Archive for May, 2014

Ukraine Offensive Sparks Deadly Clashes in Odessa

Ukraine's offensive to recapture an eastern city controlled by pro-Russia forces sharply escalated the crisis in the country's east and set off a clash Friday in the southern port of Odessa that police say killed 31 people.

The Kremlin said the move by Kiev's interim government effectively killed the Geneva pact aimed at cooling the unrest, but pledged to continue efforts to try to calm the tensions.

By nightfall, Ukrainian troops and armored personnel carriers had blocked all major roads into the eastern city of Slovyansk, the center of the pro-Russia insurgency. In the city, most shops were closed and the few that were open were crowded with customers trying to stockpile food and supplies.

Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov claimed that "many" insurgents were killed or wounded Friday, but the offensive also underlined the military's vulnerability. Both sides said two Ukrainian helicopters were shot down by the insurgents, killing two crew members.

The Ukrainian Security Service said one was downed with a surface-to-air missile, adding that the sophisticated weapon undercut Russia's claims the city of 125,000 people was simply under the control of armed locals.

"Ukrainian security forces so far are not ready for large-scale military actions; moreover, such actions could provoke Russia's invasion," said Kiev-based political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko.

Russia has massed tens of thousands of troops in areas near Ukraine's border. Kiev officials claim Russia is preparing to invade and that it is fomenting the unrest in the east, where insurgents have seized government buildings in about a dozen cities in towns. Moscow denies the allegations, but Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned Russia would respond to attacks on Russian citizens or interests in the east.

Unlike eastern Ukraine, Odessa had remained largely untroubled since the February toppling of President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia. But a clash erupted late Friday between pro-Russians and government supporters in the key port on the Black Sea coast, located 550 kilometers (330 miles) from the turmoil in the east.

Police said the deadly fire broke out in a trade union building Friday, but did not give details on how it started. Earlier police said at least three people had died in a clash between the two sides.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said the Ukrainian offensive "effectively destroyed the last hope for the implementation of the Geneva agreement" of two weeks ago that aimed to defuse the crisis. But Dmitry Peskov also said Russia "continues to undertake consistent efforts on de-escalation."

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Ukraine Offensive Sparks Deadly Clashes in Odessa

Ukraine Violence Spreads: At Least One Killed in Odessa Riots

Ukraine's tug-of-war between Russia and the West lurched to the central southern coastal city of Odessa on Friday, with around a thousand rival protesters involved in violent clashes in the city center.

A demonstration calling for the country's unity marched through the streets and was met by pro-Russian activists, Kiev-based UNIAN news agency and the Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrainskaya Pravda reported.

Riot police stepped in as the crowds threw flares and light bombs, and fired stones in slingshots. The English-language Kiev Post reported that one person had been killed in the clashes, showing a photograph of a body wrapped in the Ukrainian flag.

The Kiev Post said most of the pro-Russian group were fans of the local football team.

The flare-up came as Ukraine troops were attempting to drive pro-Russian separatists out of Slovyansk, one of several cities across the east occupied by protesters opposing the new Kiev-government.

Like Slovyansk and the Russian-annexed peninsula of Crimea, Odessa has a significant number of Russian speakers and played a prominent role in Russian history.

All of these regions formed the power base for former President Viktor Yanukovych, whose ouster lead to the formation of the current administration in Kiev.

Video footage of the clashes showed riot police attempting to control the crowds, some of whom had masks, shields, and clubs, similar to those seen in the violent Kiev protests that led to the fall of Yanukovych in February.

A pro-Russian activist hurls an object at supporters of the Kiev government during clashes in the streets of Odessa on May 2.

The video, which could not be independently verified by NBC News, shows members of the crowds throwing rocks into clouds of tear gas, as loud bangs reverberating through the streets.

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Ukraine Violence Spreads: At Least One Killed in Odessa Riots

NBA suspends Grizzlies' Zach Randolph for Game 7 after Game 6 punch

Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph sits on the bench in the second half of Game 6 of an opening-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Thursday, May 1, 2014, in Memphis, Tenn. Oklahoma City won 104-84 to even the series 3-3. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Zach Randolph, the Grizzlies leading scorer, was suspended one game by the NBA on Friday and will thus miss Game 7 of the first-round playoff series with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The suspension, without pay, comes for punching Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams in the jaw Thursday with 6:42 remaining in Game 6, which OKC won, 104-84, to avoid elimination and force Saturdays knockout game.

WATCH VIDEO from nba.com of the play that resulted in Zach Randolph's suspension

The Grizzlies were already preparing to deal with the possible absence of the teams second-leading scorer, point guard Mike Conley, who aggravated a strained right hamstring on Thursday and did not practice on Friday. Conley is undergoing treatment to the leg and hopes to play but that will likely be a gametime decision.

The NBA release included a link to a video in which Randolph and Adams appear momentarily tangled but then Randolph gathers himself, clenches his right fist and delivers a right hook that lands solidly on Adams jaw.

Adams, a 7-foot rookie from New Zealand selected in the first round of the 2013 draft, had by far his best game of the series in Game 6, with five blocks, three rebounds and four fouls battling Memphis big men down low.

His play Thursday was the subject of much praise after the game.

Though Randolphs 18.2 points per game in the series is higher than his regular-season average of 17.4 points, he has struggled to finish and is connecting on only 40.3 percent of his shots from the field. He has missed 16 of the 41 free-throws.

In November 2012, the NBA fined Randolph $25,000 for his role in a confrontation with Thunder big man Kendrick Perkins, but he was not suspended. The Grizzlies have since adopted a phrase Randolph used after that incident I dont bluff as one of the teams slogans, even putting We Dont Bluff on growl towels.

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NBA suspends Grizzlies' Zach Randolph for Game 7 after Game 6 punch

Barack Obama Plays Football With Humanoid Robot ASIMO in Japan – Video


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Alain Soral 2014 Obama & Lobby Sioniste AIPAC – Video


Alain Soral 2014 Obama amp; Lobby Sioniste AIPAC
Alain Soral 2014 Obama Lobby Sioniste AIPAC barack obama, anelka, Gilles Azzopardi (comdien), Dieudonn Babass, Bach et Laverne, Laurent Baffie, La Bande Fifi, Olivier Baroux,...

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Alain Soral 2014 Obama & Lobby Sioniste AIPAC - Video