#when sweden was trying to join NATO

[thevagueambition]

Denmark may be making it illegal to burn the Qur'an, Bible, Torah, etc, in response to the controversy about Scandinavian Qur'an burnings

It's difficult because like. Obviously I would like the bonehead racists who burn Qur'ans to stop doing that. But also this is literally just anti-blasphemy legislation and I don't think any society needs to have laws against blasphemy

If the people burning Qur'ans were cultural Muslims protesting some conservative imam or something that would be cool and based, the same way cultural Christians doing blasphemy for political purposes has been cool and based throughout history

the minister keeps going "destroying things isn't free speech so we're not limiting free speech, people should write or create art if they want to express themselves" and like. my man. destroying symbolic objects has always been a political statement. that's the whole reason people do it. that political statement being reprehensible doesn't make it not an expression of free speech

anyway I'm not super upset by this (proposed) new legislation but I do find it wrong on principle

It is sort of funny though, seeing the government scramble to fix a foreign relations crisis created by their own indulgence of islamophobia

[highlights-of-the-lowlife]

sweden has issued a warning to its citizens to be prepared for a possible war with russia. this is based on the russian playbook of invading countries attempting to join nato. sweden has applied and is only waiting for hungary and turkey to approve for full membership.

here's why i wouldn't worry. when georgia entered talks with nato, they were unfortunately a relatively poor country that hadn't put much spending into defence and didn't have much in the way of ties to the rest of europe. that made them easy pickings for russia. the plan being that no country can join nato unless they have no conflicts within their borders and full territorial control. its why georgia got invaded and why ukraine is being invaded now.

sweden on the other hand is close to europe both geographically and politically. sweden has also feared a russian invasion for a good deal of its history as they have been at war multiple times so sweden has spent its military budget near exclusively building a modern army strategically focused on stopping russia.

their gripen fighter jet has been built so that it can take off and land from nearly back road in sweden. their stridsvagn tank is designed to be low to the ground in order to be concealable for ambushes. their coastal defences have some of the best radars in the world. and touching them will get both the EU and the americans involved.

russia can't afford another front. especially not one where they have to avoid finnish territory now that finland is a nato member. especially not one against a modern army with equipment designed to stop them flat. and especially not when ukraine is bleeding them dry of every military asset they have.

as much as i love ukraine, their military was in fairly dire straights prior to the '22 invasion and yet even having to scramble to mobilise they've managed to push russia out of kyiv, kharkiv and kherson with what is essentially nato handmedowns and old soviet donations. they're beating an army 3 times their size with whatever is found in the nato parts bin. russia has no chance of beating sweden one on one let alone still trying to capture ukraine

[mariacallous]

The Biden administration sometimes refers to the need to build a “bridge” to NATO membership for Ukraine. It’s an apt metaphor—just not in the way its proponents might think.

One might think of a bridge as a mere symbol of hope. But, invoked in a military context, a bridge is best understood in its role as wartime infrastructure. And that metaphor works precisely because building a bridge in wartime is an incredibly difficult and complex operation—one that military planners call a “wet gap crossing.” Conducting a contested wet gap crossing is perilous—see Ukraine’s evisceration of a Russian battalion attempting to cross the Siverskyi Donets River in May 2022—but the possible strategic rewards are high. In 1944, George S. Patton’s Third Army crossed the Moselle River at Nancy, turning the German defensive line and opening a strategic position for the Battle of the Bulge.

Much like a wet gap crossing, bringing Ukraine into NATO would be risky and costly, but it could lead to strategic success. If NATO nations are truly serious about bringing Ukraine into NATO, then creating a bridge to NATO cannot just be a clever diplomatic metaphor, and it should not be attempted merely in order to get to the other side, like the Russians at Siverskyi Donets. It has to be approached like the difficult, sophisticated, multifaceted operation that it is, and it must be part of a broader strategy for postwar Euro-Atlantic security, as was the Moselle crossing in World War II.

Diplomats and politicians planning for Ukraine’s future role in NATO at July’s NATO summit in Washington would do well to understand the U.S. military’s own approach to wet gap crossings. The lessons are instructive—and sobering.

Step 1: Try to go around

Because wet gap crossings are so difficult, the preferred option, if possible, is to avoid them altogether. Some would say we should not bring Ukraine into NATO because it is too risky. But that ignores the fact that there are no good options short of NATO membership for Ukraine, and the risks of not bringing Ukraine into NATO are greater in the long run. As in military operations, crossing a river often is the fastest, most effective way to an objective.

Despite the known risks and difficulties inherent in combat bridging, militaries still maintain this capability because they know that sometimes the strategic opportunity afforded by a successful wet gap crossing is worth the risks and difficulties. They also know that sometimes, going around is not an option. Russia has invaded its neighbors and rattled its nuclear saber, but one thing it has not done is attack NATO directly. That is because NATO’s Article 5 remains an effective deterrent. Nothing else has worked.

Those arguing against Ukrainian membership in NATO assert that perhaps we should choose an “Israel model” of continued materiel support to Ukraine or that a combination of countries, such as the G-7 nations, providing long-term economic support to Ukraine, would convince Russia that it cannot win. The Israel model will not work because Israel has nuclear weapons and Ukraine does not. In fact, that’s the whole point. Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in 1994 when Russia, among other nations, agreed to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Similarly, Sweden’s and Finland’s decisions to join NATO despite already being members of the European Union demonstrate that bringing Ukraine into the EU and affording it the EU’s Article 42.7 mutual assistance clause would be insufficient to deter Russian aggression.

Step 2: Plan and rehearse

Once a decision has been made to conduct a deliberate wet gap crossing, planning is crucial. Simply moving your forces up to the edge of the water and trying to figure out a way across when you reach it would guarantee disaster. You must reconnoiter potential crossing sites, assess which will likely be successful given the terrain as well as your and your enemy’s strengths and weaknesses, and prepare multiple crossing sites.

There are several options for bridging Ukraine into NATO, all of which should be considered but not all of which seem promising. The first—declaring Ukraine a NATO member while hostilities are ongoing—is theoretically possible but likely politically untenable given the need for unanimity among the 32 allies to bring in a new member. The fact that it took a year to bring the geographically blessed and militarily advanced Sweden into the alliance belies this harsh fact. If, somehow, this became politically tenable, then NATO would have to quickly deploy forces into Ukraine to make the Article 5 guarantee more than just lip service.

The second option would be to bring Ukraine into NATO as part of a guarantee during negotiations over a cease-fire or cessation of hostilities—i.e., as soon as a cessation is in place, Ukraine will accede to NATO. This likely would not work because Russia would continue fighting rather than agree to a cessation of hostilities that triggered Ukrainian membership in NATO.

The third option would be for a critical mass of NATO nations to guarantee Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity following a cease-fire by deploying forces on Ukrainian territory. This has the benefit of offering concrete security guarantees to Ukraine while allowing time to bring onside skeptical NATO nations.

While the future shape of Ukraine is unknowable, and the timeline for Ukrainian admission to NATO is unknown, the alliance should start working now to achieve unanimity of political support among NATO nations for Ukrainian accession and also to determine how, where, and when forces from NATO nations will be used to guarantee the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Both measures will be unavoidable, regardless of which option is deemed most credible.

Step 3: Prepare the battlespace

In combat bridging, you don’t just line up all your vehicles in a convoy and drive directly to the location where you want to build your bridge and then start putting things in the water. That would be suicide. You plan, rehearse, prepare your forces, and conduct a preparatory campaign to establish favorable conditions. Similarly, simply declaring a Ukrainian bridge to NATO without doing any planning or preparation would just leave Ukraine in the same strategic limbo it faced following the 2008 Bucharest declaration and similarly would motivate Moscow to redouble its efforts to undermine Ukrainian sovereignty before it is able to join NATO.

For NATO, this means that members need to begin whipping together votes in favor of Ukrainian NATO accession now. Diplomats need to understand who in the alliance already is on board with bringing Ukraine into NATO and under what conditions. For those whose position is “never” or “not until the war is over,” more creative solutions must be proposed, discussed, and solidified—in private. This cannot be a one-off discussion; it must be a constant campaign to prepare the battlespace for eventual Ukrainian accession.

Regardless of whether the war ends with Ukraine in control of its 1991 borders or Kyiv settles for something short of that, troops from NATO nations will need to be stationed on Ukrainian soil to provide the time, space, and security necessary to complete the bridge into NATO. These forces should include a coalition of key allies—ideally including NATO’s three nuclear states (Britain, France, and the United States) to signal that despite a lack of Article 5 security guarantees, NATO’s nuclear nations are committed to upholding the agreed-on borders—just as NATO troops were stationed in West Germany to deter Soviet forces in East Germany in the years between the end of World War II and West Germany’s accession to NATO.

Moving these forces into Ukraine in a short timeframe following an armistice or cease-fire would be extremely difficult both logistically and politically. Therefore, NATO nations should begin to set the theater now for those moves by declaring that NATO’s air defenses surrounding Ukraine will begin to shoot down Russian missiles and one-way attack drones that are on a trajectory to hit NATO territory; sending small numbers of NATO military personnel into Ukraine to provide training to Ukrainians; and negotiating with Turkey on allowing NATO naval capabilities into the Black Sea to protect civilian shipping.

Step 4: Commit

A wet gap crossing is a massive operation. It is viewed as a corps-level effort in the U.S. Army and is assumed that the Air Force, Space Force, and cyber assets also will provide critical support. It is difficult, risky, and costly, but if done properly, it can lead to strategic breakthrough.

Precisely because it is so risky, the commander of the operation must assess the risks involved, mitigate as much risk as possible without jeopardizing the mission, and accept that it is impossible to mitigate every risk. This is a critical step because once a combat wet gap crossing has begun, a commander must fully commit to the plan and leverage all forces available to make it a success. Half-measures in this type of operation lead to failure.

If NATO is serious about bringing Ukraine in as a member—and it should be—then it must be clear-eyed about the risks. It must develop a concrete plan, not just a political laundry list. This plan must be in support of a broader strategy. And most importantly, it must commit itself to success. Anything less is likely to lead to failure.

[marjorierose]

Three months later, the things that I used to comfort myself while my mom was sick have taken on an association with that time. I put on an episode of Sleeping With Celebrities last night and had to turn it off as soon as the theme song started playing--to call it triggering would be an overstatement, but it made me sad, and that's the opposite of what it's supposed to do. I did a full relisten of TAZ Steeplechase while I was driving to and from the nursing home, and I remember trying to listen to an episode while the whole family was at the house in the days before the funeral; there was so much going on that I took all day to get through it. I kept up with that one for a while but haven't listened to it since early August. I did care about that story. I hope I can get it back. I can live without John Moe talking me to sleep, but I'm a little sad about it.

Kinda relatedly though not really, yesterday I read a news story about Sweden's ongoing attempt to join NATO and I thought, how can it be taking this long, Finland joined eons ago. It was about five months ago, which is a while I guess, but I was able to talk to Mom about it (her voice cracked, which it often did at that point, and she laughed about how it seemed like she was going to burst into tears about Finland). Which makes it seem like it's been forever. Her death was a specific moment in time and I know when it was, but her loss of capacity followed a much less defined course and it's hard to put a date to when she stopped being able to talk about things like that. It just feels like a long time ago.

[imperium-wealth-management]

Look what boy Miguel Lindstrom was promising he was promising me hundred million dollars from from some red dragon account that they had connections with

So supporting 555 global mission peace mission of peace or whatever the f*** they called himself right so radagast who is gander from Hobbit or Harry Potter or whatever that f****** story is Right Lord of the rings

His wife ex-wife or something is a Korean so he has a half child right that's what the West Virginia Virginia thinking about went to West Virginia with Grace Victoria's secret now she got recalls too they got remade and it's somebody else right

So what happens when somebody else takes over your body what the flood and whatever insects or whatever bio whatever virus and whatnot not only you get pulled you're upstairs get pulled not your only upstairs get pulled when I say upstairs your secondary so you were a male now you'll be female next and you'll be male again and female next right that's what you see all these transvestite people around here because with all this immaterial and overlaying on their signals and trying to double across their signals at some point the people who listen to this stuff and watch this stuff forced or not will get merged into three body into one

We started with neon green whites which was frogs and they occupy that and their bodies and their income initially started going up after special forces from Canada Israelis pretty much every other location that came near me even including German Renton location that got hijacked right with necrons

Pima medical for medical assistance Dexter program the Dexter prime AI that I created for swedish

Overlake I went inside overlay because I was so drugged with ice and came in there and they were going to try to clean me up and try to get my feet all taken care of right all I got was f****** Indian girls getting f***** and raped and taking their blood for their drinking

I got harass punched fought by random aliens what these m************ US government US military is calling people upstairs they've been doing the s*** for f****** long time including f****** forthright m************ Germans

Get ran out of f****** money so this just decided to move to Portland and started saying all you can do Ukraine Sweden Finland anybody you can come join nato in your f****** Atlantic f****** council

So what more the information do you want from me I got the entire f****** playbook and everything else of their f****** plans on Chachi EBT counter the f****** data sets and structure it and update the work stream with latest evidence

[beardedmrbean]

ANKARA (Reuters) -Sweden should not expect a green light from Ankara on its NATO membership bid at the Western alliance's summit next month unless it prevents anti-Turkey protests in Stockholm, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Turkey cannot approach Sweden's NATO bid positively while "terrorists" were protesting in Stockholm, and Turkey's position would be made clear once again in talks with Swedish officials in Ankara on Wednesday, Erdogan was quoted as telling reporters on a flight returning from Azerbaijan on Tuesday.

Erdogan spoke as officials from Turkey, Sweden, Finland and NATO met on Wednesday in Ankara for talks to try to overcome Turkish objections holding up Sweden's NATO membership bid.

Sweden's chief negotiator Oscar Stenstrom said the talks with Turkish officials had been good and that discussions aimed at overcoming Ankara's objections would continue, though no fresh date was yet set.

"It's my job to persuade our counterpart that we have done enough. I think we have," Stenstrom said. "But Turkey is not ready to make a decision yet and thinks that they need to have more answers to the questions they have."

In a statement, the Turkish presidency said the level of progress by Sweden under a trilateral deal agreed in Madrid last year was discussed in the meeting. The parties agreed to continue working on the "prospective concrete steps" for Sweden's NATO membership, the statement said.

In March, Turkey ratified Finland's bid for membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but still objects to Sweden joining the alliance, as does Hungary.

In justifying its objections to Swedish membership, Turkey has accused Stockholm of harbouring members of Kurdish militant groups it considers to be terrorists.

Sweden says it has upheld its part of a deal struck with Turkey in Madrid aimed at addressing Ankara's security concerns, including bringing in a new anti-terrorism law this month. It says it follows national and international law on extraditions.

Turkish-Swedish tensions were most recently fuelled by an anti-Turkey and anti-NATO protest in Stockholm last month, when the flag of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, outlawed in Turkey as well as in the European Union, was projected on to the parliament building.

Commenting on Sweden's recent legal changes Erdogan said:

"This is not only a matter of a law amendment or a constitutional change. What is the job of the police there? They have legal and constitutional rights, they should exercise their rights. The police should prevent these (protests)."

While he was having talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg earlier this month, a similar protest was held in Stockholm, Erdogan said. He added that he also told Stoltenberg Sweden should prevent such actions to secure Turkey's approval for its NATO membership.

After meeting Erdogan, Stoltenberg said a deal on Sweden joining the alliance could be reached before the NATO summit in Vilnius next month.

[whattheabcxyz]

2024-03-08

Singapore

Some retailers here still charging customers more for transactions - this despite regulations being put in place this month by the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) prohibiting merchants from charging customers extra for PayNow transactions

CASE says attendees of Sentosa sky lantern festival should get full refund - police investigating

26 women & 3 men arrested in multi-agency raid on Orchard Road KTV lounges

4 suspects, including 3 teens, charged over money mule activities

Childminding operators now charge $1.2-3.5K a month for full-day baby care

Youth repeatedly committed sexual offences against young girl after attending religious classes at her home

Health

New drugs called antibody-drug conjugates help patients with cancers that used to be beyond treatment - some of them still have side effects similar to those caused by traditional chemotherapies tho'

Nature

Animals & insects can learn complex behaviours from others too

Facebook & other shopping platforms such as Lazada & Shopee are enabling wildlife trafficking - there isn't any policing to prevent wildlife traffickers from selling endangered animals/animal products here

Science

Now scientists say we might indeed live in a multiverse

It still can't be agreed upon as to whether fluoride in drinking water is safe

Many mental illnesses overlap - significant genetic correlations have been found among various mental disorders

Politics

Sweden officially joins NATO - eat your heart out, Putin!!! 💩

Wang Yi claims Beijing seeks to be a good neighbour & has shown restraint in South China Sea - biggest bull$hit I've ever heard 💩

Travel

Tourists to be banned from private alleys in Kyoto’s geisha district - 1 maiko’s kimono was torn & another had a cigarette butt placed in her collar

Scoot to add 3-5 more destinations in Southeast Asia in the coming year

Sports

Singapore women’s table tennis team fail to qualify for Olympics for the 1st time - I seriously don't understand why we're still wasting our time & money on this particular sport when we could try for others where we would at least stand some chance at getting gold

History

^ More about the lifelong calendrical project of Robert Marsham, the Norfolk naturalist considered Britain's 1st phenologist

Society

Seemingly healthy 41-year-old woman dies suddenly on flight

Malaysia to introduce new public housing model, says housing minister

Gossip

Carina Lau is in Singapore for Taylor Swift's concert

...while Travis Kelce flies here too to be with Taylor

Natalie Portman finally divorces her creep of a husband - hopefully her taste in men will improve hereafter

Business

Singapore: McDonald's shutters Raffles City outlet just 2 months after Lucky Plaza branch closure

[romanmigracs]

I don’t think you understand what is at stake, here, do you?

This is WAAAYYY bigger than Russia. Even Russia’s nuclear arsenal is not the biggest concern, here (although it is certainly not negligible).

Russia led by Putin has nullified international treaties they signed, committed massive amount of war crimes, violated human rights systematically, kidnapped children, shot down a passenger plane with international passengers, caused grain prices to rise so that Third World countries are at the brink of a famine, toyed with blowing up more than one nuclear plant, flooded a valley with people living in it, caused unnecessary death of civilians and military personel and vast material distruction. All in hopes of material gain and for hunger of power. Putin’s goverment has bet the farm to commit genocide in Ukraine. Putin has tried to utilize international energy trade as a weapon, and his minions have threatened the international community with attacks on information cables in the seabed and rattled the nuclear sabre.

Everyone, NOT JUST PUTIN, are waiting to know, whether such transgressions are punishable? Everyone. Jury is stil out. Does the international community stand in support of the values they have declared to protect? Or are they just big words that vanish, when push comes to shove? Putin clearly objects to such international values and has very deliberately violated against them all to make a point.

If he is driven out of Ukraine and Russia needs to oust him and show remorse of what they have done, international treaties such as Declaration of Human rights and the Geneva Convention will grow stronger. Everyone will see that violating international agreements will bring no benefit and a clear, physical punishment from the international community. Even for a dictator of mighty Russia. Even to the richest man of the World. No-one is bigger than all the people in the world. No-one will dare challenge them all at once. If the people of the World choose to cooperate. IF.

If Putin, after doing all of this that he has done, “saves face”, it is the end of the international community as a whole. Then it is (again) a free-for-all every-man-for-himself -scenario. The one with the nukes gets to do what he wants. So, everyone will get themselves a nuke or two. Everyone allies with the biggest and strongest, not the one who they like, not the one who will keep the world safe. Everyone just allies with the guy with the biggest guns.

Time for human rights, time for fair trade, time for international treaties on climate change and collaboration in the polar regions are over. Every little pesky country will try to get nukes and bigger powers - US, China, UK, Germany(!), India - are forced to shed their thin veil of peace.

Putin declared that sovereign countries between Russia and US should be divided into spheres of influence and lose their independence. They caused Finland to join NATO and Sweden has applied too! These are countries that previously believed in non-alliance and buffer zones between great military powers. Believed in assertive military power, defence without projection of power abroad. This is bad enough, it is a death of a dream. It is not like Finland thinks that US is this saint of a giant. We know full well they can - on a bad day - invade a country to rid them of weapons of mass destruction that do not exist. US sometimes disguised their bad behaviour quite poorly, but at least they tried to disguise it. Putin makes no real effort to even disguise his actions. He wants his approach to be out in the open, he wants this to be the way of the world from now on. He wants to return to imperialism - not just for Russia but for all of the world. He believes that in the chaos that ensues, Russia and his mafioso ways will find prosperity.

The World either wants that. Or we don’t.

We shall see.

[nbmsports]

NATO’s Welcome Party for Sweden Is Back on Ice

For months, NATO leaders had hoped that when they convened for their annual summit next week, they could use the occasion to welcome Sweden as the alliance’s newest member.Now, that outcome appears all but impossible, as stalling by Hungary and continued objections by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey have drawn out the process, raising questions about when Sweden might be able to join and what sort of breakthrough would be necessary.All 31 member states must agree to admit new members, and the split over Sweden risks denting the alliance’s ability to project a united front against President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia as his forces seek to beat back a Ukrainian counteroffensive.NATO officials say the hope is to get all of the alliance’s leaders to agree at the two-day summit set to begin on Tuesday in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, to let Sweden join. Then, the thinking goes, Mr. Erdogan and Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary can push the approval through their parliaments.To that end, Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary general, met the foreign ministers and senior intelligence officials from Turkey, Sweden and Finland in Brussels on Thursday in an effort to convince the Turks that Sweden, like Finland, has done enough to overcome Turkish objections.“We all agreed we have made good progress,” he told a news conference afterward. “We all want to complete this process as soon as possible.”So in Vilnius on Monday, Mr. Stoltenberg said, he will meet with Mr. Erdogan and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden to try to get Mr. Erdogan’s agreement to support Swedish membership at the summit, with parliamentary ratification to follow.“Now it is time for Sweden to join the alliance,” Mr. Stoltenberg said. “Further delay in Sweden’s membership would be welcomed” by Kurdish terrorists and Mr. Putin, he said.On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto of Hungary told reporters that he was in touch with his Turkish counterpart and that if the Turkish position changed, Hungary would not obstruct the process.That leaves the ball in Mr. Erdogan’s court, and if next week’s summit ends with no agreement, it is unclear what would break the deadlock. NATO officials worry that Swedish membership could linger for months, a symbolic victory for Mr. Putin and loss for the alliance.At the same time, Mr. Stoltenberg argued in an interview that Sweden was already involved in all NATO meetings and in defense planning and military exercises. But Sweden would remain outside NATO’s commitment to collective defense, a core purpose of the alliance.“If there no agreement in Vilnius, then we have crisis in NATO, period,” said Marc Pierini, a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe and a former European Union ambassador to Turkey.On Wednesday in Washington, President Biden met Mr. Kristersson to repeat American support for Swedish membership. Mr. Biden said he was “anxiously looking forward” to that day, but conceded that the decision rests in the hands of Mr. Erdogan.“I want to reiterate the United States fully, fully, fully supports Sweden’s membership in NATO,” Mr. Biden said. “The bottom line is simple: Sweden is going to make our alliance stronger.”In the 14 months since Sweden applied to join, the issue of its ascension has become ensnared in a web of issues including international weapons agreements and competing conceptions of terrorism and freedom of expression.Turkey has accused Sweden of providing a free operating environment to Turkish dissidents that Turkey considers terrorists. These include members of a religious movement that Turkey has accused of trying to overthrow Mr. Erdogan in 2016 and supporters of a Kurdish militant organization that has fought a bloody insurgency against the Turkish state.Sweden has sought to meet Turkish demands by amending its Constitution and hardening its counterterrorism laws, which went into effect only on June 1. It has also agreed to extradite some people wanted by the Turks.After Thursday’s meeting, the Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, told a televised news conference that the changes in Sweden’s antiterrorism law now needed to be put into action.Last month, Sweden’s Supreme Court ruled that Sweden could extradite a Turkish man wanted in Turkey for drug crimes. He told the court he was being targeted because he supported a pro-Kurdish political party.But Swedish courts have blocked at least one other extradition, saying that a journalist wanted by Turkey had not committed acts considered crimes in Sweden.“If you look at Turkey, of course the goal is and has been for more than a year to extract as many concessions as possible from Sweden before agreeing to accession,” Mr. Pierini said. “If you look at Sweden’s perspective, they are trying to protect their conception of rule of law.”Mr. Stoltenberg and other NATO leaders have said that Sweden has done enough and should be allowed to join the alliance. Many analysts also suspected that Mr. Erdogan’s tough line on Sweden was aimed at nationalist voters in Turkey’s presidential election in May.But Mr. Erdogan’s stance has not changed since he won a third term, and he lashed out again at Sweden after a protester publicly burned a Quran at a demonstration in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, last week, accusing Sweden of failing to combat Islamophobia. The act appeared aimed at derailing the NATO talks and was carried out in front of a large mosque on one of Islam’s most important holidays.“We have clearly stated that it is our red line to determinedly combat terrorist organizations and Islamophobia,” Mr. Erdogan said after a meeting with his cabinet on Monday. “The sooner our counterparts embrace this reality, the healthier this process will be.”The incident frustrated NATO officials, who noted that combating Islamophobia was not among the issues the parties had agreed to work on to facilitate Sweden’s accession bid. And the Swedes pointed out that the police had tried to ban the protest but were overruled by the courts.The issue is key for Mr. Erdogan, who has marketed himself to his conservative, religious base at home as a global defender of Islamic causes.“When it comes to giving an impression to the domestic public that this is a government that actually puts its money where its mouth is, it is a consistent attitude,” said Ahmet Kasim Han, a professor of international relations at Beykoz University in Istanbul. “It goes very well with the public image of the president himself.”Mr. Han said pathways to a breakthrough remained. Sweden could do more to meet Turkey’s demands, he said, or the United States and other NATO members could throw in “sweeteners” such as arms or economic agreements for the Turks. A thaw in the chilly relationship between Mr. Erdogan and Mr. Biden would also help; the American president has not welcomed Mr. Erdogan in the White House, unlike his three predecessors.“Turkey either wants to have strong sympathies and actions for its own security concerns or wants to strike a grand bargain with Berlin, Brussels and Washington on issues pertaining to larger foreign and security policy agendas,” Mr. Han said.The Biden administration has pushed hard for NATO expansion. Turkey wants to buy $20 billion worth of F-16 fighter jets and other equipment from the United States, but administration officials have rejected the idea that Mr. Biden would use this to pressure Mr. Erdogan on NATO expansion.Mr. Biden mentioned Sweden and the weapons deal together when telling reporters last month about his call with Mr. Erdogan to congratulate him on his re-election.“He still wants to work on something on the F-16s,” Mr. Biden said of Mr. Erdogan. “I told him we wanted a deal with Sweden, so let’s get that done.”But congressional resistance to the plan is hardening. Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, added his voice on Thursday to a growing chorus of influential members of Congress declaring their opposition to sending F-16s to Turkey, calling the idea anathema “until the admission of Sweden gets behind us.”Mr. McConnell’s resistance, which he discussed in an interview with Punchbowl News, strengthens a blockade being spearheaded by Senator Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, who has repeatedly promised to object to the sale unless Turkey becomes “less belligerent” toward its NATO allies.Absent the State Department’s making an emergency declaration, the Biden administration cannot move forward with the F-16 sale until top Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate foreign affairs panels acquiesce to it, at a minimum.Safak Timur and Karoun Demirjian contributed reporting. Source link Read the full article

[newstfionline]

Monday, July 10, 2023

Rising Temperatures Threaten More Than Misery for Oldest Americans (NYT) When the torrential rain stopped on Friday afternoon, Laura Lowry could see the steam rising off the wet pavement. She was on her front porch in the Fifth Ward neighborhood of Houston, desperate for relief from the relentless humidity and 91-degree heat. The air-conditioner in her house worked, but she and her husband, reliant on disability checks, couldn’t afford to run it. The lack of cool air wasn’t simply a matter of discomfort for Ms. Lowry, 73. It was dangerous. Just a few weeks ago, there had been a terrifying moment when she was so taxed by the heat after waiting outside a food pantry that she had slumped into her porch chair as soon as she got home. “I couldn’t make it inside,” she said. “I felt like I was passing out.” Another wave of dangerous heat sweeping across the South and into the West this week has posed particular perils for older people, who are among the most vulnerable to such extreme conditions. The aging process makes older bodies generally less capable of withstanding extreme heat, doctors say. “They’re at extremely high risk of heat stroke and death,” James H. Diaz, a professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at Louisiana State University’s School of Public Health, said of older people. “When we look at what happens with these heat waves, most of the deaths occur in the homebound elderly.”

Flooding in New York State (AP) Heavy rain spawned extreme flooding in New York’s Hudson Valley that killed at least one person, swamped roadways and forced road closures on Sunday night, as much of the rest of the Northeast U.S. began bracing for potentially punishing rains. As the storm moved east, the National Weather Service extended flash flood warnings into Connecticut, including the cities of Stamford and Greenwich, before creeping into Massachusetts. Forecasters said some areas could get as much as 5 inches (12 centimeters) of rain. In New York’s Hudson Valley, rescue teams were attempting to retrieve the body of a woman in her 30s who drowned after being swept away while trying to evacuate her home. Two other people escaped.

NATO’s unity will be tested at summit in Vilnius (AP) As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues with no end in sight, NATO’s much-celebrated unity faces fresh strains when leaders gather for their annual summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania. The world’s biggest security alliance is struggling to reach an agreement on admitting Sweden as its 32nd member. Military spending by member nations still lags behind longstanding goals. And an inability to compromise over who should serve as NATO’s next leader forced an extension of the current secretary general’s term for an extra year. Perhaps most thorny are questions over how Ukraine should be eased into the alliance. Some maintain admitting Ukraine to NATO would be the fulfillment of a promise made years ago and a necessary step to deter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Others are fearful it would be seen as a provocation that could spiral into an even wider conflict. The challenges come at a moment when President Joe Biden and his counterparts are heavily invested in demonstrating harmony among members.

This Paris Suburb Burned Before. Has Anything Changed? (NYT) In the fall of 2005, Faisal Daaloul was a young adult protesting in the streets of Clichy-sous-Bois, an impoverished Paris suburb seething over the death of two teenagers as they were pursued by police officers. After the spasms of public anger, he hoped that France would finally turn its attention to its long-neglected suburbs and their minority communities. Fast forward nearly 20 years. Mr. Daaloul is now a father. He struggled to keep his 18-year-old son from joining recent violent protests set off by the police killing of a teenager that many blamed on racist attitudes. Little has changed in two decades,” Mr. Daaloul said. In reality, much has changed. After the 2005 riots, the French government invested billions of euros to revamp its immigrant suburbs, or banlieues, to try to rid them of run-down social-housing blocks. But the similarity of the recent riots has raised questions about whether the efforts to improve conditions in the banlieues have failed. Residents of the neighborhoods and experts say the redevelopment programs have, indeed, fallen well short of their goals, even as they acknowledge the many changes the efforts have brought. The reasons for the failure, they say: Change has come too slow, and, perhaps more important, the government programs have done little to address deeper, debilitating issues of poverty and discrimination. “We took action on the buildings, but not on the people who lived in them,” said François Dubet, a sociologist at the University of Bordeaux, in southwestern France. “Unemployment remains very high, racism is still a commonplace experience, discrimination is a daily reality, and the youth and the police continue to clash.”

Ukraine pushes to reclaim Bakhmut, fighting on fallen city’s flanks (Washington Post) The capture of Bakhmut in May, after the war’s longest and bloodiest battle, was Moscow’s only significant territorial gain so far in 2023. Wagner mercenaries, who led the months-long siege of the city, claimed victory in May and quickly withdrew, turning over responsibility for holding it to regular Russian units. Now, with Ukraine mounting its long-awaited counteroffensive, the battle has shifted to the destroyed city’s flanks. “We are trying to pin as many Muscovites as possible around Bakhmut,” said Mykola Bielieskov, a research fellow with Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies. To the north, the Ukrainians have pushed toward Yagidne and Berhivka. To south, they’ve been moving on Klishchiivka and Kurdyumivka amid a landscape dotted with abandoned coal mines and giant slag piles grown over with trees. Ukrainian troops have also encountered Wagner Group’s successors for the first time—a force known as Storm Z that is under the control of Russia’s Defense Ministry and includes a mix of reservists, conscripts and convicted criminals.

Japan to release water from Fukushima nuclear plant (Washington Post) Japan plans to release more than 1 million metric tons of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, a process set to begin this summer and continue for three decades or more. For years, the contaminated water—equivalent to more than 500 Olympic-size swimming pools—has been stored in large metal tanks near the plant, the site of one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. But Japan is running out of space to build more tanks to accommodate the contaminated groundwater and rainwater that continues to enter the site. The pending release has become highly politicized by neighboring countries, including South Korea and China. Fukushima’s fishing and agricultural industries are also worried about potential reputational harm on their products, which still carry the stigma of radioactive exposure. The Japanese public is split on the plan, and many remain distrustful of the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), which has been criticized for playing down bad news about the severity of the disaster in the early days.

Keeping up pressure, China sends warships and fighter jets near Taiwan during Yellen’s Beijing visit (AP) China’s People’s Liberation Army sent 13 aircraft and 6 vessels into airspace and waters around Taiwan over the past 24 hours as of early Saturday, overlapping with United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s visit to Beijing aimed at mending strained relations. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it is monitoring the situation from the air and sea, and land-based missile systems were prepared to respond. It said four Chinese aircraft—two SU-30 fighters, one BZK-005 reconnaissance plane and one Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane—crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait that serves as a de-facto border between the sides, and had entered Taiwan’s southwestern air defense identification zone. China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary and sends air and naval missions on virtually a daily basis in an attempt to wear down the island’s defense capabilities and intimidate its 23 million people, who thus far seem largely unfazed by such moves.

Israeli protests reignite as Netanyahu pushes new justice bill (Reuters) Israel’s business hub Tel Aviv saw the biggest anti-government protest in weeks on Saturday against a renewed push by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition to overhaul the justice system. Tens of thousands demonstrated across the country, with the rally in Tel Aviv drawing crowds far larger than recent protests, news channels N12 News and Channel 13 reported. Nationwide demonstrations began in January when the government announced a plan to overhaul the judiciary with a legislation package that would roll back some Supreme Court powers and give the coalition decisive sway in picking judges.The protests subsided a little from late March when Netanyahu, under pressure at home and abroad, suspended the plan for compromise talks with opposition parties meant to reach broad agreement over justice reforms. But, deeming the talks pointless last month, Netanyahu re-launched his government’s quest to rein in what it sees as an overreaching, left-leaning and elitist Supreme Court.

Airstrike in Sudanese city kills at least 22, officials say, amid fighting between rival generals (AP) An airstrike in a Sudanese city on Saturday killed at least 22 people, health authorities said, in one of the deadliest air attacks yet in the three months of fighting between the country’s rival generals. The assault took place in the Dar es Salaam neighborhood in Omdurman, the neighboring city of the capital, Khartoum, according to a brief statement by the health ministry. The attack wounded an unspecified number of people, it said. The ministry posted video footage that showed dead bodies on the ground with sheets covering them and people trying to pull the dead from the rubble. Others attempted to help the wounded. People could be heard crying.

It may not be safe to mail checks anymore (USA Today) Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night, the adage goes, will stop postal workers from delivering the mail. But what about robbery? The U.S. Postal Service is taking steps to tamp down an increase in robberies of mail carriers and in mail theft, both of which have contributed to a rise in check fraud. While the U.S. Postal Service has not officially warned customers about putting personal checks in the mail, some experts are suggesting folks use caution when sending checks. "Where it's possible to pay things through online means, that's definitely something to consider, it may be more secure to pay through online," Chuck Bell, programs director, advocacy, for Consumer Reports, told USA TODAY. "I mean there's problems with that as well, but you would avoid the risk of having the check intercepted and cashed by someone else."

[cowboytalkin]

How to avoid talking about something that someone else wants to be outraged by:

Last night I met some friends from my old job for a drink and some catching up. The oldest among us (I will call him OG) is newly retired and has discovered the internet: hence he is now newly outraged by things that he didn't think about at all until the evil AI overlords decided to use our own social media to turn humanity against itself.

We ordered our first round. No one asked for a bud light. None of us ever has. OG expressed gratitude that no one was drinking bud. I told him that I wouldn't stop drinking bud if I actually liked bud, it's none of my business if someone who dresses different from me wants to drink the same beer that I do. This prompted much discussion among the group, (all of us working or retired LEO variants between 30 and 70) of which I really didn't have more to contribute...aside from one guy mentioning he has just been to Busch gardens, which is no longer owned by Busch beer evidently, so even though he saw the Clydesdales he wasn't giving money to the parent company of Budweiser...at this point OG asked everyone how we felt about Busch and I of course stated that I preferred if it wasn't long enough to tickle my ears but aside from that it was the lady's choice.....now for some reason we are suddenly talking about the arrest of a certain former president. Also I switched to whiskey. I asked if anyone else noticed that on the date in question they were talking about, Finland joined NATO, Sweden announced its intention to join NATO, and the third in line to be US president met with the president of Tawain, marking the first time in US history that our government has admitted that Taiwan is a real country with a real President on purpose). But all anyone noticed was events which allegedly happened in New York City.... which I don't believe is real. "The arrest?" , "No, New York. I don't believe in it. California either. It's a scam. It's the AI trolling us. They photoshop it into movies and every now and then they kidnap someone ND brainwash them into thinking they are dlfrom New York, but all they remember about it is that everything was better there. But they never move back. It's all fake."

"But.....(the former US presidemt) is from New York.."

"Yup...he's made up. Different actors play him. They made the skin suit big enough for Ron Desantis to wear when he wants to get away from his family."

"And all those people in California?"

"Kim Kardasian? Her step-dad who is now her stepmother? Fake. Made up. All those reality shows are. Ever notice when they go to a house for the first time, there's already a camera inside of it when they walk in? They are telling us it's all a lie right to our faces and we still fall for it." I switched back to water and coffee, "California is fake. Anything that happens in New York or California isn't real and isn't worth getting upset about. Same thing for anything on the internet."

Silence. Even from neighboring tables. Finally someone spoke up. "You....you really believe this?"

"If it keeps me from arguing with people in real life over things that only happen on TV and the internet, it's a more useful belief system than letting entities that we have no control over pick for us what to be outraged about from one day to the next. I don't need to be outraged about strangers. if my family and neighbors are different from me, I should try to accept them as they are and treat them with respect as best I can, because those are MY neighbors and MY family. I can treat them more respectfully if I'm not carrying baggage from something I got mad about on the internet."

I dug around in my shirt pocket for the 16 Penney nail I've carried for twenty years and stuck it in the corner of my mouth. I quit smoking when the first kid was on his way but it helps to have a physical routine in social situations.

"You know....if you really have trouble not smoking when you drink, you could just try vaping......OW!.." someone had kicked him under the table. They knew what was coming. Goddam tobacco companies were about to lose billions a year because young people had figured out smoking is bad for you, so they marketed smokless vape to people trying to quit smoking, then they made it candy flavored so kids would like it the first time they sneaked a drag off of their moms kit. Now alcohol marketers make the stores put little bottles of fake fireball whisky on the counter where they are easy to steal. Gotta get their customers started young. but I was about to sneak off and pay their tab so I didn't give then the full rant. I just smiled around my nail.

"Not for me. Thanks, Vaping makes people gay."

[apsny-news]

Turkey expected to back Finland for NATO membership, snub Sweden

Comment on this story Comment BRUSSELS — Last May, when Finnish and Swedish officials announced their intention to join the NATO alliance, in a historic shift for both countries, there was talk of “a quick ratification.” But the path to membership has been more difficult than initially envisioned. This week, Finnish officials traveled to Turkey to try to seal the deal, while Swedish officials…

[college-girl199328]

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon says Canada needs to find a way to continue cross-polar collaboration while holding Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine.

“In terms of Indigenous Peoples and research and climate change, these are issues that transcend boundaries, really,” Simon said in an interview following her state visit to Finland.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent Simon to Helsinki in early February to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and Finland. This was alongside a delegation of Arctic research and government officials.

Finland has been actively seeking closer military ties with other western countries following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

That is until last year, when both Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO, with Canada being the first country to vote in support of both joining the group.

Last October, the Finnish government tweaked the Arctic strategy it had released a year prior, saying that the Ukraine invasion meant that the Cold War was underway.

The report calls for Finland to try to keep a “functioning relationship” with neighbouring Russia on matters like climate change and Indigenous Peoples, but little else.

“There will be no return to the prewar reality,” reads the report's English summary, which urged Finland to examine everything with Russia through a security lens. “Even chaos is possible.”

In an interview, Simon said it's clear Canada will need to still collaborate with people within Russia and all Arctic countries on issues like climate change and Indigenous Peoples.

“Something to do in each of the countries is to figure out how you can continue working together when a terrible war is going on (which is) contradictory to the rules-based international order,” she said.

Before becoming vice-regal, Simon did the heavy lifting on Canada's Arctic and Northern Policy Framework, leading dozens of consultations throughout Northern Canada.

Before that, she was Canada's ambassador to Denmark, a role with a large focus on collaborating with the Inuit of Greenland.

Simon noted that the Far North has generally avoided geopolitical conflicts through the decades, but is facing increasing attention as a venue for resource extraction and shipping routes.

“The Arctic has historically been a region of cooperation. Safety and security challenges have recently emerged as the region's strategic importance grows,” she said.

The tension has been particularly notable at the intergovernmental Arctic Council forum, which has been largely on hiatus since Russia's invasion.

The body, which Simon helped found, coordinates circumpolar research, shipping routes and search-and-rescue services among eight countries as well as Indigenous nations.

But all members except Russia have pulled out and started side projects involving things like fisheries without any input from Moscow.

While in Helsinki, Simon met with Finnish President Sauli Niinist to discuss security and climate change.

Simon then headed up to the Arctic Circle to meet with officials working in education and those representing the Indigenous people of the region, the Sami.

She noted Finland's moves toward truth and reconciliation with the Sami people, which she described as being “at the beginning stages,” while also holding lessons for Canada on engaging Indigenous youth.

Finland's coalition government recently attempted to incorporate an existing Sami legislative assembly as part of the country's governance. However, the legislation collapsed this week over the uncertainty of what role the council would hold.

Simon also said Finland's renowned education system might hold lessons for Canada, in reaching higher graduation levels across the country.

Meanwhile, Simon said she wanted to maintain a frank discussion with Canadians. This is a few weeks after Rideau Hall closed down the comment section of all social media accounts, citing harmful vitriol.

“We support constructive criticism; I've always been very supportive of that. If people don't agree with me, I like to hear about it. But it should be done in a very respectful way; it's critical to do that.”

Simon declined to elaborate on how the comments affected her personally but said her staff had coped for “a long time” with a deluge of inappropriate comments.

“We're not trying to block anything here, but I think it's imperative to realize that we also can't let abuse, harassment and misogyny that is harmful in our space continue.”

[opedguy]

Putin Says He’ll Win in Ukraine

LOS ANGELES (OnlineColumnist.com), Jan. 18, 2023.--Russian President Vladimir Putin, 70, told defense-system workers in St. Petersburg that Russia will win the battle in Ukraine to protect Russian speakers living in Donetsk, Luhank and Crimea.  Putin listened to 80-year-old President Joe Biden talk about increasing Ukraine’s war budget, sending more lethal weapons to Ukraine.  Ukraine’s 44-year-old former actor/comedian President Volodymyr Zelensky asks the U.S. and NATO for more weapons, promising the world that he’ll defeat the Russian Federation, expelling all Russian troops from Ukraine.  Zelensky has moved the goalposts now that his government and war is funded by the United States.  Kremlin Spokesman Dmitri Peskov now refers to the Ukraine war as the U.S. proxy war against the Russian Federation, echoing the views of Biden who said March 26, 2022 that Putin should no longer stay in power.

U.S. and NATO countries call the war in Ukraine an “unprovoked” imperial-style land grab when Putin made clear for months before the war he needed security guarantees from Biden about the amount of U.S. and NATO arms flowing into Ukraine.  So, when the Western press says the invasion was “unprovoked,” it’s certainly not the way Putin looks at it.  Putin announced yesterday that he intends to build the Russian military out to 1.5 million from its current 1.15 million mark.  Putin says more security outposts are needed now the Sweden and Norway have joined the NATO alliance. Increasing military preparedness, Putin said the Russia formidable military industrial complex would make up an losses of heavy equipment lost during the 11-month-old Ukraine War.  If you listen to Zelensky and Biden, you’d think that there’s no end insight to more U.S. and NATO cash and weapons.

U.S., EU and NATO officials should heed the message of Putin that says Russia will do what’s necessary to beat back the current U.S.-NATO proxy war against the Kremlin.  “In terms of achieving the end result and the victory that is inevitable, there are several things . . . It is the unity and cohesion of the Russian and multinational Russian people, the courage and heroism our our fighters  . . . and of course the work of the military-industrial complex and factories like your and people like you,” Putin said.  Putin’s message is clear to Washington and Kiev:  The war will go on a long as it takes to achieve victory.  What’s Washington and Kiev going to do other than continue to re-supply the Ukraine military so the war has no end.  Putin wants Washington and Kiev to know he has no plans to surrender.  All the talk from Kiev and Washington is about supplying more lethal weapons.

Nearly one year into the war, it’s clear that the war is at loggerheads, unless Biden and the EU are willing to commit to a no-fly-zone or troops to battle the Russian Federation.  Kremlin officials already see the war as one between Washington and Kremlin, not Kiev and the Kremlin.  Kremlin officials have raised the stakes, concluding that, as Peskov says, the aim of the U.S. proxy war is to break up the Russian Federation.  Putin now signals to Washington and Brussels that the Kremlin sees the Ukraine War as an existential threat to the Russian Federation.  Whatever Washington and Kiev say about imperial land grabs, Putin sees his duty to protect Russian speaking population in Donetsk and Luhansk.  White House and Kiev accused Russia of ethnic cleansing in Ukraine, trying to erase the Ukrainian people.  “Victory is assured .  I have no doubt about it,” Putin said.

Washington, Brussels and Kiev must not look at the war as one on cutting losses, not trying to topple the Russian Federation.  What kind of miscalculation did Biden make thinking he could knock off the Kremlin, like a banana republic?  No president in U.S. history has ever made such as costly mistake.  Zelensky would take the U.S. down with Ukraine, all because of Biden’s longstanding vendetta with Putin.  Putin spoiled Obama and Biden’s plans to topple Syrian President Bashar-al Assad .  Obmaa and Biden spent billions funding rebel and terrorist groups to topple al-Assad for eight years.  When Putin joined the fight to defend al-Assas in 2015, Obama and Biden’s proxy war imploded.  Yet Biden learned nothing from Syria, instead waging proxy war g against the Russian Federation under the fig leaf of protecting democracy.  How dangerous has Biden been to U.S. national security?

Republicans and Democrats now squabble about raising the debt ceiling now at over $31.6 trillion, all because Biden has wasted over $50 billion on an un-winable war in Ukraine.  “What we’re doing today, including with our special operation, is an attempt to end this war and protect our people who live on these territories,” Putin said, letting Washington, Brussels and Kiev know that he’s no going anywhere in Ukraine.  With Zelensky willing to drag down the U.S. and EU, the time has come to tell Zelensky that he’s going be on his own in the not-too-distant future.  Once Zelensky gets the message that Ukraine will have to foot the bill f or the Ukraine War, it’s going to be a wake-up call in Kiev.  Zelensky can’t afford to pay civil servants let alone a costly war.  Biden must come to the conclusion, like many others, that the Ukraine War cannot be won on the battlefield.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

[argus-news]

NATO chief says alliance will not back down on Ukraine aid

NATO Secretary General calls on member states to pledge more aid for Kyiv during winter amid relentless Russian attacks.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has accused Russia of “trying to use winter as a weapon of war” as he called on member states to pledge more aid for Ukraine amid Moscow’s relentless attacks on the country’s power infrastructure.

Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure have left millions of people without power, heat and water as winter temperatures have plummeted to below zero.

In a statement on Tuesday, NATO ministers meeting in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, condemned Russia’s “persistent and unconscionable attacks on Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure” and confirmed a 2008 decision that Ukraine will eventually join the alliance.

“NATO’s door is open,” Stoltenberg said, as allies promised more arms for Kyiv and equipment to help restore power and heat.

“Russia does not have a veto” on countries joining, Stoltenberg said.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called for an immediate supply of weapons, especially advanced air defence systems, to come “faster, faster, faster” as he joined the two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

“When we have transformers and generators, we can restore our system, our energy grid, and provide people with decent living conditions,” Kuleba said.

NATO foreign ministers are focused on ramping up military assistance for the war-torn nation, such as air-defence systems and ammunition.

Diplomats have acknowledged supply and capacity issues, however, as they also discuss non-lethal aid.

Part of this non-lethal aid – goods such as fuel, medical supplies, winter equipment and drone jammers – has been delivered through a NATO assistance package allies can contribute to and which Stoltenberg aims to increase.

“NATO will continue to stand for Ukraine as long as it takes. We will not back down,” Stoltenberg said in a speech in Bucharest.

He added that the only way to get the right terms for a negotiation to begin would be for Ukraine to advance on the battlefield.

Stoltenberg’s comments were echoed by several ministers from the 30-member alliance, who were also joined by Finland and Sweden as they look to secure full membership pending Turkish and Hungarian ratifications.

“The coming months will be a big test for us all. For Ukraine, it is existential, for us moral. We must continue helping Ukraine for as long as necessary,” Slovak Foreign Minister Rastislav Kacer said. Read More on..

[beardedmrbean]

Tabloid Iltalehti (siirryt toiseen palveluun) covered the partial retail sector strike which began on Thursday morning.

Service workers' union PAM was unable to reach a wage agreement with the Finnish Commerce Federation, triggering a two-day strike which began at 5am on Thursday and is set to end at 5am on Saturday. About 160 grocery stores around the country are closed due to staff shortages.

PAM chair Annika Rönni-Sallinen said in an interview with IL that there is a lot of participation among employees in the industrial action.

"It's nice to meet people and picketers and thank them for their support, which is needed at the negotiating table," Rönni-Sallinen said.

In another IL article (siirryt toiseen palveluun), it was highlighted that some store shelves emptied rapidly ahead of the strikes.

"I hope for understanding. It is not our intention to cause trouble. Finland is not running out of food, and there are shops open elsewhere. Now is the time for pay raises. They are needed just to help people get by," Rönni-Sallinen emphasised.

Did Aaltola cross line for Finnish foreign policy?

Capital-based Helsingin Sanomat wrote that Parliament's nine-member advisory board of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) is set to discuss comments by the institute's chief, political scientist Mika Aaltola, about separating Finland's Nato bid from Sweden's.

"The mission of the Institute for Foreign Policy is to provide policy-makers with researched information. It is not the intention that the Institute's management and researchers themselves try to influence Finnish foreign policy," the deputy chair of the advisory board Saara-Sofia Sirén (NCP) told news outlet MTV in an interview.

Aaltola, who recently visited Turkey, tweeted that Finland should communicate its ability to separate the Finnish and Swedish applications. He also shared his thoughts in an interview with tabloid Ilta-Sanomat (siirryt toiseen palveluun).

According to Sirén, the work of the FIIA is vital and supports decision-making in foreign affairs.

"At the same time, we must remember that the Finnish constitution stipulates that the President shall conduct foreign policy in cooperation with the government. The FIIA operates under the auspices of the Parliament," Sirén pointed out.

Last week, Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) pledged that Finland and Sweden would join Nato together at a meeting with her Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson in Stockholm.

Since the war in Ukraine began last year, Aaltola has appeared often in the media as an expert. In the most recent Yle presidential poll for the 2024 election, Aaltola came in third place.

Bulldozed burial grounds

Tampere-based Aamulehti (siirryt toiseen palveluun) covered an archaeological mishap from the 1960s that led to the destruction of a major part of a Viking-era cemetery.

The burial site was located in the area of Kaukajärvi in Tampere and had been used as a gravel and building material depository since the 1940s.

"The valuable historical significance of the crematorium area was totally destroyed with bulldozers and trucks during the years from 1961 to 1971. The gravel collection site and its cemetery, all of them had instantly turned into a dumping ground of building materials, with which the city of Tampere built its future roads and building complexes," historian Juha Javanainen told AL.

Javanainen authored a recent book on the history of the area and told the story of how one of the largest cemeteries in Finland was destroyed before any archaeological research could take place.

When the grave was officially discovered in 1961, the conclusion was made that most of the cemetery had already been destroyed, as bulldozers had already pushed away topsoil. While there were archaeological studies on the site, they were rushed and pressured by the demands of the construction pit.

When new excavations began in 1971, archaeologists sifted through the bulldozed rubble and discovered over 3,000 medieval artefacts.