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                                                                                         WORLD NEWS Friday 7 September 2018





























            What’s GRU? A look at Russia’s shadowy military spies




            By JIM HEINTZ                                                                                                       not  only  with  “ensuring
            Associated Press                                                                                                    conditions  conducive  to
            MOSCOW  (AP)  —  GRU                                                                                                the successful implementa-
            isn’t as well-known a bale-                                                                                         tion of the Russian Federa-
            ful acronym as KGB or FSB.                                                                                          tion’s defense and security
            But  Russia’s  military  intelli-                                                                                   policy”  but  with  providing
            gence service is attracting                                                                                         officials  intelligence  “  that
            increasing  attention  as  al-                                                                                      they  need  to  make  deci-
            legations mount of devious                                                                                          sions  in  the  political,  eco-
            and  deadly  operations  on                                                                                         nomic,  defense,  scientific,
            and off the field of battle.                                                                                        technical and environmen-
            The  latest  charge  came                                                                                           tal areas.”
            Wednesday,  when  Britain                                                                                           ALLEGATIONS
            identified  two  suspects  in                                                                                       Britain  claims  that  two
            this year’s nerve-agent poi-                                                                                        GRU  agents  carried  out
            sonings as GRU agents .                                                                                             this  spring’s  attack  with
            An overview of the GRU:                                                                                             the  nerve  agent  Novichok
            THE AGENCY                                                                                                          on  Sergei  Skripal,  a  former
            Formally  named  the  Main                                                                                          GRU  officer  who  became
            Directorate of the General                                                                                          a British double agent, and
            Staff  of  the  Armed  Forces,                                                                                      his daughter. Both survived
            the  agency  is  almost  uni-                                                                                       the poisoning in the city of
            versally  referred  to  by  its                                                                                     Salisbury, but three months
            former acronym GRU.                                                                                                 later  two  area  residents
            It  is  the  most  shadowy  of   In this Friday, Feb. 23, 2018 file photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to the Defense Minister   were sickened by the same
            Russia’s   secret   services.   as he arrives to attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow,   nerve  agent,  one  of  them
            When  its  previous  director   Russia.                                                                             fatally — it is believed they
            Igor  Sergun  died  in  2016,                                                                      Associated Press  found the discarded bottle
            the Kremlin announcement  neither the date, cause or  The  agency  has  an  ap-        According  to  the  Defense  that  had  carried  the  Skri-
            was  so  terse  that  it  gave  place of death.           parently  broad  mandate.  Ministry website, it is tasked  pals’ poison.q

            Turkish Cypriots protest price hikes from Turkish lira woes



            By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS      north’s parliament to voice  to  decide  their  future  for
            Associated Press             their disgruntlement.        themselves.
            NICOSIA,  Cyprus  (AP)  —  Turkish  Cypriots  use  the  Turkish Cypriots declared in-
            Hundreds of Turkish Cypriots  lira  as  their  official  curren-  dependence  nearly  a  de-
            took  to  the  streets  of  eth-  cy  and  its  devaluation  at  cade  after  the  island  was
            nically  divided  Nicosia  on  around 40 percent against  split  in  1974  when  Turkey
            Thursday  to  protest  huge  the dollar has hit them hard  invaded  following  a  coup
            hikes  in  the  prices  of  elec-  by severely diminishing their  by supporters of union with
            tricity, fuel and other goods  purchasing  power.  For  ex-  Greece.  Only  Turkey  rec-
            sparked  by  the  sharp  de-  ample,  electricity  prices  ognizes  the  breakaway
            valuation of the Turkish lira.  have  shot  up  50  percent  north, and has propped up
            Holding    banners     and  since  February  while  the  its economy to the tune of
            chanting  slogans  decry-    price  of  imported  goods  500  million  euros  annually
            ing  the  hardship  besetting  has almost doubled.        to cover a budget shortfall.
            blue-collar Turkish Cypriots,  Protester  Kemal  Gucveren  Although Cyprus joined the
            protesters  ended  a  march  told  The  Associated  Press  European  Union  in  2004,
            organized  by  a  coalition  that the crisis is Turkey’s do-  only the internationally rec-  Turkish Cypriot protesters decrying economic hardship brought
            of  trade  unions  near  the  ing  and  no  fault  of  Turkish  ognized south enjoys mem-  on  by  Turkey’s  currency  woes,  march  through  Nicosia  on
                                                                                                   Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018.
            breakaway  Turkish  Cypriot  Cypriots who should be left  bership benefits.q                                                    Associated Press
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