Biden Follows Trump Down Yemen Fiasco

Mark Clouse February 15, 2022

Biden doubles down on a failed Yemen policy

From thehill.com
2022-02-14 21:30:15

Excerpt:

When running for office, President Biden to “make sure America does not check its values at the door to sell arms or buy oil.” In the context of the Yemen conflict, fulfilling this promise may not be easy, but it is clear: In Biden’s own words, America must “end U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen.” Unfortunately, the administration’s response to the recent escalation in the conflict has been to revert to the same failed playbook as previous administrations, risking further complicity in the Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) coalition’s violations.

The Yemen conflict has devastated the lives of millions of people in Yemen over the past seven years, but the recent uptick in hostilities makes clear the deadly cost of broken promises. U.S. policymakers should take bold…

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EU Will Get Poland Fines by Withholding EU Cash

Mark Clouse February 9, 2022

After the EU fined Poland for not bending its knee to the EU’s demands that it cuts off a power station and ends a lignite mining operation, Poland told the EU it’s just not paying the fines. Now, as the EU prepares to doll out the cash it gives out to member nations, it has informed Poland it will simply withhold the funds that it needs to pay the fine.

EU notifies Poland it will withhold its EU cash to cover unpaid fines

From www.euronews.com
2022-02-09 10:15:41

Excerpt:

BRUSSELS – The European Commission notified Poland on Tuesday it would withhold cash that the EU was to pay Warsaw as part of regular EU transfers, to cover the first part of fines imposed by the EU’s court on Poland which the country did not pay.

This is the first time that the Commission has to withhold EU money for a member country because it is not complying with a ruling by the EU’s top court.

Last September, the Court of Justice of the European Union put a 500,000 euro ($571,000) daily fine on Poland for not stopping the operations of its Turow lignite mine and power plant on the border with Czech Republic.

This followed a complaint from Prague that its operations were endangering water sources of residents across the border. Poland’s eurosceptic and nationalist government refused to comply with the court ruling.

“The Commission has informed Poland that it would proceed with the offsetting of payments for penalties due under case C-121/21 Czechia v Poland on Turów lignite mine”, Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari said in a statement.

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Libyan Parliament Prepared to Declare New PM

Mark Clouse February 9, 2022

Libyan parliament set to name new PM amid signs of power struggle | News

From www.aljazeera.com
2022-02-09 11:21:38

Excerpt:

Interim PM Dbeibah says he will not hand over power, a position that could lead to a flare-up of conflicts between rival factions.

Libya’s parliament is set to name a new prime minister to head the transitional government on Thursday, raising concerns over the possibility of a new power struggle.

The effort to replace interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah comes after the date for Libya’s first presidential election – scheduled for December 24 last year – came and went during his watch.

Lawmakers argue that the mandate of Dbeibah’s government ended when the presidential election was supposed to happen: December 24. He has refused to leave.

The postponement dealt a major blow to international efforts to end a decade of chaos in the oil-rich Mediterranean nation.

The presidential vote was postponed over disputes between rival factions on laws governing the elections and controversial hopefuls.

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Ukraine Less Concerned than Biden About Russia

Mark Clouse February 9, 2022

Ukraine projects calm over Russia fears despite US rhetoric

From news.yahoo.com
2022-02-09 07:30:13

Excerpt:

….But even as the rhetoric out of Washington ramps up, a sense of calm prevails in the Eastern European nation among soldiers and citizens alike, from relatives of those in the trenches on up to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who campaigned on a promise of ending the drawn-out conflict and has repeatedly called for diplomacy to carry the day.

“We are defending our country and are on our own territory. Our patience can have an impact on provocations, when we don’t respond to provocations but behave with great dignity,” Zelenskyy said Tuesday in an appearance with French President Emmanuel Macron.

While waves of Ukrainians fled their homes during 2014 fighting that saw Russia annex the Crimean Peninsula and back separatists in the eastern province of Donbas, so far people are staying put in the areas closest to the Russian troop movements.

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Slovakia Pushed to US Defense Alliance

Mark Clouse February 9, 2022

Slovakia lawmakers approve defense military treaty with US – CBS17.com

From www.cbs17.com
2022-02-09 11:44:18

Excerpt:

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia’s parliament on Wednesday approved a defense military treaty with the United States.

The Defense Cooperation Agreement passed 79-60 in the 150-seat legislature in a vote split between lawmakers from the four-party ruling coalition and the opposition.

The treaty allows the U.S. military to use two Slovak air force bases — Malacky-Kuchyna and Sliac — for 10 years while Slovakia — a NATO member — will receive $100 million from the U.S. to modernize them.

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Germans Want Energy Freedom from Russia

Mark Clouse February 9, 2022

Russian Gas: 79 Percent of Germans Want To Become More Independent – Survey By Stiebel Eltron Reveals | National

From www.wdrb.com
2022-02-09 06:22:14

Excerpt:

Almost 80 percent of Germans want to gradually make the country independent of energy imports from Russia. 74 percent consider it important to become independent of gas imports – for example delivered via the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Renewable energies should be expanded more quickly. These are the findings of the new “Energy Trend Survey 2022” by Stiebel Eltron. In February 2022, a market research institute conducted a representative survey of 1,000 German citizens on behalf of the company.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220208005962/en/

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China’s CCP Horrors, Recent and Past, Exposed in New Film

Mark Clouse February 9, 2022

Film Unveils Horrors Committed by Chinese Communist Party

From www.dailysignal.com
2022-02-09 08:02:00
Virginia Allen
Excerpt:

Just over 20 years ago, the Chinese Communist Party began persecuting those in China who followed the spiritual practice of Falun Gong.

Today, Uyghur Muslims face imprisonment and torture at the hands of the Chinese government. Tomorrow, more innocent lives will fall victim to suffering at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party if Beijing’s totalitarian leaders do not face consequences for those human rights abuses.

In the new documentary film “Unsilenced,” director Leon Lee tells the true story of those who were persecuted and killed by China’s government because they practiced Falun Gong.

The film highlights the stories of those who “risk their lives and use their wisdom to find ways to counter the propaganda and fight for their freedom” in China, Lee says.

But the threats of the Chinese Communist Party extend far beyond its borders, the film director says.

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Thousands of Americans Forgotten in Afghanistan

Mark Clouse February 8, 2022

A Republican-led Senate Report suggests that the hasty Biden evacuation of Afghanistan ended up leaving perhaps thousands of Americans behind. The Senate Committe on Foreign Relations’ GOP Members issued the report, which was called “Left Behind: A Brief Assessment of the Biden-Administration’s Strategic Failures during the Afghanistan Evacuation.”

Senate report estimates thousands left behind in Afghanistan

From www.christianpost.com
2022-02-07 19:42:16

Excerpt:

A new report from U.S. Senate Republicans estimates that the Biden administration left hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans behind in Afghanistan, casting doubt on the official statistics compiled by the U.S. State Department.

The Republicans on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, led by Ranking Member Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, released a report last week titled “Left Behind: A Brief Assessment of the Biden Administration’s Strategic Failures during the Afghanistan Evacuation.”

The report elaborated on the consequences of the Biden administration’s withdrawal of the remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan last summer, which followed nearly two decades of consistent military…

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One Island Gets All the North Korean Missiles

Mark Clouse February 8, 2022

It seems Kim Jong Un really hates an island off the North Korean Coast now simply called No Man’s Land. That island, or rock, Alsom Island, has been targeted more than 25 times for missiles to the face since 2019. Evertyime Kim wants to show the world he matters, Alsom gets a missile to the face.

Kim Jong Un keeps aiming his missiles at this ‘most hated rock’

From stripes.com

Excerpt:

As Kim Jong Un unleashed his biggest-ever barrage of missile tests last month, one place suffered the most: a barren piles of rocks whose name means “No Man’s Land.”

Alsom Island, located 11 miles off North Korea’s northeastern coast, has been targeted in more than 25 missile strikes since 2019. It was the destination of eight rockets in January alone, as Kim carried out the most launches since he took power in a signal of defiance against a U.S.-led sanctions regime intended to punish Pyongyang for developing such weapons.

The South Korean military has closely watched the outcropping’s bombardment, especially after North Korea built a 10-meter wide domed structure there in August 2020, according to opposition lawmaker Yoon Ju-kyeong. Such a structure could be used to test bunker-buster bombs, her office said, while others have speculated it might serve as a stand-in for a government building in Seoul.

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China Warns US to Stop Criticizing Them for Olympics Disaster

Mark Clouse February 8, 2022

U.S. should not go further down the wrong path: China’s UN ambassador

From news.cgtn.com
2022-02-07 11:41:57

Excerpt:

The recent irresponsible, groundless and biased remarks against China by the U.S. related to the Beijing Winter Olympics, Xinjiang and Taiwan have seriously poisoned the China-U.S. relations, China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Zhang Jun said on Sunday in a press statement.

He resolutely refuted the groundless accusations against China made by Linda Thomas Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to UN, in her interview with CNN.

Noting that many heads of state and organizations sent messages or called Chinese President Xi Jinping to wish Beijing Winter Olympics success and extended greetings on Chinese New Year, Zhang said the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, which was attended by around 170 official representatives from nearly 70 countries and international organizations, fully showed the international community’s firm support of China.

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