Saudis, stop bombing Yemen, Merkel says

Posted on April 30, 2017 by petrel41

This video says about itself:

11 July 2016

As Saudi Arabia continues its brutal military campaign in Yemen, the German government has approved several arms export deals to Riyadh.

Four months ago, the European Parliament voted in favor of an EU-wide arms embargo against Saudi Arabia, citing the kingdom’s violent military campaign in Yemen. According to UN estimates, thousands of civilians have been killed since the Saudi-led bombing campaign began last March.

Despite this agreement aimed at stemming the violence, the German government has approved arms export deals to several countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke in support of the agreement. The German government also approved a number of other agreements.

Chancellor Merkel of Germany is now on a state visit to Saudi Arabia.

According to a report by Dutch NOS TV (translated), she sounded a bit differently from her British colleague Theresa May:

Merkel against Saudi’s: stop bombing Yemen

Today, 20:10

Angela Merkel wants the Sunni military coalition led by Saudi Arabia to stop bombing Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen. In a conversation with King Salman in the Saudi port city of Jeddah, the German Chancellor said that, like the United Nations, she chose a diplomatic solution.

“We do not believe there is a military solution to this conflict,” Merkel said. In addition, according to her it should be prevented that there would be yet more victims among the often very poor population of Yemen. …

Merkel is with a trade delegation in Saudi Arabia and travels to the United Arab Emirates tomorrow. In both countries Merkel and the most prominent bosses in German business hope to conclude contracts and sign orders.

If Ms Merkel is serious about her fine words about the bloody war of the Saudi royal dictatorship on the people of Yemen, then she should stop all weapons sales for that war. Last year, in October, I was in Germany. I saw there a ship for the Saudi royal coastguard being built; a part of the Saudi armed forces now blocking Yemeni ports, making Yemeni people die of hunger.

So, we should wait what will happen in practice before maybe praising Ms Merkel too soon.

May 4, 2017, Kristine Beckrle: A well being dug in a small village in Yemen was nearing completion last September when it was bombed by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition. The bomb hit the workers’ shelter, killing six men and wounding five others. When village residents went to help, the aircraft struck again. In all, at least 31 civilians, including 3 boys, were killed and 42 wounded. The well, which villagers had pooled their money to drill, was destroyed. I went to the bombing site with friends and family members of the victims. In the wreckage, we found a piece of a U.S.-made munition with markings indicating it was manufactured by Raytheon in October 2015: here.

On April 26th, 2017, in Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah, the Saudi-led coalition which has been waging war in Yemen for the past two years dropped leaflets informing Hodeidah’s residents of an impending attack: here.

Yemenis dying of cholera as Trump meets with UAE ruler: here.

Dancing crane video

Posted on April 30, 2017 by petrel41

This 13 April 2017 video is about a dancing common crane.

Bert Duker in the Netherlands made this video.

Austrian mercenary suspect of war crimes in Ukraine

Posted on April 30, 2017 by petrel41

This video says about itself:

Nazis Glorified in Ukraine: SS uniforms on display at reburial service for Ukrainian WWII veterans

12 August 2013

In the former Soviet republic Ukraine a controversial video has surfaced showing the reburial of Ukrainians who fought for an SS division during World War Two, and the reburial was sanctioned by church officials and overseen by officials dressed in Nazi uniforms.

Translated from Dutch NOS TV:

Austrian arrested for war crimes in Ukraine

Today, 19:40

Polish border guards have arrested an Austrian who is said to have fought in the armed struggle in Ukraine. He is said to have fought on the Ukrainian side against pro-Russian [eastern Ukrainian] rebels.

The public prosecutor in Austria suspects the 25-year-old man of war crimes. He is said to have killed rebels who had already surrendered. …

The man was arrested on the border between Ukraine and Poland, at the request of Austria. An international arrest warrant had been issued against him. It is unknown when he will be extradited to Austria.

Maybe the inspiration for this mercenary suspect were the Austrians who in Hitler’s ‘great German’ Wehrmacht and SS, along with nazis from the Netherlands and elsewhere, committed war crimes in the nazi Operation Barbarossa in what was then the Ukrainian Soviet republic.

This Austrian is suspect of having killed civilians as well.

AFP news agency at first reported wrongly that the suspect had fought on the side of the east Ukrainian rebel republics.

Two-barred crossbill in Sweden, video

Posted on April 30, 2017 by petrel41

This video shows a two-barred crossbill in Sweden.

Death sentence for atheism in Saudi Arabia

Posted on April 30, 2017 by petrel41

This video from the USA says about itself:

Man ‘Sentenced To Death For Atheism’ In Saudí Arabía

29 April 2017

Read more here.

Atheism is far from being the only ‘crime’ for which one may get the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. Others are witchcraft, being LGBTQ, false accusations of murder, demonstrating for democracy, sex outside marriage, etc.

‘Flying’ frogs video

Posted on April 30, 2017 by petrel41

This video says about itselF:

Gliding Leaf Frogs – Planet Earth – BBC Earth

23 April 2017

Breathtaking slow motion footage of the male Gliding Leaf Frog taking flight. In slowing his descent he uses his extra large webbed feet like a parachute. It is later on when it comes to mating that we learn these feet serve an entirely different purpose.

These frogs live in Central and South America.

French voters sceptical on Macron, Le Pen

Posted on April 30, 2017 by petrel41

French demonstrators

A protester holds a placard reading “May 7, beat Le Pen. May 8, fight Macron” during a demonstration by leftist parties against the final two presidential candidates in Perpignan, on April 29, 2017. Photo by Raymond Roig/AFP/Getty Images.

The protest slogan at this demonstration in France suggests that French voters on 7 May 2017, the second round of the presidential election, should beat racist Marine Le Pen, by voting for the only other option on the ballot paper, Macron. And on 8 May, Macron‘s first day as president, should start fighting Macron.

From Reuters news agency:

French voters skeptical Macron, Le Pen have answers on unemployment, security: poll

Matthias Blamont

PARIS

Sunday, Apr. 30, 2017 9:27AM

A week before a decisive second round in France’s presidential election, many voters are skeptical that either of the two candidates can solve chronic unemployment or tackle security concerns, a poll published on Sunday found.

The Ifop survey for the Journal du Dimanche highlights two key battlegrounds as centrist presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen enter a final week of campaigning, expected to focus on France’s economy and borders.

Polls predict Macron, a former economy minister, will win the May 7 run-off with about 59-60 per cent. But the momentum has recently been with Le Pen, who has clawed back about five percentage points over the past week.

According to the Ifop poll, 45 per cent of voters believe the two finalists would not put an end to unemployment, which has for years stood close to 10 per cent in France. And 36 per cent say neither candidate is able to protect France from attacks.

France has been under a state of emergency since 2015 and has suffered a spate of Islamist militant attacks mostly perpetrated by young men who grew up in France and Belgium. …

The outcome of the run-off will depend to a large extent on floating voters and potentially high levels of abstention.

In the first round, 22.2 per cent of voters abstained: The highest percentage since 2002 when Marine Le Pen’s father, Jean-Marie, surged into the second round only to be defeated overwhelmingly by conservative Jacques Chirac.

If turnout is low in the second round, analysts say Macron may struggle to reproduce the same broad movement against the National Front candidate, citing his mainly free-market policies at a time when anti-establishment feeling has been on the rise in Europe and the United States.

Left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, with 19.6 per cent of votes in the first round, has urged his supporters to oppose Le Pen but has refused to back Macron for the second round. …

The Ifop poll found 42 per cent of voters believe Macron and Le Pen would be unable to reunite the country after months of bitter campaigning, while 43 per cent questioned whether they would be able to govern even after capturing the Elysee palace.

France returns to the polls in June to select members of the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, where a majority is needed to push through government policies.

Both Macron, who launched a new party a year ago, and Le Pen, whose National Front has only two seats in the National Assembly, have faced questions about their ability to build a parliamentary majority. …

Winterswijk blackcap and nuthatch

Posted on April 30, 2017 by petrel41

After 27 April 2017 in Winterswijk came 28 April. When we saw this male blackcap.

In the garden, a great tit.

Along the Slingeweg road, lilac flowers.

A dunnock along the road.

Near the Borkense baan bridge, this time no grey wagtails; but the blackcap of the photo at the top of this blog post was present.

At the entrance of the Buskersbos forest, a nuthatch on a tree.

A song thrush sings. So does a chaffinch.

WikiLeaks’ new CIA revelations

Posted on April 30, 2017 by petrel41

This video says about itself:

Retired US Colonel & former diplomat Ann Wright on WikiLeaks leak of CIA anti-leaking system “Scribbles”

30 April 2017

The CIA’s tool for tracking potential leaks is out in the open, in the latest WikiLeaks release of classified documents under its code name ‘VAULT 7’.

The purported evidence of ties between Russian intelligence, the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks is threadbare to the point of being ludicrous: here.

WikiLeaks announced last Wednesday that Julian Assange has appointed Icelandic investigative journalist Kristinn Hrafnsson as editor-in-chief, taking over one of his roles within the whistle-blowing media organisation: here.

Winterswijk paleontology, eagle owl, willow warbler

Posted on April 30, 2017 by petrel41

This 2007 video is about amateur geologists collecting rocks in the quarry of Winterswijk, the Netherlands.

The ‘Muschelkalk‘ rocks there are from the Triassic, the time just before and during the rise of the dinosaurs and other groups of animals.

What is now Winterswijk was then a coastal area.

In 1932, a local businessman started the quarry. Regularly, there were excursions by geologists and paleontologists, to find ancient rocks and ancient fossils.

Now, Belgian multinational corporation Sibelco owns the quarry. The local geological society is no longer admitted for excursions.

A few geologists and paleontologists can still come. They have found Triassic marine reptiles; and, very recently, a Triassic beetle.

After 26 April 2017 in Winterswijk, we went to the quarry on 27 April 2017.

Before we arrived, an orange tip butterfly.

There is a short footpath to a part of the quarry where there is no commercial quarrying; and where an eagle owl couple, rare birds in the Netherlands, nests.

This video says about itself:

Eagle owl Winterswijk 01/06/2016

9 September 2016

These young, almost fully grown eagle owls showed well at the old quarry in Winterswijk, The Netherlands. They were quite active in broad daylight. At the end of the movie one of the chicks takes on a beautiful “defending my territory” pose to scare off a common buzzard.

We did not see the eagle owls. We did hear a song thrush sing. And we saw a willow warbler sing on as bush.

A bit further: a chiffchaff singing. A buzzard flies.