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☆ Kremlin says Canadian recognition of veteran from Nazi unit is 'outrageous'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Yaroslav Hunka, 98, received two standing ovations from Canadian lawmakers during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the episode showed a careless disregard for historical truth, and that the memory of Nazi crimes must be preserved. "Many Western countries, including Canada, have raised a young generation that does not know who fought whom or what happened during the Second World War. Canadian parliament speaker Anthony Rota introduced Hunka as "a Ukrainian Canadian war veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians" and "a Ukrainian hero and a Canadian hero." During World War Two, when Ukraine was a part of the Soviet Union, some Ukrainian nationalists joined Nazi units because they saw the Germans as liberators from Soviet oppression.

Persons: Adolf Hitler's Waffen, Yaroslav Hunka, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Anthony Rota, Hunka, Simon Wiesenthal, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Adolf Hitler's Waffen SS, Ukrainian, Nazi, Waffen Grenadier Division, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukrainian, Canada, Ukrainian Canadian, Canadian, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Rota, European, Russia, Europe

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo flared anew over the weekend when some 30 heavily armed Serbs barricaded themselves in an Orthodox monastery in northern Kosovo, setting off a daylong gunbattle with police that left one officer and three attackers dead. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti accused Serbia of sending the attackers into Kosovo. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic denied that, saying the men were Kosovo Serbs who have had enough of “Kurti’s terror.”A look at the history between Serbia and Kosovo, and why the latest tensions are a concern for Europe. Vucic, meanwhile, is a former ultra-nationalist who insists Serbia will never recognize Kosovo and insists that an earlier deal to give Kosovo Serbs a level of independence must first be implemented before new agreements are made. International officials still hope Kosovo and Serbia can reach a deal that would allow Kosovo to get a seat in the United Nations without Serbia having to explicitly recognize its statehood.

Persons: yeraslong, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Kurti, Vucic Organizations: European Union, Kosovo, Serbian, Kosovo Serbs, EU, Ottoman, NATO, Government, Russia's, International, United Nations Locations: BELGRADE, Serbia, Kosovo, U.S, West, Europe, SERBIA, KOSOVO, United States, Russia, China, Balkan, Yugoslavia, Belgrade, Mitrovica, Ukraine, European, Crimea, NATO, United, EU

☆ Germany's Scholz Asks Poland to Clarify Cash-For-Visas Affair
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday called on the Polish government to clarify allegations about a cash-for-visas deal for migrants that has roiled Polish politics, as a debate about immigration heats up in Germany. Arrivals to Poland could easily cross into other European Union countries given that borders are open. "The visa scandal that is taking place in Poland needs to be clarified," Scholz said on Saturday at an event. Scholz hinted that Germany could take steps to control the border with Poland. In recent years, Germany has already coped with floods of migrants and asylum seekers from Syria and Ukraine.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Nancy Faeser, Zbigniew Rau, Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, Andreas Rinke, Tom Sims, Clelia Oziel Organizations: BERLIN, Union, Polish, Home Affairs, EU Locations: Polish, Germany, Poland, Syria, Ukraine

☆ Germany's Scholz asks Poland to clarify cash-for-visas affair
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz addresses a ministerial level meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the crisis in Ukraine at U.N. headquarters in New York, September 20, 2023. Arrivals to Poland could easily cross into other European Union countries given that borders are open. "The visa scandal that is taking place in Poland needs to be clarified," Scholz said on Saturday at an event. Scholz hinted that Germany could take steps to control the border with Poland. In recent years, Germany has already coped with floods of migrants and asylum seekers from Syria and Ukraine.

Persons: Germany's, Olaf Scholz, Brendan McDermid, Scholz, Nancy Faeser, Zbigniew Rau, Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, Andreas Rinke, Tom Sims, Clelia Organizations: United Nations Security Council, REUTERS, Rights, Union, Polish, Home Affairs, EU, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, U.N, New York, Polish, Germany, Poland, Syria

☆ Bulgarian nationalists protest against NATO bases, want government out
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Stoyan Nenov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SOFIA, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Bulgarian police on Thursday scuffled with supporters of the ultra-nationalist Vazrazhdane (Revival) party protesting against the policies of the pro-Western government, calling for the government to resign and for the closure of NATO military bases. Many shouted "Resignation", while fully equipped riot police protected the government buildings, including the defence ministry at which some protesters threw eggs. Bulgaria, which has sent arms to Ukraine, lifted its ban on Ukrainian grains last week. [1/5]Protesters scuffle with police as they try to remove construction fences surrounding the Soviet army monument, during an anti-government demonstration organised by the ultranationalist Vazrazhdane (Revival) party, in Sofia, Bulgaria, September 21, 2023. Bulgaria is a zone of peace", referring to the opening of a new military base in the NATO member.

Persons: Neli Tyulekova, Stoyan, Neli Balabanska, Stoyan Nenov, Daria Sito, Jan Harvey Organizations: SOFIA, Bulgarian, NATO, EU, Ukraine, REUTERS, State Agency for National Security, Thomson Locations: Russia, Russian, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Sofia, U.S, Soviet

☆ Xi'an Jiaotong University: Top Chinese university scraps English tests in move cheered by nationalists
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In a notice Wednesday, the Xi’an Jiaotong University in the capital city of Shaanxi province said students will no longer need to pass a nationwide standardized English test – nor any other English exams – to be able to graduate with bachelor’s degrees. But in recent years, some universities have downgraded the importance of English, either by replacing the national College English Test with their own exams or – as in the case of the Xi’an Jiaotong University – dropping English qualifications altogether as a graduation criteria. For some liberal-leaning Chinese, the downgrade of English is symbolic of China’s inward turn and a tightening of ideological control. “We need English to understand the world. These days, if you don’t understand English, you’ll still fall behind in the scientific and technological world,” a Weibo user said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ”, Mao, Xi, it’s, Weibo, don’t, you’ll Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Jiaotong University, English, College English, Jiaotong, Weibo, World Trade Organization Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shaanxi, Weibo, Shanghai, Taiwan

☆ Nagorno-Karabakh crisis lays bare deteriorating Armenian relationship with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Clare Sebastian Anna Chernova Katharina Krebs Tim Lister Christian Edwards | Clare Sebastian | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh has come amid a sharp deterioration in the relationship between historic allies Armenia and Russia, and has been amplified by sometimes incendiary commentary from prominent individuals in Moscow. Armenia’s Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan accused Russian peacekeepers of failing to protect Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijani aggression, according to state media Armenpress. The prominent Russian military blogger Rybar said Armenia was over reliant on Russia to provide security for Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia purports to provide security to Armenia through the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance of post-Soviet states that includes Armenia but excludes Azerbaijan. The Armenian authorities handed over the Armenian shrine with their own hands… The fate of Judas is unenviable.”Simonyan also wrote on Telegram about protests in Yerevan.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Armenia’s, Armen Grigoryan, Dmitry Peskov, Pashinyan’s, Anna Hakobyan, ” Pashinyan, Dmitry Medvedev, “, ”, ” Medvedev, Rybar, –, ” Rybar, Margarita Simonyan, Judas, ” Simonyan, ’ They’ve, Vladimir Solovyov, Lavrov, Putin, Ivan, ” Solovyov, Meduza Organizations: CNN, Armenian, Armenia’s Security, Kremlin, CNN Prima News, Russia, NATO, Collective Security, Organization, Twitter Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Russia, Moscow, Yerevan, United States, Ukraine, Kyiv, “, Azerbaijan, Russian, Soviet

☆ Analysis-Poland's PiS Faces Far-Right Challenge Over Ukraine Support
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

While Poles' overall attitudes to Ukrainian refugees remain positive and support for Kyiv's war effort is almost unanimous, research shows that critical views are becoming more widespread. SHIFTING VIEWSA survey last month showed that the number of Poles who support allowing refugees from Ukraine in has fallen to 69% from 91% just after the war started. Other research has shown a higher level of aversion to Ukrainian refugees among young women than in other demographics. POLISH PUSHBACKIt is against this political backdrop that PiS decided to extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports in response to rising anger in the party's rural heartlands. "When it was necessary, we opened our hearts, we opened our homes for refugees from Ukraine," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.

Persons: Alan Charlish, Marek Strzelecki WARSAW, Slawomir Mentzen, Piotr Muller, CBOS, Anna Brylka, PiS, Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland, Marek Strzelecki, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Justyna, Gareth Jones Organizations: Russia, Justice, Confederation, Reuters, EU, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Warsaw, heartlands, Kyiv, Western

☆ Some Businesses Make ‘Woke Free’ a Selling Point
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Santul Nerkar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Isaac, who is Black, turned that singular moment in July 2020 — when he decided not to join many other N.B.A. players in kneeling during the national anthem as the league restarted in a Covid “bubble” setting in Orlando, Fla. — into a platform as a conservative political activist. In 2022, he spoke at a rally of Christian nationalists and anti-vaccine Americans and wrote a book about why he did not join the protest. Most companies used to do everything they could to avoid political controversies and, by extension, risk alienating potential customers. Seemingly everything in the United States is political now, including where you shop for socks and leggings.

Persons: Jonathan Isaac, Orlando, Isaac, —, ” “, Mr Organizations: National Basketball, Black Americans Locations: Orlando, Fla, —, United States

☆ Recent arrests suggest Putin is quietly trying to rein in some of his most effective promoters of the war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Putin regime has leaned heavily on propaganda to rally support for its war in Ukraine. In doing so, it has come to rely on military bloggers to spread its message and back its efforts. Milbloggers also have become an indispensable tool for Western governments, think tanks, and media to track the Russian war effort. But the relationship between Putin and milbloggers illustrates the complexities of social media in an authoritarian state. Many milbloggers are ultra-nationalists with deep ties to the Russian military and intelligence agencies.

Persons: Putin, Vladimir Putin's, —, Donald Jensen, Angel Howard, Milblogs, aren't, Milbloggers, DOMINIQUE FAGET, It's, Ramzan Kadyrov, milbloggers, Jensen, Howard, Igor Girkin, Girkin, Andrey Kurshin, Maxim Shemetov, Russia's, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Kyiv Independent, Getty, REUTERS, Putin's, Kremlin, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Kyiv, Russian, Makiivka, Donetsk, AFP, British, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Moscow, Russia, Forbes

New Delhi CNN —India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is close to fulfilling a decade-old election promise months out from nationwide polls with the announcement that a controversial new Hindu temple will open on disputed land in January. Hindu fundamentalists demolish the wall of the 16th century Babri Masjid mosque in the city of Ayodhya in 1992. But many Hindus believe the Babri Masjid was built on the ruins of a Hindu temple, which was allegedly destroyed by Babar, the first Mughal emperor of South Asia. Disputed landThe site of the temple, previously claimed by both Hindus and Muslims, has long been the center of controversy. Hindu fundamentalists climb the dome of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya to demolish the structure on December 6, 1992.

Persons: New Delhi CNN —, Narendra Modi, Nripendra Misra, Douglas E, Curran, Lord Ram, Babar, Misra, ”, Sondeep Shankar, Modi, “, ” Modi, Madir, Larsen, Toubro, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, Yogi Adityanath Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, New Delhi CNN — India’s, Getty, BJP, India’s, CNN, Pradesh’s BJP Locations: New Delhi, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, South Asia, Babri, India, Pradesh’s

☆ Elon Musk to meet Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu in Silicon Valley
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Sept 14 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet X owner Elon Musk on Monday in Silicon Valley, an official in Netanyahu's office said on Thursday, and Musk said their talks would focus on artificial intelligence technology. The Israeli official confirmed the meeting with Musk, first reported by the Washington Post, but offered no further details. In Silicon Valley, Netanyahu may try to bolster relations with executives in the high tech sector, a key driver of Israel's economy. Hate speech on X, formerly known as Twitter, has increased dramatically since Musk bought the site last year and loosened safeguards around content moderation. Biden has not met with Netanyahu since the Israeli leader took office for a sixth term in late December.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Elon Musk, Musk, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Musk’s, AJ Brown, Biden, Kanjyik Ghosh, Steven Scheer, Lisa Shumaker, Howard Goller Organizations: General Assembly, Washington Post, Post, Center, Defamation League, ADL, The, Defamation, Reuters, West Bank . Foreign, Thomson Locations: Silicon Valley, California, New York, Bengaluru, Jerusalem

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his economic agenda at Prince George's Community College in Largo, Maryland, U.S. September 14, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden told top American rabbis on Thursday that he felt antisemitism has "risen to record levels" and was a big challenge for the entire country, while also taking a dig at Republican former President Donald Trump over the issue. "Antisemitism has risen to record levels," Biden said in a call with U.S. rabbis to commemorate the Jewish High Holidays. The rally followed months of protests over the city's plan to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. More than 3,600 antisemitic incidents were recorded in the United States in 2022, more than in any year since ADL began tracking the issue in 1979.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jonathan Ernst, Donald Trump, Biden, Confederate, Robert E, Lee ., Trump, Trump's, Kanishka Singh, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Prince George's Community College, REUTERS, Rights, Republican, Democratic, University of Virginia, Defamation League, Tel Aviv University, ADL, Thomson Locations: Largo , Maryland, U.S, Charlottesville , Virginia, Lee, Charlottesville, United States

☆ Opinion | Bayard Rustin Challenged Progressive Orthodoxies
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( James Kirchick | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

In May 1966, the moderate integrationist John Lewis was ousted from the chairmanship of SNCC by the Black Power radical Stokely Carmichael. Committed to a political program that would improve the lives of the poor and working class regardless of their skin color, Mr. Rustin opposed racial preferences . Contrary to contemporary “antiracism” advocates who claim that the existence of racial disparities necessarily constitutes evidence of racism, Mr. Rustin asserted, “That blacks are underrepresented in a particular profession does not by itself constitute racial discrimination.”Another major source of tension between Mr. Rustin and the progressive left concerned American foreign policy. Briefly a member of the Young Communist League in the 1930s, Mr. Rustin followed the path of many a disillusioned ex-Communist by becoming a staunch anti-Communist. Although an early opponent of American military involvement in Vietnam, Mr. Rustin could not, as he wrote in 1967, “go along with those who favor immediate U.S. withdrawal, or who absolve Hanoi and the Vietcong from all guilt.

Persons: —, John Lewis, Stokely Carmichael, Rustin, “, Mr, ”, antiracism ”, George McGovern’s, leftward, Scoop Jackson Organizations: SNCC, Black Power, Negro, Democratic Party, Young Communist League, Communist, Social Democrats, USA, Socialist Party of America, Soviet Union, Democratic, Coalition for Locations: American, Vietnam, Hanoi, South Vietnam, Soviet, Washington

☆ Analysis: Here’s why many Black people despise Clarence Thomas. (It’s not because he’s a conservative.)
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

CNN —Long before he became a Supreme Court justice, Clarence Thomas told a story at a public gathering that still sounds shocking years later. Justice Clarence Thomas jokes with his clerks in his chambers at the Supreme Court building in Washington in 2016. AP“His entire judicial philosophy is at war with his own biography,” Michael Fletcher, co-author of “Supreme Discomfort: The Divided Soul of Clarence Thomas,”. “He’s arguably benefited from affirmative action every step of the way.”Thomas has admitted that he was accepted at Yale Law School under an affirmative action policy. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas looks at the displays inside the Pin Point Heritage Museum.

Persons: CNN — Long, Clarence Thomas, Thomas, Ronald Reagan, ” Thomas, Diana Walker, Thomas ’, Emma Mae Martin, he’s, Harlan Crow, Crow, ”, Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Chip Somodevilla, “ fawning, Reagan, John L, Nikki Merritt, Merritt, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Roe, Wade, ” Sen, Alyssa Pointer, Anita Hill’s, Uncle Tom, Thomas “, Juan Williams, “, Armstrong Williams, ” Williams, Amul Thapar, Jonathan Ernst, ” Thomas ’, Thomas doesn’t, they’ve, Thurgood Marshall, ” Michael Fletcher, “ He’s, I’d, Critics, White, Malcolm X, Richard Burkhard, you’ve, pounced, “ Clarence Thomas, Black, ” Tori Otten, ” Otten, ” Juan Williams, Virginia “ Ginni ” Thomas, Trump’s, John Duricka, Williams, — Trump, Booker T, Washington, Marcus Garvey, Obama, ” “ We’ve, –, “ It’s, “ Thomas, Steven Ferdman, Jim Crow, Frederick Douglass, ” Clarence Thomas, nodded, ” Merritt Organizations: CNN, White House, Commission, Texas Republican, Republican, National Bar Association, Democrat, Georgia Senate, Georgia State Capitol, NAACP, Supreme, National Museum of, Thomas Others, Reuters, Yale Law School, Catholic, College of, Cross, AP, Yale, Heritage Museum, Savannah Morning, USA, The, New, Morehouse College, Fox News Channel Studios, Reagan Administration, Bettmann Locations: Storm, Texas, New York, Washington, Memphis, Georgia, handouts, Atlanta, American, America, Cincinnati, Pin, Savannah , Georgia, New Republic, Wisconsin, Arizona, Virginia, Black, China, India, Brazil, New York City

☆ World leaders visit Mahatma Gandhi's memorial as the G20 comes to a close
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial at Rajghat in New Delhi on September 10, 2023. When India won its independence from the British in 1947, right-wing Hindu nationalists rallied for the carving of British India into two separate states: Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. Gandhi, on the other hand, was against the country’s partition, instead advocating for a united India of all faiths. At the same time, the BJP and its supporters have been accused of downplaying the legacy of India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, a longtime Gandhi admirer and ally. Modi has condemned Godse’s worship and continuously praised and paid his respect to Gandhi, both inside and outside of India.

Persons: CNN — Narendra Modi’s, Mohandas K, Gandhi, India’s, Modi, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, ” Modi, Joko Widodo, Narendra Modi, Kenny Holston, Nathuram Godse, Jawaharlal Nehru, Godse’s, Mahatma Gandhi, ”, Gandhi Ji Organizations: CNN, British, India's, Getty, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Rashtriya Swayam Sangh, India, RSS Locations: New Delhi, Gujarat, India, Rajghat, Pakistan

☆ Polish ruling party figures would face state tribunal after election, opposition says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO-Poland's central bank governor-designate Adam Glapinski speaks during a hearing at a parliamentary panel at the Parliament in Warsaw, Poland May 20, 2016. Agencja Gazeta/Kuba Atys via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWARSAW, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Poland's main opposition party said on Saturday it would convene a state tribunal if it wins October's national election to consider allegations against ruling party figures and their allies, including the president, prime minister and the governor of the central bank. The central bank said that it "never comments on statements from politicians". It also says Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki should face a state tribunal for giving the order to attempt to hold the presidential elections by post in 2020. Most polls for the national election show PiS with more than 35% of the vote, while the KO grouping has around 30%.

Persons: Adam Glapinski, Atys, KO, Donald Tusk, Tusk, PiS, Glapinski, Andrzej Duda, Mateusz Morawiecki, Alan Charlish, Mike Harrison Organizations: Agencja Gazeta, REUTERS, Rights, liberal Civic Coalition, Justice, National Bank of Poland, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Germany, Russia

☆ Russian hardliners are fuming that the Kremlin wasn't able to top a string of embarrassing attacks on home soil
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's military bloggers are mad over escalating drone attacks on home soil. They have often highlighted problems within Russia's military which were not acknowledged by officials or Russia's closely-controlled mass media. Their anger was prompted by an increasing number of drone attacks, likely organized by Ukraine or Ukraine-affiliated groups. And some of these strikes have destroyed and damaged Russian military aircraft sitting on home soil. Military analysts told The Wall Street Journal that Ukraine has probably disabled more Russian aircraft sitting in Russian bases than it has aircraft involved in combat.

Persons: Russia's, milbloggers, Rybar, Alexander Kots Organizations: Service, Ministry of Defense, Wall Street Journal Locations: Western Russia, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russia's Pskov, Crimea, Russian, Europe

☆ Poland holds huge military parade as voters focus on defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Polish soldiers maintain Abrams M1A1 FEP tanks during preparations before National Army Day Parade at Wesola military base, in Warsaw, Poland, August 10, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File PhotoWARSAW, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Poland's biggest military parade since the Cold War takes place in Warsaw on Tuesday as the NATO-member country flexes its military muscle in what the government hopes will be both a message to Moscow and to voters ahead of elections in October. "This parade will be different from the previous ones; we will be able to see how the process of modernising the equipment of the Polish Army is progressing," Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Sunday. PiS, in power since 2015, says the parade will demonstrate how it is rebuilding the army after years of under-investment under the previous administration. The party has vowed to double the size of the army and spend around 4% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence this year.

Persons: Kacper, Mariusz Blaszczak, Michal Szczerba, Alan Charlish, Kuba Stezycki, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Abrams, National, REUTERS, Poland's, NATO, Justice, Polish Army, Armed Forces, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Moscow, Russia's, Ukraine, Soviet Union, United States, South Korean, PiS

CNN —At least 26 people have been killed in an explosion in the town of Finote Selam in northwestern Ethiopia, amid heavy fighting between government forces and a local militia group. Tenaw told CNN that people reported hearing only one explosion, the cause of which is unclear. The Ethiopian government declared a six-month state of emergency in the Amhara region on August 4 after days of clashes. The United Nations “called on all sides to respect human rights and take steps to deescalate the situation,” noting that “previous states of emergency have been accompanied by violations of human rights” in a statement Friday. CNN has reached out to the federal government, the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, and the Amhara regional government for comment.

Persons: Manaye Tenaw, Tenaw, EHRC, ” “ EHRC, Finote Selam, ”, United Nations “, Antony Blinken, “, I’ve, ” Blinken Organizations: CNN, Human Rights, Ethiopian, Dar, United Nations, Ethiopian National Defense Forces, Amhara, Eritrean Defense Forces, Front, State Locations: Finote, Ethiopia, Fano, Amhara, Debre Birhan, Gondar, Addis Ababa, Bahir Dar, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, America, Tigray

☆ Poland to vote in privatisation referendum, likely alongside October election
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"For us, the voice of ordinary Poles is always decisive," PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said in a video posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. He said that the first referendum question would be: "Do you support the sale of state-owned enterprises?". "The Germans want to embed Tusk in Poland to sell off common property, his background shows it directly," Kaczynski said. Another state-run broadcaster, Polskie Radio 24, reported that there would be four referendum questions in total. Poland's lower house of parliament will deal with legislation concerning the organisation of the referendums at its sitting on Aug. 16-17.

Persons: Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Kacper, Donald Tusk, Tusk, Kaczynski, Marcin Kierwinski, Alan Charlish, Toby Chopra Organizations: Justice, National Army, REUTERS, Law, Former European, PO, Polskie Radio, Polskie, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Germany

☆ Linda Yaccarino was pressed about the chaos on Elon Musk’s X. Her answers were detached from reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

During a lengthy sit-down interview with CNBC’s Sara Eisen, Yaccarino described the one-time bird platform as if everything were not only swell, but in a better position since Musk’s chaotic takeover and reign. But perhaps an even more preposterous claim from Yaccarino came when Eisen pressed her on brand safety and hate speech appearing on the platform since Musk’s takeover. Yaccarino celebrated Coca-Cola and State Farm marketing their products on Twitter/X, as she underscored the platform’s commitment to brand safety. Under Musk’s watch, the platform has welcomed back white nationalists, conspiracy theorists, anti-vaccine activists, and various other extremists with open arms. Alas, it is no wonder that conspiracy theories and hate speech are flourishing on the platform.

Persons: CNN — Linda Yaccarino, CNBC’s Sara Eisen, Yaccarino, Yaccarino fantastically, Eisen, ”, “, Musk, Eisner Organizations: CNN, Elon Musk, Twitter, Defamation League, Center, Strategic, Secure Community Network, State Farm, Media Locations: Yaccarino

☆ For Scotland, Independence Will Always Be an Option - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Alex Massie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The bloom is truly off the Scottish National Party, which has continued to dominate political life here in the almost decade since it lost the independence referendum. The party has held majorities in the devolved Parliament and in the Scottish seats at Westminster, and a volley of opinion polls, routinely reporting that Scots under the age of 49 favor independence, bolstered the sense that Scottish independence was a historical inevitability. Ms. Sturgeon insists that she is innocent of any wrongdoing. But even before the allegations, Ms. Sturgeon’s plans for independence had run out of steam. (Ms. Sturgeon’s lackluster successor, Humza Yousaf, has not revitalized the movement.)

Persons: Nicola Sturgeon, Sturgeon, Sturgeon’s, Humza Yousaf Organizations: Scottish National Party, Westminster, Scottish, Labour Party Locations: Scotland, United Kingdom

Kyiv last week replaced the Soviet hammer and sickle symbol with a trident – the Ukrainian coat of arms – on the shield of the Motherland Monument, which dominates the capital’s skyline. Its construction began in 1979, and it depicted a woman holding a sword and a shield emblazoned with the Soviet hammer and sickle symbol. Workers remove the Soviet-era emblem from the motherland monument in Kyiv on August 1, 2023. And they don’t know how.”Putin’s desire to undermine Ukrainian national identity and autonomy has remained a key motivation for the conflict. Kudrya, meanwhile, was a Soviet spy and a leader of a sabotage group in Kyiv during World War II.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Valentyn Ogirenko, Pilipey, ” “, ’, Maria Zakharova, Putin, Andrei Ivanov, Andriy Ivanov, Ivan Kudrya, John McCain, Andreyi, “, McCain, Kudrya, ” “ McCain, Ukraine …, Pobigay Organizations: CNN, Getty, Russian Foreign, Kremlin, UNESCO, ” Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Soviet, Ukrainian, Kyiv's, AFP, Kiev, Russian Kiev, Moscow, Latvian, Pavlenko, Russia

☆ Opinion | From Jacobites to Populists
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

It’s not that today’s populists (a few intellectuals aside) favor the restoration of an absolute or Catholic monarchy. Rather, like the original Jacobites, they represent a hodgepodge of somewhat disparate causes, unified mostly by their oppositional and outsider status, their distance from and defiance of the Whiggish metropole. As Frank McLynn points out in his history of the Jacobites, whatever specific designs the Stuarts had in mind, their movement always included a variety of competing ideological and religious tendencies. There were English Jacobites who wanted to see the Stuarts enthroned over all the British Isles. There were also plenty of opportunists, familiar from the grifter politics of our own day — smugglers and privateers seeking relief from a centralizing British state, bankrupt gentry seeking relief for their accumulated debts.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Bonnie Prince Charlie, Trump, Frank McLynn Organizations: European Union, London, Whig, Jacobite, Jacobites, Scottish Locations: England, United Kingdom, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Europe, Ulster, United States, Scottish, British, London

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