- Texas deploys barrier of buoys, nets in Rio Grande to deter border crossings, amid protests Houston Chronicle
- Abbott faces lawsuit over using buoys along Rio Grande to mitigate border crossings CBS TEXAS
- Abbott faces lawsuit over using buoys in Rio Grande to mitigate border crossings CBS News
- Texas floating barriers will cause ‘imminent and irreparable harm,’ lawsuit claims KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com
- Joaquin Castro says floating barriers in Rio Grande dangerous KENS 5: Your San Antonio News Source
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: Deter
US-South Korea drills deter North Korea, Pentagon claims hours after North Korea launches ICBM – Fox News
- US-South Korea drills deter North Korea, Pentagon claims hours after North Korea launches ICBM Fox News
- North Korea fires long range missile ahead of Japan-South Korea talks – BBC News BBC News
- White House condemns North Korea missile launch ahead of South Korea, Japan leaders meeting The Hill
- US and its partners stage warfare drills as Japan, South Korea strengthen alliance against China, North Korea Fox News
- North Korea launches test missiles in response to US-South Korea ‘Freedom Shield’ exercise South China Morning Post
- View Full Coverage on Google News
US and Japan to strengthen military relationship with upgraded Marine unit in attempt to deter China
CNN
—
The US and Japan are set to announce a significant strengthening of their military relationship and upgrading of the US military’s force posture in the country this week, including the stationing of a newly redesignated Marine unit with advanced intelligence, surveillance capabilities and the ability to fire anti-ship missiles, according to two US officials briefed on the matter.
The announcement sends a strong signal to China and will come as part of a series of initiatives designed to underscore a rapid acceleration of security and intelligence ties between the countries.
The news is expected to be announced on Wednesday as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken meet with their Japanese counterparts in Washington. The officials are coming together as part of the annual US-Japan Security Consultative Committee meeting, days before President Joe Biden plans to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House.
The newly revamped Marine unit will be based on Okinawa and is intended to bolster deterrence against Chinese aggression in a volatile region and provide a stand-in force that is able to defend Japan and quickly respond to contingencies, the officials said. Okinawa is viewed as key to the US military’s operations in the Pacific – in part because of its close proximity to Taiwan. It houses more than 25,000 US military personnel and more than two dozen military installations. Roughly 70% of the US military bases in Japan are on Okinawa; one island within the Okinawa Prefecture, Yonaguni, sits less than 70 miles from Taiwan, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
It is one of the most significant adjustments to US military force posture in the region in years, one official said, underscoring the Pentagon’s desire to shift from the wars of the past in the Middle East to the region of the future in the Indo-Pacific. The change comes as simulated war games from a prominent Washington think tank found that Japan, and Okinawa in particular, would play a critical role in a military conflict with China, providing the United States with forward deployment and basing options.
“I think it is fair to say that, in my view, 2023 is likely to stand as the most transformative year in US force posture in the region in a generation,” said Ely Ratner, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, at the American Enterprise Institute last month.
The news follows the stand-up of the first Marine Littoral Regiment in Hawaii last year, in which the 3rd Marine Regiment in Hawaii became the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment – a key part of the Marine Corps’ modernization effort outlined in the 2030 Force Design report from Gen. David Berger.
As the service has described them, the Marine Littoral Regiments are a “mobile, low-signature” unit able to conduct strikes, coordinate air and missile defense and support surface warfare.
The Washington Post first reported the soon-to-be-announced changes.
In addition to the restructuring of Marines in the country, the US and Japan will announce on Wednesday that they are expanding their defense treaty to include attacks to or from space, US officials said, amid growing concern about the rapid advancement of China’s space program and hypersonic weapons development.
In November, China launched three astronauts to its nearly completed space station as Beijing looked to establish a long-term presence in space. China has also explored the far side of the moon and Mars.
The two allies will announce that Article V of the US-Japan Security Treaty, first signed in 1951, applies to attacks from or within space, officials said. In 2019, the US and Japan made it clear that the defense treaty applies to cyberspace and that a cyber attack could constitute an armed attack under certain circumstances.
The US has watched closely as China has rapidly developed its hypersonic weapon systems, including one missile in 2021 that circled the globe before launching a hypersonic glider that struck its target. It was a wake-up call for the United States, which has fallen behind China and Russia in advanced hypersonic technology.
The two countries will also build on their joint use of facilities in Japan and carry out more exercises on Japan’s southwest islands, a move sure to draw the ire of Beijing, given its proximity to Taiwan and even mainland China. US officials added that the US will temporarily deploy MQ-9 Reaper drones to Japan for maritime surveillance of the East China Sea, as well as launch a bilateral group to analyze and share the information.
The announcement comes less than a month after Japan unveiled a new national security plan that signals the country’s biggest military buildup since World War II, doubling defense spending and veering from its pacifist constitution in the face of growing threats from regional rivals, including China.
China has been growing its naval and air forces in areas near Japan while claiming the Senkaku Islands, an uninhabited Japanese-controlled chain in the East China Sea, as its sovereign territory.
In late December, Japan said Chinese government vessels had been spotted in the contiguous zone around the Senkakus, known as the Diaoyus in China, 334 days in 2022, the most since 2012 when Tokyo acquired some of the islands from a private Japanese landowner, public broadcaster NHK reported. From December 22 to 25, Chinese government vessels spent almost 73 consecutive hours in Japanese territorial waters off the islands, the longest such incursion since 2012, the NHK report said.
China has also been upping its military pressure on Taiwan, the self-governing island, whose security Japanese leaders have said is vital to the security of Japan itself. In August, that pressure included Beijing firing five missiles that landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone near Taiwan in response to the visit of then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei.
Before the announcement of the increased partnership between the US and Japan was even made public, Chinese government officials were reacting to reports in Japanese media.
“US-Japan military cooperation should not harm the interests of any third party or undermine peace and stability in the region,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press briefing Tuesday in Beijing.
A State Department official explained that the Ukraine war and strengthening of the China-Russia relationship have spurred the US and Japan to come to a series of new agreements that have been under consideration for some time.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sort of moved things on warp drive a little bit,” the official said. “The relationship between Putin and Xi Jinping that we saw in the lead up to the Beijing Olympics, that kind of showed, wait a minute, the Russians and the Chinese are working in new ways. We’re facing new challenges.”
And it’s not just the US – Japan and Britain also announced on Wednesday that the two countries would be signing a “historic defense agreement” that would allow them to deploy forces in each other’s countries.
The Reciprocal Access Agreement will allow both forces to plan military exercises and deployments on a larger and more complex scale, making it the “most significant defense agreement between the two countries in more than a century,” according to a statement on Wednesday from Downing Street.
The agreement still needs to be ratified by the respective parliaments before taking effect. It will be laid before Japan’s Diet and the UK Parliament in the coming weeks, according to the statement.
US will soon need to deter two major nuclear powers for first time, White House says | Nuclear weapons
Within a decade, the US will need to deter two major nuclear weapons powers for the first time, the Biden administration has warned, pointing to the Russian arsenal that is increasingly being brandished by Moscow and an expanding Chinese stockpile.
The president’s new national security strategy (NSS) depicts China as the most capable long-term competitor, but Russia as the more immediate, disruptive threat, pointing to its nuclear posturing over Ukraine. It warns that threat could grow as Russian forces continue to suffer defeats on the battlefield.
“Russia’s conventional military will have been weakened, which will likely increase Moscow’s reliance on nuclear weapons in its military planning,” the strategy blueprint says. Its publication was scheduled in the spring but was postponed because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin has threatened to use “all means” to defend Russian territory, in which he included Crimea, annexed in 2014, and four Ukrainian regions he now claims. The NSS pledges US support for Ukrainian resistance would not be affected by such threats.
“The United States will not allow Russia, or any power, to achieve its objectives through using, or threatening to use, nuclear weapons,” the document says.
In a foreword, Biden makes a distinction between the types of threats posed by Moscow and Beijing. “Russia poses an immediate threat to the free and open international system, recklessly flouting the basic laws of the international order today, as its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine has shown,” the president writes.
He describes China, on the other hand as “the only country with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to advance that objective”.
The policy document portrays Beijing as “America’s most consequential geopolitical challenge”.
“The People’s Republic of China harbors the intention and, increasingly, the capacity to reshape the international order in favor of one that tilts the global playing field to its benefit, even as the United States remains committed to managing the competition between our countries responsibly,” it says.
China has an estimated 350 nuclear warheads, according to an assessment by the Federation of American Scientists, compared with 5,977 in Russia’s stockpile, against the US inventory of 5,428. However, the Pentagon believes the Chinese force will grow to more than 1,000 warheads by 2030, making it a third major nuclear power.
Under the last remaining major arms control agreement in place, the New Start treaty, the US and Russia observe a ceiling of 1,550 deployed strategic warheads, referring to those warheads mounted on land or sea-launched missiles, or ready for loading on to long-range bombers.
Daryl Kimball, the head of the Arms Control Association, expressed concern over whether the new language in the strategy document could herald a rethink about the size of the US arsenal.
“If we have to worry about two near-peer nuclear rivals by the year 2030, what does that mean for the number of targets in Russia and China that the president believes we need to hold at risk to deter those nuclear threats? And how does that affect that total number of strategic nuclear weapons the United States and the president believes he needs to deploy?” Kimball asked.
“They’re basically looking at issues and questions that could lead to a larger number calculation,” he said, adding: “It’s not hard science. It could be more; it could be less. I would argue that even if China has twice the number of nuclear weapons, we still can and should reduce the total number of strategic nuclear weapons because what we have is excessive of any reasonable calculation of what it takes to deter a nuclear attack.”
5 scents that deter mosquitoes: natural odors these pesky pests hate
We are amid the season of the mosquito – summer’s most unwanted pest – that has a tendency to accompany your al fresco dinner parties and afternoons in the garden.
And while knowing how to get rid of mosquitoes is important for preventing an irritating itch (or sometimes worse), the process rarely feels like a joy. Some of the most impactful prevention methods involve tedious tidying routines and pesticide sprays that are among the less pleasant sides of summer. However, not all mosquito prevention tactics need to feel like a chore.
Instead, experts suggest investing in aromatic flowers and oils that deter the pest from your home and garden whilst filling your space with sweet scents and (in some cases) vibrant color. These are the five mosquito repellent plants, oils, and foods that make repelling mosquitos more pleasurable.
5 scents that deter mosquitoes – for an aromatic, therapeutic summer
You may know about the colors that attract or repel mosquitoes, but what about the impact of scent?
‘Mosquitos don’t like certain smells, such as lavender, citronella, or eucalyptus. These smells deter mosquitoes because they produce chemicals that mosquitoes don’t like – namely linalool and geraniol,’ says Melanie Rose, a pest specialist at Nationwide Pest Control. This is why you often find these scents in soaps and candles that are used to keep bugs away from your home.
Here are the top scents to invest in this summer.
1. Grapefruit
(Image credit: GettyImages)
‘Grapefruit is a refreshing summertime treat packed with vitamin C and antioxidants. But when it comes to repelling mosquitoes, a compound called nootkatone is a hero,’ explains Scot Hodges, the vice president of professional development for Arrow Exterminators (opens in new tab).
You can use the nootkatone in your grapefruit to deter misquotes from your home or garden, but it’s even more than a pest deterrent. ‘Not only can you snack on grapefruit, but you can use grapefruit oil on your skin, too,’ Scot adds.
2. Lemongrass
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Lemongrass contains citronella oil – perhaps the most famous of mosquito repellent scents. But how can you introduce this plant into your scheme? You can start by knowing how to grow lemongrass in your garden, or, for a delectable solution, you can bring the kitchen.
‘Swap your summer glass of lemonade for a chilled glass of lemongrass tea, or carefully use lemongrass oil on your skin for a quick mosquito repellent,’ Scott suggests.
3. Lavender
(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)
Lavender is one of the most famous mosquito repellents, but it’s easy to see its appeal. Melanie explains that, while the pest dislikes its distinctive scent, the same smell has a calming effect on humans – which is why it’s often used as an essential oil for aromatherapy and meditation.
Knowing how to grow lavender in your yard or arranging it in a vase is one way to keep mosquitoes at bay. Or you can choose one of the best candles on the market, many of which are infused with this powerful scent.
4. Pine oil
(Image credit: GettyImages)
With its pleasantly woody aroma, it can be hard not to take joy in pine oil. However, while this scent will always have a place amongst the best-selling essential oils, it should have an equal spot amid your summer decor ideas, too.
Zackary DeAngelis from Pest Pointers LLC (opens in new tab) explains that the scent of the pine oil ‘will overpower and confuse a mosquito’s senses, limiting its ability to detect you’ and keeping you safe from bites.
‘To use pine oil as a mosquito repellent, one great way is to place rags with pine oil outside of your windows, porch, or doors,’ the expert suggests. ‘You’ll have to refresh the rags every few days, but you could also use this method specifically on days where you’re more likely to have mosquitoes for easier application.’
5. Chili peppers
(Image credit: Future/Camilla Reynolds)
If you can stand a healthy amount of spice, it may be worth incorporating chilies into your diet, especially over summer when mosquito activity is at a high. ‘These peppers are known to repel mosquitoes thanks to capsaicin, a heat-producing compound that the fly doesn’t like,’ Scot says.
So, while this kitchen idea is not for every palette, it is worth considering adding a kick to your dishes to keep the pest away.
What smells do mosquitoes hate?
Mosquitoes hate the smell of lavender, citronella, clove, peppermint, basil, cedarwood, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass and rosemary.
Europe lambasted for failing to deter Putin’s war
DAVOS, Switzerland — The European Union failed to counter Russian President Vladimir Putin and needs to now strike flexible alliances across the world and search for new friends, current and former leaders told CNBC on a panel at the World Economic Forum.
“We are too Euro-centric on this crisis, in the sense we think this is Russia versus the West — it is much broader than that,” Alexander Stubb, the former prime minister of Finland, said in Davos.
Earlier this month, the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, explained how the West now needed to pay more attention to the rest of the world, excluding China, to try to persuade these nations to condemn Moscow and its onslaught of Ukraine.
Speaking to CNBC on the sidelines of a G-7 foreign affairs ministers meeting, Borrell suggested that Europe had basically given up on trying to align China with its own views on the invasion. “To persuade China, [it] is a difficult task,” he told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick on May 12.
The Chinese authorities have refused to denounce Russia’s unprovoked invasion of its neighbor — having abstained during a vote for a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Moscow.
While they may not have the same stance as Beijing, India, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates have all been coy when it comes to Russia’s invasion.
Stubb, who also served as finance and foreign affairs minister of Finland, said that the war in Ukraine has ignited a bigger debate about the new global world order.
“It is an uncomfortable debate for us Europeans and the North Americans to have, because we fully realize we have more to lose than to gain in this one,” he told CNBC.
In order to achieve its foreign policy aims, the EU may have to look beyond the United States, with Borrell saying the bloc needed to work out how “we engage with everybody in the world in order to explain what’s going on in Ukraine.”
Flexible alliances
This is where the EU will have to “be a bit more flexible” in its thinking, Stubb said, suggesting that flexible alliances are the answer going forward.
“This is going to mean in some cases we are going to cooperate with countries that we don’t feel so comfortable with,” he said, pointing to a certain level of hypocrisy from European leaders.
Speaking on the same panel, Austria’s foreign affairs minister, Alexander Schallenberg, said the EU had been “naive” in the runup to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the war had become “like a shock therapy” for the bloc.
For many years, several European countries looked to do business with the Kremlin in an attempt to increase economic ties with Russia and at least try to keep Putin as close to western values as possible. This was certainly the case of Germany, for example, which rapidly increased its energy supplies from Russia, even after Moscow’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Hungary, another EU country, has also deepened its ties to the Kremlin in recent years.
These deals came in spite of warnings from the Baltic nations — Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia — which, given their history with their larger neighbor, have tried to push closer to the West since the fall of the Soviet Union.
“You have said hypocrisy, you have said naivety and I will say some of it is just greed,” Natalie Jaresko, former finance minister of Ukraine, said at the same Davos panel this week.
“Because we had plenty of warning since the [2007] Munich Security Conference where Putin announced his war against the liberal order, to the war in Chechnya … he invaded Georgia, he invaded Ukraine … what more did we need to know about his stated published intentions?,” she said.
For European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola, it’s no longer the time for the EU to blame itself, but rather to say that it will never suffer from inaction again.
“We have taken what could have been many years of comfort, looking away from problems that were at our doorstep, looking away from crises and big tragedies such as in Afghanistan that are happening because of our inaction. So I think that rather than look and say we were selfish, say mea culpa, now it’s time for us not to do that ever again,” Metsola told CNBC in Davos.
Biden, South Korea’s Yoon vow to deter North Korea while offering COVID aid
SEOUL, May 21 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden and his new South Korean counterpart agreed on Saturday to hold bigger military drills and deploy more U.S. weapons if necessary to deter North Korea, while offering to send COVID-19 vaccines and potentially meet Kim Jong Un.
Biden and Yoon Suk-yeol said their countries’ decades-old alliance needed to develop not only to face North Korean threats but to keep the Indo-Pacific region “free and open” and protect global supply chains.
The two leaders are meeting in Seoul for their first diplomatic engagement since the South Korean president’s inauguration 11 days ago. The encounter between allies was clouded by intelligence showing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is prepared to conduct nuclear or missile tests.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
Yoon had sought more assurances that the United States would boost its deterrence against North Korean threats. In a joint statement, Biden reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to defend South Korea with nuclear weapons if necessary.
The two sides agreed to consider expanding their combined military drills, which had been scaled back in recent years over COVID-19 and efforts to lower tensions with the North.
The United States also promised to deploy “strategic assets” – which typically include long-range bomber aircraft, missile submarines, or aircraft carriers – if necessary to deter North Korea, according to the statement.
Both leaders said they were committed to denuclearising North Korea and were open to diplomacy with Pyongyang.
“With regard to whether I would meet with the leader of North Korea, it would depend on whether he was sincere and whether he was serious,” Biden told a joint news conference.
He said Washington had offered COVID-19 vaccines to China and North Korea, which is combating its first acknowledged outbreak. “We’ve got no response,” Biden said.
North Korea reported more than 200,000 new patients suffering from fever for a fifth consecutive day on Saturday, but the country has little in the way of vaccines or modern treatment for the pandemic. read more
EXPANDING ALLIANCE
The U.S.-South Korea alliance, which dates to the 1950-1953 Korean War, must further develop to keep the Indo-Pacific “free and open”, Biden said.
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea May 21, 2022. Jung Yeon-je/Pool via REUTERS
He said the alliance was built on opposition to changing borders by force – an apparent reference to Russia’s war in Ukraine and China’s claims over Taiwan.
The joint statement called for preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
When asked by reporters about possible reactions from Beijing, Yoon’s national security advisor Kim Sung-han said those issues were directly linked with South Korea’s national interests, as its ships use the routes.
“So I think there would be little room for Chinese retaliation or misunderstandings about this,” he said.
Changes in international trade and supply chains gave new impetus for the United States and South Korea to deepen their relationship, Yoon said, calling for cooperation on electric batteries and semiconductors.
Biden used the visit to tout investments in the United States by Korean companies, including a move by South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group to invest about $5.5 billion to build its first dedicated fully electric vehicle and battery manufacturing facilities in the United States. read more
The two leaders toured a Samsung semiconductor plant on Friday, where Biden said countries like the United States and South Korea that “share values” needed to cooperate more to protect economic and national security.
Yoon said the concept of economic security will include cooperating in case of shocks in the foreign exchange market.
The South Korean president, keen to play a bigger role in regional issues, said his country would join Biden’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which will be announced during the trip to set standards on labour, the environment and supply chains.
China is South Korea’s top trading partner, and Yoon’s aides emphasized that neither the joint statement or the IPEF explicitly excluded any country.
While White House officials have sought to play down any explicit message of countering China, it is a theme of Biden’s trip and one that has caught the eye of Beijing.
“We hope that the U.S. will match its words with deeds and work with countries in the region to promote solidarity and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, instead of plotting division and confrontation,” Chinese envoy for Korean affairs Liu Xiaoming, said on Twitter.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Hyonhee Shin, Jack Kim, Eric Beech and Josh Smith; Editing by William Mallard and Mike Harrison
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
IBS: Choosing low FODMAP foods and reducing stress will deter weight gain
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that affects the large intestine. Signs and symptoms include cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhoea or constipation, or both. IBS is a chronic condition that you’ll need to manage long term but how does the condition affect weight?
Irritable bowel syndrome doesn’t cause a significant change in appetite.
However, the condition may make some people feel less hungry because of unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms such as gas, bloating, and abdominal pain after eating.
For others, IBS can increase food cravings due to stress and anxiety that interfere with normal GI functioning and digestive health.
Weight gain doesn’t directly result from IBS, but it may be associated with stress related to the condition.
Stress triggers inflammatory responses throughout the body, including in the gut.
Inflammation can affect your body’s ability to digest food properly, which can lead to uncomfortable digestive symptoms like gas, bloating, cramping, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhoea.
How to manage condition
Diets high in fruits and vegetables can support weight loss.
Choosing foods which are low in FODMAPs is key.
FODMAP is a type of carb that may trigger IBS symptoms with examples including carrots, broccoli, blueberries, and bananas.
Finding ways to help reduce your stress levels is also key for managing both IBS and weight gain.
This can include more exercise, reducing your caffeine intake and practicing calming practices such as meditation.
New Zealand weaponizes Barry Manilow, James Blunt and the ‘Macarena’ to deter ‘Freedom Convoy’
In New Zealand’s capital of Wellington, demonstrators have set up camp on the grounds of the country’s parliament and have gathered on the streets to protest Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s vaccine mandate, according to CNN affiliate Radio New Zealand (RNZ).
RNZ reported that the protesters responded to the music with jeers and by playing back the 1984 song “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by American band Twisted Sister, which has already been somewhat adopted as an anthem by the Canadian truckers.
The Speaker of New Zealand’s parliament Trevor Mallard is behind the playlist and has interspersed the songs with Covid-19 vaccination adverts — with many social media users on Twitter offering up suggestions, including British singer James Blunt.
Citing a BBC News article outlining parliament’s new tactic to disperse the protesters, Blunt tagged the New Zealand Police and said, “Give me a shout if this doesn’t work.”
In response, Mallard said, “we will take you up on your very kind offer,” although he joked whether it was “fair” to the police officers before adding, “I think they will be able to cope.”
RNZ said the playlist changed on Sunday morning, to include an out of tune recorder rendition of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” performed by Matt Mulholland and now a popular internet meme.
Mallard had asked Twitter users for their opinion on the song shortly before it was played out on the parliament speakers, and he also began playing Blunt’s song “You’re Beautiful,” with RNZ reporting the latter had been played so many times that most protesters knew the words and were singing along.
Other reports on Twitter and by local media said the power ballad “Let It Go,” from the 2013 Disney film “Frozen,” had also been played, as well as the children’s song “Baby Shark.”
Sprinklers were also previously used to disperse the protesters, but hundreds remain camped on the grounds, while RNZ said Wellington district commander Superintendent Corrie Parnell had confirmed there were around 3,000 people present over the weekend.
“Police have identified a range of different causes and motivations among the protesters, making it difficult to open clear and meaningful lines of communication,” Parnell said in a statement Friday.
Other “Freedom Convoy” protests have also taken place this weekend in Paris, which announced a ban on the demonstrations earlier in the week. Protesters in the French capital managed to temporarily block traffic and were dispersed with tear gas.
Canada’s “Freedom Convoy” began at the end of January in Ottawa as an objection to a vaccine mandate requiring truckers entering the country to either be fully vaccinated or face testing and quarantine requirements. Other protesters then joined to rail against mask mandates, lockdowns, restrictions on gatherings and other Covid-19 preventative measures.
Biden sending troops to Eastern Europe to deter Russia from invading Ukraine
President Biden said Friday that he’s sending US troops — but “not too many” — to Eastern Europe amid concern about a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“I’ll be moving troops to Eastern Europe and the NATO countries in the near term. Not too many,” Biden said at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after returning from a trip to Pittsburgh.
Biden did not identify which countries will host the US troops, but he’s repeatedly ruled out deployments inside Ukraine, which is not formally a US ally, not a member of NATO.
The Pentagon announced Monday that 8,500 US forces were placed on “heightened alert” for potential deployment to Eastern Europe as part of a NATO show of support for smaller members of the military alliance.
Three former Soviet republics — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuanian — and several former Warsaw Pact countries, such as Poland, are members of NATO after decades under Moscow’s control during the Cold War.
In related moves, Denmark is sending a frigate to the Baltic Sea and dispatching four F-16 fighter jets to Lithuania. Spain also is deploying ships and possibly sending fighter jets to Bulgaria. France is weighing troop deployments to Romania, and the Netherlands is sending two F-35 fighters to Bulgaria.
The Biden administration also is in the process of sending lethal aid to Ukraine, including five Mi-17 helicopters that formerly belonged to Afghanistan’s military. And the US State Department this month granted permission to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to donate to Ukraine Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday that it’s unclear if Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided whether to invade Ukraine.
The US says Putin has massed about 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders. The Russian leader is demanding that Ukraine be barred from ever joining NATO, but the alliance has declined to do so.
On Thursday, the White House scrambled to deny an Ukrainian official’s claim to CNN that Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that a Russian invasion of his country was almost certain and that he should be ready for a “sack” of the capital city Kiev.
Zelensky rebuked Biden last week for suggesting that a “minor incursion” by Russia might result in less severe sanctions due to disagreement among NATO allies.
Biden horrified Ukrainian officials with the remark — with one saying that the American president may have given Putin a “green light” to invade.
In 2014, when Biden was vice president, Russia invaded the Crimean peninsula and then annexed the territory from Ukraine following a disputed referendum. Putin’s government also allegedly supports a pair of pro-Russia breakaway states in eastern Ukraine.