Friday, December 28, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Regulate Drones now before this happens!!! ‘Citizen Drone Warfare’: Hobbyist explores a frightening scenario (Video)
OK, so I am joking, but this is an interesting demonstration that anything can be changed to a weapon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Jplh7uatr-E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Jplh7uatr-E
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Fox’s bloody t-shirt: Newtown images shows risks of automated advertising
I say this was intentional, but then I am cynical of all media outlets.
http://paidcontent.org/2012/12/18/foxs-bloody-t-shirt-newtown-images-shows-risks-of-automated-advertising/
http://paidcontent.org/2012/12/18/foxs-bloody-t-shirt-newtown-images-shows-risks-of-automated-advertising/
Monday, December 17, 2012
Weapons Ban On First Day Of Congress
After 20 years the plan to ban guns is back
http://www.dailypaul.com/266545/feinstein-to-introduce-assault-weapons-ban-on-first-day-of-congress
http://www.dailypaul.com/266545/feinstein-to-introduce-assault-weapons-ban-on-first-day-of-congress
Mother homeschooled. Another attach of the right to teach our own children.
At the 1:50pm mark they accuse the mother of homeschooling.
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2012/12/16/nr-candiotti-ct-shooting.cnn
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2012/12/16/nr-candiotti-ct-shooting.cnn
Russians put Soyuz in place for ISS mission. Is there a split in the world?
So the big deal about the ISS was that it was run by all the World. So now that the Soyuz is going up again. This could demonstrate that a new Cold war is coming.
http://www.slashgear.com/russians-put-soyuz-in-place-for-iss-mission-17261126
http://www.slashgear.com/russians-put-soyuz-in-place-for-iss-mission-17261126
My mission will be to add bullet proof doors for classes
So in the case of school shootings. We lock doors but people can still shoot through the door. Are the doors bullet proof. If not why not?
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Hillary Clinton recovering after fainting, suffering a concussion
More proof that we live under a UN government
Porn site owner extradited to Germany in tax case
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2012/12/14/15907504-porn-site-owner-extradited-to-germany-in-tax-case
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2012/12/14/15907504-porn-site-owner-extradited-to-germany-in-tax-case
Friday, December 14, 2012
UPdated:3 Countries pull out ITU Internet talks.
http://www.neowin.net/news/us-and-other-counties-pull-out-of-un-internet-talks
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2012/12/09/15816233-un-telecom-chief-surprised-by-us-led-treaty-snub
http://beefviper.newsvine.com/_news/2012/12/14/15906996-internet-remains-unregulated-after-un-treaty-blocked
http://mashable.com/2012/12/14/un-internet-treaty-approved
Russia backs down over UN internet regulation - Telegraph
http://manzil.newsvine.com/_news/2012/12/11/15840377-russia-backs-down-over-un-internet-regulation-telegraph
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2012/12/09/15816233-un-telecom-chief-surprised-by-us-led-treaty-snub
http://beefviper.newsvine.com/_news/2012/12/14/15906996-internet-remains-unregulated-after-un-treaty-blocked
http://mashable.com/2012/12/14/un-internet-treaty-approved
Russia backs down over UN internet regulation - Telegraph
http://manzil.newsvine.com/_news/2012/12/11/15840377-russia-backs-down-over-un-internet-regulation-telegraph
Obama Gives the wink of Illuminati. OBAMA: WE NEED TO TAKE 'MEANINGFUL ACTION'
The shootings on Friday the 13th are the worst thing. It is just terrible. What is worse is the hype and news reports that want us to jump into bed with every gun hatting liberal. Obama is planning to sell our gun rights per the UN Gun treaty Hillary has already signed.
I believe the sign in this picture from the Business Insider is a Illuminati(noti) watch this sign or something. Very suspicious and shit based on what happened.
http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-shooting-response-2012-12
I believe the sign in this picture from the Business Insider is a Illuminati(noti) watch this sign or something. Very suspicious and shit based on what happened.
http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-shooting-response-2012-12
Apple maps stories just an advertising campaign to get people on Google maps?
Apple Maps and Apps: Are They Killing Everyone?
NY MET fares will not increase by as much as expected.
THE FARE HIKE MAY NOT BE SO BAD, AFTER ALL http://www.animalnewyork.com/2012/the-fare-hike-may-not-be-so-bad-after-all/
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Internet Explorer flaw may let ad firms track mouse input, Microsoft says that will change
So is the mouse tracking really unintentional, or is it being used by NASA and corporations?
http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/13/internet-explorer-flaw-reportedly-lets-ad-firms-track-mouse-input/
http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/13/internet-explorer-flaw-reportedly-lets-ad-firms-track-mouse-input/
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Anon on the run: How Commander X jumped bail and fled to Canada
"the USA has become so tyrannical that a human rights/information activist would feel compelled to flee into exile and seek sanctuary in another country.”
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/12/anon-on-the-run-how-commander-x-jumped-bai/#p3n
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/12/anon-on-the-run-how-commander-x-jumped-bai/#p3n
Monday, December 10, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Friday, December 7, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
We are being prepared for a Syria envasion.
So there is a lot os talk of Syria having weapons of mass destruction (Chemical weapons ready to kill everyone), then there are stores like this one from Unicef
UNICEF condemns school shelling near Syrian capital
and hit pieces like this
Syria Loads Chemical Weapons into Bombs; Military Awaits Assad's Order
The last thing the US or Europe needs is to invade another country.
NATO missiles on the Turkey-Syria border: A big blow to Assad?
The last thing the US or Europe needs is to invade another country.
NATO missiles on the Turkey-Syria border: A big blow to Assad?
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Revealed: ITU's deep packet snooping standard leaks online
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/12/06/dpi_standard_leaked/
From Boing Boing
http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/leaked-itus-secret-internet.html
documents
DRAFT NEW RECOMMENDATION ITU-T Y.2770 PROPOSED FOR APPROVAL AT THE WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION STANDARDIZATION CONFERENCE (WTSA-12) [ZIPped DOCX file]
DRAFT NEW RECOMMENDATION ITU-T Y.2770 PROPOSED FOR APPROVAL AT THE WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION STANDARDIZATION CONFERENCE (WTSA-12) [ZIPped DOCX file]
From Boing Boing
http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/leaked-itus-secret-internet.html
documents
DRAFT NEW RECOMMENDATION ITU-T Y.2770 PROPOSED FOR APPROVAL AT THE WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION STANDARDIZATION CONFERENCE (WTSA-12) [ZIPped DOCX file]
DRAFT NEW RECOMMENDATION ITU-T Y.2770 PROPOSED FOR APPROVAL AT THE WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION STANDARDIZATION CONFERENCE (WTSA-12) [ZIPped DOCX file]
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Obama signs Safe Web Act into law, extends FTC power to combat online scam artists
http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/04/obama-signs-safe-web-act-online-scammer/
U.S. SAFE WEB ACT OF 2006 EXTENSION ACT, 158 Cong Rec H 5829
September 11, 2012
Reporter: 158 Cong Rec H 5829
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- HOUSE > 112th Congress, 2nd Session > House > September 2012 > September 11, 2012 > U.S. SAFE WEB ACT OF 2006 EXTEN- SION ACT
Reference: Vol. 158, No. 121
Section: House
Speaker: Mrs. BONO MACK; Mr. BUTTERFIELD; Mr. STEARNS
Text
[*5829]
Mrs. BONO MACK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6131) to extend the Undertaking Spam, Spyware, And Fraud Enforcement With Enforcers beyond Borders Act of 2006, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 6131
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Con- gress assembled,
SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF THE U.S. SAFE WEB ACT OF 2006.
Section 13 of the U.S. SAFE WEB Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-455; 15 U.S.C. 44 note) is amended to read as follows: ″
SEC. 13. SUNSET. ″
Effective September 30, 2020, this Act, and the amendments made by this Act, are repealed, and any provision of law amended by this Act shall be amended to read as if this Act had not been enacted into law. ″ .
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Bono Mack) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
General Leave
David Humphries
Mrs. BONO MACK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legisla- tive days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Re- cord on H.R. 6131.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Califor- nia?
There was no objection.
Mrs. BONO MACK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6131, a bill to reauthorize the U.S. SAFE Web Act of 2006.
I would like to thank Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Upton for his leadership on this important issue, as well as Ranking Member Waxman. But a special thank you also goes out to my good friend and lead coauthor of H.R. 6131, our subcommittee’s ranking member, Mr. But- terfield of North Carolina, for his strong bipartisan support.
When it comes to the future of electronic commerce, consumer trust and online privacy are trend- ing topics thatAmericans care very deeply about. Today, the Internet serves billions of users world- wide with e-commerce in the U.S. topping $200 billion last year for the first time and up a re- markable 15 percent so far this year. But lurking online are hackers, cyberthieves, and even organized crime rings.
As someone who is deeply involved in online privacy issues, as well as consumer protection, I’m very concerned that e-commerce will cease to grow and flourish if Americans lose faith in their ability to be protected from online predators, jeopardizing future innovation, as well as our Na- tion’s fragile economic recovery.
One important tool in combating crossborder fraud, spam, and spyware is this act, which is set to expire next year. H.R. 6131 reauthorizes important crime-fighting and consumer protection law for another 7 years.
By any measure, the U.S. SAFE Web Act has been extremely effective, allowing the Federal Trade Commission to better protect U.S. consumers from fraud, deception, spam and spyware, and crossborder cases involving threats originating both domestically and abroad. And to give you an idea of just how well it’s working, no opposition to reauthorizing the law has been ex- pressed from either the business community or by advocacy groups.
Most importantly, the U.S. SAFE Web Act enhances the FTC’s investigative and enforcement func- tions by authorizing information sharing with foreign enforcement agencies, something the com- mission may not do without express authorization. The act only allows information sharing with countries whose law on data sharing is substantially similar to that governing the FTC, and the FTC may share data only under conditions where the information will be treated confiden- tially and a country will reciprocate information sharing with the FTC. Clearly, we would be fight- ing an uphill battle if these critically important consumer protections were not in place.
About a decade ago, the Federal Trade Commission began to highlight the growing problems that it encountered in effectively combating Internet scams and fraud directed at American citi- zens by foreign operators, oftentimes involving organized crime rings. By 2005, an estimated 20 per-
Page 2 of 5
158 Cong Rec H 5829, *5829
David Humphries
cent of consumer complaints the FTC received involved fraud originating outside of the U.S., cost- ing American consumers hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
In order to expand its ability to effectively fight online fraud, the FTC sent Congress legislative rec- ommendations in 2005 seeking additional authorities. Without objection, Congress passed the U.S. SAFE Web Act on December 6, 2006, and it was signed into law 2 weeks later by Presi- dent Bush. For American consumers, the U.S. SAFE Web Act has been a clear success to date, and it should be reauthorized before its expiration next year.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge the passage of H.R. 6131, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6131, a bill that will reauthorize certain pow- ers granted to the Federal Trade Commission under the U.S. SAFE Web Act that are set to ex- pire very soon.
Congresswoman Bono Mack, the chair of the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommit- tee of Energy and Commerce and I and our staffs worked together in a bipartisan manner to quickly get this very important reauthorization language out of the committee and onto the House floor.
When the bill was first authored in the 109th Congress, it was overwhelmingly supported by both Republicans and Democrats and passed the House under suspension of the rules. So I am happy to see that this reauthorization is proceeding in much the same way.
This law provides the Federal Trade Commission with expanded and enhanced authorities with the aim of combating crossborder spyware and spam attacks against the U.S., as well as helping pro- tect consumers from phony Internet rip-offs and telemarketing scams. The enhanced authority has empowered the FTC to better protect American consumers through robust crossborder infor- mation sharing, investigative assistance, and coalition building with foreign consumer protec- tion agencies.
In a 2009 report to Congress, the FTC noted the significant role the act has played in facilitating crossborder cooperation in investigations and enforcement proceedings, along with the growing need for continued cooperation to combat new and existing global fraud. Simply put, Mr. Speaker, the expanded authorities are working to protect the American people, and Congress needs to make sure they remain in place so the Federal Trade Commission can effectively combat crossbor- der scams.
The original SAFE Web Act passed in the 109th Congress included a sunset provision that will cause these enhanced authorities to expire in December of next year. H.R. 6131 will extend these authorities to September of the year 2020.
Mr. Speaker, I am a strong supporter of granting the FTC the powers it needs to effectively pro- tect consumers against fraud, whether originating here or abroad.
So I joined my good friend, Congresswoman Bono Mack, in pushing the 7-year extension in this bill. It is important to highlight that each and every FTC Commissioner, all of them, of both po- litical parties, have called for a permanent reauthorization.
I joined with the FTC in calling for the sunset clause in the U.S. SAFE WEB Act to be com- pletely repealed, and it is still, it is still my opinion and the opinion of several in our committee that this is a better approach.
Page 3 of 5
158 Cong Rec H 5829, *5829
David Humphries
Nonetheless, Mr. Speaker, both parties can agree, and the FTC’s enforcement record shows, that this has been a successful law, so we should not delay. We should not delay or disrupt the FTC’s ability to protect the American people from those who want to take advantage of them. I hope my colleagues will agree with us and will join with us in supporting this measure. [*5830]
Again, I want to thank the gentlelady from California for her friendship and her leadership on the committee. You have just been extraordinary. I also want to thank the chairman of the full com- mittee, Mr. Upton, the gentleman from Michigan, as well as my ranking member, Mr. Waxman, from California. All of us, all of us have worked together so diligently to make this happen, and I thank you so very much.
I will close by simply reiterating what I have said the last 3 or 4 minutes. This is a good bill. We have bipartisan support for this bill. It has been expedited to the House floor. I ask my col- leagues to join with us and get it passed, and let’s get it enacted into law.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. BONO MACK. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I just would like to say that today, with nearly 1.5 bil- lion credit cards now in use in the U.S., nearly everyone has a stake in making certain that the FTC has the powers that it needs to combat cross-border fraud, spam, and spyware.
Rather than give the FTC more power, the U.S. SAFE WEB Act is simply giving the FTC the tools it needs to carry out its mission more effectively; and it’s done so without increasing the cost to American taxpayers, without any new rulemaking, and without any new investigative author- ity. Reauthorizing the U.S. SAFE WEB Act as soon as possible will avoid disrupting ongoing in- vestigations, allowing the FTC to continue to pursue cross-border fraud complaints and to con- tinue important information-sharing agreements with foreign law enforcement agencies.
Again, let me just emphasize that this is a critically important consumer protection bill, it enjoys broad bipartisan support, it doesn’t cost any additional money, and the clock is ticking. The law needs to be reauthorized now.
It’s good for American consumers, and it’s good for the future of e-commerce. It sends an impor- tant signal to the rest of the world that online crooks, no matter where they’re located, will be tracked down and prosecuted.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of H.R. 6131, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, in 2006 when the original SAFE WEB Act was signed into law, I was Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection. I believed then, as I believe now, that this bill provided needed authority to the Federal Trade Commission to address cross border fraud.
Essentially, the SAFE WEB Act ensures that the FTC can effectively combat Internet scams and fraud being perpetrated against U.S. citizens by foreign operators. Throughout my tenure in Con- gress I have worked to pass strong data security and cyber protections for consumers, and the SAFE WEB Act directly correlates with this mission.
Without reauthorization, the Act and its grant of authorities to the FTC will expire on December 22, 2013. I appreciate Chairman Bono Mack’s attention to this issue and focus on reauthoriz- ing this bill before it expires. Delay in reauthorization could threaten the strong relationships the FTC has been able to build with foreign countries, such as Canada, these past six years.
Page 4 of 5
158 Cong Rec H 5829, *5829
David Humphries
I am also pleased to see that while today’s bill will extend the SAFE WEB Act for an additional seven years, it also makes clear that the law will sunset if not again reauthorized. While I ap- plaud what the FTC has done so far, I support sun-setting laws that provide independent agen- cies with new authorities. Such action guards against bureaucratic overreach and preserves impor- tant Congressional oversight.
In conclusion, I believe this is an important bill and I encourage all my colleagues to support this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Cali- fornia (Mrs. Bono Mack) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6131.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Load-Date: September 17, 2012
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- HOUSE Copyright 2012 ProQuest LLC. , All Rights Reserved
TSA's new gadget (OK not yet)
CyPhy Works reveals tethered flying bots that can spy on you indefinitely (video)
http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/04/cyphy-works-reveals-tethered-flying-bots-that-stay-aloft-forever/Monday, December 3, 2012
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Question for the State Dep’t: Can the feds invite a U.S. citizen to the local embassy for the purpose of killing him?
Is this a hint that we were trying to kill our own citizen in Benghazi?
http://hotair.com/archives/2012/11/28/question-for-the-state-dept-can-the-feds-invite-a-u-s-citizen-to-the-local-embassy-for-the-purpose-of-killing-him/
http://hotair.com/archives/2012/11/28/question-for-the-state-dept-can-the-feds-invite-a-u-s-citizen-to-the-local-embassy-for-the-purpose-of-killing-him/
Friday, November 30, 2012
Ignoring the Science on Mammograms
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/28/ignoring-the-science-on-mammograms/
"The researchers found that, as expected, the introduction of mammogram screening led to an increase in the number of breast cancers detected at an early stage.
"The researchers found that, as expected, the introduction of mammogram screening led to an increase in the number of breast cancers detected at an early stage.
But importantly, the number of cancers diagnosed at the advanced stagewas essentially unchanged. If mammograms were really finding deadly cancers sooner (as suggested by the rise in early detection), then cases of advanced cancer should have been reduced in kind. But that didn’t happen. In other words, the researchers concluded, mammograms didn’t work."
Palistinian UN recognition.
How the U.S. should react to the U.N.'s recognition of a Palestinian state
http://theweek.com/article/index/237168/how-the-us-should-react-to-the-uns-recognition-of-a-palestinian-state
What the Palestinians will get from U.N. recognition
http://theweek.com/article/index/237097/what-the-palestinians-will-get-from-un-recognition
http://theweek.com/article/index/237168/how-the-us-should-react-to-the-uns-recognition-of-a-palestinian-state
What the Palestinians will get from U.N. recognition
http://theweek.com/article/index/237097/what-the-palestinians-will-get-from-un-recognition
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Guest diverts from the Bengazi script on Fox
Fox News pulls the plug on guest Thomas Ricks: Was he being rude or honest?http://theweek.com/article/index/236898/fox-news-pulls-the-plug-on-guest-thomas-ricks-was-he-being-rude-or-honest
Monday, November 26, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Updated: Texas school district's RFID tracking of students goes to court
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/11/texas-school-districts-rfid-tracking-of-students-goes-to-court/
Related story
Related story
Hacker Group Anonymous Takes Down NISD Over Student Tracking
Friday, November 23, 2012
Countries testing their missiles to show readyness
India successfully testfires interceptor missile
Russia tests, deploys Pantsir-S missile system
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Military shakeup in Russia, Chine and US in the last month.
News Analysis: Military shake-up in Russia adds luster to Putin
SECTION: WORLD NEWS; Political
LENGTH: 554 words
DATELINE: MOSCOW Nov. 10
telegraph.co.uk
November 16, 2012 Friday 9:50 PM GMT
Barack Obama
hit by another general setback;
Barack Obama'scrisis-hit national security team has suffered another setback as the former head of US Africa Command is demoted for submitting fraudulent expenses.
SECTION: NEWS
LENGTH: 228 words
SECTION: WORLD NEWS; Political
LENGTH: 554 words
DATELINE: MOSCOW Nov. 10
Russia's top military leadership has undergone a dramatic shake-up recently with both the defense minister and the chief of General Staff being removed.
President Vladimir Putin fired Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov on Tuesday over a corruption scandal, replacing him with former Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu. Three days later, the president dismissed army chief Nikolai Makarov.
fired Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov on Tuesday over a corruption scandal, replacing him with former Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu. Three days later, the president dismissed army chief Nikolai Makarov.
The ministerial replacement stems from the corruption scandal in the Oboronservice company, in which the former defense minister had served as board chairman until 2011.
According to the Russian Investigative Committee, the state-controlled company embezzled around 3 billion rubles (95 million U.S. dollars) of national defense budget and investigators were also probing Oboronservice as part of a criminal inquiry into public assets fraud.
In order to "create conditions for an objective investigation of all the issues," Putin decided to replace Serdyukov, a move which was well received in both the political arena and by the public.
The 50-year-old Serdyukov had been Defense Minister since February 2007. He launched military reforms, which included reorganizing the army and cutting the number of officers.
Meanwhile, Serdyukov replaced some military officials with civilians who had worked with him when he headed the tax ministry. This action triggered discontent among the military and political circles.
Speculation he would fall from grace had circulated for years, but he had received Putin's staunch backing.
However, this time the president moved to replace him without hesitation because people had started to question the country's national defense budget following the scandal.
Analysts said the reshuffle in the military ensured a smooth process of reforms, complied with people's aspirations and added luster to Putin's political achievements.
The Russian military was crying out for achievements in the armed forces, implementation of state defense orders and ongoing modernization, Putin said. Therefore he appointed Shoigu, who is considered a great strategist or a powerful military officer, to the post.
In August, the Russian president said the military-industrial complex was stimulating the development of other sectors. Meanwhile, he acknowledged that, in the past 30 years, Russia's military industry had missed several modern cycles due to inadequate funding. Only proper reforms could make up for the lost opportunities.
Serdyukov's dismissal also demonstrated the government's determination to combat corruption, which has long disturbed social development.
Yevgeny Primakov, former Russian prime minister, said sacking Serdyukov was not a simple change of personnel, but the start of purification of the authorities in the country.
In addition, the reshuffle would help Putin restore his reputation, said Igor Bunin, president of the Center for Political Technologies.
Bunin said, according to an opinion poll, Putin had seen a declining approval rating compared with his two previous presidencies. "Decisively removing tainted officials shows Putin's attitude towards corruption. To cut the Gordian knot will earn more reputation for the president in the army and among the people," he said.
China: Military Shake-Up Continues
BYLINE: By JANE PERLEZ
SECTION: Section A; Column 0; Foreign Desk; WORLD BRIEFING | ASIA; Pg. 9
LENGTH: 88 words
BYLINE: By JANE PERLEZ
SECTION: Section A; Column 0; Foreign Desk; WORLD BRIEFING | ASIA; Pg. 9
LENGTH: 88 words
A former deputy chief of the army's general staff, Lt. Gen. Wei Fenghe, has been promoted to commander of the Second Artillery Corps, home of the strategic missile force, the Defense Ministry said Monday. The new position, as head of one of China's most important military units, is part of a major turnover in China's armed forces and almost certainly assures General Wei a seat on the Central Military Commission, the military's top decision-making body. The commission will oversee the rapid modernization of China's military.
telegraph.co.uk
November 16, 2012 Friday 9:50 PM GMT
Barack Obama
hit by another general setback;Barack Obama's
crisis-hit national security team has suffered another setback as the former head of US Africa Command is demoted for submitting fraudulent expenses.SECTION: NEWS
LENGTH: 228 words
General William "Kip" Ward, previously a four-star general, was stripped of a star after using military vehicles to take his wife shopping and spending thousands of dollars staying at lavish hotels.
A lengthy investigation found the general had taken an 11-day trip to Washington DC and Atlanta with his military entourage that cost $129,000 (£81,000). Only three days of the excursion were for official business.
A defence official said the general would "retire at the rank of lieutenant general," a three-star post, and had also been ordered to repay the government $82,000 (£51,000).
On Tuesday a spokesman for Gen Ward said the commander had "never been motivated by personal gain and fulfilled each and every mission assigned to him." A spokesman for the Pentagon said Mr Panetta was "committed to ensuring that any improprieties or misconduct by senior officers are dealt with swiftly and appropriately."
Gen Ward's demotion came as Mr Obama faces a reshuffle of his cabinet. Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, and Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, have both signalled their intention to leave office early next year.
faces a reshuffle of his cabinet. Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, and Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, have both signalled their intention to leave office early next year.
In addition, CIA director Gen David Petraeus was forced to resign last week after admitting to an extramarital affair. Gen John Allen, commander of US and international forces in Afghanistan, has also been caught up in the scandal.
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