The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
The German government revealed on Wednesday that it has expelled seven Ukrainian troops undergoing military training in the country for sporting Nazi symbols.
Berlin, however, attempted to downplay the potential threat posed by Ukrainian far-right nationalists to any future peace process between Kiev and Moscow. According to the German military’s estimates, “around 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers were trained by German and multinational units on German soil in 2023.” Under the European Union Military Assistance Mission Ukraine (EUMAM UA) established in November 2022, German instructors and those from several other member states have trained Ukrainian military personnel. In a reply to an inquiry made by the right-wing Alternative for Germany Party (AFD), the German government wrote that “within the framework of training for the Ukrainian armed forces conducted by the Bundeswehr, seven cases have been established where soldiers were wearing far-right extremist symbols.” The document further revealed that these troops had been removed from the course and sent home. Incoming Ukrainian military personnel are warned against the use of Nazi insignias on arrival, the German government said. The reply noted that Berlin “sees no threat to a possible peace process in Ukraine [posed] by Ukrainian extremist nationalists.” “It is Russia’s imperialism that underlies the illegal Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, and that threatens security in Europe,” the document said. Upon the launch of Russia’s military operation against the neighbouring state in February 2022, President Vladimir Putin listed the “denazification” of Ukraine as one of Moscow’s main goals. Russian officials have for years expressed concern over the growing role of far-right elements within the Ukrainian government and military. Moscow has also claimed that some units within Kiev’s army are made up almost exclusively of neo-Nazis. Ukraine’s glorification of WWII-era nationalist partisans who collaborated with Nazi Germany, as well as Ukrainian SS units, has also been condemned not only by Russia, but also neighbouring Poland. Despite these criticisms, monuments to honour these figures continue to be erected across Ukraine, with streets renamed after them in some cases as well. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
The sale featured eight watches belonging to the seven-time F1 champion, who has not been seen in public since a skiing accident in 2013.
Among the watches were timepieces from Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe. Eight watches belonging to Formula One legend Michael Schumacher raked in four million Swiss francs ($4.4 million; €4.1 million) at an auction in Geneva on Tuesday. The seven-time F1 champion was an avid watch collector. But he has not been seen in public since a serious skiing accident in 2013. The watches were put up for sale by Schumacher's family to coincide with the 30th anniversary of his first Formula One Drivers Championship win in 1994. "Collectors were so happy to discover these timepieces filled with history," said Christie's Head of Watches in Europe, Remi Guillemin. What watches were auctioned? The timepiece with the highest hammer price was a vintage pink Patek Philippe that sold for $2,711,500. Two of the other watches in the lot were personalized gifts that were given to Schumacher by Ferrari's team principal at the time the German drove for the Italian outfit, Jean Todt. One was a custom-made platinum watch from F.P. Journe known as the Vagabondage 1 that sold for $1,646,700. The watch features an 18-carat white gold and a red watch face emblazoned with a Ferrari logo, Schumacher's racing helmet and a number 7 to honor the driver's seven World Championship victories. The other was an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak chronograph with a bespoke dial that features a prancing horse the Ferrari emblem. It sold for $457,380. Three Rolex watches were also included in the auction, each selling for more than $300,000. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Samidoun, meaning "steadfast" in Arabic, stands as a resilient grassroots network advocating for the rights of Palestinian political prisoners. Founded on principles of justice and solidarity,
History and Founding Samidoun emerged amidst the longstanding struggle for Palestinian liberation. This essay delves into the history, founding, background, reasons, and financial aspects that underpin the vital work of Samidoun. The origins of Samidoun can be traced back to the ongoing Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation, which has resulted in the mass incarceration of Palestinians. Formally established in 2011, Samidoun emerged as a response to the urgent need to address the plight of Palestinian political prisoners. Its founding members, comprising activists, former prisoners, and supporters of Palestinian rights, recognized the necessity of a dedicated platform to advocate for prisoners' rights within the broader struggle for Palestinian liberation. Background and Mission Samidoun operates within the broader context of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination, which encompasses various forms of resistance against occupation, colonization, and oppression. Palestinian political prisoners, numbering in the thousands, endure unjust detention, torture, and inhumane treatment in Israeli prisons. Samidoun's mission is rooted in the principles of solidarity, resistance, and justice, aiming to amplify the voices of Palestinian prisoners, demand their release, and expose the injustices perpetuated by the Israeli occupation. Reasons for Existence The existence of Samidoun is necessitated by the systemic violations of Palestinian prisoners' rights under Israeli occupation. Palestinians, including activists, students, women, and children, are targeted for their resistance to occupation policies. Arbitrary arrests, administrative detention without trial, and torture are commonplace tactics employed by Israeli authorities to suppress dissent and maintain control over Palestinian lives. Samidoun serves as a vital platform to challenge these injustices, raise awareness, and mobilize support for Palestinian prisoners' struggle for freedom and dignity. Financial Background As a grassroots network, Samidoun relies on the support of individuals, organizations, and solidarity movements worldwide. Funding for Samidoun's activities primarily comes from donations, fundraising events, and solidarity campaigns organized by supporters of Palestinian rights. Financial transparency is maintained through regular reporting and accountability mechanisms to ensure that resources are utilized effectively in pursuit of Samidoun's mission. Samidoun's steadfast commitment to advocating for Palestinian prisoners' rights epitomizes the resilience and determination of the Palestinian people in the face of oppression. Through grassroots mobilization, solidarity activism, and advocacy efforts, Samidoun continues to play a crucial role in amplifying the voices of Palestinian prisoners, challenging the injustices of the Israeli occupation, and advancing the cause of Palestinian liberation. As long as Palestinian political prisoners remain incarcerated, Samidoun's work remains indispensable in the ongoing struggle for justice, dignity, and freedom. The connection with the PFLP The PFLP is a leftist Palestinian political and militant organization that has been active in the Palestinian struggle for liberation for decades. It has a significant presence in Palestinian society and has been involved in various forms of resistance against Israeli occupation. Samidoun, as a grassroots network advocating for Palestinian prisoners' rights, includes individuals and activists from diverse backgrounds and political affiliations who share a common goal of supporting Palestinian prisoners and their families. While Samidoun is not officially affiliated with any specific political organization, it does collaborate with and advocate on behalf of prisoners associated with groups like the PFLP. Samidoun's advocacy efforts often include raising awareness about the cases of individual prisoners, organizing solidarity campaigns, and participating in events and actions aimed at highlighting the plight of Palestinian political prisoners. In this capacity, it may work closely with the families, legal teams, and support networks of prisoners, including those affiliated with the PFLP. Banned in Germany and Hamas The ban of Samidoun in Germany establishes a legal framework to fully stop the activities of the groups. It means anyone who continues to be active in any way for either organization is committing a criminal offense. The decision allows authorities to confiscate any of the groups' assets, and it outlaws any internet presence or social media activities by them. Hamas was already banned, but the latest move further outlaws any activities linked to it, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser explained. "With Hamas, I have today completely banned the activities of a terrorist organization whose aim is to destroy the state of Israel," Faeser said in a statement. The German domestic intelligence agency BfV estimates that some 450 people in the country actively support Hamas, which carried out the massacres in Israel. Meanwhile, Faeser said Samidoun's German wing had shown itself to be part of an international network that spreads anti-Israel and antisemitic propaganda under the guise of solidarity for Palestinian prisoners. Samidoun was behind an action in which a group of people handed out pastries in a Berlin street in celebration of Hamas's attack. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Berlin wants to get rid of the dilapidated former country house of Joseph Goebbels. The state is offering the villa on Lake Constance for free to those who want to cover the sky-high maintenance and security costs. Otherwise, the building will be demolished, Berlin Finance Minister Stefan Evers said in the state parliament this week.
Goebbels, Hitler's Propaganda Minister, had the villa built in 1939 on a 17-hectare plot of land, about forty kilometers north of Berlin. He had received the land as a gift from the city in 1936. He used the villa for extramarital affairs and entertained Nazi leaders there. The villa has been empty since the beginning of this century. Berlin repeatedly tried to transfer the building to the federal government or the state of Brandenburg, where it is located, but they were not interested in that either. In 2016, commercial sales were abandoned for fear that the place would end up in the wrong hands and develop into a place of pilgrimage for the extreme right. This week, Minister Evers called for new proposals for the building that do justice to its versatile history. That history is not limited to Nazism. After Goebbels and his wife committed suicide in Berlin in 1945, the villa fell into the hands of the Red Army, which handed it over to the East German communist youth movement. After expansion with various buildings in Stalinist style, the complex was used as a training center for many years. The former villa served as a supermarket for students and as a daycare center. After the fall of the wall in 1989, the building housed a training center for social workers, a conference center for the Berlin police and catering establishments, until it finally became vacant. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
China’s deputy envoy to the UN has called for an international probe into the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, adding that Russia would be involved in such an investigation.
“With the situation standing where it is, one cannot help but suspect a hidden agenda behind the opposition to an international investigation, while lamenting the potential cover-up and loss of quantities of compelling evidence,” China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Geng Shuang, said on Friday, according to the Xinhua news agency. “We reiterate our call for the early launch of a UN-led international investigation to bring the truth to light for the international community,” Geng continued, adding that Western nations should “actively communicate and cooperate with Russia and jointly investigate the incident.” Nord Stream 1 and 2 each comprised two separate pipelines, linking Russia and Germany. Three out of the four lines were destroyed in a series of explosions near the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022, severing Germany’s energy ties to Russia and leaving its gas-dependent economy reliant on more expensive American liquefied natural gas. Germany, Sweden, and Denmark all opened investigations into the attack, but Sweden and Denmark closed their inquiries in February. Swedish investigators published no conclusions, while the Danish team concluded that “there was deliberate sabotage,” but declined to blame the attack on anyone. China and Russia have demanded an international investigation into the bombings since last year. However, the UN Security Council rejected a Russian request for such a probe last March, with Washington’s deputy envoy to the UN, Robert Wood, accusing Russia of trying to “discredit the work of ongoing national investigations.” On Saturday, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry appeared to reject Geng’s proposal, telling Russia’s TASS news agency that an “investigation is already being conducted by the German Public Prosecutor General’s Office.” Absent any official conclusions, two competing theories about the bombings have emerged. According to reports in the Western mainstream media, a team of Ukrainian commandos used a rented yacht to transport explosives to the blast sites, with the CIA and European intelligence agencies being made aware of the plot several months beforehand but ultimately failing to stop it. American journalist Seymour Hersh has said that US President Joe Biden ordered the CIA to blow up the pipelines. Citing sources in the intelligence community, Hersh has claimed that CIA divers working with the Norwegian Navy planted remotely-triggered bombs on the lines in the summer of 2022, using a NATO exercise in the region as cover. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he “fully agrees” with Hersh’s conclusions. Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov, who is leading Moscow’s investigation into the blasts, said last month that “everyone knows perfectly well who did it,” and that “the tracks undoubtedly lead beyond the Atlantic,” – an apparent reference to the US. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
The Rodenberg Luke OD Overdrive-Pedal is the original version of the three-way Luke SL-OD, which is more affordable than the original version which is loaded, with a sound that is completely accurate.
There has been a close collaboration between Steve Lukather and the German pedal manufacturer Rodenberg for several years. Enough reasons to take a closer look at the Luke OD! In the review pedal today is basically the little brother of the Rodenberg SL-OD we have already tested, which is equipped with three independent channels and costs more than twice as much. In terms of sound, the new Luke OD should be identical to the low and high gain overdrive of the large pedal. You can read its test here. So far, so exciting! But we'll get to the sound later in the practical part. First of all, we have to look at the good piece up close. As usual, the Luke OD is delivered in a box, in which it completes its journey to the customer safely wrapped in foam, as well as an operating manual written in German and English - and it's worth mentioning: there are also rubber feet in the box to stick on the bottom, which is actually shouldn't be worth mentioning, but manufacturers of high-priced boutique pedals in particular often refuse to deliver them with their products. The Luke OD makes an extremely robust and high-quality impression and is completely handcrafted in Fulda. At this point, if you haven't already done so, you should quickly take a look at the selling price again, because it is quite moderate for a hand-made pedal - assuming, of course, that the sound is right. But more on that later. With its 240 grams and dimensions of 59 x 110 x 33 mm, it has standard dimensions, and if you turn the controls, it immediately becomes clear that high-quality components have been installed here that can be moved smoothly but with enough resistance. There is a level control that determines the output volume, a gain control for adjusting the distortion and a tone pot that controls the treble level. There is also a switch for selecting the low or high gain mode and a toggle switch labeled bass that activates a bass boost. Of course, a footswitch that wakes the pedal from its true bypass sleep is also a must. As soon as the pedal is active, the LUKE lettering lights up red, a very nice detail! The connections in the form of input and output on the right and left sides of the black painted housing as well as the power supply socket on the front are still missing. This allows the connection of a standardized 9-volt DC dispenser, but the Luke OD can also be operated with 18 volts. A look at the cleanly crafted interior shows that battery operation is not intended. As expected, there is absolutely nothing to complain about in terms of workmanship, the pedal makes a high-quality, robust impression, which brings us to the practical part. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to replace European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and is currently discussing options with other EU leaders, citing sources.
Von der Leyen is now gearing up for elections in less than two months, seeking to secure another five-year term. Macron, who was one of the key figures behind elevating her into the top EU job, has been openly criticizing the President’s approach to running the EU Commission. “The commission presidency is there to defend the general interest, so it must not be over-politicized. Which, it has to be said, was not at all the case with this outgoing commission,” Macron said in Brussels last month. The French president has been in touch with other EU leaders over potential candidates to replace the incumbent to lead the commission, namely former Italian PM and European Central Bank president Mario Draghi, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with these discussions. Sources in Brussels, including those with von der Leyen’s office, have commented that it remains unclear whether Macron had been genuinely seeking to oust her or was merely putting pressure on in order to extract concessions from her in the future. Macron, alongside then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, were the key figures in 2019 behind fielding von der Leyen, then German Defense Minister, for the EU Commission presidential elections. Von der Leyen is still a clear favorite for the upcoming elections, given the fact that she is the main candidate for the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), which has the most seats at the European Parliament and is expected to further reinforce its positions during the polls in June. However, a candidate fielded by the EPP still requires backing from an absolute majority in parliament. The position of the incumbent EU president has been damaged by multiple high-profile scandals, with the latest erupting earlier this month when she found herself in a storm of criticism over giving fellow German MEP Markus Pieper the lucrative job of “special adviser,” with a reported salary of €17,000 a month. The appointment “has triggered questions about the transparency and impartiality of the nomination process” within the bloc, multiple senior officials, including the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, and Commissioner Thierry Breton, said jointly in a complaint to von der Leyen. The Commission, however, brushed off the allegations, stating it “has every confidence in the fact that the process took place in full compliance with procedures.” The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
German authorities have arrested a staff member of a far-right party’s lead candidate in the coming European elections on suspicion of spying for Chinese intelligence services.
The accused has been identified in the German press as an assistant to Maximilian Krah, who tops the candidate list for Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right party that has been riding high in the polls.Krah identified the employee in question as a man named Jian Guo in a post on X on Tuesday. It is the second German spy scandal involving China to emerge in as many days, after three people were arrested on Monday on suspicion of passing hi-tech secrets to China’s Ministry of State Security. A statement released by Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office on Tuesday said the suspect “is an employee of a Chinese secret service. Since 2019, he has been working for a German member of the European Parliament”. “He also spied on Chinese opposition figures in Germany for the intelligence service,” it continued, adding that he would appear before the Federal Court of Justice later in the day. Krah said he learned about his assistant’s arrest in the media on Tuesday, but had no further information. “Espionage for a foreign state is a serious accusation. If the allegations prove to be true, this would result in the immediate termination of his employment,” he wrote on X. In a statement, the AfD described the arrest of “one of Mr Krah’s employees on suspicion of espionage” as “very worrying”. “The party will do everything possible to support the clarification,” read the statement. At a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday, the Chinese foreign ministry said the accusations were “hype”. “We are aware of the reports and related hype,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. “The intention of this kind of hype is very obvious … it is to smear and suppress China and to destroy the atmosphere of cooperation between China and Europe,” he added. Krah has become a controversial figure in the European Parliament for his pro-China remarks and his regular appearances in Chinese state media. He has also built an enormous presence on the Chinese-owned short video platform TikTok. In 2022 Krah told the Global Times, a nationalist paper affiliated with People’s Daily, that “decoupling from China would serve only the interests of America and damage our own industry severely. This is not about democracy or human rights, it is about the future conflict between Washington and Beijing.” Earlier in the year, he told Guancha, a platform popular with Chinese nationalists, that the country should not “seek reconciliation” with the West on the issue of human rights. “There are so many outstanding scholars in China, and I know you are studying the theories of the great German jurist Carl Schmitt. It seems to me that studying his views will lead you to the right conclusions,” Krah told Guancha, referring to the prominent Nazi who helped facilitate Hitler’s rise to power. Last year, media reports swirled about his links to Chinese intelligence organs through his assistant, who was hired when Krah was elected to the European Parliament in 2019 and accompanied him on a trip to China that year. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz appeared to have secured Chinese support for the Ukraine peace summit when he was in Beijing this week, though it is still not clear if Xi Jinping will attend.
China is among more than 100 nations invited to Switzerland for the conference in June to discuss how to end the war, which has dragged on for more than two years. While China has yet to confirm its attendance, it has been pushing for Russia to take part, with special envoy Li Hui lobbying in European capitals last month.Observers say Li’s trip achieved little, but that China – aiming to be a peace broker – has seen an opportunity to push for direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, with the Swiss summit the first step. Björn Alexander Düben, an international relations lecturer at Jilin University in northeast China, said Li was sent to Europe because Beijing saw an “opportune moment” to sway Kyiv and Brussels to make concessions amid “shaky” Western support and Ukraine’s recent setbacks on the battlefields. Russia is expanding gains in eastern Ukraine after it took control of Avdiivka, in Donetsk Oblast, in February, and is now trying to seize the strategic city of Chasiv Yar. Ukraine, meanwhile, is running out of soldiers and ammunition amid stalled support from the US. Düben said China’s efforts in Europe could also be seen as “signalling” to the Global South that it is a responsible power. “The most cynical interpretation might be, China just wants to be seen as a peacemaker … when the US is perceived by more people around the world as not so much of a responsible actor in the context of what’s happening in Gaza,” he said. China has sought to expand its influence in the Global South amid an intensifying rivalry with the United States. It also wants to be a global peacemaker, brokering a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran last year and calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The US is meanwhile under pressure over the military funding and support it provides to Israel. In Europe, special envoy Li would have stressed the urgency of negotiations on the Ukraine war given the potential return of Donald Trump to the White House, according to Victor Gao, vice-president of the Centre for China and Globalisation, a think tank in Beijing. Trump has reportedly said he will cut off US aid to Ukraine if he is re-elected in November and has threatened to end the war “in 24 hours” – unsettling many European Union countries including France and Germany, which have made more long-term security commitments to Ukraine. “Now the West or Nato, led by the United States, does not have a unified and consistent position” on support for Ukraine, said Gao, also a chair professor at Soochow University in eastern China. He said Li would have tried to leverage this during his talks in Europe. Li was also on a mission to prevent further “spillover” of the conflict – especially after French President Emmanuel Macron floated the possibility of involving Nato troops, according to Wang Yiwei, a European affairs specialist at Renmin University in Beijing. Germany and Nato rejected Macron’s idea, and US President Joe Biden said he would not involve American troops. Back in Beijing, Li said the “large gap” between the involved parties had made mediation difficult, but they had agreed that the conflict would ultimately be resolved through peace talks. Moscow has said it is open to talks with Kyiv, but Ukraine insists it will not start negotiations until Russian troops are withdrawn from its territory – a condition Moscow does not accept. Li’s trip was met with scepticism in Europe, with some officials in Brussels saying he was just repeating “Moscow’s talking points”. Li had told EU officials no discussion on Ukraine’s territorial integrity would take place until the violence stops, the Post reported earlier, citing people familiar with the talks. He said that could only happen when the EU stopped sending weapons to Ukraine. Beijing claims to be neutral in the conflict, but has drawn criticism for providing economic support to Moscow amid international sanctions. It has not condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nor called on Moscow to withdraw its troops. China’s push for immediate peace talks without calling for Russian troops to withdraw is also “highly unpopular” in Ukraine, according to Iliya Kusa, an international relations expert at the Ukrainian Institute for the Future in Kyiv. “I would say that there are no high expectations from China’s role and that people tend to think that China will not do anything real to pressure Russia to help Ukraine,” he said. Chinese analysts say the West has overestimated Beijing’s influence on Moscow, which will not withdraw its troops when it appears to have gained the upper hand in the war. Russia now occupies nearly one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea and parts of the four provinces in the east. Gao from the Beijing think tank said China’s peace proposal was “realistic”. He also defended China’s neutrality in the conflict, saying it has never recognised Crimea and the four eastern Ukrainian states as parts of Russia, and has stressed that the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries are protected by the UN Charter. China called for the charter to be upheld in a 12-point position paper on Ukraine released last February, which also says legitimate security concerns should be properly handled.“China’s logic is very pragmatic,” Gao said. “First to have a truce, then draw a line of actual control and cease hostility along that, to gain time to solve these [territorial] problems.”. Russia has justified its invasion of Ukraine as a response to the eastward expansion of Nato, which Kyiv wants to join, and President Vladimir Putin has said that “Russia will fight for its interests to the end”. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
|
Archives
May 2024
Categories
All
|
5/17/2024
0 Comments