https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/germany-to-send-pzh-2000-howitzers-to-ukraine

Germany to send PzH 2000 howitzers to Ukraine

In response to Ukraine's pleas for more heavy weaponry, Germany will send Kiev two to three more self-propelled Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzers, according to German media on Friday.

Ukraine has been asking Europe for 18 German-made PzH 2000 howitzers to fully arm their artillery battalion, according to the DPA news agency. Germany has sent 7 howitzers and the Netherlands donated 5.

According to DPA, citing people close to the German Foreign Ministry, Berlin told Kiev it would give a few more weapons as long as other EU partners joined the procurement plans.

The German foreign ministry has been in contact with Amsterdam and other countries to get 6 more 155mm weapons to Kiev.

Russia has recently warned that any military cargoes will be dealt with like military targets.

Half of Germans oppose sending heavy weapons to Ukraine

In April, according to the German Institute for New Social Answers, half of Germans are against delivering heavy arms to Ukraine, while 43% of respondents are in support of the deliveries. The poll comes at the request of Bild, a German news outlet.

Another poll, though similar, was held by the German Institute for Social Research and Statistical Analysis, Forsa. The poll showed that 51% of Germans supported delivering offensive arms to Ukraine, while 37% stood against it.

Earlier on April, 20 prominent cultural figures, German scientists, and politicians, including former Bundestag VP, Antje Vollmer, sent an open letter to Olaf Scholz to stop sending arms to Ukraine.

Those that sent the letter said that "Germany and other NATO countries have de facto made themselves a party to the war by delivering weapons," therefore Ukraine became "a battlefield for a conflict between NATO and Russia over the security order in Europe."

Scholz said that Germany will no longer be supplying weapons to Ukraine, as the German weapon inventories are too exhausted.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/un-chastised-us-supreme-court-decision-on-abortion-rights

UN chastised US Supreme Court decision on abortion rights

The United Nations described the US Supreme Court's decision to end abortion rights on Friday as a "huge blow to women's human rights and gender equality."

In a statement, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said: "Access to safe, legal, and effective abortion is firmly rooted in international human rights law and is at the core of women and girls' autonomy and ability to make their own choices about their bodies and lives."

"This decision strips such autonomy from millions of women in the US, in particular those with low incomes and those belonging to racial and ethnic minorities, to the detriment of their fundamental rights," he added.

More than 50 countries with restrictive abortion laws have relaxed their laws in the last 25 years, according to the former Chilean president.

"With today's ruling, the US is regrettably moving away from this progressive trend."

It is worth noting that the ruling does not make abortion illegal, but rather returns the United States to the pre-Roe v. Wade era when each state was free to allow them or not.

Several US states announced legislation to prohibit abortions in their states shortly after the court's announcement.

Human rights experts from the United Nations condemned the Supreme Court decision and urged US President Joe Biden to take all necessary steps to mitigate its repercussions.

In a joint statement, the experts called the ruling "a monumental setback for the rule of law and gender equality," calling it "shocking and dangerous."

They went on to say that the move would increase the number of women and girls seeking illegal and unsafe abortions, as well as exacerbate abortion stigma, creating a "nightmare scenario for those dealing with the uncertainty and trauma of an unplanned pregnancy."

The statement was supported by eight special rapporteurs and the United Nations working group on gender discrimination.

It is worth noting that UN experts do not speak for the global body, but rather report on their findings.

>> Look who's talking!

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/qatars-emir-tamim-bin-hamad-lands-in-egypt-in-1st-visit-sinc

Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad lands in Egypt in 1st visit since 2015

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met the Qatari emir at Cairo International Airport on a two-day visit.

The Qatari emir's visit to Cairo aims to ensure cementing of overall bilateral relations in various fields, as well as discuss developments in regional and international political issues of mutual interest, according to the official spokesperson for the Presidency of the Republic in Egypt.

The visit also aims to ensure full normalization of relations between the two countries and will result in the signing of a number of economic agreements as per a diplomatic source.

Bin Hamad's visit will also aim to increase Qatari investment in Egypt, particularly in the energy sector, the same source added.

The source revealed that an Egyptian-Qatari business council will be established in light of the emir's visit, with businessmen on the council working to improve trade, investment, and economic relations between the two countries.

Since Al-Ula Declaration in Saudi Arabia last year, Egyptian-Qatari relations have seen numerous developments in recent months.

The two-day visit by Qatar's emir comes just days after Egypt's president met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and held a trilateral summit with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa and Jordan's King Abdullah II in the Egyptian Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

>>ceux qui se ressemblent s'assemblent