The World Blog by humble servant.

In an “emergency meeting” on Friday, employees of Twitter reportedly complained to CEO Parag Agrawal and diversity officer Dalana Brand that new owner Elon Musk is allegedly an “open homophobe and transphobe,” and feared for their futures in the company. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s acquisition of Twitter has already led to some high-stress meetings in the firm’s Silicon Valley offices. The “impromptu” meeting was reported on Saturday by Insider, which claimed to have obtained leaked audio of proceedings. According to the news site, Agrawal fielded questions from staff concerned that they could lose their jobs amid rumors that Musk is planning on slashing executive pay. While unable to reassure everyone that they would keep their positions, Agrawal – who Inside said looked “tired and annoyed” – said that “for the people who are here, it will be worth it to be here.” Some of the staff fretted that their company may no longer be known for its left-wing corporate culture. “What should...

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has said that he will issue a statement on possible anti-Russia sanctions early next month, but will be guided by “the interests of Serbia” alone. Vucic has vehemently opposed penalizing Moscow for its offensive in Ukraine, but has come under pressure from the US to change his stance. “As for us and the imposition of sanctions, I will talk about this more and more thoroughly on May 6,” Vucic told reporters at a military expo near Belgrade on Saturday, according to RIA Novosti. While acknowledging that he has been under pressure from unnamed politicians to acquiesce to the West’s sanctions regime, Vucic added that “our policy should be a policy of responsibility, a policy of development for Serbia, which will think about the interests of Serbia at every moment.” From the outset of the conflict in Ukraine, Vucic has sought to maintain relations with both the West and Russia. Although Serbia voted for a United Nations resolution condemning Russia’s mi...

A fanatical Neoconservative, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss presents world affairs in an uncompromising ideological struggle between "democracy" and "authoritarianism." She also seems to be addicted to the fervour of Cold War. Her address on Wednesday night in London bordered on showing desire for war against Russia and China simultaneously. By first calling to "push Russia out of the whole of Ukraine," Truss described the conflict as "our war," then proceeded to turn to China and taunt Beijing that its rise "was not inevitable." demanding that they "play by the rules" and even arguing that NATO should defend Taiwan in a potential contingency. Truss once again called for a "a network of liberty" and urged to avoid economic dependencies on undesirable countries (again a reference to Russia and China). But, unfortunately for Truss and despite the climate we now exist in, none of this huffed-up rhetoric has any...

The dialogue on strategic stability between Russia and the US may only resume after all the goals of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine are achieved, a high-ranking Russian diplomat has said. “As of today, there’s no use talking about any prospects for negotiations on strategic stability with the US,” Vladimir Yermakov, who heads the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control at Russia's Foreign Ministry, pointed out on Saturday. “This dialogue is formally 'frozen' by the American side,” he said, adding that Washington’s moves concerning the matter “are being pointed in the complete opposite direction” than those of Moscow. The sides will likely be able to return to “a substantive conversation about the prospects of resuming a full-fledged Russian-American negotiation process on the strategic agenda only after the implementation of all the tasks of the special military operation in Ukraine,” Yermakov added. The US actively supports Ukraine in the conflict wi...

Moscow has reportedly proposed a plan for India to pay for Russian oil in US dollars or euro, while using a rupee-ruble-denominated mechanism for other goods. The new mechanism is designed to allow more trade in local currencies as economic pressure mounts on Russia over its military operation in neighboring Ukraine, according to people with knowledge of the matter quoted by Bloomberg. The proposals were reportedly discussed between Russian central bank officials and their Indian counterparts with the participation of officials from the finance ministry. On Saturday, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi confirmed that an inter-ministerial group is looking at resolving issues relating to payment mechanisms with Moscow in order to stabilize the country’s economic engagement with Russia. India is among a number of major economies that have kept trading with Russia since the launch of the operation despite mounting pressure on New Delhi from Western nations to ...

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has accused Australia of being hypocritical in its opposition to the Pacific country’s recent security pact with China. He argued that Canberra had not consulted with its other partners last year when it unveiled a security deal with the US and Britain, known as AUKUS, which paves the way for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. “I learned of the AUKUS treaty in the media. One would expect that as a member of the Pacific family, Solomon Islands and members of the Pacific should have been consulted to ensure this AUKUS treaty is transparent,” Sogavare told his country’s parliament on Friday. He added: “I realize that Australia is a sovereign country, which can enter into any treaty it wants to, transparently or not, which is exactly what they did with AUKUS.” When Australia signed up to AUKUS we did not become theatrical and hysterical on the implications this would have for us. We respected Australia’s decision. A tiny a...

Russia has decided when it will pull out of the International Space Station (ISS), and will give a year’s notice to its partners, Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said on Saturday. In an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel, the head of the space agency said that although a timeframe has been set, the authorities “are not obliged to speak about it publicly.” Rogozin earlier said Western sanctions imposed over Russia’s military offensive on Ukraine are preventing Roscosmos from proceeding with “business as usual” when it comes to joint work with the US and other Western countries on the ISS. He also said that if he could he would already have cased cooperation. Russia set to end cooperation with West on space stationREAD MORE: Russia set to end cooperation with West on space station In the interview he noted that the terms of Russia's activity on the ISS are determined by the government and the president, and that the agency is currently allowed to continue operations on the I...

President Emmanuel Macron has promised his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky that France will “reinforce” both military and humanitarian aid to Kiev. During a phone conversation on Saturday, less than a week after Macron’s reelection, Zelensky thanked the French leader for providing Ukraine with “major” military equipment which “contributed to the Ukrainian resistance,” the Elysee Palace said in a statement. Macron “indicated that this support will continue to be strengthened, as will the humanitarian assistance provided by France.” The presidential office noted that France has already provided Ukraine with “more than 615 tons of equipment including medical equipment, generators for hospitals, food, household goods and emergency vehicles.” Zelensky recently said that Ukraine’s partners have finally begun to provide Kiev with some of the heavy weapons which it had requested. This was after France and Canada announced their plans to send long-range artillery systems for the fir...

Russia has decided when it will pull out of the International Space Station (ISS), and will give a year’s notice to its partners, Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said on Saturday. In an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel, the head of the space agency said that although a timeframe has been set, the authorities “are not obliged to speak about it publicly.” Rogozin earlier said Western sanctions imposed over Russia’s military offensive on Ukraine are preventing Roscosmos from proceeding with “business as usual” when it comes to joint work with the US and other Western countries on the ISS. He also said that if he could he would already have cased cooperation. Russia set to end cooperation with West on space stationREAD MORE: Russia set to end cooperation with West on space station In the interview he noted that the terms of Russia's activity on the ISS are determined by the government and the president, and that the agency is currently allowed to continue operations on the I...

Attempts to destabilize Moldova are already underway, but there's currently no imminent military threat to the former Soviet republic, NATO's Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana has said. NATO expects more provocative acts and actions under false flag in Moldova during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the Romanian politician told local news channel Digi 24. However, the US-led bloc doesn’t believe the country of 2.6 million, sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania, to be under imminent military threat, Geoana said. He mentioned ‘provocations’ already starting in Moldova and added that these are likely aimed at creating difficulties for the Ukrainian forces in the country’s west, in the Odessa area, he suggested, without specifying who might be responsible for them. The Moldovan region that has declared itself independent, Transnistria, which stretches along the border with Ukraine, has seen a string of strange incidents this week. On Monday, unknown assailants at...

One of the unspoken rules of human affairs is that ordinary citizens should never be personally harassed for the political actions of their leaders. That truism has never been properly observed enough, and went completely out of the window when Russia began its military operation in Ukraine. This week, Serbian tennis sensation Novak Djokovic delivered a powerful rebuke to Wimbledon’s decision to bar the participation of Russian players from the famous grass tournament. Referring to himself as a “child of war” who experienced the “emotional trauma” of the US-led 78-day NATO bombardment of his native town of Belgrade in 1999, Djokovic described the banning of Russian players at the prestigious tennis tournament as “crazy.” “I cannot support the decision of Wimbledon, I think it is crazy,” the world’s top-ranked player said. “When politics interferes with sport, the result is not good.” If only the leaders of Western institutions were blessed with such innate wisdom. Thanks to a hi...

Widespread lockdowns introduced by the Chinese authorities to tackle the latest surge in Covid-19 cases have dragged down China’s April manufacturing and services activity. The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 47.4 this month from 49.5 in March, according to data published by the National Bureau of Statistics on Saturday. PMI above 50 indicates growth, while anything below this level represents contraction. The March figure was slightly above the median forecast of a Bloomberg survey of analysts, which had predicted a fall to 47.3. Meanwhile, a Reuters poll had expected the PMI to ease to 48. The latest reading still means that China’s factory activities were in the worst contraction since February 2020, when the early impact of the pandemic resulted in a PMI of 35.7. READ MORE: Huge Chinese city goes into lockdown over Covid-19 China’s major cities, including the commercial hub of Shanghai, remain under full or partial lockdowns with more and more e...

Turkey will not participate in NATO drills amid escalating tensions with Greece, Turkish media reported on Saturday, citing security sources. Ankara was scheduled to send its F-16 Fighting Falcon jets to the annual ‘Tiger Meet’ drill, which will be held at Araxos Air Base in western Greece from May 9 to May 22. According to reports, Turkish Air Force Command considered that the wording used by Greece in technical documentation relating to the drills was contrary to international law and demanded that it be changed, but Greece refused to do so. “Despite all of Turkey’s attempts and conciliatory efforts, Greece, which could not tolerate even its neighbor’s participation in an exercise in its country, moved the exercise away from the purpose of friendship and interoperability and tried to use it against Turkey’s rights and interests,” a security source claimed, as quoted by Sabah newspaper. As a result, on April 22, Turkey made a decision not to participate in the drills and informed ...

Ukrainian military personnel are receiving American training in Europe amid the conflict with Russia, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby has revealed. “I can announce that the United States has commenced training with the Ukrainian Armed Forces on key systems at US military installations in Germany,” Kirby said during a briefing on Friday. As part of the program, coordinated with Berlin, the Ukrainian troops are learning to operate artillery, radars and armored vehicles. “This new training effort in Germany and at other locations in Europe is in direct support of recent US security assistance packages that are designed to help Ukraine win their battles today and build strength for tomorrow,” the spokesman said, noting that the US has committed $4.3 billion to the Ukrainian military since 2021. Russia explains what US lend-lease really means for Ukraine Read more Russia explains what US lend-lease really means for Ukraine Kirby stressed that the Pentagon has no plans to send its i...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that security guarantees for his country should empower guarantor countries to make a decision within a day. During the last in-person meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian negotiators in Istanbul, Kiev had propose an international agreement along such lines. Speaking to Polish journalists amid the ongoing Russian offensive in Ukraine, Zelensky said that guarantors would need to make decisions within hours rather than days or weeks, as any delay in providing emergency military assistance would cost lives. The Ukrainian leader described this relationship between casualties and delays by saying “hours equals people.” He explained that Ukraine now knows “what works on a battlefield and what doesn’t,” what should be done in various situations and what exactly is needed. Therefore, he explained, speedy decision making by Ukraine's guarantors would be a key factor. “The ability to save a number of people depends on other numb...

Germany is shutting down three nuclear power plants on Friday, in a move to halve the country’s remaining nuclear capacity. The measure comes despite the worst ever energy crises the European region has experienced. The closures, which come as a result of decision to completely phase out atomic energy, taken by Angela Merkel after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, is expected to tighten the current squeeze on gas and energy prices. Berlin is planning to completely wind down atomic energy by the end of 2022, when its final three plants in Neckarwestheim, Essenbach and Emsland shut. German state officials can’t prevent the shutdown of nuclear power plants, since they are in somewhat of a bind when it comes to the “green economy,” according to Alexey Mukhin, director of the Center for Political Information. “Angela Merkel’s decision to shut down nuclear reactors after the disaster at Fukushima has been denounced as bureaucratic,” the analyst said. Russia not delivering enough ...

France, one of Europe’s leading electricity exporters, has taken 28 of its 56 atomic reactors offline due to defects or maintenance. The step comes amid a months-long energy crunch, one of the worst in European history. The 1,300-megawatt Golfech-2 reactor run by Electricite de France (EDF) in the south of country was shut down on Friday for maintenance until Saturday, the company said in a filing with grid operator RTE. The suspension, due to extended outages after corrosion issues were found at some sites, is expected to force EDF to purchase electricity from the European grid at a time of soaring demand exacerbated by natural gas shortages. Checks and repairs, along with scheduled halts for refueling and regular maintenance, have reportedly sunk French nuclear output to its lowest level in more than 10 years. crisis The shutdowns are expected to aggravate Europe’s supply problems, with nuclear power accounting for more than two thirds of French electricity generation. Daily pric...

Russia’s Bryansk Region has sustained yet another attack from Ukraine, the local Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz has said. Early on Saturday, local air defenses detected an attempt by a Ukrainian military plane to violate the country’s airspace, Bogomaz wrote on Telegram. The aircraft was prevented from making it into Russia, but managed to fire two projectiles, which landed in the village of Zhecha, not far from the two country's shared border with Ukraine, he outlined. Fatalities and injuries were avoided during the attack, but the facilities of the local oil loading terminal suffered minor damage from shockwaves. The governor attached images of a large shell crater and damaged buildings in his post. The Bryansk Region was the scene of the first major Ukrainian attack on Russian soil during the ongoing conflict. According to the Investigative Committee, two Ukrainian helicopters struck the village of Klimovo on April 14, injuring six people, including a two-year-old boy and his ...

The European Union’s top border protection official has resigned following claims that years of rights abuses occurred under his watch, including the alleged mistreatment of migrants who arrived in the bloc’s territory. Fabrice Leggeri, a French national who headed up the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, commonly known as ‘Frontex,’ confirmed his departure in a statement obtained by several media outlets on Friday. “I give my mandate back to the Management Board as it seems that [the] Frontex mandate on which I have been elected and renewed in late June 2019 has silently but effectively been changed,” he said. While a European anti-fraud agency launched a probe into the abuse allegations last year, its findings have yet to be made public. However, investigations by a consortium of regional media outlets have indicated that Frontex was aware of at least 22 cases of migrant ‘pushbacks,’ when immigration authorities simply forced asylum seekers, arriving by boat, back out to ...

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made queries into almost 3.4 million Americans between December 2020 and November 2021, the US intelligence community admitted in an official report on Friday. The FBI said it was looking for foreign hackers, but civil libertarian groups called it an “enormous” invasion of privacy. The FBI alone made “fewer than 3,394,053” queries of US citizens in that time period, related to information collected under the controversial authority to spy on foreigners. The findings were made public in the Annual Intelligence Community Transparency Report, released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). The electronic data was collected legally under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the document claims. According to the ODNI, the number is due to “a number of large batch queries related to attempts to compromise U.S. critical infrastructure by foreign cyber actors” in the first half of 2021, which “inc...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has promised to take decisive action and “crush” any “hostile” foreign power, just days after saying Pyongyang would advance its own atomic arsenal “at the fastest possible speed.” Speaking after a meeting with senior officials involved in organizing a major military parade earlier this week, Kim pointed to growing threats in a world where “powers clash fiercely and keep getting stronger,” including in the nuclear sphere, arguing that “overwhelming” might is the only guarantee of his country’s security. “In order to preemptively and thoroughly crush all threatening actions, including the continued and aggravated nuclear threat by the hostile forces, if necessary, the Party Central Committee will firmly maintain the absolute superiority of our revolutionary force and continuously raise it,” Kim said, as cited by the state-run KCNA. North Korea in new nuclear weapons pledgeREAD MORE: North Korea in new nuclear weapons pledge The remarks follow a pledge...