The reorganisation of the Dutch police network to create a national police body will take twice as long and cost twice as much as forecast, according to current affairs programme Nieuwsuur.
Nieuwsuur bases its claims on a confidential report on progress so far by justice minister Ard van der Steur. In the report, Steur states: ‘The period allocated to organise the basis will be extended from two years to five.’ Nieuwsuur also claims the budget is being doubled from €230m to €460m.
Note EU-Digest: Presently the system is not only plagued by reorganizational problems, but also by what many people describe as incompetence and lazyness.
Read more at:
Dutch police reorganisation to take twice as long, cost twice as much - DutchNews.nl
6/30/22
US 2024 elections: Why Donald Trump is Republicans' worst nightmare in 2024
"Trump is confiding in allies that he intends to run again in 2024 with one contingency: that he still has a good bill of health, according to two sources close to the former president. That means Trump is going to hang over the Republican Party despite its attempts to rebrand during his exile and its blockade of a Trump-centric investigation into January's insurrection."
In short: As of today, Trump plans to run for president in 2024. Which would be an utter disaster for Republicans -- and, what's worse, one they almost certainly can't prevent.
Read more at: Why Donald Trump is Republicans' worst nightmare in 2024 - CNNPolitics
In short: As of today, Trump plans to run for president in 2024. Which would be an utter disaster for Republicans -- and, what's worse, one they almost certainly can't prevent.
Read more at: Why Donald Trump is Republicans' worst nightmare in 2024 - CNNPolitics
6/29/22
Air Travel Europe: Europe travel troubles are piling up: How to avoid airport nightmares- Zach Wichter
Travelers heading to Europe this summer will have to pack a healthy supply of patience in addition to their passports.
While passengers beginning their travels in Amsterdam tend to face the longest lines, Devin Matte said a flight delay leaving Boston caused him to miss his connection to Norway earlier this month.
The Somerville, Massachusetts-based software engineer can attest to the customer service chaos travelers are facing in Europe firsthand.
"I talked to one guy who had flown from Atlanta to Amsterdam the night before, and he had to sleep in the airport. People in the airport, they said it was about six hours to get through security," Matte, 24, said.
When trying to rebook his flight, the customer service agent advised him to give himself at least six hours
to get through security if he wound up leaving the airport to stay in a hotel overnight.
While the pilot shortage has led to cancellations and delays in the U.S., a host of other issues overseas are leading to long lines at many major airports across the continent.
Read more at: Europe travel troubles are piling up: How to avoid airport nightmares
"I talked to one guy who had flown from Atlanta to Amsterdam the night before, and he had to sleep in the airport. People in the airport, they said it was about six hours to get through security," Matte, 24, said.
When trying to rebook his flight, the customer service agent advised him to give himself at least six hours
to get through security if he wound up leaving the airport to stay in a hotel overnight.
While the pilot shortage has led to cancellations and delays in the U.S., a host of other issues overseas are leading to long lines at many major airports across the continent.
Read more at: Europe travel troubles are piling up: How to avoid airport nightmares
Nazi Germany as a Christian State: The “Protestant Experience” of 1933 in Württemberg
The study of German Christian responses to the Nazis is undoubtedly a growing field of historical inquiry. Within this topic much of the focus has been on larger church organizations, such as the Catholic Church or on those who were engaged in the “Church Struggle” (Kirchenkampf)––the Confessing Church (Bekennende Kirche, BK) or the German Christian Faith Movement (Glaubensbewegung Deutsche Christen, GDC). There are numerous such works that form excellent studies of church organizations, as well as individual theologians
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From Wikeoedia we read: Smaller religious minorities such as the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Baháʼí Faith were banned in Germany, while the eradication of Judaism was attempted along with the genocide of its adherents. The Salvation Army and the Seventh-day Adventist Church both disappeared from Germany, while astrologers, healers, fortune tellers, and witchcraft were all banned. However, the small pagan "German Faith Movement" supported the Nazis.[11] Some religious minority groups had a more complicated relationship with the new state, for example the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) withdrew its missionaries from Germany and Czechoslovakia in 1938, but German LDS church branches were permitted to continue to operate throughout the war, however, they were forced to make some changes in their structure and teachings.[12][13]
Nazi ranks had people of varied religious leanings. They were followers of Christianity, but were frequently at odds with the Pope, who denounced the party by claiming that it had an anti-catholic veneer. They were also antisemitic and considered paganism and other forms of heterodox religious beliefs to be heresy.
Additionally, there was some diversity in the personal views of the Nazi leaders as to the future of religion in Germany. Anti-Church radicals included Hitler's personal secretary Martin Bormann, the paganist Nazi philosopher Alfred Rosenberg, and the paganist occultist Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler. Some Nazis, such as Hans Kerrl, who served as Hitler's Minister for Church Affairs, advocated "Positive Christianity", a uniquely Nazi form of Christianity which rejected Christianity's Jewish origins and the Old Testament, and portrayed "true" Christianity as a fight against Jews, with Jesus depicted as an Aryan.[14] protestant-experience-of-1933-in-wurttemberg/AF6644556511E6BD982A22F62A544232#">Nazi Germany as a Christian State: The “Protestant Experience” of 1933 in Württember.
Read more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Nazi_Germany
From Wikeoedia we read: Smaller religious minorities such as the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Baháʼí Faith were banned in Germany, while the eradication of Judaism was attempted along with the genocide of its adherents. The Salvation Army and the Seventh-day Adventist Church both disappeared from Germany, while astrologers, healers, fortune tellers, and witchcraft were all banned. However, the small pagan "German Faith Movement" supported the Nazis.[11] Some religious minority groups had a more complicated relationship with the new state, for example the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) withdrew its missionaries from Germany and Czechoslovakia in 1938, but German LDS church branches were permitted to continue to operate throughout the war, however, they were forced to make some changes in their structure and teachings.[12][13]
Nazi ranks had people of varied religious leanings. They were followers of Christianity, but were frequently at odds with the Pope, who denounced the party by claiming that it had an anti-catholic veneer. They were also antisemitic and considered paganism and other forms of heterodox religious beliefs to be heresy.
Additionally, there was some diversity in the personal views of the Nazi leaders as to the future of religion in Germany. Anti-Church radicals included Hitler's personal secretary Martin Bormann, the paganist Nazi philosopher Alfred Rosenberg, and the paganist occultist Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler. Some Nazis, such as Hans Kerrl, who served as Hitler's Minister for Church Affairs, advocated "Positive Christianity", a uniquely Nazi form of Christianity which rejected Christianity's Jewish origins and the Old Testament, and portrayed "true" Christianity as a fight against Jews, with Jesus depicted as an Aryan.[14] protestant-experience-of-1933-in-wurttemberg/AF6644556511E6BD982A22F62A544232#">Nazi Germany as a Christian State: The “Protestant Experience” of 1933 in Württember.
Read more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Nazi_Germany
Russia: Toward 2024 and Beyond: The Fate of Vladimir Putin’s Reign, Part I
n this series of essays on “The Roots of Russian Conduct,” I have examined Russia’s national interests and how the Putin regime pursues them. I started with the most important national interest for any authoritarian regime: the survival of its leader and his close circle of supporters. I then examined other essential Russian national interests, from preserving the state, to the pursuit of key foreign policy goals, to maintaining a vibrant economy, and ended with the critical role civil society plays in Russia.
In this essay, the final one in this series, I return to the most vital national interest: the fate of Vladimir Putin and his ability, his plans, and even his desire to hold on to power until 2024—the end of his current term as president of the Russian Federation—and perhaps beyond, as far as 2036. Significant developments over the past year raise questions about the fate of the president and raise concerns, anxieties, and even fears among the power structure and the elites, as well as society as a whole, about Russia’s future.
In Part I of this essay, I examine the current state of affairs in Russia and Putin’s vision of the future of the country. In Part II, I look at prospects for Russia after Putin and offer some possible scenarios that Russia could face when the reign[1] of Putin comes to an end. >
Read more at: Toward 2024 and Beyond: The Fate of Vladimir Putin’s Reign, Part I
In Part I of this essay, I examine the current state of affairs in Russia and Putin’s vision of the future of the country. In Part II, I look at prospects for Russia after Putin and offer some possible scenarios that Russia could face when the reign[1] of Putin comes to an end. >
Read more at: Toward 2024 and Beyond: The Fate of Vladimir Putin’s Reign, Part I
6/28/22
USA: Trump knew Jan. 6 rallygoers had weapons but said they were 'not here to hurt me,' key aide testifies
Donald Trump gestures as he speaks to his supporters Jan. 6, 2021. A former White House aide testified Tuesday that Trump knew the rallygoers had weapons, but since they were not going to hurt him, he said, they should be allowed to march to Capitol Hill. (Jim Borgi/Reuters)
Former U.S. president Donald Trump dismissed the presence of armed protesters headed to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and even endorsed their calls to "hang Mike Pence," a key former White House aide told House investigators Tuesday, describing chaotic scenes inside and outside the executive mansion as Trump argued to accompany his supporters.
Trump was informed that some of the protesters in the crowd outside the White House had weapons, but he told officials to "let my people in" and march to the Capitol, testified Cassidy Hutchinson, who was a special assistant to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Read more at: Trump knew Jan. 6 rallygoers had weapons but said they were 'not here to hurt me,' key aide testifies | CBC News
Former U.S. president Donald Trump dismissed the presence of armed protesters headed to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and even endorsed their calls to "hang Mike Pence," a key former White House aide told House investigators Tuesday, describing chaotic scenes inside and outside the executive mansion as Trump argued to accompany his supporters.
Trump was informed that some of the protesters in the crowd outside the White House had weapons, but he told officials to "let my people in" and march to the Capitol, testified Cassidy Hutchinson, who was a special assistant to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Read more at: Trump knew Jan. 6 rallygoers had weapons but said they were 'not here to hurt me,' key aide testifies | CBC News
G7: As war in Ukraine grinds on, G7 vows to reduce Russia's energy leverage
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau outlines newest sanctions Canada has imposed on Russia and says more sanctions targeted at state-sponsored disinformation and propaganda are coming.
The leaders of the world's wealthiest democracies, meeting in the Bavarian Alps, ended their annual summit on Tuesday vowing to do everything in their power to stop Russia from using energy as a weapon to profit from its invasion of Ukraine.
The G7 condemned Russia's missile strike on a crowded shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk on Monday, which killed as many as 18 people, as a war crime.
Canada stepped forward with a $200-million lo
Read more at As war in Ukraine grinds on, G7 vows to reduce Russia's energy leverage | CBC News
The leaders of the world's wealthiest democracies, meeting in the Bavarian Alps, ended their annual summit on Tuesday vowing to do everything in their power to stop Russia from using energy as a weapon to profit from its invasion of Ukraine.
The G7 condemned Russia's missile strike on a crowded shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk on Monday, which killed as many as 18 people, as a war crime.
Canada stepped forward with a $200-million lo
Read more at As war in Ukraine grinds on, G7 vows to reduce Russia's energy leverage | CBC News
Ukraine War: Germany, Netherlands promise additional howitzers to Ukraine
The latest weapons pledges come after the first delivery of German heavy weapons arrived in Ukraine last week. Kyiv has urged for allies to send more modern weapons as Russia's invasion presses on.
Germany and the Netherlands will deliver six additional self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht and her Dutch counterpart Kasja Ollongren announced on Tuesday in Madrid.
The two officials made the announcement on the sidelines of the NATO summit in the Spanish capital. Each of the two countries will provide three of the artillery weapons.
"We show our resolve and our commitment to Ukraine, and not to give in to this Russian aggression," Ollongren said.
Read more at: Germany, Netherlands promise additional howitzers to Ukraine | News | DW | 28.06.2022
Germany and the Netherlands will deliver six additional self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht and her Dutch counterpart Kasja Ollongren announced on Tuesday in Madrid.
The two officials made the announcement on the sidelines of the NATO summit in the Spanish capital. Each of the two countries will provide three of the artillery weapons.
"We show our resolve and our commitment to Ukraine, and not to give in to this Russian aggression," Ollongren said.
Read more at: Germany, Netherlands promise additional howitzers to Ukraine | News | DW | 28.06.2022
NATO: Finland, Sweden on path to NATO membership as Turkey drops veto | Recep Tayyip Erdogan
NATO ally Turkey has lifted its veto over Finland and Sweden’s bid to join the Western alliance after the three nations agreed to protect each other’s security, ending a weeks-long drama that tested allied unity against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The breakthrough came on Tuesday after four hours of talks just before a NATO summit began in Madrid, averting an embarrassing impasse at the gathering of 30 leaders that aimed to show resolve against Russia.
RFead more at: Finland, Sweden on path to NATO membership as Turkey drops veto | Recep Tayyip Erdogan News | Al Jazeera
The breakthrough came on Tuesday after four hours of talks just before a NATO summit began in Madrid, averting an embarrassing impasse at the gathering of 30 leaders that aimed to show resolve against Russia.
RFead more at: Finland, Sweden on path to NATO membership as Turkey drops veto | Recep Tayyip Erdogan News | Al Jazeera
6/27/22
NATO will increase high-readiness force to ‘well over’ 300,000 troops
NATO will boost its high-readiness forces to more than 300,000 troops, the alliance’s chief announced on Monday, in part of plans that he described as “the biggest overhaul of our collective defense and deterrence since the Cold War.”
The current NATO response force compromises approximately 40,000 troops.
Speaking to reporters ahead of a summit of NATO leaders, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the transatlantic military alliance will strengthen its eastern defenses and adopt a new model for protecting them.
Read more at: NATO will increase high-readiness force to ‘well over’ 300,000 troops – POLITICO
The current NATO response force compromises approximately 40,000 troops.
Speaking to reporters ahead of a summit of NATO leaders, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the transatlantic military alliance will strengthen its eastern defenses and adopt a new model for protecting them.
Read more at: NATO will increase high-readiness force to ‘well over’ 300,000 troops – POLITICO
City Living: Vienna named the world’s most liveable city in 2022. These 5 European cities also made the top 10 - by Camille Bello
For the third time in the past five years, Vienna has captured the top spot in the Global Liveability Index, an annual report from The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) published on Thursday.
The top ten rankings were dominated by western European cities, which make up half of those on the list.
Copenhagen follows Vienna in second place, with Zurich taking third place with Calgary in Canada.
Not far behind is Geneva in number six, followed by Frankfurt at seven. Amsterdam secured number nine.
Read more at: Vienna named the world’s most liveable city in 2022. These 5 European cities also made the top 10 | Euronews
The top ten rankings were dominated by western European cities, which make up half of those on the list.
Copenhagen follows Vienna in second place, with Zurich taking third place with Calgary in Canada.
Not far behind is Geneva in number six, followed by Frankfurt at seven. Amsterdam secured number nine.
Read more at: Vienna named the world’s most liveable city in 2022. These 5 European cities also made the top 10 | Euronews
6/26/22
USA: How America will collapse (by 2025)
A soft landing for America 40 years from now? Don't bet on it. The demise of the United States as the global superpower could come far more quickly than anyone imagines. If Washington is dreaming of 2040 or 2050 as the end of the American Century, a more realistic assessment of domestic and global trends suggests that in 2025, just 15 years from now, it could all be over except for the shouting.
Despite the aura of omnipotence most empires project, a look at their history should remind us that they are fragile organisms. So delicate is their ecology of power that, when things start to go truly bad, empires regularly unravel with unholy speed: just a year for Portugal, two years for the Soviet Union, eight years for France, 11 years for the Ottomans, 17 years for Great Britain, and, in all likelihood, 22 years for the United States, counting from the crucial year 2003.
Future historians are likely to identify the Bush administration's rash invasion of Iraq in that year as the start of America's downfall. However, instead of the bloodshed that marked the end of so many past empires, with cities burning and civilians slaughtered, this twenty-first century imperial collapse could come relatively quietly through the invisible tendrils of economic collapse or cyberwarfare.
Read more at: How America will collapse (by 2025) | Salon.com
Despite the aura of omnipotence most empires project, a look at their history should remind us that they are fragile organisms. So delicate is their ecology of power that, when things start to go truly bad, empires regularly unravel with unholy speed: just a year for Portugal, two years for the Soviet Union, eight years for France, 11 years for the Ottomans, 17 years for Great Britain, and, in all likelihood, 22 years for the United States, counting from the crucial year 2003.
Future historians are likely to identify the Bush administration's rash invasion of Iraq in that year as the start of America's downfall. However, instead of the bloodshed that marked the end of so many past empires, with cities burning and civilians slaughtered, this twenty-first century imperial collapse could come relatively quietly through the invisible tendrils of economic collapse or cyberwarfare.
Read more at: How America will collapse (by 2025) | Salon.com
6/25/22
EU-Iran nuclear talks set to resume in the 'coming days'
The European Union (EU) and Iran announced Saturday that stalled nuclear talks would resume "in the coming days", following a surprise visit to Tehran by the bloc's foreign police chief.
Head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrel, who has pushed to break the diplomatic deadlock, made the announcement with the Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian at a press conference in the Iranian capital.
Talks between Iran and the major powers - Russia, United States, China, France, United Kingdom and Germany - over Tehran's nuclear programme have stagnated since March.
read more at : EU-Iran nuclear talks set to resume in the 'coming days' | Euronews
Head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrel, who has pushed to break the diplomatic deadlock, made the announcement with the Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian at a press conference in the Iranian capital.
Talks between Iran and the major powers - Russia, United States, China, France, United Kingdom and Germany - over Tehran's nuclear programme have stagnated since March.
read more at : EU-Iran nuclear talks set to resume in the 'coming days' | Euronews
USA: Supreme Court abortion reversal divides America
US President Joe Biden on Friday vowed to “do all in my power” to protect a woman's right to an abortion in states where they face the effects of a Supreme Court decision overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that recognised a woman's constitutional right to an abortion.
Read more at: Supreme Court abortion reversal divides America
Read more at: Supreme Court abortion reversal divides America
EU - Eurozone: Croatia to officially join eurozone as EU summit wraps
European leaders, who worried that winter will be a tough one for their citizens, pledged deeper cooperation and coordination on Friday to tackle the energy crisis.
The two-day European Council summit in Brussels ended with the 27 heads of state tasking the Commission to continue its work to identify ways to curb rising energy prices - including through possible price caps -- or to secure alternative sources of supply at affordable prices.
:
The Council meanwhile, was called upon to take any appropriate measures to ensure closer energy coordination between member states.
Read more at: Croatia to officially join eurozone as EU summit wraps | Euronews
The two-day European Council summit in Brussels ended with the 27 heads of state tasking the Commission to continue its work to identify ways to curb rising energy prices - including through possible price caps -- or to secure alternative sources of supply at affordable prices.
:
The Council meanwhile, was called upon to take any appropriate measures to ensure closer energy coordination between member states.
Read more at: Croatia to officially join eurozone as EU summit wraps | Euronews
6/24/22
USA: Congress sends landmark gun violence legislation to Biden
The House sent President Joe Biden the most wide-ranging gun violence bill Congress has passed in decades on Friday, a measured compromise that at once illustrates progress on the long-intractable issue and the deep-seated partisan divide that persists.
The Democratic-led chamber approved the election-year legislation on a mostly party-line 234-193 vote, capping a spurt of action prompted by voters’ revulsion over last month’s mass shootings in New York and Texas. The night before, the Senate approved it by a bipartisan 65-33 margin, with 15 Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting a package that senators from both parties had crafted.
Read more at: Congress sends landmark gun violence legislation to Biden | PBS NewsHour
The Democratic-led chamber approved the election-year legislation on a mostly party-line 234-193 vote, capping a spurt of action prompted by voters’ revulsion over last month’s mass shootings in New York and Texas. The night before, the Senate approved it by a bipartisan 65-33 margin, with 15 Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting a package that senators from both parties had crafted.
Read more at: Congress sends landmark gun violence legislation to Biden | PBS NewsHour
US Tourism: Is Gun Violence Behind Decline In International Tourism To The U.S.?
When international travel to the U.S. fell last year, many blamed the so-called “Trump Slump” — arguing that the President’s low approval ratings overseas are to blame for the drop in tourism. But as the country continues to face mass shootings, like the Florida school shooting last week, it seems gun violence might be playing a role. After the mass shooting that left 58 concert-goers dead in Las Vegas last October, Germany warned its people to avoid the city. And Australia tells its citizens, “the United States has more violent crime” than it does, and that “mass shootings can occur in public places.” Last year, tourism fell by 4% and the U.S. fell from the second-most visited country in the world, to the third.
Boston Globe Travel Columnist Christopher Muther joined Jim Braude to discuss whether a gun slump is the cause of the tourism decline, and other travel issues.
Read more at: Is Gun Violence Behind Decline In International Tourism To The U.S.?
Boston Globe Travel Columnist Christopher Muther joined Jim Braude to discuss whether a gun slump is the cause of the tourism decline, and other travel issues.
Read more at: Is Gun Violence Behind Decline In International Tourism To The U.S.?
6/23/22
Ukraine War: Russian Coup Against Putin Already Underway, Ukraine General Says
General Kyrylo Budanov told British broadcaster Sky News that if Russia lost the war in Ukraine, Putin would be removed and his country would collapse.
"It will eventually lead to the change of leadership of the Russian Federation," Budanov told the outlet, "this process has already been launched."
Read more at: Russian Coup Against Putin Already Underway, Ukraine General Says
"It will eventually lead to the change of leadership of the Russian Federation," Budanov told the outlet, "this process has already been launched."
Read more at: Russian Coup Against Putin Already Underway, Ukraine General Says
Russia: Waiting for the Last Days of Putin -
Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine are hard to rationalize, but I suppose it’s possible he believes Ukraine might be allowed to join NATO and then with NATO’s backing be allowed to attempt to expel the Russian forces occupying parts of Eastern Ukraine since 2014.
Read more at: Waiting for the Last Days of Putin - WSJ
Read more at: Waiting for the Last Days of Putin - WSJ
NATO-EU Cooperation: Transatlantic Perspectives on Regional Security Issues
Born in critical times, developed over decades, and having weathered divisive conflicts, both NATO and the EU will soon enter a period of political uncertainty in terms of their cooperation. This article provides insight into the longevity and feasibility of cooperation initiatives by the EU and NATO by surveying both the bureaucratic and the strategic challenges faced.
The inception of the European Union (EU) during the post Second World War era is perhaps the true starting point for analysing how transatlantic security cooperation adapted a self-sustaining and mutually reconcilable rationale. Winston Churchill’s call for supranational European solidarity — a call for a “United States of Europe” — in his 1946 Zurich speech was not only necessitated by strategic US forebodings during the prelude to the Cold War, but also by a maturing understanding of the requirements of international security on both sides of the Atlantic. <
Read More at: read more at: NATO-EU Cooperation: Transatlantic Perspectives on Regional Security Issues | EUChicago
The inception of the European Union (EU) during the post Second World War era is perhaps the true starting point for analysing how transatlantic security cooperation adapted a self-sustaining and mutually reconcilable rationale. Winston Churchill’s call for supranational European solidarity — a call for a “United States of Europe” — in his 1946 Zurich speech was not only necessitated by strategic US forebodings during the prelude to the Cold War, but also by a maturing understanding of the requirements of international security on both sides of the Atlantic. <
Read More at: read more at: NATO-EU Cooperation: Transatlantic Perspectives on Regional Security Issues | EUChicago
GDP: Let’s count what really matters – by Jayati Ghosh
Tracking four alternative economic indicators would provide a very different view of comparative performance than GDP.
Despite the well-known problems with using gross domestic product as an indicator of human development, policy-makers around the world still seem obsessed with it. Governments seek to promote GDP growth through all possible means, often regardless of the wider consequences for the planet and the distribution of rewards. The current focus on quarterly growth reflects a particularly unhealthy short-term perspective. And yet the International Monetary Fund and other multilateral organisations refer to GDP in all assessments of economic performance and make it the sole focus of their forecasts.
Read more at Let’s count what really matters – Jayati Ghosh
Despite the well-known problems with using gross domestic product as an indicator of human development, policy-makers around the world still seem obsessed with it. Governments seek to promote GDP growth through all possible means, often regardless of the wider consequences for the planet and the distribution of rewards. The current focus on quarterly growth reflects a particularly unhealthy short-term perspective. And yet the International Monetary Fund and other multilateral organisations refer to GDP in all assessments of economic performance and make it the sole focus of their forecasts.
Read more at Let’s count what really matters – Jayati Ghosh
6/22/22
The Netherlands: Fun facts about the Netherlands
Did you know that the Netherlands is the most densely populated country in Europe? Is it true that the Dutch really eat so much cheese? What about the football madness, all those flapping flags on 27 April and the famous 'fight against the water'? Read the facts and trivia about our country, the royal family and things you might notice during your visit.
Internationally, the Dutch are known to be rather direct in their approach. We simply call that honesty and openness. We like to complain, especially about the weather, but we also find creative and innovative solutions for everything. Some 17.5 million people live in an area of 41,5000 square kilometres in the Netherlands. Is that a lot? Yes, the Netherlands is not only the most densely populated country in the EU, but one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Over 40% live in the 'Randstad', the area between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.
Read more at: Fun facts about the Netherlands - Holland.com
Internationally, the Dutch are known to be rather direct in their approach. We simply call that honesty and openness. We like to complain, especially about the weather, but we also find creative and innovative solutions for everything. Some 17.5 million people live in an area of 41,5000 square kilometres in the Netherlands. Is that a lot? Yes, the Netherlands is not only the most densely populated country in the EU, but one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Over 40% live in the 'Randstad', the area between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.
Read more at: Fun facts about the Netherlands - Holland.com
USA: Donald Trump won't survive this American carnage of his own making
Donald Trump has two basic talents. The first is for self-promotion and the second is a strong, feral survival instinct. Those two things were really all it took for him to rise to become the most famous man in the world with the most important job on the planet. (That should tell you something about American culture but it's too depressing to contemplate.)
The talent for self-promotion has snowed everyone from sophisticated investment bankers, who kept loaning him money year after year despite repeated business failures, to small-town business owners who thought that he was a great real estate developer and later a great president just because he told them so. They all believed his lies.
The survival instinct is probably the more important characteristic because it spared him repercussions for failure after failure. It didn't hurt, of course, that for most of his life he had a rich father he could tap whenever things got rough. Nonetheless, for someone who isn't very smart, charming or interesting, Donald Trump has shown amazing resilience. His survival instinct got him to the White House and it sustained him through four years in a very difficult job for which he was uniquely unfit. Any one of the dozen scandals that have engulfed him since he started running for the presidency in 2015 would have finished off any other politician. But Trump survived all of them, just moving like a shark through the water from one self-induced crisis to another.
Read more at: Donald Trump won't survive this American carnage of his own making | Salon.com
The talent for self-promotion has snowed everyone from sophisticated investment bankers, who kept loaning him money year after year despite repeated business failures, to small-town business owners who thought that he was a great real estate developer and later a great president just because he told them so. They all believed his lies.
The survival instinct is probably the more important characteristic because it spared him repercussions for failure after failure. It didn't hurt, of course, that for most of his life he had a rich father he could tap whenever things got rough. Nonetheless, for someone who isn't very smart, charming or interesting, Donald Trump has shown amazing resilience. His survival instinct got him to the White House and it sustained him through four years in a very difficult job for which he was uniquely unfit. Any one of the dozen scandals that have engulfed him since he started running for the presidency in 2015 would have finished off any other politician. But Trump survived all of them, just moving like a shark through the water from one self-induced crisis to another.
Read more at: Donald Trump won't survive this American carnage of his own making | Salon.com
6/21/22
Rusian Invasion Ukraine: Putin Says Russia Has Best Army After Losing 34k Troops in Just 4 Months
Vadimir Putin has said Russia has the world's best armed forces and issued a threat about his country's nuclear missile capabilities.
The claim by the Russian president comes amid a statement from Ukraine's armed forces that Russia's army had lost more than 34,000 troops since the start of his invasion on February 24.
The Russian government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported that Putin had told a meeting of the State Council on Tuesday that there are "no more effective armed forces in the world today than in Russia."
Read more at: Putin Says Russia Has Best Army After Losing 34k Troops in Just 4 Months
The claim by the Russian president comes amid a statement from Ukraine's armed forces that Russia's army had lost more than 34,000 troops since the start of his invasion on February 24.
The Russian government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported that Putin had told a meeting of the State Council on Tuesday that there are "no more effective armed forces in the world today than in Russia."
Read more at: Putin Says Russia Has Best Army After Losing 34k Troops in Just 4 Months
Britain: UK's biggest rail strike in 30 years disrupts travel, PM Johnson vows to stay firm
Tens of thousands of workers walked out on the first day of Britain's biggest rail strike in 30 years on Tuesday, with millions of passengers facing days of chaos as both the unions and government vowed to stick to their guns in a row over pay.
The strike by more than 40,000 rail staff, which is due to be replicated on Thursday and Saturday, caused major disruption across the network, bringing most services to a standstill and leaving major stations deserted. The London Underground metro was also mostly closed due to a separate strike.
Read more at: UK's biggest rail strike in 30 years disrupts travel, PM Johnson vows to stay firm | Reuters
The strike by more than 40,000 rail staff, which is due to be replicated on Thursday and Saturday, caused major disruption across the network, bringing most services to a standstill and leaving major stations deserted. The London Underground metro was also mostly closed due to a separate strike.
Read more at: UK's biggest rail strike in 30 years disrupts travel, PM Johnson vows to stay firm | Reuters
6/20/22
The Netherlands: Russian secret agent unmasked trying to inflitrate war crimes court, Netherlands says
The Dutch secret service revealed details of an operation they carried out to stop a Russian spy from getting inside the International Criminal Court in The Hague — where alleged war crimes in Ukraine are being investigated.
"The AIVD (Dutch secret service) prevented a Russian intelligence officer from gaining access as a trainee to the International Criminal Court (ICC)," the agency said in a statement, adding that the individual was working for the Russian military intelligence agency GRU.
Identified by the AIVD as Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, 36, the man was using an extensive Brazilian cover identity to travel from Brazil to the Netherlands, the Dutch secret service said, adding that this kind of deep background story, with documentation, can take years to develop.
Read more at: Russian secret agent unmasked trying to inflitrate war crimes court, Netherlands says | Euronews
"The AIVD (Dutch secret service) prevented a Russian intelligence officer from gaining access as a trainee to the International Criminal Court (ICC)," the agency said in a statement, adding that the individual was working for the Russian military intelligence agency GRU.
Identified by the AIVD as Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, 36, the man was using an extensive Brazilian cover identity to travel from Brazil to the Netherlands, the Dutch secret service said, adding that this kind of deep background story, with documentation, can take years to develop.
Read more at: Russian secret agent unmasked trying to inflitrate war crimes court, Netherlands says | Euronews
Russia: Might Vladimir Putin use a nuclear weapon? The calculations are changing
"The horsemen of the apocalypse" are on their way, Dmitry Medvedev warned this past week. The former Russian president, whom many European countries once considered to be relatively friendly to the West, had days earlier condemned the leaders of those same countries, vowing to "do everything to make them disappear."
But as President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine reaches the four-month mark, there have also been notable shifts in how both sides may be assessing the so-called nuclear "red lines."
In an interview with BBC News around the same time, Russia's Ambassador to the U.K. sounded definitive when he asserted that nuclear weapons have "nothing to do with the current operation."
Re more at: Might Vladimir Putin use a nuclear weapon? The calculations are changing | CBC News
But as President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine reaches the four-month mark, there have also been notable shifts in how both sides may be assessing the so-called nuclear "red lines."
In an interview with BBC News around the same time, Russia's Ambassador to the U.K. sounded definitive when he asserted that nuclear weapons have "nothing to do with the current operation."
Re more at: Might Vladimir Putin use a nuclear weapon? The calculations are changing | CBC News
Ukraine war: Russia becomes China's biggest oil supplier
Imports of Russian oil rose by 55% from a year earlier to a record level in May, displacing Saudi Arabia as China's biggest provider.
China has ramped up purchases of Russian oil despite demand dampened by Covid curbs and a slowing economy.
In February, China and Russia declared their friendship had "no limits".
And Chinese companies, including state refining giant Sinopec and state-run Zhenhua Oil, have increased their purchases of Russian crude in recent months after being offered heavy discounts as buyers in Europe and the US shunned Russian energy in line with sanctions over its war on Ukraine.
Ukraine war: Russia becomes China's biggest oil supplier - BBC News
China has ramped up purchases of Russian oil despite demand dampened by Covid curbs and a slowing economy.
In February, China and Russia declared their friendship had "no limits".
And Chinese companies, including state refining giant Sinopec and state-run Zhenhua Oil, have increased their purchases of Russian crude in recent months after being offered heavy discounts as buyers in Europe and the US shunned Russian energy in line with sanctions over its war on Ukraine.
Ukraine war: Russia becomes China's biggest oil supplier - BBC News
6/19/22
Women Rights: Turkey′s femicide problem: All eyes on court verdicts
On July 16, 2020, university student Pinar Gultekin went missing in Turkey's southwestern Aegean province of Mugla. Five days later, the 27-year-old woman was found dead in a forest.
Forensic investigations revealed that Gultekin was strangled to death and then burned by her ex-boyfriend, Cemal Metin Avci, who confessed to the murder.
Gultekin's murder was the latest in a string of "femicides" — the deaths of women at the hands of their spouses and partners — that have sparked public outrage and demonstrations in Turkey. According to the country's We Will Stop Femicide Platform, Gultekin was among at least 300 women killed in 2020.
Read more at: https://www.dw.com/en/turkeys-femicide-problem-all-eyes-on-court-verdicts/a-62165754Read mo0re at:
Forensic investigations revealed that Gultekin was strangled to death and then burned by her ex-boyfriend, Cemal Metin Avci, who confessed to the murder.
Gultekin's murder was the latest in a string of "femicides" — the deaths of women at the hands of their spouses and partners — that have sparked public outrage and demonstrations in Turkey. According to the country's We Will Stop Femicide Platform, Gultekin was among at least 300 women killed in 2020.
Read more at: https://www.dw.com/en/turkeys-femicide-problem-all-eyes-on-court-verdicts/a-62165754Read mo0re at:
6/17/22
Air Pollution: Global population will lose 17 billion life-years to air pollution, says shocking new research
Nearly all of the world’s population are breathing polluted air, knocking more than two years off of average global life expectancy.
The contamination chops an average 2.2 years off global average life expectancy for each person - a combined 17 billion life years.
Read more at: Global population will lose 17 billion life-years to air pollution, says shocking new research | Euronews
The contamination chops an average 2.2 years off global average life expectancy for each person - a combined 17 billion life years.
Read more at: Global population will lose 17 billion life-years to air pollution, says shocking new research | Euronews
Ukraine war: Macron, Scholz and Draghi back EU candidate status for Ukraine
Ukraine should be given candidate status for European Union membership, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz and Mario Draghi affirmed on Thursday during a visit to Kyiv.
Granting the status to Ukraine is "a strong, quick, expected gesture of hope and clarity that we want to send to Ukraine and its people," the French leader said during a joint press conference following a meeting with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the late afternoon.
In a visit to Irpin, one of the suburbs of Kyiv devastated at the start of the war by Russian troops on the capital, the French president defended himself against any "ambiguity" in his support for Kyiv, having been heavily criticised for saying that Russia should not be "humiliated". Br>
He said Ukraine must be able to resist and prevail against the Russian army. "France has been at Ukraine's side since day one (...) we stand by the Ukrainians without ambiguity," he said.
He stressed however that the status would be accompanied by a "roadmap" that would include "conditions".
Read more at: Ukraine war: Macron, Scholz and Draghi back EU candidate status for Ukraine | Euronews
Granting the status to Ukraine is "a strong, quick, expected gesture of hope and clarity that we want to send to Ukraine and its people," the French leader said during a joint press conference following a meeting with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the late afternoon.
In a visit to Irpin, one of the suburbs of Kyiv devastated at the start of the war by Russian troops on the capital, the French president defended himself against any "ambiguity" in his support for Kyiv, having been heavily criticised for saying that Russia should not be "humiliated". Br>
He said Ukraine must be able to resist and prevail against the Russian army. "France has been at Ukraine's side since day one (...) we stand by the Ukrainians without ambiguity," he said.
He stressed however that the status would be accompanied by a "roadmap" that would include "conditions".
Read more at: Ukraine war: Macron, Scholz and Draghi back EU candidate status for Ukraine | Euronews
6/16/22
Trade: A single market for the future – by Philippe Pochet
That revival can generally be understood as a desire to create a European form of capitalism. This project was supported at the time by some 40 major industrial leaders who formed the Round Table of Industrialists, an episode well chronicled by Bastiaan Van Appeldoorn. It was also the project pursued by the president of the commission, Jacques Delors.
This period was marked by compromise between the political forces of the left and right on the internal market and a certain social dimension. It saw the emergence of European social dialogue and the 1989 Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers and the accompanying social programme.
Read more at: A single market for the future – Philippe Pochet
This period was marked by compromise between the political forces of the left and right on the internal market and a certain social dimension. It saw the emergence of European social dialogue and the 1989 Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers and the accompanying social programme.
Read more at: A single market for the future – Philippe Pochet
6/15/22
The European Union: More united than ever - Opinion - by Miguel Otero Iglesias
The notion that the European Union has never been less united than now has taken hold in the public consciousness. The recurring theme is that EU countries are unable to agree on euro reforms, on migratory flow management, on how to deal with growing aggressiveness from the US, Russia and China, and that the rise of national populism will further undermine the Union to the breaking point.
Divisions exist, and they are serious, but a calm and collected analysis, with historical perspective, shows that Europe is probably more united today than ever before. And to convince ourselves of this fact, it is not necessary to recall the centuries’ worth of European conflicts ranging from the Hundred Years’ War to World War II. It is enough to review the last 60 years of European integration.
Let’s break it down into decades. In the 1960s we had the Empty Chair Crisis, triggered by a De Gaulle, who felt considerably more French than European. Then, in the 1970s, we had the collapse of the “snake in the tunnel” (an attempt at monetary cooperation) that buried the Werner Plan and triggered years of tensions between France and a dominant Germany, which imposed the tyranny of the Deutsche Mark. And in the 1980s we had the crisis of Thatcher’s “handbag” and the Fontainebleau agreement institutionalizing the rebate for the UK on its contribution to the EU budget, a historical mistake that firmly established “English exceptionalism.”
There are those who will think that the 1990s, with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, were years of greater unity. Not in the least. The United Kingdom did not join the euro, the Danish voted against it, and only 51% of French citizens supported it. It was a narrow victory, and meanwhile there were many voices opposed to extending EU membership to Eastern European countries. These tensions flared up again in the first decade of the 21st century when the French and the Dutch voted against the European Constitution.
Read More at: The European Union: More united than ever | Opinion | EL PAÍS English Edition
Divisions exist, and they are serious, but a calm and collected analysis, with historical perspective, shows that Europe is probably more united today than ever before. And to convince ourselves of this fact, it is not necessary to recall the centuries’ worth of European conflicts ranging from the Hundred Years’ War to World War II. It is enough to review the last 60 years of European integration.
Let’s break it down into decades. In the 1960s we had the Empty Chair Crisis, triggered by a De Gaulle, who felt considerably more French than European. Then, in the 1970s, we had the collapse of the “snake in the tunnel” (an attempt at monetary cooperation) that buried the Werner Plan and triggered years of tensions between France and a dominant Germany, which imposed the tyranny of the Deutsche Mark. And in the 1980s we had the crisis of Thatcher’s “handbag” and the Fontainebleau agreement institutionalizing the rebate for the UK on its contribution to the EU budget, a historical mistake that firmly established “English exceptionalism.”
There are those who will think that the 1990s, with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, were years of greater unity. Not in the least. The United Kingdom did not join the euro, the Danish voted against it, and only 51% of French citizens supported it. It was a narrow victory, and meanwhile there were many voices opposed to extending EU membership to Eastern European countries. These tensions flared up again in the first decade of the 21st century when the French and the Dutch voted against the European Constitution.
Read More at: The European Union: More united than ever | Opinion | EL PAÍS English Edition
Ukraine Military Assistance: US sending $1 billion more military aid to outgunned Ukraine
The U.S. announced it will send an additional $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine, as America and its allies provide longer-range weapons they say can make a difference in a fight where Ukrainian forces are outnumbered and outgunned by their Russian invaders.
President Joe Biden and his top national security leaders said Wednesday the U.S. is moving as fast as possible to get critical weapons to the fight, even as Ukrainian officials protest that they need more, faster, in order to survive.
Read more at: US sending $1 billion more military aid to outgunned Ukraine – Metro US
President Joe Biden and his top national security leaders said Wednesday the U.S. is moving as fast as possible to get critical weapons to the fight, even as Ukrainian officials protest that they need more, faster, in order to survive.
Read more at: US sending $1 billion more military aid to outgunned Ukraine – Metro US
6/14/22
USA: The Holy Grail? Why is gun control so difficult in the US?
A mass shooting occurred nine out of every 10 days in the US.
Why is gun control so difficult in the US? First, the “right to bear arms” was enshrined in the second amendment of the US constitution more than 200 years ago. This is the starting point for all arguments about gun control. The second amendment is interpreted differently by different experts, but as it stands, it is the ultimate defense against implementing strict gun laws.
Rea more at: Why is gun control so difficult in the US? - CGTN
Why is gun control so difficult in the US? First, the “right to bear arms” was enshrined in the second amendment of the US constitution more than 200 years ago. This is the starting point for all arguments about gun control. The second amendment is interpreted differently by different experts, but as it stands, it is the ultimate defense against implementing strict gun laws.
Rea more at: Why is gun control so difficult in the US? - CGTN
6/13/22
USA-Russian Relations: Team Putin in a Panic Over Jan. 6 Hearings ‘Lynching Trump’
The House select committee’s primetime Jan. 6. hearings are causing conniptions in Moscow.
The attempted insurrection was embraced by the Kremlin as cause célèbre, with Russian President Vladimir Putin himself calling for an investigation into the death of Ashli Babbitt, who was part of the crowd attacking the U.S. Capitol. Russia’s state-controlled media obsessively covered the notorious attack, praising the would-be insurrectionists as law-abiding protesters and criticizing the United States for prosecuting them. But now, propagandists seem to be concerned that the hearings may negatively impact the chances of re-election for their so-called “partner,” former U.S. President Donald J. Trump.
A Yahoo news report
The attempted insurrection was embraced by the Kremlin as cause célèbre, with Russian President Vladimir Putin himself calling for an investigation into the death of Ashli Babbitt, who was part of the crowd attacking the U.S. Capitol. Russia’s state-controlled media obsessively covered the notorious attack, praising the would-be insurrectionists as law-abiding protesters and criticizing the United States for prosecuting them. But now, propagandists seem to be concerned that the hearings may negatively impact the chances of re-election for their so-called “partner,” former U.S. President Donald J. Trump.
A Yahoo news report
USA: Texas shooting: US gun control claims fact-checked
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has also opposed gun control measures, did specify, and pointed to Chicago, Illinois.
Illinois has stricter gun laws than Texas but experiences a higher rate of gun crime, especially in the city of Chicago.
However, the majority of guns recovered in Chicago come from other states, often with looser gun laws, such as Indiana and Mississippi.
Read more at: Texas shooting: US gun control claims fact-checked - BBC News
Illinois has stricter gun laws than Texas but experiences a higher rate of gun crime, especially in the city of Chicago.
However, the majority of guns recovered in Chicago come from other states, often with looser gun laws, such as Indiana and Mississippi.
Read more at: Texas shooting: US gun control claims fact-checked - BBC News
Space Junk: Is the commercialization of space a risk too far?
Space is getting more crowded and more commercialized. This is leading to a growing risk of collisions between satellites and space junk, and means that new regulations on the use of space are urgently needed.
Those are some of the conclusions of the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2022, which warns that if satellites fail, whether due to natural or human events, the consequences for life on Earth could be profound.
Global navigation and communication systems are heavily dependent on space technology, the report says, but so too are energy and water supplies, financial infrastructure, broadband internet and television and radio services.
Yet if a single piece of space junk strikes just one satellite, it could cause a cloud of debris that takes out many more and results in a “cascading effect” on critical services. That’s according to one theory, called the Kessler Effect.
Read more at: Is the commercialization of space a risk too far? | World Economic Forum
Those are some of the conclusions of the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2022, which warns that if satellites fail, whether due to natural or human events, the consequences for life on Earth could be profound.
Global navigation and communication systems are heavily dependent on space technology, the report says, but so too are energy and water supplies, financial infrastructure, broadband internet and television and radio services.
Yet if a single piece of space junk strikes just one satellite, it could cause a cloud of debris that takes out many more and results in a “cascading effect” on critical services. That’s according to one theory, called the Kessler Effect.
Read more at: Is the commercialization of space a risk too far? | World Economic Forum
6/12/22
Climate Change: Politics, science, and public attitudes: What we're learning, and why it matters
The bad news is that everybody does it. The good news is that social scientists are making progress in understanding why people ignore solid scientific evidence in deciding what they think about all manner of science-based issues—including how those topics should be taught in schools and addressed by policymakers.
The U.S. research community has long lamented how often the public disregards—or distorts—scientific findings. Many media pundits point the finger at partisan politics, although they offer contrasting explanations: Liberals often assert that Republicans are simply antiscience, whereas conservatives often insist that Democrats tout scientific findings to justify giving government a larger and more intrusive role.A leading social science journal, The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, takes a deep dive into the debate by devoting its March issue (subscription required) to "The Politics of Science." The issue, edited by political scientists Elizabeth Suhay of American University in Washington, D.C., and James Druckman of Northwestern University, includes some 15 articles that explore "the production, communication, and reception of scientific knowledge." And nobody gets a free pass.
"It's an equal opportunity scold," says the journal's executive editor, Thomas Kecskemethy. "I was fascinated by how the knowledge elites are vulnerable to their own biases."
The researchers provide no simple answers. (In truth, some of the articles are nearly impenetrable, larded with jargon and political theory.) But the special issue does offer some useful take-home messages:
Read More at: Politics, science, and public attitudes: What we're learning, and why it matters | Science | AAAS
The U.S. research community has long lamented how often the public disregards—or distorts—scientific findings. Many media pundits point the finger at partisan politics, although they offer contrasting explanations: Liberals often assert that Republicans are simply antiscience, whereas conservatives often insist that Democrats tout scientific findings to justify giving government a larger and more intrusive role.A leading social science journal, The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, takes a deep dive into the debate by devoting its March issue (subscription required) to "The Politics of Science." The issue, edited by political scientists Elizabeth Suhay of American University in Washington, D.C., and James Druckman of Northwestern University, includes some 15 articles that explore "the production, communication, and reception of scientific knowledge." And nobody gets a free pass.
"It's an equal opportunity scold," says the journal's executive editor, Thomas Kecskemethy. "I was fascinated by how the knowledge elites are vulnerable to their own biases."
The researchers provide no simple answers. (In truth, some of the articles are nearly impenetrable, larded with jargon and political theory.) But the special issue does offer some useful take-home messages:
Read More at: Politics, science, and public attitudes: What we're learning, and why it matters | Science | AAAS
6/11/22
Post Ukraine World Order: Challenge of the China-Russia Axis in the Post-Ukraine World Order
By the end of 2022, Germany will stop all Russian oil imports, and gradually halt natural gas imports too. This latest announcement by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock carries a lurid message: in the post-Ukraine world order, politics is beginning to trump economics.
Nations will increasingly be pushed to make difficult economic choices based on their politics. Consequently, this will usher in a major refurbishing of the global order, particularly, its economy.
The world is likely to witness a prolonged phase of de-globalization, or re-globalization, that will challenge the existing interdependence determinant of globalization.
Read More at: Challenge of the China-Russia Axis in the Post-Ukraine World Order | JAPAN Forward
Nations will increasingly be pushed to make difficult economic choices based on their politics. Consequently, this will usher in a major refurbishing of the global order, particularly, its economy.
The world is likely to witness a prolonged phase of de-globalization, or re-globalization, that will challenge the existing interdependence determinant of globalization.
Read More at: Challenge of the China-Russia Axis in the Post-Ukraine World Order | JAPAN Forward
The Netherlands Economy is the Most Competitive in Europe
The Dutch economy rivals European and global competitors making it a welcoming, stable and rewarding choice for foreign businesses to invest. The Netherlands’ GDP per capita is above EU averages and ahead of most nations. The Dutch economy has proven time and time again to be a powerhouse on the global stage. The Dutch punch above their weight by ranking as the most competitive economy in Europe and fourth in the world according to the World Economic Forum, the fourth most competitive nation in the 2020 IMD rankings and fifth in the 2020 Global Innovations Index.
Read more at: The Netherlands Economy is the Most Competitive in Europe
Read more at: The Netherlands Economy is the Most Competitive in Europe
6/10/22
Our Environment: Revealed - 9 examples of fossil fuel company "greenwashing"
Climate scientists say we have less than 10 years to prevent catastrophic climate change. We urgently need polluting fossil fuel companies to change their business models but too few are facing up to this reality.
Instead of leading a low-carbon transition, these companies are putting out advertising that distracts the public from the realities of their businesses.
So we’re taking action – today we’ve launched the Greenwashing Files to highlight how advertising and other public claims from companies don’t always match up to reality.
Read more at: Revealed: 9 examples of fossil fuel company greenwashing | ClientEarth
Instead of leading a low-carbon transition, these companies are putting out advertising that distracts the public from the realities of their businesses.
So we’re taking action – today we’ve launched the Greenwashing Files to highlight how advertising and other public claims from companies don’t always match up to reality.
Read more at: Revealed: 9 examples of fossil fuel company greenwashing | ClientEarth
USA: Trump just threw Ivanka under the bus over her Jan. 6 committee testimony - by Jon Skolnik
Former President Donald Trump had a social media meltdown on Friday after the January 6 select committee revealed footage of Ivanka Trump, his own daughter, casting doubt over his baseless claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.
"Ivanka Trump was not involved in looking at, or studying, Election results," Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform. "She had long since checked out and was, in my opinion, only trying to be respectful to Bill Barr and his position as Attorney General (he sucked!)."
On Thursday, during its first Capitol riot hearing, the House committee played footage of its interview with former Attorney General Bill Barr, who called Trump's election conspiracy "bullshit," saying that he didn't want to be "a part of it".
Read more at: Trump just threw Ivanka under the bus over her Jan. 6 committee testimony | Salon.com
"Ivanka Trump was not involved in looking at, or studying, Election results," Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform. "She had long since checked out and was, in my opinion, only trying to be respectful to Bill Barr and his position as Attorney General (he sucked!)."
On Thursday, during its first Capitol riot hearing, the House committee played footage of its interview with former Attorney General Bill Barr, who called Trump's election conspiracy "bullshit," saying that he didn't want to be "a part of it".
Read more at: Trump just threw Ivanka under the bus over her Jan. 6 committee testimony | Salon.com
6/9/22
USA: Multiple victims reported in shooting in Maryland: Sheriff
Multiple victims have been reported in a shooting in Smithsburg, Maryland, Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
"The suspect is no longer a threat to the community," the Washington County Sheriff's Office said.
Read more at: Multiple victims reported in shooting in Maryland: Sheriff - ABC News
"The suspect is no longer a threat to the community," the Washington County Sheriff's Office said.
Read more at: Multiple victims reported in shooting in Maryland: Sheriff - ABC News
Ukraine war: Polish president: Calls to Putin like talking to Hitler
Polish President Andrzej Duda slammed the leaders of both Germany and France for their phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin, comparing it to maintaining a direct line with Adolf Hitler during World War II.
In an interview published in Thursday's edition of German best-selling newspaper Bild, Duda questioned what Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Emmanuel Macron thought was to be gained by the calls as Russia continues to bombard civilian targets in Ukraine.
Macron drew international attention in an interview last week when he said such calls were necessary to prevent Moscow from being "humiliated" and thus preserve the chance of a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Macron said in the same interview that Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy had asked him to keep calling Putin. The French leader has also used the call to urge Putin to release prisoners, which reportedly includes civilians, according to the Elysee Palace.
Read more at: Polish president: Calls to Putin like talking to Hitler | News | DW | 09.06.2022
In an interview published in Thursday's edition of German best-selling newspaper Bild, Duda questioned what Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Emmanuel Macron thought was to be gained by the calls as Russia continues to bombard civilian targets in Ukraine.
Macron drew international attention in an interview last week when he said such calls were necessary to prevent Moscow from being "humiliated" and thus preserve the chance of a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Macron said in the same interview that Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy had asked him to keep calling Putin. The French leader has also used the call to urge Putin to release prisoners, which reportedly includes civilians, according to the Elysee Palace.
Read more at: Polish president: Calls to Putin like talking to Hitler | News | DW | 09.06.2022
Russian Invasion Ukraine: British men who fought for Ukraine sentenced to death
A court in Donetsk has sentenced to death three foreign men, who served in the Ukrainian forces and fought for Kiev in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). British citizens Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, as well as Moroccan Saadun Ibrahim, were found guilty on Thursday of acting as mercenaries and attempting to seize power by force in the DPR.
They were also accused of undergoing training in order to carry out terrorist activities on the territory of the state, which was recognised by Russia in February. Kiev, and most of the world, regards it as a breakaway province of Ukraine.
Under the laws of the DPR, the forcible seizure of power carries a penalty of between 12 and 20 years behind bars, but it can be escalated to capital punishment due to the aggravating circumstances of war time. Acting as a mercenary is punishable by a prison sentence of three to seven years.
Read more at: British men who fought for Ukraine sentenced to death — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union
They were also accused of undergoing training in order to carry out terrorist activities on the territory of the state, which was recognised by Russia in February. Kiev, and most of the world, regards it as a breakaway province of Ukraine.
Under the laws of the DPR, the forcible seizure of power carries a penalty of between 12 and 20 years behind bars, but it can be escalated to capital punishment due to the aggravating circumstances of war time. Acting as a mercenary is punishable by a prison sentence of three to seven years.
Read more at: British men who fought for Ukraine sentenced to death — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union
USA: A deadly ideology: how the ‘great replacement theory’ went mainstream
On 14 May, in Buffalo, New York, 10 Black people were shot and killed in a grocery store. The 18-year-old alleged shooter is said to have endorsed the “great replacement theory” – the racist premise that white Americans and Europeans are being actively “replaced” by non-white immigrants. For a brief moment in the aftermath, it seemed the horror of the latest tragedy would be enough to ensure that the conspiracy theory would be consigned to the fringes of the far right whence it came. Instead, the opposite has happened.
The Fox News host Tucker Carlson had mentioned replacement theories more than 400 times on his show before the shooting. Afterwards, he initially sought to distance himself from it. “We’re still not sure exactly what it is,” he claimed on his show on 17 May. In the next breath, though, he doubled down. “Here’s what we do know, for a fact: there’s a strong political component to the Democratic party’s immigration theory … and they say out loud: ‘We are doing this because it helps us to win elections.’”
In Hungary, two days after the shooting, the newly re-elected prime minister, Viktor Orbán, was also doubling down. In a televised speech to mark the start of his fourth term, he claimed he was fighting against “the great European population exchange … a suicidal attempt to replace the lack of European, Christian children with adults from other civilisations – migrants”.
Read more at: A deadly ideology: how the ‘great replacement theory’ went mainstream | Race | The Guardian
The Fox News host Tucker Carlson had mentioned replacement theories more than 400 times on his show before the shooting. Afterwards, he initially sought to distance himself from it. “We’re still not sure exactly what it is,” he claimed on his show on 17 May. In the next breath, though, he doubled down. “Here’s what we do know, for a fact: there’s a strong political component to the Democratic party’s immigration theory … and they say out loud: ‘We are doing this because it helps us to win elections.’”
In Hungary, two days after the shooting, the newly re-elected prime minister, Viktor Orbán, was also doubling down. In a televised speech to mark the start of his fourth term, he claimed he was fighting against “the great European population exchange … a suicidal attempt to replace the lack of European, Christian children with adults from other civilisations – migrants”.
Read more at: A deadly ideology: how the ‘great replacement theory’ went mainstream | Race | The Guardian
Britain: Bad news, People: Staff at Heathrow Could Go on Strike This Summer
Between the hundreds of cancelled flights and hours-long delays at security, passport control and baggage reclaim, UK airports are currently a bit of a shitshow. And it could be about to get even worse: hundreds of staff at the country’s busiest airport could go on strike this summer.
British Airways’ check-in and ground staff at Heathrow airport begin voting on whether to take strike action today (June 7), with any disruption likely to hit the airport over the summer holiday period. The GMB union says that BA staff suffered a 10 percent pay cut during the pandemic, which, while being reinstated for the airline’s bosses, has not been restored to check-in and ground staff at Heathrow.
Read more Bad news, People: Staff at Heathrow Could Go on Strike This Summer
British Airways’ check-in and ground staff at Heathrow airport begin voting on whether to take strike action today (June 7), with any disruption likely to hit the airport over the summer holiday period. The GMB union says that BA staff suffered a 10 percent pay cut during the pandemic, which, while being reinstated for the airline’s bosses, has not been restored to check-in and ground staff at Heathrow.
Read more Bad news, People: Staff at Heathrow Could Go on Strike This Summer
6/8/22
EU: How do EU member states compare on minimum wage?
EU institutions on Wednesday struck a deal to ensure there is an "adequate minimum wage" in each member
Twenty-one of the EU's 27 member states have a minimum wage that ranged on January 1, 2022 from €332 per month in Bulgaria to €2,257 per month in Luxembourg.
Read more at: How do EU member states compare on minimum wage? | Euronews
Twenty-one of the EU's 27 member states have a minimum wage that ranged on January 1, 2022 from €332 per month in Bulgaria to €2,257 per month in Luxembourg.
Read more at: How do EU member states compare on minimum wage? | Euronews
Ukraine Russian Invasion: Chad declares food emergency as grain supplies fall
Last week, Chad declared a food emergency due to a lack of grain supplies. The landlocked African nation on Thursday urged the international community to help its population cope with rising food insecurity.
Cereal prices across Africa surged because of the slump in exports from Ukraine — a consequence of the war in Ukraine and a raft of international sanctions on Russia which have disrupted supplies of fertilizer, wheat and other commodities from both Russia and Ukraine.
Read more at: Chad declares food emergency as grain supplies fall | Africa | DW | 06.06.2022
Cereal prices across Africa surged because of the slump in exports from Ukraine — a consequence of the war in Ukraine and a raft of international sanctions on Russia which have disrupted supplies of fertilizer, wheat and other commodities from both Russia and Ukraine.
Read more at: Chad declares food emergency as grain supplies fall | Africa | DW | 06.06.2022
EU-Vietnam Relations: Why more European firms are choosing Vietnam over China
Vietnam was one of the few Asian countries that did not experience an economic contraction during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021. This year,Vietnam's GDP is expected to grow by around 5.5%, according to the World Bank.
Vietnam's economic performance during and after the pandemic has captured the attention of some major European firms.
German automotive supplier Brose, which has 11 factories in China, is currently deciding between Thailand and Vietnam for a new production location.
Read more at: Why more European firms are choosing Vietnam over China | Asia | An in-depth look at news from across the continent | DW | 08.06.2022
Vietnam's economic performance during and after the pandemic has captured the attention of some major European firms.
German automotive supplier Brose, which has 11 factories in China, is currently deciding between Thailand and Vietnam for a new production location.
Read more at: Why more European firms are choosing Vietnam over China | Asia | An in-depth look at news from across the continent | DW | 08.06.2022
6/7/22
Russian Ukraine Invasion: Amid Russian naval blockades, Ukrainian farmers fear their grain has nowhere to go
The ordered rows of farmland in this southwest corner of Ukraine can feel like an anomaly in a country under attack.Ukraine is world's 5th-largest exporter of wheat, as well as a major exporter of corn and sunflower
Fields and pastures in other regions are pockmarked by shelling, with farmers unable to work their land.
Here, in countryside just west of the Black Sea port city of Odesa, trucks spraying insecticide move through planted crops in long, slow sweeps, the metal arms that carry the nozzles spread wide like a dragonfly's wings.
Baby sunflower plants are already reaching skyward and fields of wheat are just starting to deepen in colour.
Read more at: Amid Russian naval blockades, Ukrainian farmers fear their grain has nowhere to go | CBC News
Fields and pastures in other regions are pockmarked by shelling, with farmers unable to work their land.
Here, in countryside just west of the Black Sea port city of Odesa, trucks spraying insecticide move through planted crops in long, slow sweeps, the metal arms that carry the nozzles spread wide like a dragonfly's wings.
Baby sunflower plants are already reaching skyward and fields of wheat are just starting to deepen in colour.
Read more at: Amid Russian naval blockades, Ukrainian farmers fear their grain has nowhere to go | CBC News
EU: Free public transport gains traction
For years, experts and politicians have called for major changes in the transportation sector. While much of the motivation to foster public transport systems largely stemmed from a desire to curb climate change, the war in Ukraine has provided another reason: Using trains, trams and buses, rather than cars, Europeans would reduce their fuel consumption and thus the continent's dependence on Russian energy imports.
Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, introduced a heavily discounted monthly transportation pass, letting people in Germany ride regional public transport for €9(about $9.65) per month in June, July and August. Lawmakers said they hope the pass will save people some money and encourage them to use public transport rather than drive cars.
Read more at: Europe: Free public transport gains traction | Europe | News and current affairs from around the continent | DW | 05.06.2022
Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, introduced a heavily discounted monthly transportation pass, letting people in Germany ride regional public transport for €9(about $9.65) per month in June, July and August. Lawmakers said they hope the pass will save people some money and encourage them to use public transport rather than drive cars.
Read more at: Europe: Free public transport gains traction | Europe | News and current affairs from around the continent | DW | 05.06.2022
EU: Euro-barometer survey: SMEs and Cybercrime
28% of European SMEs have experienced at least one type of cybercrime in 2021. SMEs are very concerned about the risk of hacking online bank accounts (32%) and phishing, account takeover or impersonation attacks (31%), and viruses and spyware or malware (29%). This Eurobarometer survey conducted on the phone addresses the impact of cybercrime on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Key topics covered by the survey include: the extent to which SMEs’ staff are aware about cybercrime risks; the level of concern about cybercrime among SMEs; experiences of SMEs with cybercrime over the last 12 months and SMEs’ preferred channels for reporting cybercrime. The COVID-19 crisis led to an increased digital transformation for small and medium sized enterprises and at the same to a higher exposure to cybercriminal activities.
Read more at: SMEs and Cybercrime - May 2022 - - Eurobarometer survey
Read more at: SMEs and Cybercrime - May 2022 - - Eurobarometer survey
Russia Debt: US Treasury says all buying of Russian debt and equity banned under sanctions
The US Treasury Department has advised US money managers that Washington’s sanctions on Moscow bar any secondary market purchases of debt or stocks...
The Treasury’s guidance published yesterday said executive orders imposing sanctions on Russia “prohibit US persons from purchasing both new and existing debt and equity securities issued by an entity in the Russian Federation.”“Consistent with our goal to deny Russia the financial resources it needs to continue its brutal war against Ukraine, Treasury has made clear that US persons are prohibited from making new investments in the success of Russia, including through purchases on the secondary market,” a Treasury spokesperson said.
Read more at: US Treasury says all buying of Russian debt and equity banned under sanctions - Russia Debt
The Treasury’s guidance published yesterday said executive orders imposing sanctions on Russia “prohibit US persons from purchasing both new and existing debt and equity securities issued by an entity in the Russian Federation.”“Consistent with our goal to deny Russia the financial resources it needs to continue its brutal war against Ukraine, Treasury has made clear that US persons are prohibited from making new investments in the success of Russia, including through purchases on the secondary market,” a Treasury spokesperson said.
Read more at: US Treasury says all buying of Russian debt and equity banned under sanctions - Russia Debt
6/6/22
USA: Is America really disintegrating? If so, it's been coming for a long time
There are those who think the United States will not survive its current existential crisis.
One of those, possibly, is former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh. Speaking to me on the podcast "Just Ask the Question" on Wednesday, Walsh said he believes we could see the U.S. splitting into several countries during the next 25 years. "During the lifetime of our children," he suggested.
Read More at: Is America really disintegrating? If so, it's been coming for a long time | Salon.com
One of those, possibly, is former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh. Speaking to me on the podcast "Just Ask the Question" on Wednesday, Walsh said he believes we could see the U.S. splitting into several countries during the next 25 years. "During the lifetime of our children," he suggested.
Read More at: Is America really disintegrating? If so, it's been coming for a long time | Salon.com
6/5/22
Vatican: Pope Francis fuels new speculation on future of pontificate
Pope Francis added fuel to rumors about the future of his pontificate by announcing he would visit the central Italian city of L’Aquila in August for a feast initiated by Pope Celestine V, one of the few pontiffs who resigned before Pope Benedict XVI stepped down in 2013.
Italian and Catholic media have been rife with unsourced speculation that the 85-year-old Francis might be planning to follow in Benedict’s footsteps, given his increased mobility problems that have forced him to use a wheelchair for the last month.
Read more at: Pope Francis fuels new speculation on future of pontificate | AP News
Italian and Catholic media have been rife with unsourced speculation that the 85-year-old Francis might be planning to follow in Benedict’s footsteps, given his increased mobility problems that have forced him to use a wheelchair for the last month.
Read more at: Pope Francis fuels new speculation on future of pontificate | AP News
Serbia: Despite EU sanctions, Serbian president secures gas deal with Putin
As the war in Ukraine rages, Serbia's president announced that he has secured an "extremely favourable" natural gas deal with Russia during a telephone conversation on Sunday with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has refused to explicitly condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and his country has not joined Western sanctions against Moscow -- one of a handful in Europe, including Belarus and neighbouring Bosnia.
The country's national air carrier Air Serbia is also among a few on the continent that still operates flights to Russia.
Read more at: Despite EU sanctions, Serbian president secures gas deal with Putin | Euronews
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has refused to explicitly condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and his country has not joined Western sanctions against Moscow -- one of a handful in Europe, including Belarus and neighbouring Bosnia.
The country's national air carrier Air Serbia is also among a few on the continent that still operates flights to Russia.
Read more at: Despite EU sanctions, Serbian president secures gas deal with Putin | Euronews
6/4/22
Russian Ukraine invasion: Russia-Ukraine War, Andrey Melnichenko: A Russian Billionaire's Wife Is Contesting "Irrational" EU Sanctions
anctions On Russia: Aleksandra Melnichenko, who was born in Belgrade and holds Serbian and Croatian citizenship, will "vigorously contest the unfortunate decision against her", the representative said in an email statement to Reuters, declining to give a name
Read more at: Russia-Ukraine War, Andrey Melnichenko: A Russian Billionaire's Wife Is Contesting "Irrational" EU Sanctions
Read more at: Russia-Ukraine War, Andrey Melnichenko: A Russian Billionaire's Wife Is Contesting "Irrational" EU Sanctions
6/3/22
Ukraine War: How the West Can Stop Putin - by James Stavridis
In 2014, just after I completed four years at NATO, he did it again, this time invading a much larger neighbor, Ukraine, and annexing Crimea. That invasion has led to over 14,000 deaths (and counting) and a
Now, essentially completing the invader’s hat trick, he has attacked a neighbor for the third time, and has again used the “independence” route to cobble up a rationale for the invasion. The break-away “republics” of Luhansk and Donetsk are now recognized by Russia, and “peacekeepers” in the form of Russian troops have again invaded a sovereign neighbo
Read more at: How the West Can Stop Putin | Time
Now, essentially completing the invader’s hat trick, he has attacked a neighbor for the third time, and has again used the “independence” route to cobble up a rationale for the invasion. The break-away “republics” of Luhansk and Donetsk are now recognized by Russia, and “peacekeepers” in the form of Russian troops have again invaded a sovereign neighbo
Read more at: How the West Can Stop Putin | Time
USA: Republicans offer contrasting views on gun law reform - by Jesse Naranjo
A pair of House Republicans on Sunday offered widely contrasting views of whether lawmakers should pursue changes to gun law in the wake of the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks said Americans feared losing their Second Amendment rights and that any changes to laws must not infringe on them.
It’s not clear what, if anything, motivated the shooter in Texas to kill young children.
Brooks’ comments marked a significant contrast from the position taken by Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who in interviews on CNN’s “State of the Union” and ABC’s “This Week” said his views on gun laws have evolved recently. The moderate Republican said among other changes he was open to raising the age to purchase long guns to 21.
“If you look at this shooting, you look at Buffalo, you look at Parkland and all these others, there are people taking these guns, these ARs, under the age of 21,” Kinzinger told CNN host Dana Bash. “Can we stop all of it? No. Can we mitigate it, certainly. And we should be doing that now.”
Asked whether he stilled opposed a ban on sales of the type of firearm used in many recent shooting, Kinzinger said he was open to it, depending on the specifics. But he was adamant that supporters of the Second Amendment such as himself should be coming to the table with “reasonable” solutions.
“My side’s not doing that. My side’s not coming forward with reasonable ways to defend an amendment that we think is very important,” Kinzinger said. “And so I’m looking at this going, fine, if people are going to put forward solutions about certifying maybe who can buy an assault weapon, I’m certainly open to that.”
Read more at: Republicans offer contrasting views on gun law reform - POLITICO
In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks said Americans feared losing their Second Amendment rights and that any changes to laws must not infringe on them.
It’s not clear what, if anything, motivated the shooter in Texas to kill young children.
Brooks’ comments marked a significant contrast from the position taken by Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who in interviews on CNN’s “State of the Union” and ABC’s “This Week” said his views on gun laws have evolved recently. The moderate Republican said among other changes he was open to raising the age to purchase long guns to 21.
“If you look at this shooting, you look at Buffalo, you look at Parkland and all these others, there are people taking these guns, these ARs, under the age of 21,” Kinzinger told CNN host Dana Bash. “Can we stop all of it? No. Can we mitigate it, certainly. And we should be doing that now.”
Asked whether he stilled opposed a ban on sales of the type of firearm used in many recent shooting, Kinzinger said he was open to it, depending on the specifics. But he was adamant that supporters of the Second Amendment such as himself should be coming to the table with “reasonable” solutions.
“My side’s not doing that. My side’s not coming forward with reasonable ways to defend an amendment that we think is very important,” Kinzinger said. “And so I’m looking at this going, fine, if people are going to put forward solutions about certifying maybe who can buy an assault weapon, I’m certainly open to that.”
Read more at: Republicans offer contrasting views on gun law reform - POLITICO
Ukraine invasion: African Union tells Putin the continent has become 'victim' of the war
African Union head Macky Sall on Friday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to take into account the suffering in African countries from food shortages caused by the conflict in Ukraine.r Putin to take into account
Read more at: Ukraine invasion: African Union tells Putin the continent has become 'victim' of the war | 360News
Read more at: Ukraine invasion: African Union tells Putin the continent has become 'victim' of the war | 360News
Russian Ukraine Invasion: Director Oleg Sentsov at the front: Russians ′are scorching the earth′
When Russia attacked Ukraine, Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov joined his country's Territorial Defense Forces and went to fight. Since 2014, Sentsov has been an icon of Ukrainian resistance to Russia's annexation of Crimea.
In May of that year, he was arrested by Russian secret services on suspicion of planning terrorist activities, and taken to Moscow. In 2015 he was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and transferred to a Russian penal colony. Filmmakers from all over Europe called repeatedly for him to be released. Ukraine and the West deemed him a political prisoner. Oleg Sentsov was finally able to return to Ukraine in September 2019, when he was freed as part of a prisoner exchange.
Read more at: Director Oleg Sentsov at the front: Russians ′are scorching the earth′ | Europe | News and current affairs from around the continent | DW | 01.06.2022
In May of that year, he was arrested by Russian secret services on suspicion of planning terrorist activities, and taken to Moscow. In 2015 he was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and transferred to a Russian penal colony. Filmmakers from all over Europe called repeatedly for him to be released. Ukraine and the West deemed him a political prisoner. Oleg Sentsov was finally able to return to Ukraine in September 2019, when he was freed as part of a prisoner exchange.
Read more at: Director Oleg Sentsov at the front: Russians ′are scorching the earth′ | Europe | News and current affairs from around the continent | DW | 01.06.2022
6/2/22
Armageddon: Putin may soon officially declare war on Ukraine, US and Western officials say
Russian President Vladimir Putin could formally declare war on Ukraine a move that would enable the full mobilization of Russia’s reserve forces as invasion efforts continue to falter, US and Western officials believe.
It did nothappen on May 9, known as “Victory Day” inside of Russia, commemorates the country’s defeat of the Nazis in 1945. Western officials have long believed that Putin would leverage the symbolic significance and propaganda value of that day to announce either a military achievement in Ukraine, a major escalation of hostilities – or both.
Officials have begun to hone in on one scenario, which is that Putin formally declares war on Ukraine on May 9. To date, Putin has insisted on referring to the brutal monthslong conflict as a “special military operation,” effectively banning words such as invasion and war.
Read more at: Putin may soon officially declare war on Ukraine, US and Western officials say | CNN
It did nothappen on May 9, known as “Victory Day” inside of Russia, commemorates the country’s defeat of the Nazis in 1945. Western officials have long believed that Putin would leverage the symbolic significance and propaganda value of that day to announce either a military achievement in Ukraine, a major escalation of hostilities – or both.
Officials have begun to hone in on one scenario, which is that Putin formally declares war on Ukraine on May 9. To date, Putin has insisted on referring to the brutal monthslong conflict as a “special military operation,” effectively banning words such as invasion and war.
Read more at: Putin may soon officially declare war on Ukraine, US and Western officials say | CNN
Ukraine war: How long can the Western consensus hold?
With Russian forces making slow, grinding progress in the eastern Donbas region and military experts speaking of a long war of attrition, have cracks started to appear in the West's support for Ukraine?
As he directs the fighting from the gleaming white halls of the Kremlin, what does Vladimir Putin make of the swirling Western debates over how best to support Ukraine, and the extent to which Russia should be punished?
In one corner, he sees governments in Britain, Poland and the Baltics calling for his unambiguous defeat.
"We need to make sure that Russia is driven out of Ukraine by the Ukrainians," the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said last week.
Read more at: Ukraine war: How long can the Western consensus hold? - BBC News
As he directs the fighting from the gleaming white halls of the Kremlin, what does Vladimir Putin make of the swirling Western debates over how best to support Ukraine, and the extent to which Russia should be punished?
In one corner, he sees governments in Britain, Poland and the Baltics calling for his unambiguous defeat.
"We need to make sure that Russia is driven out of Ukraine by the Ukrainians," the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said last week.
Read more at: Ukraine war: How long can the Western consensus hold? - BBC News
EU - Denmark votes to drop EU defence opt-out in 'historic' referendum
Denmark has voted in a historic referendum to take part in EU security policy, scrapping its 30-year opt-out.
The vote will allow Danish troops to take part in EU military missions.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the move, which was approved by 66.9% of voters, sent "a very important signal" amid the conflict in Ukraine.
"We're showing, that when Putin invades a free country and threatens the stability in Europe, we others pull together," Ms Frederiksen said.
Read more at: Denmark votes to drop EU defence opt-out in 'historic' referendum - BBC News
The vote will allow Danish troops to take part in EU military missions.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the move, which was approved by 66.9% of voters, sent "a very important signal" amid the conflict in Ukraine.
"We're showing, that when Putin invades a free country and threatens the stability in Europe, we others pull together," Ms Frederiksen said.
Read more at: Denmark votes to drop EU defence opt-out in 'historic' referendum - BBC News
Russia Ukraine Invasion: How Putin’s War in Ukraine Has Ruined Russia
Thirty years ago this spring, Russia was at the beginning of what would be a dramatic, although uneven, economic recovery following the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991. At the moment of the Soviet collapse, Russia inherited a budget deficit that was conservatively estimated at 20 percent of GNP, it faced the threat of hyperinflation, economic growth was negative, there were shortages throughout the economy, foreign reserves were virtually nonexistent, and it was racking up a mountain of international loan commitments. The state faced the realistic threat of famine and bankruptcy. In the decades that followed, however, Russia traveled a long way down the road of economic and social modernization. This was partially due to high global prices for its exports. The country also benefited from good macroeconomic policy and the stewardship of Elvira Nabiullina, the smart and surprisingly independent chairwoman of the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) since 2013. Despite Vladimir Putin’s propensity to use public assets for his own personal benefit and that of his former KGB cronies, by 23 February 2022, the day before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the country had paid off its debts, built up sizeable foreign reserves, and for the most part maintained a budget surplus.
Read more at: How Putin’s War in Ukraine Has Ruined Russia | Journal of Democracy
Read more at: How Putin’s War in Ukraine Has Ruined Russia | Journal of Democracy
6/1/22
Russian Invasion Ukraine: Ukraine claims it destroyed about one-third of Russia's modern tanks
Following the reports of Moscow having to reactivate its T-62 tanks — Soviet-era armour introduced in 1961 — Ukrainian officials stated its forces destroyed about 30% of Russia's more modern ones, a figure that is only expected to increase according to Interior Ministry advisor Viktor Andrusiv.
Meanwhile, reports from Sievierodonetsk claim that the Ukrainian forces are in a "tough position", with the fiercest fighting taking place in the outskirts of the only Kiyv-controlled city in the Luhansk region.
Follow the latest developments on Sunday in our live blog below, or watch our live coverage in the player above:
Read more at Ukraine claims it destroyed about one-third of Russia's modern tanks | Euronews
Meanwhile, reports from Sievierodonetsk claim that the Ukrainian forces are in a "tough position", with the fiercest fighting taking place in the outskirts of the only Kiyv-controlled city in the Luhansk region.
Follow the latest developments on Sunday in our live blog below, or watch our live coverage in the player above:
Read more at Ukraine claims it destroyed about one-third of Russia's modern tanks | Euronews
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