Scrutable

Portugal:

7,225 "requests for temporary protection" approved so far https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/20 ... ugal/65795

20,000 job offers specifically for refugees registered on a purpose-built government portal https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/20 ... gees/65787

The IEFP [a combo of Jobcentre plus adult education] will also “provide courses in Portuguese as a Host Language for Ukrainian citizens who arrive in Portugal” and the Government approved this Thursday, in the Council of Ministers, a decree-law that simplifies the recognition of the professional qualifications of these refugees, which should facilitate professional integration. In addition, the automatic assignment of a tax, social security and user identification number to these citizens had already received a “green light”.

The Koch brothers on the right side of history as usual:

As hundreds of major U.S. companies exit Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Koch Industries is staying put.

The industrial conglomerate — the second-largest privately owned business in America, with $115 billion in annual revenue — is among those defying public pressure and continuing to operate manufacturing plants and sell products across Russia, while up until Wednesday remaining mum on that nation's relentless assault on Ukrainian cities.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/koch-indus ... sanctions/

Bird on a Fire wrote: Wed Mar 16, 2022 10:35 pm The Koch brothers on the right side of history as usual:

Well, one of them is now on the dead side of history, so there's that.

sTeamTraen wrote: Thu Mar 17, 2022 1:02 am

Bird on a Fire wrote: Wed Mar 16, 2022 10:35 pm The Koch brothers on the right side of history as usual:

Well, one of them is now on the dead side of history, so there's that.

I'm sure his wealth is a great comfort.

heh, cock

Sure NATO can at least enforce a "No Dave" Zone???

https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war- ... s-12569614

Russian cosmonauts board ISS wearing yellow.

Of course they have an excuse prepared:

When the cosmonauts were able to talk to family back on Earth, Artemyev was asked about the suits. He said every crew chose their own.

“It became our turn to pick a colour. But, in fact, we had accumulated a lot of yellow material so we needed to use it,” he said. “So that’s why we had to wear yellow.”

https://www.theguardian.com/science/202 ... raine-flag

WFJ wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 8:23 am Brown and Major back Nuremberg-style trial for Putin.
Blair—no comment.

You fail to list every single other person not quoted in that article either, especially the Stop the War morons blaming all this on NATO.

here's what Tony Blair actually wrote recently

I understand and accept that there is not political support for any direct military engagement by NATO of Russia. But we should be clear-eyed about what Putin is doing. He is using our correct desire not to provoke escalation alongside his willingness to escalate as a bargaining chip against us. When he is threatening NATO, even stoking fears of nuclear conflict, in pursuit of his attempt to topple by force a peaceful nation’s democratically elected president and wage war on its people, there is something incongruous about our repeated reassurance to him that we will not react with force.

I accept the reasoning behind our stance. But suppose he uses chemical weapons or a tactical nuclear weapon, or tries to destroy Kyiv as he did Aleppo in Syria, without any regard to the loss of civilian life – is it sensible to tell him in advance that whatever he does militarily, we will rule out any form of military response? Maybe that is our position and maybe that is the right position, but continually signalling it, and removing doubt in his mind, is a strange tactic.

shpalman wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 10:42 am

WFJ wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 8:23 am Brown and Major back Nuremberg-style trial for Putin.
Blair—no comment.

You fail to list every single other person not quoted in that article either ...

It was just meant as a small joke about Blair not joining in in calling for a leader to face a trial for an illegal invasion. Every other non-quoted person, save Bush jr and whoever the Polish leader who sent about 7 troops as a show of support was, would not have been relevant.

Is the war in Ukraine like Brexit in the sense that it's a travesty against democracy instigated by Russia?

I found this heartening. Please nobody upset me by telling me it didn’t happen.

https://twitter.com/paulaerizanu/status ... 54723?s=21

Spain, today, has determined that the driving licences of displaced Ukrainian citizens will be valid for an initial period of one year. If they wish they will be able to exchange them at any time for Spanish driving licences in line with the residency that is being granted to them.

It's notable that new UK immigrants to Spain are unable to exchange their UK licences and must sit a Spanish test after 6 months. This involves a compulsory course of lessons, a theory test (can be taken in English) and a practical test (in Spanish only). You'll be lucky if that comes out at less than €1,000.
That was a damn fine withdrawal agreement, Boris. Nice job Spain.

Oaf compares Ukraine's fight with the Brexit vote, they're both for freedom!

Read the room, you tasteless f.cking embarrassment


Yes, the oaf in question is the PM - the one that represents us at the highest level (yes, when Liz Truss isn't the best person to represent us, it's him).

Tomorrow evening there's a streamed Stand Up event in support of Ukraine
Tickets £10 each https://www.gfsboxoffice.com/event.php? ... o&id=48249
7pm via YouTube

In addition, there's a raffle of various bundles of merch. Raffle to be drawn at the end of the event. Tickets £1 each from https://www.gfsboxoffice.com/raffle.php

Streaming ticket purchases get a raffle ticket as well.

If you appreciate comedy and are in a position to, you might like to buy a ticket.

A friend of mine is involved in this raffle to win some very nice handmade jewelry. There's 9 shiny things to be won - have a look at the gallery in the link

If you can afford, it's £10 a ticket, just donate multiples of £10 to enter more than once. All monies go to the UNCHR.

Please share as well!

clicky

Sadly the war is disrupting our ability to track animal movements, as one of the major satellite projects was using Russian receivers https://www.science.org/content/article ... life-space

The president of the International Comittee of the Red Cross just met Lavrov in Moscow. Meanwhile, there's some pretty disturbing allegations re: Red Cross complicity with Russian abduction of people from Mariupol. Though I haven't been able to fully verify, until it's cleared up I'd really very strongly recommend not in any way shape or form donating to them.

Oppresive regimes love to capture institutions and pervert them against their original intent. The UN's been handing the names of dissidents to China, for example.

If Russia has camps and the ICRC can get access to them, then it would be the first independent verification not only of the existence of the camps but who is actually in them.

And yes the Red Cross has been more silent than many other NGOs. But that does go down to it's known and long established principals of neutrality, which is what allows it to be able to access detention facilities, camps etc that other NGOs cannot

The ICRC drew up seven fundamental principles in 1965 that were adopted by the entire Red Cross Movement. They are humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, volunteerism, unity, and universality. One of it ICRC's core tasks is to act as a neutral intermediary between warring parties.

As much as we would like the ICRC to be loudly condemning the camps (and I do as much as anyone), is there not the great risk that that would mean in the next conflict somewhere else they then couldn't gain access to somewhere because they're not perceived as neutral any more?

There's nothing in the ICRC's core mission that prevents it from feeding humanitarian information back to other actors in a conflict - say for the purposes of establishing locations of people so that they can be reunited, or that letters etc can be sent to them. And if it happens to subsequently be confirmed that some of those people were not in that camp willingly, that is something other agencies in the conflict can readily highlight - and the information those reports are based on will be less open to challenge because it came from a neutral agency

The ICRC has to sometimes tread a fine line in order to uphold humanitarian principals and to monitor the welfare and treatment of civillians and non-combatants under the Geneva Conventions. That's different from being complicit with violators

US denies it is seeking regime change in Russia after Biden comments

The Russian government said Biden appeared to have lost his cool, adding that it was not up to the US president to determine who ruled Russia, not like it's up to Putin to decide who rules Ukraine.

“A state leader should control his temper,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the state news agency Tass. “Personal insults like calling the Ukraine government a bunch of drug-addicted neo-nazis for example narrow the window of opportunity for our bilateral relations under the current [US] administration. It is necessary to be aware of this.”

Tobias Ellwood, the British MP who serves as the chair of the Commons defence select committee, said the comment had been “unwise” and would be seized on by Putin. “Putin/Xi (& many Russians) will now read ‘regime change’ as POTUS’ wider objective – beyond supporting Ukraine. Putin will spin this, dig in and fight harder.”

Ooooh don't make Putin angry, look at what you might make him do.

EACLucifer wrote: Sat Mar 26, 2022 6:22 pm The president of the International Comittee of the Red Cross just met Lavrov in Moscow. Meanwhile, there's some pretty disturbing allegations re: Red Cross complicity with Russian abduction of people from Mariupol. Though I haven't been able to fully verify, until it's cleared up I'd really very strongly recommend not in any way shape or form donating to them.

Oppresive regimes love to capture institutions and pervert them against their original intent. The UN's been handing the names of dissidents to China, for example.

I assume you refer to this:

Ukraine asks Red Cross not to open office in Russia's Rostov-on-Don
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/uk ... 022-03-27/

If so I agree with Cardinal Fang, and it looks as if the Red Cross is doing what a humanitarian organization is supposed to be doing and focusing upon providing help to those who need it.

It is widely recognized that organizations like the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières could indirectly assist an aggressor or a party that is comitting war crimes. At a basic level, if the Red Cross provides refugees with aid then the Russian government doesn't have to, and it can use the resources elsewhere. To provide aid they also need to cooperate with the Russian government.

But, that situation is usually seen as being preferable to the alternative. At least if they have been met and processed by the Red Cross, it'll be harder for the people displaced from Mariupol (whether forcibly or not) to be disappeared by the Russian authorities.

The ICRC must be scrupulously neutral and be seen to be so. It is easier said than done.

WFJ wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 8:23 am Brown and Major back Nuremberg-style trial for Putin. Blair—no comment.

Russian response:

After Western calls for an international tribunal to investigate Putin, Russian state TV names Obama, Bush, Clinton, Trump, Biden, Nixon, Ford, Blair, Brown, Cameron, Sarkozy & claims: “They’re all war criminals, why hasn’t Russia organised an internat'l tribunal & tried them?

Fair point to the Russians.Be hard to try Nixon and Ford, though.

Herainestold wrote: Sun Mar 27, 2022 9:15 pm Be hard to try Nixon and Ford, though.

There's precedent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadaver_Synod

Herainestold wrote: Sun Mar 27, 2022 9:15 pm

WFJ wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 8:23 am Brown and Major back Nuremberg-style trial for Putin. Blair—no comment.

Russian response:

After Western calls for an international tribunal to investigate Putin, Russian state TV names Obama, Bush, Clinton, Trump, Biden, Nixon, Ford, Blair, Brown, Cameron, Sarkozy & claims: “They’re all war criminals, why hasn’t Russia organised an internat'l tribunal & tried them?

Fair point to the Russians.Be hard to try Nixon and Ford, though.

Missed out Stalin and Will Smith.