Trade war to world war

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heads to Ukraine Thursday as the most likely peacemaker in a war that has pitted NATO and the European Union firmly against Russia. Erdogan and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the western city of Lviv, with the nascent UN-Turkish-facilitated Black Sea grain export deal likely top of the agenda. The Turkish president may also be carrying a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin , who he met in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi earlier this month. Erdogan—now needed by both Ukraine and Russia—may yet play a key role in any eventual ceasefire, though for now an end to the fighting looks unlikely. In the meantime Erdogan—ambitious, opportunistic, and pragmatic—will deal with both sides, seeking to stabilize its region, its beleaguered economy, and grow its international influence. "Turkey is trying to find a middle road," said Fatih Ceylan, … [Read more...] about Turkey’s Erdogan jostles to be Putin’s partner, Ukraine peacemaker

Almost two-thirds of the world's population would be wiped out by a nuclear war , new research has shown. Scientists say more than five billion people would die of hunger after a full-scale conflict. Vladimir Putin 's invasion of Ukraine has brought the threat of nuclear war and computer simulations have been created over what would happen in the event of nukes being used. Lead author Professor Lili Xia, of Rutgers University, New Jersey, said: "The data tell us one thing. We must prevent a nuclear war from ever happening." Models showed firestorms would release soot into the upper atmosphere that would block out the Sun resulting in global crop failure. Australia is one of the locations scientists predict would survive a nuclear war ( Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto) They shed fresh light on the exact impact if 'Mad Vlad' reaches for the button. Nine nations, including the UK, currently control more than 13,000 nuclear weapons. Even a clash between … [Read more...] about Scientists reveal two best places to survive nuclear apocalypse ‘when 5billion would die’

by CARL J. FRIEDRICH 1 BETWEEN the acts of the world première of Niobe a fashionable crowd gathered outside the Opera House at Zurich and looked across the lake Into an evening sky. Nothing in the attire or behavior of the crowd of well-dressed men and women suggested that anything whatever had happened since 1939, or that men, women, and children were starving a few hundred miles away. But the visitor looking across the square could notice that the grass seemed exceptionally long even for an uncut lawn. “I suppose the labor shortage is very severe in Switzerland?” “Yes, but why?” “Oh, just that that lawn there seems to have gone uncut for a long time.” “But that is no lawn, it is a wheat field.” In the very heart of this thriving industrial city, unbelievably prosperous and peaceful, wheat is grown to stretch the short rations. This is no isolated instance; it is a practice common throughout Switzerland to use every square inch of land for food production. The Swiss … [Read more...] about As Switzerland Sees It

A Russian official accused Ukraine on Thursday of using its alleged and unconfirmed plans to carry out a "provocation" at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant as "nuclear blackmail." During an appearance on Russian state television, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Ukraine was planning for this "provocation" to take place during United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' visit to Ukraine on Friday, the Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported. "This is not just a provocation, this is what we condemned as nuclear blackmail. And what else is it but a long-standing provocation around a nuclear facility, a direct threat to nuclear power? This is certainly an act of nuclear blackmail," Zakharova said. She added that the alleged blackmail was not just targeting one country or party, but all of Europe. "We are talking about nuclear energy, the whole European continent is being held hostage because this is all in the heart of Europe," … [Read more...] about Russia accuses Ukraine of “nuclear blackmail,” warns of looming attack

Editorial board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta   ● Fri, August 19, 2022 2022-08-19 08:10 0 b2587592dd54281f57bdb7dba913dce6 1 Editorial editorial,Indonesia,President-Jokowi,State-of-nation-address,speech,Ukraine,Russia Free It is not easy being optimistic today With the COVID-19 pandemic far from being over, coupled with the threat of a looming recession in the midst of ongoing disruption to the global supply chain, for the majority of people things do look bleak. And with the war now raging in the eastern part of Europe, involving some of the world's major powers, there is definitely a sense of foreboding. If the role of a politician is to uplift the masses during times of trial and tribulation, on Wednesday President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo did exactly that. It was not exactly an inspiring speech and since President Jokowi is not known for his oratorical skills, the one he delivered to the legislative branch of the government ahead of the celebration of … [Read more...] about State of the nation is strong