In his New Year's message, Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Germans to continue with the "cohesion and strength...and confidence," they have shown during 2022 into the new year.
Read more at: https://www.dw.com
12/30/22
Ukraine war: Russian Barbarism - preliminary data showed that 69 of the missiles targeted energy facilities
Air raid sirens rang out across the country and officials said 120 Russian missiles were fired. Ukraine’s military chief General Valerii Zaluzhnyi said preliminary data showed that 69 of the missiles targeted energy facilities and Ukrainian forces shot down 54 of them.
Anti-aircraft defenses managed to shoot down all 16 Russian missiles that targeted the capital Kyiv, the head of the city's military administration said.
There were no immediate reports of any deaths.
Russia dispatched explosive drones to selected regions overnight before broadening the barrage with “air and sea-based cruise missiles launched from strategic aircraft and ships” in the morning, the Ukrainian air force reported.
Read more at: https://www.euronews.com
12/28/22
EU: Exxon Mobil tries to block EU windfall profit legislation against energy companies.
Exxon Mobil is suing the European Union in an attempt to force the bloc to scrap its new windfall tax on oil companies, according to reports on Wednesday.
The US oil giant argues Brussels has gone beyond its legal authority by imposing the levy.
Oil companies posted record profits this year, benefiting from soaringp energy prices that have helped trigger a cost of living crisis across Europe.
The windfall tax on profits is "counter-productive," discourages investment and undermines investor confidence, Exxon spokesperson Casey Norton said on Wednesday.
He warned that the oil company will factor the tax into future decisions on whether to channel multi-billion-euro investments into Europe’s energy supply and transition.
"Whether we invest here primarily depends on how attractive and globally competitive Europe will be," Norton said.
NOTE EU-Digest: "Poor babies, what BS ! "
Read more at: https://www.euronews.com
12/27/22
Russia: Local lawmakers in St.Petersburg and Moscow call for the resignation of Putin, following the disasterous Russian military campaign in Ukraine and economic hardship Russìa ìs sufferiñg as a consequence.
Local Russian lawmakers in both St. Petersburg and Moscow issued calls this week for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be removed from power over the war in Ukraine — a potentially risky move in a country where dissent can lead to imprisonment or worse.
Municipal deputies from the Smolninsky District Council in St. Petersburg, the Russian president's hometown, issued a statement calling on Russia's parliament to remove Putin from power and charge him with high treason for launching the war in Ukraine.
The Council of the Smolninskoye Municipal District decided to appeal to
the State Duma deputies with a proposal to bring charges of treason
against President Putin in order to remove him from office," Palyuga
stated in the tweet with the document, adding, "The decision was
supported by the majority of the deputies present."
Read more at: https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-lawmakers-call-for-putin-removal-from-power-over-ukraine-2022-9
12/26/22
Arms Industry: promoting stability or fueling conflict - the impact of US arms sales on National and Global security.
The administration needs to address a number of key issues if U.S.
policy on arms sales is to be made consistent with long-term U.S. interests. The key policy consideration is how to restrict sales to
those that will help allies defend themselves without provoking arms
races or increasing the prospects for conflict. Of particular note, the
Australia-UK-U.S., or AUKUS submarine deal will benefit U.S. contractors
but risks fueling arms competition and increasing pensions with China
Aid designed to help Ukraine defend itself from Russia has proceeded at
the most rapid pace of any U.S. military assistance program since at
least the peak of the Vietnam War. But the United States has failed to
offer an accompanying diplomatic strategy aimed at ending the war before
it evolves into a long, grinding conflict or escalates into a US -Russian conflict.
Finally, Washington needs to take steps to ensure that the financial
interests of a handful of weapons contractors do not drive critical U.S.
arms export policy decisions. Of the $101 billion in major arms offers
since the Biden administration took office, over 58 percent involved
weapons systems produced by four companies: Lockheed Martin, Boeing,
Raytheon, and General Dynamics. The concentrated lobbying power of these
companies — including a “revolving door” from the Pentagon’s arms sales
agency and the leveraging of weapons export-related jobs into political
influence — has been brought to bear in efforts to expand U.S. weapons
exports to as many foreign clients as possible, often by helping to
exaggerate threats.
Read more at :https://quincyinst.org/report/promoting-stability-or-fueling-conflict-the-impact-of-u-s-arms-sales-on-national-and-global-security/
12/25/22
Canada US Relations: Canada has long feared the Chaos of US politics
When the nation of Canada was founded in 1867, its people deliberately chose a form of government meant to avoid the mistakes and problems they saw in the U.S. government next door.
That helps explain why Canadian police used emergency powers to arrest hundreds of people and tow dozens of vehicles while ending the trucker protests in Ottawa, Canada’s capital.
Read more at: https://theconversation.com/canada-has-long-feared-the-chaos-of-us-politics-177208
12/24/22
EU: there is no reason why a Democratic Russian Federation, without Putin, could not become a member of the EU, and NATO replaced by a EU military force
Yes indeed, specially if the present regime of dictator President Putin is changed to a democratically elected Russian Federation.
Mainly because the US wants to keep Europe as a hostage, and use Europeans as
cannon fodder to eliminate whatever challenges the American global
supremacy. In the present case, such challenge are Russia and China.
Read more at: https://www.eu-digest.blogspot.com
12/23/22
Ukraine War: It is high time to put an end to "Bully Putin" his reign
The world was not able to stop the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but "the notion somehow that diplomacy is dead is not correct," says Canada's ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae.
"What is true is that when you're dealing with a really aggressive country — like Russia at the moment — it's really difficult to deal with that without resisting forcefully their aggression," Rae told The Current's guest host Mark Kelley.
"When somebody is an aggressor, like when somebody is a bully in a schoolyard, you have to respond. You can't just say, 'I want to make peace with the bully, so I'm going to give in to the bully,'" he said.
Read more at: www.cbc.com
2023: Based on a universal human link and connection with the number 7 our planet and humanity could experience some radical changes this coming year. by Rick Morren
When we add the 4 numbers of the coming year 2023 together, we get the number 7.
This could mean that we are heading into a very interesting year wirh many changes.
The number seven enjoys a long history of positive associations
across many different cultures. In fact, if you start looking for
reasons why seven is so popular throughout history across various
cultures, you'll find that the number seems to appear everywhere.
There are seven days in a week. How many colors are there in a rainbow? Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet — that's right…seven!
There are seven continents, and there were seven wonders of the ancient world. How many deadly sins are there? You guessed it: seven!
Some researchers have found that human memory works best when remembering up to — but not more than — seven items.
There is also a powerful connection between the number seven and the religions of the world. Biblical scholars point out that the number seven is quite significant in the Bible. In the creation story, God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. Scholars have found that the number seven often represents perfection or completeness in the Bible.
In Judaism, there are seven heavens. The Koran, Islam's holy book, also speaks of seven heavens, and Muslims making the pilgrimage to Mecca walk around the Kaaba seven times. In Chinese culture, seven represents Yin and Yang combined with the Five Elements: water, fire, earth, wood, and metal. This combination represents the concept of harmony in Confucianism.
And the list of comparisons with the number 7 goes on and on.
I am not a prophet, or fortuneteller, so I have no idea what will actually happen in 2023, but I am sure there will be major developments. All I can do now is wish you and your family a happy, prosperous,and healthy 2023.
https:www.eu-digest.blogspot.com
12/22/22
Ukraine War: Russia warns US on delivering modern air defence weapons - as US gives them the finger
The Kremlin has warned the US that sending more weapons to Ukraine will only aggravate the devastating 10-month war ignited by Russia's illegal invasion.
Speaking during a meeting with his top military brass on Wednesday, Putin said Moscow would use the combat experience from Ukraine to enhance its armed forces. He told the military leaders to analyze the Western weapons used by Ukraine to “develop our armed forces and strengthen the capability of our troops.”
He said the country’s military should learn lessons and modernise based on its experiences, and that special emphasis would go to developing his country’s nuclear forces, which he described as “the main guarantee of Russia’s sovereignty.”
Read more at: https://www.euronews.com
EU: Germany requests EU to start monitoring Twitter and Musk
A senior German official on Thursday told the European Commission that the social media platform Twitter should be regulated under new EU rules on digital markets, saying the company posed a threat to free speech under its new owner, Elon Musk.
Read more at: https://www.dw.com
12/20/22
Ukraine war: Belarus has been taken 'hostage' by Russia
The current agenda of Belarus-Russia relations appears to be dominated
by a single question: Will the Kremlin manage to drag the Belarusian
armed forces into military action against Ukraine? It would seem that
nothing less than the survival of Belarus as a sovereign state rests on
this question right now.
Read more at: https//www,carnegieendowment.org/politika/88317
12/19/22
The Netherlands: Dutch PM Rutte apologizes Dutch slavery history and promises future discussions on financial restitutions
In a speech this afternoon, Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologised for the past actions of the Dutch State: to enslaved people in the past, everywhere in the world, who suffered as a consequence of those actions, as well as to their daughters and sons, and to all their descendants, up to the present day. The prime minister gave the apology at the National Archives in The Hague, in the presence of representatives of organisations that have pressed for acknowledgement of the effects of slavery. In Suriname and on Aruba, Curaçao, St Maarten, Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba, members of the government will meet with organisations and authorities to discuss what this apology means in each of those places.
Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/dutch-government-apologise-role-colonial-era-slavery-2022-11-04/
12/18/22
Religion'; Why is Religion suffering declining interest
Analysis of religious trends from 1981 to 2007 in 49 countries
containing 60% of the world’s population did not find a global
resurgence of religion—most high-income countries were becoming less religious—however,
it did show that in 33 of the 49 countries studied, people had become
more religious (Norris and Inglehart, 2011). But since 2007, things have
changed with surprising speed.
Read more at: https://www.blog.oup.com/
12/16/22
Twitter: UN slams actions taken by Twitter against journalists and EU plans sanctions
The United Nations and the European Union have condemned Twitter's decision to suspend several journalists covering the social media platform and its new owner Elon Musk.
Reporters for The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN and Voice of America were among those whose accounts were taken down. The official account for Mastodon, a decentralised social network billed as an alternative to Twitter, was also banned.
"We're very disturbed by the arbitrary suspension of accounts of journalists that we saw on Twitter," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
Read more at: https://www.euronews.com
Our Planet: it's time for a real revolution
There are many corrupt countries in the world today, who go after revolutionaries, who fight against the lack of Democracy and other injustices, in their areas of the world.
They will, however, never be able to stop a global revolution, which stands for the principal causes that our planet, inhabited by us, the human race, which deserves much better care, and treatment, than it has had so far.
All this, mainly a result of, tribalism, corrupt politicians, the war industry, the corporate industrial complex, and pollution.
Yes folks, it's wake-up time for the human race. Join the revolution, and help, using the individual skills you each have, io clean up the mess. at every level, in which our planet finds itself today.
Read more at: https//www.eu-digest.blogspot.com
12/14/22
Turkey: Istanbul Major convicted for "insulting" members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council
Ekrem İmamoğlu was convicted of "insulting" members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Counci l and sentenced to two years and seven months in prison.
The Turkish court also imposed a political ban that prevents him from standing for election over the same period.
Critics have slammed the trial as an attempt to eliminate a key opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan before the presidential and parliamentary elections in June 2023
Read more at: https://www.euronews.com
12/13/22
Ukraine war: Russia using 40 year old ammunition in Ukraine
Russia is turning to decades-old ammunition with high failure rates, a senior US military official said on Monday.
"They [Moscow] have drawn from ageing ammunition stockpiles, which does indicate that they are willing to use older ammunition, some of which was originally produced more than 40 years ago," said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Their comments indicate that Russian forces are running out of stockpiles as the grinding Ukraine invasion enters its 10th month.
Read more at : https://www.euronews.com
12/12/22
Bahamas: Crypto Currency CEO FTX Sam Bankman-Fried arrested in the Bahamas
The former CEO of failed crypto currency firm FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, has been arrested in the Bahamas at the request of the U.S. government, the U.S. and Bahamian authorities said Monday.
Bankman-Fried had been under criminal investigation by U.S. and Bahamian authorities following the collapse last month of FTX. The firm filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 11, when it ran out of money after the cryptocurrency equivalent of a bank run.
“Earlier this evening, Bahamian authorities arrested Samuel Bankman-Fried at the request of the U.S. Government, based on a sealed indictment filed by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. “We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time.”
Read more at: https://www.pbs.org/
12/11/22
NATO: Finland and Sweden on the verge of joining NATO says US Secretary of State Blinken
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has said he’s confident that NATO candidates Sweden and Finland will become members very soon. Blinken was speaking at a joint press conference with his Swedish and Finnish Counterparts in Washington DC.
Read more at: https://www.euronews.com
Ukraine War: US getting very alarmed by the military Union between Iran and Russia
The United States warned on Friday that Russia and Iran are ramping up military cooperation to an extent that is "harmful" to Ukraine and Iran's neighbors.
Citing intelligence assessments, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby described "an unprecedented level of military and technical support that is transforming their relationship into a full-fledged defense partnership."
Read more at https//www.dw.com
12/9/22
Russia: Legal system in Russia not impartial, as all critcs of Russian war in Ukraine getting lengthy prison sentences
Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin guilty was found guilty on Friday of spreading "fake information" about the army, and sentenced to eight and a half years in prison.
Prosecutors had sought a nine-year sentence for the Moscow district councillor. The outcome is the latest indication of an intensified crackdown on dissent by Russian authorities.
"With that hysterical sentence, the authorities want to scare us all but it effectively shows their weakness," Yashin said in a statement through his lawyers after the judge passed the sentence. "Only the weak want to shut everyone's mouth and eradicate any dissent."
Read more at: https://www.euronews.com
12/8/22
EU: the European political and eonomic Union, a powehouse of 27 countries celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2023
The European Union’s single market celebrates its 30th birthday in 2023.
An economic milestone, it changed lives for businesses and for people right across the continent and is continuing to do so today.
Goods, services and money can easily move around one of the world's largest economies.
And so can we. You can go abroad and live, study or retire there.
We can buy things online without geographical restrictions and return or cancel them, no questions asked.
Phone calls are cheaper and so are airfares. There are no customs, tariffs or taxes for businesses buying and selling in the EU. Products have the same safety and environmental standards.
The EU has greater clout to negotiate trade agreements with the rest of the world.
Read more at: https://www.euronws.com
12/7/22
China-Saudi relations: China's Xi Jinping visits Riyadh to meet with Arab leaders
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for a three-day visit.
During the visit, Xi is expected to attend the China-Arab States Summit and a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The GCC includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The trip is Xi’s third overseas visit since the coronavirus pandemic began, and his first trip to Saudi Arabia since 2016.
Read more at: https://www.dw.com
12/6/22
USA: More bad news for Donald Trump as Raphael Warnock keeps his Senate seat.for Georgia
While Walker's campaign was consumed with controversy from the
beginning, Warnock's once-sizable lead dramatically narrowed later in
the year. In the Nov. 8 midterm election, Warnock and Walker came in
just below the necessary 50% vote threshold required to win the race
outright, forcing a Dec. 6 runoff.
And the resuli is in, Herschel Walker lost and Raphael Warnock keeps his Senate seat.
Read more at: https//www.cnn.com
12/5/22
Christians and war in Ukraine: Isn't it time Christians world-wide stop sitting on their hands, and do something about ending this bloody war ?
Y,es indeed, why have all the practising Christians, knowing that the President of the EU, Ursula van der Leyen, Vladimir Putin President of Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, and Joe Biden, President of the US, who are all also Christians, not listened to their inner voice, instead of listening to politcal arguments about continuing this deadly war, mainly by corrupt politicians, financed by the arms industry, and still do nothing about it ?
Indeed, amazing, whatever Christian denomination you belong to: Protestant, Catholic, Evangelical, Orthodox, Jehova, 7 day Adventists, should keep in mind, specially this December, as Chtistians, celebrating the birth of their saviour, Jesus Christ, and sing about peace on earthn, continue sitting on their hands, while watching the continuing carnage in Ukraine. What a hypocritical posture.
Could Chtistians therefore just for once, unite as one, and be instrumental in getting all ihe parties involved in this bloody conflict around one table, without strings attached, to end this nightmare?
https://www.eu-digest.com
France: Macron gets critizised for sayng Russia needs quarantees to end the war
French President Emmanuel Macron's statement on Saturday that the West should consider how to address Russia's need for security guarantees to end the war in Ukraine has drawn sharp criticism from some quarters, rejecting the option of making concessions to the Kremlin after nearly 10 months of the war.
In an interview with French TV station TF1 recorded during his state visit to the US last week, Macron said Europe needs to prepare its future security architecture.
Read more at: https://www.dw.com
12/3/22
British-Russian Relations: Britain arrest wealthy Russian for money laundering in London
Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Saturday it had arrested a "wealthy Russian businessman" on suspicion of money laundering as the UK attempts to disrupt potential criminal activity by oligarchs linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The unidentified 58-year-old was one of three men detained on Thursday.
The Russian businessman was arrested at a "multi-million-pound residence" in London, according to the NCA.
What do we know so far?
As well as suspicion of money laundering, he was also arrested on conspiracy of defrauding the UK's Interior Ministry and conspiracy to commit perjury, the NCA said.
Read more at:https://www.dw.com
12/2/22
Russia: G7 and Poland agree to follow EU rule to their limit on Russian oil prices
Poland agreed on Friday to the European Union's deal for a $60 (€57) per barrel price cap on Russian seaborne oil.
"Crippling Russia's energy revenues is at the core of stopping Russia's war machine," Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas posted on Twitter.
Read more at: https//www.dw.com
12/1/22
Ukraine,war : Ukraine now has its eyes set on the Kinburn Peninsula
After its stunning success in retaking Kherson, Ukraine is now faced with a strategic problem. Russian forces are using the large Dnieper river as a defensive barrier, to protect their positions in the south of Ukraine.
For this reason, Kyiv has its eyes set on the strategic Kinburn peninsula. It’s a piece of land that juts out from the in the Black Sea. Crucially it is connected to territory on the south side of the Dneiper river.
If Ukraine takes the territory, it is possible that they could outflank Russian forces, negating the need for a potentially tricky crossing of the river, with many Russian soldiers dug in nearby.
Read more at: https://www.euronews.com
Climate Crises: Rich Nations reluctant to help pay poor nations for their cleanup.
Sunday, loud cheers from Sharm el-Sheikh greeted the announcement of a new initiative – the global loss and damage fund – to right historical wrongs by compensating climate-hit developing countries. This breakthrough brought back memories of another, the £100bn a year agreed at the 2009 Copenhagen climate summit to help poor countries mitigate the effects of the climate crisis.
That money has never fully materialised. If our 13 years’ experience of the £100bn fund that never was is anything to go by, eulogies of praise will soon turn into allegations of betrayal. The president of next year’s Cop28 will have to answer for yet another fund without funders. Far from the loss and damage fund narrowing the credibility gap on climate action, it is likely to bridge nothing if money fails to flow from rich to poor.
The last decade has been a history of promises made and broken. Before Covid, the cost of financing the sustainable development goals (SDGs) was $2.5tn a year. Now, post-Covid, and with the price of fighting floods, firestorms and droughts – and the debt burden of low-income countries – dramatically escalating, it is $4tn annually. Set against an official development assistance (ODA) budget of only $179bn a year and $130bn on offer mainly in multilateral loans, the SDGs represent yet another unanimous but unfunded pledge of the international community. To make matters worse, the British development aid budget has now been cut from 0.7% of our national income to 0.5% for years ahead, and already our overall contribution to meeting all oom loopur climate and development targets is down from the promised £16bn to just £11.5bn.
Read more at: https://www.theguardian.com
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