30 Jan, 2023 09:02

Ukrainian PM states timeline for EU membership hopes

Skeptics argueit could take decadesfor Kiev to qualify for accession

Ukraine sees itself as part of the EU in two years, but even its most ardent supporters in the bloc believe that target to be overambitious, Politico reported on Monday. The deadline was set by Prime Minister Denis Shmigal ahead of an EU-Ukraine meeting in Kiev next Friday.

“We expect that this year, in 2023, we can already have this pre-entry stage of negotiations,” Shmigal told the news outlet.

Ukraine applied for EU candidate status last February, after Russia launched its military operation. Brussels granted Kiev that status in June, though the timing for accession remains a matter of debate.

Kiev and its biggest backers, such as Poland, claim Ukraine deserves to be fast-tracked to full membership. More skeptical nations have argued that it may take considerable time before the country meets the criteria.

French President Emmanuel Macron warned in May that the accession process “would probably take several decades,” unless the EU lowers its requirements “and also partially the principles that we hold.”

Türkiye has been kept waiting on the EU’s doorstep since 1999, while Ankara’s request to join the European Economic Community, the EU’s predecessor, was filed in 1987.

European Council President Charles Michel, who traveled to Kiev earlier this month to offer reassurances that Ukraine will eventually become part of the EU, indicated that the bloc’s leadership has no intention of bending the rules.

“If it means changing the rules and procedures, no, because we believe in and defend the rule of law,” Michel said in an interview last week when discussing what fast-tracking Ukraine could mean.

Politico described Shmigal’s deadline as “throwing down a gauntlet to the EU establishment.” The head of the Ukrainian cabinet said he expects progress in specific areas, including the continued suspension of tariffs and quotas for Ukrainian goods, and inclusion into the EU’s mobile roaming area.

Kiev could take certain steps to allay any criticism from the EU, such as rolling back controversial legislation which regulates how justices of the Constitutional Court are appointed, according to Politico.

The reform was passed in December, with Kiev ignoring recommendations from the Venice Commission to modify the draft to prevent political influence on a special body tasked with screening candidates.

President Vladimir Zelensky has been at loggerheads with the Constitutional Court since 2020, when he launched a campaign to remove the chief justice after the court struck down a bill that the presidential office wanted passed into law.

(Ukraine has a mandate for many years to clean up their corruption first, they’ve made no progress. And now taking billions from US and EU thats being laundered is not going to make the EU speed anything up for the whiners! From day one, its been said US wants Ukraine destroyed, they don’t care about the people one iota)

https://www.rt.com/russia/570668-ukraine-eu-membership-shmygal/

30 Jan, 2023 15:16

Polish economy slows as Ukraine conflict drags on

The country’s GDP growth decelerated to 4.9% in 2022, official statistics show

Poland’s GDP growth in 2022 slipped from the previous year amid soaring inflation and a plunge in consumer spending brought about by the conflict in neighboring Ukraine and the impact of anti-Russia sanctions, according to data from the country’s statistics agency.

A flash estimate released on Monday shows the country’s GDP having grown by 4.9% in 2022, down from the 6.8% recorded in 2021. The growth was driven largely by industrial production, the rebuilding of inventories, exports, and investment. Consumption, however, registered a strong slowdown going into the end of the year, as inflation weighed on real disposable income and spending.

“This very good result is to a large extent the effect of a very good first half of the year. The second half of the year brought a clear slowdown in economic activity, because the effects of higher inflation and higher interest rates became apparent,” Grzegorz Maliszewski, chief economist at Bank Millennium, told Reuters.

December saw headline inflation slow to 16.6% year-on-year thanks to energy prices coming down from the nearly 25-year highs they reached earlier in the year. However, analysts warn that consumer prices may surge again in February 2023, as core inflation continued to rise in December, to 11.6% from 11.4% in November.

Analysts expect the beginning of 2023 to be difficult for the Polish economy, but predict that the second half of the year may bring an upturn.

“Unless Europe encounters problems securing energy sources for next winter season (2023/24), we expect economic growth of about 1% this year. This should be accompanied by… persistently high core inflation, which will not allow interest rate cuts before the end of this year,” analysts from ING said in a report.

The governor of Poland’s central bank, Adam Glapinski, said earlier this month that he expects the country to avoid a recession, although there may be temporary fluctuations in the first quarter of the year. He forecast GDP growth to come in at around 0.7% in 2023, “but still positive.”

(Crazy they are destroying their country with this fight with Russia, via Ukraine!)

https://www.rt.com/business/570685-poland-economy-slows-ukraine/

30 Jan, 2023 10:51

Erdogan questions Macron’s competence

Paris has seen its clout in Africa diminish under the French leader, Türkiye’s president claimed

Emmanuel Macron is unfit to be French president and has overseen a significantdeterioration in relations with Africa, his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested. Erdogan claimed that with Macron at the helm, Paris is losing influence globally.

Speaking at a youth gathering in Bilecik province in western Türkiye on Sunday, Erdogan said that “the person at the head of France does not have the experience to be at the head of that state.”

The Turkish leader pointed to recent developments in Paris’ relations with African nations to support his case. “Look, they are exploiting African countries right now.Mali is in a complete breakwith France right now,”Erdogan argued.

The Turkish president also noted thatBurkina Faso has given French troops one month to leave the country. Earlier in January, the West African nation suspended a 2018 agreement on the deployment of French service members on its territory. Relations between Paris and its former colony have been on a downward spiral, with the local population blaming France for its perceived inability to combat Islamic extremists. “And I think that Togo, they will send [the troops out] too,” Erdogan added.

According to the Turkish leader, France “is rapidly losing its reputation” in Africa. “We have had many meetings with them, at international meetings and so on, but they are not honest,” Erdogan claimed. Macron has also “lost his credibility in parliament,” the Turkish president stated. “France is constantly losing credibility, and it is losing credibility in the international community.”

“Of course, there are many leaders like this in the world,” Erdogan continued, without elaborating. “In the relations with Greece in the Mediterranean, they ignore Türkiye and enter into different relations with them,” he added.

Macron and Erdogan have frequently engaged in verbal clashes. One of the most notorious incidents took place in 2020, when the Turkish president suggested that his French counterpart “needs mental treatment” while criticizing Macron’s attitude toward Islam and Muslims.

At the time, Macron said that radical Muslims in France were guilty of “Islamist separatism.”In response to Erdogan’s comments, Paris recalled its ambassador to Türkiye for consultations.

https://www.rt.com/news/570683-erdogan-macron-no-qualified/

>>18253432

Is it time yet! Feels like acceleration to me.

30 Jan, 2023 10:00

Beijing highlights US role in Ukraine conflict

Washington instigated the crisis and is pushing for it to rage on, the foreign ministry has said

Beijing highlights US role in Ukraine conflict

The US is the “initiator and biggest promoter” of the crisis in Ukraine, Beijing has said, commenting on Washington’s reported claims that state-run Chinese companies were providing non-lethal aid to Russia.

If the US government actually wants to help the Ukrainian people and see the crisis end as soon as possible,it should “stop sending weapons and reaping the benefits of war,”Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday during a news briefing.

She dismissed the claims of assistance to Moscow, which were reported in the Western media last week, as “unfounded suspicion and accusations” and said Beijing would not accept “groundless blackmail” or discrimination against Chinese companies by Washington.

The reports were based on an anonymous source described by Reuters as “familiar with the situation.”

“What we’re seeing is non-lethal military assistance and economic support that stops short of wholesale sanctions evasion,” the source was quoted as saying. The person added that Washington was not sure if the Chinese government was aware of the “activity” and that it had communicated its concerns to Beijing.

The US government publicly threatened China with consequences for any assistance to Russia in circumvention of the economic sanctions imposed by Washington and its allies.

When asked about the alleged assistance last Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the US was “monitoring the situation” and would “continue to communicate to China the implications of providing material support” to Russia. She pledged that the US would support Ukraine for “as long as needed.” Washington has already allocated over $100 billion related to propping up Kiev in its fight against Moscow.

Beijing has criticized Russia for sending troops against its neighbor but has said that the stage for the conflict was set by NATO’s expansion in Europe and its refusal to acknowledge Russia’s security concerns.

https://www.rt.com/news/570681-china-us-sanctions-ukraine/

30 Jan, 2023 15:54

Scholz’s office logging German FM’s ‘mistakes’ – media

One of them was reportedly Annalena Baerbock’s “we’re at war with Russia” comment

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has grown displeased with the country’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, the newspaper Bild reported on Sunday, citing a person familiar with the matter.

“In the chancellor’s office, Baerbock’s mistakes are being carefully noted,” a government insider was quoted as saying.

The most recent rift was reportedly when the foreign minister told the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe last week that “we’re fighting a war against Russia, not against each other.”

Baerbock’s words clashed with Berlin’s stance that, despite supplying Kiev with heavy weapons, Germany is not a party to the armed conflict. Her comments were condemned in Russia, as well as slammed by the opposition at home as reckless and dangerous.

“This is a war between Russia and Ukraine,” Scholz clarified on Saturday. “That doesn’t change if we provide Ukraine with financial and humanitarian aid or deliver weapons.”

Apart from the ‘war’ comment, according to Bild, Baerbock jumped the gun this month by saying in an interview with French media that Berlin would not bar Poland from sending German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. The chancellery was said to have been blindsided by her statement because Scholz was still negotiating the sensitive matter at the time with the US and other European countries.

The report said that Baerbock also ruffled some feathers by refusing to fly to Paris for a meeting in October, citing “a family vacation,” and by voicing reservations over the timing of Scholz’s trip to China last year.

Last week, the German Foreign Ministry apologized for tweeting that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was travelling in Africa at the time, had come “not to see leopards.” A spokeswoman for African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki slammed the tweet, accusing Baerbock’s ministry of rehashing “colonial tropes.”

(Glenn Greenwald said he interviewed her and it will be coming out next week)

https://www.rt.com/news/570699-scholz-baerbock-bad-blood/

>>18253522

Kek good for them

>>18253514

All the EU countries are suffering from this war, and then Bidan regime guilts into sending more weapons. Some leaders have to grow a spine over. Trump is right, bidan surpasses Carter as the worst president ever

30 Jan, 2023 15:40

Scottish govt does U-turn on trans prisoners

Inmates with a history of violence toward women will no longer be transferred to female facilities

Scottish govt does U-turn on trans prisoners

The Scottish government announced on Sunday that it would provisionally stop having some transgender prisoners sent to female jails. Officials clarified that the measure would apply to those inmates who are known to have acted violently toward women in the past.

The change in stance came shortly after convicted rapist Isla Bryson was transferred to the country’s sole all-female prison last week, a move that elicited a public outcry. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon eventually intervened and ordered the transgender prisoner removed from the female facility.

Announcing the decision, Scottish Justice Minister Keith Brown made a point of emphasizing that the assumption that “trans women pose an inherent threat to women” is fallacious.

“However, as with any group in society, a small number of trans women will offend,” he added.

Brown also revealed that the policies for housing transgender prisoners may undergo further changes as the Scottish authorities are conducting an urgent review of Bryson’s case. The assessment involves “experts in women affected by trauma and violence,” according to a Scottish Prison Service spokesperson.

The minister went on to acknowledge that the issue is “highly emotive,” adding that his thoughts remain with the “victims in these cases.”

The provisional ban on transfers applies both to transgender individuals already serving sentences and those newly convicted.

Brown stressed that the Scottish Prison Service’s “policies have in no way been changed or impacted” by the government of Scotland's controversial Gender Recognition Reform Bill, a piece of legislation that envisages, among other things, a self-identification process for changing gender and a lower minimum age.

However, the British government blocked the bill from proceeding to royal assent, citing “safety issues for women and children.”

https://www.rt.com/news/570703-scotland-transgender-female-prisons/

30 Jan, 2023 06:00

Germany warned of ‘technical’ recession

The government has upgraded the economic outlook, but the finance minister says a contraction is still likely in the short term

Germany warned of ‘technical’ recession

The German economy is facing two consecutive quarters of contraction, Economy Minister Robert Habeck told a news conference last week at which he presented the newly released projections.

In the report, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) outlook for 2023 was revised to 0.2% growth this year. Last fall, the government had forecast a 0.4% GDP decline for this year. The inflation outlook has also improved due to the recent drop in energy prices. Price growth for the year is now expected to come in at 6%, down from the previous forecast of 7%.

“It’s still likely that we’ll have a technical recession,” Habeck warned, adding that while the country’s economy would avoid a sharp decline, the crisis is far from over.

“The message is that we have made the crisis manageable… This does not mean that the crisis is over. But we were able to avert the worst scenarios,” he stated.

A technical recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth. Habeck, however, expects the situation to improve in the third and fourth quarters of this year.

Europe’s largest economy, Germany suffered from record inflation last year due to a surge in energy prices brought about by the drop in energy supplies from Russia amid Ukraine-related sanctions. Prices have largely stabilized thanks to accelerated efforts to diversify energy sources, an unusually mild winter, and gas storage facilities having been filled. This led to more positive, albeit still cautious, forecasts for the German economy in 2023. However, many analysts sill point out that Berlin could face problems in the summer, when it will have to refill gas storages for next winter with little or no Russian supplies available.

https://www.rt.com/business/570642-germany-warning-technical-recession/

30 Jan, 2023 11:27

Russia becomes Iran’s biggest investor – official

A senior Iranian official says Moscow has poured nearly $3 billion into oil projects in a little more than a year

Russia has become Iran’s largest foreign investor, Fars news agency reported on Sunday, citing the country’s deputy finance minister, Ali Fekri.

According to the official, Russia “had brought some $2.7 billion worth of investment to two petroleum projects in Iran’s Western province of Ilam in the past 15 months.” The figure accounts for some 45% of the total foreign investment attracted by Tehran over the period, Fekri noted.

The UAE, Afghanistan, Türkiye and China were also among Iran’s biggest investors in the reporting period. However, Fekri noted that Beijing had notably reduced spending in 2022.

“China has invested nearly $185 million in Iran over that period, which we are not happy with given the amount of negotiations and meetings we had,” he stated.

According to Fekri, Tehran had set a target of $10.2 billion in direct foreign investment for the 15 months to December last year. It failed to reach this goal, having secured only $5.95 billion.

Iran and Russia boosted cooperation throughout 2022 in an effort find ways to bypass Western sanctions imposed on both countries. The two nations sealed a number of agreements expanding trade and concluded contracts on thejoint construction of gas pipelines.

Total trade turnover between Moscow and Tehran surged by 15% last year, reaching $4.6 billion. Earlier this month, Iran and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), signed a memorandum on free trade, which is also seen as a means of further strengthening ties between the two countries.

(Bring Trump back now)

https://www.rt.com/business/570677-russia-iran-biggest-investor/

Trump Is Right Again

Megyn Kelly

@megynkelly·4

These are 5-alarm fire #s - omg:“CNN just notched its lowest ratings in 9 years across all its day parts…averaging just 444,000 viewers in PRIMETIME, 93,000 in the all-important age 25-54 news demo & [in day] 417,000 in viewers and 80,000 in the demo.”

https://thewrap.com/cnn-just-suffered-its-worst-ratings-week-in-9-years/

https://mobile.twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1620095931025874946

30 Jan, 2023 16:02

Poland sets condition on potential F-16 deliveries to Ukraine

Warsaw says it is prepared to hand over the planes, but only in coordination with NATO

Poland will transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, but only as part of a coordinated effort with other NATO partners, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced at a press conference on Monday.

Morawiecki said Warsaw coordinates all actions pertaining to strengthening Kiev’s defensive capabilities with its NATO partners, primarily with the US, noting the recent decisions to deliver Patriot air defense systems and M1 Abrams and Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev.

“And just as it happened a few months ago with MiG-29 aircraft, any other aircraft assistance will be coordinated, implemented and, possibly, transferred together with other NATO member states. We will act in full coordination here,” Morawiecki said.

The PM’s statement comes after Polish media reported last week that Warsaw had allegedly transferred a number of its MiG-29s to Ukraine in March 2022, disguising them as spare parts – while the US and allies refused to provide Kiev with military aircraft, deeming the move “too escalatory.”

Since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in late February last year, Washington has been one of the main suppliers of military aid to Kiev, spending tens of billions of dollars on lethal assistance. However, the US has been hesitant to provide advanced weaponry such as modern warplanes, fearing they could be used to strike Russian territory and ultimately lead to a direct confrontation between Moscow and NATO.

On Saturday, however, it was revealed thata number of US military officials have been “quietly pushing”the Department of Defense to greenlight the delivery of F-16s to Kiev. As reported by Politico, several sources within the Pentagon claim these efforts are now “gaining momentum” after Washington agreed to send tanks and Patriot systems.

Russia has repeatedly warned the West against supplying Ukraine with weapons, arguing that it would only prolong the conflict. Last week, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that the arms deliveries serve as further proof that Western countries are directly involved in the stand-off between Moscow and Kiev.

(This is fucking insane)

https://www.rt.com/news/570707-poland-ukraine-f16-jets/

>>18253807

Can it be revealed now? In the future means what

>>18253751

Sounds like is happening now, I feel things changing, quickly. Thanks for posting this.

30 Jan, 2023 17:21

Putin talks cooperation with US ally

The Russian president spoke with the Saudi prince, discussing work within OPEC Plus

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have discussedbilateral cooperation and measures to stabilize the global oil marketin a phone call, the Kremlin stated on Monday.

“Issues of further development of bilateral cooperation in the political, trade, economic and energy fields” were discussed, according to the Kremlin. Furthermore, the two leaders spoke of “cooperation within the framework of OPEC Plus to ensure the stability of the world oil market.”

Putin and Prince Mohammed have spoken several times since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine last February, with these calls taking place amid a growing rift between Saudi Arabia and the US, the Kingdom’s closest international partner.

Over the last year, Riyadh has deepened its ties with Beijing and declared its readiness to trade oil for Chinese yuan, a move that would threaten the US dollar’s standing as the world’s dominant petrocurrency.

As the de-facto leader of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Saudi Arabia further snubbed the US last July when it refused to increase oil production following a meeting between Prince Mohammed and US President Joe Biden. An increase would have simultaneously benefited Biden by lowering gas prices in the US ahead of November’s midterm elections, and weakened the Russian economy by reducing its oil revenue.

Instead, OPEC and its allies (a group of nations including Russia that make up the ‘Plus’ in the organization’s title) agreed in October to cut production by two million barrels per day, a move that kept prices steady for the benefit of producers.

With Moscow and Riyadh both interested in maintaining their petroleum profits, the US-backed price cap on Russian oil is viewed in both capitals as a potential threat to revenue. Furthermore, OPEC’s members worry that the measure could become “a global price cap” in the future, potentially ruining their economies.

Washington responded to Saudi Arabia’s refusal to boost production by threatening to re-evaluate its relationship with Riyadh “in a very deliberate fashion.” Democratic lawmakers pressed Biden to halt arms sales to the Kingdom unless it would reverse OPEC’s production cut, accusing the Saudis of “colluding” with Russia.

(Interesting! taking down the global DS?)

https://www.rt.com/russia/570713-putin-saudi-phone-call/

30 Jan, 2023 17:28

UK young adults worry they can't afford family – survey

Individuals aged 16-25 are more unhappy and less confident than at any point since the Prince’s Trust began measuring

Nearly half (45%) of young adults aged 16 to 25 in the UK fear they will never make enough money to support a family, according to a report from the Prince’s Trust charity published Monday. The figure increases to 53% among young people from more modest backgrounds.

Their concern seems to have affected long-term planning, with only 36% of respondents telling the charity their biggest goal was having a family. Much more popular, with 64% of the responses, was achieving financial security. Another 43% picked good mental health as their primary goal.

As for how to achieve that goal, 70% of respondents said having a job that provides financial stability was good for their mental health, and 59% said merely being employed no matter the salary improved their mental state.

The biggest worry for the age group, named by 57% of respondents, was the cost-of-living crisis. Another 34% cited the looming recession – predicted by a growing majority of economic experts worldwide – as their chief concern.

General happiness and confidence among this age group were at lower levels than any time since the Trust began polling amid the financial crisis of 2008. While 70% of young people said they are “determined to achieve their goals in life,” 36% of low-income respondents expressed worry they were going to “fail in life,” and almost half (46%) said economic uncertainty made them feel “hopeless” about the future. That number climbed to 55% among low-income youth.

Mental health issues have become the norm, with 45% reporting having experienced a mental health problem at some point. Some 56% reported being anxious most or all of the time and 62% said they were always or often stressed.

UK Chief Executive of the Prince’s Trust, Jonathan Townsend, described the survey results as “a warning sign that, post pandemic, young people’s wellbeing has not recovered.” Referring to the age group as the “Class of Covid,” he remarked that “economic uncertainty is having a profound impact on their wellbeing and confidence in achieving their aspirations for the future.”

(The evil creators and enablers of Covid must be round up charged for their crimes)

https://www.rt.com/news/570709-uk-youth-worry-financial-future/