By Vestnik Kavkaza
American newspaper the New York Times today writes about three Russian men, who were charged on Monday with working secretly in New York as agents for Russian intelligence, the federal authorities said. Two of the Russians posed as official representatives of Russia. The third man worked in the Manhattan office of a Russian bank and was arrested in the Bronx. All three men worked for Directorate ER, an S.V.R. division that focuses on economic issues. . Igor Sporyshev, 40, a trade representative of the Russian Federation in New York; and Victor Podobnyy, 27, an attaché to the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations. Mr. Sporyshev and Mr. Podobnyy, who were protected by diplomatic immunity, are no longer in the United States. Evgeny Buryakov, 39, was charged with acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. Mr. Podobnyy and Mr. Sporyshev were charged with aiding and abetting him. All three men were charged with conspiracy.
The Washington Post published an article about a balloonist who is trying to break the world record. An article “Balloonists aim to break record in journey from Japan to North America” looks at an American and a Russian who hope to fly more than 5,208 miles. An international team has launched its helium-filled balloon from Japan in a bid to reach North America and break two major records along the way. Pilots Troy Bradley of New Mexico and Leonid Tiukhtyaev of Russia set off from Saga, Japan, shortly before 6:30 a.m. Sunday Japan time.
Bradley and Tiukhtyaev’s balloon — dubbed Two Eagles — has a high-tech navigation system and equipment to communicate with the command center. It will fly at an altitude of at least 15,000 feet. The pilots have oxygen masks and will be bundled up. The temperature inside their capsule will be about 50 degrees. It’s possible that the pilots could be aloft for 10 days, which is the outer limit of the balloon’s capabilities, the team said.
The British Daily Mail today printed an article "Iran sends warning to Israel via US officials." The Tuesday report quotes Deputy Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian as saying, "We told the Americans that the leaders of the Zionist regime should await the consequences of their actions." He added"the Zionist regime has crossed our red lines." Iranian Gen. Mohammad Ali Allahdadi was killed along with six Lebanese Hezbollah fighters in a Jan. 18 airstrike in the Syrian-controlled part of the disputed Golan Heights. Both Iran and Hezbollah blamed Israel for the strike; the Israeli government refused to comment.
Another article in the Daily Mail is about the sanctions against Iran. “Democrats say they won't support Iranian sanctions bill for now” runs the article. A group of Senate Democrats have told the White House that they won't support passage of an Iran sanctions bill until at least the end of March. The decision could halt the march of legislation to levy more sanctions on Iran. Diplomatic talks have been extended until July, with the goal of reaching a framework for a deal by the end of March.
Turkish newspaper Today’s Zaman writes about the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp in an article “Turkish foreign minister attends Auschwitz anniversary commemoration”. Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu is joining foreign dignitaries gathered at the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz on the anniversary of its liberation 70 years ago. “Turkey, which defends the idea that international relations should be conducted on a more humane basis and which always pursues a principled stance on humanitarian matters, expresses its sensitivity toward humanitarian matters, including the Holocaust, on every occasion,” the Foreign Ministry said.
