EU-DIGEST

Happy Rosh Hashanah in the messed up Middle East with Israel fighting on three fronts there hopefully be better times ahead.

2024-10-02T16:17:00.001-04:00

4th of July celebration ?

2024-07-04T11:51:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to America on her 248th birthday! Last night on PBS Rick Steves had a fantastic program on Germany's fascist story. And unfortunately, history seems to be repeating itself in the EU and the USA where right wing forces are alarmingly gathering steam again. Let's hope the EU and USA don't fall for this right wing stupidity again. To watch this episode go to: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/nazi-germany

A new Cuban crisis

2024-06-07T00:41:00.000-04:00

“Russia is likely to send combat naval vessels to the Caribbean, with potential port calls in Cuba and possibly Venezuela,” Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Charlie Dietz said on Thursday. “Aircraft deployments or flights in the region are also anticipated."

USA: Christian Nationalism

2024-04-29T00:41:00.000-04:00

Christian nationalism in America, combined with their affection for Trumpism could spell the end of America as a Democracy, if Trump wins the November Presidential elections..

https://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/common-witness-ncc/the-dangers-of-christian-nationalism-in-the-united-states-a-policy-statement-of-the-national-council-of-churches/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2QlupXLxZlmxcIlZwqXUngFiCLSi1ilAR-lGzPsH_d-qFkeO3tLgBTfZc_aem_AaeOA0-0OVklTE7YV4J7HhwH9dKONj0W4cGWDtQVJZRYK_e-ULAxLQtcjjKGN1f1R9GOOG2AOr3Ctg1ryr_oOpvP

EU partners getting ready to militarily confront Russia following their illegal invasion of Ukraine 2 years ago

2024-04-18T17:34:00.000-04:00

More and more voices are being heard from inside and outside Europe, about the US political confusion in dealing with Ukraine's military support, and ready to take matters in their own hands, specially now Putin is under lots of pressure at home by democratic forces.

US better be aware of Putin's Evil Empire

2024-04-13T15:16:00.002-04:00

US better watch out. This might be the ideal time, with political chaos, and a slipping, fractured, foreign western support abroad, for the "Alliance of Evil" - Russia, N.Korea, Iran, Cuba, and other potential supporters, to attack the USA.

Are Putin's days numbered?

2024-03-23T11:19:00.001-04:00

The number of dead has gone up to138 says Moscow - insiders say this could be the beginning of a combined effort by rebellious Russian troops, who returned from the Ukraine front last year,together wih Navalny supporters, and Kremlin insiders, to topple Putin and install more democratic regime in Russia.

Our planet - by Rick Morren

2024-02-24T16:07:00.000-05:00

It has become more and more clear to me that we live on a unique planet, called earth, populated by one race, called the human race, created by one loving, forgiving God, who lives in the heart of us all.

Unfortunately, given that the human race was also given complete freedom of choice, after they were expelled from God's Paradise to Planet Earth, the results turned out bad.

Looking at it from every possible angle, freedom of choice for the human race has been a total disaster throughout history, our planet has literally been soaked, and dripping blood, as a result of wars, greed, religious conflict, famine, disregard of the environment etc.

Humanity on our planet has to urgently make some serious choices between what is good and evil, before the curtain closes for good on us all - and may God have mercy on us.

Turkish born jewelry artist creates affordable necklaces with a touch of authentic beauty and quality.

2024-02-12T17:36:00.000-05:00

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A mea culpa moment - by Rick Morren

2024-02-11T14:39:00.001-05:00

This morning as I was praying for family and friends, it suddenly dawned on me how our planet over the years has become so blood - soaked by wars, terrorism, politics, religion, personal feuds, corporate greed, lack of proper gun control laws - you name it !

The planet has become a planet dripping with blood, while mankind is wondering why we are getting so many problems coming from all directions, facing us.

You want an answer ? Because, "We the People" screwed up by making bad choices. Suggest you put prayer on your agenda, if you have not done so before. Pray for your families, and friends health, happiness and safety. Pray for peace and food for those who are in need. Yes indeed, prayer is a good beginning and end of your day...and lets pray it will clean up some of the mess the human race has created for itself.

Israel - the October 7 Genocide by Hamas against Israel.

2024-01-27T13:00:00.000-05:00

The clever thing Netanyahu and Israeli financial backers should have done after the bloody Oct.7 attack of Hamas against Israel, would have been to instead file a Genocide report with the Intl. Court of Justice in the Hague themselves, blaming Hamas and international terrorism. It would have given Israel, who were already cloaked in their own World War Genocide mantle, much more clout to help the world get rid of intl. terrorism. Instead today, the coin is turned on Israel and the US.

We are only 60 seconds removed from Midnight

2024-01-25T00:35:00.001-05:00

It will definitely reach midnight if the US Justice Department is incapable of incarcerating Donald Trump, the front runner in the Republican Party Presidential primaries - where he never attended a debate - in addition to the numerous convictions he is facing in connection with the January 6 insurrection and several other crimes. Has the US become a banana republic?

Hamas- Israel war: Three musketiers ? Hamas, iran, Russia

2023-10-12T18:02:00.002-04:00

There was only one real winner last Saturday when war broke out in Israel — Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin’s enabling of his “Arsenals of Evil” ally, Iran, resulted in the opening of a new front in Gaza in his war against the West.

Read more at: https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4250708-putins-fingerprints-are-on-hamas/

Turkey: Erdogan's iron grip pn Turkey ?

2023-09-28T17:24:00.002-04:00

Ask a Turk when it was great in Turkey. They won't be able to answer .

Erdogan just expedited the collapse . He just short-sold USD overnight and caused millions of Turks to loose money .

However I think this will end up being good for the country . Turks did not ever fight for their civil rights. I hope that once AKP is gone they will have the following otherwise the cycle will continue.

separation of powers and independent judicial system
independent central bank
hiring/developing talents in government/universities regardless their political affiliation
freedom of speech
improvement in ease of doing business
Better government investment strategies with faster/higher ROI . Turkey built airports no one lands , bridges that utilized at a fraction of the forecasted volume.

Update : What I wrote above is the common denominator in any developed country. It's not rocket science .

China - US relations: Chip competition heating up

2023-09-25T17:41:00.002-04:00

The US-China chip war is heating up after Huawei launched a new phone featuring technology that Washington was hoping to keep out of China's reach.

Last month, Huawei released the Mate 60 Pro phone without providing much detail on the chips used for the device. But Ottawa-based TechInsights, a research organization specializing in semiconductors, made a surprising discovery after taking the phone apart for analysis — the device was run on a Chinese-made Kirin 9000s 7-nanometer processor. The scale of the chip is essential, as smaller-scale chips can be packed with more elements, thus making them faster and more powerful. The chip also appears to be 5G capable.

Ukraine war: Will Putin be able to survive a negotiated peace or loss ?

2023-09-24T18:30:00.002-04:00

When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his three-pronged invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022, his goal was to erase Ukraine as a sovereign nation in a matter of days. At the time, it seemed a plausible goal, in Russia and in the West. More than a year later, Ukraine's survival is a much safer bet than Putin's.

Ukraine has systemically and strategically taken back half the territory Russia seized, inflicting humiliating loss after debilitating setback. As Ukraine's battlefield victories pile up, the U.S. and its NATO allies are giving it increasingly sophisticated weapons.

Russia's 'catastrophic' missing men problem Why Western tanks might help Ukraine beat Russia What would actually happen if Putin hit Ukraine with tactical nukes?

"If 2023 continues as it began, there is a good chance Ukraine will be able to fulfill President Volodymyr

Zelenskyy's New Year's pledge to retake all of Ukraine by the end of the year — or at least enough territory to definitively end Russia's threat," Liz Sly suggested at The Washington Post.

Read more at: https://theweek.com/russo-ukrainian-war/1020161/will-putin-survive-his-catastrop and

https://www.cato.org/blog/can-putin-survive-settlement-war-ukraine

The Last days or the End days ?

2023-09-23T18:08:00.002-04:00

Are we living in the last days? With all that going on in our world that’s a fair question to ponder. The last days in the Bible are surely coming true, right?

There’s no shortage of opinions and pieces written about the end times. Many of them are a little crazy and not actually found in the Bible. To actually answer that question we need to ask another question, what does the Bible say about the last days?

The phrase “in the last days” only appears in the Bible 6 times. That might be surprising considering how much it’s talked about. But maybe more surprising is that this phrase is not found in Revelation.

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:14-17

EU provides EURO 1.5 billion financial aid to Ukraine

2023-09-22T11:27:00.003-04:00

The EU is supporting Ukraine with a further €1.5 billion (roughly $1.6 billion). The aim is to help the country affected by the Russian war of aggression to rebuild critical infrastructure such as roads or bridges and to maintain necessary public facilities such as hospitals or schools.

"Today, we've disbursed another €1.5 billion in macro-financial Assistance to Ukraine. Month after month, we continue to play our part in rebuilding a modern and prosperous country, while helping to cover the country's needs," the European Commission announced.

Russian activists fight on from exile

2023-09-16T16:52:00.002-04:00

The Moldova-born Russia is one of this year's recipients of the Free Media Award from Germany's Zeit Foundation. And this is only the latest in the string of accolades and awards for the 36-year-old, who is a member of multiple international investigative networks, including the team behind the Panama Papers investigation.

In Russia, Anin's Important Stories (IStories.media) website first drew headlines in 2020 by looking into procurement of ventilation machines during the COVID pandemic. In the same year, they also published a report on one of the most sensitive topics in the country — apparent corruption linked to the family of President Vladimir Putin. Anin was forced to leave Russia the following year.

China's Tik-T,ok fined by EU: European regulators slapped TikTok with a €345 million fine Friday for failing to protect children's privacy

2023-09-15T17:16:00.002-04:00

European regulators slapped TikTok with a €345 million fine Friday for failing to protect children's privacy. It's the first time the popular short video-sharing app has been punished for breaching Europe's strict data privacy rules.

Ireland's Data Protection Commission, the lead privacy regulator for Big Tech companies whose European headquarters are predominantly in Dublin, said it was fining TikTok and reprimanding the platform for the violations dating back to the second half of 2020.

The Commission's investigation also found that the default settings posed a risk to children under 13 who had gained access to the platform even though they were underage.

In addition, the Commission ruled that a 'family pairing' feature designed for parents to manage settings was not strict enough, allowing adults to turn on direct messaging for users aged 16 and 17 without their consent.

China's President will skip G20 meetng in New Delhi India next weekend

2023-09-05T16:39:00.003-04:00

Beijing's foreign ministry confirmed Monday that Li would be at the G20 Leaders' Summit on Saturday and Sunday, which it described as an important forum for economic cooperation.

"In attending this meeting, Premier Li Qiang will convey China's thoughts and positions on G20 cooperation, pushing for the G20 to strengthen unity and cooperation, and working together to combat global economic and development challenges," spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news briefing.

Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony: Withdraws invitations for Russia, Belarus and Iran to attend this year's Nobel Prize award ceremonies

2023-09-04T17:16:00.003-04:00

The Nobel Foundation on Saturday withdrew its invitation for representatives of Russia, Belarus and Iran to attend this year's Nobel Prize award ceremonies after the decision announced a day earlier "provoked strong reactions."

Several Swedish lawmakers said Friday they would boycott this year's Nobel Prize award ceremonies in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, after the private foundation that administers the prestigious awards changed its position from a year earlier and invited representatives of the three countries to attend, saying it "promotes opportunities to convey the important messages of the Nobel Prize to everyone."

USA: Several polls in America show large numbers of citizens consider the US status as a world power is declining

2023-08-27T17:41:00.004-04:00

Nearly half of Americans (47%) say that the United States’ influence in the world has been getting weaker in recent years. Only about one-in-five say U.S. influence has been getting stronger, while 32% say U.S. influence has been staying about the same.

This is in stark contrast with views of China: Two-thirds of U.S. adults say that the country’s influence has been getting stronger in recent years. Roughly one-in-five Americans say China’s global influence is holding steady, and only one-in-ten say China’s influence has been weakening.

Read more at: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/06/23/prevailing-view-among-americans-is-that-u-s-influence-in-the-world-is-weakening-and-chinas-is-growing/

Ukraine war: Belarus loosing more and more support among few Western friends she stll has

2023-08-22T17:23:00.004-04:00

Landlocked Belaru:s is losing more access to its western neighbors. Since the start of the month, Poland has sent more troops toward its border with the country and Lithuania has shut down two of its six crossing points with Belarus. Latvia is also considering border closures: One official told DW that "active consultations" are taking place, with a decision planned later this month.

The three European Union members bordering Belarus say they're responding to the reported presence of Wagner mercenaries on Belarusian territory, after the private Russian military group's fleeting and ill-fated June rebellion.

"This decision is one of the preventive measures aimed at managing emerging threats to national security and possible provocations at the border," Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite said last week in a statement announcing the temporary closures. "It will enable border officers to redistribute their capacities at the border with Belarus and pay even larger attention to the protection of the state border."

Russian Economy; Putn's war with Ukraine a disaster for Russia's value of the ruble.

2023-08-15T11:49:00.001-04:00

The Russian currency has broken another threshold in its decline in value. Over the weekend, 1 ruble was worth only 1 US cent. This means 100 rubles had to be paid for $1 US. The ruble also continued to lose value against the euro, with €1 at times costing nearly 110 rubles.

The ruble fell to its lowest point since March 2022 when the currency crashed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In the following few months, the currency regained the lost ground as Russia benefited from significantly higher energy prices. However, over the past year, the ruble has steadily declined.