The Seven Social Sins
- Wealth without work.
- Pleasure without conscience.
- Knowledge without character.
- Commerce without morality.
- Science without humanity.
- Worship without sacrifice.
- Politics without principle.
From a sermon given by Frederick Lewis Donaldson in Westminster Abbey, London, on March 20, 1925.”
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| CZECH REPUBLIC |
EXTRADITE?
EXTRA TIGHT - A Russian
man accused of hacking LinkedIn, Dropbox and Formspring will face American
justice after being extradited late last week. Yevgeniy Aleksandrovich
Nikulin pleaded not guilty to computer intrusion and
identity theft charges in a brief hearing before a federal magistrate judge in
San Francisco hours after arriving in the United States from the Czech
Republic. Czech police arrested him in October 2016, shortly before the Justice
Department charged him with the hacking spree. If he is convicted, he could
face more than 30 years in prison. His case was notable as one of several in
which the Russian government attempted to prevent his extradition to the U.S.
Moscow charged him with separate crimes and tried to use its indictment to get
him sent to Russia.[ POLITICO's Morning Cybersecurity, April 2, 2018]
1.
Nabbing a very naughty banker 🏦
Police in the Czech Republic have detained Alexander Bugaevsky, the former chairman of the failed “Intercommerz” bank. In Russia, Bugaevsky
is wanted for embezzling the bank’s assets before its license was revoked. The
Russian Attorney General’s Office has reportedly already started the process of
seeking Bugaevsky’s extradition.
Russia’s Central Bank revoked Intercommerz’s license in February 2016 for failing to meet
capital requirements and inadequately evaluating risks. In terms of assets,
Intercommerz was Russia’s 67th biggest bank at the time, and it ranked 34th in
retail deposits. The bank was also involved in “dubious transit operations,”
according to the Central Bank. Russia’s Deposit Insurance Agency paid out 64.3
million rubles ($1.1 million) to Intercommerz’s clients — a record at the time.
What are the
charges against this guy? In March 2016, police charged
Bugaevsky with large-scale embezzlement. Before Intercommerz went bust, he
allegedly transferred 45 million euros ($55.2 million) to the accounts of
companies under his control. He’s also accused of stealing almost 8 billion
rubles ($139 million) in federal bonds that belong to Intercommerz. From
abroad, Bugaevsky previously tried to dispute his arrest in absentia and wanted
status. The former head of Intercommerz even said he would return to Russia
voluntarily to testify to the authorities, but he never followed through on
that promise. [The Real Russia. Today. April 5]
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| EUROPE |
BILL GATES ON THIS WEEK’S PODCAST
The world’s most famous philanthropist has very clear views on
the best way to spend both his and taxpayers’ money when it comes to aid,
health and research. As EU budget talks heat up, Gates mounted a vigorous
defense of both cross-border European policy action and a growing but
modernized system of development aid.
“The aid to Africa is more impactful per euro than at any time,”
he said, adding that he wanted EU R&D “to be aggressive and EU aid to stay
generous.” His Brexit dream: “Some of us can dream that in a soft form of
Brexit that R&D connection stays as strong as possible.”
Recalling Microsoft’s battles with Brussels, which hit his
company with multiple fines as large as €899 million each, Gates said: “I hope
they spent that €899 million on the aid and R&D budget and not on expensive
cows.” [POLITICO EU Confidential, April 7, 2018]
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| CUBA |
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| DJIBOUTI |
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| NORTH KOREA |
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| BURMA |
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| BOOKS |
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| CHINA |
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| BARBADOS |
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| BRAZIL |
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| GREAT BRITAIN |
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| AUSTRALIA |
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| RUSSIA |
Russia's “slam dunk” debunk 🇬🇧🇷🇺
On Tuesday, the newspaper Kommersant published
a five-slide
presentation the British government made to
foreign diplomats at the UK’s embassy in Moscow on March 22. The slides
summarize the timeline of the attack on Sergey and Yulia Skripal, the “new
phase of Russian aggression,” the effects of the nerve agent “Novichok,” the
“long pattern of Russian malign activity,” and the UK’s “measured and
proportionate response.” Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign
Ministry, called the presentation a “failure for Theresa May,” arguing
that the slides “reveal” how Britain convinced the West to blame Russia for the
attack on Skripal supposedly without real evidence.
This isn't London's whole case. As King’s College London Professor Sam Greene points
out, however, the presentation published by Kommersant was
merely a handout at a semi-public briefing. “‘Classified files’ are not
generally passed around to 80+ embassies,” Greene explainedon Twitter.
😤 Moscow takes Britain's evidence against Russia and throws
it back at London
In an announcement on Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry
declared that the British authorities have “systematically demonstrated their
inability to ensure the safety of Russian citizens on their territory.” As
examples, Moscow cited the “mysterious suicide” of Boris
Berezovsky, the “unexplained deaths” of the businessmen Badri
Patarkatsishvili and Alexander Perepilichny,
and the attack on Sergey and Yulia Skripal.
Russia says it will continue to suspect London of orchestrating a “political
provocation” against Moscow, until the British government comes forward with
“convincing evidence” that the nerve agent used to poison the Skirpals
originated in Russia.
NOTE: The news sources here vary. Not all sources have the same credibility, but in an effort to share some different perspectives, they are included here. This compendium itself cannot claim to be unbiased. Please take into consideration where these different perspectives originate in assessing their value. Thank you
NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as a "community service" announcement. These again are shared for their varying perspectives.
Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post. Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse. They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended
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