The World Blog by humble servant.

Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed during a speech on Thursday the far-left woke ideology that he said is causing societal ills throughout the Western world, saying that it is no different than what happened in Russia during the 1917 revolution. Putin made the remarks during a plenary session of the 18th annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi where the topic was “Global Shake-up in the 21st Century.” Putin’s remarks were translated by an interpreter and that video was uploaded to the Russian government’s website. “We see with bemusement the paralysis unfolding in countries that have grown accustomed to viewing themselves as the flagships of progress,” Putin said during an event where he spoke for a few hours. “Of course, it’s none of our business or what is happening, the social and cultural shocks that are happening in some countries in the Western countries, some believe that aggressive blotting out of whole pages of your own history, the affirma...

The White House on Saturday described a new ban on almost all abortions in Indiana as “devastating,” and called on Congress to make abortion access a legal right nationwide. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed the ban into law on Friday, after it passed both chambers of the Republican-controlled state legislature. The law, which takes effect on September 15, outlaws all abortions except in cases of rape and incest, where the mother’s life is in danger, or if an unborn baby is diagnosed with a fatal abnormality. Hospitals will be the only locations allowed to perform the procedures, meaning the state’s seven abortion clinics will be shut down. Doctors who perform illegal abortions will lose their medical licenses. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre described the law’s passage as a “devastating step” and “another radical step by Republican legislators to take away women’s reproductive rights and freedom.” Heated debate in US Senate erupts over abortion rights for men Re...

Erdogan’s diplomacy with Russia alarms West – FT Vladimir Putin (R) and Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) thank each other after their talks in Sochi, Russia, August 5, 2022 © AP / Vyacheslav Prokofyev Western officials are “increasingly alarmed” that Turkey, a NATO ally and prospective EU member, is deepening its cooperation with Russia, the Financial Times has reported. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently returned from Sochi vowing to boost trade after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Six unnamed Western officials told the newspaper that they were “concerned” about the plans of Russia and Turkey to cooperate on trade and energy. One EU official said that Brussels was monitoring relations between Ankara and Moscow “more and more closely,” given how Turkey seems to be “increasingly” becoming a platform for trade with Russia. Following a four-hour meeting with Putin on Friday, Erdogan welcomed Russia’s role in building a nuclear power plant in Turkey. The two nations a...