Обстрілів укріплень ЗСУ за минулу добу на Донбасі не було – штаб

У штабі української воєнної операції на Донбасі повідомили, що 22 березня в зоні проведення АТО підтримувані Росією бойовики не здійснили жодного обстрілу.

«Обстрілів наших укріплень не зафіксовано. Українські військовослужбовці продовжують неухильно дотримуватися оголошеного з опівночі 5 березня «всеохоплюючого перемир’я» та Мінських угод», – йдеться в повідомленні.

Водночас в угрупованні «ДНР» звинуватили українських військових у обстрілі у четвер селища Зайцеве. Як повідомляють сайти бойовиків, під обстріл потрапили співробітники одного з комунальних підприємств, ніхто не постраждав. В угрупованні  «ЛНР» не інформують про бойові дії 22 березня.

Тристороння контактна група щодо врегулювання ситуації на Донбасі оголосила про чергову спробу відновити режим припинення вогню, як «повний і безстроковий», з 00:01 години 5 березня. Але він був порушений уже в перші години дії, як і попередні перемир’я. Сторони заперечують свою вину в цьому і звинувачують противників у провокаціях.

 

US Steel, Aluminum Tariffs Activated; Some Countries Exempt

The White House announced late Thursday which countries will be temporarily exempt from the tariffs on steel and aluminum that go into effect Friday.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on steel coming into the country and 10 percent tariffs on imported aluminum.

The countries winning the temporary exemptions are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, South Korea and the member countries of the European Union.

Exemptions to be monitored

The White House says it is in ongoing discussions with all the exempted countries and will “closely monitor” their steel and aluminum imports.

The president will decide by May 1 if he will continue the exemptions, “based on the status of discussions” with the countries. The EU will negotiate for its member countries.

Trump said in proclamations issued Thursday night that steel and aluminum articles “are being imported into the United States in such quantities and under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States …”

The administration has said that retaining a domestic steel and aluminum manufacturing capacity is a matter of national security in order to build everything from tanks to rockets, as well as critical infrastructure such as water treatment plants.

Japan said it should also be exempt from the metals tariffs since its steel and aluminum exports do not pose a threat to the national security of the U.S.

“We have repeatedly told the U.S. side that steel and aluminum imports from its ally Japan will not adversely affect America’s national security and that Japan should be excluded,” Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s chief Cabinet secretary said Friday. Japan is the closest ally of the U.S. in Asia.

Opponents of Trump’s action see the tariffs as undermining the rules-based global trading system and using national security disguised as protectionism that will encourage other countries to resort to the same premise to protect their domestic markets.

The White House has rejected that argument, contending that the U.S. “is the freest-trading nation in the world” and arguing that the rules-based trading system, under the 23-year-old World Trade Organization with 164 member states, “is not working very well for the American people.”

TPP replacement signed

Trump announced his plans for the tariffs earlier this month, just hours after 11 other countries formalized, in Chile, a revised agreement that reduces tariffs and cut trade barriers among the member countries.

Known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement (CPTPP), it replaces the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) from which Trump withdrew the United States.

The countries that joined the TPP successor are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

Trump boasted that trade wars “are good and easy to win” after his surprise announcement to levy the tariffs on the two metals.

Indian Airliner Makes History with Flight to Israel via Saudi Airspace

Saudi Arabia opened its airspace for the first time to a commercial flight to Israel with the inauguration Thursday of an Air India route between New Delhi and Tel Aviv.

Air India 139 landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport after a flight of about 7½ hours, marking a diplomatic shift for Riyadh that Israel says was fueled by shared concern over Iranian influence in the region.

“This is a really historic day that follows two years of very, very intensive work,” Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said in a radio interview, adding that using Saudi airspace cut travel time to India by around two hours and would reduce ticket prices.

Israel not recognized

Saudi Arabia, birthplace of Islam and home to its holiest shrines, does not recognize Israel.

Riyadh has not formally confirmed granting the Air India plane overflight rights. While the move ended a 70-year-old ban on planes flying to or from Israel through Saudi airspace, there is as yet no indication that it will be applied for any Israeli airline.

The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner entered Saudi airspace around 1645 GMT (12:45 p.m. EDT) and overflew the kingdom at 40,000 feet for about three hours, coming within 60 km (37 miles) of the capital Riyadh, according to the Flightradar monitoring app. It then crossed over Jordan and the occupied West Bank into Israel.

The airliner had earlier flown over Oman, according to Flightradar. Officials from Oman, which also does not recognize Israel, could not be reached for comment.

El Al sees unfair advantage

Israel’s flag carrier El Al, excluded from the Saudi route, says its Indian competitor now has an unfair advantage.

El Al currently flies four times a week to the Indian city of Mumbai. Those flights take around 7 hours and 40 minutes, following a Red Sea route that swings toward Ethiopia to avoid Saudi airspace.

If El Al planes were to fly on to New Delhi, a destination El Al has said it might be interested in, they would require another two hours, and significantly more fuel.

Interviewed on Israel’s Army Radio, Levin voiced confidence that El Al would eventually be allowed to use Saudi airspace.

“You know, they said the Saudis wouldn’t let any flight pass. So here, the Saudis are permitting it. It is a process, I think. Ultimately this (El Al overflights) will happen too,” he said.

Asked if any other foreign airlines might follow Air India by opening routes to Tel Aviv over Saudi Arabia, Levin said he has been in negotiations with Singapore Airlines and a carrier from the Philippines, which he did not name.

“They are certainly showing readiness and desire to fly to Israel, and I don’t know if they will also receive permission like the Indian airline,” he said.

Singapore Airlines did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Saudi officials could not immediately be reached.

Рада ухвалила постанову про невизнання Україною виборів президента Росії в Криму

Верховна Рада підтримала постанову про невизнання Україною виборів президента Росії на території анексованого нею Криму.

«За» проголосували 255 народних депутатів, ще 72 не брали участі в голосуванні.

«Результати цього незаконного голосування є нікчемними і не мають жодних правових наслідків. Вони також жодним чином не можуть свідчити або будь-яким чином бути використаними як свідчення будь-якої зміни статусу тимчасово окупованих територій України – Автономної Республіки Крим та міста Севастополь, визначеного Конституцією і законами України», – йдеться в тексті постанови.

У документі йдеться, що істотні обмеження виборчих прав громадян у ході виборчого процесу в Росії, створення нерівних умов для кандидатів та відсутність справжнього вибору, про які йдеться у попередніх висновках Бюро з демократичних інститутів і прав людини ОБСЄ, а також неправомірне зарахування понад 1 мільйон голосів з тимчасово окупованих Автономної Республіки Крим і міста Севастополь «суттєво спотворюють результати голосування на виборах президента Російської Федерації в цілому, закономірно ставлячи під сумнів їх легітимність».

Рада закликала міжнародне співтовариство застосовувати додаткові санкції проти Російської Федерації та персональні санкції до осіб, причетних до організації і проведення голосування під час виборів президента Російської Федерації на території Криму та Севастополя, а також причетних до порушень основоположних прав і свобод людини на окупованій території України.

19 березня представники фракції «Народний фронт» Максим Бурбак і Георгій Логвинський зареєстрували в парламенті проект постанови «Про заяву Верховної Ради з приводу невизнання Україною легітимності виборів президента РФ, їх результатів, правових наслідків та, відповідно, актів нелегітимно обраної на цю посаду особи». 

21 березня в Міністерстві закордонних справ України заявили, що підтримують проект постанови про невизнання російських виборів, проведених в анексованому Москвою Криму, але проти документу, що визнає нелегітимність виборів президента Росії загалом.

Вибори президента в Росії відбулися 18 березня. Російська влада також провела голосування в анексованому нею Криму, попри заперечення України і заяви міжнародних організацій і західних урядів про невизнання «виборів» на півострові.

За попередніми результатами, Володимир Путін переміг на виборах вчетверте.

Veterans With PTSD Find Relief in Native American Rituals

“I wasn’t the kind of guy you’d want to meet in a dark alley.”

That’s how U.S. Army veteran Michael Carroll, 39, from Spokane, Wash., described himself after coming home in 2004 after serving 18 months in Iraq.

He was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and given an honorable discharge.

“The transition from military to civilian life was definitely unpleasant,” he said. “I was extremely temperamental and hostile, and I lashed out a lot. Anything could trigger me — sounds to smells to seeing trash on the side of the road,” a reminder of explosive devices used against coalition forces in the Iraq war.

Over the next few years, he underwent the standard treatment for PTSD — psychotherapy and medication — which he said did him more harm than good.

In 2009, while undergoing therapy at the Spokane Veterans Center, he heard about an outdoor recreational retreat for traumatized veterans, organized and funded by a group of Spokane Valley firefighters.

“And that’s where I encountered my first sweat lodge,” Carroll said. “It blew my mind. And it saved my life.”

Bringing veterans home

Since ancient times, Native American and Alaskan Natives have held warriors in high esteem and have developed a wide variety of prayers, ceremonies and rituals to honor returning soldiers and ease them back into community life.

One of the most common is the “sweat,” a ritual steam bath believed to have originated among Plains Indians that is practiced today by many tribes, with variations according to individual tribal cultures and traditions.

The U.S. Veterans Administration has recognized the value of sweats to Native service members, and since the 1990s, has allowed them to conduct sweats at several VA medical centers across the country. It was only a matter of time before non-Native veterans began to take notice.

“In college, I was a sociology major, and I learned about the importance of the sacred, the ritual and the ceremony,” said Darrin Coldiron, a Spokane firefighter and president of Veterans Community Response (VCR), an all-volunteer group that hosts several retreats a year. “I learned that in so many societies, when you send a warrior off, there’s a ceremony, and you bring them home with ceremony.”

Craig Falcon, a member of the Blackfeet tribe who conducts ceremonies at VCR retreats, explained how the sweat has been used in his culture to help warriors readjust to civilian life.

“You come back from war with things attached to you,” he said. “And some of those things may not be good. They could be memories. Or It could be somebody you killed, and that person attaches himself to you and comes home with you. Ceremonies help wash those things off, send them back to where they came from and get you back to who you are.”

Roger Vielle, also Blackfeet, has served on VCR’s board as spiritual adviser since 2009. At first, he wasn’t sure how non-Natives would handle the sweat.

“Some of the stories they share afterward and some of the things that have happened to them during the sweat are like — ”

He struggled to find words.

“They say something happens there,” he said. “They’ve gotten in touch with something. And I tell them, ‘I’m not the one doing it. I’m just facilitating it. You did the work.  You did the prayers.’”

VCR retreats are funded entirely by donors and cost the participants nothing. That’s because no legitimate tribal healer would ever charge money for a ceremony.

Private and sacred

Carroll admitted to being skeptical — and a little fearful — of his first sweat.

“But then you go inside the sweat lodge, and of course the herbs are dropped on the rocks, and the drum is starting to play,” he said. “Then you pray and you begin to feel the toxins pour out of your body. And a lot of time, there’s a sense of another presence, something in that lodge besides you and the other people gathered there.”

Vielle and Falcon were reluctant to share too many details about the ceremonies, which are sacred to their culture.

“Non-Natives are really exploiting our way of life and our ceremonies, grabbing them and selling them,” said Falcon, recalling the 2009 deaths of three people at an Arizona sweat ceremony conducted by non-Native, New Age guru James Arthur Ray. 

Medical staff are on hand at every VCR retreat.

Sometimes, he said, veterans come out of sweats wanting to build sweat lodges in their own backyards.

“I tell them, ‘I can’t stop you if you want to go and build one. But it won’t be done in the right way,’” Falcon said. “And once I tell them that, they are very respectful and say, ‘I’ll build a sauna instead.’”

 

 

 

 

 

Савченко в супроводі слідчих прийшла до управління СБУ

Народний депутат Надія Савченко в супроводі слідчих прийшла до управління Служби безпеки України в Києві та Київській області.

Перед цим у кулуарах Верховної Ради слідчий повідомив народному депутату, що затримує її за підозрою у вчиненні злочинів, передбачених ч. 1 ст. 109 («дії, спрямовані на насильницьку зміну чи повалення конституційного ладу або на захоплення державної влади») ; ч. 1 ст. 14 («готування до злочину»), ч. 2 ст. 28 («вчинення злочину групою осіб, групою осіб за попередньою змовою, організованою групою або злочинною організацією»), ч. 1 ст. 109; ч. 1 ст. 14, ч. 2 ст. 28, ст. 112 («посягання на життя державного чи громадського діяча»); ч. 1 ст. 14, ч. 3 ст. 258 («терористичний акт»); ч. 1 ст. 258-3 («створення терористичної групи чи терористичної організації»).

Він попросив Савченко прибути до управління СБУ для «складання протоколу затримання, а також застовання заходів, передбачених законодавством України». Вона погодилася і запропонувала пройтися до будівлі Служби безпеки України пішки. Туди вона йшла без наручників.

22 березня Верховна Рада задовольнила три подання Генпрокуратури України: на притягнення до кримінальної відповідальності, затримання й арешт позафракційного депутата Надії Савченко за підозрою в плануванні теракту в будівлі парламенту.

Генеральний прокурор Юрій Луценко під час представлення подань заявив, що до передачі зброї депутату Савченко на окупованій території були причетні російські військові.

Сама Надія Савченко підтвердила перебування на окупованій території, заявивши, що «були проведені спеціальні операції», а щодо заяв про «підрив» будівлі Верховної Ради зазначила: «Я хотіла налякати вас».

Згідно з оприлюдненими поданнями ГПУ, Надія Савченко «не пізніше 20 листопада 2017 року вступила у змову з волонтером Володимиром Рубаном, ватажком бойовиків угруповання «ДНР» Олександром Захарченком та іншими особами для повалення конституційного ладу і захоплення державної влади в Україні». ГПУ підозрює Савченко в плануванні теракту в парламенті України. Сама Савченко пізніше заявила, що не планувала теракту, а лише «політичну провокацію».

Володимира Рубана, який раніше займався питанням звільнення полонених, затримали 8 березня на КПВВ «Майорське» за підозрою в спробі переміщення великої кількості зброї з території Донецької області, яка підконтрольна російським окупаційним адміністраціям.

Рубана підозрюють у незаконному поводженні зі зброєю та підготовці терактів, зокрема збройних замахів на державних діячів та політичних лідерів, серед яких президент України Петро Порошенко, міністр внутрішніх справ Арсен Аваков, екс-прем’єр-міністр Арсеній Яценюк й секретар РНБО Олександр Турчинов. Сам Рубан звинувачення відкидає.

Trump’s Unorthodox North Korea Diplomacy Begins at the Top

U.S. President Donald Trump’s sudden decision to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, without first working out the framework of a deal, could produce a historic agreement, but it would come at the beginning of a long negotiation process. VOA’s Seoul correspondent Brian Padden reports that perhaps the best possible diplomatic outcome would be an agreed upon definition of what denuclearization means.

Ситник: інформація про прослуховування САП є елементом медійної війни проти антикорупційних органів

Голова Національного антикорупційного бюро України Артем Ситник називає «елементом медійної війни проти антикорупційних органів» інформацію про прослуховування НАБУ кабінету керівника Спеціалізованої антикорупційної прокуратури Назара Холодницького.

Як повідомляє кореспондент Радіо Свобода, про це Ситник заявив 22 березня у Брюсселі, де перебуває з візитом.

«Проаналізуйте інформацію, яка з’являється кожен день: починаючи від того, що я когось вбивав і захоплював якісь землі у Львівській області. Це – елемент медійної війни проти антикорупційних органів», – сказав він.

За словами Ситника, нинішня ситуація не вплинула на співпрацю двох установ. «Прокурори і детективи працюють разом. Якщо ви звернули увагу, за останні два дні ми завершили п’ять кримінальних проваджень, причому достатньо відомих. Від себе можу сказати, що я зроблю все, щоб незалежність НАБУ, на яку постійно спокушається влада, буде захищена, бо пишуть, що вона під загрозою», – заявив Ситник.

На питання, чи з’ясовували разом з головою САП Назаром Холодницьким, хто міг організувати прослуховування, і кому це вигідно, голова НАБУ Артем Ситник відповів, що про це слід питати «у тих ресурсів, хто це розповсюджує». 

Раніше сьогодні керівник САП Назар Холодницький підтвердив, що три тижні тому в його кабінеті виявили пристрій, схожий на ті, що використовуються для прослуховування. Холодницький заявив, що очікує інформації, що це був за пристрій, кому він належить і хто ініціатор його встановлення. Він назвав це провокацією, а також відкинув чутки про свою відставку.

Раніше деякі ЗМІ з посиланням на джерела повідомили про начебто намір Назара Холодницького піти у відставку найближчим часом. У Спеціалізованій антикорупційній прокуратурі Радіо Свобода заявили, що Назар Холодницький виконує свої обов’язки у «звичайному режимі». Водночас повідомлення ЗМІ про нібито виявлення в кабінеті Холодницького пристроїв для прослуховування у САП раніше не коментували. Деякі ЗМІ написали, що НАБУ і Генпрокуратура нібито кілька тижнів прослуховували кабінет Холодницького.

Директор Національного антикорупційного бюро України Артем Ситник раніше заявляв, що коментувати публікації в деяких ЗМІ є недоречним.

EPA Chief’s Security Detail Joined Him on First Class Flights

Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt’s private security detail accompanied him on first-class flights, the agency confirmed on Wednesday to U.S. House Democrats, who requested details on his travels amid growing scrutiny of Cabinet members’ spending.

Democrats on the House of Representatives Energy Committee — Frank Pallone, Diana DeGette and Paul Tonko — received confirmation in a letter from EPA Associate Administrator Troy Lyons that Pruitt’s security team had accompanied him in premium airplane seats because of security threats.

The EPA was responding to a Feb. 20 letter from the Democratic lawmakers asking for details about the use by Pruitt and his staff of first-class air travel.

The agency’s “Protective Service Detail has identified specific, ongoing threats associated with the Administrator’s air travel and, therefore, shifted his class based on certain security protocols that require him to be near the front of the plane,” Lyons wrote to the lawmakers in a letter they published on Wednesday.

The letter said that the agency’s assistant inspector general determined Pruitt had “significantly more threats” directed against him than previous EPA administrators.

EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox said the travel adhered to federal protocols applied to this and previous presidential administrations.

“Security decisions are made by EPA’s Protective Service Detail and are similar to security protocol across the federal government,” he said in a statement.

The lawmakers said they were concerned about the price taxpayers were forced to pay to accommodate Pruitt and his guard’s first-class travel, as reports emerge surrounding his travel records from last year.

On Tuesday, newly released documents revealed Pruitt’s $80,000 trip to Italy last summer for the G-20 summit entailed$30,000 in spending on personal security.

Another batch of travel expenses requested by Republican House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy and obtained by the Washington Post showed he spent $68,000 on hotel stays and air travel on first-class and domestic flights from August 2017 through February 2018.

“What is clear is that while he makes extreme cuts to critical public health and environmental protection programs, the Administrator has taken a holiday from all fiscal responsibility when it comes to his own travel and personal convenience,” the lawmakers said in a statement.

The Democrats plan to press Pruitt on his spending at an energy panel hearing next month.

Other Cabinet secretaries, including Ben Carson, secretary of the Housing and Urban Development agency, and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke have faced scrutiny because of reports of lavish spending on office furniture, as well as the use of private jets.

Toy Company CEO Leads Effort to Save Toys R Us

Toy company executive Isaac Larian says he and other investors have pledged a total of $200 million in financing and hope to raise four times that amount in crowdfunding in order to bid for up to 400 of the Toys R Us stores being liquidated in bankruptcy.

The unsolicited bid still faces many hurdles, including finding other deep-pocked investors and getting a bankruptcy judge to agree to it. But this is the first public plan to keep the cherished toy brand in existence in the United States.

Such a long-shot move would also greatly benefit Larian’s primary business. He’s CEO of Bratz doll-maker MGA Entertainment, which relies on Toys R Us for nearly 1 in every 5 sales.

​Good for the industry

Larian says he and the other investors, which he declined to name, believe salvaging part of the Toys R Us business will be good for the toy industry, customers and workers. They’re interested in more than half the 735 U.S. stores Toys R Us plans to liquidate, and want to be able to use the valuable brand name.

And they’re hoping the outpouring of affectionate nostalgia when Toys R Us announced its plans — #SaveToysRUs has been a trend on social media — translates into pledges toward their $1 billion goal.

Toys R Us sought court approval last week to liquidate its remaining U.S. stores, threatening the jobs of about 30,000 employees and spelling the end for a chain known to generations of children and parents for its sprawling stores, sing-along jingle and Geoffrey the giraffe mascot.

The store has an iconic place in American culture, said Larian. “We can’t just sit back and just let it disappear.” Larian, who is a billionaire, is using his own money, not MGA funds, for the bid.

No debt

Why might Larian be successful with a retail chain struggling to stay relevant in the age of Amazon? For one thing, Larian wouldn’t have the massive $5 billion in debt that hampered the current owner of Toys R Us. He also says the toy industry needs a big chain like Toys R Us, where children can touch and feel the toys and toymaker’s can test new products.

The chain’s liquidation will have a “devastating effect” on the toy industry, said Larian, who estimates that 130,000 jobs in the U.S. could be lost when you include layoffs at suppliers and logistic operations. He said a total Toys R Us liquidation could mean MGA would have to lay off workers at an Ohio plant that makes the Little Tikes toy vehicles. That brand accounts for 25 percent of MGA total sales, and Larian says only Toys R Us really had enough room to display the cars. It’s harder to ship such bulky items on Amazon.

The Toys R Us troubles have hurt big toy makers like Mattel and Hasbro, which have been key suppliers to the chain. MGA, based in Van Nuys, California, is the world’s largest privately held toy company. The planned liquidation would have a bigger impact on smaller toy makers that rely more on the chain for sales.

In Russia’s Dying Arctic City, Residents Plead for Putin to Offer Lifeline

A little more than 40 hours after leaving Moscow’s Yaroslavsky station, the Vorkuta Express pulled into its terminus after a 2,000-kilometer journey through the taiga forests and tundra of Russia’s far north. The city lies 150 kilometers inside the Arctic Circle, seemingly at the edge of human habitation.

Its monochrome extremes overwhelm the senses: vast Arctic ice fields punctured with the scars of creaking coal mines.

The city is dying. The fall of the Soviet Union left Vorkuta vulnerable to market forces. In the 1990s, eight of the 13 coal mines closed, and two-thirds of the residents have left in the past 30 years. In 2016, a series of explosions in one of the largest mines killed 36 people and dealt another blow to Vorkuta’s future.

WATCH: In Russia’s Dying Arctic City, Residents Plea for Putin to Offer Lifeline

Largely cut off from the rest of Russia, 70,000 people remain in the decaying city. Amid the decline, Nadezhda Kozhevnikova is trying to run a clothing store. She said Vorkuta has been forgotten.

“As far as I understand, we have enough coal reserves for another 50 years. There is demand for coal. So, why are mines not being set up? None are being developed. Nothing is being done,” Kozhevnikova said.

Politics haven’t helped

And yet, few Vorkuta residents voted for change. Seventy-three percent backed President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia Party in an election Sunday that international observers said was neither free nor fair.

As his students practiced on miniaturized drills and machinery, Victor Telnov wasn’t interested in debating democracy. As director of the Vorkuta College of Mining and Economics, he’s teaching the next generation the skills that will be vital to Vorkuta’s survival. He said Russians must put their faith in Putin.

“As a well-known public figure recently said, ‘Do not have any illusions. This time, we do not elect a president, but a commander-in-chief.’ This election is emblematic, for Russia and for the world community. We show how much we are united as Russians.”

​Built by Stalin’s gulag labor

Vorkuta rose from the ice-bound wastelands in the 1930s, built by the forced labor of Josef Stalin’s gulags. Up to 200,000 political prisoners are buried in the permafrost. Gulag prisoners also built the railway, Vorkuta’s only land link with the outside world. The small airport is often closed because of the weather.

Deep beneath the ice, Anatoly Vorobyov and his colleagues mine the same seams of coal that once powered the Soviet Union. He has a short wish list for Putin.

“At the very least, I hope the current standards will be preserved — wage stability, a steady supply of workers who are given everything they need. I mean a social package and all that,” Vorobyov said. “As an improvement, we would certainly like a salary increase. And maybe a new highway to Vorkuta. That would be cool for all the residents.”

A craving for stability, and yet a longing for a faster escape route from this decaying town.

In the 1990s, miners’ wages in Vorkuta went unpaid for 10 months. Memories of that trauma are frozen in the minds of many voters. Life in Vorkuta may seem bleak under Putin’s Russia, but the people here know it could get a lot worse.

In Russia’s Dying Arctic City, Residents Plea for Putin to Offer Lifeline

About 150 kilometers inside the Arctic Circle lies the Russian city of Vorkuta, a mining outpost that is rapidly being reclaimed by the elements. Many residents abandoned the city after the fall of the Soviet Union, but 70,000 people remain, largely cut off from the rest of Russia, seemingly trapped in a decaying city. Henry Ridgwell reports on the challenges facing this remote icebound settlement, far beyond the bright lights and billionaire mansions of Moscow.

Snow Storm Pounds Much of US Eastern Seaboard

Heavy snow and strong winds pounded states along the U.S. eastern seaboard Wednesday, forcing school closures, thousands of flight cancellations and government shutdowns.

The U.S. National Weather Service issued storm alerts Wednesday morning from North Carolina to Massachusetts, potentially affecting more than 68 million people.

The nor’easter, a storm blowing from the northeast off the Atlantic Ocean, was expected to continue to affect an area ranging from Virginia and Washington to Boston, Massachusetts, into Thursday.

More than 4,000 flights in the U.S. had been canceled by midday Wednesday, according to FlightAware.com.

The storm, which came one day after the arrival of Spring, caused closures of much of the federal government in the Washington area. The White House and the State Department canceled all public events for Wednesday. Congress was open for business, however, as it attempted to finalize a spending bill.

The weather service said up to 18 inches of snow could blanket northern New Jersey, southeastern New York state and southwestern Connecticut. Winds strong enough to cause damage were expected to affect eastern Massachusetts later Wednesday.

Widespread power outages are possible, particularly since parts of the power grid in the northeastern U.S. were damaged by a nor’easter earlier this month. Coastal flooding also is expected along segments of the eastern seaboard.

North Korea: ‘Peace Offensive’ With US, South Korea Shows Strength

North Korea is contending that its recent “dialogue peace offensive” with the United States and South Korea is the result of national strength, not pressure from international economic sanctions aimed at ending Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests.

A state television commentary late Tuesday did not mention either of the pending summits with South Korea and the United States, including a prospective face-to-face meeting U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to hold with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by the end of May.  But the commentary was the first allusion to the thaw in diplomatic relations between Pyongyang and Washington and Seoul.

The woman reading the commentary said there has been a “dramatic atmosphere for reconciliation” with the South and “a sign of change” with the United States.

She said Pyongyang’s overtures to Washington and Seoul came from a position of strength, not from weakness.

“The dialogue peace offensive” of the North Korean government, she said, “is an expression of self-confidence as it has acquired everything it desires.”

The commentary attacked military opponents to the talks in the United States, South Korea and Japan for questioning whether the talks should be held.

“Such rubbish as ‘result of sanctions and pressure’ … spread by hostile forces is just as meaningless as a dog barking at the moon,” the government commentary said.

“It is really an expression of small-mindedness for the riff-raffs to spoil the atmosphere and say this or that even before the parties concerned are given a chance to study the inner thoughts of the other side and are seated at a negotiating table,” North Korea said.

Summit in the offing?

Trump has repeatedly pushed for tough sanctions imposed by the United Nations against North Korea as Pyongyang carried out multiple nuclear and missile tests.  He has repeatedly taunted Kim, calling him “Little Rocket Man,” before unexpectedly agreeing earlier this month to talks with Kim after South Korean diplomats, in a White House meeting, presented Trump with a message from Pyongyang offering to hold a summit.

No date or venue for the summit has been announced, however.

In the United States, a new poll by Quinnipiac University said 65 percent of American voters believe the United States will be able to resolve its differences with North Korea diplomatically, while 16 percent believe the United States will have to use military force.  The poll said voters, by a 66-24 margin, approve of Trump meeting with Kim, but by a similar result, 65-26, say that North Korea will not give up its nuclear weapons.

South Korea and the United States said Tuesday they plan to resume annual joint military exercises on April 1, although shortening its main drill by a month.  The North has frequently complained about the South Korean-U.S. drills, but as part of the agreement for the planned summit with the United States has agreed to not publicly protest this year.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said a three-way summit between the two Koreas and the United States is possible, depending on the success or failure of the meetings between the two Koreas and the U.S.-North Korean summit.

“We must completely resolve the issues of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and establishing peace,” Moon said.

 

Illinois Voters Reflect on Trump, Female Candidates

Many U.S. experts are calling 2018 the Year of the Woman because so many women are running for national office. But before the general elections in November, women must win their political party’s primaries. Five women and two men are trying to unseat the current U.S. representative in Illinois’ 6th district. Tuesday the voters spoke. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti brings us the excitement from Tuesday’s primary.

ЄС готовий до посередництва щодо угоди України і Росії про транзит газу після 2019 року – Шефчович

Європейський союз прагне залагодження газового протистояння між російським «Газпромом» та українським «Нафтогазом» і готовий до посередництва щодо транзитного контракту після 2019 року, повідомив 21 березня віце-президент Єврокомісії з питань енергетики Марош Шефчович.

«З огляду на те, що «транзитний контракт» чинний до кінця 2019 року, ми вважаємо, що найкращим подальшим шляхом є якомога швидше проведення тристоронніх переговорів (України, Росії та ЄС – ред.), аби укласти угоду щодо обсягів газового транзиту на період після 2019 року», – заявив Шефчович під час обговорення у Європарламенті газової суперечки України і Росії.

Віце-президент Єврокомісії наголосив, що готовий особисто виконати роль посередника в переговорах між Києвом та Москвою як задля вирішення нинішньої проблеми газопостачання, так і для з’ясування майбутнього російського газового транзиту через Україну.

«Якщо йде мова про будь-яку зупинку контрактів, то ми очікуємо, що це має робитися впорядковано, враховуючи всі права та зобов’язання обох сторін, а також вплив, який це матиме на треті країни, а саме держави ЄС», – заявив Шефчович.

Він також наголосив на необхідності модернізації української газотранспортної системи.

«У виграші будуть всі сторони, коли до цього долучаться гідні довіри, відомі західні компанії», – додав Шефчович.

28 лютого компанія НАК «Нафтогаз України» повідомила про перемогу в Стокгольмському арбітражі над російським газовим монополістом, компанією «Газпром» у суперечці щодо компенсації за недопоставлені «Газпромом» обсяги газу для транзиту. «Газпром» заявив про незгоду з рішенням Стокгольмського арбітражу, а згодом оголосив намір розірвати контракт, термін якого збігає наприкінці 2019 року. Фахівці вважають, що в разі небажання «Нафтогазу» припиняти дію контракту судова тяганина триватиме не один рік.

African Continental Free Trade Facing Slow Road, Many Challenges

Handshakes, smiles and jubilation accompanied the long-awaited launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area on Wednesday in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali. 

The trade bloc has been in negotiation since 2012, when the African Union first decided on a continent-wide plan. It aims to create a single market for goods and services, allow free movement of business and investments, and establish a Customs Union to regulate tariffs.

As part of a related action plan, the African Union aims to double intra-African trade by 2022. 

“Africa is one continent that does not trade with itself like the rest of the world,” said Erastus Mwencha, former deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission and former secretary general of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). “And, because of that, the huge demographic dividend of the continent is not of any advantage to the continent because Africa has not taken advantage of its market size, which is 1.3 billion people plus a GDP of over 2.3 trillion [U.S. dollars].” 

But the Kigali launch — while significant — is largely symbolic, as many challenges remain before the trade deal can be implemented. 

Gerrishon Ikiara, associate director of the Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies at the University of Nairobi, notes that Africa faces many political, social and economic barriers to integration. 

“There is also often a bit of conflict between the French-speaking Africa, the English-speaking Africa, the Maghreb Arab part of Africa in North Africa. Then you have a few dominant economies like South Africa, Nigeria and small ones like Rwanda,” Ikiara said.

African trade is dominated by the export of raw materials to Asia and the West, and import of finished goods.

One of the reasons is because national markets operate like silos, says Mwencha.

“If you look at some of the economies in Africa with a population of half a million people, a population of three million people, a population of five million people — with very little purchasing power. You cannot be able to really advance economically. And so, you require a bigger market,” he said.

Intra-African obstacles

The African Union says reducing barriers to trade within the continent will boost manufacturing and value-added products and services. 

Chairperson of the African Union — and president of Rwanda — Paul Kagame noted in his keynote address at the summit Tuesday that less than 20 percent of Africa’s trade is internal, compared to three times that in other trade blocs like the European Union. 

Part of the problem is that incentives for trade are skewed toward off-continent partners. 

Mwencha says intra-African tariffs average 12 percent, while Africa charges the rest of the world about 8 percent.

“So, that is a misnomer that … charity begins at home,” Mwencha said. “I mean, we’re not giving each other advantage. And, because of that, the cost of doing business on the continent, whether it is trade facilitation, is also very high. So this is, to me, a significant movement.”

But just days before the launch, Nigeria — Africa’s largest economy — announced President Muhammadu Buhari would not attend. 

A government statement said key stakeholders, a reference to the business community and trade unions, had not been consulted about their concerns on the treaty.

Some economists warn that without Nigeria’s participation, the African CFTA will be severely handicapped.

However, national consultations are understandable, says Mwencha. 

“That is OK,” he said. “But one hopes that this doesn’t drag, because Nigeria perhaps may take a position that it is a large country, with almost 170 million people, that they can do without [the] continent. That would be an unfortunate position.”

Next step

For the 44 countries who signed on to the deal this week, the next step will be getting their national parliaments to ratify the free trade deal, which could take years. The 10 other countries in the AU would also have to sign on for the deal to be continent-wide.

Regional integration could be a bigger challenge for Africa than it was Europe. But while the EU took more than half a century to establish itself with 28 members, economists such as Ikiara expect it will take years — not decades — for Africa.

“Right now, also we’re having improvements in terms of infrastructure,” Ikiara said. “Ports which are connected with each other, railways and roads which are interconnecting in more African countries. And I think that connectivity, I see it as being a major push. Because, once the … interconnectivity is improved, the private sector becomes even more effective.”

Despite the challenges ahead, the trade bloc’s launch Wednesday is another step by African nations toward closer integration. 

Mnuchin: US Will Take New Look at TPP After Other Trade Priorities

The United States will consider re-entry to the Trans-Pacific Partnership once Washington accomplishes its goals on other trading relationships, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday while on an official visit to Chile.

Trans-Pacific Partnership is aimed at cutting trade barriers in some of the fastest-growing economies of the Asia-Pacific region. The original 12-member deal was thrown into limbo early last year when President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from it, citing concerns about protecting U.S. jobs.

“Our focus at the moment is, obviously, we’re working on renegotiation of NAFTA, we’re very focused on our trading relationship with China, which is way too much in one direction. Our markets are open to them, their markets are not open to us, on the same basis,” Mnuchin said at a news conference.

He was in Chile following a two-day meeting of officials from the world’s 20 biggest economies in neighboring Argentina on Monday and Tuesday.

“But as we accomplish our goals on these other trading relationships, this [TPP] is definitely something that we will consider and Chile will be a big partner of ours in that at the right time,” Mnuchin said.

Chile Finance Minister Felipe Larrain said the South American nation would welcome U.S. participation in the partnership.

“We would very much like to have the United States back in the TPP,” he said.

Venezuelan sanctions

Addressing U.S. sanctions against Venezuela, Mnuchin said they are directed not at the population but at individuals who are taking resources from the Venezuelan people.

Trump on Monday signed an executive order barring any U.S.-based financial transactions involving Venezuela’s new petro cryptocurrency, as U.S. officials warned that it was a “scam” by President Nicolas Maduro’s government to further undermine democracy in the OPEC country.

Mnuchin said the upcoming presidential election in Venezuela on May 20 would not likely change that strategy.

“Under President Trump, the Treasury has been very aggressive in using its sanction powers,” Mnuchin said.

Mnuchin said it was important that other countries and the European Union join in sanctioning Venezuela.

“We’re having discussions with the EU about them putting sanctions, and matching our sanctions, so that they come along and that we have a united front,” Mnuchin said.

Critics accuse Maduro of turning Venezuela into a dictatorship. His government says the sanctions break international law.

Бойовики упродовж дня не здійснили жодного обстрілу на Донбасі – штаб

У штабі української воєнної операції на Донбасі повідомили, що у нічні, денні та вечірні години 21 березня в зоні проведення АТО не пролунало жодного пострілу з боку підтримуваних Росією бойовиків.

«У першу половину доби режим всеохоплюючого перемир’я на лінії розмежування сторін бойовиками незаконних збройних формувань дотримувався. Станом на 18:00 обстрілів з боку сил російсько-окупаційних військ не зафіксовано. Ситуація перебуває під контролем українських захисників», – йдеться в повідомленні.

В угрупованнях «ДНР» та «ЛНР» також не інформують про бойові дії 21 березня.

Тристороння контактна група щодо врегулювання ситуації на Донбасі оголосила про чергову спробу відновити режим припинення вогню, як «повний і безстроковий», з 00:01 години 5 березня. Але він був порушений уже в перші години дії, як і попередні перемир’я. Сторони заперечують свою вину в цьому і звинувачують противників у провокаціях.

US Central Bank Expected to Raise Interest Rates Slightly

Top officials of the U.S. central bank are expected to raise the key interest rate slightly Wednesday at the end of two days of private meetings and debate.

Economists surveyed by news organizations say the rate will probably go up one quarter of a percentage point, to a range between 1.5 and 1.75 percent.That is still fairly low compared to the average rate during the past few decades.

The Federal Reserve tries to manage the economy to maximize employment and keep prices stable.

The Fed slashed interest rates nearly to zero during the financial crisis to simulate economic growth.But economists say keeping rates too low for too long could over stimulate the economy and push inflation up fast enough to damage the economy.

With the economy recovering from the economic crisis, unemployment at its lowest point in years, and inflation low, but rising, the Fed governors are nearly certain to raise the key interest rate Wednesday.Investors and economists are watching closely for word on how soon and how high future rate hikes will come.

They will get some insight late Wednesday when the Fed publishes updated economic assessments of growth, employment, and inflation.

The new chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, will also meet with journalists to explain the Fed’s actions.This is Powell’s first such news conference.

Бізнесмен із Татарстану заявляє, що Україна відмовила йому в наданні притулку

Бізнесмен із російського регіону Татарстан заявляє, що Україна відмовила на його прохання про політичний притулок.

Ільдар Валієв заявив Радіо Свобода 21 березня, що львівське регіональне управління міграційної служби дійшло висновку, що йому і його родині не треба додаткового захисту і тому їм не можуть дати притулок в Україні.

«Ми подали скаргу до суду, в якій просимо скасувати рішення міграційної служби», – заявив Валієв.

41-річний Валієв із дружиною і чотирма дітьми прибув в Україну навесні 2017 року, його затримали за запитом Росії. За рішенням апеляційного суду, Валієв був звільнений з-під варти в червні 2017 року, після чого попросив притулку у влади України.

Російська влада заявляє, що розшукує Валієва за підозрою в участі у діяльності терористичної групи.

Валієв визнає, що є членом угруповання «Хізб ут-Тахрір», яке Росія в 2003 році визнала терористичною організацією і заборонила.

Він залишив Росію після того, як двоє його партнерів по бізнесу були засуджені до 18 і 19 років ув’язнення за звинуваченням у заснуванні осередку «Хізб ут-Тахрір» у Татарстані.

Представники міжнародної сунітської політичної організації «Хізб ут-Тахрір» називають своєю місією об’єднання всіх мусульманських країн в ісламському халіфаті, але вони відкидають терористичні методи досягнення цього і кажуть, що зазнають несправедливого переслідування в Росії.

Російські спецслужби в окупованому Криму теж намагаються запроваджувати там заборону цієї організації: вони арештовують, а російські суди засуджують до тривалих термінів ув’язнення мусульман за звинуваченням у належності до цього руху – при тому, що в Україні, якій належить Крим, як і в більшості країн Європи, «Хізб ут-Тахрір» діє легально.

 

Trump Tariffs Set Off Industry Scramble for Exemptions

When Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross held up a can of Campbell’s soup in a CNBC interview to make the case that the Trump administration’s steel and aluminum tariffs were “no big deal,” the canning industry begged to disagree — and they were hardly alone.

President Donald Trump’s strong-armed trade policies have set off an intense scramble among industry groups, companies and foreign countries seeking exemptions from tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on imported aluminum. The push comes ahead of a round of new penalties expected to be slapped on China by week’s end.

The Can Manufacturers Institute, which represents 22,000 workers at manufacturers across the nation, estimates the steel and aluminum tariffs will harm their industry and consumers alike. The institute says there are 119 billion cans made in the U.S., meaning a 1 cent tariff would lead to a $1.1 billion tax on consumers and businesses.

“Secretary Ross has made cans a poster child to dispel concerns about the costs of tariffs,” said Robert Budway, the institute’s president. He said his organization was concerned Ross “is already predisposed to deny our petitions.”

Trump’s one-two punch on trade has set in motion a deluge of requests to the Commerce Department for exclusions for certain steel and aluminum products. Foreign countries, meanwhile, complain the U.S. trade representative’s office has not provided specific guidance on gaining exemptions before the steel and aluminum tariffs are implemented on Friday.

Countries in the dark

“Typically, the countries are determined before tariffs are announced,” said Josh Zive, senior principal at the law firm Bracewell LLP. This time, countries don’t know whether they will end up being targeted or exempted — “that’s weird and no one knows what to make of it.”

The Trump administration, which has said steel and aluminum imports threaten U.S. national security, has already given Mexico and Canada a reprieve — provided they agree to a revamp of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The European Union, South Korea, Australia and Brazil are among the groups and countries seeking the exemptions.

Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said tariffs are “sometimes necessary tools” to protect national security or fight unfair trade practices. But he said the administration’s approach is producing “chaos, uncertainty and an alienation of our closest allies.”

Emily Davis, a spokeswoman for U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, said the U.S “is engaged in discussions with several countries to determine if means other than tariffs can be arranged to address our national security concerns.”

Companies that buy imported steel and aluminum can request tariff relief from the Commerce Department, especially if they rely on types of imported steel and aluminum that aren’t available from domestic U.S. producers.

Expect a deluge: Steel and aluminum producers have 30 days to make their exemption requests. Commerce expects 4,500 requests for relief and 1,500 objections — and it is supposed to reach decisions in 90 days.

Commerce has said it intends to reach decisions on a company-by-company basis, not by making across-the-board exemptions for individual steel and aluminum products. That decision has created anxieties that certain companies could get tariff relief while others would be forced to pay tariffs on the same product — perhaps because in the time between the two requests domestic U.S. production has ramped up to fill shortages.

“The big thing is, it’s arbitrary,” said Mary Lovely of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. “The government is becoming the matchmaker between the purchaser and the supplier.”

“It’s a real question to me whether they understand the magnitude of the requests they are going to get,” Zive said of Commerce. “How they’re going to get through them in 90 days is difficult to understand.”

Industry officials said other aspects of the exemption process will burden companies. Manufacturers are unclear whether companies will qualify for refunds if they end up getting exemptions after they’ve begun paying the tariffs. And since Trump set no timeline for ending the tariffs, the companies will need to reapply for the exemptions annually.

Stocking up

Companies, meanwhile, have been trying to beat the tariffs by stocking up on imports. Steel imports rose 15 percent last year and another 17 percent in January.

The steel and aluminum tariffs may only be the opening salvo.

Administration officials said Trump is expected to announce $60 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports by Friday on a wide array of consumer goods, from apparel to electronics, and even on imported parts for products made in the U.S.

Ross, appearing before a House budget panel on Tuesday, faced questions about the trade moves, with lawmakers warning the tariffs could lead to retaliation from foreign countries and wreak economic havoc for consumers.

“I worry that now we’re engaged in a trade war which is further going to alienate us from our adversaries,” said Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen, a New Jersey Republican who chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Representative Derek Kilmer, a Washington state Democrat, noted that the decision to exclude aluminum and steel producers on a company-by-company basis — rather than by individual products — could create the possibility that some companies will gain a huge advantage over their competitors if they win exemptions.

Ross vowed that “the process will be open and transparent” and that Commerce was working to “minimize the amount of inconvenience that any of the affected parties will suffer as a result of the process. We’re gearing up to be fast, to be fair and to be practical.”

Amid Political Turmoil, Republicans Warn Trump Not to Fire Mueller

Americans may become accustomed to the political turmoil swirling around President Donald Trump, but it remains an open question whether that turmoil will ultimately help or hurt Trump and his Republican allies, especially in an election year. 

Last week, it was Trump’s firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and an apparent Democratic victory in a special congressional election in Pennsylvania — a sign of a possible wave in the November midterm elections.

This week, it was a series of presidential tweets criticizing the Russia probe, followed by a controversial Trump statement of congratulations for newly re-elected Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump also added former U.S. attorney Joseph diGenova to his legal team. DiGenova has alleged that elements of the FBI and the Department of Justice have been out to frame Trump in connection with the Russia probe.

​Mueller’s fate

Trump ignored shouted questions Tuesday from reporters at the White House who asked whether he wanted to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the Russia probe.

Earlier, House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, told reporters at the Capitol that he had received “assurances” that firing Mueller was “not even under consideration.”

The latest back and forth over the Mueller investigation came after several days of presidential tweets complaining about the probe, including one blasting it as a “total WITCH HUNT with massive conflicts of interest.”

The tweets sparked new fears that Trump might try to have Mueller fired. Some Republicans warned that an attempt to fire Mueller could put Trump’s presidency in jeopardy. 

“I think anything directed at firing Mr. Mueller blows up the whole town, and that becomes the end of governing and the presidency as we know it,” cautioned Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

Cabinet shuffle

The renewed focus on the Russia probe came in the wake of last week’s firing of Tillerson. That, in turn, raised the prospect of more administration changes. 

“There will always be change, and I think you want to see change. And I want to also see different ideas,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Trump’s allies see Cabinet and staff changes as a sign that he is feeling more in control at the White House. 

“You know, what I think the president is realizing is that after 15 months in office, he is more comfortable,” Republican Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, told ABC’s Good Morning America.

But Trump’s critics see the turnover as the latest indication of endless turmoil.

“Americans just don’t like chaos,” said Ken Gude of the Center for American Progress.

Gude acknowledged that Americans elected Trump to “shake things up.” But he said that so far, the drawbacks have outweighed the benefits. 

“Actually, just being a chaotic leader where people are leaving left, right and center, and there seems to be no driving theory behind who stays and who goes — that is the kind of thing that the American people will probably not like.”

University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato also saw the recent moves as evidence of the president asserting his leadership. 

“It signifies to me that Donald Trump believes that he can run the whole shebang, and that he can do it from Twitter,” Sabato said via Skype, “whether it is declaring new policy, or arranging for the firing of a secretary of state, or any number of other things.”

Midterm momentum

Another warning sign on the political horizon for Trump and Republicans was last week’s apparent Democratic victory in a special congressional election in Pennsylvania, a district Trump won by 19 percent in 2016.

That has sparked hopes among Democratic leaders of a wave election in November that could strip Republicans of their congressional majorities.

“I feel pretty confident that we are going to win. We are going to win big. We are going to win a lot of seats. And that is going to be good for the American people,” said House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California.

Many analysts see the midterms shaping up as a referendum on Trump.

“I expect that the midterm elections are going to be a bloodbath for Republicans,” said Jim Kessler of Third Way, a centrist Democrat group. “I really think it is going to be bad.”

Republicans fear that Trump’s historically low approval ratings, still hovering near 40 percent, will pull down GOP candidates in November and boost Democratic turnout.

“Well, the president is now at about a 41 percent job approval rating.That is not very good,” said John Fortier of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington.

But Fortier argued there is still time for Trump to improve his political standing before November. 

“If he were able to up that [his approval], with the economy being a little better, maybe it will get better as we get closer to the summer,” he said. “Those would be things that would help the president’s party.”

The political stakes in this year’s midterm elections are huge. If Democrats win back a majority in either the House or the Senate, or both, they would have the means to block much of Trump’s legislative agenda in the two years leading up to the 2020 presidential election.

Trump Hints He May Break With His Generals on Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump appears increasingly willing to defy some of his top generals, as his administration grapples with how best to deal with Iran.

Trump is facing a May deadline to recertify the Iran nuclear deal, and signaled again Tuesday that he is not afraid to pull the U.S. out of the agreement unless other signatories are willing to make major changes.

“A lot of bad things are happening in Iran,” the president said during a visit to the White House by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“The deal is coming up in one month, and you will see what happens,” he added.

Trump has long been critical of the 2015 Iran deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which aimed to contain Tehran’s nuclear program and block the country’s pathway to building nuclear warheads.

In January, Trump said he was waiving nuclear sanctions against Iran for the “last time,” demanding U.S. lawmakers and Washington’s European allies “fix the deal’s disastrous flaws.”

But since then, top U.S. military officials have pushed back, repeatedly describing the deal as mostly beneficial, even as they continue to voice deep concerns about Tehran’s aggressive behavior across the Middle East.

“As I sit here today, Iran is in compliance with JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action],” the commander of U.S. Strategic Command, General John Hyten, told lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

“From a command that’s about nuclear [threats], that’s an important piece to me,” he said. “It allows me to understand the nuclear environment better.”

Hyten’s comments follow those made to the Senate Armed Services Committee last week by the commander of U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for U.S. operations in the Middle East.

“The JCPOA addresses one of the principle threats that we deal with from Iran so, if the JCPOA goes away, then we will have to have another way to deal with their nuclear weapons program,” said CENTCOM’s General Joseph Votel.

“Right now, I think it is in our interest,” Votel added. “There would be some concern [in the region], I think, about how we intended to address that particular threat if it was not being addressed through the JCPOA.”

Both Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, have argued that staying in the deal is in the best interest of the U.S.

But despite having expressed confidence in his military advisers and officials early in his presidency, Trump has slowly been pushing aside those who have argued in favor of keeping the deal, most recently firing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

“When you look at the Iran deal, I think it’s terrible. I guess he thinks it was OK,” Trump told reporters last week after announcing Tillerson’s removal. “I wanted to break it or do something, and he felt a little bit differently.”

‘Destabilizing influence’

The man tapped to replace Tillerson, current U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo, has gained a reputation for favoring a much tougher approach to Iran.

“The deal put us in a marginally better place, with respect to inspection, but the Iranians have on multiple occasions been capable of presenting a continued threat,” Pompeo said during an appearance in Washington last October.

“The notion that the entry into the JCPOA would curtail Iranian adventurism or their terror threat or their malignant behavior has now, what, two years on, proven to be fundamentally false,” he added.

Those concerns, both from the U.S. intelligence community and from defense officials, have only grown.

Top defense officials have criticized Iran for what they described as malign and destabilizing activities in places such as Iraq, Syria, Yemen and even Afghanistan.

“They [Iran] are not changing their behavior,” Mattis warned during a visit to the region last week. “They’re continuing to be a destabilizing influence.”

Other defense officials said such concerns cannot be discounted when contemplating U.S. policy toward Iran.

“We are taking a comprehensive look,” chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana White told reporters last Thursday.

“We remain in the agreement, but we want our partners to understand that Iran is the source of chaos and confusion in the region,” she said. “Everywhere you look, Iran is there.”

Україна ініціює дебати в ПАРЄ про невизнання російських виборів у Криму

Віце-президент Парламентської асамблеї Ради Європи, депутат Верховної Ради України Володимир Ар’єв заявляє, що подав заявку на проведення дебатів на квітневій сесії ПАРЄ щодо невизнання російських виборів в анексованому Криму.

«Очевидно, Україна повинна звертатися до міжнародного співтовариства, щоб засудити незаконні вибори на анексованому півострові. Принаймні я, як голова делегації в ПАРЄ, вже подав заявку на проведення поточних дебатів на квітневій сесії в Страсбурзі. Але, очевидно, ми можемо віддати перевагу підтримці термінових дебатів з розширеної тематики щодо Росії, якщо таке подання на розширену тематику зробить делегація Великої Британії», – заявив Ар’єв проекту Радіо Свобода Крим.Реалії.

Вибори президента в Росії відбулися 18 березня. За попередніми даними, Володимир Путін перемагає на російських виборах із рекордним результатом у 76,7 відсотка голосів і стає президентом вже на четвертий термін.

Російська влада також провела голосування в анексованому нею Криму, попри заперечення України і заяви міжнародних організацій і західних урядів про невизнання «виборів» на півострові.

19 березня речниця МЗС України Мар’яна Беца повідомила, що список із 140 осіб, причетних до організації і проведення голосування в анексованому Криму, передали ЄС. В Євросоюзі це підтвердили.

Верховна Рада України має намір голосувати за невизнання виборів президента Росії.

 

«С14» заперечує виконання «замовлень» СБУ

Праворадикальна організація «С14» прямо не співпрацює зі Службою безпеки України і не виконує її замовлень, заявив Радіо Свобода один із лідерів організації Євген Карась.

«Грошей від СБУ ми ніколи не отримували, подяк також. «Політичних замовлень» ми ніколи не виконували. Ми ніколи не маємо якихось таємних нарад з СБУ, планірок чи цілевказівок за замовленнями», – стверджує Євген Карась. 

За його словами, взаємодія з СБУ відбувається лише тоді, коли члени організації відстежують сепаратистів і «єдиний шлях діяти по закону» – це повідомити СБУ.

«Якщо ж у сепаратистів статті «МВСні», тоді ми так співрацюємо через МВС», – пояснив Карась.

15 березня на сторінці організації «С14» з’явилося повідомлення, що активісти знайшли під Києвом людину, яка нібито воювала проти України на боці підтримуваного Росією угруповання «ЛНР». У коментарях до повідомлення, зокрема, запитували – «а далі що, СБУ його закриє?».

Сам Євген Карась зазначає, що його організація «послідовно і всіма методами бореться з сепаратистами і проросійськими структурами».

«С14» уперше про себе офіційно заявила 14 жовтня 2011 року на марші УПА. Організація разом із «Азовом» і «Правим сектором» внесена у перелік моніторингу Міжнародного інтернет-ресурс TRAC, що веде облік терористичних організацій. Самі «С14» пояснюють це тим, що TRAC лише «досліджує» їхню радикальну діяльність. Також «С14» відкидають звинувачення у прихильності до нацистської ідеології, які звучать від представників правозахисних і феміністичних рухів.