Defeating Putin in Ukraine may take years, says Dominic Raab [_link]

— The Guardian (@guardian) March 6, 2022

Now we are all looking for Freedom gas to replace Gazprom ..

The darker side of Grozny's push to be the Dubai of the North Caucasus | The Guardian - June 2, 2018 |

Post-war Grozny a modern city ...

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Chomsky: Build Back Better Fiasco Exposes How Both Parties Serve Corporate Power [_link]

— Noam Chomsky (@ChomskyDotInfo) December 27, 2021

« Les options qui restent après l'invasion sont sombres. La moins mauvaise est le soutien aux options diplomatiques qui existent encore » #NoamChomsky [_link]

— nuagezero (@nuagezero) March 6, 2022

Translation:
The options left after the invasion are grim. The best bet is the support for the diplomatic options that still exist.

A reading guide to legendary Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez | LA Times - July 2, 2021 |

What did Gabriel Garcia Marquez say after visiting the USSR?

Related reading ...

Clandestine in Chile - The Adventures of Miguel Littín | New York Review Book | by Gabriel García Márquez -- 6 Jul 2010 |

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Booting a Tramp: Charlie Chaplin, the FBI, and the Construction of the Subversive Image in Red Scare America

For the FBI to suspect that one of the world's most famous film stars, a man worth upwards of $30 million, was plotting to overthrow capitalism suggests at the very least the organization had its wires crossed. How- ever, like the tramp in Modern Times who gets caught in the cogs of modern industry, Charlie Chaplin, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, found himself entangled in the "machinery" of McCarthyism. Although some historians now question the extent to which anti- communist hysteria swept the United States during this period, the early years of the Cold War undeniably witnessed numerous at- tempts to purge the culture of anything that could be deemed sub- versive, including abstract modern art and the story of Robin Hood. Yet Chaplin was no spy, nor was he a communist. Even had he been, he certainly was not a threat to the nation. Chaplin at- tracted the attention of countersubversives like FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover because of his prominent status as a cultural icon. That FBI officials treated Chaplin as a threat to national security shows the extent to which cultural "subversion" and more tangible forms of subversion, such as espionage, were conflated.

In my high school years in St. Louis County early in the 1960s, dreadful years of the Cold War, in our curriculum we were offered a choice of foreign languages: German, Russian and Spanish. In college we read the books of Karl Marx and others. Knowledge of cultures was the intent for better understanding of adversaries. I chose for the romantic language of Spanish. In college I added the German language because of my science studies. Keeping an open mind and critical thinking was part of my education. A failure of truth in government to lower itself and society to censorship. Shocking.

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Look for the inconsistencies and look at the source ... who or what introduces a falsified headline and how does it evolve. That is my mode of attack on the years-long disinformation campaign, assess the policy behind the rhetoric. I have no explanation why dissenting voices are silenced and on most important issues there is no debate, none. Quid pro quo or strong-arming sovereign states in backing US policy.

I have no affinity with the "cancel" culture.

War, Conflict & Enemies of Truth | Consortium News - March 5, 2022 |

Unfortunately, observation is blurred and selective. We are poor witnesses to ourselves. Sometimes, we never do gain the perspective needed for a clear rendering of what happened, how we felt and what we did. Oddly, the more peculiar the experience, the less the inclination and ability to reflect on it.

Such is the case in regard to the current Ukraine affair. That singular feature is itself noteworthy. For that is not due to indifference - quite the opposite. Washington is the producer and would-be director of the drama as well as the co-star.

The feature that cries out for our critical attention is the frenzy that the Ukraine conflict has engendered. This despite the absence of an American military presence, no obvious national interest of the first order at stake, and it's erupting at a time when one would have thought the country's appetite for this sort of thing satiated by two decades of endless, failed wars in nearly every part of the world.

My principal concern here is not to answer the question of "why?" I have tried to address that in previous commentaries here and here.

Instead, the aim is to highlight those characteristics of America's collective national persona brought into stark relief by our reaction to events.

The Consequences of Humiliating Russia

Related reading ...

Finnish Russophobia: The Story of an Enemy Image | by Heikki Luostarinen - May 1989

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Fall of Misinformation Series | by Suzan Verberne @LeidenUniv |

Misinformation spreads easily and fast. It gets presented as news, whereas actual news gets dismissed as fake. Conflicting streams of information allows all sides to cherry-pick whatever is most comfortable, boosting degrees of confidence and confusing the deliberation of both politicians and voters.

Conspiracy theories have growing numbers of adamant followers who see misinformation where others see truth. From COVID-19 to QAnon, misinformation is on all our minds. What exactly is happening and why? Have we entered a post-truth era?

We have studied the spread of so-called junk news on Facebook. Junk news is low quality content from click-bait-type websites. We compared the spread of junk news by Dutch Facebook users to that of mainstream news; news outlets such as AD, RTL, and nu.nl. We found that during the period 2013-2017 the total number of user interactions with junk news significantly exceeded that with mainstream news. Over 5 Million of the 10 Million Dutch Facebook users had interacted with a junk news post at least once. This confirmed other research about Twitter that has shown that false news spreads faster than true news.

Ukraine and Russia: People, Politics, Propaganda and Perspectives [large pdf]

When, on 21 november 2013, former Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych decided to postpone the EU Association Agreement, few would have predicted that this, in consequence, would lead to a prolonged conflict in Europe's borderland. What started as a peaceful demonstration of support for ukraine's pro-European course by thousands of people in Maidan square in Kiev has developed into a vicious confrontation dividing families, communities and the ukrainian nation. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), since the beginning of the conflict, over 500,000 people have left their homes looking for a safe place elsewhere in the country, and hundreds of thousands have fled from Ukraine, mainly to Russia.

By February 2015, over 5,000 have been killed and well over 10,000 seriously injured in the conflict in the Donbass. The scale of the human tragedy is immense and, at the time of writing, the conflict is getting increasingly intense and militarised, despite the official ceasefire imposed as a result of the Minsk Accords of 5 september 2014 and various subsequent agreements.

Since the beginning of the confrontation, a lot has been written about its root causes, the motivations of the main actors, and possible scenarios for the future. however, in spite of the large number of analyses produced, few have looked at what came to be called the `ukraine crisis' from the point of view of Russo-ukrainian relations, and grasped the perspectives of various groups involved, as well as the discursive processes that have contributed to the developments in and interpretations of the conflict. With this in mind, the editors of this volume have invited twenty-three world- leading academics, specialising in different areas related to Russia and Ukraine, to contribute to the following collection. the studies are divided into four sections: People, Politics, Propaganda, and Perspectives.

People

The first section looks at the social make-up of Ukraine and focuses on its ethnic and linguistic diversity, as well as relations between the different ethnic groups. due to the fact that the Ukrainian conflict has developed, at least partly, as a consequence of existing divisions that have exacerbated the differences between various groups, this section provides the basis for analysis of the conflict and helps to make sense of the underlying structure of the ukrainian society. the section opens with an analysis by david Marples, which focuses on the ethnic and social composition of ukraine's regions and the existing voting patterns. he argues that while regional voting is the most characteristic feature of ukrainian elections, there are a number of additional factors that may affect voting preferences, such as the social position of the voter or initiatives of the candidate.

...
This is followed by Denys Kiryukhin, who concentrates on the roots and features of modern Ukrainian national consciousness, nationalism and their historical development. he argues that there have been three main narratives which have shaped the modern Ukrainian national discourse, which can be summarised, following Patrick Colm Hogan, as reflective of heroism, sacrifice, and romanticism.

h/t Arne Hartmann | Mar 6 2022 | @MofA |

Don't listen to USA. pic.twitter.com/LU19RZQeg2

— Onyiyechi Okonkwo🗯️ (@ADA_MAZI7) March 6, 2022

We are living on borrowed time ...  🔥 🌍 Peace ☮️

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23 European envoys ask Pakistan to condemn Russian invasion | Dawn News |

ISLAMABAD: A group of envoys, mostly from the European Union, on Tuesday pressed Pakistan to condemn Russia's attack on Ukraine during the ongoing debate in the United Nations General Assembly.

"As Head of Mission to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, we urge Pakistan to join us in condemning Russia's actions and to voice support for upholding the UN Charter and the founding principles of international law," ambassadors of 22 countries and the head of the European Union delegation in Islamabad said in a statement jointly signed by them.

The statement was jointly signed by the ambassadors of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, Japan, Norway and Switzerland as well as the head of the Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan. High commissioners of Canada, the United Kingdom, and chargé d'affaires of Australia also signed the statement.

Missing are signatures from eleven EU-27 countries: 3 Baltic stares, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Luxemburg, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia.

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US warns Pakistan of Ukraine war consequences | Dawn News |

The United States said it had informed Pakistan the war in Ukraine
could have both regional and global consequences, even as the Foreign Office objected to the issuance of a press release by a group of 23 envoys earlier this week, saying the move was undiplomatic.

"We have briefed the government of Pakistan on the impact that Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine could have on regional and global security," a US State Department spokesperson told Dawn when asked to respond to these developments.

However, Pakistan's UN Ambassador Munir Akram says that Islamabad is not only aware of the consequences of its actions, but also "supports all efforts" to restore peace in Ukraine.

In his words, to interpret Pakistan's position on this issue as an expression of support for Russia "would be a perverse interpretation, especially once seen together with our statement in the UNGA."

Putin says Ukraine's future in doubt as ceasefires collapse

US sees 'very credible reports' of deliberate attacks on civilians in Ukraine

Both accounts are unverified by an independent  agency or reporter. Both are to be considered part of war propaganda in line with over a decade of disinformation. Al Jazeera has a reporter on the ground in the region of Mariupol.

Nothing new for US lack of argument in building support ...

State Department Employee Loyalty Investigation: Hearings Before a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

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Why the Ukraine-Russia conflict will make potato chips more expensive [_link]

— TIME (@TIME) March 8, 2022

A simple explanation how evil the Russian empire is ..

Media to explain thirty years of failed foreign policy for dummies.

America and NATO military command knew the national security red lines of Russia, got Putin into a corner, knew it was unacceptable yet failed in honest diplomacy for many years.

We're calling out Russia's plans. Not because we want a conflict, but because we are doing everything in our power to remove any reason Russia may give to justify invading Ukraine.

If Russia pursues its plans, it will be responsible for a catastrophic and needless war of choice.

— President Biden (@POTUS) February 19, 2022

US disinformation is all about framing the explosive war in Ukraine. The Washington political bubble and American fantasy.

The Needless War On Ukraine

However you omitted a link for this :
Azov Battalion defending battle lines in Mariupol using civilians as human shields

Can we have it, or is it too dangerous to reveal your source?

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}

Day 13 of Russia's war on Ukraine:
- UN confirms 474 civilians killed, working to verify more deaths
- Kharkiv nuclear centre hit but no "radiological" impact
- Shelling on Mariupol escape route, says Ukraine president office

👉 [_link] pic.twitter.com/eEnpSegy0F

— TRT World (@trtworld) March 8, 2022

"Hope this step will lead to peace and stability"

Türkiye's bringing Ukraine and Russia together in what's expected to be the highest level of talks between the two countries at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on March 10 pic.twitter.com/3nogBDKRRk

— TRT World (@trtworld) March 8, 2022

Check out today's newsletter from NL Times: "NL and France to strengthen partnership; Lions rescued in Kiyv arrive at Dutch run shelter" [_link]

— NL Times (@NL_Times) March 10, 2022

Netherlands and France will work together more in EU, defense | NL Times |

The Netherlands and France will further strengthen the ties between them. They want to cooperate more in the European Union and defense. Both countries agreed to this after a meeting between government delegations in the French capital.

After the meeting, the governments released a joint statement saying, among other things, that both countries want to work for an EU that can stand on its own two feet. They want to make further efforts to make Europe more sustainable and strengthen the European asylum and migration policy. 

In the military field, they agreed to seek more cooperation in the navy. The Netherlands and France also want to intensify their collaboration in "regions of strategic importance" like Ukraine, the Sahel countries, and the Middle East. This must also happen in the Caribbean, including in the fight against (drug) crime.

For over a decade Rutte was a strong Atlanticist and always followed his London ally and whomever occupied the White House. A trusted 6th Eye on global intelligence.

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Litvinenko's widow: West must counter Putin's 'brainwashing' | DW News |

The West must step up its battle against the Kremlin's disinformation campaign, Marina Litvinenko, the widow of the poisoned Russian spy and Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko, told DW.

She said the Russian people have been "completely brainwashed" over the past 20 years and most independent media outlets have been shut down.

Litvinenko said Western countries -- including Germany -- who used to beam Russian language broadcasts into the Soviet Union, were partly responsible for allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to spread disinformation when they cut their services after the end of the Cold War.

"It was a huge mistake because the people behind this war have been waiting for revenge. When this all proper [truthful] information left Russia, it was ... [replaced] by disinformation, by brainwashing," she added.

Key words | RussiaGate | DNC diction | Khodorovsky | Browder | MI6 - Chris Steel | US Congress Magnitsky Act | Henry Jackson Society | Regime change Kremlin | Assassinate Putin | Gov in Exile in London |

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Five of the Six RAND corporation strategies from the 2019 paper "Overextending and Unbalancing Russia" have now been carried out by the US, with mixed success and failure. #Kazakhstan action will likely be short lived due to costly logistics.[_link] pic.twitter.com/H1EerAmaT3

— Syrian Girl 🇸🇾🎗 (@Partisangirl) January 6, 2022

Former US national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski laid out Washington's thinking about post-independence Ukraine in his 1997 book The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives. "Without Ukraine," explained Brzezinski, "Russia ceases to be a Eurasian empire." Brzezinski argued that drawing Ukraine into Washington's orbit would deliver a major blow to Russia and help the US become "the key arbiter of Eurasian power relations."

Ukraine, a new and important space on the Eurasian chessboard, is a geopolitical pivot because its very existence as an independent country helps to transform Russia. Without Ukraine, Russia ceases to be a Eurasian empire."
-- Zbigniew Brzezinski

Obama Surge War Porn | by fairleft Wed Dec 2nd, 2009 |

I haven't noticed that positive reception, Eugene, but I'm not glued to inside-the-beltway ass-kissing -- I mean mainstream media pseudo-analysis -- so what do I know? Seriously, stop reading and listening to the usual laissez-faire corporate globalization suspects if you want to get any kind of understanding of the ugly reality the U.S. is foisting on the world. Afghanistan is a tiny corner but sure, you can start peeling back the happy face label there.

Advisor to Obama Richard C. Holbrooke was given a voice on policy for Afghanistan but wasn't listened to ...

U.S. Policy in Afghanistan: A Conversation with Richard C. Holbrooke | CFR - Dec. 15, 2009 |

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As Ukraine stares into the abyss, where is Europe's leadership? | The Guardian Opinion - Apr 20, 2014 |

The Ukrainian crisis is not over. The four-party statement, reached in Geneva on Thursday, means several things. It is not, however, the end of anything.

It does signal that, despite their oppositional positions, Russia and the United States do have some overlapping interests, which require a degree of co-operation. What's more, the European Union continues to be in the back seat of a process that threatens to tear apart the largest country in the continent outside Russia and which fundamentally affects the EU's relations with Moscow. Today's Ukraine is a failing state, essentially an object of great power diplomacy.

What is also becoming clear is that the world of hardball geopolitics, unashamed political horse-trading and open economic pressure is "another world" for many in Europe. Are there any signs of proper European leadership? And can the continent continue to outsource its foreign policy to the United States?

Washington and Moscow accuse each other of interference in Ukraine, and profess their own innocence, but both are deeply involved on the ground, even if in very different ways. The United States supports and advises the government in Kiev, which it has helped to form, while Russia is clearly behind the activists, many of them armed, in Ukraine's eastern and southern regions. Washington seeks to deny Ukraine to the new Russian empire that it suspects President Putin is building. Putin, for his part, is determined to prevent Ukraine, under a pro-western regime, from joining Nato and thus offering to host US military bases virtually inside Russia's historical heartland.

A Ukraine that has joined the club of western democracies and US allies would be a good thing, from Washington's perspective. However, the path is long, messy and fraught with problems, even dangers, such as a direct clash with Russia. More important, it is not a priority for the Obama administration. The crisis in Ukraine, the White House could reason, has already sensitised America's European allies to the continuing existence of the danger in the east. Thus, it has given Nato a new shot in the arm, which it needs as the Afghanistan mission is winding down.

Looking from the Kremlin, a Ukraine that has joined the Customs Union would provide the Eurasian project with a critical mass in terms of demographic, industrial and agricultural potential. Yet Ukraine is very heterogeneous, with its pro-Russian elements more than balanced by anti-Russian ones. Fully integrating Ukraine would be not only very costly in economic terms, but impossible without cutting off its western provinces - attaching them to Soviet Ukraine was Stalin's big mistake - and pacifying or repressing millions of pro-Europe Ukrainians across the country.

Putin is no Stalin. Having corrected the "historical injustice" in Crimea, and shown the degree to which it can influence developments in eastern Ukraine, Moscow, too, may be ready for a deal.

NATO bombed Serbia 🇷🇸 in 1999. without a decision from the UN Security Council. The targets of NATO planes were not just military targets. Roads, bridges, civilian buildings were targeted.

Milica Rakic is just one of many children who died. pic.twitter.com/fqsA6MnH4f

— Based Serbia (@SerbiaBased) February 26, 2022

Ivo Daalder: Bombing in Serbia was essential to reassert US power and supremacy in Europe

Related reading ...

Final Report to the Prosecutor by the Committee Established to Review the NATO Bombing Campaign Against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

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Do you know that since 2014 about 2,5 million Ukrainians fled to Russia? Most likely not. Western officials and mass media never showed any sign of attention, sympathy or compassion to them. Sometimes even in the humanitarian sphere political considerations prevail.

— Mikhail Ulyanov (@Amb_Ulyanov) March 24, 2022

UNHCR During War and Massive IDPs in Ukraine, 2014-2020

2.5 Million People Have Fled 'Senseless' Ukraine War: UN | The Moscow Times - Dutch edition |

The Moscow Times relocating headquarters to Amsterdam says founder Derk Sauer.

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Responsible Citizens Interregional Academy  | Uliana Yehorova - Oct 12, 2017 |

Few days ago the students of the Interregional Academy of Personnel Management (IAPM) in Kramatorsk had taken part in our workshop on critical thinking. The event was new and unusual for those students, but everyone enjoyed it and now we are impatiently looking forward for our next meeting.  

The fallows had taken part in #UkrainianYouthForPeace action, which is directed at peace' support: this photo - is an appeal of the youth towards society, the reminder on what is important equally for everyone - PEACE.

Discussing critical thinking with the trainings' participants, we are changing their attitude on different things, we are teaching them to make weighted solutions which influence their further life. We are speaking about necessity to accept each other without convictions, respect each other's opinions and develop the non-violent' communication skills.

And each time we are also studying something new. Working through the exercises and discussing them, we are hearing the new versions, obtain new experience and inspiration, which are driving us and give us forces for the new projects, meetings and trainings.  

The emotions and impressions can be judged through the photos.

Any war, but a needless war only increases suffering and dashes hope for a new generation and PEACE ☮️

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This is example of how evacuation from Mariupol looks like, from civilian perspective.. pic.twitter.com/q9ft7eZfqf

— Aldin 🇧🇦 (@aldin_ww) March 23, 2022

Max Rose Leads Dozens of House Dems in Asking State Dept: Why Aren't White Supremacist Groups Listed as Foreign Terrorist Organizations?

The Department of Homeland Security recently said in a new strategy report unveiled last month that, "White supremacist violent extremism, one type of racially- and ethnically-motivated violent extremism, is one of the most potent forces driving domestic terrorism."

Rose's letter names Azov Battalion, Nordic Resistance Movement, and National Action as three examples of foreign groups that have been connected to recent terrorist attacks around the world as well as recruiting and influencing American citizens.

Unverified claims that the southern port city has finally fallen to Russia | Daily Mail |

Last night there were unverified claims that Mariupol had finally fallen after Kremlin supporters released images purporting to show Russian-backed separatist leader Denis Pushilin arriving in the city along with Russian politicians Andrey Turchak and Dmitry Sablin.

Other pictures showed Russian 'Z' tanks rolling through the streets as invasion force soldiers manned checkpoints in and out. 

Mariupol council yesterday warned: 'Residents of the Left Bank district are beginning to be deported en masse to Russia. 

Mariupol is now under the control of the Russian army and the DPR

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Western media spent years warning the Azov Battalion and related militias were not just neo-Nazis but were the most powerful neo-Nazi force in Europe given their integration into the military and state.

That's now not only taboo to say but these same outlets have renounced this. [_link]

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 25, 2022

Ukraine: On patrol with the far-right National Militia - BBC Newsnight

Women in the Azov battalion in Ukraine | DW documentary - Mar. 2017 |

The far-right Azov battalion has a reputation for being a fierce fighting force and openly uses fascist symbols. More and more young people are joining up, women too. There's mounting concern about democracy in Ukraine.

'Sapere aude'

The propaganda system imposed on the west has ushered in the most explicit Nazi apologia I've ever seen. Hence the constant refrain:" yes, Hitler was bad, but he was no Putin." Azov loyalists turned into celebrities. FB changing its rules to allow praise:[_link]

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 25, 2022

The Transnational Rise of the Violent White Supremacist Movement | The Soufan Center - Sept. 2019 |

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Hidden from view, jailed Putin foe braces for trial | Aug 31, 2007 | [cached]

His mother says that the once fiercely ambitious businessman has developed a more philosophical outlook, accepting the dismembering of his former empire, much of which has been incorporated into state company Rosneft.

"He has become more gentle. He isn't bitter. On the contrary," she told AFP after her visit.

"He told me today 'All that I did remains. The pipelines are working, the refineries are working, the technology I had installed to international standards is still working.

"'Rosneft has taken on our employees. Once it was a backward company and now our employees have put in there the things I invented, so my ideas are prospering'," she said, quoting her son.

Despite the uncertainty ahead, the former star of Russia's business world can now "live with anything", his mother quoted him as saying.

"He has books, which are very important to him. No one can ban him from thinking, reflecting," she said.

💬 FM #Lavrov: We have been developing a privileged strategic #partnership with New Delhi. It is one of the key priorities of the Russian foreign policy.

🤝 #Friendship is the key word to describe the history of our relations 🇷🇺 🇮🇳#DruzhbaDosti #RussiaIndia pic.twitter.com/fHsfceN1gq

— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) April 1, 2022

India-Russia Summit: Modi, Putin Decide to Provide 'Immediate' Humanitarian Aid to Afghanistan | The Wire - Dec 6, 2021 |

Cooperation during pandemic ...

Explained: Why does India need Covid-19 vaccine ingredients from US? | Indian Express - Apr 30, 2021 |

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"No foreign power shall be allowed to topple an elected government through a conspiracy," the deputy speaker said, adding that the points raised by the minister were "valid" [_link]

— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) April 3, 2022