Geopolitics - what is going on in the world

[Premi5]

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/-kazakhstan-burns-elites-wealth-safe-in-london/

As Kazakhstan burns over inequality, the elite’s wealth is safe and sound in London

London is home to some £530m in luxury property owned by the country’s ruling class

 

 

Thomas Rowley

6 January 2022, 2.39pm

Protests in Kazakhstan started quietly this week. A sudden increase in the price of liquefied petroleum gas, popular as a secondary fuel for its low cost, sparked public meetings in towns in western Kazakhstan, the home of the country’s natural resources sector.

But five days later, and the system built since the 1990s by Kazakhstan’s first family, the Nazarbayevs, and their associates, looks to have been shaken.

The government has resigned, former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev has been stripped of his role as chairman of the country’s Security Council, and protesters have attempted to storm government administration buildings amid a state of emergency. After a request by president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Russian troops have now entered the country. Dozens of protesters have allegedly been killed by law enforcement in the city of Almaty, according to a local police spokesperson.

Four thousand miles away in London, though, the UK assets of the Kazakhstani ruling class are sitting quietly. The Central Asian state’s elite owns at least £530.4m of luxury property in London and the southeast, according to data released in a recent report by Chatham House. Some £330m of that luxury property is owned by the extended Nazarbayev family.

[5aaban]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-06/apn-kazakhstan-unrest/100743000

Kazakhstan officer beheaded, protesters killed as government offices are targeted amid unrest

Posted 12h ago, updated 1h ago

Violent demonstrations continue to engulf the city of Almaty. (Image: Reuters)

Dozens of protesters have been killed in Kazakhstan in attacks on government buildings and at least a dozen police officers have died, including one who was found beheaded.

Key points:

• Russian paratroopers have been sent in to help quell the unrest
• Security forces said dozens of protesters were "liquidated"
• Protests have spread into broader anti-government riots because of resentment over 30 years of single-party rule

 

There were attempts to storm buildings overnight in the country's largest city, Almaty, and "dozens of attackers were liquidated," police spokeswoman Saltanat Azirbek said on state news channel Khabar-24.

The reported attempts to storm the buildings came after widespread unrest in the city on Wednesday, including the seizure of the mayor's building, which was set on fire.

Russia's TASS news agency quoted the Kazakh health ministry as saying more than 1,000 people had been injured during the protests, and more than 400 of them were in hospital.

Khabar-24 cited the city commandant's office as saying on Thursday that another 353 law enforcement officers were injured in addition to the 12 killed.

The mayor's building in the largest city of Almaty was set on fire.(Reuters: Pavel Mikheyev)

Kazakhstan is experiencing the worst street protests the country has seen since gaining independence three decades ago.

Protests over a sharp rise in prices for liquefied petroleum gas began on Sunday in the country's west before intensifying and spreading to Almaty and the capital Nur-Sultan.

On Wednesday, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev vowed to take harsh measures to quell the unrest and declared a two-week state of emergency for the whole country.

The government resigned in response to the violence.

 

[5aaban]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-60177929

Ukraine crisis: Russian attack would be 'horrific', US warns

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTER

Image caption,

General Mark Milley said a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be "horrific"

Top US General Mark Milley has said that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be "horrific" and would lead to a significant number of casualties.

Gen Milley described the build-up of 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine's border as the largest since the Cold War.

But US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said conflict could still be avoided through the use of diplomacy.

Russia denies plans to invade and says US support for Ukraine is a threat.

At a news conference at the Pentagon on Friday, Gen Milley - US President Joe Biden's most senior military officer - warned that the scale of Russia's forces near its border with Ukraine meant an attack would have severe consequences.

"If that was unleashed on Ukraine, it would be significant, very significant, and it would result in a significant amount of casualties," said the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.

Fighting in dense urban areas would be "horrific, it would be terrible", Gen Milley added.

'Not inevitable'

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US was committed to helping Ukraine defend itself, including by providing more weaponry.

"Conflict is not inevitable. There is still time and space for diplomacy," Mr Austin said, calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to de-escalate the situation.

"There is no reason that this situation has to devolve into conflict... He can order his troops away," he added.

Also on Friday, President Biden said he would send a small number of troops to Eastern Europe in the "near term", to strengthen the Nato presence in the region. He did not specify where they would be stationed or when they would arrive.

Earlier this week, the Pentagon said there were 8,500 combat-ready troops on alert, ready to be deployed at short notice.

The US has rejected a key Moscow demand that Nato rule out Ukraine joining the defence alliance - but insisted it was offering Russia a "serious diplomatic path".

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of ignoring Russia's security concerns.

But he said he would study the US response before deciding what to do, according to a Kremlin readout of a call between Mr Putin and his French counterpart.

France said the two leaders had agreed on the need to de-escalate and that its President Emmanuel Macron had told Mr Putin that Russia must respect the sovereignty of its neighbouring states.

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

Image caption,

"We don't need this panic," Mr Zelensky said

'Don't create panic'

The warnings from the Pentagon come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters not to create panic over the build-up of Russian troops on his country's borders.

At a news conference in Kyiv, Mr Zelensky said he did not see a greater threat now than during a similar massing of troops last spring.

 

"There are signals even from respected leaders of states, they just say that tomorrow there will be war. This is panic - how much does it cost for our state?"

The "destabilisation of the situation inside the country" was the biggest threat to Ukraine, he said.

Diplomacy intensifies by the day. Everyone wants to be seen to be doing something but they don't want to do it - they don't want their own troops on the ground fighting a war in Ukraine against Russia.

Everyone has their own interest: President Biden is post-Afghanistan pullout debacle; Germany is post-Angela Merkel; Britain is post-Brexit, trying to carve out its own way in the world; and President Macron of France is pre-elections in the spring.

But they all want to prevent a war on Europe's doorstep; all want to stop President Putin's efforts to reshape this region. President Zelensky's extraordinary outburst asking everyone to calm down underlined the risks of escalating rhetoric. But he was equally clear: if this war escalates in Ukraine it will spill across borders, there will be proxy wars.

So telephone lines are burning. President Biden had his call with President Putin. President Macron had his. Now it seems Prime Minister Johnson will have his telephone moment too.

President Putin is where he wants to be - at the centre of world attention. In the dead of a very cold winter in the depths of a very old crisis, there's little clarity about the days ahead. No one can afford to lose, but it's not yet clear how they'll all pull back from this brink.

Russia last month made wide-ranging security demands from the West, including that:

• Ukraine should be barred from joining Nato
• Nato should end military activity in eastern Europe, pulling troops out of Poland and the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
• The alliance should not deploy missiles in countries near or bordering Russia

The US and Nato responded by saying Ukraine had the right to choose its own allies, but offered Russia talks on missile placements and other issues.

If Russia were to invade Ukraine, it would not be the first time.

Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula in 2014. It is also backing rebels who seized large swathes of the eastern Donbas region soon afterwards, and some 14,000 people have died in fighting there.

[GurjantGnostic]

15 minutes ago, 5aaban said:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-60177929

Ukraine crisis: Russian attack would be 'horrific', US warns

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTER

Image caption,

General Mark Milley said a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be "horrific"

Top US General Mark Milley has said that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be "horrific" and would lead to a significant number of casualties.

Gen Milley described the build-up of 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine's border as the largest since the Cold War.

But US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said conflict could still be avoided through the use of diplomacy.

Russia denies plans to invade and says US support for Ukraine is a threat.

At a news conference at the Pentagon on Friday, Gen Milley - US President Joe Biden's most senior military officer - warned that the scale of Russia's forces near its border with Ukraine meant an attack would have severe consequences.

"If that was unleashed on Ukraine, it would be significant, very significant, and it would result in a significant amount of casualties," said the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.

Fighting in dense urban areas would be "horrific, it would be terrible", Gen Milley added.

'Not inevitable'

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US was committed to helping Ukraine defend itself, including by providing more weaponry.

"Conflict is not inevitable. There is still time and space for diplomacy," Mr Austin said, calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to de-escalate the situation.

"There is no reason that this situation has to devolve into conflict... He can order his troops away," he added.

Also on Friday, President Biden said he would send a small number of troops to Eastern Europe in the "near term", to strengthen the Nato presence in the region. He did not specify where they would be stationed or when they would arrive.

Earlier this week, the Pentagon said there were 8,500 combat-ready troops on alert, ready to be deployed at short notice.

The US has rejected a key Moscow demand that Nato rule out Ukraine joining the defence alliance - but insisted it was offering Russia a "serious diplomatic path".

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of ignoring Russia's security concerns.

But he said he would study the US response before deciding what to do, according to a Kremlin readout of a call between Mr Putin and his French counterpart.

France said the two leaders had agreed on the need to de-escalate and that its President Emmanuel Macron had told Mr Putin that Russia must respect the sovereignty of its neighbouring states.

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

Image caption,

"We don't need this panic," Mr Zelensky said

'Don't create panic'

The warnings from the Pentagon come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters not to create panic over the build-up of Russian troops on his country's borders.

At a news conference in Kyiv, Mr Zelensky said he did not see a greater threat now than during a similar massing of troops last spring.

 

"There are signals even from respected leaders of states, they just say that tomorrow there will be war. This is panic - how much does it cost for our state?"

The "destabilisation of the situation inside the country" was the biggest threat to Ukraine, he said.

Diplomacy intensifies by the day. Everyone wants to be seen to be doing something but they don't want to do it - they don't want their own troops on the ground fighting a war in Ukraine against Russia.

Everyone has their own interest: President Biden is post-Afghanistan pullout debacle; Germany is post-Angela Merkel; Britain is post-Brexit, trying to carve out its own way in the world; and President Macron of France is pre-elections in the spring.

But they all want to prevent a war on Europe's doorstep; all want to stop President Putin's efforts to reshape this region. President Zelensky's extraordinary outburst asking everyone to calm down underlined the risks of escalating rhetoric. But he was equally clear: if this war escalates in Ukraine it will spill across borders, there will be proxy wars.

So telephone lines are burning. President Biden had his call with President Putin. President Macron had his. Now it seems Prime Minister Johnson will have his telephone moment too.

President Putin is where he wants to be - at the centre of world attention. In the dead of a very cold winter in the depths of a very old crisis, there's little clarity about the days ahead. No one can afford to lose, but it's not yet clear how they'll all pull back from this brink.

Russia last month made wide-ranging security demands from the West, including that:

• Ukraine should be barred from joining Nato
• Nato should end military activity in eastern Europe, pulling troops out of Poland and the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
• The alliance should not deploy missiles in countries near or bordering Russia

The US and Nato responded by saying Ukraine had the right to choose its own allies, but offered Russia talks on missile placements and other issues.

If Russia were to invade Ukraine, it would not be the first time.

Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula in 2014. It is also backing rebels who seized large swathes of the eastern Donbas region soon afterwards, and some 14,000 people have died in fighting there.

Cuban missile crisis 2.0. But backwards. 

[5aaban]

Hijab not essential in Islam like turban is in Sikhism, says Kerala Guv Khan | Exclusive Speaking exclusively to India Today on the hijab row, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said the hijab is not intrinsic to Islam like the turban is in Sikhism.

[GurjantGnostic]

On 1/29/2022 at 11:39 PM, GurjantGnostic said:

Cuban missile crisis 2.0. But backwards. 

I see people are confused. Cuba allied with russia, and therefore put russian nuclear capability right off the shores of florida, in cuba. The american response was the bay of pigs among other things in which we invaded cuba, followed by an embargo etc that only recently eased some. 

Now we have ukraine joining Nato...the opposite, putting united states nuclear capability next to russia...and they're going to....

Granted russia wants ukraine period. Still. It's cuban missile crisis 2.0. 

[5aaban]

Trudeau invokes rare emergency powers in attempt to quell protests

Emergencies Act gives government broad powers for 30 days, but prime minister is not expected to call in the military

The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has invoked legislation that gives his government sweeping powers to fight a growing number of “illegal and dangerous” blockades across the country.

The first prime minister to invoke the Emergencies Act, Trudeau said the measures would be time-limited and only apply to specific geographic regions. “We are not preventing the right of people to protest legally,” he said, adding that the military would not be deployed. “The act is to be used sparingly and as a last resort.”

Hours before Trudeau’s announcement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Alberta announced that they had seized a truck full of firearms at blockade near the US border.

The Emergencies Act, which goes into effect for a month, allows the federal government to bar people from gathering in certain locations. It could also allow officials to conscript the use of private tow trucks. The deputy prime minister, Chrystia Freeland, said the Act would bar the use of crowdfunding websites for illegal activities and punish companies whose trucks were being used in the protests.

The recent hack of the crowdfunding site GiveSendGo revealed substantial financial support from outside Canada, which Freeland called an attack on democracy. “This is about following the money. This is about putting an end to these illegal blockades. Consider yourself warned,” she said.

While both the city of Ottawa and the province of Ontario have declared states of emergency, the use of the Emergencies Act is the most forceful use of government power so far in fighting the blockades.

 

The act replaced the War Measures Act in 1988 but is more limited in scope. The revised act requires parliamentary oversight and all measures must comply with the country’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

As the protests cripple trade routes and paralyse city streets, Trudeau said border officials were already turning away Americans trying to enter the country to join the demonstrations.

The prime minister’s unprecedented move comes amid growing worry from federal officials that protesters are increasingly unwilling to leave the blockades, as well as the rising prospect of violence.

The RCMP said on Monday that 11 people were arrested and detained and police seized 13 long guns, handguns, multiple sets of body armour, a machete, a “large quantity” of ammunition, and high-capacity magazines. For more than two weeks, protesters have blocked the border crossing near the town of Coutts, Alberta.

In a statement, police said they recently “became aware of a small organised group within the larger Coutts protest” that had access to weapons and “was said to have a willingness to use force against police” if any attempts were made to “disrupt” the blockade.

The Alberta premier, Jason Kenney, said the arrests and seizure of firearms “underscores the severity” of the situation.

In Ottawa, dozens of semi-trucks remained idling in front of the prime minister’s office – the third week of an occupation by protesters from across the country. A small crowd, including a number of children, braved frigid temperatures in the nation’s capital to protest public health measures and were unfazed by news of the Emergencies Act.

While elements of the demonstration had a festive feel, including volunteers handing out food and music blasting from a stage, other scenes evoked the dug-in mentality of the convoy. Groups guarded jerry-cans of fuel stashed at street corners amid the hum of generators in camper vans.

On Monday, an Ontario judge granted an injunction to enforce noise and idling bylaws related to the protests in Ottawa. The injunction effectively gives police a new tool for charging protesters in violation of a court order that bars fireworks, truck horns and idling.

Ottawa’s mayor tweeted that a number of trucks had started moving out of residential areas as part of an agreement with protest leaders, but cautioned that it could take days for many of the trucks to leave, calling it a “complex” operation.

But at a press conference, organisers of the convoy said protesters would remain until mandates were removed. Tamara Lich said Trudeau’s use of the Emergencies Act was “extreme”, but that the prospect of increased federal powers to end the blockades would deter protesters.

“No matter what you do, we will hold the line,” said Lich. “There are no threats that will frighten us. We will hold the line.”

https://theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/14/canada-protests-justin-trudeau-use-rare-emergency-powers

[MisterrSingh]

Anyone wondering what's actually going on in Ukraine and Russia that the TV and news will die before telling you, here's a summary:

The USA caused a coup (like the bhainchods always do) in Ukraine; a country bordered by Russia that used to be aligned with them, and has vital strategic importance for Russian security and trade, etc.

The USA installed their puppet leader in Ukraine after the coup, and started massing missiles on the Russian border. Putin got concerned and massed his troops on the border.

The USA had promised not to expand NATO eastward into former Soviet countries but did it anyway. Now they are on Russia's border.

Western news filth never mention American black-ops that destabilise and overthrow sovereign nations. It's always framed as a victory for democracy against an "oppressor".

[dallysingh101]

1 hour ago, MisterrSingh said:

Anyone wondering what's actually going on in Ukraine and Russia that the TV and news will die before telling you, here's a summary:

The USA caused a coup (like the bhainchods always do) in Ukraine; a country bordered by Russia that used to be aligned with them, and has vital strategic importance for Russian security and trade, etc.

The USA installed their puppet leader in Ukraine after the coup, and started massing missiles on the Russian border. Putin got concerned and massed his troops on the border.

The USA had promised not to expand NATO eastward into former Soviet countries but did it anyway. Now they are on Russia's border.

Western news filth never mention American black-ops that destabilise and overthrow sovereign nations. It's always framed as a victory for democracy against an "oppressor".

Can you see parallels between what the anglos did to Sikh raj? 

Interestingly (and probably not surprisingly) it was akali nihangs (esp. Akali Phoola Singh) who were most acutely aware of what brits were doing and who wanted to react to it before anyone else. But M. Ranjit Singh didn't take their warning   - the rest is ithihaas. 

[MisterrSingh]

2 minutes ago, dallysingh101 said:

Can you see parallels between what the anglos did to Sikh raj? 

Interestingly (and probably not surprisingly) it was akali nihangs (esp. Akali Phoola Singh) who were most acutely aware of what brits were doing and who wanted to react to it before anyone else. But M. Ranjit Singh didn't take their warning   - the rest is ithihaas. 

Yeah, bro, it's all from the same playbook throughout human history.