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Who is Boris Johnson?
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, commonly known as Boris Johnson, is a British politician, writer, and journalist. He was born on June 19, 1964, in New York City. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Uxbridge and South Ruislip since 2015, and was the British Prime Minister from 2019 to 2022, a leadership mired in controversy.
What are Boris Johnson's politics?
Boris Johnson was a member of the Conservative Party in the UK, often associated with center-right political positions. He was known for his support of free market principles, deregulation, and a strong national defense. As Prime Minister, he advocated for Brexit and emphasized a "Global Britain" approach. During this 2016 Brexit campaign he was criticized for his role in promoting a controversial claim that leaving the European Union would allow the UK to redirect £350 million per week to the National Health Service (NHS). This claim, often referred to as the "£350 million on the bus," was widely criticized as misleading and was a source of significant controversy.
Why don't people like Boris Johnson?
Johnson is known for his offensive language, particularly the various comments he made about women, the LGBTQ+ community, and foreign leaders. One of these instances occurred before his ascent to prime minister, when in a 2018 newspaper column, Boris Johnson likened women who wear burkas to "bank robbers" and "letter boxes. Additionally, Johnson was widely criticized for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with concerns that the government had a slow reaction and that communication was often unclear.
Though the U.S. and Ukraine haven't signed onto the arms convention banning the dangerous weapon, many of their closest allies have. Thus both Washington and Kyiv are coming under fire for the announcement of new U.S. supplies of cluster bombs.
-Analysis-
PARIS — There's nobody who has spoken more pointedly about cluster bombs than Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. He took to Twitter on Sunday to recount how his country has been targeted with thousands of tons of the weapons, dropped by U.S. fighter jets during the Indochina wars of the last century.
It was not only a "painful experience" of the past, but a lasting danger to civilians long after the conflict had ended.
Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.
And yet the decision last week by U.S. President Joe Biden to supply cluster bombs to Ukraine was driven by a military imperative: the weakness of Western munitions production, unable to keep up with Ukrainian army's demand in the war against Russia.
But the use of cluster bombs raises a political, even moral issue: these bombs, which scatter other bombs randomly before hitting the ground, are banned by an international arms control convention.
This convention was signed by dozens of states, including most of the Europeans. Admittedly, neither the U.S., nor Ukraine, nor even Russia, have signed it, so Washington is not in breach by deciding to supply Kyiv's army with these weapons. But you can't vote for a ban a weapon and back your main ally delivering them to a country whose cause you support. Hence a great deal of unease in Europe…
Between unease and understanding
In London, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed unusual reservations. He declared that his country would not deliver such weapons to Ukraine. His predecessor, Boris Johnson, took the opportunity to distance himself by unreservedly supporting the American decision.
Lord Rickets, former Security Adviser and former British Ambassador to France, said out loud what many are thinking: "It makes me uncomfortable, I wish it wasn't happening, but I think we can understand why they're doing it."
These are questions that haven't been asked since the beginning of the war.
The same turmoil reigned in Berlin, where German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier ended the debate with a carefully worded qualified acceptance of Washington's decision. In France, a foreign ministry source said it "understood" the choice. But Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles declared that "certain weapons and bombs cannot be delivered under any circumstances."
This mix of reactions show that the subject raises questions that haven't been asked since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Joe Biden in a meeting during the G7 Leaders Summit.
For the past year and a half, Ukraine and its Western allies have been standing up as guardians of international law in the face of a Russia that flouts it. They are trying, not without difficulty, to convince some of the countries in the Global South of the need to support this fight for the rule of law.
But necessity dictates that ammunition shortages outweigh principles. As the German President explains, without ammunition, Ukraine no longer exists; but in the process, the moral force of support for Ukraine's cause is weakened if it uses "dirty weapons," as Russia already does.
People will say that war is dirty, but that's denying 150 years of rules restricting the damage it can cause. Chemical and biological weapons, as well as anti-personnel mines, fall into this category. Cluster bombs fall into this category. So it's a mistake — perhaps unavoidable, but a mistake nonetheless — to resort to them.
Welcome to Thursday, where Kyiv says it has shot down 20 Russian drones after a second night of missile strikes, a damning report slams former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the “partygate” scandal, and NASA’s Curiosity rover sends a poetic composite image from Mars. Meanwhile, Carmen Domigo in online media Ethic unpacks the critical comments leveled at Spain's groundbreaking law on consent.
This is our daily newsletter Worldcrunch Today, a rapid tour of the news of the day from the world's best journalism sources, regardless of language or geography.
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• Ukraine update: Industrial facilities in Kryvyi Rih have been hit by Russian missiles, two days after deadly attacks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's home city. In Odessa, Kyiv claims to have shot down 20 Russian drones after a second night of missile strikes. Meanwhile, NATO defense ministers discuss support for Ukraine in Brussels during this “critical time” and the U.S. pledges to “stand with Ukraine for the long haul.”
• Boris Johnson “deliberately misled” parliament over lockdown parties: Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been found to have deliberately misled parliament about the “partygate scandal”, a report finds. The privileges committee condemned the now former member of Parliament for “undermining the democratic process,” in part through attempted intimidation of the committee. Had he not resigned from his post as Parliament member on Friday, he would have faced a 90-day suspension.
• Governor assassinated after criticizing Sudan paramilitary: West Darfur Governor Khamis Abakar was abducted and killed following a TV appearance where he called for international intervention in Sudan and denounced paramilitary fighters’ killings of civilians. Sudan's war, which has been raging for almost two months, has recently expanded into cities in the west of the country.
• Sluggish China economy:China's economy slowed last month, causing its central bank to cut key interest rates for the first time in a year. Industrial output and retail sales did not grow as expected, and China is dealing with record youth unemployment, growing local debts and less demand.
• Pro-abortion protests in Poland after pregnant woman dies: Thousands of people took to the streets in Poland to protest against the country's strict abortion law, after a five month pregnant woman died of sepsis. The restrictive law only permits abortion in cases of rape or incest, or if the mothers health or life is at risk. The protesters railed against doctors who refuse to perform abortions to save women's lives and against the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS).
• Mass evacuation as Cyclone Biparjoy set to make landfall: In India and Pakistan, more than 100,000 people have been evacuated ahead of Cyclone Biparjoy, a “very severe cyclonic storm” whose name means “disaster” in Bengali. Storms and heavy rains already pound the coastline as the cyclone moves across the Arabian Sea, expected to hit land this evening.
• Paris to cohabit with rats: CNN has published an opinion piece on the differences between how Paris and New York handle their rats. In the French capital, Mayor Anne Hidalgo has formed a committee to study “cohabitation” between rats and humans. The 6 million rats (three for every human) seemed to be winning after workers strikes flooded the streets with trash, so the city is looking for “the most efficient” way to level the playing field between the two species — ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
French daily Libération devotes its front page to the 79 migrants who died in the Mediterranean sea yesterday after a fishing boat sank off the coast of Greece. The sinking is one of the worst recorded this year, with 104 other passengers rescued. According to local authorities, more than 500 people were on board. Greek coast-guard spokesman Nikos Alexiou said it was “one of the biggest [such] operations in the Mediterranean” and that Greek rescuers “won’t stop looking” for survivors in the area.
The tragic floods and landslides that overran the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy in May have had a devastating effect on the bee population. Initial estimates approximate that over 250 million bees have been killed. The region is a leader in the production of fruits and vegetables, and without bees, which are indispensable to the natural food chain, many crops are at risk.
How Spain’s “only yes means yes” law has freed sexual assault convicts from prison
Spain's groundbreaking “only yes means yes” law on consent was supposed to crack down on sexual abusers. But early signs say the real-life effect may be just the opposite. Critical voices of its effects keep appearing, reports Carmen Domigo in Spanish online media Ethic.
🇪🇸 In May 2022, Spanish lawmakers introduced what was touted as a revolutionary feminist bill aimed at toughening legislation around sexual abuse. The law was conceived by the Ministry of Equality following the trial in an infamous 2016 gang rape case of an 18-year-old during the running-of-the-bulls in Pamplona. A video had shown the victim was silent and passive, which was interpreted by judges as proof of her consent.
⚖️ But the new law came with a caveat: some of those already convicted of sexual assault and abuse would see an automatic reduction in their prison sentences because the new law created a wider range for sentencing. And indeed, more than a year since the new law took effect, studies indicate that a troubling number of rapists and other sexual offenders have been released from jail.
🏛️ Irene Montero, the politician and psychologist who serves as the Spanish Minister of Equality, is now facing growing criticism for the 'only yes means yes' law she introduced. While the minister first denied that prison sentences were being reduced at all, she later changed her statement as evidence began to stream in. Even then, she explained that any such revisions of prison sentences were occurring unlawfully at the hands of right-wing judges — and were, in any case, not widespread in small quantities.
“Nobody should try to play with the Georgian people.”
— In an exclusive interview with Ukrainian newspaper Ukrainska Pravda, Georgian President Salomé Zourabichvili commented on pro-Europe sentiment among the Georgian population and criticized the pro-Russian tendencies of some members of the government: “Georgia is occupied [by Russia] and cannot pursue a policy of confrontation by itself, but it should be very determined. Any lack of determination encourages Russia to try to test how far it can go.”
Many lives have been lost, rights trampled and dreams crushed. But through the haze, the world took the right turn on many fronts this past year, from Ukraine to Iran to China. Trying to take stock amid the suffering.
The starting premise is a bit daring: to associate 2022 with good news seems naïve at best.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused the death, rape and torture of thousands of people.
In China, the iron-fisted 69-year-old Communist leader Xi Jinping strengthened his control over the Chinese population and looks set to stay in power for life. Meanwhile, in Iran, clerics continue to brutally suppress women’s protests for equal rights; in Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to invade Greece.
Of course, it’s hard to speak of a “triumph” of Western democracies, many of which are stuck in sluggish, inconclusive elections: a French executive that lacks a clear majority, Liz Truss in the UK and the probably transient Giorgia Meloni in Italy. And yet...
Despite the violent, threatening and deadly waves facing democracy, one could argue that there’s a much stronger tide coming, bringing victories for democracy, and against authoritarianism.
Russia pushed back in Ukraine
First, let’s talk about Russia. Who would have imagined, in February 2022, that the Russian army would be torn apart by the bravery of Ukrainian people with the support of Western weapons? And that as a result, that same army would move back?
Who would have thought that 300,000 conscripted Russian men would have rushed not to their Kalashnikovs, to die in the name of mother Russia, but instead to travel websites, to get their hands on a ticket to hide out in Turkey or Georgia? Who would have thought that the strategic partnership between China and Russia would have, in the end, led to nothing?
A mural depicting a Ukrainian soldier central Kyiv
In China, the methods used to fight against COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic are being completely overhauled. Isn’t this a large-scale demonstration of the challenges that authoritarianism has in confronting the complexity of the 21st century?
And what about Iranian women taking on the country’s clerics and protesting for their rights before, perhaps, bringing down the regime?
We should be able to believe more in ourselves
In Turkey, even if the regime maintains its expansionist diplomacy and networks in Africa, Europe and Eurasia, it still faces an election in June 2023 and triple-digit inflation.
In Myanmar, the military junta is hanging by a thread, which will soon be cut by rebels keen on democracy. In India, democracy, apparently confiscated in the past by Gandhi’s family and party, has never been so vibrant and solid. Finally, in Brazil — a young democracy of just 30 years — the Bolsonaro parenthesis ended without a bloodshed.
At a protest against Myanmar military's government in Bangkok, Thailand
“Deep down, do we actually believe in democracy’s strength? In freedom’s strength?” This is what the former President of Sciences Po asked me back in 2015. This is the paradox of our time: everywhere in the world, freedom’s ideas are expanding.
The U.S. survived Trumpism — which is on the retreat — and the attack on the Capitol. The UK survived a year of Brexit and of Boris Johnson’s and Liz Truss’ misdirection. And Italy survived the departure of Mario Draghi.
The only trap that exists is to lose hope and to let a “totalitarianism” of fear and resignation expand in our minds. Instead, we should be able to believe more in ourselves, and to listen better and address these expectations — in terms of the physical, economic and social security and societal stability of a people who are deeply attached to freedom and democracy.
Fears of European discord over energy prices, as Ukraine is facing what the UN calls "appalling conditions of life" amid Russia's onslaught timed with the arrival of winter.
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky declared Friday that Europe remains unified in its support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. In a virtual address to “The Idea of Europe” conference in Lithuania, Zelensky said “There is no split. There is no schism among Europeans. We have to preserve this so this is our mission number one this year.”
Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.
Zelensky made the case that both Europe and Ukraine are suffering from Russia’s military aggression and manipulation of energy markets.
“It's not just in Ukraine that millions of people have no heating, and no power. We are talking about millions of Europeans who suffered from the Russian terror. It's not just Ukraine that is attacked by Russia... it's Europe and we are all part of the same home,” Zelensky said.
European Union governments remained split on Friday over proposed caps on Russian oil prices. Western leaders must find a deal that undercuts Moscow’s ability to use oil revenue to pay for its war without sparking a global oil supply shock. Reuters reports that six of the EU’s 27 countries are said to be opposed to the current price cap level proposed by the G7.
As negotiations continue, it is Ukraine alone left trying to restore cut-off power after Russian attacks over the past month have deliberately targeted critical infrastructure — just in time for winter.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said Friday estimated that millions of Ukrainians have “plunged into extreme hardship and appalling conditions of life.”
In the capital of Kyiv, only 30% of residents have power and the city is operating on reduced power of 2-3 hours a day. Ukraine’s largest private energy company DTEK said it will report back to scheduled outages when the system is stabilized.
NATO Will Not “Back Down” From Supporting Ukraine
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference on Friday, that the military alliance will not reduce its support for Ukraine.
“Most wars end with negotiations. But what happens at the negotiating table depends on what happens on the battlefield. Therefore, the best way to increase the chances for a peaceful solution is to support Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said, speaking ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting, which will take place next week in Bucharest, Romania. “So NATO will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We will not back down.”
Stoltenberg also said foreign ministers are providing “unprecedented military support” and he expects they will agree to increase “non-lethal support,” at the Bucharest meeting. NATO has been delivering fuel, medical supplies, winter equipment and drone jammers, according to the secretary general.
Multiple Billions In Additional Aid For Ukraine From UK And World Bank
President Volodymyr Zelensky. While in the capital, Cleverly announced the UK would send 24 ambulances to Ukraine, along with 11 other emergency vehicles, including six armored vehicles, which will all be part of the emergency package the UK is providing.
The aid package will also include $3.6 million in funding to aid the rebuilding of Ukraine's damaged infrastructure, such as schools and shelters, that have been destroyed since the start of the war. The funds will also be used to support survivors of sexual assault.
On Thursday, World Bank Regional Country Director for Eastern Europe (Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine) Arup Banerji signed an agreement to provide Ukraine with an additional $4.5 billion.
Boris Johnson Awarded Honorary Citizen Of Kyiv
Boris Johnson on a surprise visit to Kyiv back in August
The Kyiv City Council has awarded former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson with the title of Honorary Citizen of Kyiv, Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko wrote on Telegram. “Boris has visited the Ukrainian capital several times — both during peace and the most dramatic period of our struggle against the Russian aggressor,” Klitschko said, adding that Johnson is a “great friend of Ukraine."
He said that he is confident Johnson will continue to do "everything possible" to ensure continued support for Ukraine from the UK and other world leaders.
Johnson’s successors, led by fellow Conservatives, have maintained strong UK support for Kyiv.
Ukraine-Russia 100 Prisoners Exchanged Include Mariupol And Chernobyl Veterans
Russia and Ukraine carried out a prisoner exchange on Thursday with 100 soldiers in total returning to their respective home countries, 50 from each side.
Among the released Ukrainian prisoners of war were 19 from the battle of Mariupol, including 12 who participated in the siege of the Azovstal steel facility, 15 people who’d been taken prisoner at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, and seven from Zmiinyi Island, reports Andriy Yermak, a top official at the Ukrainian presidency.
Since March, more than 1,000 Ukrainian civilians and military personnel captured by Russia have been brought back home. ‘We’ll bring everyone back,’ Yermak wrote.
Russian “Revenge” Killing Of Civilians In Kherson, Three Weeks After Withdrawal
Russian forces launched a series of 17 attacks on the liberated city of Kherson, using artillery and multiple rocket launchers. Kherson Oblast Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych reported that 20 civilians had been killed and 54 wounded following Russia's attacks on the city.
"Today is another terrible page in the history of our hero city," Yanushevych wrote on Telegram.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that the Russian attacks on Kherson and the surrounding area "began immediately after the Russian army was forced to flee from the Kherson region" early in November.
Zelensky said Thursday's deadly shelling was an act of revenge for those defeated Russian forces. The Russians do not know how to fight he said: "The only thing they can do is terrorize."
Kherson Tears On Belgian Daily Front Page
Antwerp-based daily De Morgen reports from Kherson, where “after the liberation and the euphoria,” more and more residents are choosing to leave the warn-torn city.
Swedish Spy Case Shines Light On Rise in Russian Espionage Of Nordic Neighbors
This week marks the opening of what's been described as the biggest Swedish espionage case since the end of the Cold War, as tensions rise in the face of the Russian war in Ukraine.
Over the last decade, due to rising geopolitical tensions, the threat from spies has increased all over Europe. According to a study published by the Swedish Total Defence Research Institute in May, the most active spies are in Northern Europe and the Baltics, and work in their vast majority on Russia’s behalf. No doubt the beginning of the war in Ukraine has raised the stakes, and activity, for those working undercover on both sides. Read more here.
Russia Has Spent $82 Billion On The War, How Do You Calculate Total?
During the nine months since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has spent around $82 billion on the war, totaling a quarter of its annual budget,Forbes reports.
As part of its financial calculation, the U.S. magazine estimated that Russia was using 10,000 to 50,000 shells per day, and that the average price of a Soviet-caliber shell was around $1,000.
Taking artillery supplies alone, Russia has spent more than $5.5 billion. Russia has also fired over 4,000 missiles into Ukraine, the average cost of which is $3 million each.
Russia has also lost 278 combat aircraft, each with an average cost of $18 million, and 261 helicopters, with an average cost of $10.4 million. The total losses of Russian aviation amount to roughly $8 billion.
“Only Power Counts” Merkel Says Putin Refused 2021 Talks Because Her Term Was Ending
In a candid interview with German weekly Der Spiegel, former Chancellor Angela Merkel said she had tried to organize talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in the summer of 2021, but that plans had failed to materialize due to her nearing the end of her chancellorship. “For Putin, only power counts," Merkel lamented.
As Deutsche Welle reports, Merkel wanted to create “an independent European discussion format with Putin”, as she felt the 2014 Minsk Agreement (designed to resolve the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv) was no longer effective.
More Than 15,000 People Reported Missing Since Beginning Of War
More than 15,000 people have been reported missing as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) reports.
Matthew Holliday, the ICMP’s program director for Europe, said Thursday that it was difficult to state precisely how many people had been forcibly transferred, held in Russian detention, separated from family or had been killed and were buried in makeshift graves.
In this respect, the 15,000 figure is a conservative one, he told Reuters, as in the southern city of Mariupol now occupied Russia, where authorities estimate a possible 25,000 people are either dead or missing.
Why Is The Russian Military Interested In Foreign Home Appliances?
A recent increase in European exports of washing machines, refrigerators and even electric breast-pumps to Russia’s neighbors is raising security concerns. Why? There are special chips in these appliances that the Russian army needs in order to repair their military equipment.
“The Russian military is taking chips from dishwashers and refrigerators to fix their military hardware, because they ran out of semiconductors,” warned European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen.
Liz Truss' record-setting short time in office showed that the UK cannot do whatever it pleases — even now that it's left the EU.
-Analysis-
PARIS — The “next Margaret Thatcher” didn't stay in office very long. And in view of her radical project and personality, this is clearly no surprise — she actually had very little in common with the Iron Lady.
Liz Truss remained in 10 Downing Street for exactly 45 days, the shortest stint ever for a British prime minister. But this was already enough time to prove just how empty her economic program was.
But beyond the chaos that took place, her fall also indicates how quickly the illusion of Brexit is fading away. Before the referendum that took place in 2016, Boris Johnson promised his electors that they would be living in a country freed from its European chains — a country that would be emancipated, through deregulation, massive reduction in taxes, and finding new agreements with the rest of the world.
"Global Britain" or "Singapore-on-Thames"
Once in office, he had to find an agreement with … Brussels. And then started to question it. His “Global Britain” strategy also showed no real results. Admittedly, it’s also true that the pandemic and the global economic crisis that followed didn’t help things along.
And then, Liz Truss and her chosen Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, worked to put the “Singapore-on-Thames” project back in the spotlight.
One cannot do whatever one wants.
But the program was incredibly expensive and even the financial markets of the City rejected it. And for good reason: Singapore doesn’t have to deal with a budget deficit. And “Trussonomics” set off a veritable financial panic.
The Bank of England, investors and Parliament all reminded us of a few simple rules: One cannot do whatever one wants, even after exiting the EU. Actually, especially after leaving the EU.
The economic decline of the UK has started, and it will be hard to reverse, as inflation reaches 10%. With a prospect of recession, and high interest rates, both households and companies will be affected.
Yet Brexit’s failure is even more brutally evident on a political scale. The Conservative Party has lost its compass and its credibility. It has descended into a jungle of treasons and score-settling. And we are now waiting for the nomination of a new prime minister — the fifth in six years.
Scottish are more and more attracted by independence, and Northern Islanders have an eye on Dublin’s stability: The UK is cracking. And the European Union has other things to worry about than providing support on all these matters.
The severity of this crisis has one upside: It’s shown that “the mother of parliaments” still has strong safety mechanisms in place — even if the future looks grim.
Russia's progress on the frontline has stalled. But without weapons promised by the West, Ukraine has not been able to carry out decisive counteroffensives. The West's indecisiveness risks the war being dragged out until next year — which is exactly what Putin wants.
Obviously, this situation annoys the Kremlin, forcing it to look for new, rather unconventional ways to replenish human reserves and worn-out weapons. But Moscow is also playing for time, believing that the onset of cold weather will play into its hands, as an impending energy crisis spreads through Europe.
Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.
Moreover, Putin needs time to restore the Russian army’s ability to fight. For this very reason, a day after Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced a deliberate slowdown in the military campaign in Ukraine, purportedly to reduce civilian casualties, Putin issued a decree to increase the size of the Russian army.
The important overlooked point is that the increase in the number of Russian armed forces by 137,000 soldiers (up to 2.04 million people) is planned in 2023. That is, Putin is trying to regain the initiative he lost a month ago and shape what the war will look like in the future.
Belated support from the West
The White House was ready for such a course of events. Because the very next day, that is, on Aug. 26, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden carefully “leaked” information to The Wall Street Journal about big plans to announce within a few weeks a long-term military mission to support Ukraine and even appoint a separate general responsible for military-technical assistance and training of the Ukrainian military.
The fact that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are ready to liberate the south of Ukraine by the end of the year has been widely discussed by many politicians, including the openly militant British Prime Minister Boris Johnson during the NATO summit in Madrid.
It's been a month since Ukraine took back the momentum at the front
It looked logical and realistic: Due to their resilience, the Ukrainian military deserved qualitative changes in support with modern weapons. It's been a month since Ukraine took back the momentum at the front from Russia, but strategic advantages require other attributes.
There is still a high risk of a counteroffensive — the Armed Forces of Ukraine have not yet received powerful medium-range air defense systems. And it is likely its partners did not supply (at least in significant quantities) operational-tactical missiles, as well as attack drones and tanks.
Putin attends a meeting on national tourism industry issues on Sept. 6.
It is quite clear why the West is in no hurry to accelerate the development of events. The artificial energy crisis created by the Kremlin in Europe, Putin’s rather successful nuclear blackmail, and certain politicians' unwillingness to depose Putin made the idea of too much assistance to Ukraine seem unappealing.
The Biden administration, for reasons of political expediency, does not pay attention to an obvious fact that has been repeatedly confirmed by military experts. That is, if new, advanced weapons are not provided to Ukraine within two or three months before the cold weather, the war may drag on until spring, which is exactly what Putin wants.
And although things are going poorly for Putin, the resources of the Russian Federation will be quite enough to mobilize a certain number of people and find weapons — this already guarantees the continuation of a protracted, exhausting war. This probably could have been avoided if the West acted more decisively.
The future of the war
Recently, the well-known U.S. General Ben Hodges stressed that Ukraine needs long-range missiles and even more artillery in order to launch a major counteroffensive. He appealed to the fact that the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not have enough weapons to have a "decisive effect."
Among other things, the general provided a weighty argument, addressing the U.S. military and political establishment: After the attack on the air base in Saki, the Russians began to urgently leave Crimea and did not show any initiative to protect the “holy land” of the peninsula, which indicates a clear understanding that Crimea is not their land.
The duration of the war in Ukraine largely depends on whether the U.S. can fulfill promises.
The process of rearming Ukraine requires time. Besides, some of it is already lost. So, the forecasts of Western experts about the beginning of the expulsion of Russian invaders from the occupied territories refer mainly to the first half of 2023. But the West's lack of conviction means a difficult and bloody future for Ukraine.
Britain's new prime minister has not hidden the fact that she is focused on the domestic economic crisis gripping her country. That could sway her from the hardline anti-Russia stance of outgoing prime minister, Boris Johnson. Also, Truss has flip-flopped before.
-Analysis-
KYIV — Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, then Foreign Minister Liz Truss took the same strict line as her former boss Boris Johnson. The words "push Russia out of the whole of Ukraine" belong to her.
Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.
Now that Truss is British Prime Minister, will her actions be as decisive as her words? A great advantage for Ukraine is that Truss has been keeping her finger on the pulse of international politics for a year in her role as head of the UK foreign ministry. This can, for example, significantly simplify and speed up all subsequent decisions on increasing military aid.
In July, she also said that the UK "will do everything possible to ensure Ukraine wins the war and recovers. We need to be in this for the long haul."
And yet ...
Unlike Johnson, Truss is expected to be focused on taking quick and effective actions in domestic politics. The country is experiencing one of the biggest economic crises in its history: Inflation has reached an unprecedented level of 10%, and the GDP has shrunk for the third month in a row.
Last week, Britain faced large-scale strikes, and the protest movement is not going to die down anytime soon. Truss has already promised a "bold plan" to support the economy. It is true that the British domestic crisis is directly connected with international events, particularly Russia's war against Ukraine. So we know for sure that Liz Truss will have a double responsibility.
Protesters from ''Don't Pay UK'' (DPUK) initiative hold banners outside 10, Downing Street
Today, each British family pays an average of one thousand pounds per year for energy (light and heating). According to forecasts, this figure is likely to double this year, and could eventually reach 3,000 pounds. Some say that if the state does not take any measures, energy bills could wind up totaling up to 5,000 pounds a year.
Why such a massive rise? Two-thirds of British homes are heated by gas. The country produces half of the blue fuel for its own needs in the North Sea, imports half from Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and until recently 4% from Russia.
The prime minister is expected to freeze prices.
Yes, Britain's dependence on Moscow in this regard is small. But its dependence on global gas prices on the international market — particularly the European Union, to which it is connected by a gas pipeline — is extraordinary. Prices have increased by 400% in a year, and by 30% in the last week alone, immediately after Gazprom's statement on the termination of supplies from the Nord Stream pipeline.
It is clear why Truss' attention will, for the moment, be directed squarely at internal problems. Against the background of such a large-scale crisis, the prime minister is expected to freeze prices, and for British conservatives, this is a rather atypical step. Yes, first test for Truss will be within the UK.
National security first
The security of Britain itself is also a priority for Truss. At the last major NATO summit in Madrid this summer, as foreign minister, she called on member states to increase their contributions to 2% of GDP and expressed support for Finland and Sweden in their bid to join the Atlantic alliance, which she says "deters aggressors" in an increasingly tense world.
A biography of 'variability.'
Still, there is another reason for doubt in Ukraine, and it comes from the biography of Truss, which is characterized by some ... variability. Until 2016, she was one of the most pro-European politicians in the kingdom, calling Brexit a "triple tragedy" for the country. After the British voted to leave the EU, she turned into an ardent Euroskeptic, which helped her make a career in the ranks of the Conservative Party, ultimately reaching the most important seat.
It remains to be seen if the new leader of Britain will demonstrate greater consistency when it comes to the question of Russian aggression.
Welcome to Tuesday, where Vladimir Putin unveils a new “Russian World” foreign policy doctrine, Liz Truss officially takes over from Boris Johnson as UK Prime Minister, and Instagram gets slapped with a hefty fine. Meanwhile, Spain’s Agencia SINC looks at how the distorted and often negative portrayal of women in medicine is being challenged by the research community.
[*Gilbertese, Kiribati]
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• Putin unveils new “Russian World” foreign policy doctrine: Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a new foreign policy doctrine that is based around the concept of a “Russian World” that conservative ideologues use to justify intervention abroad.
• Trump investigation granted a “special master”: Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s request for a “special master” to review the materials seized by the FBI at his Mar-a-Lago home has been granted by a federal judge. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump in 2020, has ordered for a third-party attorney to be assigned on the case.
• One suspect found dead in Canada stabbings: Damien Sanderson, one of the two suspects in the Saskatchewan deadly mass stabbings, has been found dead by the police. His injuries are believed not to be self-inflicted. His brother Myles Sanderson is still on the run.
• BoJo resigns, enters Truss: After delivering a farewell speech in Downing Street during which he pledged support to his successor Liz Truss, Boris Johnson traveled to Balmoral in Scotland to tender his resignation to the Queen in a private meeting. Liz Truss subsequently met with the Queen and officially became the United Kingdom’s new Prime Minister.
• Convoy blast kills 35 in Burkina Faso: At least 35 civilians were killed and 37 wounded in an improvised explosive device blast targeting a convoy of supplies in Burkina Faso’s jihadist-ridden north. The convoy was escorted by the army and traveled to the capital Ouagadougou.
• Iran sentences two LGBT activists to death: A court in Urmia, Iran, has sentenced Zahra Seddiqi Hamedani, 31, and Elham Choubdar, 24, to death for "corruption on Earth." Human rights groups say they were accused of promoting homosexuality, making the first time a woman faces the death penalty in Iran for her sexual orientation.
• China approves first inhaled COVID vaccine: China’s medicines regulator has approved the world’s first inhaled COVID-19 vaccine, CanSino Biologics’ Convidecia Air, for emergency use as a booster vaccine. This comes as several Chinese cities are still under lockdown as part of a strict zero-COVID policy.
China’s Jiefang Daily features rescue teams’ efforts in the wake of the 6.6 magnitude earthquake that hit the Sichuan province earlier this week. The quake — which killed 65 people, with 12 still missing — was felt by millions of people who were confined in their homes in Chengdu. President Xi Jinping ordered all efforts to be put towards minimizing casualties and saving lives: so far.
Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) fined Instagram €405 million ($402 million) for a "major breach" in children's data on the platform. Irish regulators found that children had access to settings that could make their information public. Meta officials responded saying the settings were "old": "We disagree with how this fine was calculated and intend to appeal it" they said. Last year, the DPC fined Whatsapp €225 million for similar data protection issues.
Hysterical to hypersexual: Bogus female diseases have always held women down
Throughout history, women have been overdiagnosed with mainly psychiatric ailments and syndromes that have already been ruled out, from hysteria to nymphomania. This distorted portrait, which had its golden age in the 19th century, has been questioned in recent decades by the research community, reports Beatriz de Vera in Spain’s Agencia SINC.
♀️ The uterus has been blamed since ancient Egypt: then, it was said that the organ moved inside the woman's body causing all kinds of conditions. Later, more or less elaborate theories have followed that relate the uterus to diseases or unruly behavior of women. The word hysteria, disease of the uterus (hystera, in Greek), accompanied these diagnoses and had a new golden age in the 19th century. Although today hysteria has disappeared from diagnostic manuals, “the prejudice that women are weak, sensitive, that they put up with less, that they complain about small things, remains.
💊 And it's not a trivial concern. This prejudice, says María Teresa Ruiz Cantero, professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Alicante, is at the base of an important diagnostic error: that women are overdiagnosed with syndromes. “It is common that, when it is not very well known what is happening, the label "functional problem" is used. They stay in primary care wandering around and end up being prescribed painkillers, while the men are referred to a specialist, who provides curative treatment. This is very serious," she says.
🛑 “Today there are more women scientists, and they are changing the very way of doing science. Questions are being asked that have never been asked before,” says journalist Angela Saini in her book Inferior. “Things that were taken for granted are questioned, and old ideas give way to new ones. The distorted — often negative — portrayal of women in the past has been challenged in recent decades by researchers, who say it was wrong.”
— European Council President Charles Michel and Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo reacted and denounced the European Union’s late response to the energy crisis. In an interview, Michel added, “There is not a day to lose” while in a separate statement De Croo declared, “Decisive action [at the European level] in spring could have limited the contamination of the electricity market.”
✍️ Newsletter by Anne-Sophie Goninet, Laure Gautherin, Lisa Berdet, Chloé Touchard, Lila Paulou and Bertrand Hauger
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Western countries are shipping refugees to poorer nations in exchange for cash.
The UK government was due to begin its first deportation flight to remove asylum-seekers to the East African country of Rwanda on June 14, 2022, exactly two months after signing the UK-Rwanda agreement. The asylum-seekers were from several war-torn and politically unstable countries, including Syria, Sudan and Iran.
Each year, thousands of people – many fleeing repressive governments or poverty – attempt to cross the English Channel in fragile boats in the hope of starting a new life in the UK.
Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister, defended the UK-Rwanda deal in June 2022, saying it would “remove the illegal cross-Channel trafficking of people whose lives are being put at risk.”
In exchange for Rwanda receiving the deportees, the UK has paid the country about US$142 million to cover the initial costs of operating the program as well as economic development projects in Rwanda.
But the first Rwanda deportation flight did not take off as planned.
Deterring refugees and asylum-seekers
The European Court of Human Rights, the regional judicial human rights body in Europe, issued what are called interim urgent measures to stop the scheduled flights.
Member states are bound by the decisions of the Court, and its rulings are enforced by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe – Europe’s leading human rights organization.
But instead of abiding by the decision, the UK government not only stressed its commitment to deportation flights, it also signaled its intention to pull out of the European Court of Human Rights.
As a scholar of refugees and postwar reconstruction, I see the deportation flights to Rwanda as part of a growing list of what are euphemistically known as migrant deterrence practices. These practices are used by Western countries to deter future migration of mainly people of color from countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa and Oceania, collectively known as the Global South.
In exchange for money paid to the receiving country, asylum-seekers are sent to those poorer countries to enable wealthier nations to circumvent international legal obligations to those seeking asylum.
Beyond Rwanda
The use of countries like Rwanda by Western states is on the rise.
Since 2001, it has also been removing asylum-seekers to Manus Island in Papua New Guinea and Nauru – a poor island country in the Pacific Ocean – for processing.
This has been the case even if arrivals applied for asylum in mainland Australia immediately upon arrival.
The UK government stressed its commitment to deportation flights and signaled its intention to pull out of the EU Court of Human Rights.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, “externalization of Australia’s asylum obligations has undermined the rights of those seeking safety and protection and significantly harmed their physical and mental health.”
European countries have also been pursuing similar programs with Libya, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and West African nations such as Nigeria.
They each provide financial aid packages to the respective low-income countries in exchange for preventing migrant mobility and absorbing deported asylum-seekers.
Johnson’s resignation on July 7, 2022, is not expected to halt the UK government’s plans to continue deportations to Rwanda. But in a new turn of events, Rwanda said on July 22 that it can only accommodate 200 deported asylum-seekers and will not be able to stop their efforts to cross the English Channel again.
The 2022 Nationality and Borders Act
Deportations to Rwanda are part of the UK‘s 2022 Nationality and Borders Act, a law that drastically changed citizenship and asylum rules in the UK.
In addition to deportations, the act allows the government to strip citizenship from British people without notice for reasons related to, among other things, national security or counterterrorism.
In the UK, the reasons to strip citizenship can be defined broadly and may affect about 6 million Britons from immigrant backgrounds.
The 2022 Nationality and Borders Act also allows for the criminal prosecution of those who cross the English Channel on small boats to seek asylum.
The UN Refugee Agency has criticized the legislation on which the act is based for being at “odds with the United Kingdom’s international obligations under the Refugee Convention.” These obligations include “not expelling refugees who are lawfully in the territory except on grounds of national security or public order.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel and Minister Biruta sign the migration and economic development partnership between the UK and Rwanda.
Deportations under such conditions are controversial because they are violations of the principle of non-refoulement in international refugee law.
The goal of the principle is to prevent individuals from being returned to countries where they have fled and may still be in danger of torture, persecution or death.
Despite this, the UK and other European countries have continued to deport asylum-seekers to such places.
Many of the deportees face arbitrary detention, kidnapping, torture and even death.
Between 2007 and 2016, the UK deported 2,748 young people to war-torn and unstable countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Syria.
At least 605 of them were Afghans who had arrived unaccompanied as asylum-seeking children from their war-ravaged country.
In addition, studies have shown deportations like the kind that have taken place in Europe have caused long-term damage.
These include undue burdens on family members, such as loss of family income to meet basic needs, family separation that causes psychological damage including depression and trauma, especially in children.
Asylum-seekers from DRC and Burundi
In recent years, Rwanda has become a host country for approximately 130,000 refugees from around East Africa, particularly from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.
Israel made a similar arrangement with Uganda. Under the terms of the controversial arrangement, several thousand Sudanese and Eritrean asylum-seekers had to choose between immigration detention in Israel or to “voluntarily” agree to be deported to Rwanda and Uganda.
The Kremlin has been less than transparent about its battlefield casualties in Ukraine, as
More than 100 families of Russian servicemen have turned to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a demand to find their sons, husbands and brothers who have been lost in the war zone in Ukraine.
Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.
Relatives say they receive scattered, unclear replies from Russian departments and ministries. According to Russian-language Radio Liberty.
The group of families released a statement: “We demand that you find our relatives, and add them to the lists of prisoners of war who are missing. Search work is not being carried out, since they are in the status of missing. The Russian Ministry of Defense has been blocking a change in the status of servicemen for more than five months. Relatives have to look for facts and prove of their own back that their son or husband is in captivity (not “dead” as Ministry of Defense would claim) – this is the case throughout the country.”
CIA estimates of Russian military deaths stand at some 15,000, while the Kremlin has refused to publicly update its count, which stood at 1,351 in late March.
Public anger and confusion over the accounting for war casualties is not new in Russia, where authorities have long placed victory at all costs far ahead of personal accountability. Dating back to Afghanistan and Chechnya, the Kremlin prefers not to offer an accurate public toll of its military lost on the battlefield.
Ukraine Recaptures Another Town In South
Ukrainian military says it has liberated the village of Andriyivka, near the northwestern border of the southern Kherson region. According to Ukraine’s Operational Command “South,” Ukrainian air forces struck four Russian strongholds in Andriyivka, Bilohirka and Blahodatne. The nearby city of Lozovo was liberated a few days earlier.
Ukrainian forces also attacked a key bridge in southern Ukraine in a move to cut off Russia’s supply routes and isolate the Russian-occupied city of Kherson. The Antonivskiy bridge has been hit with missiles over the past week.
By all accounts, the major counteroffensive that Kyiv has planned to recapture occupied parts of southern Ukraine has begun. Die Welt reporter Ibrahim Naber has a report from the front lines.
Can U.S. Step In To Fill Gas Supplies?
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has asked the U.S. to provide gas supplies in preparation of the coming winter. He described the supplies requested by Ukraine as a "gas lend-lease" - a reference to the 2022 U.S. Lend-Lease Act that frees up aid flows.
Even in the middle of summer, the winter and Russian energy supplies are looming over the war in Ukraine. The European Union announced Tuesday that it would encourage a 15% reduction in imports of Russian gas.
Meanwhile, Chief Economist for the International Monetary Fund, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, told AFP that higher energy prices are keeping the Russian economy afloat despite Western sanctions. And while the IMF has upgraded Russia's GDP estimate by 2.5%, its economy is expected to shrink by 6%. "That's still a fairly sizable recession in Russia in 2022," Gourinchas said.
Cement Arrives In Kaliningrad, Easing Sanctions Standoff With Lithuania
The first 60 wagons of cement have arrived in Kaliningrad from Russia in transit through Lithuania following the introduction of import restrictions by the Lithuanian side, Moscow-based newspaper Kommersant reports, citing Dmitry Lyskov, head of the press service of the local government.
The information was confirmed by the Governor of the region Anton Alikhanov.
“This is really the first composition that came to us after the decision of the EU on sanctions. This will relieve a certain tension that was in the building materials market,” Alikhanov said.
On June 18, Lithuania had stopped the transit of sanctioned goods from other regions of Russia to the Kaliningrad enclave, which lies between Lithuania and Poland. On July 13, the European Commission clarified that rail transport to Kaliningrad via Lithuania is allowed with a number of conditions regarding transit supervision.
Griner's attorney, Alexander Boykov, announced that his client would testify, adding that prosecutors will also have the opportunity to question her. The Olympic gold medalist pleaded guilty earlier this month, saying she had cannabis oil in her bag but had no intention to break the law.
Griner spoke with the media on Tuesday for the first time since she was arrested back in February. She said she has “no complaints” about her current situation and that she’s “waiting patiently” for a resolution in her case.
British Give Zelensky Churchill Courage Award
President Zelensky Receives Churchill Leadership Award
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given Volodymyr Zelensky the Sir Winston Churchill Leadership Award, citing the Ukrainian President’s courage, defiance and dignity in the face of Vladimir Putin’s invasion. Johnson said: “Churchill would have cheered and probably have wept too” if he had heard Zelensky’s phrase that he needed “ammunition, not a ride” out of Kyiv when Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24.
Thanking Johnson for the award, Zelensky said: “This award would not be possible if the entire Ukrainian people had not risen up to defend freedom from the attack of tyranny,” Zelensky stressed.
Russia To Leave The International Space Station After 2024
Russia says it is planning to opt out of the International Space Station and focus on building its own orbiting outpost, according to the newly appointed head of Russia's space agency.
Yuri Borisov, appointed this month to lead the state space agency, Roscosmos, said during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin that Russia will fulfill its obligations to its partners before it leaves.
The space station is run by the space agencies of Russia, the U.S., Europe, Japan and Canada. It usually has a crew of seven, who spend months at a time aboard the station as it orbits about 250 miles from Earth. Three Russians, three Americans and one Italian are currently on board.
This announcement comes amid soaring tensions between Russia and the West over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Welcome to Thursday, where Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi resigns, the race for Britain’s leadership narrows down to two, and Australia’s sky turns pink. Meanwhile, Fiore Longo in Spanish magazine La Marea reports on the fate of the Maasai ethnic group in eastern Africa, let down by ineffective conservationist movements.
[*Fula, West and Central Africa]
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• Russian pipeline resumes pumping gas to Europe: Russia has resumed the pumping of gas to Europe via its biggest pipeline, Nord Stream 1, after a 10-day outage which was due to maintenance. Flows have been cut to 40% of the pipeline’s capacity since mid-June following tensions over the war in Ukraine, prompting fears over European countries’ winter supply.
• Russia’s expanded territorial goals in Ukraine: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with state media that Russia’s territorial ambitions in Ukraine now go further than the Donbas region. Lavrov expressed interest in gaining military control over the “Kherson region, the Zaporizhia region and a number of other territories.”
• Mario Draghi resigns: Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has confirmed his resignation after the three parties composing his coalition did not participate in a vote of confidence in the Senate on Thursday. Draghi’s resignation will likely lead to snap elections after the summer.
• Next British prime minister will be her or him: The British Conservative party chose Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak as the two candidates in the runoff vote to replace Boris Johnson as party leader and Prime Minister. The winner will be announced on Sept. 5.
• Iraq-Turkey clash after deadly shelling in Kurdish village: Nine travelers were killed and 23 people wounded in a shelling on the mountainous village of Parakh in the Kurdish north of Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi has blamed the bombardment on Turkey and warned that retaliations could ensue. The government also demanded an official apology from Turkey and "the withdrawal of its armed forces from all Iraqi territory."
• Ivana Trump’s funeral: Former U.S. President Donald Trump attended the funeral of Ivana Trump, his first wife and mother of his three oldest children, in New York on Wednesday. He described the socialite and businesswoman, who died at 73, as having had a “beautiful life.”
• California beach returned to Black family: Authorities have returned property of a beach in the city of Manhattan Beach, California, to the grandsons of its Black owners after it was seized by local officials in 1924. It is believed the confiscation had been motivated by racism during the segregation era.
Milan-based daily Corriere della Sera says “farewell to the Draghi government” after Italy’s Prime Minister failed to unite his fragile coalition government, leading him to tender his resignation today. The resignation means a new general election — the second in four years — is likely to take place this autumn.
In an effort to distance themselves from British author J.K. Rowling and her controversial comments on transgender issues, leading Quidditch organizations have renamed the sport quadball. The real-life sport, a ball game inspired by Rowling’s Harry Potter series, pits two teams of seven players mounted on a broomstick.
Plight of Maasai reveals racism of Africa's conservation policy
Thousands of Maasai people in Tanzania met brutal police repression when they demonstrated against being expelled from their land, laying bare both how ineffective and inhumane the conservationist movement can be, reports Fiore Longo in Spanish independent magazine La Marea.
💥 The Maasai, an ethnic group inhabiting Kenya and northern Tanzania, have always known what war is. They generally live close to the many game parks around the African Great Lakes, and as they put it to me: "Your conservation areas are a war zone for us." The government has tried to confiscate 1,500 km2 of their ancestral land for years in order to use the land for trophy hunting, elite tourism and conservation. Behind these attempts has always been the Otterlo Business Company (OBC), a company based in the United Arab Emirates that organizes hunting expeditions for the royal family and their guests.
📸 Just as dangerous for the Maasai are the tourists, who feed upon media images, documentaries and textbooks that sell the idea of "nature without people" and who expect to find only wild animals on their safaris. Indeed, the Maasai not only face the myth of wildlife without humans, but also a deeply entrenched racism. In April, a famous U.S. journalist, Peter Greenberg of CBS News, called the Maasai "primitive" when he was taking a walk with the Tanzanian president.
❌ The Loliondo events should be a lesson to everyone. Indigenous peoples have inhabited the most biodiverse places on the planet for generations: these territories are now considered important nature conservation areas precisely because the original inhabitants have cared for their land and wild flora and fauna. We cannot continue to tolerate human rights abuses committed in the name of conservation. This conservationist model is profoundly inhumane and ineffective and needs to change now.
Scientists reported alarming warmth as six billion tons of water per day melted off the ice sheet in northern Greenland last weekend between July 15 and July 17, as temperatures have risen to above 10 degrees hotter than usual at this time of the year.
— Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson exited his final session of Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday by quoting Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Johnson has been forced out as Conservative Party leader, which will lead to his coming resignation as prime minister, in the wake of a string of scandals and loss of confidence among his party allies. Johnson gave advice to his yet-to-be-appointed successor, saying, "Remember, above all, it's not Twitter that counts, it's the people that sent us here." The two candidates in the running to replace Johnson are former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and current Foreign Minister Liz Truss.
✍️ Newsletter by Lila Paulou, Lisa Berdet, McKenna Johnson and Anne-Sophie Goninet
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