Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Thursday 19 March 2015

The European Union Times


Posted: 18 Mar 2015 10:05 AM PDT


Russia is getting ready to counteract and repel land-sea-air military aggression on its western, northern, southern and eastern borders simultaneously, as massive drills of all military branches are underway across Russia.
Motorized infantry, combat aviation and Spetznaz troops have been put on alert in all nine time zones of the Russian Federation, including the Volga region, Urals, Western Siberia, the Far East region and the Pacific, the North Caucasus and along the borders of NATO member states from the Arctic through to the Baltic and Black Sea.
The ongoing military drills are taking place concurrently with US military exercises in the Baltic region and NATO naval drills in the Black Sea.
Russia has notified the countries of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) of the Northern Fleet exercises that are happening March 16-21, Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov announced on Tuesday.
The operational zone of the Northern Fleet’s drills has been expanded to the Norwegian Sea, and the number of deployed naval task groups has been increased to five, the Defense Ministry reported.


More than 20 ships of the Russia’s Baltic Fleet are out at sea conducting defense drills, the Russian Western Military District’s press service announced on Wednesday. The ships, deployed in several tactical groups, are performing artillery, anti-submarine and air defense exercises. Part of the training has been assigned for nighttime.
A tactical group of the Russian Black Sea fleet will hold military exercises on Thursday, targeting decoy enemy bombers and battleships.


Paratroopers from the Ivanovo Airborne Division have been relocated inside the Arctic Circle next to the Norwegian border on Ilyushin Il-76 airlifters to train countering subversive groups, maintain anti-aircraft defense, perform engineering and radiation reconnaissance and sharpen field camouflage skills.


The Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday that Russian marines from Temryuk in south Russia’s Krasnodar region have been put on full combat readiness and are training next to the Kerch Strait connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The units are conducting exercises in conditions similar to real military activities, using simulation tools to train counteracting subversive groups and repelling enemy amphibious assault landings.


Russia’s strategic command has put mechanized troops of the Eastern Military District, deployed on the island of Sakhalin in the Pacific, on the highest levels of combat alert. Up to 3,000 troops and nearly 1,000 military vehicles are training defense of the coast in close cooperation with the Air Force.


Over 30 army aviation crews are being relocated from airfields in the Leningrad and Smolensk regions to a military airfield in the Arctic. Mil Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters are set to cover over 1,500 kilometers with a stopover for refueling in the Karelia region.


About 80 military pilots of the Eastern Command are taking part in ‘Airdarts’ contest that includes performing air stunts, bomb-dropping and unguided missiles firing, using Su-25, Su-27SM, Su-24M2 assault and fighter jets. Assault helicopter pilots are training live ammo shooting, ultra-low flying and evading air defenses.
Over 2,000 engineer troops and 350 special vehicles of the Central Military Command are training in demining all types of military explosives, using brand-new standoff IED detection vehicles.
The ongoing snap check of the military involves about 76,000 troops, over 10,000 units of military hardware and special equipment, 65 battleships,16 support vessels, 15 submarines, 200 warplanes and helicopters.
In December 2014, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced plans to conduct at least 4,000 military drills in 2015.
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Posted: 18 Mar 2015 09:50 AM PDT
‘The Ripper': Duwayne Henry, pictured, was jailed for life at Blackfriars Crown Court yesterday.
A serial rapist who called himself ‘the Ripper’ was caught after he attacked a woman in a home-made ‘torture chamber’.
Duwayne Henry selected his victims using an online escort agency and lured them to his flat in Hackney, east London, where they were threatened with knives and repeatedly raped.
Police found a knives, a circular saw and a hedge trimmer laid out on the floor of his bedroom when they searched his home.
Officers believe he intended to use these weapons on his final victim, but was interrupted by a passer-by who heard her screams.
The mystery hero has never been identified.
Henry was jailed for life with a minimum sentence of 12 and a half years at Blackfriars Crown Court yesterday.
The 34-year-old targeted at least three prostitutes during his 14-month spree, believing their trade meant they were less likely to report his crimes, police said.
In the first known assault, which took place in early 2013, Henry repeatedly raped his victim in a brutal three-hour attack before taking a photo of the woman’s driving licence.
He told her he would use the details to find her and kill her if she went to the police.
In the second known attack, in April 2013, Henry gagged the victim with duct-tape before and raped her at knife-point. He then forced her to wash his bedsheets before raping her again on the floor.
His final attack took place in February 2014, when Henry booked an escort to meet him outside the flats where he lived.
He held a knife to his victim’s eye and led her to his bedroom, described as a ‘torture chamber’, where he had laid out a circular saw, seven knives and a hedge trimmer.
One of these items was plugged into the mains.
As soon as she entered the room, Henry put a knife to the woman’s face, near her eye. He pushed her over and told her she was going to die. The woman was gagged, tied up, and raped.
The rapist was interrupted when a man, alerted by the woman’s screams, appeared in the doorway of Henry’s bedroom. He untied the woman, who phoned the police.
‘Torture chamber': Henry selected his victims using an online escort agency before luring them to his flat in Hackney, east London, pictured. There, the women were threatened, tied up and repeatedly raped.
The victim later told officers that Henry threatened her and said: ‘I’m invisible, I’m the Ripper’.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police found one victim’s phone in his flat and managed to track down a second victim.
The mystery ‘good Samaritan’ has never been identified, despite a police appeal last year.
Detective Inspector Tony Lynes said: ‘Henry’s attacks were thoroughly planned.
‘He controlled the environment where the attacks took place, avoiding the risk of being disturbed.
‘Luckily he did not take into account the courage of his victims or the tenacity of the detectives investigating this case and I am pleased that today he can look forward to a substantial prison sentence.
‘The crimes Henry has been convicted of today are appalling but I can’t be certain that there aren’t more victims out there.’
On sentencing, the Judge John Hillen said: ‘You are a serial rapist. The terror you instilled in your victims, by use of weapons and words used and restraints do not bear imagining.
‘Your crimes are at the highest end of wickedness and are disturbing for the public.
‘You present a danger to women and present a significant risk of serious harm to the public.’
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Posted: 18 Mar 2015 08:28 AM PDT


Would you like a healthy dose of high-fructose corn syrup with that organic salad? If you’re listening to one of the ‘health experts’ on the payroll of Coca-Cola, this suggestion could in fact be a reality. According to a new report, many health writers, bloggers, and spokespeople are being compensated in order to push toxic soda onto the public as a health drink.
The news comes as somewhat of a shock, only due to the severity of these claims. We’ve known for quite some time that many bloggers are, oftentimes quite obviously, paid off by mega food corporations to spit out propaganda into Google and other search engines in order to divert attention away from more negative stories. In fact, some companies are paying millions to ‘clean up’ their food image on the web.
After all, it’s disconcerting to see results regarding the deadly effects of high-fructose corn syrup (which has recently been renamed) when searching about information on Coca-Cola’s many effects on the body.
Released by the Associated Press, a new report has been made public regarding the deep relationship between beverage giant Coca-Cola and the numerous ‘health experts’ who recently suggested that drinking Coke could be part of a ‘healthy diet.’ Best of all, this was in celebration of American Heart Month in February. From the report:
“In February, several of the experts wrote online posts for American Heart Month, with each including a mini-can of Coke or soda as a snack idea. The pieces, which appeared on nutrition blogs and other sites including those of major newspapers, offer a window into the many ways food companies work behind the scenes to cast their products in a positive light, often with the help of third parties who are seen as trusted authorities.”
Pushes for the consumption of Coke in numerous ways from these ‘experts’ ranged from switching to ‘healthy mini cans of Coke’ to enjoying the full sized ‘refreshing beverage.’ Better yet, the AP story found that numerous other food corps like PepsiCo had even been paying other ‘health leaders’ and dietitians to recommend eating Frito-Lay and Tostito chips.
Certainly very healthful.
As always, it’s essential to remember the true nature of what makes your food ‘healthy.’ It’s not all about calories and macros, it’s about ingredients. When you’re consuming mercury-laden high-fructose corn syrup with your 30 grams of sugar in the average soda product, you’re damaging your body.
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Posted: 18 Mar 2015 08:18 AM PDT


In June 2014 the National High Court of Spain deemed illegal the layoff of 1200 workers in Coca Cola’s bottling plant in Madrid. 9 months have gone by and Coca Cola still has not complied with the law.
Moreover, the National Court has also condemned the multinational company for denying its workers the right to strike. The trade unions claim that Coca Cola never had an intention to negotiate.
The workers don’t understand how a multinational that profited almost one billion in Spain last year, was driven to mass dismissal of its workers while the government has not taken any measures to stop it.
This is just the first of a one month long string of protests. The march ends here at the Supreme Court where in one month on April 15th the judges will deliberate the final verdict.
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Posted: 18 Mar 2015 07:27 AM PDT


An inexplicable white-and-blue flash was spotted lighting up the sky over the southern Russian city of Stavropol. A dashcam video has since triggered a heated debate over the origins of the mysterious sight.
Stavropol’s horizon offered a jaw-dropping view to those who weren’t asleep at around 00:39 local time (21.39 GMT on Monday). The soundless flash of light scared several people, as it made some streetlights in the city go out, while being accompanied by the flickering of lights inside apartments and houses.
Local residents have come up with various theories to interpret the incident, military exercises that are currently taking place not far from the scene, faults in the electricity net, Northern Lights, an asteroid and even UFOs.
“I was very frightened by what I saw, I was already in bed. It looked as if something very bright lit up my ceiling,” a woman shared her experience on social media, Russian daily Argumenty i Fakty reported.
According to the Hydrometeorological Center of the city, the phenomenon “can’t be attributed to nature”– rather, it could be anthropogenic. The source of the light is thought to have been located somewhere on the ground.
However power engineers have rejected a version suggesting a fault in the power supply line leaving the public clueless about the nature of the mysterious flash.
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Posted by Roberto Abraham Scaruffi at 08:46