Category: General

France is willing to enter security agreements with Ukraine to “prevent possible future aggressions,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The statement lends credence to earlier reports that Western powers are considering entering a military pact with Kiev.

“France, together with its partners, is continuing to reflect on the best way to support Ukraine over the long term and in all areas,” read a statement on the ministry’s website. “France is ready to enter into agreements with Ukraine aimed at providing it with security guarantees that will help it defend itself in the long term and prevent potential future aggressions.”

The ministry added that French officials discussed this plan with their British counterparts in March.

The statement came in response to a Wall Street Journal article on Monday, in which Polish President Andrzej Duda claimed that he and US President Joe Biden had discussed an “Israel-style” defense agreement with Ukraine when they met in Warsaw in February.

According to the newspaper’s sources, such an agreement – which would see Kiev’s Western backers commit to continuous arms transfers and military funding, without obligating themselves to fight against Russia – is “gaining traction” among NATO members.

An agreement could be signed after NATO’s upcoming summit in Lithuania in July, the sources added, stating that it would likely be modeled after the Ukrainian government’s ‘Kiev Security Compact’. Published in September, this document calls for “a multi-decade effort of sustained investment” by the West in Ukraine, as well as more NATO training missions and technology transfers for its military.

The document makes no mention of a mutual defense clause, like Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, but does call for the provision of “iron-clad security guarantees” to Ukraine, “predominantly from NATO countries.”

NATO’s current position is that “Ukraine will become a member of the alliance,” however, the bloc’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has refused to offer any timeline for this. Admitting Ukraine while hostilities with Russia are ongoing, or even with battle lines frozen by a ceasefire, would enter the US-led bloc into a state of war with Russia.

Asked about Ukraine’s prospects for NATO membership on Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that there is a “whole range of requirements” and criteria that Kiev is currently unable to fulfill. As such, Kiev’s membership is therefore not on the agenda for “anytime soon.”

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has insisted that NATO states offer his country full membership or nothing. “Ukraine will be uncompromising on this issue,” he said at a press conference with Duda last month.

Source: Russia Today

In a bid to curb migration rates, the British government on Tuesday introduced new regulations limiting international students from bringing their family members to the UK.

Ahead of the upcoming release of migration figures on Thursday, UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman unveiled a package of new restrictions on foreign students aimed at curbing net migration.

Under the proposed regulations only a restricted number of students studying in the UK will be able to bring their partners or children with them to the country.

The opportunity to bring dependents will be reserved for those enrolled in postgraduate research programs, recognized for their notable contributions to academia.

Foreign students will no longer be able to switch out of the student route into work routes for staying in the UK before their studies have been completed, it was further said.

There will be a comprehensive assessment of the maintenance requirement for both students and their dependents as well as a strong crackdown on “unscrupulous” education providers “who make use of inappropriate applications to sell immigration, not education.”

These changes will be implemented for students commencing their courses from January 2024.

In a statement, Braverman emphasized that the immigration statistics revealed an unexpected surge in the number of dependents accompanying international students to the UK.

In the year ending December 2022, approximately 136,000 visas were granted to dependents of sponsored students, marking an eightfold increase from the 16,000 visas issued in 2019 when the government committed to reducing net migration.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Beate Zschaepe, a neo-Nazi in Germany currently serving a life sentence, has confessed that she could have stopped a far-right killing spree, but failed to do so due to her loyalty to her friends.

‘After the first murder, I could have done something and prevented this from becoming a killing spree. I would have had the opportunity and didn’t use it,’ Zschaepe on Monday told a parliamentary committee investigating murders committed by the neo-Nazi group the National Socialist Underground (NSU) between 2000 and 2007, according to her lawyer.

Lawyer Mathias Grasel told local media that Zschaepe clearly told the committee that if she had acted differently after learning that her friends Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Bohnhardt had committed a murder, if she had told the police, things could have been completely different.

“I wrongly put the lives of Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Bohnhardt above the lives of the victims,’ she reportedly said.

The lawyer underlined that Zschaepe expressed regret, but denied that she was involved in the killings.

‘The fact remains: There was no active participation, neither in the preparation nor in the operation,’ he claimed.

The NSU killed eight Turkish immigrants, a Greek citizen, and a German policewoman between 2000 and 2007, but the murders have long remained unresolved.

The German public first learned of the NSU’s existence and its role in the murders on Nov. 4, 2011, when two members of the group, Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Bohnhardt, committed suicide after an unsuccessful bank robbery. The police found evidence in their apartment showing they were behind the murders.

Zschaepe, Mundlos, and Bohnhardt had lived clandestine lives for nearly 13 years, apparently without arousing the suspicions of the German police or intelligence services.

Zschaepe was sentenced to life in prison in 2018 after a five-year trial. During the trial, she declined to give any insight about the NSU, and tried to lay the blame on her friends Mundlos and Bohnhardt.

Shadowy far-right group

The scandal surrounding the NSU sparked a debate in Germany about institutional racism and the failures of German security and intelligence organizations, which have long been criticized for underestimating the far-right threat.

Until 2011, Germany’s police and intelligence services dismissed any racial motive for the murders and instead treated immigrant families as suspects with connections to mafia groups and drug traffickers.

Recent media revelations have shown that the country’s domestic intelligence agency BfV and its local branches had dozens of informants who had contacts with the NSU suspects in the past.

But officials insisted that they had no prior information about the existence of the NSU terror cell or its role behind the killings.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Once home to some 80 thousand Ukrainians, little remains of the city of Bakhmut, scene of the longest and bloodiest battle of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to date, with satellite images revealing the vast scale of the devastation.

Source: France24.com

Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in Russia in late March and charged with espionage, will remain behind bars, the Lefortovo court in Moscow confirmed on Tuesday.

“The court granted the investigator’s request to extend the restraint regime in the form of detention until August 30,” a statement read.

The 31-year old journalist was detained near a military facility in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. The Russian security service, the FSB, claim he was soliciting “information amounting to a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.” If convicted, he faces up to 20 years behind bars.

Gershkovich’s attorney tried to have him released on a bail of 50 million rubles ($622,500), which the WSJ’s parent company offered to pay, but the court rejected her motion last month.

The US embassy in Moscow was also denied permission to pay him a consular visit. The Russian Foreign Ministry said this was retaliation for the embassy withholding visas from Russian journalists seeking to accompany Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the UN Security Council last month.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken officially designated Gershkovich as “wrongfully detained” by Russia in April. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel accused Russia of an “ongoing war against the truth” and insisted that “journalism is not a crime.”

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has countered that what Gershkovich was doing in Yekaterinburg “had nothing to do with journalism.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the WSJ reporter as being “caught red-handed” in an act of espionage.

The US has reportedly been looking for “creative solutions” to get Gershkovich released, including arresting some “Russian spies” in third countries to offer in exchange. One Russian lawmaker has proposed trading the WSJ reporter for Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange, currently held in a British maximum-security prison while the US seeks his extradition on espionage charges.

Source: Russia Today

Cyprus’ long history of successfully using desalination, ‘serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration for neighbouring countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region and developing countries around the world that face similar water challenges,’ Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Petros Xenophontos said on Tuesday.

Addressing the European Desalination Society’s Conference titled ‘Desalination for the Environment, Clean Water and Energy,’ taking place in Limassol, Xenophontos said that Cyprus’ experiences and knowledge can be shared, fostering regional collaborations that accelerate progress in water management and resource sustainability. By working together, we can create a more resilient and water-secure future for all.

‘Cyprus, with its arid climate and limited freshwater resources, faces immense challenges in meeting water demand for all uses, especially during the hot summer period where demand is disproportionally high for tourism and agriculture,’ he said.

With a population of approximately 1.2 million and 3 to 4 million tourists visiting us every year, our country relies heavily on desalination to bridge the gap between water demand and supply, he said, noting that today, desalination capacity has reached an impressive 280,000 cubic meters per day, ensuring water security and supporting sustainable development.

He stressed however while technological advancements drive the evolution of desalination, ‘we must recognize that it is not a standalone solution.’

‘I emphasize the importance of integrated water resource management and the reuse of treated waste water that has proven to be a reliable steady source of water for agriculture and industry. Embracing a holistic approach allows us to optimize our water resources, minimize waste, and promote agricultural sustainability,’ Xenophontos added.

Stressing the socio-economic dimensions of desalination, the Agriculture Minister noted that access to desalinated water must be equitable and affordable, particularly for rural communities who depend on reliable water sources for their livelihoods.

Moreover, Xenophontos acknowledged that the journey of desalination is not without its challenges, pointing out the energy requirements of desalination processes, ‘which can place a significant burden on both the environment and the economy.’

‘We are therefore committed to fostering research and development to optimize energy consumption, explore renewable energy integration, and reduce the carbon footprint associated with desalination,’ he concluded.

On her part, Ursula Annunziata, President of EDS said that desalination continues to make the headline worldwide with a growing population, diminishing resources, combined with a totally unpredictable distribution of floods and droughts across the world.

‘Never before desalination was so critical and its development crucial to the world population,’ she added.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Deputy Minister for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Philippos Hadjizacharias, stressed the importance that international cooperation holds in achieving progress in the fields of research and development, during the Competitiveness Council of the EU which concluded on Tuesday with discussions on innovation and space policy. The Deputy Minister was accompanied by the permanent secretary Stelios Chimonas, according to a press release.

The Ministers had an orientation debate on the promotion of international cooperation in the field of Research and Innovation (R and I), as well as on how to address any negative impacts due to specific foreign interventions.

Hadjizacharias praised the role of international cooperation in addressing global challenges, accessing new knowledge and attracting talented scientists. Cyprus, he said, sees international cooperation as one of the means to achieve excellence in research. He noted that about one fifth of the national R and D funding programmes are related to supporting the cooperation of domestic institutions with partners from selected countries. The Deputy Minister also referred to the need to strengthen coordination at the EU level, through the establishment of an EU Stakeholder Forum to prepare guidelines for cooperation with third countries.

The Competitiveness Council also adopted conclusions on transparent, open, credible, fair and high-quality Scientific Publications. The conclusions also list the opportunities and challenges arising from the digital transition, and the need for investment in digital open science infrastructure and in the training of researchers.

In an intervention during an orientation debate on EU space policy in the new geopolitical landscape, Hadjizacharias highlighted the leading role of the EU in promoting free access and fair and sustainable use of space by all states. He underlined that the protection of the EU’s space infrastructure is an important element in maintaining the EU’s autonomy strategy. He also acknowledged the need to strengthen synergies and stressed the importance of the gradual integration of all Member States into the European Space Agency (ESA). He also informed his counterparts of Cyprus’ intention to seek immediate upgrading of its membership in the ESA to “associated member” status. Finally, he pointed out that the maximum possible participation of all EU Member States should be ensured in joint EU-NATO actions.

The Council adopted conclusions on “Fair and sustainable use of space”, which recalled the importance of an EU approach to space traffic management, given that safety, security and sustainability are essential for space traffic management.

Finally, during a working lunch, Ministers exchanged views on how to deal with challenges posed by science deniers, and the shift towards misinformation.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

After ten months of bloody and intense fighting, Ukrainian army brigades have retaken some land around the outskirts of Bakhmut in the country’s east. Our reporters went to meet one brigade stationed on the edge of the city who are determined to carry on fighting back.Report by Catherine Norris Trent, Johan Bodin, Dmytro Kovalchuck, Catalina Gomez Angel, Orest Haladzun.

Source: France24.com

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Tuesday an announcement by allies that they are going to start training Ukrainian pilots on fighter jets.

The training with fourth-generation fighter aircraft, including F-16s by the US, the UK and other NATO allies “is part of our long-term commitment to Ukraine’s ability to defend itself,” Stoltenberg said in a doorstep speech before an EU defense ministers meeting in Brussels.

He called for “closer cooperation” between NATO and the EU to increase ammunition and defensive equipment manufacturing to support Ukraine and replace its reserves.

He stressed the need to ensure ammunition is interoperable and interchangeable and that there are no new barriers between European and North American NATO allies.

Stoltenberg said NATO will hold an informal event with transatlantic industry leaders on the margins of the next defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels on June 15-16, to which he invited EU High Representative Josep Borrell, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton and Ukrainian representatives.

He also emphasized the significance of NATO-EU cooperation on resilience and vital infrastructure, particularly the joint task force.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Russia may end up being forced to move its capital to Siberia due to climate change, an expert from the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) branch in the country has warned.

Aleksey Korkorin, who is head of climate and energy at WWF Russia, said on Tuesday that while the goal of reaching “carbon neutrality” could be achieved worldwide as early as the 2060s, the global temperature would still rise by 2-2.5C by that time, compared to the pre-industrial era.

The increase will result in major heat waves hitting the planet more frequently, Kokorin told RIA Novosti.

“That is, the heat that we used to have once every ten years will come every three years. You can live, but you have to adapt,” he stated.

In the worst-case scenario, the global temperature may end up rising by 4.5-5C before humanity is able to reach “carbon neutrality” goals. Such an increase would make every eight or nine summers out of ten extremely hot, Kokorin believes. For Russia, this scenario could result in the capital being moved from Moscow.

“It’s just a different life, which means that in the summer it will probably be impossible to live in such a metropolis as Moscow. It is possible that if it really gets that bad, then the capital will be, say, Krasnoyarsk or Novosibirsk,” Kokorin suggested, referring to two major cities in Siberia. At the same time, he admitted that the chances of the climate situation deteriorating that rapidly remained somewhat slim.

Other climatologists, however, expressed doubts over Kokorin’s concerns for the fate of the Russian capital. Aleksander Chernokulsky, a senior fellow at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, dismissed the prediction as “mere words” which should not be treated seriously.

Source: Russia Today