GERMANY TO SUPPORT NATO EXPANSION PAGE 38

 May 4 , 2022

 Germany says it will back NATO expansion

Berlin will support the admission of Finland and Sweden into NATO, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, after the two Nordic states expressed interest in joining despite decades of neutrality.

Scholz labeled Russia’s military operation a “turning point” for security on the continent, saying the attack prompted Berlin to scrap a long-held policy against shipping weapons into active conflict zones.

The chancellor’s comments follow reports that Helsinki could declare its intent to join NATO as early as next week, with President Sauli Niinisto purportedly set to announce the move on May 12.

It remains unclear if Stockholm will follow suit, though the country’s parliament recently said it would conduct a review of Swedish security policy before a decision is made. 

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 ⚡️Russian Armed Forces will open a humanitarian corridor from 08:00 to 18:00 (Moscow time) on May 5, 6 and 7 to allow civilians out of the Azovstal industrial complex in Mariupol - Russian Defense Ministry

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 Contradictions between NATO's assertions and actions it takes have become more evident over the years

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 Supply Chain Crisis: Global Container Ship Bottleneck Warning

An estimated 20% of all container ships worldwide are stuck awaiting port entry, according to a Royal Bank of Canada study, citing Beijing’s draconian Covid lockdowns and the conflict in Ukraine as key factors.

At the Port of Shanghai alone there are 344 ships awaiting berth, a 34% increase in the last month, with warehouse-to-warehouse shipping taking 74 days longer than usual between China and the US.

Aggregate times of turnaround at Europe’s 3 largest ports, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg, have risen 8%, 30% and 21% respectively - with RBC analysts warning “things are getting worse”.

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 As Biden thanks arms manufacturer for Ukraine military aid - the biggest defence contractors in the US have been popping their champagne corks to celebrate huge profits the conflict is bringing them

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 Russia averts default 

Russia’s dollar payments on two foreign bonds have reached foreign creditors despite Western fears of default. 

Russia settled a $564.8mn payment on a 2022 Eurobond and a $84.4mn payment on a 2042 bond Friday. Major international clearinghouses have already received and processed the payments, according to Bloomberg sources.

In April, Moscow attempted to pay foreign holders of Eurobonds in rubles as Western nations froze almost half of Russia's foreign exchange reserves, worth over $300bn, as part of sanctions over Ukraine.

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May 5 , 2022

Russia blacklists Japanese PM

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been included on a list of sanctioned persons issued by Russia’s Foreign Ministry Wednesday.

Moscow has blacklisted 63 officials and public figures, with the country’s foreign minister, minister of defense, finance and justice ministers among them. They all are banned from entering Russia. 

The foreign ministry blames Tokyo for “unacceptable rhetoric towards the Russian Federation, including defamation and direct threats,” which are “repeated by public figures, experts and representatives of the Japanese media.”

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 Russia's 'Malka' destroys Ukrainian artillery units

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 Switzerland Prepares For “SEVERE” Power Shortages

The Swiss government announced plans on Wednesday to set up a gas crisis intervention group to monitor potential “severe” electricity shortages.

The move comes despite last month’s assurances that Swiss energy had been secured by gas supplies from Azerbaijan and North Africa.

Switzerland had already warned companies of potential month-long shortages last year due the lack of an agreement with the EU and a dependence on Germany for around 20% of winter energy.

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