The European Union has “taken note” of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Mongolia and expressed regret that the government in Ulaanbaatar did not detain its guest. Putin spent two days in Mongolia, engaging in bilateral talks and marking the 85th anniversary of the WWII victory over Imperial Japan at …
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Scholz explains Ukraine weapons refusal
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said Berlin is reluctant to provide longer-range munitions to Kiev out of concern over a possible escalation should Ukraine decide to use them to strike Russian territory. In a wide-ranging interview with the German state-TV channel ARD on Sunday, the chancellor was asked why Berlin …
Read More »Ex-Soviet republic explains refusal to ‘return’ weapons to Ukraine
Georgia did not receive Buk anti-aircraft systems from Ukraine free of charge, but rather as part of a secret arms deal, the country’s defense ministry said on Tuesday. The statement came in response to a Ukrainian diplomat who alleged that Tbilisi was refusing to return weapons that Kiev had gifted …
Read More »Serbia explains refusal to join Russia sanctions
It has cost Serbia a lot to defy the West’s push to impose sanctions on Russia over its military operation in Ukraine, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday. He believes he would be celebrated by the West and hailed as a hero had Belgrade backed the economic restrictions against Moscow. …
Read More »France explains refusal to speak of ‘genocide’ in Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron has doubled down on his refusal to characterize Russia’s conduct in Ukraine as “genocide.” He articulated his unwillingness to invoke the fraught term during a Thursday interview on the France Bleu radio network. “Words have a meaning and we must be very careful,” he said, pointing …
Read More »Ruling due on US appeal to Assange extradition refusal
The court recently heard the appeal against a lower court decision that refused to extradite the journalist to face charges over leaked classified US documents. In the original ruling, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser stated that she could not approve the extradition as it would be “oppressive” to do so when Assange …
Read More »EU’s refusal to fund border walls against illegal migrants is a mistake as it will only lead to another battle within the bloc
A number of European leaders have called for the erection of walls on the European Union’s external borders to protect the bloc from waves of economic migrants. They are increasingly concerned that following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the bloc will suffer a repeat of the migrant crisis of 2015, …
Read More »Inquiry launched into European Commission chief’s refusal to hand over text messages she exchanged with Pfizer CEO
European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly, the EU’s top accountability and governance officer, launched an inquiry into the European Commission’s refusal to hand over the contents of communications between von der Leyen and a CEO of an unnamed pharmaceutical company about a Covid-19 vaccine contract. As a first step, O’Reilly asked the …
Read More »Sean Penn’s refusal to work on new TV series unless all crew are vaccinated is a Hollywood ego trampling over workers rights
There is absolutely no one on this Earth more tedious, more irritating, more lacking in self-awareness than a Hollywood star with a social conscience. With that in mind, let me say a name and test your reaction: Sean Penn. Did you just sigh involuntarily? Roll your eyes? Think: What now? …
Read More »Aussie PM’s refusal to back WikiLeaks’ Assange is ‘morally bankrupt’ says MP in Oz who also tells US & UK: ‘enough is enough’
The Aussies take their petitions seriously. When the government threatened a hike in the price of beer back at the turn of the 21st Century, 800,000 angry Australians put their names to paper – never mind e-petitions – in a show of people power that gave the politicians one choice: …
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