3 Oct, 2022 09:33

NATO ‘not obliged’ to assist Ukraine, German ambassador tells kids

Berlin’s envoy to the military bloc clarifies that NATO won’t actively stick up for a non-member state

Germany’s permanent representative to NATO has explained to a youth magazine the military alliance’s position on the Ukraine conflict, and the extent to which it is prepared to back Kiev.

On Saturday, Dein Spiegel, the youth version of Der Spiegel magazine, published an interview with Germany’s envoy to NATO, Ruediger Koenig.

The Ukraine conflict dominated much of the article, with Koenig describing Russia’s decision to launch its offensive against its neighbor in late February as a watershed event.

“We had peace, and now we see all of a sudden that one country is attacking another one just like that, in Europe,” the official said, adding that no one could have imagined anything like that.

Germany’s representative to NATO stressed that the military alliance as a whole, however, has no legal obligation to help Kiev repel Moscow’s attack as Ukraine is not a member state. This means that Article 5 of NATO’s treaty cannot be activated, the official explained. Under it, an attack on one ally is considered to be an attack against the whole of NATO, with all member states having to stick up for the targeted nation.

According to Koenig, the military bloc is anxious to avoid getting actively involved in the conflict at all costs because “this would mean a very big war.”

Such a scenario, which would see 30 more nations join the fray, is something “nobody wants,” the diplomat noted.

When asked what can be done to help Ukraine, the envoy explained that individual member states are providing Kiev with weapons and money. Koenig went on to cite EU sanctions imposed on Russia over the past six months.

He concluded that the prospect of peace is rather slim as Ukraine and Russia’s positions seem to be irreconcilable. Koenig clarified that Ukraine “rightly” demands that Moscow cede all former Ukrainian regions in the south and east of the country that recently voted to join Russia, as well as Crimea, which joined the country in 2014. The official pointed out that the Kremlin, however, is unlikely to agree to such terms.

Dein Spiegel is a media that offers “exciting, understandably written stories” for children who “want to understand the world,” according to a description on its website. The magazine is published monthly.

https://www.rt.com/news/563942-germany-nato-envoy-ukraine-kids/

Interesting

3 Oct, 2022 09:48

Truss has ‘worst’ approval of UK PM since 2010 – poll

A survey shows that she is less popular than Boris Johnson before his resignation

British Prime Minister Liz Truss’ personal approval rating is lower than her predecessor Boris Johnson’s was right before he was forced to resign this year, a recent Opinium/Observer poll has shown.

According to the survey of 2,000 people, which was conducted between September 28 and 30 and released on Saturday,only 18% of Britons approve of the job Truss is doing, and 55% disapprove.

This places her net approval at -37, down from -9 a week ago, which is worse than the -28 that Johnson had in the final Opinium poll before he stepped down as Tory leader in July.

“This is the worst poll result we have shown for a Conservative prime minister since the 2010 general election,” James Crouch, the head of policy and public affairs at Opinium, told The Guardian.

Liz Truss has managed to reach the depths of the poor personal ratings of both Theresa May and Boris Johnson at the end of their tenure,within weeks of taking office and within days of her government’s first major action.

By contrast, the net approval of Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has grown from -4 to +9 over the course of a week.

The poll came out as the government is looking for ways to tackle inflation and soaring energy prices. It has responded to the crisis by increasing the caps on energy prices.

Truss argued that the measure will stop average annual household bills from rising next year to as high as £6,500, a figure estimated by experts.

Protests against the increasing cost of living, during which people publicly burned their utility bills, were held across the UK on Saturday.

A former foreign secretary, Truss took over from Johnson in September after winning the Tory leadership race. Johnson stepped down after officials in his cabinet resigned en masse due to disagreements over economic recovery policies and several controversies, such as the flouting of Covid-19 quarantine rules by senior government members, including Johnson himself.

https://www.rt.com/news/563952-liz-truss-worst-approval/

Who didn’t see that coming? When are the MPs going to revolt? Even worse then the fake approval poles of dementia resident! Kekcall to memeson pic, maybe a dunce cap or clown suit

3 Oct, 2022 09:49

UK forced to reverse tax cut for highest earners

The recently introduced plan sparked a public outcry and, along with the new ‘mini-budget’, sent the pound to an all-time low

The UK government will drop its plan to cut the tax rate for the highest earners, which was the least popular measure in the newly announced ‘mini-budget’, following a public backlash and market upheaval. The move was announced on Monday by Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng.

“It is clear that the abolition of the 45% tax rate has become a distraction from our overriding mission to tackle the challenges facing our economy. As a result, I’m announcing we are not proceeding with the abolition of the 45% tax rate. We get it, and we have listened,” Kwarteng said in a statement.

The new UK government, led by Prime Minister Liz Truss, announced a package of tax cuts and investment incentives dubbed the ‘mini-budget’ on September 23. However, the measures were poorly received by Truss’ own Conservative Party, the public, and the financial markets. The package was to be funded by government borrowing, but neither Truss nor Kwarteng explained how it would be done.

Part of the plan was tolower the top rate of tax paid on incomes over £150,000 ($166,770)from 45% to 40%. It quickly became the least popular of the measures amid the cost-of-living crisis raging in the country.

A number of senior lawmakers publicly denounced the policy, saying that cutting government spending andincreasing borrowing to fund tax cuts for the wealthy would be politically risky.

Following the mini-budget announcement, the UK pound sterling dropped to an all-time low and UK government bonds started to sell off at a historic rate. The Bank of England had to step in with a £65 billion ($73 billion) temporary purchase program to calm the markets.

The pound jumped on Monday morning after reports of the tax cut reversal first appeared. It lost some of the gains after the news was confirmed, but still traded up 0.6% at $1.123 at 08:40 GMT.

https://www.rt.com/business/563949-uk-forced-reverse-tax-cut/

You will eat bugs! weird strategy to help the lower class.

3 Oct, 2022 07:46

EU mulls exemption from anti-Russia sanctions – Bloomberg

Brussels reportedly wants to remove restrictions from workers in a niche trade

The EU has proposed exempting the services of maritime pilots from sanctions on ships carrying Russian oil, Bloomberg reported on Sunday, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Maritime pilots are skilled navigators who guide vessels in coastal waters and narrow channels, and when entering and leaving ports.

The exception would allow companies to hire pilots for tankers carrying Russian oil, which is banned under the current sanctions that take effect from December.

The news comes after the Danish Maritime Authority told the Financial Times last week that the inability to use pilots for ships sailing through the sometimes-treacherous straits between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea will lead to significant safety and environmental risks.

The EU imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow in response to its military operation in Ukraine, which was launched in February. Brussels announced the eighth round of restrictions on Wednesday after referendums on joining Russia were organized in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), as well as two Russian-held territories in southern Ukraine.

The two Donbass republics along with Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions overwhelmingly voted in favor of becoming parts of Russia. President Vladimir Putin signed the accession treaties on Friday.

https://www.rt.com/news/563947-eu-russian-maritime-pilots/

I suspect with this idea it shows the EU was not behind the sabotage of the pipelines. So that leaves US, SeeEyeAye abd Ukraine. The EU countries are going broke, the people are revolting due to citizens have to sacrifice for a shithole country Ukraine, they should remove most sanctions and stop being vassal countries for US. It must be humiliating to take orders from dementia resident.

3 Oct, 2022 06:03

OPEC mulls output cut amid slowing global growth – media

The group of oil-producing nations will meet in person this week for the first time since March 2020

OPEC and allies are expected to cut production at a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, according to media reports.

Banks such as JPMorgan Chase told Bloomberg that the organization needs to lower output by least 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) to stabilize global oil prices. According to Reuters, however, the groupmay take a more aggressive approach and slash output by more than 1 million bpd.

The upcoming meeting at the OPEC headquarters in Vienna will be the first in-person gathering of the group since March 2020, and market experts say OPEC+ would not have ventured to convene in-person unless a large cut was on the table.

“I suspect that they might not want to go in person for a minor move… We certainly see a significant chance that the producer group will opt for a substantial cut to try to signal that there is indeed an effective circuit breaker in the market,” Helima Croft, chief commodities strategist at RBC Capital Markets, told Bloomberg.

Analysts say the group’s expected move to cut production is long overdue and would support the volatile oil market. International benchmark Brent oil dropped to a little over $85 per barrel this week, down from around $125 per barrel in February, when Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine. US West Texas Intermediate fell below $80 per barrel, settling at $79.74 per barrel at the end of trading on Friday. Industry experts are concerned that prices may drop further due to the general slowing of the global economy amid the tightening of monetary policy by key central banks and the recession threat.

“Price swings have become the norm as market players juggle worries over the global economy and the prospect of tightening oil supplies,” Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM told Reuters.

A production cut, if it happens, would come mere weeks before the EU sanctions on Russian oil exports come into effect on December 5, which, according to analysts, might complicate matters for OPEC. A member of OPEC+, Russia is currently shipping about 820,000 barrels of crude a day to Europe alone, according to Bloomberg. However, these volumes will be in jeopardy in two months, as the EU embargo targets Russia’s seaborne oil shipments, as well as insurance and other services to tankers carrying Russian crude, even those not headed to Europe. While Russia has been quite successfully redirecting its crude exports in recent months, the EU embargo may pose problems for further efforts on this front.

https://www.rt.com/business/563903-oil-opec-output-cut/

EU should reconsider the sanctions on Russia

>>17624073

The media has overused the terms basless, conspiracy theory, debunked to the point people believe the opposite now.

>>17624073

When did they drag out the black eyed bidan? He’s been showing up lately. Big difference in his hair pattern also compared the burnt out blue eyed robot

>>17624104

Yes, but they are all creepy. Which one shouts and whispers like a freak?