UK Moves Troops into Eastern Europe

Freedomist Curator February 15, 2022

UK to send military personnel to Lithuania

From www.plenglish.com
2022-02-14 20:17:08

Excerpt:

As reported by the British Ministry of Defense through the social network Twitter, the military will provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support to the Lithuanian armed forces and will help them increase their response capacity in the face of pressure on the border with Belarus.

Although it did not offer details on the number of British troops that will be deployed, Defense Minister Ben Wallace assured that London and Vilnius share concerns about the accumulation of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine and about the migratory crisis that is brewing, he said, on the Lithuanian-Belarusian dividing line.

The United Kingdom, the United States and other Western countries accuse Russia of wanting to invade Ukraine because the Ukrainian government applied for membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Moscow categorically opposes NATO expansion into Eastern Europe as a threat to its national security, and maintains more than 100,000 troops…

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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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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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China Targets Falklands for Imperial Expansion

Paul Collier February 8, 2022

Argentina has been getting very cozy with China, and has also been getting a lot of Chinese Yuen as well. After siding with China’s One China policy, which invalidates Taiwan’s claim as an independent nation, Argentina is now getting support from China in their claim on the Falkland Islands, a claim that led to the Falkland Islands War in 1982. The British have fired back at China through Twitter, with a UK Official, Liz Truss, saying the Falkland Islands are “part of the British family.”

Liz Truss says Falklands are part of ‘British family’, as China backs Argentina’s claim over islands after meeting during Beijing Olympics | World News

From news.sky.com
2022-02-07 11:09:18

Excerpt:

The Falklands are “part of the British family”, according to Liz Truss, after China backed Argentina’s claims over the south Atlantic islands.

The foreign secretary wrote on Twitter that “China must respect Falklands’ sovereignty” after Argentina‘s President Alberto Fernandez met with Xi Jinping during the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The Chinese and Argentine leaders spoke of their “deep friendship”, in a statement on China’s London embassy website.

They agreed on an accord in which China reasserted its support for Argentina’s claim to the Falklands, while Mr Fernandez backed Mr Jinping’s one-China policy, which claims Taiwan as its own.

“The Argentine side reiterated its adherence to the one-China principle and the Chinese side reiterated its support for the Argentine side’s request to fully exercise its sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands issue,” the statement said.

British government officials have stayed away from the Beijing games as part of a boycott by several Western nations, in protest against human rights concerns.

Argentina also signed up to China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by Beijing in 2013.

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Peng Shuai Makes Forced Appearance at Beijing 2022

Parker Davis February 8, 2022

The virtually disappeared Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai made another awkward forced interview appearance during the Beijing Olympics. Her appearance is a reminder of a list of well-known Chinese celebrities that have disappeared after crossing the Comminust Party. None of them are bigger than China’s former version of Elon Musk, Jack Ma, who was last seen in a brief video in January 2021 after going missing a few months before that video appeared.

Peng Shuai’s controlled interview mirrors previous narratives

From www.csmonitor.com
2022-02-07 20:17:54
Sarah DiLorenzo
Excerpt:

The drama surrounding Peng Shuai is following a familiar script, in which someone who has run afoul of China’s Communist government disappears from view.

Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai gave a controlled interview on Monday in Beijing that touched on sexual assault allegations she made against a former high-ranking member of China’s ruling Communist Party. Her answers – delivered in front of a Chinese Olympic official – left unanswered questions about her well-being and what exactly happened.

What happens next depends on the case, but it is not uncommon for the person in question to disavow the statements or actions that first upset officials. Other times, the person simply keeps a lower profile. Sometimes, their arrest is eventually announced.

Ms. Peng’s saga began in November, when she wrote in a social media post that a former member of the party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee had forced her to have sex three years ago despite repeated refusals.

The post was quickly taken down and the former top-ranked doubles player dropped out of public view late last year.

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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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