➤ From our ranks: criticism of the Russian war is growing
after this Russia In the past two weeks other setbacks in the war in Ukraine It had to be accepted, as more and more different actors within the Russian system are expressing their criticism of the Russian defense leadership.
As the British Ministry of Defense announced on social media, Critics include Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, private military company owner Yevgeny Prigozhin, state-accredited TV presenters, pop stars, and a growing community of ultra-nationalist military bloggers.
So Kadyrov and Prigozhin are seen as supporters of a „pro-war” bloc, whose criticism is based on arguments for greater state involvement and a willingness to escalate.
Criticism remains focused on the military high command rather than the high political leadership, but it does represent a trend toward public expression of opposition against the Russian establishment that is at least partially tolerated and potentially difficult to reverse.
Since then, the Ukrainian army has been fighting the invaders as best it can. Thousands of deaths were reported on both sides, but the exact numbers of soldiers and civilians were not independently verified. The truth is that the humanitarian situation in Ukraine is getting worse every day.
The Kremlin: Putin forms a commission on the Crimean bridge fire
According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin is standing on the bridge to the Black Sea peninsula due to the dangerous fire. Crimea has been informed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Interfax as saying on Saturday that he had instructed the commission to investigate the causes of the fire. According to the first information, the fuel wagons of a freight train caught fire on the railway part of the Crimean bridge system, which also has a highway. According to the authorities, no one was hurt. The bridge was closed to traffic.
According to the information, a section of the highway was severely damaged. Pictures circulated in the Russian and Ukrainian media showed flames rising from a train and burning the entire base of the track. The ferry line must be erected, the government announced in Simferopol, the capital of Crimea.
After the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine at the end of February, several explosions occurred in the Crimea, which caused serious damage, including to military bases. There were also repeated threats in the capital, Kyiv, that the bridge between the peninsula and the Russian mainland, which Putin opened in 2018, would be shot. Recently, in the Kerch region, which directly borders the bridge in the Crimea, there have been frequent incidents with exploding drones. (dpa)
Kharkiv was rocked by several explosions
The city of Kharkov in eastern Ukraine was rocked by several explosions shortly after midnight. According to the AP news agency, huge plumes of smoke rose into the sky. There were no reports of injuries so far. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov told Telegram that the explosions were the result of rockets falling in the city center. They would set fires in a medical facility and in an unoccupied building. (to)
Strack-Zimmermann: Train Ukrainians on Leopards Now
Chairman of the Bundestag Defense Committee Marie Agnes Strack Zimmermann (FDP), called for tank training of Ukrainian soldiers in European Union Clear. „The Spaniards will be ready to train Ukrainian soldiers on the Leopard 2 in Latvia,” the head of the Defense Committee of the German news agency DPA said on Friday during her visit to Ukraine in Kyiv. But Germany must give the green light for this.
The current question is how Ukraine will get through the coming winter militarily. „Therefore, now would be the best time to train Ukrainians for a marten or tiger, because that takes a lot of time,” she stressed.
In her talks with, among other things, Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov and Head of the Presidential Office Andrei Yermak, the issue of arms delivery was repeatedly emphasized. „The implication is that we need everything always and all the time. That’s understandable,” the 64-year-old said. The issue is particularly acute in the south of the country. „One is certain victory. However, the losses there are relatively high.” In open terrain, German Leopard tanks can make the difference.
After a trip to Lviv (Limberg) in April, Strack-Zimmermann traveled to Ukraine for two days for the second time since the start of the Russian war of aggression on February 24. She is one of the people in the Traffic Light Alliance who has repeatedly called for an increase in military support for Kiev from Germany. Western-style main battle tanks were not delivered to Ukraine by any country. (dpa)
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The International Monetary Fund allocates $1.3 billion to Ukraine
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is providing Ukraine with $1.3 billion (€1.28 billion) through its new tool to tackle food crises. The International Monetary Fund said Friday that the new package aims to „help Ukraine meet its immediate balance of payments needs” and „act as a catalyst for future financial support from donors and creditors to Ukraine.”
„The scale and intensity of Russia’s war against Ukraine for more than seven months has caused great human suffering and severely affected the Ukrainian economy,” the statement said.
In mid-September, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyal accused the International Monetary Fund of insufficient support for his country at war. Ukraine applied to the International Monetary Fund for a new aid program in August. (AFP)
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With materials from dpa, Reuters and Agence France-Presse
“I’m proud to go to prison” – Bannon begins four-month sentence
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Steve Bannon is in jail because he refused to testify before the US Congress and provide documents to lawmakers.
Source: Reuters
Contempt of Congress: Former Trump confidant Steve Bannon will spend the next four months in a Connecticut prison. The 70-year-old sees himself as a political victim of the Democrats. “I’m proud to be going to prison,” Bannon said.
sTiff Bannon, a longtime confidant of former US President Donald Trump, has begun a four-month prison sentence. The 70-year-old appeared Monday at a prison in Connecticut, where he turned himself in and was taken into custody, the prison authority said.
He has previously declared himself a “political prisoner” to reporters. Bannon added that Trump has shown “great solidarity” with him. In addition, the former White House chief strategist has taken a stand against Democrats, especially Attorney General Merrick Garland. “I’m proud to be going to prison,” Bannon said. In doing so, he stands up to “Garland’s corrupt Justice Department.”
Outside the prison on Monday, Bannon was greeted by a group of Trump supporters. In a nod to the right-wing populist’s possible re-election in November, they held up “Trump 2024” flags. Also in attendance was far-right Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump supporter.
Steve Bannon stands next to Marjorie Taylor Greene and other supporters outside the prison in Danbury, Connecticut.
Source: Reuters
Bannon was convicted in 2022 of contempt of Congress for ignoring a subpoena from the committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and failing to provide requested documents. The court allowed Bannon to remain free for nearly two years while he legally fought his four-month prison sentence.
After an appeals court upheld the convictions, the judge ordered him to begin his prison sentence on July 1. Just last Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Bannon’s urgent request to stay his detention.
Bannon has been with Trump’s political rise since the beginning, first as chairman of the far-right news site Breitbart News, then as campaign manager in 2016. After Trump won the election, he became chief White House strategist. Trump fired him in August 2017.
A small Swedish town sells its land allocated for construction at low prices
July 1, 2024 at 6:29 PM
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In order to stimulate growth in the sparsely populated area, the small Swedish town of Gottjeni is offering building plots at ridiculous prices. The response is overwhelming.
Land for building at less than ten cents per square meter: Because of this deal offer, a small town in southwestern Sweden has been seized by interested parties. “We started the campaign in mid-April,” said Johan Mansson, mayor of Goteni, a town of 5,000 people. 30 properties that have been abandoned for decades have been put up for sale at a price per square meter of one Swedish krona (about ten cents). It was a “crazy idea” and a marketing campaign.
“With this attractive offer, the municipality wanted to provide more living space in the low-density area and thus stimulate growth in the area,” Mansson continued. The properties on offer range in size from seven to 1,200 square metres. When purchasing, the new owner undertakes to build a house on them within two years. Shortly after the campaign began, three properties were sold, which is “a great success for such a small community,” said Mayor Mansson. “We could never have imagined what would happen to us.”
Sales have been temporarily halted
Because when a local TV station reported the unusual offer at the end of June, the story spread like wildfire: Swedish media reported, a video was distributed on the Tiktok platform, two English-language media outlets picked up the story and millions of people discovered it Götene and unbeatable land prices .
From that moment on, the city government was inundated with emails and calls. In the meantime, sales were halted so that all offers could be considered. “We have interested parties from Europe, Asia — especially India and Pakistan — as well as the United States, Australia and even South America,” said Mayor Manson. The campaign has put the small town “on the world map.” The property sale will continue at auction in early August.
“Make Europe great again” – Hungary takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union
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Hungary takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union
Hungary holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, which rotates every six months. The country will chair the Council of Ministers until the end of the year and can greatly influence it.
Hungary assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union on Monday. The country will then lead several EU ministerial meetings for six months. In terms of content, the Orban government pushes two themes and places them under a slogan familiar to Donald Trump.
DrHungary will hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the next six months. The Budapest government has decided to use its presidency to strengthen the EU’s economic competitiveness. To boost growth, they want to adopt a new agreement, the government announced when it took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union on Monday. In addition, they must better combat illegal immigration – including through agreements with third countries.
The EU presidency rotates among the 27 member states every six months. Hungarian government representatives will chair several ministerial meetings until the end of December, and mediate disputes between EU countries.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is known for his critical stance on the European Union. In the past, he has repeatedly clashed with other member states and obstructed important votes. Most recently, especially with support for Ukraine, which is under attack from Russia, and sanctions imposed on Moscow.
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He added: “The presidency does not mean that you are the president of Europe. Outgoing Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo recently told his colleague in Budapest in Brussels: “The presidency means that you are the one who has to present the settlement.” Belgium has previously held the presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Budapest wants to 'make Europe great again’
How much Orbán will accept this is questionable. Ukraine will continue to play a key role for the EU in the coming weeks and months – both in terms of providing further aid, but also in the country’s ongoing accession talks. EU heads of state and government recently agreed that Europe needs to become less militarized and significantly strengthen its arms industry. It is now up to Hungary to step up these efforts.
The right-wing nationalist Hungarian government had previously made headlines with its slogan for the Council presidency: “Make Europe Great Again” – a modified campaign slogan of controversial former US President Donald Trump. In German, the proverb means something like “Make Europe great again.”
In the past, Orbán and Trump have repeatedly praised each other. It was only in March that Orbán praised Trump as the “peace president” at a meeting, while the American in turn praised the Hungarian president as the “best leader” ever.
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It remains to be seen exactly what this leadership will look like with regard to the Council presidency. But ultimately, the power of the Council Presidency is also limited: legislative proposals come from the EU Commission. The drafting of the legal texts is then finally negotiated by the EU countries and Parliament. In addition, now – three weeks after the European elections – neither the Commission nor Parliament are fully operational. Many important positions still need to be filled. Therefore, it is not expected that many new legislative initiatives will be launched at this stage.
Urban He forms a right-wing party alliance with the AfD as an aspirant
But Orban also wants to expand his influence in the EU Parliament. One day before assuming the presidency of the Council, Orban announced the creation of a new far-right faction in Parliament. The „Patriots for Europe” group includes the ruling Fidesz party in Hungary, the right-wing Austrian Freedom Party, and the populist Czech liberal Ano party. The alliance is open to other parties committed to the “National Statement” signed by the leaders of the three parties in Vienna on Sunday.
With the hoped-for influx, Orbán said, the group would become “the largest faction of right-wing forces in Europe.” Their manifesto contains positions familiar to right-wing, right-wing populist and far-right parties: rejection of immigration and the “Green Deal,” no support for Ukraine under attack from Russia, and dismantling EU integration in order to strengthen the sovereignty of nation states.
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The three parties received the largest number of votes in the EU elections in their respective countries. Fidesz has eleven representatives in the new European Parliament, ANO has seven representatives, and FPÖ has six representatives. In total, they have 24 out of 705 representatives on the EU body. It takes at least 23 representatives from seven countries to form a parliamentary group.
In terms of substance, there are many points of contact, especially between Fidesz and the Austrian Freedom Party, with the AfD, which was excluded from the right-wing Identitarian faction shortly before the European elections. On the sidelines of the AfD’s federal party conference in Essen, AfD leader Tino Chrupala did not want to comment on Orbán’s plans when asked on Sunday.
However, AfD MEP Mark Jungen expressed his opinion positively to Deutschlandfunk. „So if it were up to me, we would also be happy to join this group” and his party could „sign the national manifesto” „immediately”. In terms of content, they are „very close to Orbán” and are working on „establishing a formal cooperation in the future”.
