US Defense Secretary succeeds in establishing contact with Russian Defense Minister, finally

It is beyond comprehension that United States sponsoring tons of lethal arms wants a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Has the superpower realized it can’t defeat Russia or it is an attempt to recoup energy before making the final attempt to cause ‘substantial damage’ to Russia?

Another point of view is that Joe Biden has exhausted all the limits available to him regarding sale of arms to Ukraine. It may be recalled that Sen. Rand Paul hit the brakes Thursday on bipartisan hopes that the Senate could quickly pass nearly US$40 billion in Ukraine aid before leaving town for the week. 

Yet another point hardly being discussed is that the United States has lost the edge, because some European countries have started making gas payment in Russian ruble, having realized that no other source of supply is available, at least in the short term.

According to the latest reports, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu on Friday, marking the first time the two have spoken since before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine began.

Austin “urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a readout of the call.

Last time Austin had spoken with Shoygu on February 18, 2022, less than a week before Russia’s invasion began.

A month into the invasion, Kirby acknowledged that Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley had unsuccessfully tried to engage with his counterparts. The Washington Post was the first to report the dilemma.  

“There are vehicles, we still have military-to-military communications with the Russians,” Kirby told Fox News. “But at the senior levels, where we think it’s really important particularly right now, that’s not happening. It is not happening because the Russians don’t seem to be interested.” 

A senior US defense official told reporters that the call was initiated by Austin and lasted about an hour, with the tone characterized as “professional.” 

It was unclear what changed on the Russian side to engage in the call, but Austin hopes it “will serve as a springboard for future conversations,” according to the official.

However, Austin “continues to have concerns about what’s going on in Ukraine,” and the call itself “didn’t specifically solve any acute issues or lead to a direct change in what the Russians are doing and what they’re saying,” the official said.

Whereas Austin and Milley have had a hard time speaking with their Russian counterparts, the two have remained close with their Ukrainian counterparts.

Austin has held multiple conversations with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov throughout the invasion, and the two most recently spoke on Thursday.

Also on Thursday, Milley spoke with Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to a readout of the call, the two “continued to exchange perspectives and assessments of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

 

Naftali Bennett from one crisis to another

Lately a cartoon described the condition being faced by Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, swimming in shark-filled waters, but he is not aware that there are more than a dozen sharks trailing him behind his back. 

The cartoon aptly illustrated where Bennett’s government stands right now, after resolving its coalition crisis with the Ra’am (United Arab List) Party.

That crisis was a reminder of how difficult it is to survive with a slim majority in the Knesset of 60 to 59 on a good day. It also demonstrated how sensitive the coalition is to any issue that could provoke controversy.

Mansour Abbas leading Ra’am into the coalition was celebrated worldwide as a historic breakthrough for Israel. Along with the Abraham Accords, an Arab party joining the coalition was seen internationally as Israel successfully entering a new era of mutually beneficial strategic cooperation with the Arab world despite the conflict with the Palestinians remaining unresolved.

Abbas enthusiastically and optimistically told The Jerusalem Post at an October 2021 press conference at the Knesset, where he presented the government’s massive new allocations to the Arab sector, that it would now become natural for Arab parties to join every Israeli governing coalition forever.

That historic breakthrough was nearly lost, due to Temple Mount violence and the lack of honest reporting about it. Like countless times in the past, violence on the Temple Mount that was exaggerated and fanned by fake news threatened to derail the sensitive fabric of life in the Holy Land.

Reports in the Arab world that made it look as though Israel was purposely trying to kill Muslims at prayer at the Aqsa Mosque nearly made it impossible for Abbas to climb down from the Mount and back into the coalition.

Even when Abbas was finally ready to end the crisis, another incident magnified in the international Arabic media around the world got in the way. Wednesday’s incident in Jenin in which Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead – and the bad press Israel got in its aftermath – could have forced Abbas to continue to freeze his party’s membership in the coalition, vote for a bill that would initiate an election and perhaps even torpedo Bennett’s government.

Abbas canceled a press conference he had scheduled in Kafr Kassem, called Abu Akleh a martyr and said he would insist on an international investigation of the incident. He would have carried on his protest of the incident longer and scored more points with his constituents, if he had had time.

But Abbas had to announce how his party would vote on the Likud’s Knesset dissolution bill in the afternoon and could not wait. His speech about “giving the coalition another chance” could have been written the day he began what was essentially a fake crisis that he initiated to look like the defender of al-Aqsa while the Knesset was on recess.

Abbas knows that he needs as much time as he can get in the coalition for his constituents to be able to see with their own eyes – or at least with their pocketbooks – the positive results of him joining.

What made it easier for Abbas to justify unfreezing Ra’am’s membership in the coalition was the foolishly unruly behavior of the opposition.

He spoke immediately after opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu blasted him in a speech in the Knesset plenum that was supposed to be about Theodor Herzl.

Netanyahu picked yet another fight with Abbas, even though Ra’am could be a very easy coalition partner for him in the future. Every time Netanyahu calls Abbas “a terror supporter” or pretends he did not negotiate Ra’am building a bond with the Likud, Bennett’s coalition gets stronger.

The most right-wing MK in the Knesset, Itamar Ben-Gvir, helped strengthen the coalition even more by crashing Abbas’s press conference in the Knesset. Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid said later that the public prefers Abbas in the coalition over Ben-Gvir.

Then there was the opposition’s most uncouth MK, David Amsalem, who shocked MKs in both the coalition and opposition three times on Wednesday.

First he started an unnecessary fight with Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy, threatening the former Jerusalem police chief. Then he insisted on responding in the plenum to a consensus bill proposed by deaf MK Shirley Pinto that would require government offices to speak to deaf people via text messages. The bill passed 40-0, but Amsalem still had to speak against it.

Finally, Amsalem left a live interview with Channel 12 to cast the deciding vote on a bill. Meretz MK Yair Golan was on the same program, and the two had paired off to leave the coalition and opposition with the same balance in the plenum. But Amsalem left Golan as he was speaking next to him and raced up to vote.

It was less noticed by the coalition, but another MK who embarrassed herself was former coalition chairwoman Idit Silman. She claimed in a TV interview that one of the reasons she defected to the opposition was that the government had built a “Reform Kotel.”

She knows full well that no progress has been made on implementing the Western Wall agreement, that the family prayer site is not intended only for Reform Jews, that Reform is not a slur, and that while Bennett did build what he called the “Ezrat Israel,” it was when he was Jerusalem affairs minister under Netanyahu in 2014.

Silman said in the Knesset cafeteria that she thinks her bolting the coalition will prevent the site’s renovation. She said that since she left, the coalition has had to go “rightward” – yamina in Hebrew. But the coalition’s cooperation with the Joint List that came as the result of her departure has proven that the opposite is true.

Now that the fight with Abbas is over, there are plenty of challenges that await the coalition.

The sharks approaching Bennett include Jerusalem Day celebrations in two weeks, next month’s visit of US President Joe Biden to Israel, attempts to pass next year’s state budget that will begin on June 16, wavering Yamina MK Nir Orbach’s demand to hook up unauthorized outposts to the national electricity grid, and the pregnancy of New Hope faction head Sharren Haskel.

Haskel is due at the end of July, around the same time the Knesset will leave for its next recess. If she gives birth early, she may have to bring her newborn into the plenum to vote, as Pinto did six days after the birth of her child in December.

Jerusalem Day will be the first challenge. Opposition officials said they intend to exploit the holiday to anger Ra’am again, but they said they do have limits.

“We won’t cause a security crisis to cause a political crisis with Ra’am, but we will call for people to go on the Temple Mount on Jerusalem Day, of course,” a Likud spokesman said.

The spokesman said he did not think Netanyahu would ascend the Temple Mount, but acknowledged that it would not be the first time such a controversial step was taken by the head of the opposition from the Likud.

“It’s clear to everyone that the next crisis with Ra’am is only a matter of time,” the spokesman said. “This past week was not ideal for the opposition, but we won’t give up. They have dozens of bills in the pipeline that we stopped. They aren’t even trying to pass them. Even some they put on the agenda they took back. This doesn’t look like a government that can last very long. It can last a few weeks, but it is bound to end soon.”

In the weeks ahead, the coalition intends to continue the strategy that worked this week. Uncontroversial socioeconomic legislation will be advanced. Bills that do not have a consensus will have to wait.

Coalition bills will be put on the agenda only if a majority is obtained for them well in advance. Opposition bills will be passed by the coalition if they make sense and do not cost money, as eight were on Wednesday.

De facto coalition chairman Boaz Toporovsky said he intends to proceed with caution, knowing full well that there are plenty of sharks ready to attack. But he was not afraid of exulting about the opposition backing down from bringing the Knesset dissolution bill to a vote.

“The opposition surrendered and pulled back the bill,” Toporovsky said. “Another political spin crashed. They are scared. They know they have no majority, neither in the Knesset nor in the public. I recommend that all our doubters wait patiently and watch our government be strong and function. The unified coalition will continue to come to the Knesset and work hard for the entire Israeli public.”

Courtesy: The Jerusalem Post

Looming Baby Formula Shortage in United States

According to media reports, the baby formula shortage has intensified in the United States. The retail information provider reported that out-of-stock (OOS) rates continue to climb nationwide, rose to 43% during the week ended May 08, 2022. This is up from the 30 to 40 percent readings in April.

“Unfortunately, baby formula out-of-stock levels have continued to soar since the beginning of April and we see no indication of a slowdown,” Ben Reich, CEO of Datasembly, told The Epoch Times. “Baby formula out-of-stock levels have reached 43% nationwide and continue demonstrating higher out-of-stock levels than other categories.”

Data as of May 01, 2022 show that nine states have OOS rates above 50%, including Tennessee (54.7%), Delaware (54.5%), Texas (52%), Montana (51%), and Nevada (51%). Jurisdictions with the lowest OOS rates were Colorado (26.3%), New Mexico (29%), and Indiana (29.7%).

Across the United States, multiple retailers including CVS, Kroger, Target, and Walgreens, have applied limits on purchases of infant formula.

Last month, CVS limited in-store and online purchases of baby formula to three per order. Kroger installed a limit of four products per customer. Target and Walgreens have maintained restrictions for several weeks.

Media reports suggest that some parents are responding to the shortages by producing their own, watering down current supplies, and rationing formula.

The FDA has discouraged parents from making formula at home due to “very serious health concerns” for babies.

“The potential problems associated with errors in selecting and combining the ingredients for the formula are very serious and range from severe nutritional imbalances to unsafe products that can harm infants,” the agency noted.

Health experts warn that too much water for infants under six months could trigger seizures and brain swelling and dilute the calories.

As of 2018, four companies control close to 90% of the market: Abbott, Reckitt Benckiser, Nestlé, and Perrigo.

Beginning of crisis

Earlier this year, Abbott Laboratories, a leading baby formula maker, recalled products sold under the Alimentum, EleCare, and Similac brands that were produced at a Michigan facility. Four children had become sick with bacterial infections, resulting in two deaths. This prompted public health authorities to encourage shoppers to avoid buying formulas tied to the plant, although Abbott doesn’t believe there is a link between these illnesses and its formulas.

In addition to Abbott’s recall, the baby formula shortage has been exacerbated by global supply chain snafus, the shifts in pandemic-related consumer patterns, and soaring price inflation worldwide.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 public health crisis, many parents hoarded containers of baby formula much in the same way consumers accumulated large amounts of toilet paper and paper towels.

In 2021, manufacturers noticed that demand had been sliding. They responded by curbing production. Today, infant formula demand is surging once again as shortage fears grow and breastfeeding rates fall.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only one-quarter of babies born in 2018 were breastfed exclusively in their first six months.

In recent years, the prevalence of breastmilk substitutes has been a source of controversy among public health experts.

“The promotion of commercial milk formulas should have been terminated decades ago,” said Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the WHO Nutrition and Food Safety Department, in a statement last month. “The fact that formula milk companies are now employing even more powerful and insidious marketing techniques to drive up their sales is inexcusable and must be stopped.”

The global formula milk industry is now worth US$55 billion.

Meanwhile, Abbott announced that it will work closely with the FDA to restart operations within two weeks. The company projects that it could take six to eight weeks to get its products back on store shelves.

Life and Death

The US government has been scrambling to resolve the issue. President Joe Biden met with infant formula manufacturers and retailers on May 12, 2022 to gather updates on intensifying shortages across the country.

Following the meeting, the president announced additional steps to address the issue to get more infant formula on store shelves faster, including reducing red tape and boosting supply through increased imports. In addition, he urged the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to tighten down on any infant formula price gouging.

Earlier, more than 100 House Republicans urged the administration and the FDA in a letter to release data on the nationwide shortages and provide specific details on how they plan to address the issue.

“This issue is a matter of life and death, and it is time this administration treats it with the appropriate urgency it deserves,” the 106 Republican lawmakers wrote.

Rep. Elise Stefanik says this is an example of Biden’s “failed leadership,” adding that the FDA didn’t have a plan to figure out how to address the supply chain crisis aspect of baby formula manufacturing.

“But it even goes back earlier than that, as a result of just the labor shortage in this country, the lack of accessing basic materials that are part of the manufacturing process,” she told the host of NTD’s “Capitol Report,” Steve Lance. “But what’s really struck me is the sheer incompetence of Joe Biden and House Democrats and frankly, failure to address any aspect of this.”

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said, “We are doing everything in our power to ensure there is adequate product available where and when they need it.”

 

US$40 billion Ukraine aid package faces delay

According to reports, Sen. Rand Paul hit the brakes Thursday on bipartisan hopes that the Senate could quickly pass nearly US$40 billion in Ukraine aid before leaving town for the week. 

Paul objected to a deal offered by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell that would have set up votes on Thursday afternoon on the funding and on an amendment from Paul, who wanted to include language in the bill to expand an Afghanistan Inspector General role to include oversight of the Ukraine funds. 

Paul blocked the votes because he wants his language inserted into the text of the bill instead of having to take his chance with an amendment vote, which could be blocked. The stalemate will delay the Senate’s passage of the Ukraine package until at least next week, and potentially beyond. 

“I think they’re going to have to go through the long way,” Paul told The Hill about what comes next after the floor standoff. 

The roadblock comes after senators and staff haggled privately for hours on Thursday to try to find a path toward passing the Ukraine aid before they wrapped up their work for the week. Senators were also eager to avoid making changes to the bill, which would require it to go back to the House for a second vote. 

Though, senators say they were told during closed-door lunches to hang around, by mid-afternoon members of leadership and senators were spotted leaving the Capitol. 

Schumer and McConnell then appeared on the Senate floor to try to set up votes on the Ukraine aid. Under the Senate’s rules any one senator can try to quickly set up a vote or pass a bill, but it only takes one senator to object. 

Under the deal offered by Schumer and McConnell, the Senate would have first voted on stand-alone legislation from Sen. John Kennedy to establish a Special Inspector General for the Ukraine aid. 

After that the Senate would have taken up the US$40 billion in Ukraine assistance, with a vote on Paul’s amendment. To get included in the Ukraine assistance, Paul’s proposal would have needed 60 votes. 

“There is now only one thing holding us back, the junior senator from Kentucky is preventing swift passage of Ukraine aid because he wants to add, at the last minute, his own changes directly into the bill … He is not even asking for an amendment. He is simply saying my way or the highway,” Schumer said. 

“I’m offering to hold a vote on his amendment, even though I disagree with it. Let the chamber speak its will. Let both sides of the aisle have input and for heaven’s sake, let Ukraine funding get done ASAP,” Schumer added. 

McConnell had signaled that he wanted to get the Ukraine package passed on Thursday. He added that while he understood that Paul wanted to change the bill that the “simple way to solve this” was to have a vote on Paul’s amendment and then a vote on the Ukraine aid, as Schumer offered. 

“Ukraine is not asking us to fight this war. They’re only asking for the resources they need to defend themselves against this deranged invasion, and they need help right now,” McConnell said. 

Paul, however, warned about the pace of spending, arguing that “we cannot save Ukraine by dooming the US economy.” 

“Americans are feeling the pain from inflation and Congress seems intent only on adding to that pain by shoveling more money out the door as fast as they can,” Paul said. 

 

Fifty years of Nepal-Bangladesh relations

Nepal and Bangladesh celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations on April 8, 2022. Nepal was the seventh country to recognize Bangladesh as an independent country in 1972. 

During Bangladesh’s Liberation War, Nepalese political leaders provided ideological and material support for a free Bangladesh.

With Nepal recognizing Bangladesh’s independence, the then Pakistani leadership broke off its relationship with the former. The Bangladesh government has always regarded Nepalese politicians highly for their contribution to the independence of Bangladesh.

Since establishing diplomatic ties, the two countries have enjoyed excellent relations and supported each other on various international and regional political and economic forums. Nepal and Bangladesh began their official trade with the opening of the Kakarvitta-Phulbari-Banglabandha transit route in 1997.

Bangladesh welcomed Nepal to use the Mongla Port facilities for its third country trade as well as rail corridor transit via Rohanpur for easy and cost-effective bilateral trade. In 1978, the two countries established a Joint-Economic Commission (JEC) at the Finance Ministry level to enhance bilateral trade and investments. Foreign office consultations mechanism was also established in July 2012 in Dhaka at the Foreign Secretary level to discuss and review bilateral ties.

Power is the key to strengthening ties in the days to come, due to the huge energy requirements of Bangladesh for its rapidly growing industries. Bangladesh could invest in Nepal’s hydropower and import surplus energy from Nepal, as the latter has the potential to generate 43,000 MW, whereas Bangladesh’s requirements in 2035 will be 35,000 MW.

Dhaka has already formulated a strategic energy policy to import 10,000 MW from Nepal. Last year, the Bangladesh Power Development Board requested the Indian Ministry of Energy to permit Bangladesh to import 450 MW of hydro power from Nepal. India has given a positive response towards the proposal and soon the cross-border power trade may begin.

The first Nepal-Bangladesh Business Forum was jointly hosted by the Bangladesh Embassy led by the then Ambassador Mashfee Binte Shams and the Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDIA) in Kathmandu some years back. AIDIA facilitated field visits of various hydropower sites for business leaders. AIDIA played a key role in bringing FNCCI-FBCCI onto one table for signing an MoU on January 24, 2016.

The government of Nepal aims at signing the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) with Bangladesh to secure the US$ one billion FDI from the Bangladesh government, and another US$2 billion from the private sector which will help generate and export power to Bangladesh from Nepal. It will enable Nepal to be a net energy exporting country in South Asia and help reduce its trade deficit with Bangladesh and improve its foreign currency reserves.

To take the bilateral relationship forward and create a strong bond, the two countries are reviewing the last five decades of their experience to formulate active policies in the field of hydropower, trade, infrastructure development, and more. Nepal aims at learning from the rapid rise of Bangladesh and harnessing the potentials in bilateral engagements.

For instance, Bangladeshi conglomerate Summit Power invested in West Bengal for power generation and another company Summit Alliance Port Limited is operating the inland waterways terminals in Kolkata and Kalughat. Likewise, Pran RFL has been establishing food processing plants in some states of Nepal, but has not been able in exploiting the opportunities Bangladesh offers due to our weak economic strategies. Therefore, the government is encouraging and supporting the private sector of Nepal to engage with Bangladeshi companies.

 

Black Sea agri-bulk exports fall 35% in April 2022 due to Ukraine war

Assessing the impact of the conflict on exports S&P Global Market Intelligence said total seaborne agri-bulk shipments from the Black Sea region in April fell 35% year-on-year to 4million tons.

Shipments of corn and barley from the Black Sea area were hard hit, down 76% to 891,000 tons, and down 82% to 65,000 tons respectively. However, wheat shipments were reported to be up 44% at 3million tons.

S&P noted that Black Sea agri-bulk shipments declined to almost all import regions and territories in April including North Africa, Middle East, Northwestern Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, mainland China, Southeast Asia and West Africa. The only region to see a rise in shipments was the Mediterranean, with an increase in agri-bulk exports from the Black Sea region of 15% to 1.2m tons

A report issued this week by insurers Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) highlighted that the biggest impact of the war on shipping so far had been on vessels trading to the Black Sea and Russia, with Ukraine’s major ports, including Odessa closed by a Russian blockade. The insurer noted that Ukraine moves 70% of its exports by sea and some 99% of its grain exports are moved by ship.

With the war in Ukraine increasingly looking to be a drawn out conflict there could be further negative impact on agri-bulk exports.

Pranay Shukla, Associate Director at S&P Global Market Intelligence said, “There could also be further significant downside risks to the Black Sea agri-bulk forecast for this year depending on how long the war extends and if Ukraine can manage its exports from Romania and Poland, while upside risks could arise from Russian wheat exports on expected strong domestic wheat harvest.”

S&P currently forecasts that agri-bulk shipments from the Black Sea region will decline 37% year-on-year to 11.2, tons in the second quarter of 2022, and by 20%YoY to 83.9 million tons for the full year in 2022.

“The insurance industry is likely to see a number of claims under specialist war policies from vessels damaged or lost to sea mines, rocket attacks and bombings in conflict zones,” explained Justus Heinrich, Global Product Leader, Marine Hull, at AGCS. Insurers may also receive claims under marine war policies from vessels and cargo blocked or trapped in Ukrainian ports and coastal waters.

 

United States condemns killing of journalist during Israeli military raid

The United States government on Wednesday condemned the killing of a journalist during an Israeli military raid in the West Bank and called for an immediate and thorough investigation to determine who is accountable. 

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the death of Shireen Abu Akleh represented “an affront to media freedom everywhere.”

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre echoed Price’s comments, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that the administration strongly condemns the killing of the journalist. Jean-Pierre did not say whether President Joe Biden planned to call Abu Akleh’s family.   

Abu Akleh was shot and killed while covering an Israeli military raid in Jenin, a city administered by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

Israel has launched an investigation into Abu Akleh’s death and called for participation of the Palestinian Authority, which has refused. The Palestinian health ministry blamed the Israeli military for the journalist’s death.

Israeli Army Chief Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi said that the army could not yet determine whether Abu Akleh was hit by Israeli or Palestinian gunfire. The Associated Press reported, walking back an earlier statement from Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that the journalist’s death likely came from gunfire from armed Palestinians. 

The Israeli Defense Forces said it was conducting counter terrorism operations in the West Bank city when tens of Palestinian gunmen fired at and hurled explosive devices toward the soldiers and soldiers responded with gunfire. There were no injuries among Israeli forces, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Abu Akleh, 51, was a veteran Middle East journalist who reported for Al Jazeera’s Arabic language channel. She was reportedly shot in the head.

Al Jazeera reported that another one of their journalists, Ali al-Samoudi, was wounded by a bullet in the back at the scene and is in stable condition.

Al-Samoudi told Al Jazeera that there were no Palestinian fighters present when the journalists were shot. 

“We were going to film the Israeli army operation and suddenly they shot us without asking us to leave or stop filming,” al-Samoudi told the Qatari-based news outlet. 

“The first bullet hit me and the second bullet hit Shireen … there was no Palestinian military resistance at all at the scene.”

Abu Akleh’s death comes amid an escalation in Israeli counterterrorism operations in response to a series of attacks made by Palestinians, with at least 18 Israelis and 30 Palestinians killed in recent weeks.