Russia pockets $158 billion in energy exports after war: report

PARIS - Russia has raked in a whopping 158 billion euros ($158 billion) in energy exports in the 6 months following its invasion of Ukraine, with the EU accounting for more than half, a think tank said Tuesday.

The Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air called for more effective sanctions against Moscow after the invasion sent oil, gas and coal prices soaring.

"Surging fossil fuel prices mean that Russia's current revenue is far above previous years' level, despite the reductions in this year's export volumes," said the Finland-based organization.

Natural gas prices have recently soared to record levels in Europe as Russia chokes off supplies. Crude oil prices also jumped following the invasion, although they have since pulled back.

"Fossil fuel exports have contributed approximately 43 billion euros to Russia's federal budget since the start of the invasion, helping fund war crimes in Ukraine," said CREA.

The figures concern the six months following Russia's February 24 invasion of Ukraine.

During this period, the CREA estimated that the European Union was the top importer of Russian fossil fuel exporters, at 85.1 billion euros.

China followed at 34.9 billion euros and Turkey at 10.7 billion euros.

While the EU has stopped purchases of Russian coal, it is only progressively banning Russian oil and it has not adopted any limits on the imports of natural gas, upon which it is highly dependent.

The CREA said the EU ban on Russian coal imports has been effective.

After the ban went into effect Russian coal exports fell to their lowest levels since the war began.

"Russia failed to find other buyers to replace falling EU demand," said the CREA.

But it called for stronger rules and enforcement concerning Russian oil exports, urging the EU and the UK use their leverage in global shipping.

"The EU must ban the use of European-owned ships and European ports for shipping Russian oil to third countries, while the UK needs to stop allowing its insurance industry to participate in this trade," said the CREA.

The G7 countries, meanwhile, vowed Friday to push forward urgently to impose a price cap on Russian crude, a move that would deprive Russia of much of the revenue it now makes from its oil exports.

The United States has been arguing for the imposition of a price cap for months, arguing that Western bans on Russian energy products were contributing to the price hikes that helped Moscow finance its war effort.

Agence France-Presse

CIA warns desperate Putin poses nuclear threat

WASHINGTON — Russia's setbacks in its invasion of Ukraine could lead President Vladimir Putin to resort to using a tactical or low-yield nuclear weapon, CIA director William Burns said Friday.

"Given the potential desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the setbacks that they've faced so far, militarily, none of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons," Burns said during a speech in Atlanta.

The Kremlin said it placed Russian nuclear forces on high alert shortly after the assault began Feb. 24, but the United States has not seen "a lot of practical evidence" of actual deployments that would cause more worry, Burns added, speaking to students at Georgia Tech university.

"We're obviously very concerned. I know President Biden is deeply concerned about avoiding a third world war, about avoiding a threshold in which, you know, nuclear conflict becomes possible," said Burns.

Russia has many tactical nuclear weapons, which are less powerful than the bomb the United States dropped on Hiroshima during World War II.

Russian military doctrine features a principle called escalate to de-escalate, which would involve launching a first strike nuclear weapon of low yield to regain the initiative if things go badly in a conventional conflict with the West.

But under this hypothesis, "NATO would intervene militarily on the ground in Ukraine in the course of this conflict, and that's not something, as President Biden has made very clear, that's in the cards."

Recalling that he once served as US ambassador to Russia, Burns had very harsh words for Putin, calling him an "apostle of payback" who over the years "has stood in a combustible combination of grievance and ambition and insecurity."

"Every day, Putin demonstrates that declining powers can be at least as disruptive as rising ones," Burns said.

Agence France-Presse

Moscow begins lockdown during tougher push to curb virus

MOSCOW — Moscow, with its more than 12 million people, went into lockdown on Monday while other parts of Russia moved to introduce similar steps to curb the coronavirus outbreak.

The enforcement of the strict new rules, which Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin suddenly announced late Sunday, coincided with the beginning of a "non-working" week declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"The situation is certainly serious and everyone should take this very seriously," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Moscow, which has become the epicentre of the contagion in Russia, announced the new measures after many Muscovites failed to heed recommendations to self-isolate and instead went to parks for barbecues at the weekend.

On Monday, Red Square in the heart of Moscow was eerily empty, while the streets of Europe's most populous city were quiet even though traffic could still be seen on the roads.

Anna, a 36-year-old web designer living in south Moscow, said the lockdown would be hard for her and her five-year-old daughter.

"But I don't want Arina to get sick," she told AFP while on her way to buy some bread. "So of course we will observe the quarantine."

But some were in no hurry to take the new rules to heart. Three teenagers flouted social distancing rules, walking and laughing together.

"Staying home with our parents will kill us quicker than the coronavirus," said one teen as the others nodded.

Regions eye lockdowns

Muscovites are now only allowed to leave their homes in cases of a medical emergency, to travel to jobs judged essential, and to go to local grocery stores and pharmacies which need to enforce social distancing.

People are also allowed to take out the trash and walk their dogs.

Over the past 24 hours Russia has recorded 302 new cases -- the biggest daily increase so far -- taking the national tally to 1,835 cases of coronavirus and nine deaths.

But the real number of infected people is believed to be higher and critics have rounded on authorities for not proposing tougher measures sooner.

At least eight regions including the Western exclave region of Kaliningrad have already imposed or were preparing to impose strict quarantines.

Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov was the first regional leader to announce a lockdown last week, banning non-residents from entering the once restive region.

Masked men in black uniforms were policing streets in Chechnya armed with white clubs, according to a video published by independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

In a rare televised address last Wednesday, Putin announced that Russians would not be required to go to work this week, but would still get paid.

He also postponed an upcoming public vote on constitutional reforms that would allow him to stay in power until 2036.

'Pray at home'

The powerful Russian Orthodox Church, which had initially said authorities had no right to close churches, finally fell into line on Sunday, with Patriarch Kirill calling on the faithful to pray at home.

"You can be saved without going to church," he told believers in an address.

The new isolation rules, which will be policed by a vast system of facial-recognition cameras in Moscow, came into force as Russia also closed its borders.

Agence France-Presse

Russian air strikes in Syria killed more than 1,300: monitor

BEIRUT - More than 1,300 people, around two-thirds of them combatants, have been killed in Russian air strikes in Syria since Moscow's aerial campaign began on September 30, a monitor said Friday.

The figure supplied by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is more that double the overall toll it gave in its last report on the Russian campaign three weeks ago.

The Britain-based Observatory said it had documented 1,331 deaths in Russian air strikes, most of them of Islamic State group jihadists or other fighters..

It said 381 IS fighters had been killed, along with 547 militants from Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front and other rebel forces.

The strikes also killed 403 civilians, including 97 children, according to the monitor.

The Observatory's last toll for the campaign, on October 29, put the number of killed at nearly 600.

Russia says its aerial campaign targets IS and other "terrorists" but rebel forces and their backers accuse Moscow of focusing on moderate and Islamist fighters over jihadists.

Several medical groups have also accused Russia of strikes that have hit field clinics and hospitals in Syria.

Russia's intervention in Syria follows that of a US-led coalition that has been carrying out strikes against IS in the country since September 2014.

The US-led coalition does not coordinate with Damascus however.

According to the Observatory, the US-led coalition air strikes have killed at least 3,649 people since they began, around six percent of them civilians.

The monitor said in late October that US-led raids had killed 3,276 IS fighters, 147 members of Al-Nusra or Islamist groups and 226 civilians.

source: interaksyon.com

Snowden attacks Russia rights curbs, would prefer to go home

OSLO, Norway - Former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden on Saturday criticised Russia -- the country that has granted him asylum -- calling its crackdown on human rights and online freedom "fundamentally wrong" and said he would prefer not to live in exile.

Snowden said Moscow's restrictions on the web were "a mistake in policy" and "fundamentally wrong" as he accepted a Norwegian freedom of expression prize by videophone from Russia.

"It's wrong in Russia, and it would be wrong anywhere," said Snowden, 32, who sought asylum in Russia two years ago after Washington filed a warrant for his arrest for having leaked documents that revealed the vast scale of US surveillance programmes.

Pushed on Moscow's deteriorating human rights record, the whistleblower said the situation is "disappointing, it's frustrating" and described restrictions on the Internet as part of a wider problem in Russia.

"I've been quite critical of (it) in the past and I'll continue to be in the future, because this drive that we see in the Russian government to control more and more the Internet, to control more and more what people are seeing, even parts of personal lives, deciding what is the appropriate or inappropriate way for people to express their love for one another...(is) fundamentally wrong," he said.

Russia 'never my plan'

Snowden said he had "never intended to go to Russia, that was never my plan" and that he had been transiting the country en route for Latin America when US officials cancelled his passport.

"I applied for asylum in 21 countries," he told the audience at the ceremony for the Norwegian Academy of Literature and Freedom of Expression's Bjornson Prize. "They were all silent. Russia was actually one of the last countries in that sequence that I applied for."

The computer expert had left his job with a contractor for the US National Security Agency (NSA) in Hawaii in May 2013 in order to leak his trove of classified information to the British newspaper The Guardian from Hong Kong.

He recalled that the idea of leaving that city for Russia had been suggested by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange -- who himself had to seek asylum in Ecuador's embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden over sexual assault allegations.

"I think his (Assange's) intention was good. He was focused primarily on my safety as a publisher, and having a source, he was interested in the source protection angle," said Snowden.

"But for me, the problem is I wasn't interested in my own safety, my own protection. I never expected to be free today. I expected to be in prison."

The technical expert also criticised many "developed countries"  for ignoring the public's concern about intelligence monitoring by imposing more restrictive laws, which he said turn out to be useless.

"They say: well these things are necessary to keep us safe, " he said, and cited for instance the deadly attack in January by jihadists on a French satirical magazine over its cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

"In the Charlie Hebdo attacks for example, the intelligence services say: 'Oh yes, we knew who these people were'. But it didn't stop the attack."

Normal life
Despite his extraordinary situation, Snowden described his life as "normal", while adding: "I mean, I would prefer to live in my own country."

"But exile is exile," he said.

The White House in July rejected a petition to pardon Snowden, saying the fugitive should return to the United States and "be judged by a jury of his peers" for leaking US government secrets.

And despite his criticism of Russian Internet restrictions and laws encroaching on freedom of speech, Snowden said he feels he is allowed to express himself in Russia.

"I do. And I think it's primarily in the context of the fact that most activities happen online. I mean, when people ask me where I live, the most honest answer is on the Internet."

source: interaksyon.com

Ariella Arida clinches 3rd runner-up in Miss Universe pageant

Living up to pre-pageant predictions of making it to the Top 5, Ariella Arida finished 3rd runner-up and held her own against the Latina beauties she faced in the final round of the Miss Universe beauty pageant held at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia Friday night (Saturday morning, Manila time).

Miss Venezuela Gabriela Isler, a 25-year-old television presenter, was named Miss Universe while Miss Spain Patricia Rodriguez won 1st runner-up. The 2nd runner-up is Miss Ecuador, and 4th runner-up is Miss Brazil.



Isler’s victory marks the 7th time that Venezuela has won the crown. Only USA has more wins, at eight.

Although Arida’s finish did not exactly live up to the high expectations she had to live up with after successive runner-up finishes for the Philippines in the last three years, making it as far as 3rd runner-up is a major achievement for the 24-year old morena charmer from Alaminos, Laguna.

Arida’s Miss Universe journey did not come without its own share of adversities—from her controversial interview where she cited Latinas as examples of contestants who can’t speak English that was taken out of context by certain quarters, to her less than stellar performances in the National Costume and the preliminary evening gown competitions.

Despite those setbacks, Arida remained a strong contender for the title until the very end, figuring prominently not only in fearless forecasts but also in betting odds posted online.

Prior to the big night, she won the pre-pageant honors for Ice Princess for a winter-themed glam photo shoot. Her video for the pageant’s official “Truth and Dare” series had the most views on YouTube and was the only one to reach the 300,000 mark out of the 86 contestants.

Her momentum continued to be on the upward swing during the actual pageant. Arida drew some of the loudest cheers in the venue each time she advanced to the next round. She topped the online voting that automatically won her a slot among the 16 semifinalists but was the last to be announced to the relief of her fans. The other semifinalists were candidates from Costa Rica, Ukraine, China, Ecuador, Great Britain, Indonesia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Spain, USA, Nicaragua, Switzerland, India and Brazil.

Trimmed down to 10, she again made it to the next round along with Ukraine, Ecuador, Great Britain, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Spain, USA, India and Brazil.

Contrary to the fears of many, Arida also did very well during the Question and Answer portion, she drew the name of Olympic figure skating champion Tara Lipinski who asked her, “What can be done about the lack of jobs for young people starting their careers around the world?”

As she promised prior to arriving in Moscow, Arida did not use a translator to deliver her answer: “We should invest in education. That is my primary advocacy. Through it we can land good careers in the future. Education is the ticket to a good future.”

A Chemistry major who graduated with honors from the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, Arida’s competitive spirit allowed her to represent her country admirably in the pageant.

Host Thomas Roberts, who is joined by Melanie Brown (Mel B.), dedicated the show to the people of the Philippines and Vietnam who were and are being hit by supertyphoon Yolanda. Visayas continues to reel from the strong winds and rains that battered the country Friday. The tropical cyclone left the Philippines Saturday for Vietnam.

source: interaksyon.com

Can Ariella Arida really win Miss Universe? How pageant experts see it

Prior to the Miss Universe 2013 preliminary competition last Tuesday, Miss Philippines Ariella Arida had been tipped as the top contender for the title. Was she able to maintain and even boost that momentum after her performance in the swimsuit and evening gown competitions? Is Miss USA Erin Brady still her closest competitor in the pageant? More importantly, can she live up to her frontrunner status and win?

The UK edition of the International Business Times reported on Friday that Arida and Brady are still the top favorites to win the title according to “popularity, betting and online pools”.

In assessing why Arida has a strong chance of taking home the pageant’s Diamond Nexus Crown, the IBTimes report written by Simi John noted Arida’s “smooth ride” in the competition following her arrival in Moscow two weeks ago.

“She impressed all during the Tony Ward Couture Fashion Show, and appeared twice on the ramp in the designer’s ensemble. She was one of the five beauties, out of the 89 contestants, chosen for the television advertisement of luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz. She bagged the top prize for the photo shoot for Italian lingerie brand, Yamamay, taken by New York-based Fashion Photographer Fadil Berisha. Most recently she was one of the ten contestants who attended internationally renowned culinary expert Chef Nobu’s Moscow Demo Show,” the IBTimes wrote.

The news site did not cite as many reasons why Miss USA is a top contender for Miss Universe other than saying that Brady is the top choice of bookies according to one betting odds site, Bet365. A check with the website of betting sites aggregate Nicer Odds UK, however, revealed that Miss Philippines remain the top pick of another betting site, BetFair which gave her a 3.85 Euro odds of winning the title, way ahead of Miss USA who is ranked 6th with a 12.0 odds of winning.

A win by either Miss Philippines or Miss USA would be a history-making achievement. If Arida triumphs, the Philippines would be the first country to bag the Miss World and Miss Universe titles in a single year since India’s Aishwarya Rai Sushmita Sen achieved the rare feat back in 1994.

If Brady wins, her country would have the first back-to-back Miss Universe titleholders since erstwhile powerhouse Venezuela romped off with the crown in 2008 and 2009.

A check with the fearless forecasts and preliminary competition reports of other reputable pageant sites, however, revealed that neither Arida nor Brady are locks to win Miss Universe. Over the last few days, other strong contenders for the crown have emerged and are still gaining momentum.

One of them is Miss Ukraine Olga Storozhenko now ranked as No. 1 in the top 20 Hot Picks of Missosology.org, a site that specializes in analyzing beauty pageants. Miss Philippines is ranked No. 10 while Miss USA is not even on the list.

Storozhenko is also at the top of the site’s Top 10 evening gown picks and No. 4 in their swimsuit top 10. Arida is at No. 10 in evening gown and No. 7 in swimsuit. Again, Brady is not even on both lists.

Miss USA is also not in the Top 5 list of Prestigious Beauty Pageants dubbed as “a haven of world beauty contests news”. The site has boldly predicted that Arida will win the title followed by Miss Poland Paulina Krupinska (1st runner-up), Miss Puerto Rico Monic Perez (2nd runner-up), Miss Spain Patricia Rodriguez (3rd runner-up) and Miss Australia Olivia Wells (4th runner-up).

Brady, however, is right up there in Miss Universe Pageant Hotspot, another reputable fansite of the pageant has also posted their top 5 that names USA, Puerto Rico, Spain, Ukrainer and Philippines as the last women standing in the final reckoning.

“She can be considered as one of the dark horses. Many might have foretold her to win it all, but it’s not the case in many pageant sites. Many forumers and pageant experts have already taken her off their lists… Based on how she performed in the prelims, she’s in for the top 5. We even chose her as one of the best candidates in long gown because no one registered well on stage like the way she did,” the site posted in its justification of Miss USA’s inclusion on their prediction.

On the other hand, the site described Arida as “controversial, one of the most-talked about candidates, she’s a frontrunner, and a real standout.”

It also noted that she is riding the Philippines’ current streak, with ascending runner-up finishes of the country’s last three representatives.

“She did an outstanding performance in the preliminary competition and aced every single battle in Moscow. She deserves every single right to be in the top list. She will be there like Janine [Tugonon], Shamcey [Supsup], and Venus [Raj].”

Other candidates who are also figuring prominently in online predictions are Miss Brazil Jakelyne Oliveira, Miss India Manashi Moghe, Miss Venezuela Gabriela Isler, Miss Vietnam Truong Thi May, Miss Panama Carolina Brid and Miss France Hinarani de Longeaux.

However, it is worth noting that all these predictions could be for naught because the pageant’s coronation night on November 9 (November 10, 2AM, Manila time) at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia will be judged by a new set of judges who will presumably look at the candidates with a fresh set of eyes.

source: interaksyon.com

Miss Universe host slams Russia for 'demonizing' gays

MOSCOW - US television host Thomas Roberts, who is in Moscow to present Miss Universe contest and is openly gay, has condemned Russia's homophobic legislation in what he called dark times for the country.

"The Russian laws obviously are a dark time and a dark chapter in LGBT history here," Roberts told AFP after arriving in Moscow with his husband ahead of the Miss Universe final on Saturday.

"They're seeking a solution to a problem that doesn't exist and meanwhile it causes new problems because it allows people to abuse and hurt and vilify the LGBT community under the guise of some propaganda law that's just ridiculous."

The co-host of Saturday's Miss Universe final married his partner last year after publicly coming out in 2006. He hosts "MSNBC Live," a daily news show.

President Vladimir Putin in June signed a law banning promotion of homosexuality to minors that has prompted international outrage and fears that its wording can be used to outlaw any gay pride event.

Similar laws had previously been passed at local level in several cities.

"These laws represent the fact that the government is seeking a solution for a problem that doesn't really exist. There really is no reason to demonize the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) population," said Roberts.

"In this atmosphere here we're seeing the problem with homophobia being condoned and these laws actually allowing people to be victimized."

Among the celebrities to criticize the gay rights situation in Russia are US pop stars Madonna and Lady Gaga. Openly gay British actor Stephen Fry called for Russia to be barred from holding the Olympics in Sochi.

Roberts is co-hosting Miss Universe after its regular co-host Andy Cohen, who is also gay, pulled out, saying he was not comfortable with coming to Russia because of the law.

Roberts said on his show on Tuesday that he had faced accusations of being a "LGBT sellout" for not boycotting the event in Moscow.

He came to show his "support of the LGBT community in Russia... as a journalist, an anchor, and a man who happens to be gay," he said in a statement.

Russian opposition activist and television host Ksenia Sobchak on Thursday praised Roberts for his decision to come and "show an example."

"I was never a fan of Miss Universe but now I will be," she wrote on Twitter.

Roberts said he did not know whether his orientation would be mentioned during Miss Universe.

"If it does (come up) -- great. If people and the viewers at home that are watching learn more about me and know that I'm married and my husband is here, I think that's fantastic.

"I don't know if I'm here to promote gay rights, I think I'm here to promote that people like me deserve equal rights, because we are no different than any one else," Roberts said.

Roberts has regularly covered gay rights in Russia on his show.

He criticized what he called a "disturbing trend" for US conservatives to advise Russian lawmakers on gay issues.

In October, a discredited American psychologist, Paul Cameron, advised a parliamentary roundtable in Russia.

Writing on Twitter, a Russian lawmaker quoted Cameron as saying that statistics showed 15 percent of gay people thought it was OK to have sex with children aged under 15.

But Roberts said that he believed the fact that US conservatives were turning to Russia proved their strategy had failed at home.

Such attempts "to try to enact homophobic laws only prove how much they're failing back in the US," he said.

source: interaksyon.com

World chess champ Kasparov joins exodus from Putin's Russia

MOSCOW - Former chess champion and anti-Kremlin activist Garry Kasparov has said he is staying out of Russia over fears he could be put on trial, becoming the latest Russian intellectual to leave his home country amid the crackdown on the opposition.

Kasparov said in Switzerland he would not be returning to Moscow for the moment over fears he could be investigated for his role in protests against President Vladimir Putin in the last months.

His comments came after prominent liberal economist Sergei Guriyev stepped down from a number of posts and abruptly left for France last month over fears he could be arrested after being interrogated by investigators.

The departure of the economist raised fears of a new exodus of the intellectual elite from Putin's Russia similar to the brain drain endured by the Soviet Union which lost some of its brightest minds.

"I kept travelling back and forth until late February when it became clear that I might be part of this ongoing investigation of the activities of the political protesters," Kasparov said on Tuesday at a news conference in Geneva.

"Right now, I have serious doubts that if I return to Moscow I may not be able to travel back. So for the time being I refrain from returning to Russia," Kasparov added.

The chess legend has in recent years become an impassioned campaigner against Putin and took part in some of the mass opposition street protests against his rule.

Ivan Tyutrin, a leading activist with the United Civil Front that Kasparov heads, told BBC Russian that investigators had wanted to question Kasparov over his role in May 2012 protests against Putin on the eve of his inauguration.

Kasparov had in April vehemently rejected speculation that he had left Russia, saying then "Russia is the only country in the world that I consider to be my home".

His announcement that he was not returning set of a wave of commentary on Russian social networks, with some bloggers accusing Kasparov of abandoning his homeland.

Kasparov Thursday hit back with another statement, saying on his Facebook page: "Russia is my home even when I am not able to be there.

"Please, let no one doubt my commitment to the cause of a free and strong Russia, or doubt for one moment that I am working constantly to achieve that goal," Kasparov wrote.

Despite his astonishing achievement in dominating world chess in the 1980s and 1990s, the Baku-born Kasparov never won the hearts of a wide number of Russians and many were suspicious of his frequent absences abroad.

The exit of dissident writers, artists and scientists was a major blight for the Soviet Union ever since the Bolshevik revolution as great figures sought to persue careers elsewhere.

The country lost countless figures of historic importance including the novelist Vladimir Nabokov, the poet Joseph Brodsky and the dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov who all forged major careers in the United States.

The departure of Guriyev, who headed the Russian Economic School and commanded almost universal admiration, was greeted with dismay and concern even from some figures close to the Kremlin.

"If Sergei Guriyev does not return to Russia then this will damage Russian economics and Russian civil society," said former finance minister Alexei Kudrin who remains close to Putin.

The head of Russia's biggest lender, state-owned Sberbank, said it was "bad" when economists of Guriyev's class left Russia. "I very much hope that we have not lost him," said German Gref.

In his comments in Geneva, Kasparov predicted that the circumstances would change that would allow him to return to Russia.

"The good news is that the latest events in the last few years prove that dictators also can fall out of favour of their people all of a sudden."

"If any dictator thinks that he can avoid this fate, I'm sure he's gravely mistaken," he said.

source: interaksyon.com