NEWS Blog

As explained by Robert Gates, U.S. Secretary of Defense, the money that is supposed to learn in ten years, we need to “modernize and maintain aging nuclear weapons in America.”

To ensure that the contract between the former adversaries of the Cold War, the United States and Russia about 30 per cent reduction over the next seven years, the strategic nuclear arsenals of both countries entered into force, it must be ratified by the U.S. Senate and the Parliament of Russia.

Also known as the Treaty on the Reduction of Strategic Offensive Arms (START), this agreement is an important step “reset” the relations between the U.S. and Russia.

As stated in the Journal the Wall Street Journal Gates, who held his current position, and during the Bush years, “the U.S. is much more convenient to work with this treaty than without it because it enhances the security of the United States and our allies, and promotes the establishment of strategic stability between the two largest the world’s nuclear powers. ”
According to Gates, the contract will be unanimously supported by the military leadership of the United States.

The American President, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his vision of a world without nuclear weapons, to ensure that necessary to obtain approval of the Senate 67 votes must enlist the support of Republicans. In the Senate, Obama owns only 59 seats.

In the Senate, and earlier by the Republican voices were heard that the head of state in order to convince them of the need for this contract should allocate more funds to modernize the nuclear weapons complex.

It suggested the director of nuclear information project at the Federation of American Scientists (Federation of American Scientists), Hans Kristensen, “perhaps this is what is needed to attract votes for ratification.

As noticed in the White House, $ 80 billion should be allocated in addition to more than 100 billion dollars of additional investment in delivery systems for nuclear weapons, such as nuclear submarines.

Debating on Thursday in an interview by telephone with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev steps to ratify the treaty, Obama said: “The president stressed the need for earliest possible completion of the ratification of the treaty to reduce nuclear weapons in our countries.”

According to advisers, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (Foreign Relations Committee), headed by John Kerry intends to prepare an agreement to vote in the full Senate before the August recess of Congress for the summer holidays.

In a statement on the matter Kerry said that the request for funds in the amount of $ 80 billion was the largest of the Cold War era. ” “This shows the willingness of the Obama administration to preserve and maintain the effectiveness of U.S. nuclear deterrent factor for the next generation”, – said Kerry.

As it became known, Kerry intends to seek public support of such influential Republican political figures as former U.S. secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and James Baker.

In the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Obama sees one of the main goals of his presidency. In support of this last month the U.S. president announced its strategic program, which greatly restricts the use of U.S. nuclear weapons.

Furthermore, abandoning the development of new nuclear weapons, he first publicly released data on the size of America’s nuclear arsenal at the moment. Russia, in turn, announced that will take similar steps after the entry into force of the treaty with the United States.

As political scientists argue, in this case it would be possible to increase pressure on other nuclear powers such as China, Pakistan, India and Israel, so that they also revealed their nuclear capabilities, thus contributing to the emergence of trends to reduce global nuclear arsenals.

While U.S. officials do not comment on the situation, they confirm the fact of negotiations. There is a possibility that the exchange will be accomplished quickly. The family resided in the conclusion of the scientist Igor Sutyagin said that he was sent to Moscow as early as Thursday, he will be transferred to Vienna, where he was released. Lawyer suspected of spying for Russia by Anna Chapman said in New York that he spoke with U.S. prosecutors and Russian representatives on the forced solution of the issue.

“I had the feeling that our negotiations one way or another lead to the result as early as tomorrow” – said a lawyer named Robert Baum. Another lawyer, who would not give his name, said that most of the 10 accused, if not all, pleaded guilty in federal court in Manhattan on Thursday when they will be delivered back to the trial. (11 th accused went into hiding when he was released on bail in Cyprus)

However, on any agreement has not been revealed, and is not yet known whether the parties have achieved mutual understanding on this issue. It is also unclear what Russian prisoners in addition to Sutyagin can exchange. A senior U.S. diplomat William Burns, who served as Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, held a Wednesday meeting with the Ambassador of Russia to the U.S. Sergei Kislyak, but representatives of the State Department was limited to a message that during the meeting discussed the issue of alleged espionage.

Counsel Sutyagin A. Stavitskaya told a Moscow radio station reported that her client showed list of 11 residing in Russian jails people whom the U.S. willing to exchange. According to her, Sutyagin was told that if he and other prisoners from this list does not agree to plead guilty to participate in exchanges, an agreement will be canceled.

“That is, take it or they will turn his life into hell, – said the lawyer, – he thought of his family, about his children – his two children. That’s why he accepted this offer.”

The exchange will create certain advantages for the study of Obama. You will avoid unnecessary and expensive litigation, which could for months, if not years, to become a hindrance to the restoration of US-Russian relations. But the White House does not wish to transfer the accused agents of the FBI watched for many years, not buying the securities in return for U.S. prisoners from Russia.

Potential exchange can trigger accusations that the cabinet is too soft on the Russian Federation. Conservatives, including ex-governor sht.Massachusets Mitt Romney, who is able to become a candidate for the Republican presidential require the Senate to reject a new treaty on reducing strategic arms, signed by President Obama and President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev.

The exchange may be difficult for both sides is not the only reason. Human rights activists say that Sutyagin not guilty, but his family said that he would like to stay in Russia. But John Rodriguez, a lawyer accused of spying Vicki Pelaez, a long time worked in New York in one of the Hispanic newspaper, said that she does not want to move to Russia.

However, the chance to avoid prison seems a powerful stimulus in both countries. Family Sutyagin said that he agreed to write a confession, when he was told that it is necessary for the exchange. A lawyer of one of the defendants from Boston, known as Donald Heatfield, said that his client is undergoing the most of their children. His wife, Tracy Lee Ann Foley also been charged as a member of an espionage organization.

The lawyer, Peter Krupp Heatfield (Peter B. Krupp) stated that children “are the top priority, and my client with his wife more than going through all of them from the very beginning of this ordeal.”

He also said: “If this thing might resolve or settle quickly, they will be able to help their children, and therefore they are interested in this.”

News about the upcoming exchange, as well as the most spy network spy stories are imbued with the spirit of the Cold War, although about any threat to national security in them are not reported. American officials say suspected Russian agents used high-tech methods of espionage, but no real secrets are not found. The exchange, which can happen in the favorite meeting place for scouts of the 20 th century Vienna, will be colorful, but the last chapter in the history of spyware flavor.

There is evidence that today’s opinion in Russia there is no American citizen convicted of spying. Sutyagin, who is serving a 14-year period, was one of many Russian experts who have been in jail on charges of transferring secrets to the West. Family Sutyagin told reporters that shown in his list of 11 prisoners was also a colonel of the Russian military intelligence Sergei Skripal, convicted in 2006 for 13 years for spying for Britain.

The most hijacked cars in Moscow as always Lada. On the theft of cars of this brand has just 20% of cases. In this case, as distinguished metropolitan detectives, the most popular among the Lada car thieves in 2010 became the model Priora.A now in second place in the list of most brands of carjacking a sudden burst Mitsubishi (just 12% of theft). Also frequently stolen cars in Moscow marks Mazda, Nissan and Lexus. But the expensive SUV leadership in 2010, holds the Toyota Land Cruiser.Napomnim that last year in the Russian Federation itself has been hijacked model Lada-2114. Then came the “sixth”model Lada and Lada-2112. Well, among the cars, Russian hijackers last year chose Mitsubishi Lancer, Toyota Corolla and Mazda3. In Moscow in 2009, the five most carjacking models as follows: Mitsubishi Lancer, Mazda3, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Toyota Camry. In St. Petersburg ugonyaemosti rating was somewhat different: Mitsubishi Lancer, Ford Focus, Mazda6, Toyota Land Cruiser and the Mazda3.

North Korean authorities are categorically reject the new plan for unification with South Korea, which recently was revised and the proposed South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. North Korea is confident that in fact the purpose of this plan is the weakening of North Korea in preparation for further invasion with U.S. involvement. Particularly in North Korea were outraged by the point plan, which presumes waiver Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons. “This is nothing but a ridiculous rhetoric , designed to disarm us and prepare for sharing with the U.S. invasion “, – stated in the text of the statement on the matter from the Committee for Peaceful Reunification of North Korea.

Digitimes Research Analyst Luke Lin (Luke Lin) argues that during 2010 will be sold 280 million smartphones, which is 57% more than in 2009. The share of devices of this class will have 20,3% of global handset sales.
In the first half of 2010 was sold 117 million smartphones. In the second half sales could reach 163 million units. According to Lin, the greatest growth will be the platform Google Android. Weighty contribution will make Samsung and LG, are now occupying the second and third lines in the list of the largest mobile manufacturers.

In 2009, the share of Android-smartphone devices in the segment was at the level of 5%. In the first half of 2010 it reached 13,8%. In the second half of this year, the share of guglofonov “to rise to 24,5%. In quantitative terms, sales of Android-phones will grow over the year by 561% to 55 million vehicles.
As a result, the share of the leading Symbian reduced to 35%. BlackBerry takes third place with 16,4%, iOS located on the fourth place with 15,2%, Microsoft will have to work hard to keep 5% with Windows Phone 7.

During his working trip to Sakhalin, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov said on priority support for the new national project “Health”. In the coming years, the Government planned to spend on this program about 430 billion rubles. The main work will increase the birth rate in the country.

President Dmitry Medvedev has approved a list of previous orders for the implementation of National Projects and Demographic Policy.

In the national project “Health” have been added activities drive growth in fertility in the country. The first is training of obstetricians and gynecology, to provide them training centers, infertility treatment and nursing of newborns.