidence of a Russian military presence in Ukraine. Russia’s ruble is sensitive to political events, and has experienced great fluctuation in recent years.
The ruble’s value greatly depends on whether Russia’s Central Bank decides to intervene on behalf of the currency or not. The bank wants the overvalued currency to be free-floating, and has loosened its monetary controls.
“Ruble prospects are rather neutral. On the one hand, the regulator will not intervene until the dual currency basket (dollar and euro) reached 44.40 rubles (about 5 percent). Thus the ruble remains in the floating range and can continue to weaken in the case of continued political risks,” Korovin said.
If the Central Bank decides to spend billions of dollars to prop-up the sliding ruble, it will have to tighten monetary policy. Analysts predict this is likely if the dollar rate increases by another 2 rubles.
Russia’s economy grew 0.8 percent in the second quarter, beating predictions it would contract into a technical recession. Growth is still the slowest since 2009.

12 McDonald’s restaurants temporarily closed in Russia, 100 inspections underway

 
A woman takes pictures of an announcement on the door of a closed McDonald's restaurant (Reuters / Maxim Zmeyev)
A woman takes pictures of an announcement on the door of a closed McDonald's restaurant (Reuters / Maxim Zmeyev)
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Russia’s food safety watchdog has temporarily closed 12 McDonald’s outlets across the country as of Friday citing sanitary violations. Meanwhile, the company says it will “modernize” 18 other restaurants in renovations planned for September.
McDonald’s says 100 of its 440 restaurants in the country are currently under investigation over alleged sanitation issues.
"We are studying the essence of the claims in order to determine the necessary actions for the swift re-opening of restaurants for visitors," the company said in a statement Friday.
The fast-food giant said it will “do everything it can” to continue operations in Russia.
On the same day the company announced plans to modernize 18 outlets with new technology and decor, it said the closure of the locations in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Perm, Rostov-on-Don, Ufa, and other places will only last a few days.
Russia’s consumer quality authority has temporarily closed 12 locations. As of Friday, three McDonald's restaurants are temporarily closed in Moscow, including its first in iconic Pushkin Square, four in Krasnodar, one in Stavropol, two in Sochi, the host of the 2014 Winter Olympics. In the Ural mountain region, McDonald’s was closed in the city of Ekaterinburg. A location in Serpukhov, an old military town south of Moscow, has also been closed.
The first investigations into food hygiene at the restaurants took place in Veliky Novgorod in May.
Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich has said recently that Russia has no plans to completely shut down the restaurant chain.
The Illinois-based burger chain franchises the brand to Russian companies and individuals who own and operate the restaurants. Over 35,000 people are employed by the chain in Russia.
McDonald’s sold more than $1.5 billion worth of burgers, fries, and shakes to Russian customers in 2013, ranking it the company’s seventh largest market outside the US and Canada.
McDonald’s draws in over one million customers on a daily basis in Russia, according to its website

Ukraine must ensure gas transit to Europe - EU energy chief

 
EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger (R) attends a meeting with Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak (L) on August 29, 2014 in Moscow. (AFP Photo / Kirill Kudryavtsev)
EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger (R) attends a meeting with Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak (L) on August 29, 2014 in Moscow. (AFP Photo / Kirill Kudryavtsev)
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Russian-EU gas talks have progressed, but no solution was reached Friday over Russia and Ukraine’s gas standoff. Moscow says their $100 gas discount to Kiev stands, and the EU doesn’t want gas negotiations to be used to escalate the Ukraine crisis.
The gas situation is ‘critical’ Russia’s Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said after meeting with EU energy chief Gunther Oettinger in Moscow on Friday. The minister expressed concern about Ukraine’s preparations for the winter months as gas supplies dwindle, and warned Kiev might siphon off Europe-bound deliveries.
Russia said the will resume gas deliveries to Ukraine if they pay $1.45 billion of their gas debt, Aleksey Miller, CEO of Gazprom, said. Naftogaz, Ukraine's national oil and gas company, has a total debt of $5.3 billion.
Russia again offered Kiev a $100 gas price discount, bringing the total price down to $385 per 1,000 cubic meters, a lower price it charges any of its European customers. However, before Gazprom can offer the discount, Kiev has to begin repaying their debt.
In June, Gazprom switched Ukraine to a prepayment system after Kiev refused to pay its billion dollar debt or agree to price negotiations. Russian gas still flows through Ukraine to Europe, but Kiev cannot take any gas they don’t pay for up front.
In previous gas disputes, Russia has accused Ukraine of stealing gas.
Ukraine will likely run out of natural gas supplies before winter, as the country only has about 15 billion cubic meters in storage. Already, the government had to order a 30 percent cut in gas consumption to save up.
If Ukraine cuts off Russian gas transit, it would hit Europe, which sources 15 percent of its energy from Russia. Gazprom is working on strategies to deliver gas without Ukraine. Nord Stream, a set of twin pipelines that run under the Baltic Sea, began sending Russian gas directly to Germany in 2011. The pipe has a 55 billion cubic meter capacity.
Russia is also planning on completing a similar project for southern Europe, called South Stream.
The country is Europe's main energy source, supplying 30 percent of its natural gas. The most important transit pipeline between Russia and Europe is the 4,451 km ‘Brotherhood’ pipeline which stretches across Ukraine into Slovakia, and in 2013 delivered more than 50 billion cubic meters to Europe.
In the winters of 2006 and 2009, similar gas rows between Moscow and Kiev led Russia to cut off gas to Ukraine.
Ukraine imports nearly 50 percent of its gas from Russia, which in 2013 amounted to 27.7 billion cubic meters.
Earlier this week Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk claimed that Russia has a master plan to stop gas traveling through Ukraine to Europe in the winter months, which Novak later refuted as “groundless.”
Both countries plan on taking separate cases to the Stockholm arbitration court. Gazprom wants to recover its $5.3 billion in debt and Ukraine is seeking a $6 billion sum for 'unfair' gas prices and asking the court to review prices that were agreed on in 2010 under then-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.