skynewspolitics--2019-10-31--Johnson and Corbyn trade blows over who is 'the elite'

General election: Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn trade blows over who is 'the elite'  General election: Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn trade blows over who is 'the elite'  Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn traded blows over which one is "the elite" as day one of the pre-election campaign kicked off.  The two leaders sought to burnish their credentials on separate trips and position themselves as the true voice of "the people".  Rousing activists in the marginal Battersea seat Labour won from the Tories in 2017, Mr Corbyn attacked "born to rule" Conservatives and accused the prime minister of trying to "fool" people into thinking Brexit was being blocked by an "establishment elite".  "They know the Conservatives are the establishment elite," he insisted, adding the government will "fight harder and dirtier than ever before" to stay in power.  But Mr Johnson hit back, saying Mr Corbyn is "privately educated as well".  "This is not about where you come from or what your background is, this is about your vision for the country," the prime minister said.  "At the moment, not everyone has the same opportunity, we want to increase opportunity around the whole of the UK."  Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats sought to keep pace by revealing their election slogan: "Stop Brexit, build a brighter future."  The election campaign has been kickstarted early, ahead of parliament officially closing down early next week.  Mr Corbyn used his speech to repeat key Labour pledges - a minimum wage of £10 an hour for anyone older than 16; 30 hours of free child care for two-to-four year olds; scrapping tuition fees; renationalising rail, Royal Mail and water; and renegotiating a Brexit deal to be put to a referendum within six months of coming to power.  But he distanced himself from a policy passed by members at Labour's party conference last month to effectively abolish private schools, only saying it would be "discussed" at the next manifesto meeting.  When asked by Sky News what he made of his poor personal poll ratings, the Labour leader said "it's not about a presidential election".  He refused to say whether he will stand down if he loses the election.  His shadow chancellor John McDonnell also ruled out to Sky News forming any coalition or pact if Labour does not win a majority, insisting "we would run a minority government".  Mr Johnson, meanwhile, defended delaying Brexit while on a hospital trip in Cambridge, saying his deal was "oven-ready" and if he wins on 12 December - the first election held that month in nearly a century - Britain can be out of the EU "by the absolute latest by January next year".  He repeated pledges to invest in schools, hospitals and infrastructure to stimulate the economy.  "Let's get through the logjam now, get a new parliament going and then deliver on the priorities of the British people," he said.


sputnik--2019-02-22--Bernie Sanders Refuses to Recognise Guaido as Venezuelas Interim President

Bernie Sanders Refuses to Recognise Guaido as Venezuela's Interim President

In an interview with Univision’s Jorge Ramos, Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has just announced that he will run for US president in the 2020 election, has refused to recognise Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s president, having suggested that the US should ensure “free and fair” elections in the Latin American country.  “No. I think what has to happen right now — I think there are serious questions about the recent election. There are many people who feel it was a fraudulent election, and I think the United States has got to work with the international community to make sure that there is a free and fair election in Venezuela”, Sanders said.  When asked whether he believes that Nicolas Maduro is a “dictator” and should step down, Sanders seemingly avoided giving a direct answer to the question:  “I think clearly he has been very, very abusive. That is a decision of the Venezuelan people, so I think, Jorge, there’s got to be a free and fair election”.  Sanders’ reluctance to recognise Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president came shortly before the opposition leader issued his “presidential” decree number 001 in order to authorise the deliveries of humanitarian aid currently stockpiled in neighbouring Colombia.  His decision was made despite President Nicolas Maduro’s strong opposition to the deliveries, which he said might be used as a pretext for a foreign intervention in Venezuela.  Guaido Signs 1st ‘Presidential’ Decree to Allow Aid in Venezuela White House National Security Adviser John Bolton, in turn, said that the Venezuelan military, who support the Maduro government, should let “peaceful civilians at the Colombian and Brazilian borders peacefully bring in humanitarian aid”, warning that any infractions “will not be forgotten”.  Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump called on Venezuelan military officers to not follow orders given by Maduro to block the humanitarian aid deliveries to the country, adding that Washington is seeking a peaceful transition of power in the country but "all options" were on the table.  In the meantime, Maduro said Thursday that he sees a certain connection between Washington's rhetoric against Venezuela and the re-election campaign of Trump.  "Donald Trump has started his pre-election campaign… He's desperate, and so he really liked the idea of attacking Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua, and he thinks that, using this rhetoric of Cold War, he will improve [his rating], which in reality could lead to his total collapse", Maduro said in remarks broadcast by a local TV channel.  Tensions have been simmering in Venezuela since mid-January when Guaido declared himself the country’s president, challenging last May’s re-election of Maduro. The United States, Canada, Japan, Israel, a host of Latin American countries and a number of European nations have recognised the opposition leader, while Russia, Turkey, China, Mexico, and many others have voiced their support for Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimately elected president.  READ MORE: Stalled Coup: US' Allies May Soon Regret They Rushed to Embrace Guaido – Journo  Maduro, for his part, has slammed Guaido as a “puppet” of the United States, which he accused of staging a coup d’etat in Venezuela. He also cut diplomatic ties with Washington, although DC has refused to withdraw its personnel from the Latin American country.


sputnik--2019-02-23--Op Troika of Tyranny Pompeo Warns of More Regime Changes in Latin America

Op 'Troika of Tyranny'? Pompeo Warns of More Regime Changes in Latin America

In an interview with Christina Londono of Telemundo, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said that Washington seeks to change the regime not only in Venezuela, but also in Nicaragua and Cuba – the countries White House National Security Adviser John Bolton infamously dubbed a “troika of tyranny” in November 2018.  “Yes, President Trump’s administration has done so and will continue to do so not just in Venezuela but certainly Nicaragua and Cuba as well”, Pompeo said when asked whether the United States intends to “help” people in “undemocratic regimes”.  READ MORE: Twitterstorm as Rep. Ilhan Omar Asks US Venezuela Envoy if He'd Support Genocide  Pompeo went on to explain that the current policy differs from that of previous administrations:  “They recognise that these governments are treating their people harshly, presenting real risks, security risks to the people, privacy risks, denying them basic liberties. […] The United States under President Trump is working diligently in not just Venezuela but each of those two countries to achieve good outcomes for those people. […] The American people will support them”, the US secretary of state elaborated.  When Londono asked if he was hoping for a domino effect in the region, Pompeo answered that he wanted the citizens of those countries to realise that “the yoke of authoritarianism that has been foisted upon them is not necessary”.  “I hope that each of those countries, that the citizens of those countries understand… that they can have a different life and that they’ll continue their efforts, their goodwill, and their humanity towards achieving a better political situation, both in Venezuela and Nicaragua, and Cuba as well”.  Pompeo also reiterated that all options were on the table in Venezuela, but “we are very hopeful that the Venezuelan people and the Venezuelan military will come to understand that Maduro’s days are past”.  While the governments of Cuba and Nicaragua are yet to comment on Pompeo’s claims, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has launched a signature-gathering campaign against US interference, previously told Sputnik that the main objective behind Washington's involvement in Venezuela was the fact that the country has the biggest oil reserves in the world.  On Thursday, Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro said that the Trump administration’s policies and rhetoric towards Venezuela were linked to the re-election campaign of Donald Trump.  "Donald Trump has started his pre-election campaign… He's desperate, and so he really liked the idea of attacking Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua, and he thinks that, using this rhetoric of Cold War, he will improve [his rating], which in reality could lead to his total collapse", Maduro said in remarks broadcast by a local TV channel.  Earlier this week, Trump called on Venezuelan military officers not to follow orders given by Maduro to block the humanitarian aid deliveries to the country, adding that Washington is seeking a peaceful transition of power in the country but "all options" were on the table.  Venezuela Temporarily Closes Three Crossings at Colombian Border 'Due to Grave and Illegal Threats' The situation in crisis-torn Venezuela spiralled downward in mid-January when Juan Guaido, the head of the opposition-led National Assembly, declared himself the country’s interim president, challenging last May’s re-election of Maduro. The move was immediately recognised by the United States, its allies in the region and beyond, while Russia, China, Mexico, among other nations, voiced their full support for Maduro.  The US has been trying to push its humanitarian aid to Venezuela through Colombia, which was also accused by Maduro of trying to sabotage his government. While Maduro has consistently refused to allow the aid, currently stockpiled in Colombia, into the country out of national security concerns, Guaido signed his first “presidential” decree in order to authorise the deliveries.  Since the Cuban Revolution in 1959, tthe US has been trying to undermine the communist government in Havana, imposing stringent sanctions against the island and standing up against Fidel Castro, including the botched 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion to overthrow El Comandante.  READ MORE: Sanders' Refusal to Recognise Guaido May Cost Him 2020 Nomination — Florida Dems  In December 2014, Barack Obama's administration announced a decision to take steps toward a rapprochement with Havana after more than 50 years of non-engagement, although his historic move was scrapped by the current administration, which re-imposed economic, trade, and travel restrictions.  The United States has made repeated attempts to undermine the Nicaraguan government, with the most scandalous attempt from 1982-1989. The so-called Iran-Contra affair involved senior Reagan administration officials secretly facilitating the illegal sale of weapons to Iran, which was under an arms embargo, in a bid to use the money to support and fund the Contras, Nicaraguan paramilitaries attempting to topple the Sandinista government.  READ MORE: Venezuela Updated UN Chief on US Plan to 'Force' Humanitarian Aid Into Country  Currently, the situation in Nicaragua is reminiscent of that in Venezuela: last April, people took to the streets to protest against social security reforms that would have resulted in increased taxes. Even though, President Daniel Ortega eventually cancelled the envisaged reforms, protests didn’t stop and have morphed into a broader opposition movement.


sputnik--2019-11-27--Israeli Democratic Union Party Member: Departing Netanyahu 'Shatters Pillars of Democracy'

Thousands flocked to central Tel Aviv on Tuesday night to express support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as he continues to fight his legal battles.  Last week, Israel's Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced that he had decided to indict the premier in breach of trust, fraud and - in one case - even in bribery for his purported involvement in a number of graft probes including buying positive press and receiving illegal gifts from a rich donor. Netanyahu denies these allegations, while accusing left-wing politicians, the media and the judiciary system of a witch hunt.  But Yair (Yaya) Fink, a member of the Democratic Union Party, considered left-wing in Israel's political arena, thinks that Netanyahu has not always been corrupt.  Netanyahu is appreciated in the right-wing circles for his ability to confront terror and for the overhaul he did in the country's economy, transforming it from socialism oriented into a modern free-market economy. It was under Netanyahu that Israel made major breakthroughs in privatisation removing entire industries from government control and signing free trade agreements with a number of states including Turkey, Canada, Mexico and others.  In foreign relations, Netanyahu is seen as a leader who built strong relations with Russia and established ties with countries that Israel had no diplomatic relations with - like Chad.  But, according to Fink, things went wrong.  "In the last several years Netanyahu started caring less about the people and more about promoting his own agenda, which is remaining in power and escaping jail. To achieve this goal he started using hatred and anger to incite the public against different groups. One of such was the Arab Israelis," he said referring to the pre-election campaign of 2015, where Netanyahu called on right-wing supporters to get out and vote threatening that if they didn't, the rule of the right-wing would be in danger due to Arab population's high turnout rates.  That's why, believes Fink, it is only natural for Netanyahu to leave his post.  Fink is not alone. According to the recent poll of Israel channel 13, some 56 per cent of Israelis want to see Netanyahu leave office following Mandelblit's announcement, with only 35 per cent saying he should keep his post.  Despite the fact that Fink is assured that it will take ages to see Netanyahu go, his disappearance from Israel's political map will open new vistas.  "I really hope Israel is not going into another round of elections. But if it does, the left parties have a high chance to gain more seats and seize control of the Israeli parliament," he summed up.


sputnik--2019-12-10--Brexit Actually: Boris Johnson Causes Shockwaves With Pre-Election Parody Clip

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has taken his pre-election campaigning to a whole new level this year, posting a video recreating an iconic scene from the legendary British movie “Love Actually” where he urged voters to back the Conservatives and finally get “Brexit done”.  In the three-minute “Brexit Actually” clip, the British PM mimics a famous scene between Andrew Lincoln and Keira Knightly, as he peels away written signs in front of a woman’s doorstep while Christmas carols are playing in the background.  The billboards read: “With any luck by next year we will have Brexit done (if Parliament doesn’t block it again) and we can move on”.  The clip ends with the prime minister walking away from the doorstep, while saying “enough, enough, let’s get this done”, which partly emulates Lincoln’s monologue in the film.  Netizens had mixed reactions to the post, but most of Johnson’s followers found the pre-election clip hilarious and “absolutely brilliant”, retweeting it thousands of times just several hours after it appeared online.  Others, however, posted some alternative versions of the scene, featuring UK Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg and US President Donald Trump in a veiled hint at a recent scandal over the alleged sell off of Britain’s National Health Service.  Some UK media outlets reported that Johnson’s team has been working on the clip for a while but almost decided to pull the plug after Labour MP for Tooting Rosena Allin-Khan came up with a similar idea last month, posting her own recreation of a “Love Actually” scene on Twitter.  Britons are heading to the polls on 12 December. According to experts, the outcome of the fierce election battle is likely to be unpredictable. The vote will not only decide the next British prime minister, but also might potentially review the results of the 2016 Brexit referendum.


sputnik--2019-12-15--EU Recognition of Palestinian Statehood is Remote but Possible - Former Israeli Ambassador

According to media reports, Jean Asselborn, the foreign minister of Luxembourg, has sent a letter to the 27 foreign ministers of the bloc urging them to hold a discussion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its resolution as soon as possible.  The meeting between foreign ministers is expected to take place as early as January.  But Gideon Meir, Israel's former ambassador to Italy, says the move is nothing new and that similar initiatives took place in the past.  In 2014, for example, the European Parliament voted in favour of a non-binding resolution calling for the recognition of the state of Palestine. Just like many others, this one too was purely declarative and non-binding.  Israel enjoys strong economic and cultural relations with each of the 28 European countries that make up the EU and the European Union itself.  In 2017 alone, Israel's total trade with the EU amounted to approximately $40 billion.  That, however, didn't stop the union from pursuing an anti-Israel agenda.  The reason for the collision the former ambassador believes is the Israeli government's hawkish policies towards Palestinians, its expansion activity in the West Bank, and the constant urge of the Israeli government to bite off more territories from the Palestinians - something that the EU strongly condemns.  Last month, the Israeli government announced it would build a new Jewish neighbourhood in Hebron, one of the key Palestinian cities in the West Bank, with a predominately Arab population.  Earlier this year, amid his pre-election campaign, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed he would annex the Jordan Valley, which makes up some 30 percent of the West Bank's total territory.  The EU's hostility towards Israel has nothing to do with the country's government, believes Meir.  Such was the case with former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who withdrew Israeli forces from Gaza and evacuated some 8,000 Jewish settlers, and such was the case with former premier Ehud Olmert, who in 2008, offered a series of concessions - including turning Jerusalem into an international city - but was rejected by the Palestinian leadership.  Yet, Meir believes Israel should not worry. For an EU decision to be binding, it must first be accepted by the country's foreign ministers and then by the heads of state, he explained, adding that a unanimous decision is hampered by a split within the bloc.  Nevertheless, the former diplomat says he won't be surprised if one day the EU recognises a Palestinian state. But that would not bring the Palestinians even one inch closer to their ultimate goal of independence.  "Unilateral recognition won't solve anything. Quite the opposite is true: it will make the Palestinians even more irrelevant in the eyes of the Israelis", stressed the former diplomat.  For a breakthrough to be achieved, Meir believes, the Palestinians will need to sit down for talks with Israel.  "So far, they missed every opportunity to do so in the past", he said, adding that Israel's right-wing government is similarly to blame for the situation, exerting little to no effort in establishing peace with its Palestinian neighbours.  The EU has never recognised Israel's control over the West Bank and the Golan Heights, captured from Jordan and Syria respectively during the 1967 Six-Day War, with Brussels pushing for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.


tass--2019-02-05--Kievs EU NATO aspirations nothing but pre-election rhetoric opposition candidate

Kiev’s EU, NATO aspirations nothing but pre-election rhetoric — opposition candidate

KIEV, February 6. /TASS/. The incumbent Ukrainian government’s attempt to waive the country’s neutral status enshrined in the constitution and opt for EU and NATO membership instead is nothing but pre-election campaigning deprived of any practical sense, opposition lawmaker Yuri Boyko said on Tuesday.  On February 7, Ukraine’s parliament Verkhovna Rada is expected to hear a bill on amending the constitution to add a provision about the country’s strategic course for becoming a full-fledged member of the European Union and NATO.  "Attempts are being made to drag the parliament into the election campaign of the incumbent president. This, among other things, is about amending the constitution to include the EU and NATO aspirations. This is nothing but electoral campaigning, intended to create another rift in the society. It will have no practical consequences, because neither the EU nor NATO are willing to have us as a member, and a clear signal was made about this. Besides, such amendments are clearly in violation of the country’s basic legal document and were introduced with only one goal - the goal for power, based on war, poverty and civil discord," said Boyko, who is a leader of the Opposition Platform - For Life party.  Boyko added that his party strongly opposes such developments and favors preserving the country’s neutral status in military and political affairs and partnership with all neighboring countries.  "Instead of building a pro-Atlantic or pro-something country, we favor creating a pro-Ukrainian state," he said.  Ukraine’s July 16, 1990 declaration of state sovereignty proclaimed the course of gaining the status of a permanently neutral country which is not a member to any military bloc. This course was enshrined in the August 24, 1991 Act of Declaring Independence and confirmed in a nationwide referendum on December 1, 1991. Changes to the country’s political course, which entail delegating part of Ukraine’s national sovereignty to some other entity or organization, can only be made after Section 1 of the country’s constitution is amended following a nationwide referendum. Neither the parliament, nor any other state body has the right to do so on its own whim.  In other media


tass--2019-10-13--Winner of next presidential elections in US makes no difference for Russian - envoy

RHODES, October 12. /TASS/. Russia has never interfered and will not meddle in US presidential elections. It has no need to do so and it does not matter for Russia, who will be elected as the US President in 2020, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the EU Vladimir Chizhov said at the Rhodes Forum.  "Russia has never had the need to do so," Chizhov said. It does not matter for us, who is in the White House now or who will be the next US President after elections in 2020, the Russian diplomat said.  In May 2017, the US Department of Justice announced that former FBI Chief Robert Mueller had been appointed as special counsel to investigate alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. On the outcomes of the probe, Mueller failed to prove that US President Donald Trump had colluded with the Russian government to win the election.  A report by US Attorney General William Burr published on March 24 has confirmed that there was no collusion between Moscow and the Donald Trump presidential campaign. However, the document claims that Russia attempted to influence the outcome of the US 2016 presidential election through cyberattacks, as well as through the activities of Russia’s Internet Research Agency.  Trump and key members of his team have been repeatedly rejecting all the accusations concerning any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Moscow also refuted these allegations many times.  The next presidential elections in the United States will be held on November 3, 2020. The pre-election campaign will start in February 2020.


theguardianuk--2019-03-01--No joke comic takes centre stage in race for Ukraine presidency

No joke: comic takes centre stage in race for Ukraine presidency

Vladimir Zelenskiy may just joke his way to becoming Ukraine’s next leader. A comic actor who plays a teacher who unexpectedly becomes president in a hit Ukrainian TV show after his rant against corrupt politicians goes viral, he is now pitching for the top job in real life and has a 10-point lead in some opinion polls.  It is Ukraine’s most unorthodox presidential campaign in history. After announcing his campaign on New Year’s Eve, Zelenskiy has shot into first place by contrasting his screen personality, a genial everyman who speaks in a gravelly bass, with public discontent against the country’s ruling class. His political party and TV show share the same name, Servant of the People.  On the stage in Bila Tserkva, a working-class city an hour south of Kyiv, he had the crowd in stitches. “Why does [Ukraine’s president, Petro] Poroshenko want a second term?” Zelenskiy quipped about the man he wants to replace. “So he doesn’t get a [prison] term.”  Between the improv sketches that make up much of the evening’s show from his comedy troupe, he and his co-hosts continued to skewer Ukraine’s ruling class with savage political humour. It felt like a campaign rally in the guise of a revue, and Zelenskiy is scheduled to continue performing right up to election day.  “This isn’t part of a pre-election campaign,” he said to laughs from an audience of hundreds, some of whom told the Guardian they had been given free tickets to the event. “You yourselves know what to do.”  In Ukraine, where only one president has won re-election since independence in 1991, one of Zelenskiy’s greatest assets may be that he has not been in politics long enough to earn voters’ wrath yet.  Ukrainian politics has turned against the establishment – perhaps for good reason. Even as the economy has stabilised, inequality and corruption remain rife, utility bills have risen and the afterglow of the 2014 revolution has faded with few prominent corrupt officials jailed.  As one adviser to Zelenskiy’s rival Yulia Tymoshenko said: “If you leave Kyiv and start talking about real wages and living conditions, that doesn’t make you a populist, that makes you a realist.”  Despite unanswered questions about his own business ties to the powerful oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi, whose television channel 1+1 screens his political comedy, Zelenskiy has sought to present himself as a new face in Ukrainian politics running against an entrenched elite.  His programme nods to the exhaustion with politics and promises greater direct democracy: a pledge to serve only one term, national referendums on key issues and plans to lift immunity from prosecution for lawmakers, judges, and the president himself. Using a synonym for making arrests, one of his campaign slogans reads: “When spring comes, we’ll start planting.”  “There is a very high desire to see high-ranking officials, members of the ruling class arrested,” said Volodymyr Fesenko, a political analyst. “He’s not the only one doing it, but it does sound more natural coming from him.”  Dmitry Razumkov, a political advisor to Zelenskiy, denied the candidate was a populist. “Everyone is tired of the system and is protesting against it. Zelenskiy is a uniting figure who can break the old system and replace it.”  But Zelenskiy’s lack of political experience outside of TV comedy hasled to criticism. A meeting with European ambassadors was a fiasco, several told the Guardian. “Their response was: is this some kind of joke?” one diplomat said. “Some of his programme looks fine on paper, but when it comes down to it, he can’t actually discuss his policies.”  Heightened scrutiny has also provoked questions about his company’s earlier business dealings in Russia and his reliance on Kolomoiskyi for access to the airwaves.  But this has failed to hinder his rise in the polls, with especially strong support among young voters. Zelenskiy has recently sought to make inroads among Kyiv’s progressive political elite as the 31 March first round draws nearer.  Aivaras Abromavičius, a former economy minister and one of several prominent reformers who has met Zelenskiy, called him a “good listener” and “ambitious”, but said he was vague on his ties to Kolomoisky and his precise political plans.  “He does not seem to have very strong views about most things,” Abromavičius said. “I see that as an advantage. Those views will be shaped if he becomes president. By someone around him, and the question is by whom. That is the key question.”  Born in Kryvyi Rih, a largely Russian-speaking industrial town in the country’s Dnipropetrovsk region, Zelenskiy helped build a comedy troupe of childhood and university friends into a multimillion dollar business. Some remain his closest confidants, working as actors and scriptwriters, and occupying key positions on his campaign staff.  “He was always the motor to our success,” said Vadim Pereverzev, a childhood friend and writer for Zelenskiy’s Studio Kvartal 95. “He’s the only one among us who was irreplaceable.”  He was not always drawn to politics. Oleksii Blanar, a former colleague who now works for a competing comedy studio, said Zelenskiy had rejected proposals to run for political office in the mid-2000s when the two worked together. Blanar, who voiced support for Poroshenko’s re-election, is sceptical of Zelenskiy’s run.  “Back then he was regularly being called into politics. He always said no, I don’t want to be a politician,” Blanar said during an interview at a Kyiv cafe. “I believe that he was changed by his new friendships and those around him,” adding that he meant Kolomoisky.  Zelenskiy’s campaign denies that Kolomoiskyi had any influence on his decision to run. None of his colleagues, including campaign staff, said precisely when Zelenskiy began considering his run for president.  Some, including Kolomoiskyi in a recent television interview, have suggested the idea dates to the 2015 debut of Servant of the People. Zelenskiy is shooting the third series, which is scheduled for broadcast shortly before the first round vote. Opponents are calling the new series an undeclared campaigning tool and demanding a delay in its broadcast.  Zelenskiy has met criticism of his business ties by saying that all television channels in Ukraine are controlled by oligarchs, so his relationship with Kolomoiskyi was necessary to do business.  His candidacy has also survived revelations that a business he controlled continued to earn money in Russia after he said he closed it after the 2014 annexation of Crimea. Zelenskiy has said he now has exited the business.  The frontrunner for now, analysts caution his weak party structure and young support base could leave him vulnerable to more experienced campaigns as election day approaches.  “I think the original idea was to create a great show, almost a reality show, to create hype,” said Fesenko. “But now he is a favourite and everyone is discussing him. A lot can happen before the elections, but for now he’s still gaining, there’s a chain reaction of support for Zelenskiy.”


therussophileorg--2019-01-11--American Interference Chisinau Is Going to Stir up a Conflict with Transnistria

American Interference: Chisinau Is Going to Stir up a Conflict with Transnistria

00:04:09   11/01/2019  [fondsk.ru](https://www.fondsk.ru/news/2019/01/09/kishinev-sobralsja-razzhech- konflikt-s-pridnestrovem-47422.html)  **_“New strategy”_ – the demand to revise the [5+2 format](https://www.osce.org/chairmanship/119488)**  Because of the information hype in the media connected to the upcoming parliamentary elections in Moldova, the statement of the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Kristina Lesnik, in which she promised to solve all the problems related to Transnistria that the previous authorities couldn’t solve in almost 30 years, remained rather unnoticed. It is for this purpose that the so-called new strategy was invented – Chisinau adopted it unilaterally, without coordinating it with Tiraspol.  Lesnik declared this on December 26th at a concluding press conference, but the events of the pre-election campaign, and then the New Year’s holiday, pushed the news connected to Transnistria into the background. Although they have explosive contents and clearly show that the current Moldovan authorities are orientated towards inciting a conflict with the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR) according to the scenario rolled out in Ukraine.  Firstly, madam Lesnik was indignant by the fact that the _“Transnistrian conflict is sometimes call Moldovan-Transnistrian”_. In her opinion, this is _“speculation”_ – supposedly under the 1992 truce document there are the signatures of the presidents of Russia and Moldova Boris Yeltsin and Mircea Snegur. And that’s why officially this is a Russian-Moldavian document about a ceasefire. It follows from Lesnik’s statement that Transnistria isn’t a party to the conflict, but it is Russia that represents this side. It’s very familiar, isn’t it? In Ukraine the armed conflict between the forces of the Kiev regime and the armies of the unrecognised Republics of Donbass was declared as _“war with Russia”_ , so the government of Moldova also decided to go along the same way.  Secondly, the government of Moldova is going to work more resolutely in order to _“force Tiraspol to accept all the conditions of Chisinau”_. This is a question of all economic and humanitarian issues important for Transnistria now being directly coordinated with political issues, namely its return to the structure of the Republic of Moldova.  Thirdly, Chisinau will coerce Tiraspol into unification not independently, but together with Tbilisi and Kiev – the tripartite memorandum _“on coordination of efforts on the reintegration of non-controlled territories”_ was recently signed. Lesnik thanked the American ambassador Dereck J. Hogan _“for the support that the US gives to Chisinau, Kiev, and Tbilisi in their common aspirations”_. It is absolutely clear that this _“new strategy”_ was written under the dictation of Washington.  Fourthly, the government of Moldova intends to put the main emphasis on security issues, namely on Russian peacekeepers and their presence in Transnistria.  In fact, Lesnik’s message about a _“new strategy”_ concerning the PMR is a demand to revise not only the international negotiation format on Transnistria _“5+2”,_ but also the positions of its participants: the Russian Federation and the PMR.  The special role was assigned to Ukraine. This state more and more turns from a guarantor of peace in Transnistria into the fuse needed to kindle a conflict nearly 28 years later.  Isn’t it strange that already before the introduction of [martial law](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=martial+law) in ten regions of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko suddenly called Transnistria _“just as dangerous as Crimea”_ , and promised to deploy a special group of forces on the border with the PMR. And the Chief of the General Staff of the UAF [Viktor Muzhenko](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=Viktor+Muzhenko) met his colleague from Moldova Igor Cutie and discussed a plan of interaction should the situation in Transnistria become aggravated. And the Moldavian military leader for some reason went to Donbass to the front line.  The American media also throws fuel onto the fire – literally before New Year _“Newsweek”_ published an article with a prediction: during the New Year’s holiday Russia will attack Ukraine and take away Transnistria, and the _“residents of Moldova will wake up on the border with Russia”_. They didn’t guess correctly, of course, but even crazy forecasts are good for inflating the intensity in the region. After all, it is not about solving the conflict in Transnistria any more, but about re-kindling it. The _“new strategy”_ of the government of the Republic of Moldova created with the assistance of the US stipulates a coercive reunification of Transnistria and Moldova with the assistance of the Ukrainian and Georgian sides.  > “In Moldova peace has been preserved for 26 years; Georgia fell into pieces after Saakashvili attacked (with the US’ assistance) South Ossetia and Russian peacekeepers in 2008; the military operations in Ukraine haven’t stopped for a minute. Whose experience does Chisinau want to borrow? The experience of achieving peace or of fratricidal war?”  >  > wrote the “[Moldavskiye Vedomosti](http://www.vedomosti.md/news/kishinev- hochet-prinudit-tiraspol-k-samoubijstvu)” newspaper, analysing Kristina Lesnik’s statement about a “new strategy”  Unfortunately, the worst suppositions that Transnistria is considered by the US as one more place to exercise force for the purpose of putting more pressure on Russia (and at the same time Europe too) come true. And the timing was chosen not incidentally – during the election period, when the ruling clique of Moldova is ready to pay any price in order to remain in power.  Copyright © 2019. All Rights Reserved.  from https://www.stalkerzone.org/american-interference-chisinau-is-going-to- stir-up-a-conflict-with-transnistria/


therussophileorg--2019-01-15--Pakistan At A Crossroads

Pakistan At A Crossroads

This  [post](https://orientalreview.org/2019/01/15/pakistan-at-a-crossroads/)  was originally published on  [this site](http://orientalreview.org/)  The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is steadily changing its policies – both domestic and foreign. Outside observers are putting the change down to democratic transition and an Asian-style populism. This is partially justified, since the recent parliamentary elections were relatively transparent and the winner – the current prime minister, Imran Khan – opted for combating corruption, improving the well-being of all segments of the population, and pragmatism in his pre-election campaign.  On 9 December, he announced a new roadmap for the country’s economic development over the next six to nine months. The key points of the programme are a friendly climate for foreign investors, a reduction in the gap between the import and export of goods, and a way out of the prolonged economic crisis that has devalued the Pakistani rupee.  As for the main aspects of the country’s foreign policy, there are a few of them and they are interrelated.  The status of Kashmir continues to be an important foreign policy issue for Pakistan. According to Dr Syed Nazir Gilani, Secretary General of the Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights, a report on the situation published by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in June 2018 shows that the UN has considerable interest in the Kashmir issue, namely the violation of human rights by Indian security forces over the last 40 years. The most noteworthy information in the report is the number of Indian armed forces in the region – between 500,000 and 700,000 – making Kashmir one of the most militarised zones in the world.  India continues to be regarded as the most dangerous regional rival, especially given the number of defence and dual-use technology contracts between both India and the US, and India and Israel. Islamabad believes that Washington is interested in a close partnership with New Delhi, since the White House would be able to use India to indirectly influence both Pakistan and China. Or at least send certain signals.  Yet the Pakistani government is taking steps to normalise relations with its eastern neighbour. At the end of November, construction work began on the Kartarpur corridor, which will allow Sikhs living in India unhindered, visa- free access to the second holiest place in their religion (the first is the Golden Temple in Amritsar, which is also in India but located far from the country’s border with Pakistan). Even India has noted that the new corridor will help resolve contentious issues between the two countries.  Afghanistan is another problem area. Chronic instability and insurgency in the country has led to an enormous influx of refugees into Pakistan and the need for careful control of the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, which is 2,670 km long (equal in length to the entire EU) and passes straight through the middle of populated areas in some places (since the British didn’t take ethnic factors into account when demarcating the border, the Durand Line cut the Pashtun people in two) and through remote mountainous regions in others, with paths that could be used by potential intruders. These could include both smugglers and radical Islamists interested in recruiting young Pakistanis or organising terrorist attacks.  Yet the Afghanistan issue must, first and foremost, be resolved internally, which means that the Taliban and the government must reach a degree of consensus. Supporting the negotiation process, which also involves Russia, is therefore a priority for Pakistani politicians. The views of Moscow and Islamabad are virtually identical – there is no military solution to the Afghan crisis.  On 15 December, Pakistan’s foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, visited Afghanistan, where he took part in talks to settle the conflict.  The Pakistani foreign minister also gave a speech at the UN.  And when US President Donald Trump sent a letter to Pakistan’s prime minister asking for help to settle the conflict in Afghanistan, Pakistan regarded it not as an example of Trump’s unpredictability, since he had previously threatened Islamabad with sanctions, but as an example of Washington’s weakness and a confirmation of Pakistan’s importance in the region.  The White House followed up the request by sending its Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, to Pakistan, where he held talks on specific steps.  Commenting on how Pakistan will proceed given the change in the US president’s behaviour, Imran Khan [noted](https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook /pakistani-leader-to-the-us-were-not-your-hired-gun-anymore/2018/12/06 /e138790c-f8a5-11e8-863c- 9e2f864d47e7_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.506792fc3ea0) that he does not want his country to be “treated like a hired gun — given money to fight someone else’s war”. His statement has become a kind of meme in Pakistani society, where there is a growing awareness that friendship with Washington often comes with unpleasant surprises.  [](https://www.therussophile.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/imran- khan-1.jpg)Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan  The situation with China is quite different. It has been supporting Pakistan since the 1990s, including with the transfer of arms and dual-use technologies, and continues to invest heavily in the country. The China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which links Gwadar Port (operator – the People’s Republic of China) with Kashgar in China’s Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region, could be called the building project of the century. Among other things, the CPEC will completely modernise Pakistan’s transport infrastructure. Following Imran Khan’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the kingdom also confirmed its willingness to invest in the project. The corridor itself is being referred to in Pakistan as a “game changer”. Hence the increased level of interest from other countries.  The project is causing a certain amount of unease in another of Pakistan’s neighbours, however – the Islamic Republic of Iran. Since the Saudis are Tehran’s main geopolitical competitors, anything Riyadh does in Pakistan is viewed by the Iranians as a possible challenge. Given that Iran is working with India to develop Chabahar Port on the Gulf of Oman and export oil there, the Iranians are also not happy about the further expansion of Gwadar Port. Added to this is the issue of Baluchi separatism, but this affects both Iran and Pakistan equally. Islamabad previously adopted a balanced policy with regard to Iran, Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East, however, and it is unlikely that the new government will deliberately rock the boat.  Russia also occupies a special place in Pakistan’s new policy. Although defence and security cooperation has advanced considerably, clear priority is given to India in Moscow’s foreign policy regarding South Asia. This can be seen in both the main strategic documents on foreign policy (including economic development) and security, and in their practical implementation. But considering Pakistan’s location (the geopolitical Rimland that is the coastal belt of Southern Eurasia), its growing importance as a transport hub thanks to the CPEC, its enormous resource potential, and the rational, pragmatic policies that Islamabad has been demonstrating recently, the Russian government should increase its involvement in all possible joint projects and suggest alternative options to Pakistan that have been tried and tested over many years of experience.  ###### Reposts are welcomed with the reference to ORIENTAL REVIEW.  from https://orientalreview.org/2019/01/15/pakistan-at-a-crossroads/


therussophileorg--2019-01-30--Why Petro Poroshenkos Electoral Campaign Is a Collapsing Sand Castle

Why Petro Poroshenko’s Electoral Campaign Is a Collapsing Sand Castle

14:10:09   30/01/2019  [strana.ua](https://strana.ua/articles/analysis/183638-kak-budet-dejstvovat- na-vyborakh-poroshenko.html)  The president Petro Poroshenko finally publicly announced his plans to again for the position of leader. At a forum in Kiev entitled _“From Kruty to Brussels. We go our own way”_ he declared that he was driven by _“a feeling of deep responsibility before the country, contemporaries, before the past and future generations”_ , and his aim is to _“guarantee the inevitability”_ of integration into the European Union (EU) and NATO and _“the irreversibility of our independence”_.  According to Poroshenko, the country faces a choice: [either his re-election or](https://www.stalkerzone.org/zakharova-does-putin-even-know-that-he-was- nominated-as-a-candidate-for-the-ukrainian-presidency/) _[“Putin”](https://www.stalkerzone.org/zakharova-does-putin-even-know-that-he- was-nominated-as-a-candidate-for-the-ukrainian-presidency/)_ , and, moreover, this alternative in the form of a slogan, seemingly, will become key in his campaign. In addition, there were more promises of a breakthrough in the economy during his next term.  It’s true that the congress showed that in parallel the president’s team is consolidating its administrative resources. And one more stake will be placed on illegal technologies of working with the electorate, which everyone is talking about more and more louder.  _“Strana”_ tried to understand Poroshenko’s chances in elections.  ## Support groups  Poroshenko is still participating in the presidential race, as he himself declared at a forum in the Kiev International Exhibition Center (by the way, this was the favourite palace of Party of Regions congresses). But he wasn’t nominated by the _“Bloc of Petro Poroshenko”_ (BPP) party that he is the honorary chairman of. The guarantor chose the path of self-nomination. There are several explanations for this.  According to the political strategist [Andrey Zolotarev](https://stalkerzone.org/?S=Andrey+Zolotarev), Poroshenko doesn’t want to be associated with a concrete party brand, hoping to _“present himself as the president of all Ukrainians”_.  But situation inside the BPP itself is quite complicated. The mayor of Kiev, [Vitaly Klitschko](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=Vitaly+Klitschko), remains the formal leader of the party, although he diligently distances himself from the political force.  On the eve of the forum it became known that the Kiev city governor would be absent allegedly because of a recurrence of an old back injury and his subsequent hospitalisation in an Austrian clinic. Many saw this as [Klitschko’s unwillingness to support the guarantor in elections](http://klitsch/), and there were many jokes on social networks in this respect. As a result the mayor after all dropped a video of support in which he clarifies that the candidate Poroshenko promised _“the implementation of the law on the capital”_ – the long-standing goal of the team of Klitschko.  _“The mayor obviously wanted to avoid this fate. UDAR, which he is going to revive, will go to parliamentary elections independently. Why would he show himself near Poroshenko? But, apparently, the Presidential Administration called him and said: what, Vitaly Vladimirovich, are you out of your mind? However, he got off with small blood,”_ said a source from the UDAR faction in the parliament of the last convocation who knows Klitschko.  But the Prime Minister [Vladimir Groisman](https://stalkerzone.org/?S=Vladimir+Groisman), the Prosecutor- General [Yury Lutsenko](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=Yury+Lutsenko) – both are nominees from BPP, as well as the speaker of the parliament [Andriy Parubiy](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=Parubiy) and many people’s deputies came from the presidential nominal bloc.  In addition to the speaker from the second column of the power – the _“[People’s Front](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=People's+Front)“_ (PF) party – there was also the secretary of the National Security and Defence Council [Aleksandr Turchynov](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=Aleksandr+Turchynov). If he entered into the presidential camp long ago, then the appearance at the event of Parubiy, who also made a speech, means that he followed the same example (unlike the Minister of Internal Affairs [Arsen Avakov](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=Arsen+Avakov) and the leader of the PR party [Arseny Yatsenyuk](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=Yatsenyuk), but we will talk about them below).  And there were also heads of regions and loyal city mayors, for example, the mayor of Dnepropetrovsk [Boris Filatov](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=Boris+Filatov), whose speech was a non- stop pro-Poroshenko dithyramb…  _“There are too many officials [at the event] who participate in illegal pre- election campaigning – after all, according to legislation, they have no right to do this… But who now pays attention to such, so to speak, trifles… After all, they are all buddies,”_ wrote the former Deputy Chief of the Presidential Administration and current Chairwoman of the board of the public association _“For Democracy Through Law”_ Marina Stavniychuk on her Facebook page, giving her assessment.  And in response to the direct question asked by a journalist about how his direct campaigning and appeals to vote for Poroshenko correspond to the ban on prosecutors participating in the pre-election campaign, Yury Lutsenko simply answered: _“I am on vacation”_.  The forum really helped Poroshenko to show, despite the Klitschko incident, the integrity of his team (and even its completion, as the example of Parubiy demonstrates). Perhaps, this is the only scenario possible for them.  > “Here it’s not a question of belief – there is just no place to disappear to”  >  > commented the political strategist Andrey Zolotarev.  According to rumours, Groisman wasn’t able to reach an agreement with Tymoshenko about guarantees of his future after her possible victory in elections, and therefore he was forced to reconcile with Poroshenko (who he had a sluggish conflict with in recent years). The unexpected decision of the government to pay monetised of subsidies in cash became the first indicator of this (which was apprehended by many as an attempt to directly bribe voters).  However, the source of _“Strana”_ in the government considers that one shouldn’t exaggerate the value of public support from the officials of the incumbent president. _“Now everybody understands that Poroshenko’s chances of being re-elected for a second term are not very high. But he will be president for at least three more months before the inauguration of the new head of state. And for any official the most important thing is the opportunity to resolve issues. And this is why they also change their loyalty when it comes to solving certain issues that are important for themselves in these two-three months. But saying that someone will actively work for Poroshenko’s victory is a waste of time. For their own pocket with the help of Poroshenko – yes, it will happen. But nobody will rush around for him during elections,”_ said a source.  In general, there are no grounds to talk about broad political and public support for the president, noted the political scientist [Ruslan Bortnik](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=Ruslan+Bortnik). Firstly, the head of the second party in power PF Arseniy Yatsenyuk and the influential Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, whose ministry plays an important role in ensuring the result of elections, didn’t come. Rumours about them drifting into the camp of the main rival of the president Yuliya Tymoshenko received more confirmation.  Secondly, there was no head of the Kiev Patriarchate [Filaret](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=Filaret), who until recently Poroshenko sang a hosanna to for his devotion to the idea of autocephaly but who the other day blessed Tymoshenko’s congress. On the other hand, the newly elected head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine [Epifany](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=Epifany) was present. Thirdly, from the former presidents there was only [Viktor Yushchenko](https://stalkerzone.org/?S=Viktor+Yushchenko), and not Leonid Kravchuk (he participated in Tymoshenko’s campaign) and not [Leonid Kuchma](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=Leonid+Kuchma), and the high-ranking foreign guests were also absent. Commentators and bloggers who have traditionally reflected the position of the environment of president Poroshenko obviously weren’t an equal replacement for them.  ## Tomos moves into the background  One more important conclusion following the results of the forum: there was a change of priorities in the pre-election campaign of Poroshenko. The topic of [Tomos of Autocephaly](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=Tomos) has been replaced by new promises of economic reforms. The political strategist Zolotarev considers that the HQ of the president was obliged to opt for this, because the so- called [Tomos Tour](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=Tomos+Tour) (Poroshenko’s trip to regions with a copy of the church diploma) didn’t bring a considerable boost to his approval rating. The expert Bortnik in general predicts that the tours will be curtailed.  > “Apparently, Poroshenko’s team hoped that the first cycle of the Tomos Tour will acquire the Jerusalem Patriarch’s recognition of the presidential ‘[Orthodox Church of Ukraine](https://www.stalkerzone.org/the-istanbul-church- in-ukraine-what-the-text-of-tomos-really-means/)‘ project. But this didn’t happen, so continuing the tour doesn’t make any sense”  >  > said Bortnik, who is also involved in a church issues  And Poroshenko somehow needs to respond to the criticism voiced against him by opponents concerning the state of affairs in the economy. His attempts to distance himself, having transferred responsibility to Groisman, obviously aren’t perceived by society.  That’s why Poroshenko promises strategic measures.  _“A responsible economic strategy dictates to us the need to clearly determine priorities and place an emphasis on those sectors of the economy where we can achieve leading positions. They will become breakthrough points that will push us forward. They will bring money to ensure a notable increase in the standard of living of the people. Examples of such sectors are the agro-industrial complex, ІТ, mechanical engineering, tourism, logistics,”_ stated the president during the forum, considering it is possible to attract _“billions of dollars of investments”_ in these sectors.  The political scientist Bortnik notes that Poroshenko at the same time avoids specifics so that no questions are asked should these promises be broken. _“Poroshenko doesn’t promise peace in two weeks and 1,000 hryvnia per day military salaries any more,”_ said the expert.  However, the guarantor gives one clear forecast for his second possible presidential term. _“In 2024 we will submit an application for accession to the European Union. I don’t doubt at all that we will receive it and we will start implementing the action plan concerning NATO membership,”_ stated Poroshenko.  In his opinion, Ukraine’s full membership in these alliances is needed not only by Ukraine itself, but _“definitely”_ also by EU and NATO.  It is obvious that in the near future it is worth expecting a vote in parliament on amendments to the Constitution concerning aims to enter both blocs.  _“The question is: are the European Union and NATO ready to accept Ukraine? At the moment they sure aren’t. And it is doubtful that even in the next 5 years Ukraine – if the current political orders will remain – will build independent justice and will lead the real fight against corruption, so that the EU starts to think about accepting Ukraine. NATO has its own requirements that, by the way, any president can be involved in fulfilling . But the most important thing is that countries with territorial problems, according to the NATO charter, can’t be members of the alliance. I don’t think that in five years we will resolve the issues of Donbass and Crimea,”_ said the political scientist Anatoly Oktisyuk.  Thus, the EU and NATO, despite their will and participation, will become just PR tools of the president’s campaign.  But despite all the attempts to expand the set of theses of the campaign, the main one remains invariable and was officially formulated perhaps for the first time at the forum: _“If not Poroshenko, then Putin”_.  However, its effectiveness is doubtful. If at elections the incumbent president would face resistance from only the candidates from the Southeast, like Yury Boyko, who supports reconciliation with Russia, then this could still somehow work. But among the main competitors of Poroshenko there is not only Boyko, but also Tymoshenko and Gritsenko, who in their rhetoric concerning war and Moscow don’t really differ from Poroshenko and obviously aren’t perceived by the people as _“Putin’s agents”_. Especially since they, unlike the president, have no [Lipetsk factory](https://stalkerzone.org/?s=Lipetsk), which paid taxes into the Russian budget after the beginning of war.  ## Hope for voting networks  In general, it’s not a fact that the new and old slogans of Poroshenko will help to reduce the gap with him and his main competitor Tymoshenko – after all, she also promises economic recovery and a pro-West course. The political strategist Ruslan Bortnik considers that the situation compels Poroshenko’s team to play foul.  _“We see a certain ‘Anaconda’ plan being performed by the president. This is when opponents are strangled administratively, financially, and via the media, plus playing on a decrease in voter turnout and buying up their votes. Lowering the voter turnout is very important, the electorate is told that there is no choice besides the 50 persons who are interested in standing. But they themselves hope to ascend at the expense of the administrative resource,”_ explains the political scientist Bortnik.  The political strategist Zolotarev offered a reminder about the rumours of regional propaganda networks [a black scheme involving electoral fraud – ed] being created, which, in reality, is electoral technology designed to buy up votes.  However, Bortnik doesn’t believe that even such methods will help. _“I think that in reality the task of achieving victory is no longer set for the president’s team. The most important thing is to receive a worthy result that will allow to hold negotiations with Tymoshenko or Vladimir Zelensky”._  However, a source in a pro-government faction who is accepted on Bankova Street, on the contrary, assures _“Strana”_ that Poroshenko’s team _“already solved the issue entering the second round of voting”_. _“It is possible to speak about this with confidence when we see such a concentration of administrative resources and the technologies that are being used,”_ he stated.  At the same time, one of the representatives of the environment of the Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said that Poroshenko doesn’t have exclusive influence on administrative resources.  _“Avakov already gave the direct command to break up these networks that will buy up votes for Poroshenko. And without the protection of the police it will be very difficult to launch these voter networks. Or to be more precise – it will be impossible. City mayors are pro-Poroshenko in words, but in practice they will work more for other candidates with who they already reached an agreement concerning participation in the Rada elections in the autumn of 2019. So the entire administrative and pre-election creation of Poroshenko is a sand castle that will collapse on March 31st,”_ said the source.  Copyright © 2019. All Rights Reserved.  from https://www.stalkerzone.org/why-petro-poroshenkos-electoral-campaign-is-a -collapsing-sand-castle/


therussophileorg--2019-02-06--Kievs EU NATO aspirations nothing but pre-election rhetoric opposition candidate

This  [post](http://tass.com/world/1043376)  was originally published on  [this site](http://tass.com/)  ![](https://i0.wp.com/tass.com/images/tass_logo_share_en.png?w=1165)![](https://i0.wp.com/tass.com/images/tass_logo_share_en.png?w=1165)  KIEV, February 6. /TASS/. The incumbent Ukrainian government’s attempt to waive the country’s neutral status enshrined in the constitution and opt for EU and NATO membership instead is nothing but pre-election campaigning deprived of any practical sense, opposition lawmaker Yuri Boyko said on Tuesday.  On February 7, Ukraine’s parliament Verkhovna Rada is expected to hear a bill on amending the constitution to add a provision about the country’s strategic course for becoming a full-fledged member of the European Union and NATO.  “Attempts are being made to drag the parliament into the election campaign of the incumbent president. This, among other things, is about amending the constitution to include the EU and NATO aspirations. This is nothing but electoral campaigning, intended to create another rift in the society. It will have no practical consequences, because neither the EU nor NATO are willing to have us as a member, and a clear signal was made about this. Besides, such amendments are clearly in violation of the country’s basic legal document and were introduced with only one goal – the goal for power, based on war, poverty and civil discord,” said Boyko, who is a leader of the Opposition Platform – For Life party.  Boyko added that his party strongly opposes such developments and favors preserving the country’s neutral status in military and political affairs and partnership with all neighboring countries.  “Instead of building a pro-Atlantic or pro-something country, we favor creating a pro-Ukrainian state,” he said.  Ukraine’s July 16, 1990 declaration of state sovereignty proclaimed the course of gaining the status of a permanently neutral country which is not a member to any military bloc. This course was enshrined in the August 24, 1991 Act of Declaring Independence and confirmed in a nationwide referendum on December 1, 1991. Changes to the country’s political course, which entail delegating part of Ukraine’s national sovereignty to some other entity or organization, can only be made after Section 1 of the country’s constitution is amended following a nationwide referendum. Neither the parliament, nor any other state body has the right to do so on its own whim.  In other media  from http://tass.com/world/1043376


therussophileorg--2019-10-09--From Hostility to Warmness: Why has Brazilian President Changed his Aggressive Anti-China Actions?

This post was originally published on this site  In an interview with DW Brasil, former Brazilian ambassador to Beijing, Marcos Caramuru, revealed the great interest Chinese companies have in potential infrastructure work in Brazil. Even with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro showing initial hostility towards China during his 2018 election campaign, his opinion appears to have changed given the huge sums involved in bilateral relations and the opportunities the Asian country can provide the economic struggling Latin American Giant.  Bolsonaro is commonly known as the ‘Tropical Trump’ for his open admiration of the U.S. President and his shared ideas and beliefs. Therefore, it was unsurprising that he said “The Chinese are not buying in Brazil… They are buying Brazil,” in the pre-election campaign.  Global Times speculated that “it’s inconceivable the new Bolsonaro government would give up on the Chinese market.” It also left a note of caution for the Brazilian leader who made another major antagonism towards China: “His trip to Taiwan during the presidential campaign caught the ire of Beijing. If he continues to disregard the basic principle over Taiwan after taking office, it will apparently cost Brazil a great deal … The Chinese island won’t bring any more benefits to Brazil, which Bolsonaro and his team must be aware of.”  Marcus Vinicius Freitas, a visiting professor at the China Foreign University in Beijing, explained that: “When the Chinese look at Brazil they actually see an amusement park where everything still needs to be done.” His assessment is in reference to the huge developmental and infrastructural opportunities that Brazil has, with many sectors remaining underdeveloped despite the domineering position Brazil has over the wider Latin American region. “There is no doubt that China has a menu of options for Brazil,” he added, citing Chinese technologies in road, subway, rail, viaduct and airport construction that could be of interest to Brazil.  There are also additional opportunities from agribusiness to commodities, the most attractive sector for Chinese capital is infrastructure and major works, especially in the area of gas, oil, renewable energy which will ensure growth on a sustainable and significant basis for the Brazilian economy.  However, despite the significant economic relationship between the two countries and the opportunities China can provide Brazil, it had not stopped Bolsonaro from aggravating Beijing. Therefore, it would be assumed that Bolsonaro would submit to Trump’s every demand in the midst of the U.S. president’s trade war with China. However, this has proven not to be the case with Brazil’s Vice President Hamilton Mourão saying in June that his country does not plan to ban Huawei from providing 5G equipment to telecoms in his country, signalling that Bolsonaro has said one thing during the election campaign, but acted in another way while president.  This would suggest that Bolsonaro’s government is following a different path than initially anticipated and the Brazilian president is not a complete U.S. puppet as often said by his critics. Although Trump told Bolsonaro during the latter’s visit to the White House earlier this year that Huawei was a security threat, the Brazilian Vice President emphasized that Brazil has no reason to distrust Huawei and that his country needs the Chinese technology to help its continued development.  As Beijing has been calling for a resolution to the Trump-initiated trade war, China’s ambassador to Brazil, Yang Wanming, accused the United States of bullying and lobbying its trading partners, affecting the entire global economy. He explains that the U.S. ruined market confidence, increased the risk of global recession and endangered emerging economies like Brazil.  And in this scenario, it would be important for Brasilia and Beijing to defend international cooperation and multilateralism. China’s GDP grew by ‘only’ 6.2% in the second quarter of 2019, which is the lowest economic growth recorded since 1992. This so-called economic ‘slowdown’ has served as a successful bait to trigger Western media.  As a result, Trump declared that his tariff war with China was working and said his protectionist measures had led to the exodus of companies from the Asian giant. However, if the measures were so successful Trump would not continue to threaten his partners from trading with China. The Bolsonaro government has seen that in this situation, siding with the U.S. is not in its interests.  Although Bolsonaro will continue to take on a very pro-Trump stance in Latin American affairs, especially against Cuba and Venezuela, he has demonstrated that he is unwilling to embroil Brazil in international issues besides those relating to Israel, serving the interests of the powerful Christian Evangelical lobby in the South American country.  In fact, an argument can be made that Brazil benefits from the ongoing trade war between the two Great Powers. China has continually been placing large orders of Brazilian soybeans, choosing the South American country to fill the supply gap after stopping U.S. purchases. Chinese buyers are increasingly looking for Brazilian soybeans.  China halted U.S. soybean imports as tensions between Beijing and Washington increased and turned to Brazil. For now, Brazil has been able to respond to China’s demand, but its supply is running low and Beijing is at risk of failing to meet its needs. With any end to the trade war, it is unlikely that China will revert and make the U.S. its most important soy purchaser, providing an opportunity for Brazil to consolidate its own position.  Whether it was through a sudden realization, or whether it was from internal pressures from Brazil’s powerful agricultural industry and other important advisers, Bolsonaro has certainly done a 180 towards his China rhetoric. With the status of Brazil’s role in BRICS questioned by experts last year because of Bolsonaro’s initial hostility towards China and his vivid support for Trump, his Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo has fully embraced his country’s chairmanship of the organization. This demonstrates that no matter the motivating reason, Bolsonaro has certainly changed his China policy from hostility to openness and welcomeness as the Asian country can drastically improve Brazil’s economic situation.


therussophileorg--2019-10-13--Winner of next presidential elections in US makes no difference for Russian – envoy

This post was originally published on this site  RHODES, October 12. /TASS/. Russia has never interfered and will not meddle in US presidential elections. It has no need to do so and it does not matter for Russia, who will be elected as the US President in 2020, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the EU Vladimir Chizhov said at the Rhodes Forum.  “Russia has never had the need to do so,” Chizhov said. It does not matter for us, who is in the White House now or who will be the next US President after elections in 2020, the Russian diplomat said.  In May 2017, the US Department of Justice announced that former FBI Chief Robert Mueller had been appointed as special counsel to investigate alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. On the outcomes of the probe, Mueller failed to prove that US President Donald Trump had colluded with the Russian government to win the election.  A report by US Attorney General William Burr published on March 24 has confirmed that there was no collusion between Moscow and the Donald Trump presidential campaign. However, the document claims that Russia attempted to influence the outcome of the US 2016 presidential election through cyberattacks, as well as through the activities of Russia’s Internet Research Agency.  Trump and key members of his team have been repeatedly rejecting all the accusations concerning any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Moscow also refuted these allegations many times.  The next presidential elections in the United States will be held on November 3, 2020. The pre-election campaign will start in February 2020.


cbsnews--2019-08-29--Trump and 2020 divide longtime friends in Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa — In a quiet neighborhood down the road from the University of Northern Iowa, a group of women who refer to themselves as "sisters for life" have gathered at the home of Bonnie Anderson. Liz Miller, Janice Clark, Mary Schawke, and Lisa Sevcik each agree to have a second cup of peach iced tea from their host and despite disagreements on various political issues, they are able to come to a consensus on a few topics.  "I don't ever recall seeing this kind of a division in my lifetime," says Schawke. "We kind of are in a civil war right now between Democrats and Republicans."  The women are all on various sides of the political spectrum but on a breezy sunny afternoon, they're able to demonstrate that heated political debates in America can still take place with decency.  Miller, in her 80s, is a staunch supporter of President Trump and often repeats lines word by word from the president. Clark, in her 70s, is a Democrat who is hungry for a candidate to unseat Mr. Trump in 2020. Anderson, 83, voted twice for President Obama and then -- like many others in Iowa -- supported the Republican nominee in 2016.  Schawke, 63, also voted for Mr. Trump but admits she will be keeping an eye on the eventual Democratic nominee. Meanwhile, Sevick, in her 50s, calls herself a lifelong Republican but opted to vote Democrat in 2016 and doesn't see herself supporting Mr. Trump this time around either.  During a two hour conversation that turns hostile at times, the women often stop to remind themselves of their respect for each other. The longtime friends are part of the Cedar Falls Woman's Club, a chapter of the General Federation of Women's Clubs that dates back to 1914. The group holds formal meetings on the first Wednesday of each month from September through May and currently has more than 90 members.  Schwake, a small business owner, thinks part of the reason for the division in the country is because Democrats "started pouting like little children" when Hillary Clinton lost the general election in 2016. She says she "didn't like it" when Mr. Obama won but "respected our new president," adding, "when Trump won, it has just been a battle royale."  In Iowa, 31 of the state's 99 counties flipped to Mr. Trump during 2016 election after voting for Mr. Obama in 2008 and 2012. Anderson is one of those voters, and while she says "Trump is doing some good," she now regrets voting for him because of the way he "belittles people."  "That bothers me so much" Anderson says before she is interrupted by Miller, sitting next to her on the couch with arms crossed. "I don't see anything. He belittled you? Did he?" Miller asks.  Miller, who manages a farm that has been with her family for more than a century, says "the average people" who voted for Mr. Trump "don't give a dang" about how he talks and acts.  "I think he's doing great for the United States," Miller says. "People don't like his personality, so what?"  There is some sense of anxiety in the room about the future of the economy and Anderson, breaking up the brief moment of silence after she is questioned by Miller, begins to express her unease about the recent returns on her investments.  "I am afraid of a recession, I really am," Anderson says. "I have seen those investments going down on a daily basis and I know there are millions of others who have investments and the same thing is going to happen. That is scary."  While there is disagreement about the future of America's economy, these Iowans all concur that family farming is becoming "obsolete." Schawke, with a disappointed expression on her face, says "a small farmer can't raise a family in this economy."  Miller says her youngest son, in his 50s, is a farmer who hasn't made a profit in the last three years. "He is just hand to mouth. He is just breaking even," Miller says. "It's like he's not working at all and he needs to be getting another job."  The group is split when it comes to the way Mr. Trump has handled trade negotiations with China. Miller says "it is time for China to break. They were just screwing us." Clark, sitting across the room doesn't think China will back down. "They don't need us," Clark says, adding the situation makes her very sad. "I hate to see my country go down in this area because of that."  Schawke, who grew up on a farm, admits that the trade war with China is hurting farmers in Iowa and across the country. But she says, "If we give in then we are weak," adding that she admires the president for "sticking to his guns and saying 'no' to China."  The only one at this gathering who's not an official member of the woman's club is Sevick. She wants to talk about guns in America and questions why she has to "worry about going to Walmart."  "It makes no sense that they are allowing people to buy machine type guns. I hope we can do something about that," Sevick says as Miller and Schawke interrupt her to say "guns don't kill people."  "The gun is a tool," Schawke says with a stern tone in her voice. She adds the "terrorists" who are shooting people are "mentally ill."  For Schawke, the matter is personal because she is a registered gun owner and has a permit to carry but she also has a son who is mentally ill. She says "we have to change the treatment of the mentally ill," and "help with their disease."  The group is also torn about the treatment of families at the Southern border. They want the controversial detention centers to remain in place but agree that children should not be separated from their parents.  Anderson says "parents should know they are going to be separated" and questioned why families even involve their kids in the arduous journey when the threat of separation looms at the U.S. border. Clark answered her question without hesitation saying "because they are desperate."  Clark is now looking forward to the 2020 presidential race and says her "heart goes out to Warren," referring to the Massachusetts senator who is one of the front runners for the Democratic nomination. Anderson says she is "not sure" which side she will support in 2020 after voting for the Democratic ticket twice and then switching up to the Republicans in 2016.  "I don't have full confidence in Biden but if they come up with a stronger candidate, I probably would vote Democrat," she says.  Miller predicts a "landslide" reelection victory for Mr. Trump in 2020 and says the he has her full support. Schawke said she doesn't put the president "on a pedestal," and admits her support is "wavering more than it was a year or two ago."  "I am torn," Schwake said. "For the most part he's leading our country in the right direction but he doesn't act very presidential and he insults people."


cnbc--2019-03-30--Trump is trying to kill Obamacare again and Democrats couldnt be happier

Trump is trying to kill Obamacare again and Democrats couldn't be happier

His administration restarted its efforts to kill the health care law this week, backing a lawsuit that argues all of the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. Now, Trump faces a question that has confounded Republicans in recent years: if courts toss out Obamacare, how do you replace it with an alternative that expands coverage, cuts costs and keeps the law's most popular parts in place?  The White House has no easy answers. When the GOP tried several times to repeal Obamacare in 2017, voters overwhelmingly disapproved of the plans. Americans grew to like the existing law more when they saw projections that the Republicans' alternatives would leaves tens of millions more people uninsured or increase costs.  Democrats flipped 40 House seats and control of the chamber in last year's midterms in large part by criticizing the Republican push to repeal the ACA. After the drubbing, Republican leaders in Congress have had little appetite for reopening the Obamacare fight, instead focusing on several top Democratic presidential candidates' calls for a government-run "Medicare-for-all" health care system.  Then Trump jumped into the fray in recent days. Focusing on health care ahead of a pivotal 2020 election, in which Republicans will try to defend the White House and a Senate majority and retake House seats, carries massive political risk. There's little evidence to suggest voters trust Trump and the GOP to come up with a health care plan if the president gets his wish and the Supreme Court scraps Obamacare.  "The one lasting effect of the repeal and replace debate is that the ACA is actually more popular than ever. That will make it harder to talk about repealing and replacing it," said Larry Levitt, senior vice president for health reform at the Kaiser Family Foundation. "The repeal and replace debate in 2017 did the one thing that seemed impossible: which was to make the ACA popular."  For Democrats, Trump's decision to make health care front and center of the political debate again is a welcome change of topic for the party after special counsel Robert Mueller concluded the Russia probe. After a two-year investigation, Mueller did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired with Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election, putting Democrats on the defensive.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi quickly jumped on Trump's latest moves against Obamacare, announcing a vote in the coming week to condemn his attempt to kill the law. And 2020 Democratic presidential candidates see health care as a winning issue as the campaign heats up. Sen. Kirstin Gillibrand, who officially launched her campaign the day Mueller's key findings were released, said the debate over health care is a fight the party welcomes.  "If it's a fight for healthcare this administration wants, it's a fight they'll get—and we will win," Gillibrand said.


cnbc--2019-04-24--Melinda Gates Capitalism needs work but it beats socialism and the US is lucky to have it

Melinda Gates: Capitalism needs work, but it beats socialism and the US is 'lucky' to have it

Capitalism vs. socialism? For Melinda Gates, the choice is simple.  "What I know to be true is I would far rather live in a capitalistic society than a socialist society," Gates said in an interview with CNBC's Becky Quick that aired on "Squawk Box" on Wednesday. "I think when we stop and think of what we have from a capitalistic society, we have to remember what we actually have."  Gates' comments come as the American political system is embroiled in a debate about socialism and capitalism. Several Democratic lawmakers and presidential candidates have called for sweeping changes to a system they say is responsible for growing inequality and division within the country. President Donald Trump has accused them of embracing socialism, which he says would lead to economic ruin in the U.S.  Without mentioning the political debate, Gates, who co-chairs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation along with her husband, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, defended the U.S. system. Yet she also acknowledged the need to address the gaps between the rich and the poor.  Gates also said U.S. residents are "lucky," and that people living in developing countries "want to live in these types of capitalistic societies."  Several American billionaires have argued that the modern version of capitalism isn't working. Wealthy business leaders such as Warren Buffett, Jamie Dimon, Ray Dalio and Bill Gates have called for fixes to widening economic inequality and the lack of public education funding. Some are advocating for public-private partnerships and higher taxes on the wealthy to address widespread income inequality.  These business leaders have also condemned arguments for socialism. Dimon, CEO of J.P. Morgan, told shareholders this month that socialism "inevitably produces stagnation, corruption and often worse," but acknowledged there are flaws with capitalism and that it should be combined with a strong social safety net.  In her CNBC interview, Gates called for proper government regulation and a solid tax system to address capitalism's gaps.  "I think we all do better as a globe when countries can grow from low, to middle income, to high income," she said. "And so I think we need to look at our system and say, 'OK, what are the great things about it? And what are the things that, at this point in time, we need to adjust and change?'"  Despite these issues, she said, American capitalism is the envy of much of the world.  "When I go to places like Malawi or Tanzania or Senegal, they say they all want to live in America," Gates said. "We are lucky to live here. They want to live in these types of capitalistic societies. And we just need to tune it and get it right."


cnbc--2019-04-24--Melinda Gates Capitalism needs work but it trumps socialism and the US is lucky to have it

Melinda Gates: Capitalism needs work, but it trumps socialism and the US is 'lucky' to have it

Capitalism vs. socialism? For Melinda Gates, the choice is simple.  "What I know to be true is I would far rather live in a capitalistic society than a socialist society," Gates said in an interview with CNBC's Becky Quick for Wednesday's episode of "Squawk Box." "I think when we stop and think of what we have from a capitalistic society, we have to remember what we actually have."  Gates' comments come while the American political system is embroiled in a debate about socialism and capitalism. Several Democratic lawmakers and presidential candidates have called for sweeping changes to a system they say is responsible for growing inequality and division within the country. President Donald Trump has accused them of embracing socialism, which he says would lead to economic ruin in the U.S.  Without mentioning the political debate, Gates, who co-chairs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation along with her husband, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, defended the U.S. system. Yet she also acknowledged the need to address the gaps between the rich and the poor.  Gates also said U.S. residents are "lucky," and that people living in developing countries "want to live in these types of capitalistic societies."  Several American billionaires have argued that the modern version of capitalism isn't working. Wealthy business leaders such as Warren Buffett, Jamie Dimon, Ray Dalio and Bill Gates have called for fixes to widening economic inequality and the lack of public education funding. Some are advocating for public-private partnerships and higher taxes on the wealthy to address widespread income inequality.  These business leaders have also condemned arguments for socialism. Dimon, the CEO of J.P. Morgan, this month told shareholders that socialism "inevitably produces stagnation, corruption and often worse," but acknowledged there are flaws with capitalism and that it should be combined with a strong social safety net.  In her CNBC interview, Gates called for proper government regulation and a solid tax system to address capitalism's gaps.  "I think we all do better as a globe when countries can grow from low, to middle income, to high income," she said. "And so I think we need to look at our system and say, 'Okay, what are the great things about it? And what are the things that, at this point in time, we need to adjust and change?'"  Despite these issues, American capitalism, in her view, is the envy of much of the world.  "When I go to places like Malawi or Tanzania or Senegal, they say they all want to live in America," Gates said. "We are lucky to live here. They want to live in these types of capitalistic societies. And we just need to tune it and get it right."


cnn--2019-03-14--Beto ORourke announces hes running for president in 2020

Beto O'Rourke announces he's running for president in 2020

Keokuk, Iowa (CNN) Beto O'Rourke announced Thursday he is running for president, entering the 2020 race with a call for Americans to look past their differences in order to confront the challenges facing the country.  "You'll see us run the largest grassroots campaign this country has ever seen," O'Rourke told reporters in Iowa, where he held his first campaign event at a coffee shop in Keokuk. "It's the only way to win. It's the only way to effectively govern."  O'Rourke, who is starting a three-day swing through eastern Iowa, announced his entrance into the race with a video Thursday morning.  I am running to serve you as the next president. The challenges we face are the greatest in living memory. No one person can meet them on their own. Only this country can do that, and only if we build a movement that includes all of us. Say you're in: https://t.co/EKLdkVET2u pic.twitter.com/lainXyvG2n  "This is a defining moment of truth for this country and for every single one of us," the 46-year-old Democratic former congressman from Texas said in the video. "The challenges that we face right now, the interconnected crises in our economy, our democracy and our climate have never been greater."  "They will either consume us, or they will afford us the greatest opportunity to unleash the genius of the United States of America," he said.  O'Rourke said he will hold a kick-off rally for his campaign in El Paso, Texas, on March 30. His campaign headquarters will be in El Paso, he told CNN, because "it's my hometown and it's where I want to be."  His entrance into the race is the culmination of his two-year, out-of-nowhere rise from a back-bench congressman largely unknown outside El Paso to Democratic stardom as a record-breaking fundraiser, the subject of an HBO documentary and the target of two separate efforts to draft him into the presidential campaign. He joins a crowded field of more than a dozen Democrats vying for the party's nomination.  O'Rourke began his Iowa trip -- which includes stops in eight counties that Barack Obama won in 2012 but Donald Trump won in 2016 -- in the state's rural southeastern corner, pledging to the crowds to listen to and address the concerns of those who believe they have been left behind in recent elections.  He said in Texas, farmers and others in rural areas face a lack of broadband internet access. "They can't go on Tinder to find that special date tonight," he said.  O'Rourke's short stump speech focused on climate change and immigration. Drawing a comparison to refugees who are currently arriving at the Southern border, which he said he doesn't view as a problem, he warned that climate upheaval would lead to a "crisis of a different magnitude altogether."  Answering questions from the crowd, O'Rourke praised the ambitious Green New Deal proposal, saying he hasn't "seen anything better that addresses this singular crisis we face -- a crisis that could, at its worst, lead to extinction."  He said he would end the federal prohibition of marijuana, pointing to incarceration rates and saying that those in prison "don't look like people in this room. They are browner and blacker."  Speaking to reporters afterward, he also answered questions about what sets him apart from the Democratic field of presidential candidates, who he said he will not criticize.  O'Rourke pointed to his life in a border community -- Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, is visible from his porch -- and the attention Trump has directed to the border.  "I have a profoundly positive story to tell that as a nation of immigrants, we should remind ourselves that our success, our strength and yes, our safety and security, depend on the fact that we are a city of immigrants in El Paso, a nation of immigrants across this country," he said.  O'Rourke told reporters Thursday his loss in the Texas Senate race helped Democrats shift the state into competitive territory for the 2020 presidential election.  "I think I was able to show by going to every single county that we will leave no one behind, that no one will be forgotten, that every single one of us as an American and as a human being is important, and we will pay the respect necessary to show that and ensure that," he said.  While O'Rourke will have to prove his policy bona fides, his strengths -- he's a tireless campaigner who won over younger voters -- will serve as a test of whether the Democratic base and its legions of young voters are more interested in inspirational figures or candidates whose ideology matches theirs.  O'Rourke picked up two congressional endorsements Thursday morning, from New York Rep. Kathleen Rice and Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar, a long-time O'Rourke friend who last fall won his former seat in the House.  "He is a son of the border, and during an era of unprecedented racist attacks on safe, secure communities like ours, I am grateful that he consistently stands up to the xenophobia and bigotry that has driven the ugliest of political debates," Escobar said in a statement.  O'Rourke's entrance into the presidential race is the culmination of calls for him to explore a bid for national office that began after his closer-than-expected finish in the 2018 Senate campaign.  In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, O'Rourke said the 2020 campaign has "got to be about the big things that we hope to achieve and enact and do for one another."  He said that "the most pressing, the most urgent, the most existential challenge of them all is climate. And the scientists, beyond a shadow of a doubt, know that we have at a maximum 12 years in order to enact significant change to meet that threat and reduce the consequences of the decisions that we made in the past -- the consequences that our kids and the generations that follow will bear."  O'Rourke also began to lay out what he saw as his top priorities on the eve of his entrance into the 2020 race.  "Rewriting and signing into law immigration policies that reflect who we are and our values and what we know to be true, grounded in the facts," he said. "Making sure that everybody can see a doctor and live to their full potential. Listening to and then raising up rural communities that for so long have been left behind. Making sure people that are looking for work are able to find it -- that they're equipped with the skills and training and education necessary to maximize their potential. But also investing in people that are already working. ... There are so many people in this country working two and three jobs and struggling to make ends meet."  "The destination cannot be Election Night, November 2020. The destination really has to be the realization of everything this country is capable of doing," O'Rourke said.  Afterward, Obama praised the Texan for his Senate run, calling him an "impressive young man who ran a terrific race."  "What I liked most about his race was that it didn't feel constantly poll-tested," Obama said during a podcast taping with his former top strategist David Axelrod. "It felt as if he based his statements and his positions on what he believed. And that, you'd like to think, is normally how things work. Sadly, it's not."  O'Rourke refused to hire pollsters for his Senate campaign and only employed a digital consulting firm.  While speculation about a presidential run built after his closer-than-expected Senate loss, some of it has died down in recent months.


rferl--2019-10-03--Russias Medvedev In Cuba Signals Accords Trade Deals Will Be Signed

Russia's Medvedev In Cuba, Signals  Accords, Trade Deals Will Be Signed

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has arrived in the Cuban capital for a two-day visit during which he will hold talks with President Miguel Diaz-Canel, tour an energy project on the outskirts of Havana, and see how the city is overhauling its capitol building, whose golden dome came as a gift from Moscow.  According to a statement on the Russian government's website, Medvedev will discuss "topical issues of Russian-Cuban cooperation in trade, economic, investment, energy, transport, cultural, and humanitarian, and other fields."  A number of bilateral accords and commercial contracts will be signed after the talks, though no specifics were given.  Medvedev's visit comes at a time when the island country is going through a new economic crisis while under severe U.S. sanctions, AP reported.  Two areas hit hardest by the difficulties, the oil and transportation industries, may receive Russian assistance.  A key ally of the former Soviet Union, Cuba still enjoys warm relations with Russia as well as with trade partners Venezuela, China, Spain, and Canada.  Last month, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said trade turnover between Russia and Cuba had increased by 34 percent to $388 million in 2018, and was expected to reach $500 million this year.


tass--2019-11-04--EAEU open to signing free trade deals with Asian countries - Russian PM

BANGKOK, November 4. /TASS/. Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines have expressed interest in signing free trade agreements with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at the 14th East Asia Summit in Thailand’s capital of Bangkok on Monday.  "The Eurasian Economic Union has experience in creating a common market and I would like to point out that the Union is open to cooperation with all interested partners," he said. "We welcome the interest that Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines have shown," Medvedev added.  He noted that free trade agreements had already been signed with Vietnam, Singapore and China, talks were underway with India.  The Russian prime minister emphasized the need to combine the potential of ASEAN, EAEU countries and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). He also stressed that the 2016 Russia-ASEAN Summit had supported the idea of establishing a broad Eurasian partnership.  Sanctions have become a political pressure tool that triggers trade wars, Russian Prime Minister added.  "Unfortunately, the use sanctions is increasing, they have become a tool of political pressure and unfair competition," he pointed out. According to Medvedev, protectionist sentiment is growing stronger in a number of countries, "which leads to specific political and legal decisions." "They result in large-scale trade wars," the Russian prime minister emphasized.  At the same time, in his words, Asian countries are beginning to realize that there is a need to search for new methods of constructive interaction instead of establishing blocs and unions that oppose each other. "The current situation in relations between the countries of the region and Asian countries’ determination to create an open and non-discriminatory market environment are proof of that," Medvedev said.


drudgereport--2019-01-17--USA Weighs Lifting China Tariffs to Hasten Trade Deal

USA Weighs Lifting China Tariffs to Hasten Trade Deal...

U.S. officials are debating ratcheting back tariffs on Chinese imports as a way to calm markets and give Beijing an incentive to make deeper concessions in a trade battle that has rattled global economies.  The idea of lifting some or all tariffs was proposed by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a series of strategy meetings, according to people close to internal deliberations. They say the aim is to advance trade talks and win China’s support for longer-term reforms.