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Európa Europe
Magyarország
2023. április 1. Az Országgyűlés 5/2023. (III. 31.) OGY határozatának szövege: "Az orosz-ukrán háború egyéves évfordulójáról. Egy éve zajlik a háború Oroszország és Ukrajna között, és nincs jele annak, hogy rövid időn belül véget érne. A következmények drámaiak: a háború már eddig is több százezer emberéletet követelhetett és az elmúlt évek legnagyobb európai humanitárius válságát okozta. Európa a háborúba sodródás napjait éli. Az Európai Parlament további fegyverszállításokat követel. Vadászgépeket, helikoptereket, rakétarendszereket, harckocsikat és még több lőszert küldenének a hadszíntérre. A tagállamok egy része már el is kötelezte magát a további fegyverszállítások mellett. Ezek a lépések világháborúhoz vezethetnek. Mindezekre és a 2022. évi áprilisi választás egyértelmű üzenetére tekintettel az Országgyűlés az alábbi megállapításokat teszi: 1. Kifejezzük elkötelezettségünket a béke mellett. Azt várjuk el a nemzetközi közösség minden tagjától, hogy a mielőbbi béke érdekében lépjenek fel, és kerüljék azokat a lépéseket, amelyek a háború kiterjedésével járnak. 2. Ismételten elítéljük Oroszország katonai agresszióját, és elismerjük Ukrajna jogát az önvédelemhez. 3. Álláspontunk szerint a Brüsszelben elfogadott gazdasági szankciók nem csillapították a háborút, és az orosz gazdaságot sem kényszerítették térdre, sőt a szankciók eredményezte magas energiaárak megfizetésével Oroszország háborúját finanszírozza Európa. Az energetikai szankciók egekbe lökték az energiaárakat, gazdasági károkat és tomboló inflációt okoztak minden uniós tagországban. Nincs olyan család, amely ne érezné a szankciós infláció terheit. 4. Ellenezzük azokat a brüsszeli terveket, amelyek tovább szélesítenék az energetikai szankciók körét. A gáz- és olajimport teljes befagyasztása, a nukleáris fűtőelemek behozatali tilalma jelentős ellátásbiztonsági zavarokat és még nagyobb inflációt okoznának számos tagországban, így Magyarországon is. Elvárjuk a brüsszeli döntéshozóktól, hogy ne hozzanak olyan döntéseket, amelyek gazdasági kárai nagyobbak, mint nehezen jósolható előnyei. Elfogadhatatlan, hogy Európa, és benne Magyarország legyen a háború fő gazdasági teherviselője. 5. Magyarország a háború kirobbanása óta történetének legnagyobb humanitárius segélyakcióját hajtotta és hajtja végre. Felhívjuk a Kormányt, hogy továbbra is minden lehetséges módon folytassa az Ukrajnából menekültek megsegítését. 6. Felhívjuk a figyelmet arra, hogy a katonai konfliktus súlyosan érinti a kárpátaljai magyar közösséget. Már eddig is sokan adták az életüket a háborúban, miközben jelenleg is zajlik a sorozás annak érdekében, hogy további kárpátaljai férfiakat vigyenek a frontvonalba. 7. Magyarország a NATO és az Európai Unió elkötelezett tagja. Teljes jogú tagként és szuverén államként Magyarország mindent meg fog tenni a béke előmozdítása érdekében. A 2022. évi áprilisi választások és a szankciókról szóló konzultáció eredményei egyértelműek, ezek alapján megerősítjük: fegyverszállítások és további szankciók helyett mielőbbi béketárgyalásokra van szükség. 8. Felszólítjuk a magyar közéleti szereplőket, hogy tartózkodjanak az olyan állásfoglalásoktól és politikai akcióktól, amelyek jelentős gazdasági károkat okozhatnak hazánknak, vagy Magyarország háborúba sodródását eredményezhetik. A háború folytatása, a halált okozó fegyverek szállítása emberek ezreinek életébe kerülhet. Csak azonnali tűzszünettel, tárgyalásokkal és békével lehet életeket menteni! 9. Ez a határozat a közzétételét követő napon lép hatályba". Kövér s. k., az Országgyűlés elnöke; Dr. Aradszki s. k., az Országgyűlés jegyzője; Dr. Vadai s. k. (Forrás: InfoStart)
Megjegyzés: A határozati javaslatot az Országgyűlésnek 2023. II. 28-án nyújtotta be két frakcióvezető: Kocsis (Fidesz) és Dr. Simicskó (KDNP). A javaslat szövegét lásd: "Az orosz-ukrán háború egyéves évfordulójáról" címmel: https://www.parlament.hu/irom42/03086/03086.pdf
Ukraine
Saturday, April 1, 2023 Persecution of Christians. Ukraine’s top security agency notified a top Orthodox priest, Metropolitan Pavel today that he was suspected of justifying Russia’s aggression amid a bitter dispute over the Ukraine’s famed, most revered Orthodox site, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Orthodox monastery. The monks in the monastery belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). The dispute surrounding the property, also known as Monastery of the Caves, is part of a wider religious conflict that has unfolded in parallel with the war. The Ukrainian government has cracked down on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church over its historic ties to the Russian Orthodox Church, whose leader, Patriarch Kirill, has supported Russian President Putin in the invasion of Ukraine. The monastery is owned by the Ukrainian government, and the agency overseeing it notified the monks that they had until Wednesday to leave the site. Metropolitan Pavel, the abbot of the monastery, has strongly resisted the authorities’ order to vacate the complex. During a court hearing in the Ukrainian capital, the metropolitan strongly rejected the claim by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), that he condoned Russia’s invasion. SBU agents raided his residence. Prosecutors asked the court to put him under house arrest pending the investigation. Pavel described the accusations against him as politically driven. Many Orthodox communities in Ukraine have cut their ties with the UOC and transitioned to the rival Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which more than four years ago received recognition from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. Bartholomew I is considered the first among equals among the leaders of the Eastern Orthodox churches. Patriarch Kirill and most other Orthodox patriarchs have refused to accept his decision authorizing the second Ukrainian church. Earlier in the week, Metropolitan Pavel cursed President Zelenskyy, threatening him with damnation. (Source: AP)
Asia
China
04/01/2023 Two contradictory news stories have emerged from China that - when read together - perfectly demonstrate the two faces of the situation of Christians in the country. The general secretary of the Universal Bible Alliance on a visit to China - in Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing - met with the leaders of the official churches, reviving cooperation. Gevers, the Pentecostal pastor from South Africa since last November has been secretary general of the Universal Biblical Alliance, the body that sees Biblical Societies from all over the world collaborating with one another with the aim of spreading Scripture in every language in every part of the world. Promoted by the Chinese Christian Council and the Three Self Patriotic Movement - the official bodies of the Protestant world in China - the visit is certainly not unprecedented. In fact, there has been a collaboration that has its most obvious face in the Nanjing Amity Printing Co. plant, a large printing house in Nanjing that is the result of a joint venture between a Chinese foundation directly linked to the Three Self Patriotic Movement and the Universal Biblical Alliance. Active since 1988, it produces Bibles not only for Chinese communities but also for Christian denominations around the world. On its website, a counter offers a real-time update of printed copies: as of April 1 there were more than 246 million: 89 million for China, the others in every language in 140 countries around the world. Gevers' visit was an opportunity to consolidate this cooperation project, which now also has a satellite plant in Ethiopia. In Beijing he had the opportunity to meet with Chen, the new of the Religious Affairs Administration (Sara), as well as with the leadership of official Catholic bodies. The official website of the Patriotic Association reported Gevers' meeting with Shen, the bishop of Haimen who is chairman of the Chinese Council of Bishops (the collegial body not recognized by the Holy See). Indeed, the Catholic community, too, has been able to benefit from the effort made by the Universal Biblical Alliance to disseminate Scripture in China. In the interview with Shen, there was no shortage of emphasis on how translations are an aspect of "Sinicization,' the watchword given to the world of religions by President Xi. But just as all this was happening, however, in Hohhot, the capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, some Christians go on trial for "illegally' buying and distributing copies of Scripture printed in Nanjing at the plant visited by Pastor Gevers. Bitter Winter issued a call to prayer circulating in China these hours among "domestic," that is, unofficial, Protestant communities. It concerns a legal proceeding underway in Hohhot, where this month some local Christians belonging to these communities will go on trial for "illegally" distributing Bibles and face up to 15 years in prison. In their defense the defendants report these are precisely copy Bibles printed by the Nanjing Amity Printing Co. purchased in bulk and distributed to those who could not afford them, without any commercial activity. In this case, therefore, the "illegality' would simply lie in the fact that promoting the dissemination of Scripture in Chinese are communities that are not registered and controlled by the government. Which confirms - once again - what the real meaning of Beijing's insistence on "Sinicization" is. (Source: AsiaNews)
North America
United States
April 1, 2023 Trump, the embattled ex-president took to his Truth Social platform today to rage against Manhattan District Attorney Bragg, who brought the charges against him, and accused Democrats of weaponizing the FBI and Department of Justice. “I want to thank everybody for the tremendous support you have given me against this assault on our Nation. Our once beautiful USA is now a Nation in Decline,” Trump posted. “Radical Left Thugs & Insurrectionists have taken over our Country, & are rapidly destroying it. They are using the levers of Law Enforcement, and have completely Weaponized the FBI & DOJ to Interfere with, Rigg, and Steal our once Sacred Elections. “We are now living in a Third World Country, but we will Come Back & Make America Great Aagain” he raged. In the 24 hours after his indictment was announced, he raised over $4 million. Trump’s arrest could be a major catalyst for his reelection campaign, friends and foes of Trump alike have predicted. (Source: NewYorkPost)
1 April 2023 Weather expert and US Air Force veteran Helms is one of many digital volunteers worldwide. He publishes his forecasts on social media under the hashtag "#NAFOWeather," a likely reference to the North Atlantic Fellas Organization, an online anti-Russian propaganda movement. For the front in Ukraine, Helms has the following prediction: "The loss of moisture from the soil really picks up by May 1st and beyond". Helms also worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US, where he studied the hydrological consequences of climate change - that is, changes in the composition of soils like what is going on just now in Ukraine. In southern Ukraine, the soil will be dry from around mid-April, then two weeks later in the Donetsk region, and from mid-May in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region further north, he explained. While Russian tanks are still stuck in the mud in Eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian army could begin a counteroffensive in the south toward the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol. He writes, for example, about when there will be "optimal optical satellite intelligence opportunities." When clear skies allow for the best photos from space, other activists then use donations to order satellite imagery from private vendors like Maxar, passing it along to Ukrainian commanders on the front lines. (Source: DW)
The International Monetary Fund
April 01, 2023 The International Monetary Fund's board in Washington has approved a 48-month Extended Fund Facility - worth $15.6 billion - support package for Ukraine yesterday. Russia's invasion has devastated Ukraine's economy, causing activity to contract by about 30% last year, destroying much of its capital stock and spreading poverty, according to the IMF. The two-step program will look to stabilize the country's economic situation while the war continues, before turning to 'more ambitious structural reforms' after the end of hostilities, IMF deputy managing director Gopinath said. It forms the IMF's portion of a $115 billion overall support package comprised of debt relief, grants and loans by multilateral and bilateral institutions, the IMF's Ukraine mission chief Gray told yesterday. 'The goal of Ukraine's new IMF-supported program is to provide an anchor for economic policies — policies that will sustain macroeconomic financial stability and support … economic recovery,' he said. $2.7 billion is being made available to Ukraine immediately, with the rest of the funds due to be released over the next four years. 'This program has been designed in such a way that it would work even if economic circumstances are considerably worse than ... the current baseline,' he said. If the conflict were to extend into 2025, it would raise Ukraine's financial needs from $115 billion to about $140 billion, Gray said. The program includes additional guarantees from some IMF members in the event that active combat continues beyond its current estimate of mid-2024. (Source: AgenceFrance-Presse)
United Nations
01/04/2023 The Russian Ambassador to the UN, Nebenzya will chair the Security Council for the next four weeks. On 1 April, Russia - a permanent council member - took up the presidency of the 15-nation UN Security Council. Each of the council's 15 members takes up the presidency for one month. Ukraine's foreign minister described the situation as 'the worst joke ever for April Fool's Day". The last time Russia was in charge was in February 2022. Russia is one of five nations, the others being France, UK, US and China, which can veto Security Council decisions. "The Security Council is responsible for maintaining peace worldwide'. Twice last year, Russia prevented the passage of resolutions calling for the end of the invasion of Ukraine and the restoration of territory occupied by Moscow's troops. Nebenzya, told the Russian news agency TASS that he intends to oversee several debates, including one on arms control. He said he hoped to discuss a "new world order' which would end global domination by the United States. (Source: rfi)
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