03 World

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Germany Looks to Draft Teens as War Rhetoric Heats Up

pgnewser May 13, 2024 1

Germany’s defense minister, Boris Pistorius is hinting at a new conscription plan for the German military that would make a one-year military service mandatory for teenagers. The plans have not been finalized and may have been leaked to test the tolerance of the German people towards such a change in their conscription laws.

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Excerpt from www.express.co.uk

Germany is believed to be considering the introduction of conscription for people aged 18 and over in the face of Vladimir Putin’s increasingly belligerent rhetoric.

Three alternative plans are understood to be up for discussion, including two which involve a year of compulsory military service for teenagers.

Boris Pistorius, Germany’s defence minister, is likely to go public with his proposals next month, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

Speaking during a visit to Washington last month, Mr Pistorius said he was “convinced” his country needed “a form of military conscription”.

He also criticised as a “mistake” the decision to scrap national service in 2011, under the Chancellorship of Angela Merkel, the predecessor of current leader Olaf Scholz.

 

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New Tariffs Set to Hit China Tuesday

pgnewser May 13, 2024 0

President Joe Biden has announced plans to implement new tariffs targeting Chinese imports. These targets will mainly affect the EV industry, Solar industry, and medical supplies industry.

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Excerpt from www.reuters.com

New Biden tariffs on China’s EVs, solar, medical supplies due Tuesday – sources – Reuters

U.S. President Joe Biden is set to announce new China tariffs as soon as next week targeting strategic sectors, including a major hike in levies on electric vehicles (EVs), according to three people familiar with the matter.
The full announcement, expected Tuesday, will maintain existing tariffs on many Chinese goods set by former President Donald Trump, according to one of the people.
But it will also add new tariffs to semiconductors and solar equipment, according to one of the people, as well as hiking EV tariffs. Chinese-made medical supplies like syringes and personal protective equipment also face additional tariffs, sources told Reuters.

Ukraine’s military chief admits ‘difficult situation’ in Kharkiv region | Russia-Ukraine war News– www.aljazeera.com

pgnewser May 13, 2024 0

Article
Excerpt from www.aljazeera.com

General Syrskii says situation in northeastern oblast ‘significantly worsened’ this week as Russian forces continue to advance.

Ukraine’s military chief has admitted his forces are facing a “difficult situation” in the northeastern region of Kharkiv, where thousands more people have fled their homes as Russian forces continue to advance.

“This week, the situation in the Kharkiv region has significantly worsened,” Oleksandr Syrskii wrote on Telegram on Sunday. “There are ongoing battles in the border areas along the state border with the Russian Federation.”

While admitting that the situation is “difficult” and Russian attackers had achieved “partial successes” in some areas, he said, “Ukrainian defence forces are doing everything they can to hold defensive lines and positions.”

Rwanda rejects Burundi claim it armed rebels behind grenade attack in Bujumbura– www.news24.com

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Excerpt from www.news24.com

The border between Rwanda and Burundi at Akanyaru, seen in August 2016, shortly after cross-border travel and trade became more difficult. (Photo by STEPHANIE AGLIETTI / AFP)

  • Rwanda says it has nothing to do with the RED-Tabara rebel group, which Burundi says it arms.
  • Burundi blames RED-Tabara for a grenade attack in Bujumbura on Friday.
  • The group denies responsibility.

Rwanda on Sunday dismissed a Burundi assertion that it armed a rebel group accused of grenade explosions that wounded dozens, heightening strained relations between the East African neighbours.

At least 38 people were injured in the attack on Friday in Bujumbura, Burundi’s interior ministry said, laying the blame on the RED-Tabara rebels.

Putin Replaces Defense Minister in Rare Cabinet Shake-up– www.nytimes.com

pgnewser May 13, 2024 0

Article
Excerpt from www.nytimes.com

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia replaced his minister of defense on Sunday with an economist, shaking up his national security team for the first time since his invasion of Ukraine and signaling his determination to put Russia’s war effort on an economically sustainable footing.

Mr. Putin kept the minister, Sergei K. Shoigu, in his inner circle, tapping him to run the country’s security council — a position giving Mr. Shoigu close access to the president but little direct authority. Mr. Shoigu will replace Nikolai P. Patrushev, a former K.G.B. colleague of Mr. Putin, who the Kremlin said would be moved to another position to be announced in the coming days.

Andrei R. Belousov, an economist who had served as first deputy prime minister since 2020 and long been seen as one of Mr. Putin’s most trusted economic advisers, was nominated to become the new defense chief.

The Kremlin said Russia’s ballooning defense budget warranted putting an economist in charge, and that Mr. Belousov would help make the Russian military “more open to innovation.”

Putin Replaces Long-Time Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser May 13, 2024 1

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Excerpt from www.breitbart.com

Russian strongman Vladimir Putin (top, right) sacked his defence minister, Sergei Shoigu (top, left), on Sunday. Shoigu had just last year been the subject of an attempted Russian coup by quickly slain warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin (bottom, right).

General Sergei Shoigu was reviewing troops in Red Square, Moscow, alongside his long-time ally Putin last week. The announcement of his removal was made on Sunday night and he is being shuffled to the Russian Security Council, where he will join former Russian President and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, also a Putin ally who apparently outlived his own usefulness.

The impression this soft-landing new job is just for the sake of appearances remains, however, given that the removal of Shoigu comes just weeks after one of his closest associates, Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov, was arrested and then jailed on bribery charges. As noted, observers interpreted the arrest as a move against Shoigu himself, who was the target of the Prigozhin coup last year on claims of corruption and military failure.

State Department report cites ‘credible’ Israeli violations of international law, but recommends continuing military aid– www.jta.org

pgnewser May 13, 2024 0

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Excerpt from www.jta.org

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The U.S. State Department told Congress there were credible reports that Israel had violated international law in its war against Hamas, but recommended against cutting defense assistance to the country.

The report, published Friday, cited steps Israel has taken to mitigate harm to civilians, and noted the difficulty the Israeli military faces while fighting Hamas, a terror group that has embedded itself among civilians in the Gaza Strip.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency obtained a copy of the report, which also assessed the compliance of six other countries with international law. The report said, “It is reasonable to assess that” Israel has violated “obligations or… established best practices for mitigating civilian harm.”

Within minutes of the report’s release, progressives were demanding that President Joe Biden limit arms transfers to Israel, which recently began an invasion of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Republicans, by contrast, were chastising him for going too far. Biden is already under fire from much of the pro-Israel community for suspending the delivery of large bombs to Israel last week, and has faced months of backlash from progressives for his support of Israel.

The report stems from a national security memo Biden issued in February seeking an assessment of Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law. 

The report cited what it said were credible reports by nongovernmental organizations about the sometimes fatal risks their staffers encountered in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of Gaza civilians have been displaced and thrown into humanitarian crisis by Israel’s strikes on Hamas. 

The report said Israel did not take adequate measures to coordinate with the humanitarian aid groups, a process known as deconfliction. That issue drew global attention when an Israel strike unintentionally killed seven aid workers with the World Central Kitchen. 

The report also addressed what it said were credible reports of abuse of captive Palestinians.

“Despite regular engagement from humanitarian actors and repeated [U.S. government] interventions with Israeli officials on deconfliction/coordination procedures, the IDF has struck humanitarian workers and facilities,” the report said. “While Israel repeatedly committed to improve deconfliction and implemented some additional measures, those changes did not fully prevent subsequent strikes involving humanitarian workers and facilities during the reporting period.”

Despite that assessment, the report recommended against cutting aid to Israel, a longstanding demand of Biden’s progressive critics. According to the report,  while the U.S. Intelligence Community “assesses that Israel could do more to avoid civilian harm,” it also “has no direct indication of Israel intentionally targeting civilians.” 

The report also argued against cutting aid because Israel is willing to coordinate with the U.S. government and undertake measures to mitigate harm to civilians. “IDF officials have shared” with U.S. counterparts “details about their targeting processes, including an extensive sensitive site list, legal advisors embedded in the target approval process, and investigation protocol for incidents of unanticipated collateral damage,” the report says.

The report also repeatedly notes that Hamas initiated the conflict, hides behind civilians and continues to seek Israel’s destruction. 

“Israel has had to confront an extraordinary military challenge: Hamas has embedded itself deliberately within and underneath the civilian population to use civilians as human shields,” it says. “Hamas intentionally uses schools, hospitals, residential buildings, and international organization facilities for military purposes. It has constructed a vast tunnel network beneath this civilian infrastructure not to protect civilians, but to hide its leaders and fighters and from which it stages and launches attacks.”

The report sparked pressure from left and right. Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a leading proponent of conditioning aid to Israel, told reporters that the report provided “clear, independent evidence” that the Israeli government has not been forthright with the Biden administration, according to Al Monitor.

Republican Sen. James Risch of Idaho, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, accused Biden of seeking to placate progressives. “The administration is attempting to placate voters on the far left at the expense of a close ally in the midst of its justified war with Hamas terrorists,” according to a statement obtained by Jewish Insider. 

Maryland Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, the Jewish pro-Israel stalwart who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, welcomed the report’s conclusion — but said it undercut the decision to stop sending large bombs to Israel. He said in a statement that the report “has raised concerns” but that it advocates “that military assistance to support Israel’s security remains in the U.S. interest and should continue.”

 “In this regard,” he added, “I differ with President Biden’s recent decision.”

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Croatia’s Ruling Party Must Lean Further Right to Hold on to Power After Latest Election

pgnewser May 9, 2024 1

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Excerpt from apnews.com

Croatia ruling conservatives will form government with a far-right group after inconclusive election

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatia ’s ruling conservatives on Wednesday agreed to form a coalition with an extreme party, which would push the country further to the right ahead of next month’s European parliamentary election.

The governing Croatian Democratic Union, or HDZ, and the far-right Homeland Movement reached the agreement weeks after an inconclusive parliamentary vote that has stirred political uncertainty.

Croatia’s dominant HDZ won most votes at the election but not enough to stay in power on their own.

Ruling party officials said the new government, to be headed for a third consecutive term by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, could be approved in parliament as soon as next week.

The Homeland Movement, or DP, is a relatively new political party made up largely of radical nationalists and social conservatives who had left the center-right HDZ. The party is led by the hard-line mayor of the eastern town of Vukovar, which was destroyed during Croatia’s 1991 war for independence after it split from the former Yugoslavia.

For the first time in years, Croatia’s government will not include a party representing minority Serbs because DP opposed their inclusion, which has fueled some concerns about ethnic tensions stemming from the conflict in the 1990s.

HDZ has largely held office since Croatia gained independence. The Balkan nation became an EU member in 2013, and joined Europe’s passport-free travel area and the eurozone last year.

Spanish Evangelical Party Makes a Bid for European Union P…… | News & Reporting– www.christianitytoday.com

pgnewser May 9, 2024 0

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Excerpt from www.christianitytoday.com

Eye-catching election placards are popping up across the Europe Union. They appear overnight in public squares and in front of train stations, along the Autobahn and the Champs-Élysées and many lesser-known rues, strassen, and calles.

With bright colors and bold slogans, each promises to make a difference in the European Parliament, if only passersby will vote for their party in the upcoming election.

“Make Europe strong,” says one.

“Make it happen,” urges another.

And there’s a new slogan for a new party in Spain: “United in values, guided by faith.”

The sign asks people to vote for Fe, Infancia, Educación, y Libertad (Faith, Childhood, Education, and Liberty) or FIEL, a new, explicitly evangelical Christian party. The party’s candidate for the European parliament may not actually appear on ballots in June, though. Before Juan José Cortés can stand for election, FIEL needs 15,000 signatures by May 12.

Vietnam’s China ties loom large in U.S. hearing on market economy upgrade– www.japantimes.co.jp

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Excerpt from www.japantimes.co.jp

U.S. President Joe Biden’s bid to draw Vietnam closer as a strategic ally clashed with his desire for union workers’ votes on Wednesday as trade lawyers sparred over whether the Commerce Department should upgrade the communist-ruled country to market economy status.

The move, opposed by U.S. steelmakers, Gulf Coast shrimpers and American honey farmers, but backed by retailers and some other business groups, would reduce the punitive anti-dumping duties set on Vietnamese imports because of its current status as a non-market economy marked by heavy state influence.

Vietnam’s deepening economic ties to China loomed large in arguments on both sides of the issue at a virtual public hearing hosted by the Commerce Department as part of a review. A decision is due on July 26.

Argentina will start printing 10,000 peso notes, amid inflation– www.ctvnews.ca

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Excerpt from www.ctvnews.ca

Prices in Argentina have surged so dramatically in recent months that the government has multiplied the size of its biggest bank note in circulation by five — to 10,000 pesos, worth about US$10.

The central bank announcement Tuesday promised to lighten the load for many Argentines who must carry around giant bags — occasionally, suitcases — stuffed with cash for simple transactions. Argentina’s annual inflation rate reached 287 per cent in March, among the highest in the world.

The new denomination note — five times the value of the previous biggest bill — is expected to hit the streets next month in a bid to “facilitate transactions between users,” the central bank said. The 10,000 peso note is worth US$11 at the country’s official exchange rate and US$9 at the black market exchange rate.

 

Netanyahu’s political survival in hands of far-right ministers | Israel– amp.theguardian.com

pgnewser May 9, 2024 0

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Excerpt from amp.theguardian.com

Reliance on extremist allies such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich distancing prime minister from Israeli public

Israel’s national security minister presented himself before the television cameras to make a statement on Sunday, shortly after leaving a meeting with the country’s prime minister.

Invoking divine support, Itamar Ben-Gvir said he had “warned the prime minister that if God forbids it, Israel will not enter a ceasefire”. He said Benjamin Netanyahu “promised that Israel would enter Rafah, that the war would not end, and promised that there will be no irresponsible deal”.

The following Tuesday, Israeli troops had entered the Philadelphi corridor on the southern border with Egypt and taken control of the Rafah border crossing, hoisting Israeli flags from the terminal.

Republicans Move to Deport Pro-Hamas Foreign Students– slaynews.com

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Excerpt from slaynews.com

Republican Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) has introduced legislation that seeks to deport foreign students involved in pro-Hamas protests on America’s college campuses.

The bill seeks to revoke the student visas of Hamas-sympathizing foreign nationals and send them home.

In a statement about the bill, Ogles told Hamas-Sympathizing student visa holders to “go study abroad in Gaza.”

The legislation, which is titled the Study Abroad Act, was introduced by Ogles on Wednesday.

The bill would specifically “revoke the F, J, or M visa” of any alien who authorities have “arrested for rioting or unlawful protest.”

Mexico mock presidential election predicts a clear winner on June 2– mexiconewsdaily.com

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Excerpt from mexiconewsdaily.com

Claudia Sheinbaum was the clear winner of a mock presidential election in Mexico held Tuesday at university campuses across the country, suggesting that the ruling Morena party candidate can expect strong support from young voters when the real deal takes place on June 2.

Students and university staff cast a total of 255,707 ballots in the Simulacro Electoral Universitario (SEU), or the University Electoral Simulation, which took place on around 400 campuses in all 32 of Mexico’s federal entities.

Results of SEU’s mock election at the Technological University of Southern México State mirrored results at several universities across Mexico, with candidate Claudia Sheinbaum achieving a wide lead. (SEU/Twitter)

Putin’s dreaded ‘nuclear briefcase’ spotted at Victory Day parade…but TV coverage HACKED to show destroyed Russian tanks– www.thesun.co.uk

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Excerpt from www.thesun.co.uk

VLADIMIR Putin was accompanied by his dreaded nuclear briefcase as he issued a chilling threat of global war during Moscow’s Victory Day parade.

Alongside the embarrassment of only displaying one tank, the broadcast of the spectacle appeared to be hacked with pictures of dead Russian troops and ruined military equipment.

Bail to Kejriwal to campaign will spell end of arrest of politicians as elections are an ‘all-round-phenomenon’ in India, ED to SC– www.thehindubusinessline.com

pgnewser May 9, 2024 0

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Excerpt from www.thehindubusinessline.com

The Directorate of Enforcement filed a sharply-worded affidavit in the Supreme Court on Thursday against the possibility of granting interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case, saying 123 elections happened in the last five years alone and if politicians are given bail for campaigning, none of them can be even arrested as elections in India are an “all-year-round-phenomenon”.

The filing of the affidavit coincided with an announcement made in open court by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who headed the two-judge Bench which heard the Kejriwal case, that the court would pronounce its order on the question of interim bail to the Chief Minister on May 10.

Grant of interim bail to Kejriwal to campaign for Lok Sabha elections would be anathema to the rule of law, equality and create a precedent which would permit “all unscrupulous politicians to commit crimes, avoid investigation under the garb of one election or the other, be it municipal election or panchayat elections or assembly or general elections, and thereafter, upon being arrested, seek interim bail to campaign for one election or the other”. In a federal structure, one election was as good as another.

At least 3 dead as severe storms rip through central, southeast U.S.– www.cbc.ca

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Excerpt from www.cbc.ca

Severe storms were tearing through the central and southeast U.S. late Tuesday and Wednesday, spawning damaging tornadoes, producing massive hail and killing two people in Tennessee and another in North Carolina.

A storm that rumbled across northeastern Tennessee brought high winds that knocked down power lines and trees. Claiborne County Sheriff Bob Brooks said a 22-year-old man was in a car struck by one of the trees.

Wednesday afternoon, a tornado emergency — the weather service’s highest alert level — was issued for an area south of Nashville including the towns of Spring Hill, Chapel Hill and Eagleville.

The U.S. National Weather Service had previously reported a likely tornado on the ground in nearby Columbia, Tenn., about 72 kilometres south of Nashville. People in Columbia were injured and homes were damaged, according to Lynn Thompson, assistant director of Maury County 911. Thompson told The Associated Press that he could not provide any further details: “We’re getting overloaded right now.”

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Myanmar Junta Troops Surrender in Hundreds to Rebel Army

pgnewser May 8, 2024 0

The Arakan Army, a rebel army contesting Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, is claiming to have captured hundreds of junta military troops in battles that occurred in the Rakhine, a western state.

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Excerpt from www.manilatimes.net

‘Hundreds of Myanmar troops captured’

BANGKOK: A Myanmar ethnic armed group said on Monday it had captured a military command and taken hundreds of junta personnel prisoner in western Rakhine state, in the latest blow to the Southeast Asian country’s military.

Clashes have rocked Rakhine since the Arakan Army (AA) attacked security forces last November, ending a cease-fire that had largely held since the junta’s Feb. 1, 2021 coup.

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Boy Scouts Die in Non-Binary Name

pgnewser May 8, 2024 0

The Boy Scouts of America are officially no more as the vestige that was the Boy Scouts of America let the world know of its official death by announcing the organization is now known as Scouting America. The President of the non-binary organization optimistically stated, “In the next 100 years we want any youth in America to feel very, very welcome to come into our programs.”

Excerpt from timesofindia.indiatimes.com

IRVING: The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It’s a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
The organization steeped in tradition has made seismic changes after decades of turmoil, from finally allowing gay youth to welcoming girls throughout its ranks.With an eye on increasing flagging membership numbers, the Irving, Texas-based organization announced the name change Tuesday at its annual meeting in Florida.

Biden Cuts Off Ammunition to Israel as He Sends More to Ukraine– lidblog.com

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Excerpt from lidblog.com

The Biden regime has cut off military supplies and ammunition to Israel just as that country is gearing up to make a final push to eliminate Hamas the terror group that attacked Southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Per Axios:

The Biden administration last week put a hold on a shipment of U.S.-made ammunition to Israel, two Israeli officials told Axios. It is the first time since the Oct. 7 attack that the U.S. has stopped a weapons shipment intended for the Israeli military.

The incident raised serious concerns inside the Israeli government and sent officials scrambling to understand why the shipment was held, Israeli officials said.

Axios added:

President Biden is facing sharp criticism among Americans who oppose his support of Israel. The administration in February asked Israel to provide assurances that U.S.-made weapons were being used by Israel Defense Forces in Gaza in accordance with international law. Israel provided a signed letter of assurances in March.

The Biden administration is highly concerned Israel will invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah where more than one million displaced Palestinians have been taking shelter.

Vladimir Putin sworn in for new term in ceremony boycotted by the West amid nuclear tensions– www.news24.com

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Excerpt from www.news24.com

President Vladimir Putin was sworn in for a new six-year term on Tuesday at a Kremlin ceremony that was boycotted by the United States and other Western countries at which he said he was potentially open to nuclear talks with the West.

Putin, in power as president or prime minister since 1999, begins his new mandate more than two years after he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, where Russian forces have regained the initiative after a series of reversals and are seeking to advance further in the east.

At 71, Putin dominates the domestic political landscape. On the international stage, he is locked in a confrontation with Western countries he accuses of using Ukraine as a vehicle to try to defeat and dismember Russia.

Putin told Russia’s political elite after being sworn in that he was not shutting down dialogue with the West but that it would have to make its own choice about how to engage with his country.