Pink Floyd release first new song since 1994 for Ukraine

Yahoo – AFP, April 7, 2022 

David Gilmour: 'We, like so many, have been feeling the fury and the frustration of this vile
act of an independent, peaceful democratic country being invaded and having its people
murdered by one of the world's major powers' (AFP/JOHN D MCHUGH) (JOHN D MCHUGH)

Pink Floyd have written their first new song in almost 30 years to support Ukrainians, the band announced on Thursday. 

"Hey, Hey, Rise-Up!" will be released on Friday, and be used to raise funds for humanitarian causes linked to the war. 

It samples Andriy Khlyvnyuk, from one of Ukraine's biggest bands BoomBox, singing in Sofiyskaya Square in Kyiv in a clip that went viral. 

Khlyvnyukh abandoned a world tour to return to Ukraine and help defend his country. 

"We, like so many, have been feeling the fury and the frustration of this vile act of an independent, peaceful democratic country being invaded and having its people murdered by one of the world's major powers," Pink Floyd said on their official Twitter feed. 

In a press release, band leader David Gilmour said he had been moved by Khlyvnyuk's video: "It was a powerful moment that made me want to put it to music." 

He was able to speak with Khlyvnyuk from his hospital bed in Kyiv, where the singer was recovering after being hit by shrapnel in a mortar attack, the record company said. 

"I played him a little bit of the song down the phone line and he gave me his blessing. We both hope to do something together in person in the future," Gilmour said. 

The image accompanying the song is of a sunflower, and was inspired by a viral video showing a Ukrainian woman insulting two armed Russian soldiers. 

In it, she tells the soldiers: "Take these seeds and put them in your pockets. That way sunflowers will grow when you all rest here." 

It is the first original music from Pink Floyd since 1994's "The Division Bell". 

Gilmour tweeted his opposition to the war soon after Russia's invasion, saying: "Putin must go". 

The band has also pulled their music from Russian and Belarusian streaming sites in protest at the invasion.

Buk missile brought down MH17, airspace should have been closed

DutchNews, October 13, 2015

Photo: OVV.nl

Flight MH17 was brought down by a Buk missile made by Russia, the Dutch safety board which is investigating the cause of the accident, said on Tuesday.

‘We are talking about a 9N314M missile which was fired by a Buk launcher,’ OVV chairman Tjibbe Joustra said. ‘It hit the left-hand side of the cockpit. This is why the cockpit broke off from the body of the plane.’ 

Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was brought down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board. Most were Dutch nationals. 

Joustra also said that airspace above eastern Ukraine should have been closed because of the risk to aircraft.

‘Well before the disaster there was information available which pointed to the fact that civil aviation faced dangers,’ he said. ‘But despite this information, Ukraine did not close the airspace.’ 

According to the report, 16 Ukrainian military aircraft had been shot down by rebel forces prior to the crash.

‘Not just Ukraine but airlines, other countries and international organisations did not adequately estimate the risks,’ he said. ‘No-one thought about the risk to a civilian aircraft.’ 

Victims

The report also says the three crew members in the cockpit were killed by the missile explosion instantly, and that traces of the missile were found in their bodies. 

However, it is unclear at which point the other occupants died and the possibility that some remained conscious for up to 90 seconds could not be ruled out, the report said. 

One passenger was found with an oxygen mask around their neck. The report said there is no information about how this body was found on the ground. Nor was there dna or fingerprint evidence to determine if the mask been put on by the victim. 

Responsibility

The long-awaited report, which does not state who was responsible for firing the rocket, was presented to the public at the Gilze-Rijen airbase in the early afternoon. 

Despite the international interest, journalists were not allowed to ask questions about the report’s contents, Dutch media reported. 

The investigation into who is responsible for the downing of Malaysian Airways flight MH17 will continue well into next year, a spokesman for the Dutch public prosecution service said earlier this week. 

Russia

Russia, which presented the results of its own investigation into the crash also on Tuesday, has strongly denied the Dutch claims that one of its missiles caused the crash. 

Officials from the Buk manufacturers held their own news conference in Moscow earlier on Tuesday. 

According to Ian Novikov, director of the Buk missile factory, its tests show that the plane was brought down by an older missile, a type produced in the days of the Soviet Union and used by the Ukrainian army. 

The OVV report

The wrecked fuselage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is presented to the press during

 a presentation of the final report on the cause of its crash, at the Gilze Rijen airbase

October 13, 2015 (AFP Photo/Emmanuel Dunand)

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Matthew message (Channelled by Suzanne Ward, Aug 3, 2014) - (MH17)

Dutch PM pushes for UN tribunal over Ukraine MH17 crash

Mark Rutte's government is lobbying for the creation of a UN tribunal, which would prosecute suspects in downing of the Malaysian plane, officials have said. Most of the 298 victims in last year's incident were Dutch.

Deutsche Welle, 3 July 2015

A UN tribunal would give "the best guarantee of cooperation from all countries" in seeking justice, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday. The news comes only a day after Malaysia announced it would file a draft resolution calling for such a tribunal to be established.

"Based on all insights, information and advice, we say this is by far the most-preferred route. We do have a back-up plan, but a UN tribunal is our best option," said Rutte, stating the official stance of his government in the Netherlands for the first time.

Flight MH17 was likely shot down over Ukraine battlefields last year, sparking international outrage. Authorities in Kyiv and the pro-Russian rebels still trade accusations on who might have fired the alleged missile which hit the civilian plane.

The incident, which killed 298, also raised the stakes in the stand-off between Russia and the West, with each supporting a narrative compatible with their own interests.

'More questions' than answers

The MH17 crash is being investigated by a team of international experts from the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Ukraine and Belgium. Although no suspects have been named yet, the team recently announced it is looking into several people including potential "decision-makers as well as perpetrators."

On Thursday, a Russian aviation official criticized a draft report by the Dutch Safety Board, saying it "raises more questions than it gives answers." The confidential report was made available to representatives of Malaysia, Ukraine, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Netherlands in early June.

Malaysian idea open to consideration

Russian representatives criticized the Malaysian initiative on Thursday, with Deputy Foreign Minister Gennadiy Gatilov calling it "not timely, and counterproductive." However, Russia did not raise formal objections after Malaysia presented its case in the UN Security Council.

"Our sense was that all council members, including Russia, were open to further consider the matter," said Malaysian diplomat Johan Ariff Abdul Razak.

dj/msh (AP, Reuters, AFP)

Related Article:

Matthew message (Channelled by Suzanne Ward, Aug 3, 2014) - (MH17)

Iran sees progress but 'long road' ahead in nuclear talks

Yahoo – AFP, 23 Feb 2015

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) and US State Secretary
John Kerry have held numerous talks in a bid to smooth the way towards a
nuclear deal (AFP Photo/Rick Wilking)

Tehran (AFP) - Talks with world powers on Tehran's disputed nuclear programme have made progress but significant work remains for a final deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday.

"Some progress was made on certain subjects but there is still a long road ahead to reach a final agreement," Iranian media quoted Zarif as saying after talks in Geneva with US counterpart John Kerry.

The foreign minister said talks had been "serious, useful and constructive with the P5+1 countries, especially with the American side".

A senior US administration official in Geneva said a new round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany will take place next Monday in Switzerland.

The meeting will be held at the level of political directors, the official said after the Kerry-Zarif discussions on Sunday and Monday.

Wang Yi and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javid Zarif

give a press conference in Tehran, Feb. 15. (Photo/Xinhua)

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AAM on the Ukrainian “Nuclear Bomb” and Peace

Golden Age of Gaia, Steve Beckow, February 21, 2015

A concerned reader asked what about the galactics’ promise that no nuclear bombs would be exploded on the planet? How does that fit with the explosion in the Ukraine? I asked Archangel Michael the question in a reading I had with him on Feb. 20, 2015.

He also acknowledged that he wants to leave the last step in bringing peace on Earth to us, which is a theory that I’d been coming to recently. Here are his comments.

Steve: Was the nuclear bomb in the Ukraine a real nuke?

Archangel Michael: You mean the one that was disarmed?

S: Was it disarmed? I thought the tactical nuclear bomb had exploded.

AAM: It has been absolutely disarmed. Was there an explosion? Yes. Was the nuclear component taken out of it by your star brothers and sisters? Yes.

It is the promise that has been made to Gaia.

S: What happened around the peace initiative.  I’ll give you my take on what happened. You want us to walk the last step.

AAM: Yes!

The beginning has happened and it has happened more in unseen ways.

But you are not done yet. Now I know that many of you are tired. So you are saying, “Oh, I do not need another campaign.”

But it is like a campaign, within and without, observer, participant.

And the more that is created of peace within, it explodes. It doesn’t simply softly, gently caress. Now if you want to talk about nuclear implosion and explosion, the peace will explode upon the planet.

And as the lightworkers, loveholders are holding that energy, what you do not full understand is the tacit support, the permission that yuou are giving to those who are involved in violent action of the entire range to say “No” [to war?] and to say “Yes” to peaceful solutions. So does the initiative continue? Yes, it does.

"Fast-Tracking" - Feb 8, 2014 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Reference to Fukushima / H-bomb nuclear pollution and a warning about nuclear  (> 20 Min)

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…  8 - The End of War

The last one is the best. For thousands of years on this planet, Human Beings have warred with each other. If you take a look at the reasons they warred with each other, you will quickly see there aren't any good ones - land, resources, greed. Those are not reasons. That is a description of old energy. Those are not reasons. Reasons would be perhaps defense against an aggressor. But what if there is no longer the consciousness of the aggressor?

When I appeared in my partner's life more than 20 years ago, I said to him privately that the first messages we're going to give will be unbelievable. There would be laughter. We told him that Human nature and consciousness itself would change, and that the seeds of peace would be planted and there would come a time where there is no more war. Indeed, the laughter was great because humans look at history and they see patterns based on an absolute energy called Human Nature. "Impossible! There always has to be war. There always has been. Therefore, there always will be." This is you, in a box, in a black and white potential, where you can only see the black and white of what is and the black and white of what has been. You have no idea the shades of color that are there in your consciousness and the beauty of the love of God.

North Korea is on the edge of change, as we told you it might be. What did this require? The death of the old energy, and I want you to watch this take place. The advisors of the young leader are going to do their best to pull him back into an old energy. This free choice of his will be far different than his father, for he sees some color. Watch for these things. They'll take longer than you want, but it is the beginning of the beginning.

You'll see a fresh unification of South America sooner than not, for what is going to take place potentially this year in Venezuela. You'll see Iran changing. We have no clock. These are the potentials. These can change with free choice. These are not prophecies. This is a reality shift, dear ones, so number eight becomes the propensity not to war again. This is what Humans are going to want. This is what governments are going to want. There is a wisdom factor that will begin to happen on the planet that is grander than what you think is possible. For when you look at government, what do you think about? You see dysfunction, and there is an axiom that says the more people that try to do something together, the worse it gets. It all settles to the lowest common denominator. I'm telling you even those things are going to become old energy concepts. Instead, you're going to watch wisdom become the top potential.

I have no clock. I cannot tell you when. I can just tell you it is in the works, and there will be the seeds of it for you to observe soon - right now, in every single of the eight categories I showed you.

There are those who will say, "Well, Kryon, you're doing a lot more predictions than you used to." I want to tell you what's going on, dear one. I am not predicting anything. I am just telling you what's already there in the potential soup of your reality. That's what Humans are doing on this planet, and for those who believe this communication, you should breathe a sigh of relief and say, "It's about time." ….”

Putin criticises sanctions but says Russia does not want war (Update)

Yahoo – AFP, 7 Feb 2015

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a cabinet meeting outside Moscow,
on February 4, 2015 (AFP Photo/Michael Klimentyev)

Moscow (AFP) - President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said Russia is not at war and does not want war with anyone, but sharply criticised Western sanctions over Ukraine.

"There's no war, thank God. But there is definitely an attempt to curb our development," Putin told a trade union conference, cited by TASS news agency.

He criticised sanctions imposed on Russia by the West over Ukraine saying "they definitely can't be effective against a country like ours, although they cause certain damage and we have to realise this... We must raise our level of sovereignty, including in our economy."

Putin complained of an attempt to "freeze the existing world order that has become established over the last decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, with a single leader who wants to stay that way," apparently talking about the United States.

"Such a world order will never suit Russia," he said. "If somebody likes it or wants to live in conditions of semi-occupation (then go ahead), but we won't do this."

"But we don't plan to fight a war with anyone. We plan to cooperate with everyone."

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Matthew message (Channelled by Suzanne Ward, Feb 8, 2015) - New

Matthew message (Channelled by Suzanne Ward, Aug 3, 2014) !!!

--------------------------------------------------------

Where does US media draw the moral line?

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Brian Williams: the steady drip of doubt over clips and claims - New
US NBC's Brian Williams takes himself off air amid Iraq and Katrina controversy

The Guardian, Martin Pengelly, 7 Feb 2015

Brian Williams said: ‘Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be

worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us.’ Photograph: NBCU Photo

Bank via Getty Images

NBC news anchor Brian Williams will step off air while the network continues its investigation into inaccuracies in his reporting, he announced on Saturday.

Williams has come under pressure after veterans questioned his account of an incident involving two US helicopters that came under fire in Iraq in 2003. His reporting from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was subsequently called into question.

In a statement, Williams said: “In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news, due to my actions.

“As managing editor of NBC Nightly News, I have decided to take myself off my daily broadcast for the next several days, and Lester Holt has kindly agreed to sit in for me to allow us to adequately deal with this issue. Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us.”

On Friday, NBC News president Deborah Turness said in an internal memo to staff: “This has been a difficult few days for all of us at NBC News. As you would expect, we have a team dedicated to gathering the facts to help us make sense of all that has transpired. We’re working on what the best next steps are.”

Regarding his version of events in Iraq, Williams apologised on air on Wednesday, saying: “I made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago. I want to apologise. I said I was traveling in an aircraft that was hit by RPG fire. I was instead in a following aircraft.”

“Finally someone is being held to account for misleading America about Iraq war” Jon Stewart takes on Brian Williams http://t.co/m7PjGiT6sL
— Mary Georgantopoulos (@marygeorgant) February 10, 2015

Beijing pledges constructive role in resolving Ukraine crisis

Want China Times, Xinhua 2015-01-22

Li Keqiang, right, and Petro Poroshenko shake hands in Davos, Jan. 21. (Photo/Xinhua)

Premier Li Keqiang of China told President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine on Wednesday that Beijing stands for a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis and will continue to play an active and constructive role in such efforts.

China adheres to an objective and just stand on the Ukraine issue, said Li when meeting with the Ukrainian leader on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos at a Swiss ski resort.

It is the common aspiration of people across the world for peace while against war, for development while against poverty, and for cooperation while against confrontation, he said.

As the international situation is experiencing profound changes, said the Chinese premier, the international system and order are going through deep adjustment.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China and Ukraine have respected and treated each other equally, and their cooperation has achieved fruitful results, said Li.

China will always respect the national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine and support the Eastern European nation to adopt a path of development in accordance with its national conditions, he added.

China, he said, will continue to carry out pragmatic cooperation with the Ukrainian side on the basis of win-win and mutual benefit.

For his part, Poroshenko said his government attaches great importance to its relations with China and is willing to maintain cooperation with the Asian country.

The Ukrainian side, he said, hopes that China would play a more active role in the political settlement of the Ukraine issue.

Li arrived on Tuesday for the WEF annual meeting and a working visit to Switzerland.

Asia and Europe meet in Milan

ASEM, the Asia-Europe Meeting, has been taking place for the past 18 years, but it has rarely been in the spotlight. Concrete decisions are rare. Ukraine is one of many issues set to be discussed on the sidelines.

Deutsche Welle, 16 Oct 2014

"Milan will be a bridge between Europe and Asia," trumpeted the Milan-based newspaper Corriere della Sera ahead of the biggest summit meeting that the industrial powerhouse of a city has ever held. The numbers are impressive: 53 government leaders from Asia and Europe are invited. They will be bringing with them some 2,000 delegates to the city. Along with them will be thousands of police and journalists, among others.

Taken as a whole, the ASEM member states - stretching from Western Europe to the Pacific, and including Australia and New Zealand - are home to 60 percent of the world's population. Half of the world's economic output is generated in Europe and Asia.

"For two whole days the world will be looking at us," said Corriere della Sera, perhaps optimistically. Indeed, the Italian organizers of the 10th ASEM summit since the organization was founded in 1996 say that media interest is greater than might otherwise be expected.

Ukraine is not a member of ASEM,
 but it didn't stop Poroshenko from
arranging to meet Putin on the
sidelines

One reason could be that the city will be the venue for a rare meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Not that it will take place at the summit itself - rather on the sidelines, at a five-star hotel where Putin will be staying the night.

There, it is expected that the two presidents will discuss a lasting ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, the withdrawal of Russian troops remaining near the border with Ukraine and,gas supply.

Ukraine itself is not a member of ASEM, but Poroshenko will be going along all the same.

Just a debating club?

The Asia-Europe Meeting itself is supposed to be about creating responsible partnerships when it comes to sustainable economic growth and development.

However, the summit chairman - EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy - has himself conceded that the summit is often perceived as little more than a debating club.

But, at a speech in Brussels in September, he added: "Can you really criticize a dialogue process for providing a platform for meetings, for discussions?"

"It is no secret that the many bilateral meetings in the margins of the (actual summit) are very important and I am happy with that."

For David Fouquet, ASEM expert at the European Institute for Asian Studies, the Europeans are seen to have become skeptical about what can be achieved.

Van Rompuy concedes that the summit is
 largely about talking, but says real business
is done there, too

"In general, Asians were said to be anxious to use ASEM to make concrete progress on economic and social issues and cooperation," said Fouquet, referring to pre-summit meeting in April. "Europeans to them seemed to prefer to maintain ASEM as a 'talking shop,' a charge frequently leveled at Asians in the past."

A vehicle for national interests

Many of the larger member states might well see the ASEM summit as a vehicle for forwarding their own national interests through these bilateral meetings. China, for example, is eager to deepen its bilateral relations with the EU. China would, more than anything, like to have a strong partner for discussion in Brussels - someone able to speak and negotiate for the whole of the EU.

The expansion of economic relations between the EU and Asia will be an important part of the talks. So, too, will be the effects of EU sanctions against Russia - which will be discussed at one meeting - and the possibility of a strengthening of between Beijing and Moscow.

Political leaders will sit down on Friday for informal talks behind closed doors, where issues such as the threat to global security by Islamist terror groups, unresolved maritime disputes in the South China Sea, and the outstanding issues around Ukraine.

These talks, in particular, should are intended to be entirely casual - with government leaders able to speak freely. There will be no protocols, no press statements.

Human rights issues are consistently addressed, according to Van Rompuy. However, concrete human rights matters, though, are parceled off for a special seminar. Whether the student protests for more democracy in Hong Kong will be discussed, is questionable.

ASEM family photographs need a lot of
space - and membership has grown since
the last meeting in Laos

Consensus on climate change?

Van Rompuy has said he hopes for some concrete progress on global warming. "We will be striving to forge an interregional consensus to agree on an ambitious roadmap for cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions," he said in the run-up to the summit. Until now, developing nations have resisted ambitious plans to cut carbon emissions.

Croatia and Kazakhstan become the newest members of the Asian-European club in Milan - taking the number to 53. It all began 18 years ago, as an informal meeting involving no more than half of the current number of members.

"If you take enlargement as a measure of success, then ASEM is hugely successful said Van Rompuy.

However, he added: "Not all participants are equally interested in all issues, another reason why the number of subjects treated is ever increasing. Streamlining and giving more focus to meetings is a necessary remedy."

Putin, Xi urge stronger ties within security bloc

The BRIC Post, September 13, 2014

The SCO Council of Heads of State met in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on
12 September 2014 [PPIO]

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have said members of the Russia-China-led SCO share identical views on economic and political cooperation, including the Ukraine crisis and subsequent sanctions.

“At the meeting in narrow format we discussed some other current international affairs too, including the situation in Ukraine. We are very pleased to see that we share identical or similar views on the main areas of cooperation. This consensus of views is reflected in the Dushanbe Declaration that we are adopting,” said Putin.

As the US and EU step up pressure on Moscow with a new round of sanctions, Russia is seeking to strengthen ties with allies in the region, predominantly the SCO members.

Putin on Friday also warned against complacency regarding the global economy. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Thursday said global growth is unlikely to pick up significantly this year.

“The global economy has not yet overcome the crisis and its problems, and the current political risks and various restrictions and barriers are only worsening the situation, causing direct damage to the global business climate and undermining confidence in international trade and the financial system,” said Putin.

SCO members will improve cooperation on security in food, transport, energy and finances, asserted the Russian President.

“We see great potential in the idea of developing a common SCO transport system that would make use too of Russia’s Trans-Siberian Railway and Baikal-Amur Mainline and be tied into China’s plans for developing the Silk Road route. I am sure that big projects of this kind serve the interests of our organisation’s members and would benefit all countries in Eurasia.

Meanwhile, in Dushanbe, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called for joint efforts to fight extremism and internet terrorism among the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

“Currently, (we) should focus on combating religion-involved extremism and internet terrorism,” said Xi when delivering a speech at the 14th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe.

He suggested the SCO members launch consultations on an anti-extremism convention and initiate studies on “a mechanism for actions against internet terrorism”.

“(We) should take it as our own responsibility to safeguard regional security and stability, enhance our ability to maintain stability, continue to boost cooperation on law enforcement and security, and improve the existing cooperation mechanisms,” said Xi.

The president also called on the SCO members — China, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan — to urgently grant the group’s Regional Counter-Terrorism Structure (RCTS) new functions to combat drug trafficking.

“(We) should make concerted efforts to crack down on the ‘three evil forces’ of terrorism, extremism and separatism,” Xi said.

The presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and China signed a package of agreements following the summit. The documents signed include the Dushanbe Declaration.

Russia takes over as acting chair of the organization and will host the next SCO leaders summit in 2015 in Ufa.

TBP and Agencies

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Ukraine's portrayal of Russian invasion just PR: Chinese 'experts'

Want China Times, Chen Chia-lun and Staff Reporter 2014-09-02

Ukrainian pro-Russian protesters occupy a government building in Donetsk

Oblast, April 30. (File photo/Xinhua)

A number of Chinese military experts have stated that media reports of Russia's deployment of a "mere" 1,000 troops in Ukraine is nothing but "a battle for public opinion," as the limited numbers suggest that it is not an armed military intervention in the country but rather seems to be aimed at training anti-government forces and covertly joining their ranks.

The way the news has been reported has allowed Ukraine to present the image of being in need of foreign aid to fend off a Russian invasion and, although it will fuel possible sanctions against Russia, it will also likely boost private negotiations between Russia and the United States, they said.

Zhou Yongsheng, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told our sister paper Want Daily that Russian soldiers fighting on Ukrainian soil was just one scrap of information, and that it remains to be seen if Russian troops will take a more active role in the conflict between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian militants.

The 1,000 Russian soldiers deployed to Ukraine is quite a small number, compared with the 6,000 to 7,000 US soldiers who remained in Iraq after the United States announced the withdrawal of its military troops from that country in 2011, for example, Zhou stated. He suspects, therefore, that the media in Western countries has deliberately overblown the deployment of troops, portraying it as Russia taking military action in Ukraine's civil war, in order to aid Ukraine in winning international support for its cause.

"[Ukrainian president Petro] Poroshenko is very clever," Zhou said, adding that Ukraine knows how to survive among big powers. The way Poroshenko has made use of the media to win international support is similar to the way the Philippines dealt with its territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea.

Han Xudong, a professor at China's National Defense University, believes there is an ongoing power struggle between the United States and Russia behind the political conflict in Ukraine. As Washington is sparing no effort to get East European countries to join NATO, Russia has had to adopt measures to secure its political influence in Ukraine, he added.

Han said he doubts, however, that the tension between the United States and Russia will escalate into an out-and-out military conflict over Ukraine, and will likely just continue to fuel conflicts within the country.

Russia has denied that its troops are in Ukraine.

Related Article:

NATO using Ukraine to syphon more money from EU

NATO countries shown in green (Wikipedia)

.

Malaysia pauses in solemn homecoming for MH17 dead

Yahoo – AFP, M Jegathesan, 22 Aug 2014

Soldiers carry a coffin with the remains of a Malaysian victim from Flight MH17 

during a ceremony at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang on August 22, 

2014 (AFP Photo/Manan Vatsyayana)

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) - Black-clad Malaysians observed a minute of silence and a nationwide day of mourning on Friday as the first remains of the country's 43 citizens killed in the MH17 disaster returned home.

People across the country of 28 million went silent at 10:55 am (0255 GMT), about an hour after a Malaysia Airlines jet landed with the remains of 20 people killed when MH17 was blasted from the sky by a suspected surface-to-air missile over Ukraine on July 17.

Malaysia's King Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, Prime Minister Najib Razak and dozens of other top officials were on hand for a sombre reception ceremony at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Soldiers carry a coffin with the remains of

a Malaysian victim from Flight MH17 during

a ceremony at Kuala Lumpur International

Airport in Sepang on August 22, 2014

(AFP Photo/Manan Vatsyayana)

Flags flew at half-mast nationwide and various entertainment events and other festivities in the Muslim-majority country were cancelled or put on hold out of respect.

Residents of the capital Kuala Lumpur were overwhelmingly black-clad, including many Muslim women in black Islamic headscarves, as state television aired recitations from the Koran and photos of the Malaysian victims.

"No words can express the sense of loss in seeing the bodies return, my prayers are with the victims and families of #MH17," Najib said on his Twitter feed.

Dozens of Malaysia Airlines cabin crew and pilots in their work uniforms, some weeping, gathered near the welcoming ceremony holding Malaysian flags and white flowers to remember their lost colleagues.

'Life must go on'

Shazly, 40, a flight attendant who gave only his first name, citing a company request regarding contact with the media, mourned Nur Shazana Mohamed Salleh, who joined the airline with him in the same 2004 recruitment class.

Relatives attend a ceremony for the return

 of the remains of Malaysian victims from

 Flight MH17 at Kuala Lumpur International

 Airport in Sepang on August 22, 2014

(AFP Photo/Manan Vatsyayana)

"She was a very jovial girl. She loved her job very much. She was very close with all her friends," he said.

"Life has to go on, even though it's very difficult for us to accept what has happened to our airline. They are our friends."

Some wore T-shirts with their dead colleagues' names and the Arabic phrase for "See you in Paradise." Fifteen crew were aboard.

The first batch of remains included those of Ariza Ghazalee, 46, and her son Muhammad Afif, 18, part of a family of six wiped out in the disaster.

It was a far different homecoming than what they had planned -- the family was returning to live in Malaysia after three years abroad, and Ariza's final Facebook post had said, "Starting our new migration. Praise God."

Friday's special flight arrived from Amsterdam, where remains have been taken for identification by Dutch authorities investigating the tragedy.

All 298 on board Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight MH17 were killed, including 193 Dutch nationals.

Malaysia Airlines flight attendants cry

 during the arrival in Sepang of the remains

of the Malaysians who perished onboard

Flight MH17, on August 22, 2014 (AFP

Photo/Mohd Rasfan)

The West accuses Russian-backed separatists of shooting down the plane, while Moscow blames Ukraine.

A military guard conveyed the coffins and urns -- at least three people have already been cremated -- from the plane and into waiting hearses.

Some were to be put aboard other aircraft for transport to their final resting places throughout the country.

A number of prayer sessions and funerals were planned for Friday in mosques, churches and temples, reflecting Malaysia's multi-ethnic make-up.

The MH17 tragedy has compounded Malaysian grief over the troubling and still-unexplained disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 just four months earlier.

Healing process

The airline and the Malaysian government came under fire worldwide for their chaotic response to MH370, which disappeared on March 8 with 239 people aboard en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Soldiers carry a coffin with the remains of a

Malaysian victim from Flight MH17 during

a ceremony at Kuala Lumpur International 

Airport in Sepang on August 22, 2014

(AFP Photo/Manan Vatsyayana)

The plane is believed to have inexplicably diverted to the Indian Ocean, but no trace of the jet has been found. Some angry relatives have alleged a cover-up.

Malaysia Airlines, now in a financial crisis over the double disasters, said in a statement it was "deeply saddened" by MH17, noting that Friday ends a "long and painful wait" for next of kin.

The government has said 30 Malaysians on MH17 had so far been identified. Further remains will return in coming days.

Malaysian Twitter feeds filled with sorrow as MH17-related hashtags dominated top-trending rankings.

Many expressed hope that Friday's homecoming could help Malaysia find closure from both air disasters.

"Welcome home #MH17, and please come back to us #MH370," read one.