Saturday, March 26, 2022

WORD OF THE DAY; phreatomagmatic

Thousands evacuated after Taal volcano in Philippines erupts

Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate from their homes near Taal volcano in the Philippines on March 26 after an eruption sent ash and steam hundreds of metres into the sky.

VNA Saturday, March 26, 2022 15:42

The phreatomagmatic eruption has sparked eruptions.

(Photo: Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology)Hanoi

(VNA) - Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate from their homes near Taal volcano in the Philippines on March 26 after an eruption sent ash and steam hundreds of metres into the sky.

The volcano, which sits in a lake south of Manila, exploded with a “short-lived” burst at 7.22am (local time), the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement.

It warned further eruptions were possible, which it said could trigger dangerous, fast-moving volcanic flows of gas, ash and debris, as well as a tsunami.

The seismological agency “strongly” recommended residents living in vulnerable communities around the lake be evacuated, as it raised the alert level from two to three.

Residents of five villages were ordered to leave their homes. More than 12,000 people live in the settlements, according to the latest available official data.

Taal is one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines which has been hit periodically by eruptions and earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” – a zone of intense seismic activity.

Access to the volcano island, which was once home to a community of thousands, has been prohibited since January 2020./.

Nestlé Vows to Suspend Business Operations in Russia

Nestlé will suspend its Russian-based business operations that are not linked to providing infant food or medical and hospital nutrition, the world’s largest food company stated Wednesday after having faced significant public pressure, including calls for boycott of its products.

Nestle HQ Nestlé Headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland. (Photo: Nestlé, Flickr, License)Last week, the multinational food conglomerate once again found itself under fire from governments and human rights groups — this time for its initial decision to not immediately suspend its Russian-based operations despite the country’s unprovoked and ongoing invasion of Ukraine which has sparked near global condemnation.

Moscow’s move was followed by wave after wave of international sanctions levied against Russia’s economy, financial institutions, currency, and oligarchs. Companies around the world have also united in their resolve to suspend all of their business dealings in the country until further notice.

But although Nestlé finds itself late to the party, it will now exclusively limit itself in Russia to “providing essential food, such as infant food and medical/hospital nutrition — not on making a profit,” the Swiss conglomerate said.

The world’s largest food company also noted that, preceding this decision, it had already halted non-essential imports and exports in and out of Russia as well as suspended all of its advertising and capital investment dealings in the country.

Reportedly, this move required some convincing. Last week, Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, tweeted that he had spoken with Nestlé’s chief executive officer Mark Schneider on the implications of maintaining operations within the Russian market.

Shmyhal noted that Schneider displayed no understanding of the bigger picture in that “paying taxes to the budget of a terrorist country means killing defenseless children&mothers.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also denounced the Swiss food conglomerate on Saturday for prioritizing its bottom line in Russia over the lives of the Ukrainian people.

“Business in Russia works even though our children die and our cities are destroyed,” Zelensky said in a streamed speech to the people of Bern, Switzerland, according to local media reports.

Calls to boycott all Nestlé products soon arose. These include globally recognized brands such as Nespresso, Kit Kat, and Nesquik which help generate billions for the company every year.

Anonymous, a decentralized online hacker and activist group, labeled the Swiss conglomerate as “sponsors of tyranny.”

Attached in their tweet was also an image that distorted Nestlé’s logo, with the mother bird in the nest now depicted as Hitler wearing a Nazi armband with a “Z” in lieu of a swastika and her chicks now shown performing the Nazi salute.

The “Z” signifies the Russian troops deployed in Ukraine, who have painted the letter on their vehicles and armored convoys.

Now, however, Nestlé has vowed to adjust its business model so that it does not expect to make a profit in Russia or pay the country any related taxes for the foreseeable future.

Additionally, the Swiss conglomerate has pledged to provide emergency care packages to its 5,800 employees based in Ukraine as well as their families.

And in the event that any profit in Russia is made, it will “be donated to humanitarian relief organizations,” the company said.

Coal to help solve EU energy crisis as trade patterns shift: shippers

2022-03-26

Shafaq News/ S&P Global

Coal will help solve the European Union's current energy price squeeze, even while the Russia-Ukraine crisis is expected overall to speed up actions towards the energy transition, participants in a shipping panel at the FT Commodities Global Summit said March 23.

"The only commodity that can help solve the energy crisis in Europe in the short term is coal," said Sveinung Stohle, deputy CEO of Greek-based shipping company Angelicoussis Group. "Like it or not, coal will play a very important role."

CO2 emissions are set to hit a record high in 2022, growing 2.5% over 2021, despite greater focus on climate and the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, S&P Global Commodity Insights Analytics said in a bulletin distributed this week. This follows a rise in CO2 emissions already last year on higher coal usage and growing energy demand as economies recovered from the pandemic.

Stohle noted that while the iron ore dry bulk trade has remained relatively steady since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, and should continue to do so, coal trade has increased. This is "definitely helping the (shipping) market," particularly as coal is now being shipped for longer distances, creating more freight miles per ton of coal, he said.

There is backfilling of Russia coal orders with coal coming from as far afield as Australia to Europe, he said.

Angelicoussis Group CEO Maria Angelicoussis said that coal has become a "swing factor" in freight markets, with trade patterns again shifting following China's ban on imports of coal from Australia in late 2020. The company won't lift Russian coal cargoes, she said.

Coal is needed to enable European power stations to reduce usage of gas from Russia, which will be phased out under new EU directives and sanctions.

"Europe's gas dependency is much, much higher than in most Asian economies," Stolhe said. "Gas represents at least 30-40% of total energy demand in most European countries, compared to possibly 6-7% in China, of which maybe half is LNG."

More coal will be needed in Europe until more LNG production comes on stream, while Asia will continue to burn coal or oil as necessary, he indicated.

China's seaborne coal demand is likely to increase in the near term as domestic buyers look to stock up ahead of summer and railway maintenance that is expected to hamper the supply chain in April, market sources told S&P Global Commodity Insights March 23.

Expectations of a rise in thermal coal demand come at a time when domestic production has been impacted by COVID-19-induced lockdowns and movement restrictions. More than 20 provinces and cities have imposed travel bans and lockdowns as the number of positive cases surged.

The price of Indonesian 4,200 kcal/kg GAR has risen to $108.05/mt FOB March 23 from $65.45/mt FOB on Jan. 3, S&P Global data showed.

In the coking coal market, Asia delivered prices to China weakened March 23 as China's domestic market softened amid a worsening COVID-19 situation, with major steelmaking region Tangshan in Hebei province entering a temporary lockdown late March 22. FOB prices also continued a downwards momentum.

Premium Low Vol was down $8.00/mt at $590/mt FOB Australia, and CFR China down $8.00/mt at $440/mt CFR China March 23, according to the Platts assessment from S&P Global Commodity Insights. However, prices remained close to recent peak levels.

Dry bulk outlook

Ghigo Ravano, co-CEO at independent brokerage IFCHOR, said that in the dry bulk market generally, uncertainties are high but fundamentals remain good with a growing orderbook which is "benign" to the sector as oversupply is not foreseen.

Ulrik Uhrenfeldt Andersen, CEO of shipper Golden Ocean Management, said he believes the capesize market is set for a relatively good year, although there are some markers that are not as positive as 12 months ago. "China has clearly been going down a gear with its steel production in the preparation for the Olympics... we saw warning shots fired in the real estate and construction sector with Evergrande and an increasing coal production in response to the energy crisis, although most of this may now be behind us and we're coming into a season that may be much more active," he said. Industrial activity statistics just published in China show the biggest rate of growth since June 2021, he added.

Decarbonization

Angelicoussis' CEO said that the shipping industry's decarbonization drive would be considerably aided by introduction of a global carbon tax which could create a level playing field in the sector. Regional carbon tax mechanisms "will make it very complicated, fragment things, will be hard to enforce and will skew trade. As shipowners we need to take a very long-term view, 15-20 years when we are designing future ships," she said.

Russian energy-dependent Europe relies on 881 gas-fired power plants for 25% of its power

Germany's natural gas installed power of 31 gigawatts is followed closely in capacity by the UK

Murat Temizer |26.03.2022

ANKARA

Natural gas power plants generate nearly 200 gigawatts of the total installed capacity of 950 gigawatts in Europe, according to data compiled by the Anadolu Agency from international sources.

The number of natural gas power plants on the European continent is calculated as approximately 881, out of which Germany ranks first with around 180.

Italy follows with 143 plants, the Netherlands with 83 plants, and Spain and the UK each with 81 plants.

Italy's natural gas installed power totals 40 gigawatts. Installed power in Germany from natural gas power plants amounts to approximately 31 gigawatts, followed by the UK with an installed power close to the same levels.

Spain has an installed capacity of 29 gigawatts and capacity in the Netherlands amounts to 18 gigawatts.

Estonia ranks the lowest with only 173 megawatts.

Europe produces 20% of its electricity from coal, 13% from nuclear power plants, 25% from natural gas, and 18% from renewable energy.

Europe purchases 40% of its gas from Russia, 24% from Norway and 11% from Algeria.

The As Pontes natural gas power plant, located in the northwest of Spain, is one of the largest-capacity power plants in Europe, generating 2,324 megawatts. It can also run on coal.

The highest-capacity plant running on natural gas alone was the 1,180-megawatt Peterhead plant in the UK.

The power plant with the highest installed capacity in Germany is the Emsland plant with 887 megawatts. This is followed by Irsching with 846 megawatts and Knapsack with 800 megawatts.

Norway, despite not having any power plants, is an important gas hub for Europe with 23 pipelines and 8 LNG terminals for distribution.

The approximate number of power plants in European countries is listed as follows:

1- Germany - 180 power plants

2- Italy - 143 power plants

3- Netherlands - 83 power plants

4- Spain - 81 power plants

5- UK - 81 power plants

6- Romania - 30 power plants

7- Belgium - 25 power plants

8- France - 23 power plants - It uses nuclear energy intensively

9- Hungary - 18 power plants

10- Greece - 13 power plants

11- Austria - 12 power plants

12- Poland - 11 power plants - Coal is used extensively

13- Bulgaria - 8 power plants

14- Slovenia - 8 power plants

15- Finland - 7 power plants

16- Sweden - 4 power plants

17- Czechia - 5 power plants

18- Slovakia - 4 power plants

19- Lithuania - 4 power plants

20- Latvia - 3 power plants

21- Estonia – one power plant

The top 10 power plants with the highest natural gas installed capacity in Europe are listed as follows:

1- As Pontes Power Plant - Spain – 2,324 megawatts

2- Peterhead Power Plant - UK – 1,180 megawatts

3- Spalding Power Plant - UK - 950 megawatts

4- Carrington Power Plant - UK - 910 megawatts

5- Langage Power Plant - UK - 905 megawatts

6- Montalto Di Castro Power Plant - Italy - 900 megawatts

7- Emsland Power Plant - Germany - 887 megawatts

8- Simeri Crichi Power Plant - Italy - 885 megawatts

9- Besos 5 Power Plant - Spain - 859 megawatts

10- Petrom Brazi Power Plant - Romania - 850 megawatts

ISRAEL AGREES WITH PUTIN UKRAINE FULL OF NAZI'S

My Word: Zelensky’s misfired speech

The vast majority of Israelis watching Zelensky’s address understood where he was coming from, just not where he was going. Perhaps desperation and frustration overtook him.

By LIAT COLLINS
Published: MARCH 24, 2022
Jerusalem Post

People in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square watch Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s video address to the Knesset on March 20.
(photo credit: CHEN LEOPOLD/FLASH90)

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Knesset by Zoom on Sunday, he opened his mouth and shot himself in the foot. In his 12-minute impassioned speech, instead of wooing more Israeli support, Zelensky seemed to be turning Israel into the enemy. “Apathy kills,” he told the parliamentarians and the general public. But Israelis are far from apathetic. They’re sympathetic. Empathetic, even.

Very few Israelis have never run for shelter in a rocket attack. We look at the images of refugees streaming across borders, seeking safety, and we easily imagine how that feels. We don’t need a history lesson from Zelensky. And we don’t need false comparisons to the Holocaust. Or a reminder that when Israel has been attacked by would-be invading armies, we have nowhere to run. MKs from the mainly Arab Joint List, by the way, boycotted Zelenksy’s speech because of the longstanding ties to Russia of the communist-affiliated Hadash faction.

Zelensky wanted to address the Knesset, even though it was in recess and the plenum is undergoing renovations. Risking the wrath of Russia – with whom Israel does now effectively share a border, given its entrenchment in Syria – the government and Knesset Speaker Micky Levy agreed, after some deliberations. The speech was delivered via Zoom and broadcast live on television and radio, as well as to a large group of supporters gathered in front of a screen at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square. Thankfully, the MKs were muted. I have no doubt they would have had what to say. Watching in my living room, I also found myself at times infuriated by the tone and words of the Ukrainian leader and was talking back at him.

Let me repeat here, as I wrote in a column earlier this month, one thing is clear in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict: Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, are the bad guys, who launched an unprovoked attack on a sovereign country. And Ukrainians, led heroically by Volodymyr Zelensky, are the victims, fighting for their freedom.

Zelensky is trapped between the devil and the deep Black Sea. He is literally fighting for his life and for his country. He is courageous. And he has chutzpah. Fighting back at Russia is more than justified, attacking Israel – even verbally – is not. Israel is overwhelmingly on his side, offering tons of humanitarian aid, setting up a field hospital, helping refugees cross borders to safety in neighboring countries and offering a safe haven here, particularly for Jews and those eligible to immigrate under the Law of Return.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses Israeli Knesset, public, in this image from Tel Aviv's Habima Square, March 20, 2022. (credit: NOAM MOSKOVITZ/KNESSET)

The vast majority of Israelis watching Zelensky’s address understood where he was coming from, just not where he was going. Perhaps desperation and frustration overtook him.

Quoting Kyiv-born Golda Meir saying: “We intend to remain alive. Our neighbors want to see us dead. This is not a question that leaves much room for compromise” was smart, although not for the first time, I wondered why Ukrainian-born former prime minister Levi Eshkol is so overlooked in comparison to Golda.

Mentioning Babyn Yar, the site where Nazis murdered at least 33,770 Jews over a two-day period, with the support of antisemitic Ukrainian collaborators, was less smart. And comparing the threat to Ukraine today to the Nazi actions against the Jews was simply wrong. Altogether, Zelensky, who is Jewish, seems to have misread where Israel stands on Holocaust analogies. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can be compared to the Shoah. Russia is carrying out a barbaric atrocity; it is not committing systematic genocide aimed at killing every single Ukrainian.

Comparing the Russian invasion to the German invasion of Czechoslovakia, while the West stood back, makes sense, but World War II and the Holocaust should not be considered synonymous. Incidentally, Zelensky earlier accused the Russians of deliberately attacking and destroying the Babyn Yar memorial, although this turned out to be incorrect.

“Ukrainians have made their choice 80 years ago. They rescued Jews. That is why the Righteous Among the Nations are among us. People of Israel, now you have such a choice,” Zelensky said. He should have rewritten his speech, rather than tried to rewrite history. Saying that the Ukrainian people helped save the Jews in the Shoah is not Holocaust denial, but Holocaust perversion, as a friend put it.

Making a direct plea for weapons, Zelensky said: “Everyone in Israel knows that your missile defense is the best... And you can definitely help us protect our lives, the lives of Ukrainians, the lives of Ukrainian Jews.”

It’s something I’ve heard and read many times since the start of the war last month. There is an expectation that Israel should provide Ukraine with the Iron Dome system. The Ukrainian ambassador in Israel has also turned that request into an outright demand.

It’s an emotional plea but not a practical one. Israel does not have Iron Dome systems to spare. Nor does it have spare stocks of missiles for it, particularly following the war last May when Hamas in Gaza launched thousands of rockets on Israeli civilians. The sophisticated systems do not operate themselves: They are only as good as the soldiers who activate them. Is Israel meant to place IDF soldiers on Ukrainian soil during the war? And how much protection could the Iron Dome provide the vast expanses of Ukraine, compared to tiny Israel? Also, Israel cannot risk an Iron Dome falling into Russian hands. Once they had finished analyzing exactly how it works, none of us would be safe again. Israel could not lend Ukraine the Iron Dome without explicit US approval but the US could choose to place Patriot missiles there without the permission of any other country. These are questions that should be put to Joe Biden and the rest of the West.

NO ONE should remain unmoved by the tragic plight of the refugees. The subject is also very much on Israeli minds, although opinion is divided. There are those like Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked who want to focus on the Jewish immigrants and people eligible under the Law of Return (with at least one Jewish grandparent). Others, including Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai, favor opening Israel’s borders to any Ukrainian who wants to come.

At the risk of suffering a talkback backlash, I am willing to come out in support of the former approach. Israel is the Jewish state, the Jewish home; supporting the immigration of Jews is part of its raison d’etre. Of course there are humanitarian exceptions that should be made, and Israel should continue to take in the direct descendants of Ukrainian Righteous Gentiles, those moral, courageous people who saved Jews in the Holocaust and were far less numerous than Zelensky would have us believe.

The threat by the Ukrainian ambassador to petition the High Court to allow open immigration strayed far from a diplomat’s job. Israel does not have a border with Ukraine. Every Ukrainian who arrives here, reportedly more than 13,500 so far, has come from another European country where they can legitimately claim refugee status.

As the Jerusalem Post’s Herb Keinon has pointed out “Jews count as refugees, too.”

Israel is preparing for a wave of immigrants not only from Ukraine. As the Post’s Zvika Klein noted this week, some 4,000 people from Ukraine have immigrated to Israel since the start of the war and the Jewish Agency has received over 25,000 aliyah inquiries from Ukraine and neighboring countries. Jews in Russia, Belarus and elsewhere are also looking to move to Israel as their lives grow more precarious.

One reason Israel needs to tread carefully with Russia, apart from security reasons relating to Syria and Iran, is that Putin could potentially hold thousands of Jews hostage.

My heart goes out to the Ukrainian people and their president, but he pressed the wrong emotional buttons when he addressed Knesset members. As appeals go, Zelenksy’s speech was not very appealing. He was correct when he said: “You can mediate between countries but not between good and evil.” We all need to remember that the villain in this senseless war is Putin.

Amid Ukraine war, Russian official says six more nations need to be de-nazified

Amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a Russian official suggested that six more countries - Kazakhstan, Moldova, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - should be 'denazified'. As per NEXTA news organisation, the remarks were made by Moscow City Duma deputy officer.

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy delivers surprise speech at Doha Forum

Ukrainian president urges more efforts to end Russia’s aggression on his country

Ibrahim Mukhtar |26.03.2022

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends the Doha Forum via video conference in Doha, Qatar on March 26, 2022. ( Arif Akdogan - Anadolu Agency )

ANKARA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a surprise video speech to the Doha Forum international conference on Saturday, calling for more efforts to end Russia’s aggression on his country.

"Russia is deliberately bragging they can destroy with nuclear weapons, not only a certain country but the entire planet," Zelenskyy said.

"We have to ensure this sacred month of Ramadan is not overshadowed by the misery of people in Ukraine,” he added.

The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan is due to start next week.

The Ukrainian leader also called on energy producing countries to hike productions so that Russia cannot use its oil and gas wealth to “blackmail” other nations.

“The future of Europe depends on your effort,” Zelenskyy said. “I ask you to increase your energy output to ensure that everyone in Russia understands that no country can use energy as a weapon to blackmail the world.”

Zelenskyy also warned that no country is immune from the shocks of the impact of the Russian war on his country, citing the hike in food prices caused by disruption in the supply of wheat.

"They are destroying our ports," Zelenskyy said. "The absence of exports from Ukraine will deal a blow to countries worldwide."

Russia is the world’s largest exporter of wheat, and Ukraine is the fifth-largest. Together, they provide 19% of the world’s barley supply, 14% of wheat, and 4% of maize, making up more than one-third of global cereal exports.

The 20th edition of the Doha Forum kicked off in the Qatari capital on Saturday. The two-day program is attended by prominent speakers, including policy-makers, representatives of international organizations, business leaders, activists and the academia among others.

Addressing the opening session, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said the Russian war on Ukraine has shown “beyond any doubt that the formulas upon which the international order was based in the aftermath of World War II - and after the end of the Cold War are changing.”

Russia began its war on Feb. 24. It has been met with international outrage, with the EU, US, and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,081 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 1,707 injured, according to UN estimates, while noting that the true figure is likely far higher.

More than 3.7 million Ukrainians have also fled to neighboring countries, with over 6.5 million displaced inside the country, according to the UN refugee agency.

Ukraine war: Trapped in Chernigiv, no let-up as Russian forces continue to advance

After more than four weeks of conflict, intense fighting was reported in a number of places on Saturday, suggesting there would be no swift let-up

Russian advance preventing evacuations from Chernigiv; control of town where workers at defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant live

Reuters
Published: Mar, 2022

A man walks among the debris of a burning house after a Russian attack in Ukraine. Photo: AP

The mayor of a war-scarred town in northern Ukraine said Saturday that the slow advance of Russian troops means that large-scale evacuations from the town are no longer possible. Chernigiv has been a centre of fighting between Russian troops and Ukraine’s army since Moscow sent troops into its pro-democratic neighbour just over one month ago.

Earlier this week, city officials said Russian troops had deliberately targeted a key bridge linking the northern town with the capital Kyiv, restricting opportunities to leave. “City officials can no longer arrange humanitarian corridors or evacuate the wounded,” Chernigiv mayor Vladislav Atroshenko told reporters, adding that a pedestrian crossing leaving the city was under “constant” attack from Russian troops.

Ukraine war: Nato defence vow ‘sacred’ says Biden
26 Mar 2022

“We are deciding on how to get the seriously injured out by any means. We can’t operate on them locally,” he said, saying some 44 people, both military and civilians were in need of medical attention.

He said that more than 200 civilians had been killed in the city since Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24, and that 120,000 remain in the city of an estimated pre-invasion population of nearly around 280,000.

Chernigiv’s damaged city centre after a Russian air raid in Ukraine. Photo: AP

Russian forces also took control of a town where workers at the defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant live, the governor of Kyiv region said on Saturday, and fighting was reported in the streets of the besieged southern port of Mariupol.

After more than four weeks of conflict, Russia has failed to seize any major Ukrainian city and on Friday Moscow signalled it was scaling back its military ambitions to focus on territory claimed by Russian-backed separatists in the east.

A Ukrainian couple near the remains of a building destroyed by Russian shelling. Photo: dpa

However, intense fighting was reported in a number of places on Saturday, suggesting there would be no swift let-up in the conflict, which has killed thousands of people, sent some 3.7 million abroad and driven more than half of Ukraine’s children from their homes, according to the United Nations.

Russian troops seized the town of Slavutych, which is close to the border with Belarus and is where workers at the Chernobyl plant live, the governor of Kyiv region, Oleksandr Pavlyuk, said.

Has Putin scaled back his ambitions in search of a way out of war?
26 Mar 2022

He added that the soldiers had occupied the hospital and kidnapped the mayor. The reports could not be independently verified.

Slavutych sits just outside the so-called exclusion zone around Chernobyl – which in 1986 was the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster – where Ukrainian staff have continued to work even after the plant itself was seized by Russian forces soon after the start of the February 24 invasion.

Odesa falls silent as troops fortify Ukrainian city and residents flee fearing Russian advance

Authorities in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, have announced a new 35-hour curfew in the city. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the curfew will run from 8pm local time on Saturday to 7am on Monday, with local residents allowed to leave their homes only to get to a bomb shelter.

Klitschko said that shops, pharmacies, gas stations and public transport will not be operating during the curfew.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for CHERNOBYL

CENSORSHIP IS...
YouTube removes channel of Russian prankers Vovan, Lexus after hoaxing UK Ministers

ANI
26th March 2022,

Moscow [Russia], March 26 (ANI/Sputnik) - YouTube removed the channel of Russian hoaxers Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov, known as Vovan and Lexus, respectively, where footage of prank telephone calls with UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel was published.

"The YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated," a YouTube message read.

The prankers claim that they managed to hold a video call with Wallace on March 17 while impersonating Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. They have published eight clips from the conversation, which include the discussion of the status of Ukraine in NATO, arms supplies and involvement of foreign mercenaries in the conflict, as well as a possibility of Kyiv acquiring nuclear weapons.

On March 17, Patel tweeted that she had also been hoaxed. On March 25, prankers released footage of them tricking Patel into a video call. Again posing as Shmyhal, the due asked the minister whether UK families would feel secure allowing Ukrainian nationalists and neo-Nazis inside, to which Patel said that they are not.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces. In response to Russia's operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow.

(ANI/Sputnik)

Israeli, Palestinian women call to revive peace talks

Hundreds meet by Dead Sea to call on political leaders to work toward peace

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Published: MARCH 26, 2022 1

Hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian women held a meeting at the Dead Sea on Friday
(photo credit: WOMEN WAGE PEACE)

Hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian women met by the Dead Sea on Friday to encourage their leaders to launch negotiations toward a political agreement ensuring a future of freedom, peace and security for both peoples.

The Israeli women were represented by Women Wage Peace, the largest grassroots movement in Israel with 50,000 registered members. The movement was granted special consultative status to the United Nations and works to promote political solutions with the Palestinians.

The Palestinian women were represented by a movement called Women of the Sun, founded last July. Its members come from different parts of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

They met at Neve Midbar Beach, at the northern end of the Dead Sea.

Over the past few months, the Israeli and Palestinian women have held a series of meetings and formulated a “joint platform,” which reflects the sensitivities on both sides and respects their needs, challenges and capabilities.

THE MARCH OF HOPE, organized by Women Wage Peace, makes its way to the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem last week. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

The two movements say that they are not affiliated with any particular political party.

“We believe that the majority of the people of our nations share our mutual desire. Therefore, we demand that our leaders listen to our call and promptly begin peace talks and negotiations, with resolute commitment to achieving a political solution to the long and painful conflict, within a limited time frame,” the women proclaimed in their platform.

“We are calling on the peoples of both nations – Palestinian and Israeli, and peoples of the region – to join our call and demonstrate their support for the resolution of the conflict,” they wrote. “We are calling on our leaders to show courage and vision in order to bring about this historic change, to which we all aspire. We join hands with determination and partnership to bring back hope to our peoples.”

Over the next year and a half, the Israeli and Palestinian female activists are planning to hold a series of joint activities to demonstrate the strength of both movements.

“We hope that this partnership between Women of the Sun and Women Wage Peace will be the first step toward a just peace and security to put an end to war and destruction. We want to live respectfully and peacefully,” said Aaisha Faras, one of the founders and leaders of Women of the Sun.

“Today no less than a historic event took place. It began with a small group of courageous Palestinian women, who in a short time succeeded in enlisting over 1,000 supporters. Young women and older women who, together with us, decided to stop being silent and to create another path,” Yael Admi, one of the founders and leaders of Women Wage Peace said, summing up the event.

“The time has come for a courageous leadership to create a reality of peace and a different future for our children.”

BECAUSE OF COURSE THEY DO...

Russia conducts military drills on isles disputed with Japan -media
2022/3/26

(Reuters) - Russia was conducting drills on islands claimed by Tokyo, Japanese media said on Saturday, days after Moscow halted peace talks with Japan because of its sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's Eastern Military District said it was conducting military drills on the Kuril islands with more than 3,000 troops and hundreds of pieces of army equipment, Russia's Interfax news agency said Friday.

It did not say where on the island chain, connecting Russia's Kamchatka peninsula and Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, the drills were taking place. Japanese media said they were on territory the Soviet Union seized at the end of World War Two that is claimed by Tokyo.

Japan's Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister's Office could not be reached outside business hours to comment on the exercises.

The territorial dispute over the four islets - which Russia says are part of its Kuril chain and which Japan calls its Northern Territories - has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from reaching a peace treaty formally ending hostilities.

Japan reacted angrily on Tuesday after Russia withdrew from long-running treaty talks and froze joint economic projects related to the islands, in retaliation for Japan joining Western sanctions over Moscow's month-old invasion.

Russia's exercises involved repelling amphibious warfare, including destroying defence aircraft carrying troops and testing skills to operate fire control systems of anti-tank guided missiles, Interfax said.

"In addition to this, units of the Air Defense Forces are carrying out a set of measures to detect, identify and destroy aircraft of a mock enemy that would carry out an airborne assault," the agency cited the District's press service as saying.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Additional reporting by Junko Fujita in Tokyo; Editing by William Mallard)

Charting the Global Economy: Factory Costs Surge From Russia War

Molly Smith and Vince Golle, Bloomberg News

Workers assemble bridge ventilators at Boyce Technologies Inc. in Long Island City in the Queens borough of New York, U.S., on Thursday, April 23, 2020. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasioannouncedin a press release a city-convened effort to produce a new line of bridge ventilatorsto support local hospitals by supplementing limited ventilator resources and to help shore up the New York City Strategic Reserve for future crises. , Photographer: Bloomberg/Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) --

Manufacturers around the world are facing even higher costs as Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its second month, threatening to push decades-high inflation up even more.

With those kinds of price pressures, the standard of living in the U.K. is falling at the fastest pace in at least six decades. Russians are feeling the pain of Vladimir Putin’s war as prices for basic goods like sugar shot up 14% in just a week, and its economy is set to undo more than a decades-worth of growth by the end of next year.

Here are some of the charts that appeared on Bloomberg this week on the latest developments in the global economy:

World

Factories from Australia to Europe are seeing already surging costs jump further as Russia’s war in Ukraine and the barrage of sanctions rolled out in response roil commodity markets and trade. While the relaxation of pandemic restrictions helped overall business activity weather the initial shock from the invasion, dwindling confidence is threatening economic growth in the coming months.

Workers in Europe’s biggest economies are among the least likely to be seeking pay rises in the next year, despite feeling some of the biggest pressures from rising prices. It may allay concerns at central banks about the potential for an inflationary spiral in wages.

Emerging Markets

The inflation shock upending Russia’s economy has shown little sign of letting up, increasingly spreading to basic goods from onions to tea after supply disruptions and the ruble’s collapse that followed the invasion of Ukraine. In a single week, the price of sugar increased as much as 37.1% in some Russian regions and rose nearly 14% on average nationwide.

Russia is set to erase 15 years of economic gains by the end of 2023 after its invasion of Ukraine spurred a multitude of sanctions and prompted companies to pull out of the country, according to the Institute of International Finance.

Mexico’s central bank confirmed its latest interest-rate hike hours after President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced the half-point increase, an unprecedented disclosure that raised questions about Banxico’s independence.

U.S.

Where can the world quickly turn to for more oil? The answer, it turns out, isn’t the traditional powerhouse of OPEC or the promising new offshore fields of Brazil. Instead, the weight of the oil world is falling squarely on the shoulders of a few counties tucked into lonely corners of the U.S. Southwest.

The pandemic pushed millions of older Americans out of the labor force. It should have spawned a surge in Social Security benefits applications — but it hasn’t. Perhaps because they aren’t retired.

Europe

U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak unleashed a set of tax cuts on Wednesday designed to appeal to his Conservative Party, but still left Britons facing the worst squeeze on living standards in at least six decades.

Asia

Congestion in the key Chinese ports of Shenzhen and Hong Kong due to Covid-19 lockdowns has risen to the highest level in five months, posing possible delays to goods heading to the U.S. this summer. There were approximately 174 vessels anchored or loading off the South China hubs, the largest number since Oct. 21, when the region dealt with the aftermath of Typhoon Kompasu.

China’s government stockpiled a record amount of cash in the first two months of the year instead of spending it, despite numerous pledges by top officials to speed up fiscal stimulus to boost the economy.