Ukraine-Russia war latest: Germany confirms it will send tanks to Kyiv as Kremlin warns of ‘blatant provocation’ | The Independent

Berlin will provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks from military stocks as a first step, a statement from the German government said

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Just what planet is Putin and his other comrades on  for he and them invaded an a independent country with a democratically elected Government without any justification, only to attempt to accomplish Putin’s dream and every other persons nightmare of a reformed Russian Empire. He and they provoked all the actions currently being being taken by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine with the support of other enlightened countries to ensure there is eventual peace in Europe.

For to ignore Putin and Russian invasions only leads to Putin believing he and the Russian forces are invincible as we saw with the earlier invasions of Chechnya, Crimea and some areas of Eastern Ukraine.

If Putin suceeds in absorbing Ukraine into Russia, no other country will be safe, even those who are already within NATO.

Putin said he feared a NATO invasion, well where is it, for no NATO forces are within Ukraine and engaged against so called Russian Forces or within Russia itself.

What Putins invasion of Ukraine has started is more countries wishing to be part of NATO, such as Finland and Sweden so putin is effectively a catalyst for NATO expansion.

It is doubtful, if Russia will ever be trusted, for after the Cold War there were signs that some trust was begining to occur, but this invasion of Ukraine, plus the poisonings in other countries and Cyber attacks over the years put down to Putin are now certain that Russia will now be never trusted.

Will there be peace, well we all hope so and now it appears that Germany Leopard 2 Tanks and America Abram tanks could be given to Ukraine together with the already offered UK Challenger 2 Tanks.

Will this lead to eventual peace in Ukraine and Russia’s continued acts of agression to bne curtailed well everyone hopes so.

Source: Ukraine-Russia war latest: Germany confirms it will send tanks to Kyiv as Kremlin warns of ‘blatant provocation’ | The Independent

Poland and Lithuania to send German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine | Euronews

During a visit to Lviv in Ukraine, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda met with his Ukrainian and Lithuanian counterparts, where he announced the dispatch of 14 coveted German-made Leopard tanks.

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Yes, Ukraine needs all the help it can for Ukraine is not just trying to defend itself from the unnecessary and so illegal invasion of their territory by Russian forces and those others who are mistakenly supporting Putin, but to also stop Putin from invading any other countries he feels he should do.

If, Putin had not been ignored in all his previous actions, then he would not have believed he would be successful in invading Ukraine as he appeared to be. It is always a grave mistake to ignore the likes of Putin and others like him for they believe non-action is a weakness and boosts their belief in being invincible.

So give to Ukraine all it needs and even more, otherwise expect Putin to be in your ‘backyard’ sooner or later.

 

Source: Poland and Lithuania to send German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine | Euronews

German employers and unions unite to oppose EU Russian gas boycott | Euronews

German bosses and unions have opposed a ban on Russian gas imports by the EU, claiming it will cause job losses and factory closures.

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So, much for European unity or is that only EU, but not much over the years for Greece. So, is Germany a law until itself or is it just Germany and France, for it is reported that they continued, during the 2014 invasion of Crimea, to supply some armaments to Russia, even though there was an EU-wide arms embargo.

So, it is not just the importing of Russiam gas, but that Germany comes first, irrespective of War Crimes committed and continuing to be committed to be continuing by Russia against innocent Ukrainian civilians and destructions of Ukrainian hospitals, schools, etc and also executions of Ukrainians.

Source: German employers and unions unite to oppose EU Russian gas boycott | Euronews

War Crimes

Russian actions in Ukraine is not new, as they did similar in Syria and invading other countries is not new either, as they did so in Georgia, Chechnya, but the West did nothing, so Putin feels he is free to do as he pleases.

In many of the above, Russia was creating ‘War Crimes’, but no actions were taken, as it appears actions are only taken when countries assumed guilty of war crimes are defeated and so far Russia as not been defeated.

Surely, war crimes are war crimes be they done by defeated parties or the so called winners.

Going back in history, by using the situation of destroying civilian targets is assumed to be war crimes was the UK/America not guilty of this in World War II in the bombing of Dresden and also America in Japan with their Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But this form of bombing in WW2 was started by Germany, called ‘The Blitz‘ and the bombing of Germany and then Japan did bring to an end of WW2.

Bombing of civilian targets is not right in any circumstances, but then the bombing of any targets should never be justified, in fact the creation of wars or any conflicts is not right, irrespective of the size.

The UN was created after WW2 to bring, so called peace to the World, but in this, many instances have occurred where the UN did not stop conflicts occurring ‘, but did bring in peace keeping forces, such as Bosnia.

But while broking peace is good should not the stopping of conflicts beginning be even better, but to do so this would require forces which are not available and the interventions of removing war like leaders of countries, but then there would not be many leaders left.

Macron says cost to Russia will be ‘very high’ if it attacks Ukraine | Euronews

Speaking alongside Chancellor Scholz, the French president also said France and Germany were united in seeking to defuse the crisis.

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Putin is living in the past as he assumes that he and Russia have a right to dictate to another independent country what they can do. I was lead to believe that WW2 took place to stop these attitudes and that the UN was created to ensure and retain peace. But the UN is not mentioned here and will not be as the UN Security Council contains Russia and needs  agreement of all members to provide actions. Well Russia will never agree to actions against themselves and will most likely have the support of China in this matter, in fact who does listen to the UN.

By Putin’s actions he could very well cause the start of WW3 from which there will be no return for anyone just so that he looks good to the population of Russia, but he has no opposition as he has seen to that by either arresting them or murdering them.

On another matter the supporters of the EU say that the EU was created and is responsible for peace in Europe, so where is the EU  in this matter, some could say that France and Germany are involved, but they are only 2 of the 26 in the EU, but they believe they are the EU.

The EU started as a Trading Block and is morphing into, what it hopes to be, a United States of Europe, but without Russia. Ukraine wishes to join the EU, but then Russia is against this.

Nato was formed to provide peace, but their hands are also tied.

So, we are in the hands of Putin, well in that case God, help us.

Source: Macron says cost to Russia will be ‘very high’ if it attacks Ukraine | Euronews

AstraZeneca vaccine safe and effective in new trial data | Reuters

More evidence that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe, so why is the EU continually coming out against this vaccine and not any of the others.

First we had Macron and Merkel then the blood clot scare followed by 17 European countries suspending use of the vaccine all of this without any reliable justification.

Is all this because of the AstraZeneca connection with the UK or do they wish their populations to catch COVID-19? If it is the latter this will be very disturbing. For while blood clots are not registered as one of the side effects of the vaccine, blood clots are down as one of the possible consequences of contracting COVID-19.

No wonder the take up rates of having the vaccines in Europe are very disappointing and while this is a very real cause of concern within Europe, it is also a very real concern in the rest of the World, including the UK. As by not having an effective take up rate this is leading to possible more mutations, some, which could well reduce the effectiveness of the vaccines, leaving those of us who have been vaccinated open to contracting COVID-19 with maybe serious consequences.

This, I feel is the EU playing with politics and a further punishment for the UK leaving the EU.

The EU need to get over themselves for they are the reason for Europe starting a possible 3rd wave of Coronavirus, due to their shambolic dealings with measures to combat COVID-19. Slowing in vaccine approvals, slow in placing vaccine orders, having less effective contracts of purchasing of COVID vaccines.

On the face of it the best thing the UK did was coming out of the EU, as the EU is much too bureaucratic.

Now the EU is threatening to stop companies exporting Vaccines, especially to the UK, when they have many supplies of vaccines in storage in the EU.  This is showing the EU in their true colours.

 

Source: AstraZeneca vaccine safe and effective in new trial data | Reuters

Explainer: Europe’s coronavirus smartphone contact tracing apps – Reuters

BERLIN (Reuters) – More than 20 countries and territories in Europe have launched or plan smartphone apps that seek to break the chain of coronavirus infection by tracking encounters between people and issuing a warning should one of them test positive.

 

Source: Explainer: Europe’s coronavirus smartphone contact tracing apps – Reuters

Trump asks NATO allies for help with Iran after years of bashing the alliance : The Conversation

President Trump’s speech about Iran wasn’t just aimed at that country or the US. He also targeted NATO allies, urging members of the alliance to step up and help US efforts in the Middle East.

Source: Trump asks NATO allies for help with Iran after years of bashing the alliance : The Conversation

Ryan Shorthouse and Anvar Sarygulov: We need more migrants to become citizens | Conservative Home

Doing so would improve social integration, enhance the contribution that migrants make, and allay public discontent over immigration.

Source: Ryan Shorthouse and Anvar Sarygulov: We need more migrants to become citizens | Conservative Home

If Germany atoned for the Holocaust, the US can pay reparations for slavery

The idea of paying reparations for slavery is gaining momentum in the United States, despite being long derided as an unrealistic plan, to compensate for state violence committed by and against people long dead.

The topic saw substantive debate in the July 30 Democratic primary debate, with candidate Marianne Williamson calling slavery “a debt that is owed.” Some Democratic congressional representatives are also pushing for financial recompense for the descendants of enslaved people.

Calls for reparations in the U.S. are generally met with skepticism: What would reparations achieve? Who should receive them, and under what conditions?

Other countries have tackled these questions. In 1995, South Africa established its Truth and Reconciliation Commission and paid reparations to the victims of apartheid. Eight years before, the United States apologized to 82,000 Japanese Americans unduly imprisoned during World War II and paid them US$20,000 each to compensate for their suffering.

Even Germany, birthplace of the worst racism ever institutionalized and elevated to official policy, has some lessons for the United States as it considers reparations.

Compensating victims of Nazi enslavement

I am a professor of political science who studies the relationship between democracy, citizenship and justice. My recent work on Germany examines how the country dealt with the horrors of the Holocaust.

Nazi Germany not only killed millions of Jews between 1933 and 1945. It also forced over 20 million people into slave labor, working them to their death in German industries. By 1944, a quarter of the German workforce was enslaved laborers.

 

Source: If Germany atoned for the Holocaust, the US can pay reparations for slavery