Ukraine New Prime Minister Petition: Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili Gets 26,000 Onlin

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An online petition asking for former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to be appointed prime minister of Ukraine has attracted more than 26,000 signatures and will be considered by President Petro Poroshenko. The petition, which first appeared in English on Monday on Poroshenko’s website, asks for Saakashvili to replace current Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, according to a report from the Russia news site Sputnik.

While Poroshenko has given no indication of whether he would replace Yatsenyuk, a feud has developed between Saakashvili and the prime minister in the past week over the state of the country’s economy. Saakashvili has previously said that as much as $45 billion had been lost because the Prime Minister favored the interests of oligarchs over that of the country.

Responding to the allegations, Yatsenyuk said the claims were groundless and false.

It’s the first time that an Internet petition in Ukraine has attracted more than the required amount of 25,000 signatures within three months of being posted. After considering the petition during its first three days, which is required, Poroshenko will either move the petition forward by introducing a bill to Kiev’s parliament for consideration or he will reject it. Either way, Poroshenko's decision must be made public no later than 10 days after the petition was filed.

http://www.ibtimes.com/ukraine-new-prime-minister-petition-former-georgian-president-mikheil-saakashvili-2086801

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1. Ukraine accepts ICC jurisdiction dating back to early 2014

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) -- In a move that could clear the way for an investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine's bitter conflict with Russian-backed rebels, Kiev on Tuesday accepted the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, backdated to early 2014.

In a letter accompanying the formal acceptance, Ukraine's Parliament accused "senior officials of the Russian Federation" and rebel leaders with atrocities during the annexation of Crimea and fighting in eastern Ukraine.

The letter alleged that "thousands of Ukrainian nationals, including children, were killed," thousands more injured and hundreds of thousands forced to flee their homes.

While Ukraine is not a member of the court, it can voluntarily accept its jurisdiction. Russia also is not a member, but any of its nationals suspected of committing a crime in Ukraine could now face prosecution.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_INTERNATIONAL_COURT_UKRAINE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-09-08-12-58-23

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2. Israel Sells Drones To Russia To Spy On Ukraine Border

Russia has purchased 10 intelligence-gathering drones from Israel to monitor the Ukraine border, the Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday. The Russian Ministry of Defense allegedly purchased the drones from Israel Aerospace Industries earlier this year.

In January 2011, Israel Aerospace Industries sold 12 drones to Russia for an estimated $400 million, UPI reported at the time. The drones were used for surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition, artillery adjustment and damage assessment. The new drones will be used to observe the Russian-Ukrainian border regions after Kiev military forces shot down two Russian drones over a conflict zone in the east of the country in May.

Israel has long sought to establish close ties with Moscow and has remained neutral in the Ukraine conflict after Russia’s annexation of Crimea last year, angering some in Washington, D.C., some military analysts have said. “Israel’s policy on Ukraine resulted in some damage to the fabric of relations with the U.S.,” Roman Bronfman, a Russian-born former Knesset member, told the Times of Israel earlier this year.

Russia has denied allegations from Western leaders that its troops have helped pro-Moscow rebels fighting in eastern Ukraine. Nearly 7,000 people have died in the conflict since April 2014, according to the United Nations.

http://www.ibtimes.com/israel-sells-drones-russia-spy-ukraine-border-2086673

[MisterP]

3. does the Odessa government house have a nice solid desk to hide under?

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4. We seem attracted to dumb guys as pawns these days.

If I were Saakashvili I'd be worried about my longevity.