Russian-held Ukraine region scheming to sell grain to North America -RIA

Authorities in a part of Ukraine seized by Russia are using "cunning schemes" to avoid Western sanctions and sell grain to North America and other parts of the world, Russian state-run RIA news agency reported on Friday.

Reuters | Moscow | Created: 11-06-2022

Authorities in a part of Ukraine seized by Russia are using "cunning schemes" to avoid Western sanctions and sell grain to North America and other parts of the world, Russian state-run RIA news agency reported on Friday. Ukraine has accused Russia of stealing grain from the territories Moscow occupied since launching what it calls a special military operation in February. The war threatens to cause severe food shortages as Russia and Ukraine account for about 29% of global wheat exports

Vladimir Rogov, a member of the administration in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, was quoted by RIA as saying grain was also being sold to Middle Eastern and African nations. "They are afraid of sanctions but nevertheless buy our grain with joy - of course, through intermediaries and cunning schemes," RIA quoted Rogov as telling Russian television.

Rogov said there were 1.5 million tonnes of grain in the region, RIA added. He did not say whether any of the grain had been delivered to customers. Last week the Ukrainian embassy in Beirut said Russia had sent its ally Syria an estimated 100,000 tonnes of stolen wheat, describing the shipments as "criminal activity".

Russia and Ukraine are in a deadlock over grain exports from Ukrainian ports. Russia has seized large parts of Ukraine's coast, blocking farm exports and driving up the cost of grain. Moscow blames the food crisis on sanctions restricting its own grain exports.

Russia-Ukraine war: Turkey seeks 25 percent discount from Kyiv over grain deal

Grain would be transferred from the port of Odessa to Istanbul in a joint deal between Ankara, Kyiv and Moscow

Prior to Russia’s invasion in February, Ukraine was a major exporter of wheat and sunflower oil

By Ragip Soylu in Ankara
Published date: 7 June 2022 

Turkey is seeking a 25 percent discount on Ukrainian grain that would be transferred from the port of Odessa to Istanbul in a joint deal between Ankara, Kyiv and Moscow, senior Turkish officials said this week.

Vahit Kirisci, the Turkish agriculture minister, told journalists over the weekend that Ukraine had continued to voice its concerns over the demining of the port - in order to transfer around 25 million tonnes of grain - due to possible Russian naval attacks afterwards.

“However Ukraine agreed to give a 25 percent discount on the grain to us if the deal goes forwards,” said Kirisci.

The Turkish military has offered to remove the naval mines planted by Ukraine, as well as guard the grain ships off Odessa.

Anadolu, the Turkish public news agency, reported that a command centre in Istanbul would be established to oversee the grain operation.

However, Kyiv continues to be sceptical about Russian intentions.

A naval blockade by Moscow has disrupted the whole grain chain of exports and threatened global food security, with the United Nations voicing alarm.

Many Middle Eastern countries, including Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Turkey, depend on Ukraine grain exports.
'We cannot trust Putin'

Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, will visit Ankara on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

However, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, said on Monday that Kyiv had not been invited to the talks.

“Putin says he will not use trade routes to attack Odessa,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in a tweet on Monday.

“This is the same Putin who told German Chancellor Scholz and French President Macron he would not attack Ukraine - days before launching a full-scale invasion of our country. We cannot trust Putin, his words are empty.”

Turkish experts believe Ankara will not be unduly troubled even if the Ukrainian grain deal falls apart.

Ozkan Taspinar, the head of the national grain council, told Turkish media that 20 million tonne wheat crop yield is expected in Turkey, meeting overall Turkish needs.
Delicate balance

On Friday, during a news conference marking the 100th-day since the conflict began, Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey accused Russia of "stealing" Ukrainian grain and sending it abroad.

Russia is shamelessly stealing Ukrainian grains and getting it out from the invaded Crimea," Vasyl Bodnar told reporters in the Turkish capital.
Russia-Ukraine war: Turkey facilitating talks to establish safe corridor for grain exportsRead More »

"These grains are being shipped to foreign countries, including Turkey.

"We have made our appeal for Turkey to help us and, upon the suggestion of the Turkish side, are launching criminal cases regarding those stealing and selling the grains."

The Ukrainian embassy in Ankara later said the vessels involved in the stolen grain shipments were the Nadezhda, Finikia, Sormivskiy, Vera, and Mikhail Nenashev ships. Reuters was not able to independently verify the embassy's claims.

So far, Ankara has maintained a delicate balance between Kyiv and Moscow.

Turkey has delivered combat drones to Ukraine and has sought to act as a mediator in the conflict.

But it has also refrained from placing sanctions on Russia, which it relies on for grain and energy.

Russia-Ukraine: Ambassador accuses Moscow of exporting 'stolen' grain to Turkey 

Vasyl Bodnar said grain was being shipped out of Crimea and Kyiv was working with Ankara and Interpol to find the culprits

Before Russia’s invasion in February, Ukraine was a major exporter of wheat and sunflower oil (AFP)

By MEE and agencies
Published date: 4 June 2022 

Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey has accused Russia of "stealing" and sending Ukrainian grain abroad to countries that include Turkey, during a news conference marking the 100th-day since the conflict began.

Speaking in Ankara on Friday, Vasyl Bodnar said Russia was shipping the stolen grain out of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, and added that Kyiv was working with Turkey and Interpol to find the culprits.

"Russia is shamelessly stealing Ukrainian grains and getting it out from the invaded Crimea. These grains are being shipped to foreign countries, including Turkey," he told reporters in the Turkish capital.

"We have made our appeal for Turkey to help us and, upon the suggestion of the Turkish side, are launching criminal cases regarding those stealing and selling the grains," he said.

The Ukrainian Embassy in Ankara later said the vessels involved in the stolen grain shipments were the Nadezhda, Finikia, Sormivskiy, Vera, and Mikhail Nenashev ships. Reuters was not able to independently verify the embassy's claims.

On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara was in talks with Moscow to establish a safe corridor for blocked Ukraine grain exports via Istanbul.
Putin floats Belarus solution

Before Russia's invasion in February, Ukraine was a major exporter of wheat and sunflower oil. However, Russia's army has seized much of the country's southern coastline and Russian warships control access to Ukraine's Black Sea ports.

Russia-Ukraine war: Turkey facilitating talks to establish safe corridor for grain exports    Read More »

More than 20 million tonnes of grain are now stuck in silos in Ukraine, which has had a knock-on effect on many countries in the Middle East and Africa that have suffered a shortage and a subsequent rise in food prices.

However, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin denied on Friday that Moscow was preventing Ukrainian ports from exporting grain, blaming rising food prices on the West.

Speaking on national television, Putin said: "We are now seeing attempts to shift the responsibility for what is happening on the world food market, the emerging problems in this market, onto Russia."

He said the best solution would be for western sanctions on Russian ally Belarus to be lifted and for Ukraine to export grain through that country.
Balancing act

So far, Ankara has maintained a delicate balance between Kyiv and Moscow.

Turkey has delivered combat drones to Ukraine and has sought to act as a mediator in the conflict. But it has also refrained from placing sanctions on Russia, which it relies on for grain and energy.

At the request of the United Nations, Ankara has offered to help secure maritime corridors for the export of Ukrainian grain.

The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, will be in Turkey on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

Since the war began in February, thousands of people have died and millions have been uprooted from their homes.

The Return of Purple Straw, an Iconic Southern Wheat

It has a whole team of champions working on its comeback.

BY RACHEL KESTER

ATLASOBSCURA.COM

JUNE 10, 2022

Purple straw turns golden as it matures. ALLISON KOVAR/BARTON SPRINGS MILL

AFTER THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, THE newly-formed United States faced yet another battle. Goods on British ships harbored the notorious Hessian fly and rust disease. Both spread quickly, obliterating most East Coast wheats. At the same time, farmers began noticing that their soil had been exhausted from excessive tobacco and corn growth. But a certain strain of wheat came to the rescue: purple straw.

This grain, from the Virginia Piedmont region, was both pest-resistant and grew quickly, making it extremely reliable. According to Dr. David Shields, a Carolina Distinguished Professor and food historian, “purple straw was a wheat a farmer could trust year after year.” Many also found its honeyed, nutty taste to be perfect for whiskeys and pastries, especially biscuits. In fact, purple straw is believed to have been one of the first biscuit flours.

Until fairly recently, purple straw was a star Southern wheat, known far and wide for its stunning lavender-tinted stalks and delicious baking characteristics.

Carpenter Farm in North Carolina grew purple straw, as shown in this 1923 picture. COURTESY OF DAVID SHIELDS

But the farmers of yesterday would be astonished to learn that their precious grain has since become nothing more than culinary lore. This grain lost its flair during the 1970s when hybrids that promised to produce higher yields took over. While not fully extinct, purple straw became extremely hard to come by. That is, until Shields and Glenn Roberts, the founder of heirloom grain grower Anson Mills, set out to restore this precious purplish crop.

The duo had previously worked together to restore the once-famous Carolina Gold Rice to prominence, and decided to combine their knowledge of heirloom grains once more to locate this fascinating variety. Shields, who was researching traditional Southern biscuit flour when he first learned about purple straw, was particularly intrigued by it due to its historical longevity. “Purple straw was one of the longest enduring wheats and one of the only durable commodity grains that shaped the cuisine of a region,” he explains. “It was the standard for the longest period of time.”

During their search, they found a few Amish farms that had seeds stored away, but even the farmers only owned a minuscule amount of the grain. Their quest was also complicated by the fact that purple straw went by several different names depending on the region. In Alabama, it was called Alabama bluestem, whereas James Anderson, the 19th-century farm manager at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, called it “red straw.”

Their efforts finally led them to Idaho, where the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) had quietly stored away several purple straw seeds from the early 20th century. Some seeds were also acquired from California’s Sustainable Seed Company’s heirloom collection. In 2015, Shields and Roberts planted the seeds at South Carolina’s Clemson University, where they have been monitored ever since.

A field of purple straw, growing tall. COURTESY OF DAVID SHIELDS

One Clemson scientist rigorously testing purple straw is Richard Boyles, a plant breeder and geneticist. Boyles notes that purple straw was very resistant to 18th-century diseases but succumbs easily to a variety of modern issues, particularly leaf rust. By crossing it with soft winter red wheat cultivars that have similar traits, he’s hoping to provide purple straw with protection from these current problems.

Boyles explains that the five-foot stalks require little care once planted, but desperately needs one thing. “Vernalization is very important,” Boyles emphasizes. “There needs to be enough chilling hours.” The future may not be cold enough to give the seeds energy to produce flourishing blooms. And while purple straw will still grow if vernalization is unsuccessful, the stalks will end up looking like long grass blades and won’t produce any grain.

There’s a lot of interest in a successful purple grain industry, especially in the South. Some distilleries are hoping to blend the grain in their whiskeys, thanks to its low gluten content. And numerous chefs aspire to use the flour for pastries. One such chef is biscuit-making icon Scott Peacock, who has been captivated by the wheat’s potential since 2014.

Peacock, who also has a strong interest in horticulture, wanted to join the restoration effort. In 2015, Roberts entrusted three tablespoons of seed to him, a substantial quantity seeing that this was an almost vanished strain.

A precious seed sample of purple straw, from the USDA. COURTESY OF DAVID SHIELDS

Peacock planted about two teaspoons on a local organic farm near his home in Marion, Alabama, and harvested eight cups of grain to keep planting. Peacock fondly recalls the wheat having a fragrant, nutty aroma that drifted through the field each afternoon. He also observed that the birds oddly adored purple straw. During the first year, Peacock would see countless avians happily pecking away at the grain—so much so that he had to use cages and nets to protect it.

After three years of work, Peacock’s purple straw project came to a quick end after a neighboring farm spent a day crop-dusting their plants. The pesticides drifted over and within minutes, the toxins overwhelmed the delicate stalks. Peacock wasn’t deterred and tried planting the seeds once more in his backyard, only to get a phantom harvest—where the stalks appear to be bountiful but instead have empty heads without any grains.

Peacock has yet to try purple straw flour. His dream is to someday grow just enough to make at least one batch of biscuits with it. “Purple straw has shifted my appreciation for what it takes to have a cup of flour,” he says.

Demand is steadily rising, but you still won’t find purple straw in grocery stores. If you truly desire some, there’s limited 2.5-pound flour bags available from Barton Springs Mill in Texas, which has grown purple straw for the last three years. Only recently did Barton Springs begin producing enough seed to sell small batches of this Colonial-era flour. But both flour and the grain itself remain rare. “Seed availability is an issue,” explains Shields. “When there’s a commercial seed supplier, then purple straw will have a steady future.”

Barton Springs Mill is one of the few vendors actually selling purple-straw flour. ALLISON KOVAR/BARTON SPRINGS MILL

Justin Cherry, owner of Half Crown Bakehouse and Mount Vernon’s resident baker, is eager to use the flour once it’s widely available. “The milled flour has a lovely white color and the flavor tastes earthy and golden,” he says, also noting that its low gluten content and texture make purple straw perfect for cakes and 18th century-style shortbread. “When baked, there’s a very aromatic malty note released.”

There are even hopes that this heritage grain will grow at Mount Vernon once more. In 2021, with the help of Roberts of Anson Mills, Cherry and Mount Vernon’s horticultural staff planted a small plot of the wheat on the historical estate, maybe the first in over 200 years. The grain will likely be harvested this month and its seeds will be saved for future plantings.

As more become acquainted with the grain and its distinctive qualities, there’s hope that purple straw could make a comeback where it was once cherished the most. Considering how passionate its champions are, though, it’s only a matter of time. “It’s deeply rooted in Southern culture, but many just don’t know it,” says Peacock. “Everything about it is beautiful.”

NATO NATION BUILDING; DUAL POWER
Libya's capital sees fresh wave of violence following coup attempt

No casualties were reported but tensions remain high as rival political factions vie for power

Heavy gunfire and explosions were heard across the Libyan capital 

of Tripoli late on 10 June 2022 (AFP)

By MEE and agencies
Published date: 11 June 2022 

Violent clashes broke out between armed groups in the Libyan capital Tripoli late on Friday as the country continues to deal with the aftershocks of a failed coup attempt last month.

According to an AFP journalist, heavy exchanges of gunfire and explosions were heard across several districts of the city, while images broadcast by local press showed civilians fleeing some areas.

The intense fighting involved two influential militias from western Libya, local media reported.

No casualties or motives for the fighting were immediately apparent, but this outbreak is the latest violence to rock the country as two rival prime ministers vie for power.

Last month, politician Fathi Bashagha attempted to seize power by force, sparking pre-dawn clashes between armed groups supporting him and those backing the interim premier Abdulhamid Dbeibah.

Dbeibah was appointed early last year as part of the troubled UN-led peace process that was working towards elections in December 2021, but the vote was indefinitely postponed.


In February, the east-Libya-based parliament appointed Bashagha, a one-time interior minister, to take over, arguing that Dbeibah's mandate had ended.

But Dbeibah has insisted he will only relinquish power to an elected administration.
Rival governments

The renewed fighting has raised fears of a return to the chaos that followed the 2011 Nato-backed revolt that toppled long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi, and an all-out conflict that gripped the capital from 2019 to 2020.

In March this year, pro-Bashagha armed groups deployed on the edges of the capital, prompting concerns that a confrontation would end the fragile ceasefire that had been in place since October 2020.

Libya's Bashagha denies writing Times article condemning Russia

Read More »

Bashagha is backed by Khalifa Haftar, the eastern-based commander who led a failed bid to seize Tripoli in 2019-20, and who maintains control of several key oil installations.

Armed groups have vied for control over territory as a string of interim governments have come and gone.

Many such groups have been integrated into the state, partly in order to access a share of the country's vast oil wealth, and human rights organisations have often accused them of abuses.

The creation of two governments echoes Libya's troubled period of rival administrations between 2014 and 2021 when the oil-rich nation was ripped apart by civil war.

Oil production, the country's main source of income, has again been hit by political rifts recently with a wave of forced closures of oil terminals by groups aligned with the eastern camp, who demand that power that is transferred to Bashagha.

'Enough is enough' say thousands demanding new U.S. gun measures

Ashraf Khalil and Darlene Superville
Reuters
Updated June 11, 2022 

WASHINGTON -

Thousands of people rallied on the National Mall and across the United States on Saturday in a renewed push for gun control measures after recent deadly mass shootings from Uvalde, Texas, to Buffalo, New York, that activists say should compel Congress to act.

"Enough is enough," District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser told the second March for Our Lives rally in her city. "I speak as a mayor, a mom, and I speak for millions of Americans and America's mayors who are demanding that Congress do its job. And its job is to protect us, to protect our children from gun violence."

Speaker after speaker in Washington called on senators, who are seen as a major impediment to legislation, to act or face being voted out of office, especially given the shock to the nation's conscience after 19 children and two teachers were killed May 24 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

"If our government can't do anything to stop 19 kids from being killed and slaughtered in their own school, and decapitated, it's time to change who is in government," said David Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 shooting that killed 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

A co-founder of the March For Our Lives organization that was created after that shooting and held its first rally in Washington not long afterward, Hogg led the crowd in chants of "Vote them out."

Another Parkland survivor and group co-founder, X Gonzalez, delivered an impassioned, profanity-laced plea to Congress for change. "We are being murdered," she screamed and implored Congress to "act your age, not your shoe size."

Added Yolanda King, granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr.: "This time is different because this isn't about politics. It's about morality. Not right and left, but right and wrong, and that doesn't just mean thoughts and prayers. That means courage and action."

Manuel Oliver, whose son, Joaquin, was killed in the Parkland shooting, called on students "to avoid going back to school until our elected leaders stop avoiding the crisis of gun violence in America and start acting to save our lives."

Hundreds gathered at an amphitheater in Parkland, where Debra Hixon, whose husband, high school athletic director Chris Hixon, died in the shooting, said it is "all too easy" for young men to walk into stores and buy weapons.

"Going home to an empty bed and an empty seat at the table is a constant reminder that he is gone," said Hixon, who now serves as a school board member. "We weren't done making memories, sharing dreams and living life together. Gun violence ripped that away from my family."

President Joe Biden, who was in California when the Washington rally began, said his message to demonstrators was "keep marching" and added that he is "mildly optimistic" about legislative negotiations to address gun violence. Biden recently delivered an impassioned address to the nation in which he called for several steps, including raising the age limit for buying assault-style weapons.

In the Brooklyn borough of New York, Mayor Eric Adams, who campaigned on reining in violence in the nation's largest city, joined state Attorney General Letitia James, who is suing the National Rifle Association, in leading activists on a march toward the Brooklyn Bridge.

"Nothing happens in this country until young people stand up -- not politicians," James said.

Joining the call for change were hundreds of people who rallied in a park outside the courthouse in Portland, Maine, before they marched through the Old Port and gathered outside of City Hall. At one point, they chanted, "Hey, hey, hey, NRA, how many kids have to die today."

John Wuesthoff, a retired lawyer in Portland, said he was waving an American flag during the rally as a reminder that gun control is "not un-American."

"It's very American to have reasonable regulations to save the lives of our children," he said.

The passion that the issue stirs was clear in Washington when a young man jumped the barricade and tried to rush the stage before being intercepted by security. The incident caused a brief panic as people began to scatter.

Organizers hoped the second March for Our Lives rally would draw as many as 50,000 people to the Washington Monument, though the crowd seemed closer to 30,000. The 2018 event attracted more than 200,000 people, but the focus this time was on smaller marches at an estimated 300 locations.

The youth-led movement created after the Parkland shooting successfully pressured the Republican-dominated Florida state government to enact sweeping gun control changes. The group did not match that at the national level, but has persisted in advocating for gun restrictions since then, as well as participating in voter registration drives.

Survivors of mass shootings and other incidents of gun violence have lobbied legislators and testified on Capitol Hill this week. Among them was Miah Cerrillo, an 11-year-old girl who survived the shooting at Robb Elementary. She described for lawmakers how she covered herself with a dead classmate's blood to avoid being shot.

The House has passed bills to raise the age limit to buy semi-automatic weapons and establish federal "red flag" laws. A bipartisan group of senators had hoped to reach agreement this week on a framework for addressing the issue and held talks Friday, but no deal was announced.

------

Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz in New York, David Sharp in Portland, Maine, and Chris Megerian in Los Angeles contributed to this report.


People arrive to attend the second March for Our Lives rally in support of gun control in front of the Washington Monument, Saturday, June 11, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)


Workers set up for the March for Our Lives rally on the National Mall, near the White House, in Washington, Friday, June 10, 2022. The march is returning to Washington after four years. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

2:10  CTV National News: Unabated gun violence in U.S.

Thousands march on Washington DC to demand changes to US gun laws

Organisers hoped the second March For Our Lives rally would draw as many as 50,000 people to the Washington Monument in the US capital

People participate in the second March For Our Lives rally in support of gun control in Washington (AP)
SAT, 11 JUN, 2022 - 18:38
ASHRAF KHALIL, AP

Thousands of people have streamed to the US National Mall in Washington DC as part of country-wide demonstrations to demand greater gun control in America.

The high-profile effort to change the laws follow recent mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, that activists say should compel US congress to act.

Organisers hoped the second March For Our Lives rally would draw as many as 50,000 people to the Washington Monument in the US capital.

While that would be far less than the original 2018 march that filled Washington with more than 200,000 people, activists have decided to focus on smaller marches at an estimated 300 locations across the US.

Despite wet weather in the US capital, scores of people turned out on the monument grounds well before the rally began, holding up signs, including one that said: “Children aren’t replaceable, senators are. Vote.”

A middle school-age girl carried a sign that read: “I want to feel safe at school”.

Daud Mumin, a co-chairman of the march’s board of directors and a recent graduate of Westminster College in Salt Lake City, said: “We want to make sure that this work is happening across the country.

Children participate in the second March For Our Lives rally (AP)

“This work is not just about (Washington) DC, it’s not just about senators.”

The first March For Our Lives was spurred by the killings of 14 students and three staff members by a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14 2018.

That massacre sparked the creation of the youth-led March For Our Lives movement, which successfully pressured the Republican-dominated Florida state government to enact sweeping gun control reforms.

The Parkland students then sought to change gun laws in other states and nationally, launching March For Our Lives and holding the big rally in Washington on March 24 2018.

The group did not match the Florida results at the national level, but it has persisted in advocating for gun restrictions since then, as well as participating in voter registration drives.

Now, with another string of mass shootings bringing gun control back into the national conversation in the US, organisers of this weekend’s events say the time is right to renew their push for a national overhaul.

“Right now we are angry,” said Mariah Cooley, a March For Our Lives board member and a senior at Washington’s Howard University.

“This will be a demonstration to show that us as Americans, we’re not stopping any time soon until congress does their jobs. And if not, we’ll be voting them out.”

Parkland survivor and activist David Hogg speaks to the crowd (AP)

The protest comes at a time of renewed political activity on guns and a crucial moment for possible action in US congress.

Survivors of mass shootings and other incidents of gun violence have lobbied legislators and testified on Capitol Hill this week.

Among them was Miah Cerrillo, an 11-year-old girl who survived the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

She described for members of congress how she covered herself with a dead classmate’s blood to avoid being shot.

On Tuesday, Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey appeared in the White House briefing room to press for gun legislation, and made highly personal remarks about the violence in his hometown of Uvalde.

The US house of representatives has passed bills that would raise the age limit to buy semi-automatic weapons and establish federal “red flag” laws.

But such initiatives have traditionally stalled or been heavily watered down in the US senate.

Actor Matthew McConaughey holds a picture or Alithia Ramirez, 10, who was killed in the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas (AP)

Democratic and Republican senators had hoped to reach agreement this week on a framework for addressing the issue and discussed it on Friday, but they did not announce an accord.

Mr Mumin said the goal is to send a message to members of congress that public opinion on gun control is shifting under their feet.

“If they’re not on our side, there are going to be consequences — voting them out of office and making their lives a living hell when they’re in office,” he said.

Protesters rally against gun violence in Washington, across U.S


© Reuters/MARCO BELLO

By Joseph Ax and Ted Hesson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands of demonstrators descended on Washington and across the United States on Saturday, calling on lawmakers to pass legislation aimed at curbing gun violence following last month's massacre at a Texas elementary school.


© Reuters/JONATHAN ERNSTPeople participate in the March for Our Lives, rally against gun violence, in Washinton

March for Our Lives (MFOL), the gun safety group founded by student survivors of the 2018 massacre at a Parkland, Florida, high school, said it has planned more than 450 rallies for Saturday, including in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.


© Reuters/JONATHAN ERNSTPeople participate in the March for Our Lives, rally against gun violence, in Washington

In Washington, 40,000 people assembled at the National Mall near the Washington Monument under light rain, organizers said.

The organization's 2018 march on Washington, weeks after 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, brought hundreds of thousands of people to the nation's capital to pressure Congress to take legislative action, though Republican opposition has prevented any new limits on guns from passing the U.S. Senate.

U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat who earlier this month urged Congress to ban assault weapons, expand background checks and implement other gun control measures, said he supported Saturday's protests.

Courtney Haggerty, a 41-year-old research librarian from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, traveled to Washington for the rally with her 10-year-old daughter, Cate, and 7-year-old son, Graeme, to demand congressional action.

Haggerty said the December 2012 school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in which a gunman killed 26 people, mostly six- and seven-year-olds, came one day after her daughter's first birthday.

"It left me raw," she said. "I can't believe she's going to be 11 and we're still doing this."

Cate, who is in the fourth grade, said she wanted to attend. "This is not what I would want my kids to have to be living with," she said.

PRESSURE ON POLITICIANS

This year's event in Washington has a simple message to political leaders, according to organizers: Your inaction is killing Americans.


© Reuters/JOSHUA ROBERTSPeople participate in the

 'March for Our Lives' rally against gun violence

"We are being murdered," said X Gonzalez, a Parkland survivor and co-founder of MFOL, in an emotional speech in which they appeared with survivors of other mass shootings. "You, Congress, have done nothing to prevent it."

A gunman in Uvalde, Texas, killed 19 children and two teachers on May 24, 10 days after another gunman murdered 10 Black people in a Buffalo, New York, grocery store in a racist attack.


© Reuters/JONATHAN ERNSTPeople participate in the March for Our Lives, rally against gun violence, in Washinton

The latest mass shootings have added new urgency to the country's ongoing debate over gun violence, though the prospects for federal legislation remain uncertain.

Among other policies, MFOL has called for an assault weapons ban, universal background checks for those trying to purchase guns and a national licensing system, which would register gun owners.

In recent weeks, a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators have vowed to hammer out a deal, though they have yet to reach an agreement. Their effort is focused on relatively modest changes, such as incentivizing states to pass "red flag" laws that allow authorities to keep guns from individuals deemed a danger to others.


© Reuters/TED HESSONProtesters gather in Washington for gun control rally

Speaking to journalists in Los Angeles, Biden said he had spoken several times with Senator Chris Murphy, who is leading the Senate talks, and that negotiators remained "mildly optimistic."


© Reuters/JOSHUA ROBERTSPeople participate in the 'March for Our Lives' rally against gun violence

The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a sweeping set of gun safety measures, but the legislation has no chance of advancing in the Senate, where Republicans have opposed gun limits as infringing upon the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment right to bear arms.


© Reuters/JEENAH MOON"March for Our Lives", rally against gun violence in New York City

Other speakers at the Washington rally included David Hogg, another Parkland survivor and co-founder of MFOL; Becky Pringle and Randi Weingarten, the presidents of the two largest U.S. teachers unions; and Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C. Members of MFOL have spent the week meeting with lawmakers in Washington to discuss gun violence.


© Reuters/ERIC COX

"March for Our Lives", rally against gun violence in New York City

Two high school students from the Washington suburb of Silver Spring, Maryland - Zena Phillip, 16, and Blain Sirak, 15 - said they had never joined a protest before but felt motivated by the shooting in Texas.

"Just knowing that there's a possibility that can happen in my own school terrifies me," Phillip said. "A lot of kids are getting numb to this to the point they feel hopeless."

Sirak said she backed more gun restrictions and that the issue extended beyond mass shootings to the daily toll of gun violence.

"People are able to get military-grade guns in America," she said. "It's absolutely absurd."


© Reuters/JOSHUA ROBERTS

People participate in the 'March for Our Lives' rally against gun violence

(Reporting by Joseph Ax and Ted Hesson; additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Los Angeles and Makini Brice; Editing by Aurora Ellis and Daniel Wallis)

MORE FOTOS

 Protesters rally against gun violence in Washington, across U.S. | Reuters

Russia Ukraine war: Vladimir Putin's threat to Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Baltic states in speech

10 Jun, 2022 

news.com.au
By Alexis Carey

As the war in Ukraine drags on, Russian president Vladimir Putin has dropped a major clue he has set his sights on a new nation.

The invasion of Ukraine has been raging since late February.

Now, the fight has shifted to the crucial eastern city of Severodonetsk, where Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared the fate of the entire Donbas region will be decided.

But that key battle is not going well for the defenders. Local officials have confirmed the city is now mostly controlled by Russian forces after a "difficult" night.

And as things heat up in Ukraine, Putin has used a new speech to subtly threaten one of Russia's closest neighbours.

Speaking to technology students in Moscow on Thursday – the 350th anniversary of the birthday of Peter I, also known as Peter the Great – Putin declared that it was his "destiny" to "return" and "fortify territories".

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has taken a turn. Photo / Getty Images

That key phrase has caught the world's attention, especially given it was uttered on such a significant day.

Peter the Great was Russia's first emperor, known for founding St Petersburg and making it the capital, and conquering the Baltic coast during a war against Sweden, which ended Sweden's dominance in the region and started Russia's expansion into a major empire.

"Peter the Great returned territories and fortified them. This destiny has also fallen to us," Putin said.

He also spoke about Peter I's 21-year Great Northern War, declaring that "where it may seem that he was fighting against Sweden, and seizing lands … He wasn't seizing anything. He was actually returning" formerly Russian lands that had been lost.

Russian President Vladimir Putin at a press conference in Moscow, Russia. 

Photo / AP

Putin then compared Peter I's efforts with Russia's current plans, touching on the nation's need to "take back" territory and "defend itself", and noted that when the former tsar founded St Petersburg, "none of the countries in Europe recognised this territory as belonging to Russia".

"Everyone considered it to be part of Sweden. But from time immemorial, Slavs had lived there alongside Finno-Ugric peoples," he added.

"It is our responsibility also to take back and strengthen.

"Yes, there have been times in our country's history when we have been forced to retreat, but only to regain our strength and move forward."

Those comments have been widely seen as a reference to the Ukraine war, and a clue to what could be next on Putin's agenda.

Finland president's mystery move

Just hours after Putin's speech, a last-minute decision by Finland's president made headlines.

President Sauli Niinistö and his wife Jenni Haukio were visiting the islands of Åland, which lie between the Finnish and Swedish mainlands, where they were due to dine with Sweden's King Carl Gustav XVI and Queen Silvia.

A Flourish data visualization

However, that meeting was cancelled, and the leader abruptly flew home via helicopter, while the royals also left an evening concert earlier than expected.

It is believed the hasty move was the result of reports that Russian frigates had started drilling in the Baltic Sea off the enclave of Kaliningrad. Nato is also carrying out operations in the region.

The news is worrying given the islands are demilitarised and thus undefended – and would also be a strategic battleground if Russia were to strike against Finland and Sweden over their sensational move to join Nato last month.

Putin's new one-word threat

But while much of Putin's speech was seen as a general vow to continue his war against Ukraine, some of his final comments also raised eyebrows.

After speaking about Peter I's success over Sweden, he added that "the same is true in the western direction" – specifically referring to "Narva", which is now part of nearby Estonia and lies just 46km from St Petersburg.

Estonia gained independence from Russia in 1991. Photo / Getty Images

In an article in US conservative news magazine the Washington Examiner, reporter Tom Rogan claims that Putin's mention of Narva was a direct threat to Estonia, which gained independence in August 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union.

"Thus followed Putin's crunch line threat: 'Apparently', Putin remarked, 'it also fell to our lot to return and strengthen'. The message and associated threat are clear: Putin's campaign of destiny is expanding, not retreating," Rogan writes.

"These are not the words of a leader who is cowed or seeking compromise.

"Indeed, these words likely represent the growing influence of the Kremlin ultra-hawks, led by Nikolai Patrushev. Recently aggressive rhetoric from top Kremlin figures like Dmitry Medvedev further emphasises the hawks' rising power."
Putin's grim plan

The Russian president's comments are the latest sign the invasion of Ukraine could just be the beginning. Many experts believe Putin's masterplan is to rebuild the old Soviet Union.

Earlier this year, US President Joe Biden agreed with that assessment, claiming Putin has "much larger ambitions in Ukraine".

"He wants to, in fact, re-establish the former Soviet Union. That's what this is about," Mr Biden said at the time, years after Putin raised eyebrows in 2005 by claiming in a speech the dissolution of the Soviet Union was the "greatest geopolitical tragedy of the 20th century".

Since then, many have suggested that the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Moldova and Georgia could be under threat.

"Any area where the Russians have their quote-unquote peacekeeping forces … or anything that has disputed territory [is vulnerable]," former US Defence Intelligence Agency officer Rebekah Koffler told Fox News in early March.

"Will Putin now move quickly against other post-Soviet states? More military attacks on other post-Soviet countries seem unlikely for now," Penn State professor emerita of political science Donna Bahry added.

"But Putin could ramp up pressure on the countries with closer ties to the EU, such as Moldova and Georgia – for example, by recognising the independence of Transnistria or annexing South Ossetia.

And earlier this year, Australian National University's Russian political expert Dr Leonid Petrov told news.com.au Russia's expansion "cannot be stopped".

"Nobody can guarantee the integrity of European Union states like the Baltic republics [which include Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia] which were formerly part of the Soviet Union. Russia will have the power to annex them as well," he said.

"Putin cannot be stopped because of his state of mind.

"I believe that he is hellbent on the restoration of the Soviet Union and those borders of pre-1991 (when the Soviet Union collapsed)."

How united on Ukraine is the EU? | DW News

Jun 11, 2022

Unity in the face of aggression is a sentiment EU member states stressed over and over again when Russian troops first invaded Ukraine. But that unity developed cracks when it came to the specifics - how to punish Putin and his allies? How to best support Ukraine? Now, over a hundred days into the war, the positions keep drifting apart, as Christine Mhundwa reports.

The European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen made a surprise visit to Kyiv for talks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

They focused on Ukraine's bid to join the European Union. Kyiv submitted its membership application back in March. Brussels is set to publish its final assessment next week. Von der Leyen says the commission is working all-out to facilitate the process.

 

Putin Has Withdrawn! Russia Is Now Independent of European Human Rights

Council

Why do Russians still back Putin on the invasion of Ukraine? 

DW News

Jun 3, 2022

When the war started, Putin aimed at a swift victory. 100 days later, Russia has had to withdraw, regroup and focus its attacks on the East. When the invasion started, some anti-war protests emerged in Russia. Now, these voices seem rather silent. How is Putin selling this as a success to the Russian people? 

There's been a lot of speculation about Putin's health in recent months. Unconfirmed reports suggest he may be suffering from cancer or Parkinson's disease. Is there anything to it than just rumors?

 

Putin’s War: Inside The Mind Of Vladimir Putin 

NBC News NOW Special

May 25, 2022

As the world watches Russia’s war in Ukraine with horror, it’s become clear that the key to understanding the conflict is understanding Vladimir Putin. Keir Simmons takes an in-depth dive into putin’s history, interviews some of his closest confidants, and the man himself, to better understand how we got here, and ask what’s next for Russia, and the world.

 

Serbia, Russia and the war in Ukraine 

DW Documentary

May 24, 2022

Serbia has refused to impose sanctions on Russia up to now. The majority of Serbs support Putin’s war in Ukraine. Many have traumatic memories of NATO bombing during the Kosovo War and mistrust the West.

This documentary shows how the war in Ukraine has actually strengthened many Serbs’ feelings for Russia and upped President Vladimir Putin’s popularity. At demonstrations, protesters chant "Serbia and Russia: brothers forever” and "Putin, Putin”. Construction worker Sreten Mijovic regards Ukrainians as antichrists. For him, the most important things in life are Russia, Serbia and the Serbian soccer club Red Star Belgrade. The Grbovic family remembers the frightening weeks that they spent in the cellar during the NATO bombing campaign in 1999 — when Russia was the only country that took Serbia’s side.

Serbia would like to join the European Union, but it feels strong ties to Russia because of a shared culture and the Christian orthodox faith.

 

Putin Ally Posts Ominous Video Featuring Chechnya's Armed Forces

GREAT RUSSIAN IMPERIALISM 

WITH MUSLIM MAMALUKES & JANISSARIES

BY ZOE STROZEWSKI

ON 6/10/22 

Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya's leader and a top ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has shared an ominous video showing a mass gathering of his armed forces and a speech he delivered about ensuring "peace" in the world.

The video, which included English dubbing that at times was hard to decipher, showed long lines of vehicles and troops, some carrying what looked to be the Chechen flag with Kadyrov's face on it, gathering in and around a large square. Kadyrov is then shown standing in front of the gathering and delivering an address in which he asserts that "our president always makes the right decisions."



Because the Chechen Republic is part of Russia, Kadyrov is apparently referring to Putin, though the English dubbing of his speech does not refer to the longtime Russian leader by name. He asks his audience to "stand next to our state," proclaiming that "only then will there be peace in our world." He also says that "Western European states have made all possible attempts to destroy our state."

The foreboding video was posted mere days after Kadyrov threatened a "real special operation" against Ukraine, an offshoot of Russia's repeated references to the war as a "special military operation." Kadyrov announced days after Russia invaded Ukraine that his forces had been deployed to Ukraine, and he has since posted videos and updates on social media that allegedly show Chechen participation in the war, according to Al Jazeera. It was not immediately clear if the new video and speech were meant to hint at a large-scale Chechen mobilization to back up Russia in its action against Ukraine.

IN CIVILIAN DRAG

Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya's leader and a top ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has shared an ominous video showing a mass gathering of his armed forces and a speech he delivered about ensuring "peace" in the world. Above, Kadyrov arrives in the Hall of the Order of St. George during a meeting on December 26, 2016, in Moscow.

MIKHAIL SVETLOV/GETTY IMAGES

Neither Russia nor Ukraine currently seems poised to score a decisive victory, though a Ukrainian military intelligence official told The Guardian in an interview published Friday that the conflict has become an "artillery war" that Ukraine is at risk of losing. Maps of territorial control in Ukraine, which are shared daily by the Institute for the Study of War, indicate that both sides have recently only been seeing incremental land gains and losses.

But despite neither side appearing to hold the upper hand in the war, Kadyrov has expressed a desire for Russia's offensive to go past Ukraine's borders. He said in a video that was shared on Twitter by BBC journalist Francis Scarr that "waging wars is a pleasure" and he would "take all those European states" if it were up to him.

He said in another video shared by Scarr that he is ready to attack Poland.

Newsweek reached out to Russia's Defense Ministry for comment.

READ MORE

Putin Ally Gets 'Pleasure' From Waging War, Tells Russia to Take Europe

Putin's Chechen Ally Threatens 'Special Operation' In Ukraine Within Days

Putin Ally Ready to Attack Poland: Better 'Take Back Your Weapons'

NOT A FRIEND NOR ALLY BUT A JANISSARY

Big Threat! Putin Ally Ramzan Kadyrov Tells Russia to Take Europe - 

 

Kadyrov has threatened Europe! Big words

 

The World is in Shock! A Close friend of Putin Suggested Starting a World War

  

'Rehearsal' for NATO conflict: Putin's ally says, 'Russia testing weapons in Ukraine'

Putin ally stated Ukraine war may be a 'rehearsal' for a possible large-scale conflict with the West. Moscow State University academic Alexei Fenenko made the remarks on a Kremlin-controlled channel. Putin ally hinted more is to come & raised the prospect of a broader conflict with NATO alliance members. Stuttering invasion, Kremlin-backed media going all out to portray 'demilitarisation of Ukraine' in a positive light.

Diving brothers discover royal shipwreck that carried James II | ITV News

Judge rejects NRA’s claims that NY AG is gunning for them with lawsuit

By Priscilla DeGregory
June 10, 2022 

NY Attorney General: NRA is not above the law

A New York judge on Friday rejected the National Rifle Associations’ claims that New York Attorney General Letitia James was illegally gunning for them with her investigation into the organization.

The pro-gun rights group had filed a counterclaim against the AG, accusing her of targeting it for political reasons as part of a “witch hunt” that goes back as far as when she was running for office.

But Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Joel Cohen shot down those allegations, finding that James’ office had sufficient grounds to launch its probe.

“The investigation followed reports of serious misconduct and it uncovered additional evidence that, at a bare minimum, undermines any suggestion that was a mere pretext to penalize the NRA for its constitutionally protected activities,” Cohen’s decision says.

“The narrative that the Attorney General’s investigation into these undeniably serious matters was nothing more than a politically motivated – and unconstitutional – witch hunt is simply not supported by the record,” the ruling reads.

New York Attorney General Letitia James originally filed suit against the NRA in 2020, claiming they were flouting non-profit rules.

Bloomberg via Getty Images

James filed suit in 2020 seeking to disband the NRA, claiming its leadership flouted nonprofit rules by diverting millions of agency dollars to fund lavish lifestyles, including trips to the Bahamas, safaris in Africa, and jaunts on yachts.

In March, Cohen dismissed a part of the AG’s suit that sought to break up the NRA, finding instead there are ways to reform the organization – including by potentially removing top executives.

“Today, the court reaffirmed the legitimacy and viability of my office’s lawsuit against the NRA for its years of fraud, abuse, and greed,” AG James said in a statement.

What do you think? Post a comment.

NRA lawyer William Brewer said they are “disappointed” with the ruling and maintained that James has a political animus toward the NRA.

“Naturally, we are disappointed in the opinion. However, we understand the court’s decision that certain counterclaims were rendered moot by the NRA’s recent victory against the NYAG – when the court struck down her efforts to dissolve the Association,” Brewer said in a statement. “And, as the record reflects, the NRA is committed to good governance and is transparent about its efforts in that regard.”

 

IOM Statement on the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection

Los Angeles – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) welcomes the adoption of the Los Angeles Declaration today at the Summit of the Americas. This is encouraging news for a continent that has seen a record number of people undertake risky and sometimes deadly journeys in search of better opportunities and protection for themselves and their families.

The Los Angeles Declaration builds on internationally adopted principles and instruments, including the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. 

With this Declaration, countries across the Americas recognize the urgent need to work collaboratively to protect the dignity, life and human rights of all migrants, regardless of migratory status. IOM applauds this commitment as a fundamental step toward effectively managing migratory movements in the Americas.

The recognition that no country can singlehandedly leverage the tremendous opportunities and address the challenges brought by people on the move is at the heart of well-managed migration. The document adopted today recognizes that good governance of human mobility must include solidarity and shared responsibility by all States, whether countries of origin, transit or destination of migrants, and that most countries are indeed all three. This recognition embraces international cooperation and multilateralism that is inherently necessary to address the transnational nature of human mobility.

IOM reaffirms its unwavering readiness to work with the countries of the Americas to mitigate the adverse drivers that force people to leave their countries of origin or transit, particularly in light of current record inflation rates, socio-economic contraction caused by the COVID 19 pandemic, the growing impacts of environmental degradation exacerbated by climate change and increasing food insecurity adding to existing underlying and structural factors driving migration. IOM remains committed to supporting governments in the Americas to address, amongst others, irregular migration, facilitate sustainable reintegration of returnees and combat human trafficking.

We are also eager to work with governments in the Americas to support host and transit communities, promote regular pathways for safe and orderly migration, social inclusion and access to international and other forms of protection where needed, provide support for emergency response and humanitarian assistance in situations of vulnerable migratory movements, foster opportunities for decent work, facilitate regularization and access to services, regional information-sharing and policy dialogues, and promote safe, orderly, humane and regular migration, applying principles of human rights, gender-responsiveness and child-sensitivity.

Finally, IOM reiterates its willingness and capacity to support the countries in the Americas in the difficult task of translating the commitments outlined in this Declaration from paper to reality.