Month: October 2022

Putin Says West Playing ‘Dangerous, Bloody Game’

In a foreign policy speech Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Western nations of trying to dominate the world, saying the coming decade will be one of the most dangerous since the end of World War II.  In a lengthy speech in Moscow during the opening session of Valdai Discussion Club’s annual foreign affairs forum, Putin characterized the West as aggressively, desperately seeking to “single-handedly govern humanity.” He said people of the world no longer want to put up with it.  He said the West is playing a dangerous, bloody and dirty game, and blamed Western aggression for, in his …

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UN: Greenhouse Gas Cuts Needed to Prevent Climate Catastrophe

GENEVA – A U.N. report warns the window for preventing a climate catastrophe is fast closing. The U.N. Environment Program’s latest Emissions Gap Report urges unprecedented cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and a rapid transformation of societies to head off the worst. The U.N. report finds the world is falling far short of the Paris climate goals agreement, with no credible pathway for limiting a temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said progress since last year’s climate change conference, COP 26 in Glasgow, Scotland, has been woefully inadequate. She …

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South Africa Urged to Deny Russian Billionaire’s Yacht Entry

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has urged the South African government to deny entry to a Russian billionaire’s megayacht, warning that allowing it to dock in the country could lead to sanctions. Steel and mining tycoon Alexei Mordashov is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The U.S., European Union and allies have been seizing property of Russian oligarchs close to Putin since Russia invaded Ukraine.   The $500 million megayacht Nord left Hong Kong after that city was accused of giving safe haven to those who’ve been sanctioned. It is expected to arrive in South Africa on November 8 or …

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Ukraine Reports More Russian Strikes on Energy Infrastructure   

Ukraine’s state energy company said Thursday it was limiting electricity use in multiple regions of the country after Russian attacks overnight targeting energy infrastructure. Ukrenergo said damage from the strikes included equipment in the central part of the country. It said restrictions on power use are necessary to avoid network overloads and to make it easier to fix damaged facilities. The new attacks on Ukrainian energy sites came as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked workers in the energy sector for their efforts to stabilize the power grid. “No matter what the enemy does, our task is to break its plans and …

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White House: Russia May Be Advising Iran on Dealing with Protesters

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stressed Wednesday that the Biden administration supports the people of Iran, and said there may be cooperation between Iran and Russia in dealing with Iranian protesters. “We stand with the brave citizens and the brave women of Iran who right now are demonstrating to secure their basic rights,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. She said the United States is “concerned that Moscow may be advising Tehran on best practices to manage protests, drawing on Russia’s extensive experience in suppressing open demonstrations.” Jean-Pierre added that the evidence that Iran is helping Russia in the war in Ukraine …

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Namibia, EU, Agree on Partnership for Sustainable Raw Materials

Ahead of COP27, Namibian and European Union officials say they have reached an agreement for Namibia to export rare earth materials to the EU. According to Erasmus Shivolo, commissioner of mines at Namibia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy, the EU is interested in developing the mining of minerals like lithium, cobalt and graphite, which are currently mined on a small scale in the country. Per Shivolo, “The EU is the one saying, ‘Well, Namibia has got certain minerals that are critical to the energy transition and therefore we want to explore opportunities in working together to develop projects in that …

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Germany to Become One of Europe’s First Countries to Legalize Cannabis

Germany on Wednesday unveiled plans to legalize cannabis, potentially making it one of the first countries in Europe to make marijuana legal. Presenting his plans to the cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the proposal aims to achieve “the most liberal cannabis liberalization in Europe, and, on the other hand … the most tightly regulated market.” Germany’s federal Cabinet reportedly approved the plan, kicking off a lengthy process to legalize growth, cultivation and distribution of the plant. German laws must comply with European legislation, and under the proposal, the government would regulate cannabis production, sale, …

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