Category: World

Russia has introduced fines for propagating the ideology of abstinence from childbearing. Individuals will pay up to 400 thousand rubles, legal entities – up to 5 million rubles.

Russians will be fined up to 5 million rubles for propagating the ideology of childbearing – childfree. The relevant law was signed by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, UNN reports with reference to the Russian media.

According to the Russian media, the penalty for violating the law is a fine of up to 400,000 rubles for individuals, up to 800,000 for officials, and legal entities will face a fine of up to five million rubles.

Russian ruler Vladimir Putin has signed laws banning the "propaganda" of childfree approach (refusal to have children) and prohibiting the adoption of children by citizens of countries where "sex reassignment" is allowed.

Source: Latvia-based Russian media outlet Meduza

Details: The first law signed by Putin adds the concept of "refusal to have children" to Article 6.21 of the Code of Administrative Offences, entitled Propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations and (or) preferences, sex reassignment. This article provides for fines of 50,000 to 400,000 roubles (approximately from US$ 480 to 3,800) for citizens; 400,000 to 800,000 roubles (from US$ 3,800 to 7,670) for officials, and two to five million roubles (from US$ 19,100 to 48,000) for legal entities.

At the same time, the law notes that the dissemination of information about the monastic way of life and the vow of celibacy associated with the refusal to have children will not be considered an administrative offence.

The second document amends six federal laws at once and stipulates that information that "promotes" refusal to have children will be banned from being used in films, advertising, the media and the Internet.

The third law signed by Putin amends the Family Code by adding a note to one of its articles stating that people living in countries where "sex reassignment" is allowed cannot be adoptive parents.

On 25 September, two bills were submitted to the State Duma [the lower chamber of the Russian Parliament – ed.] to ban the propaganda of "refusal to have children". On 12 November, the Duma passed both documents in the second and third readings. The authors of the draft law explained that the spread of the childlessness ideology in the Russian society "leads to the degradation of social institutions" and called it "one of the threats to traditional values".

The law banning the adoption of children by citizens of countries where "sex reassignment" is allowed was introduced to the State Duma in July 2024 and passed on 12 November. The explanatory note stated that it was aimed at "making it impossible for any representatives of the LGBT community to adopt Russian children".

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Finnish airline Finnair is canceling about 300 flights due to a pilot strike on December 9 and 13. The strike will affect the plans of 33 thousand passengers during the Christmas period.

Finnish airline Finnair has announced that it is forced to cancel nearly 300 flights in December due to a protest by the Finnish Pilots' Union (SLL). This was reported by Yle, according to UNN.

Details

As part of the strike, pilots will not fly on December 9 and 13.

According to the carrier, the consequences will affect about 33 thousand Finnair customers.

We are very sorry that the union chose to protest instead of negotiate, which will affect the plans of thousands of our customers during the Christmas season,

– Jaakko Shildt, Managing Director of Finnair, commented on the situation.

According to him, the carrier does everything possible to help customers, for example, offering them alternative flights if possible.

Recall

The Boeing union has approved a new labor agreement, ending a 7-week strike by 33,000 workers. The agreement provides for a 38% pay raise over four years.

Georgian activist Natia Dzidziguri reported being sexually harassed by police after being detained at a protest rally. The incident occurred during the dispersal of a tent camp on Chavchavadze Avenue on November 19.

Georgian activist Natia Dzidziguri said she was sexually harassed by police after being detained at a protest rally in Tbilisi, UNN reports with reference to Novosti Georgia.

It was a rally demanding new parliamentary elections on November 19. At dawn, police began dispersing the tent camp on Chavchavadze Avenue. Protesters report that excessive force was used against them, and several demonstrators had to be hospitalized.

"My detention happened very unexpectedly. I was on the sidewalk when I saw one guy, Rezi Dumbadze, being dragged into a car. He was being dragged by his hair, ten policemen were pulling him behind his back. As soon as I saw it all, I went up to the policeman and said: don't detain him.

One of the policemen, who was very aggressive towards me before the arrest, as soon as he saw me, immediately went to the mat, cursed me and put me in the detention car. In the car, the policemen sexually harassed me," Dzidziguri said in the 17th Floor program on Formula TV.

According to the activist, she spent the entire way to the police station on her knees in the car, and the police treated her humiliatingly.

"I asked to be put in a chair, saying that we were moving in violation of the rules. This was followed by a retort: "Should we fasten you in?"… I was on my knees the whole way and was transported like that," the young woman says.

Dzidziguri claims that the report against her was also drawn up with violations. The document states that the detention was carried out by a female patrol police inspector, although, according to the activist, the arrest was actually made by one of the heads of the Department for Special Assignments.

"I can identify all the faces. I can also recognize the police officer who detained me," said Dzidziguri.

The statement has not yet been commented on by the Georgian Interior Ministry or the Special Investigation Service. The latter is investigating the alleged excessive use of force by police during the dispersal of the rally. Dzidziguri did not specify whether she was summoned for questioning as part of the investigation.

On November 19, police detained a total of 16 people. A criminal case was opened against one of them, 21-year-old Mate David. He is accused of assaulting police officers.

Elections did not take place: the President of Georgia made an important statementNov 18 2024, 05:52 PM • 18696 views

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine is ready to share with African countries, among other things, the experience of combating Wagnerites, fighters who are part of the Russian Wagner Group.

Source: Zelenskyy during the 3rd International Grain from Ukraine Conference on Saturday, reported by Interfax-Ukraine

Quote: "We know who the Wagnerites are. We know how to fight them. We know how to destroy them. This shows that we have relevant experience."

Details: Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine's military was represented in various missions in African countries and that, given the experience of today's Ukrainian forces, it "can invest in terms of contingent".

The President added that African countries should be interested in security technologies developed and used in Ukraine today, such as UAVs and USVs.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine could also help in the fight against disinformation and cyber defence, as it has been the target of thousands of cyber attacks, including on the banking system and communications.

The Ukrainian leader added that African countries would have many problems due to Russian influence both on the continent and in the markets. Drawing on Ukraine's experience, he called for putting security and independence first, rather than the benefits of cheaper resources, even in the face of economic problems.

He mentioned food security, education, mining, digitalisation, and the Diia government app as other areas of cooperation.

"We can gladly offer all these things," Zelenskyy said.

Background:

• In July of this year, the Malian army and its Russian allies suffered losses from Tuareg rebels. The Tuareg from the CSP-PSD movement showed photos and videos of a broken Wagner Group convoy. The battle took place in the town of Tinzaouaten near Mali's border with Algeria on Thursday and Friday, 25 and 26 July. At least 20 Wagner fighters were killed, while others were captured.
• In addition to the dozens of the Russians from the Wagner Group killed or captured in Mali’s north, a mercenary propagandist and author of the Grey Zone channel was killed.
• After the Mali operation, the Tuareg rebels were photographed with the Ukrainian flag.
• In August, UK intelligence analysed the situation with the Wagner Group and its leaders a year after the death of its owner, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Intelligence notes that the group is becoming increasingly fragmented, and many of the survivors are leaving.

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A 1967 Jaguar E-Type convertible that appeared in all three Austin Powers movies is being sold at Mecum. The car has a 4.2-liter engine, 103,000 kilometers and has recently undergone a restoration.

The legendary Jaguar E-Type, which became the star of all three Austin Powers movies, has been put up for auction in the United States, UNN reports with reference to the Mecum auction site.

A 1967 Jaguar E-Type convertible was put up for sale at Mecum in the United States. The car, which became a movie hero, is planned to be sold for a significant sum.

This particular Jaguar E-Type Series 1 in the colors of the British flag was used in the comedy trilogy about the spy Austin Powers. It is noteworthy that only one car was used for filming in all three parts – there were no understudies.

In addition, this Jaguar E-Type (or Shaguar, as Austin Powers called it) appeared in Madonna's video for the song Beautiful Stranger, which became the soundtrack to the second part of the trilogy.

After filming, the Jaguar E-Type sports car was purchased by a private collector. From time to time, the car was used in Jaguar promotions. It has recently been restored, and its mileage is 103,000 km.

The 1967 Jaguar E-Type Convertible is powered by a 4.2-liter six-cylinder engine with 265 hp paired to a 4-speed manual transmission. It accelerates to 100 km/h in 7 seconds and can reach a top speed of 240 km/h.

Recall

Maurizio Cattelan's provocative work of art, a banana taped to a wall, was sold for $6.2 million at Sotheby's in New York, four times the previous estimate.

Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament, has called on the German government to finally decide on the transfer of long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

Source: German newspaper Der Spiegel; European Pravda; Roberta Metsola in an interview with a group of German media

Details: Roberta Metsola stressed that "time matters" for Ukraine and that Russia is increasing its pressure, with more air targets striking Ukrainian cities.

Roberta Metsola stressed that Ukraine "cannot wait forever" and that the European Parliament has broad support for Germany's decision.

Background:

• The Taurus debate has resumed after the US lifted restrictions on the use of long-range weapons by Ukraine to strike Russian territory, and Germany is approaching early elections. The leader of the largest opposition party, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Friedrich Merz, who has a good chance of becoming the next chancellor, is in favour of the Taurus transfer, while the Social Democratic Party of Germany partners are also in favour of the decision, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz insists that he will not do so.
• Recently, Spiegel published an editorial harshly criticising Scholz for delaying the decision.
• More than 60% of Germans oppose providing Ukraine with Taurus missiles.

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At the COP29 summit, the EU, the US, and other developed countries agreed to increase climate finance to $300 billion annually by 2035. The previous proposal of $250 billion was rejected as insufficient.

The European Union, the United States and other rich countries at the COP29 summit agreed to increase their climate finance offer to $300 billion a year by 2035 to help developing countries fight climate change, sources said Saturday, after a previous proposal was rejected as insultingly low, Reuters reported, UNN wrote.

Details

The summit was supposed to end on Friday, but was delayed as negotiators from nearly 200 countries, who must adopt a consensus agreement, struggled to reach a deal on a plan to finance climate change measures for the next decade.

The $250 billion deal proposal prepared by Azerbaijan's COP29 presidency on Friday was perceived by developing countries as grossly insufficient.

It is unclear whether the revised position of rich countries was officially communicated to developing countries at the meeting in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, and whether this will be enough to gain their support.

The COP29 talks exposed the differences between wealthy governments constrained by tight domestic budgets and developing countries hit by the skyrocketing costs of storms, floods and droughts caused by climate change, the newspaper notes.

Ukraine presented an ambitious climate plan at COP29: what was promised to the worldNov 19 2024, 01:54 PM • 14228 views

The United States intelligence has declassified a document on the assassinations abroad of political opponents of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Source: Bloomberg with reference to US intelligence document

Quote: "… Political and opposition leaders in key former Soviet republics that are deemed a threat.

A key example is former President of Ukraine Viktor Yuschenko, who suffered a near-fatal poisoning in 2004.

His supporters concluded that Russian intelligence introduced the chemical dioxin into his food when he was a presidential candidate advocating Ukraine's integration with the West."

Details: The report also mentions the blowing up of the car belonging to a former leader of Ichkeria, Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev. Other Kremlin-related murders include the poisoning of former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006 and businessman Alexander Perepelichny, who died suddenly while jogging near his mansion in England in 2012.

Another target of the Kremlin may be separatists in Ukraine’s east disloyal to Moscow, according to the declassified report. The 2015 murder of Oleksandr Biednov, who was the defence minister of the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic [a non-recognised quasi-state formation in Luhansk Oblast – ed.] is cited as an example.

The US intelligence said it was highly confident in this report.

It was also reported that Putin had probably given Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen Republic who is extremely loyal to Putin, the freedom to kill Chechens abroad. Most of the killings attributed to Kadyrov's people have been carried out by shooting, while those that intelligence estimates were carried out by Russian secret services include a wide range of methods, including poisoning.

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