Connect with us

Published

on

MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday vowed to continue with his countrys year-long war in Ukraine and accused the United States-led Nato military alliance of fanning the flames of the conflict in the mistaken belief that it could defeat Moscow in a global confrontation.

He updated Russias political and military elite on the war nearly one year to the day since ordering the invasion that has triggered the biggest confrontation with the West since the depths of the Cold War.

He said the events leading to Moscows special military operation on Feb 24, 2022, were forced upon Russia.

We did everything possible, genuinely everything possible, in order to solve this problem (in Ukraine) by peaceful means. We were patient, we were negotiating a peaceful way out of this difficult conflict, but a completely different scenario was being prepared behind our backs, he said from Russias Parliament.

Flanked by four Russian tricolour flags, Mr Putin said Russia would carefully and consistently resolve the tasks facing us.

Mr Putin said Western countries, led by the US, were seeking unlimited power in world affairs and that Kyiv was speaking to the West about weapon supplies even before the beginning of the invasion.

The President added that Russia had done everything it could to avoid war, but that Western-backed Ukraine had been planning to attack Russian-controlled Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.

The West, he said, had let the genie out of the bottle in a host of regions across the world by sowing chaos and war.

The people of Ukraine have become the hostage of the Kyiv regime and its Western overlords, who have effectively occupied this country in the political, military and economic sense, Mr Putin said.

They intend to translate the local conflict into a global confrontation, we understand it this way and will react accordingly.

Defeating Russia, the 70-year-old said, was impossible.

Mr Putin said Russia would never yield to Western attempts to divide its society, adding that a majority of Russians supported the war.

He warned the West may incite a backlash over money flows to the war that were not diminishing.

Mr Putin said: The more long-range Western systems are being delivered to Ukraine, the farther we will be forced to move the threat from our borders. Russian National Guard officers patrol on Red Square prior to Mr Putin’s annual state address, in central Moscow, on Feb 21. PHOTO: AFP When he spoke about the annexation of four Ukrainian territories in 2022, he got a standing ovation at the Gostiny Dvor exhibition centre, just a few steps from the Kremlin.

Towards the end of the speech, Mr Putin said Russia was suspending its participation in the New Start treaty with the US that limits the two sides strategic nuclear arsenals.

Together, Russia and the US hold around 90 per cent of the worlds nuclear warheads enough to destroy the planet many times over.

Mr Putin asked the audience, which included lawmakers, soldiers, spy chiefs and state company bosses, to stand to remember those who had lost their lives in the war.

He promised a special fund for the families of those killed in the war.

He said the West was supporting traitors who opposed Russias actions, and thanked Russians for their courage and resolution in supporting Moscows operation in Ukraine.

Mr Putin said he understood how difficult it was for relatives of Russian soldiers who had died fighting in Ukraine. Mr Vladimir Putin arrives to deliver his annual address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow, on Feb 21, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS We all understand, I understand how unbearably hard it is now for the wives, sons, daughters of fallen soldiers, their parents, who raised worthy defenders of the Fatherland, he said.

The Ukraine conflict is by far the biggest bet by a Kremlin chief since at least the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union and a gamble Western leaders such as US President Joe Biden say Mr Putin must lose.

Russian forces have suffered three major battlefield reversals since the war began, but still control around one-fifth of Ukraine.

Tens of thousands of men have been killed, and Mr Putin has said Russia is locked in an existential battle with an arrogant West, which he says wants to carve up Russia and steal its vast natural resources.

The West and Ukraine reject that narrative, and say Nato expansion eastwards is no justification for what they say is an imperial-style land grab doomed to failure.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan described Mr Putins accusations that Russia had been threatened by the West as justification for invading Ukraine as absurdity.

Nobody is attacking Russia. Theres a kind of absurdity in the notion that Russia was under some form of military threat from Ukraine or anyone else, he told reporters. People gather for Mr Vladimir Putins address to the Federal Assembly at the Gostiny Dvor conference centre in Moscow, on Feb 21. PHOTO: EPA-EFE More On This Topic US slams 'absurdity' of Putin's anti-West speech Putin set for major Ukraine war speech after Biden walks streets of Kyiv Speaking hours ahead of Mr Biden delivering his own speech in Warsaw to mark the anniversary of the war, Mr Sullivan said the Kremlin leader was the aggressor.

This was a war of choice. Putin chose to fight it. He could have chosen not to. And he can choose even now to end it, to go home, he added.

Russia stops fighting the war in Ukraine and goes home, the war ends. Ukraine stops fighting and the United States and the coalition stops helping them fight then Ukraine disappears from the map.

Mr Putin, who frequently decries Western gender and sexual freedoms as an existential danger, said on Tuesday that paedophilia had become the norm in the West.

Look at what they do to their own people: the destruction of families, of cultural and national identities and the perversion that is child abuse all the way up to paedophilia are advertised as the norm… and priests are forced to bless same-sex marriages, he said. Mr Vladimir Putin is seen on screens of a shopping mall as he delivers his annual address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow, on Feb 21. PHOTO: REUTERS Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said that Mr Putins speech showed he has lost touch with reality.

He is in a completely different reality, where there is no opportunity to conduct a dialogue about justice and international law, said the adviser to Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky. Tilt to Asia?

Mr Putin, who was handed the presidency in 1999 by Boris Yeltsin, said the West had failed to destroy the Russian economy with the severest sanctions in modern history.

They want to make the people suffer… but their calculation did not materialise. The Russian economy and the management turned out to be much stronger than they thought, he added.

Russias US$2.1 trillion (S$2.8 trillion) economy is forecast by the International Monetary Fund to grow 0.3 per cent this year, far below China and Indias growth rates but a much better result than was forecast when the war began.

Russia was turning to major Asian powers, e said, and will expand ties and build economic cooperation with countries such as India, Iran and Pakistan. REUTERS More On This Topic Beijing hopes peace between Russia and Ukraine can be Made in China Zelensky: Its obvious Ukraine wont be Putins last stop

Continue Reading

US

Donald Trump threatens to revoke Rosie O’Donnell’s US citizenship

Published

on

By

Donald Trump threatens to revoke Rosie O'Donnell's US citizenship

Donald Trump has said he is considering “taking away” the US citizenship of actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, despite a Supreme Court ruling that expressly prohibits a government from doing so.

In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, the US president said: “Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship.”

He also labelled O’Donnell, who has moved to Ireland, as a “threat to humanity” and said she should “remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her”.

O’Donnell responded on Instagram by posting a photograph of Mr Trump with Jeffrey Epstein.

“You are everything that is wrong with America and I’m everything you hate about what’s still right with it,” she wrote in the caption.

“I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”

Rosie O'Donnell arrives at the ELLE Women in Hollywood celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Image:
Rosie O’Donnell moved to Ireland after Donald Trump secured a second term. Pic: AP

O’Donnell moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old son in January after Mr Trump had secured a second term.

She has said she’s in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship based on family lineage and that she would only return to the US “when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America”.

O’Donnell and the US president have criticised each other publicly for years, in an often-bitter back-and-forth that predates Mr Trump’s move into politics.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Will Trump address parliament on UK state visit?

This is just the latest threat by the president to revoke the citizenship of someone he has disagreed with, most recently his former ally Elon Musk.

But the two situations are different as while Musk was born in South Africa, O’Donnell was born in the US and has a constitutional right to American citizenship.

Read more from Sky News:
Kate’s ’emotional’ words for tearful tennis star
Music festival cancelled as headliner pulls out

Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, said the Supreme Court ruled in a 1967 case that the fourteenth amendment of the constitution prevents the government from taking away citizenship.

“The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native-born US citizen,” he added.

“In short, we are nation founded on the principle that the people choose the government; the government cannot choose the people.”

Continue Reading

UK

Justice system ‘frustrating’, Met Police chief says – as he admits London’s ‘shameful’ racism challenge

Published

on

By

Justice system 'frustrating', Met Police chief says - as he admits London's 'shameful' racism challenge

It is “shameful” that black boys growing up in London are “far more likely” to die than white boys, Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley has told Sky News.

In a wide-ranging interview with Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the commissioner said that relations with minority communities are “difficult for us”, while also speaking about the state of the justice system and the size of the police force.

Sir Mark, who came out of retirement to become head of the UK’s largest police force in 2022, said: “We can’t pretend otherwise that we’ve got a history between policing and black communities where policing has got a lot wrong.

“And we get a lot more right today, but we do still make mistakes. That’s not in doubt. I’m being as relentless in that as it can be.”

He said the “vast majority” of the force are “good people”.

However, he added: “But that legacy, combined with the tragedy that some of this crime falls most heavily in black communities, that creates a real problem because the legacy creates concern.”

Sir Mark, who also leads the UK’s counter-terrorism policing, said black boys growing up in London “are far more likely to be dead by the time they’re 18” than white boys.

“That’s, I think, shameful for the city,” he admitted.

“The challenge for us is, as we reach in to tackle those issues, that confrontation that comes from that reaching in, whether it’s stop and search on the streets or the sort of operations you seek.

“The danger is that’s landing in an environment with less trust.

“And that makes it even harder. But the people who win out of that [are] all of the criminals.”

Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said racism is still an issue in the force
Image:
Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley

The commissioner added: “I’m so determined to find a way to get past this because if policing in black communities can find a way to confront these issues, together we can give black boys growing up in London equal life chances to white boys, which is not what we’re seeing at the moment.

“And it’s not simply about policing, is it?”

Sir Mark said: “I think black boys are several times more likely to be excluded from school, for example, than white boys.

“And there are multiple issues layered on top of each other that feed into disproportionality.”

‘We’re stretched, but there’s hope and determination’

Sir Mark said the Met is a “stretched service” but people who call 999 can expect an officer to attend.

“If you are in the middle of a crisis and something awful is happening and you dial 999, officers will get there really quickly,” Sir Mark said.

“I don’t pretend we’re not a stretched service.

“We are smaller than I think we ought to be, but I don’t want to give a sort of message of a lack of hope or a lack of determination.”

“I’ve seen the mayor and the home secretary fighting hard for police resourcing,” he added.

“It’s not what I’d want it to be, but it’s better than it might be without their efforts.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

How police tracked and chased suspected phone thief

‘Close to broken’ justice system facing ‘awful’ delays

Sir Mark said the criminal justice system was “close to broken” and can be “frustrating” for police officers.

“The thing that is frustrating is that the system – and no system can be perfect – but when the system hasn’t managed to turn that person’s life around and get them on the straight and narrow, and it just becomes a revolving door,” he said.

“When that happens, of course that’s frustrating for officers.

“So the more successful prisons and probation can be in terms of getting people onto a law-abiding life from the path they’re on, the better.

“But that is a real challenge. I mean, we’re talking just after Sir Brian Leveson put his report out about the close-to-broken criminal justice system.

“And it’s absolutely vital that those repairs and reforms that he’s talking about happen really quickly, because the system is now so stressed.”

Giving an example, the police commissioner went on: “We’ve got Snaresbrook [Crown Court] in London – it’s now got more than 100 cases listed for 2029.”

Sir Mark asked Trevor Phillips to imagine he had been the victim of a crime, saying: “We’ve caught the person, we’ve charged him, ‘great news, Mr Phillips, we’ve got him charged, they’re going to court’.

“And then a few weeks later, I see the trial’s listed for 2029. That doesn’t feel great, does it?”

Asked about the fact that suspects could still be on the streets for years before going to trial, Sir Mark conceded it’s “pretty awful”.

He added: “If it’s someone on bail, who might have stolen your phone or whatever, and they’re going in for a criminal court trial, that could be four years away. And that’s pretty unacceptable, isn’t it?”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Leveson explains plans to fix justice system

Challenge to reform the Met

The Met chief’s comments come two years after an official report found the force is institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic.

Baroness Casey was commissioned in 2021 to look into the Met Police after serving police officer Wayne Couzens abducted, raped and murdered Sarah Everard.

She pinned the primary blame for the Met’s culture on its past leadership and found stop and search and the use of force against black people was excessive.

At the time, Sir Mark, who had been commissioner for six months when the report was published, said he would not use the labels of institutionally racist, institutionally misogynistic and institutionally homophobic, which Baroness Casey insisted the Met deserved.

However, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who helped hire Sir Mark – and could fire him – made it clear the commissioner agreed with Baroness Casey’s verdict.

A few months after the report, Sir Mark launched a two-year £366m plan to overhaul the Met, including increased emphasis on neighbourhood policing to rebuild public trust and plans to recruit 500 more community support officers and an extra 565 people to work with teams investigating domestic violence, sexual offences and child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Continue Reading

UK

UK measles cases rising among children – with leading NHS hospital ‘concerned’

Published

on

By

UK measles cases rising among children - with leading NHS hospital 'concerned'

A leading NHS hospital has warned measles is on the rise among children in the UK, after treating 17 cases since June.

Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool said it is “concerned” about the increasing number of children and young people who are contracting the highly contagious virus.

It said the cases it has treated since June were for effects and complications of the disease, which, in rare cases, can be fatal if left untreated.

“We are concerned about the increasing number of children and young people who are contracting measles. Measles is a highly contagious viral illness which can cause children to be seriously unwell, requiring hospital treatment, and in rare cases, death,” the hospital said in a statement to Sky News.

In a separate open letter to parents and carers in Merseyside earlier this month, Alder Hey, along with the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) and directors of Public Health for Liverpool, Sefton and Knowsley, warned the increase in measles in the region could be down to fewer people getting vaccinated.

The letter read: “We are seeing more cases of measles in our children and young people because fewer people are having the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles and two other viruses called mumps and rubella.

“Children in hospital, who are very poorly for another reason, are at higher risk of catching the virus.”

What are the symptoms of measles?

The first symptoms of measles include:

• A high temperature

• A runny or blocked nose

• Sneezing

• A cough

• Red, sore or watery eyes

Cold-like symptoms are followed a few days later by a rash, which starts on the face and behind the ears, before it spreads.

The spots are usually raised and can join together to form blotchy patches which are not usually itchy.

Some people may get small spots in their mouth too.

What should you do if you think your child has measles?

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111 if you think your child has measles.

If your child has been vaccinated, it is very unlikely they have measles.

You should not go to the doctor without calling ahead, as measles is very infectious.

If your child is diagnosed with measles by a doctor, make sure they avoid close contact with babies and anyone who is pregnant or has a weakened immune system.

The skin of a patient after 3 days of measles infection
Image:
The skin of a patient after three days of measles infection

It comes after a Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) report released earlier this month determined that uptake of vaccines in the UK has stalled over the last decade and is, in many cases, declining.

It said none of the routine childhood vaccinations have met the 95% coverage target since 2021, putting youngsters at risk of measles, meningitis and whooping cough.

The MMR vaccine has been available through the NHS for years. Two doses gives lifelong protection against measles, mumps and rubella.

File photo of a MMR vaccine
Image:
Two doses of the MMR vaccine give lifelong protection against measles, mumps and rubella. Pic: iStock

According to the latest NHS data, Liverpool was one of the cities outside London with the lowest uptake of the MMR vaccination in 2023-2024.

By the time children were five years old, 86.5% had been give one dose, decreasing to 73.4% for a second dose.

The RCPCH report put the nationwide decline down to fears over vaccinations, as well as families having trouble booking appointments and a lack of continuous care in the NHS, with many seeing a different GP on each visit.

Read more from Sky News:
Met Police chief on London’s ‘shameful’ racism challenge
‘My voice box was removed after NHS missed cancer’

In the US, measles cases are at their highest in more than three decades.

Cases reached 1,288 on Wednesday this week, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, with 14 states battling active outbreaks.

The largest outbreak started five months ago in communities in West Texas, where vaccination uptake is low. Since then, three people have died – including two children in Texas and an adult in New Mexico – with dozens more in hospital.

Continue Reading

Trending