Naval warfare has undergone significant transformations over the years, and the development of naval vessels plays a crucial role in maintaining maritime superiority.
The DDG(X) destroyer, a cutting-edge marine vessel, stands as a testament to the relentless pursuit of technological excellence in naval architecture. This essay delves into the history, development, and strategic deployment of the DDG(X) destroyer, highlighting its impact on modern naval operations. The DDG(X) destroyer is part of the United States Navy's continuous efforts to stay at the forefront of naval technology. It is the latest iteration in a long line of destroyers that have evolved to meet the challenges of changing geopolitical landscapes. The legacy of the DDG(X) can be traced back to earlier destroyer classes, such as the Arleigh Burke-class, which has been a workhorse of the U.S. Navy since the 1990s. The development of the DDG(X) destroyer represents a quantum leap in naval capabilities. Incorporating lessons learned from previous classes, the DDG(X) is designed to be a versatile and multi-mission platform. The U.S. Navy, in collaboration with leading defense contractors, invested heavily in research and development to create a vessel that excels in anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare. Key Technological Advancements:
The DDG(X) destroyer plays a pivotal role in the United States Navy's global maritime strategy. Its strategic deployment involves both forward presence and power projection. Forward-deployed DDG(X) vessels serve as a deterrent, ensuring stability in key regions and demonstrating the United States' commitment to its allies. Simultaneously, the destroyer's ability to project power allows it to rapidly respond to emerging threats and crises. Furthermore, the DDG(X) is an integral part of carrier strike groups, enhancing the overall capability of naval task forces. Its versatility enables it to contribute to a wide range of missions, from providing air defense for the carrier to conducting independent operations in littoral regions. The DDG(X) destroyer represents a pinnacle of naval engineering, blending cutting-edge technology with strategic foresight. Its development underscores the commitment of the United States Navy to maintain maritime superiority in an ever-evolving geopolitical landscape. As the DDG(X) takes its place in the fleet, it stands as a symbol of naval innovation, ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century and beyond.
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The Chinese Communist Party has gained increasing influence over Chinese weekend schools in the Netherlands in recent years. This is the conclusion of Follow The Money (FTM) and RTL News after research. The schools receive free textbooks from the Chinese government and organize courses for teachers and camps for students in China. There are 28 Chinese weekend schools in the Netherlands, where approximately 5,000 Dutch children between the ages of 5 and 18 receive lessons every week. These are mainly language and culture lessons, usually with a Chinese background. Chinese geography and history are also taught at a number of schools. These weekend schools are affiliated with an umbrella organization that, according to FTM and RTL, has close ties with the Chinese embassy and a ministry that wants to exercise control over everyone abroad who is considered Chinese by the Chinese government. For example, this so-called United Front Work Department counters opposition voices and tries to influence global opinion about China. The chairman of the Dutch umbrella organization traveled to China in October for consultations with the ministry. The chairman confirms to RTL News that the foundation is supported by the Chinese government. "It is financially difficult for weekend schools. Fewer and fewer companies want to sponsor Chinese education. Last October I asked in China whether the Chinese government would like to continue the support." Trainings and summer camps The ministry ensures, among other things, that teachers from China regularly go to the Netherlands to give lessons to children, or to provide training to teachers of the weekend schools. The ministry also organizes summer camps in China for Dutch students. The trip is largely paid for by the Communist Party. Since 2001, textbooks have also been imported and distributed to the 28 weekend schools through the umbrella foundation. These are donated by the Chinese government. Schools only have to pay 1 euro for distribution and customs costs. The textbooks contain material approved by the Communist Party. For example, Taiwan is described as a province of China, and nothing is said about the millions of deaths that occurred in the 20th century due to famine and internal violence under Chinese leader Mao Zedong. According to the foundation, the books are not used in lessons, but are mainly ordered by parents to use them at home. China increasingly active
Experts tell RTL News that China has been increasingly active in dealing with Chinese abroad in recent years. "You actually see a break since Xi Jinping came to power," says Christopher Houtkamp of the Clingendael Institute. "Then China started investing more heavily in weekend schools." The Dutch Education Inspectorate does not carry out any checks on the weekend schools, because they do not receive any money from the Dutch government. The Ministry of Education tells RTL that it will discuss it internally. The ministry is also working on a bill to give the Education Inspectorate the opportunity to inspect weekend schools. The Netherlands should urgently get ready to face a security challenge posed by an “increasingly assertive” Russia, the nation’s Land Forces commander, Lieutenant General Martin Wijnen, said on Thursday. The EU nation should strengthen its military and help society adapt to the potential hardships of war, he added.
The general claimed that Moscow has designs on the Baltic States, three former Soviet republics which have joined NATO and the EU, after it is done with Ukraine. “The Netherlands should not think that [its] safety is guaranteed just because we are 1,500 kilometers away,” Wijnen warned, adding that “Russia is getting stronger.” Wijnen told De Telegraaf newspaper on Thursday that the Netherlands “must work on [its] operational readiness, ensure that we have enough deterrence to deprive any adversary of the courage to [attack] us.” He also claimed that “there is only one language that Russia understands,” and that is the one “of robust Armed Forces.” The general, who has led the Royal Netherlands Army since 2019, also described the Dutch military as “crippled by budget cuts,” according to De Telegraaf. The Netherlands, which abolished conscription back in 1997, is now facing a “glaring personnel shortage,” the paper said. Wijnen spoke about the need to increase the army's size and warned that it could not afford to take any battle casualties. “If we start to suffer losses, who will replenish them?” the general asked. “We used to have options for that, but not anymore,” he added, noting that the Dutch would not get a choice on whether to fight or not in case of an “imposed conflict.” “The Netherlands must learn again that the entire society must be ready when things go wrong,” Wijnen said. While his words do not mean that everyone would have to “wear a helmet tomorrow,” the Dutch people have become “too accustomed to the idea that there is always peace,” the army chief added. The Dutch military is currently running a campaign called “service year,” which encourages young people to enlist in the army voluntarily for 12 months. According to Wijnen, the idea has supposedly been a huge success, though he admitted that only around 600 people joined the program this year, when “that should be between two and three thousand.” Wijnen also urged Dutch society to improve its “resilience,” storing “supplies, food and drinking water” in basements so it could “take the blow” when the time comes. Dutch companies should also be ready to provide for the needs of the military if the need arises, he added. The Netherlands has been one of the most ardent supporters of Kiev in its ongoing conflict with Moscow. The EU state was one of the few countries to pledge the delivery of US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that his government has started preparations for the delivery of the first 18 planes to Kiev. The US, which is by far Ukraine’s biggest single military aid donor, has long been reluctant to supply Ukraine with Western-made fighter jets. Washington only gave permission for Ukrainian pilots to train on F-16 jets and signaled that it was ready to approve a third-party transfer of the aircraft to Kiev this summer, adding that the training should be completed first. Moscow has never mentioned any plans to attack any NATO nations. It has only repeatedly warned that continued military supplies by the US and its allies to Kiev make them de facto parties to the conflict and increase the risk of a direct confrontation between Russia and the US-led military bloc. Gaston Glock, the reclusive engineer and tycoon who developed one of the world's best-selling handguns, died on Wednesday aged 94. The Austrian won loyal followings among police and military across the world with the weapons that bore his name. Forbes estimated his and his family's fortune at $1.1 billion in 2021. His rise began in the 1980s when the Austrian military was looking for a new, innovative weapon. Up until then, the Glock company had made military knives and consumer goods including curtain rods. But he assembled a team of firearms experts and came up with the Glock 17, a lightweight semi-automatic gun largely made of plastic. The revolutionary design - with a frame made of a high-strength, nylon-based polymer and only the slide made of metal - beat several other companies' blueprints and secured his upstart outfit the contract. Soon the easily assembled weapon became a global hit. "Get yourself a Glock and lose that nickel-plated sissy pistol," Tommy Lee Jones said in the 1998 movie "U.S. Marshals". Many U.S. police officers used them and U.S. rappers worked them into their rhymes, among them Snoop Dogg's "Protocol" and Wu-Tang Clan's "Da Glock". U.S. soldiers found toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein hiding with a Glock in a hole in the ground in 2003. They later presented that weapon to U.S. President George W. Bush, according to the New York Times. Gun-control advocates criticised Glock for popularising powerful guns that they said were easy to conceal and could hold more ammunition than other guns. A former U.S. Marine combat veteran armed with what police described as a .45 caliber Glock with a high-capacity magazine killed 12 people in a bar in Thousand Oaks, California, in November 2018. White supremacist Dylann Roof used a Glock pistol to kill nine African-American people during a Bible study session at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, in June, 2015. Glock himself rarely responded to criticism from activists, shunned public debate and, in 2000, refused to join other weapons manufacturers in signing a voluntary gun control deal with the U.S. government. He made few comments of any kind to the press, but the public got glimpses of a sometimes tempestuous private life through the courts. At the age of 70, in July 1999, he survived an attempt on his life when an investment broker who managed his assets hired a former wrestler to attack him with a rubber hammer, a court heard. Glock had grown suspicious of how the broker was managing his affairs and had flown to Luxembourg to confront him, lawyers said. He suffered seven blows to the head but fended off the assault. The broker, Charles Ewert, and the attacker, Jacques Pecheur, were both jailed.
His 49-year-old marriage with Helga Glock ended in divorce in 2011 and the pair embarked on a lengthy legal battle over alimony. Soon after, he married his second wife, Kathrin, more than 50 years his junior. He owned a lakefront mansion and a state-of-the-art equestrian sport centre in the province of Carinthia, where celebrities showed up for parties. He is survived by his wife, a daughter and two sons. The New York Times filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against Microsoft and OpenAI for copyright infringement, claiming their artificial intelligence (AI) platforms represent unfair competition and a menace to the free press and society.
This is the first copyright challenge from a major American media organization, according to the Times. The newspaper has asked the federal court in Manhattan to hold the defendants responsible for “billions of dollars in statutory and actual damages” for their “unlawful copying and use of The Times’s uniquely valuable works.” It has also demanded that the companies destroy any chatbot models and training data that have used the outlet’s copyrighted material. “Defendants seek to free-ride on The Times’s massive investment in its journalism,” said the complaint, accusing Microsoft and OpenAI of “using The Times’s content without payment to create products that substitute for The Times and steal audiences away from it.” Microsoft has reportedly committed to investing $13 billion into OpenAI and has already used some of its technology in its search engine, Bing. In one example cited in the lawsuit, the ChatGPT-powered Browse With Bing featured results “reproduced almost verbatim” from the Times’ product review site Wirecutter, but did not attribute the content and removed the referral links used by the newspaper to generate commissions from sales, resulting in a loss of revenue. Microsoft and OpenAI “placed particular emphasis” on using the Times’ journalism because of the “perceived reliability and accuracy of the material,” the newspaper has claimed. “If The Times and other news organizations cannot produce and protect their independent journalism, there will be a vacuum that no computer or artificial intelligence can fill,” the complaint claimed, adding, “Less journalism will be produced, and the cost to society will be enormous.” The US newspaper of record noted that it had approached OpenAI and Microsoft in April to explore “an amicable resolution” of the copyright issue, but without success. Several other media outlets have reached agreements with OpenAI for the use of their content, including the Associated Press and Axel Springer, the German owners of Politico and Business Insider. The newspaper is represented by Susman Godfrey, the same law firm that filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI earlier this month, and represented Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation case against Fox News related to the 2020 US presidential election. The country’s accession will now need to be approved in a parliamentary vote. Fuat Oktay, the head of the foreign affairs commission, has told reporters that the parliament’s speaker would only decide on timing. Following the committee's approval, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said Sweden welcomed the decision in a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter), writing that he was “looking forward to joining NATO.” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also welcomed the move, and called on Türkiye and Hungary to “complete their ratifications as soon as possible. Sweden’s membership will make NATO stronger.”
NATO requires that all of its members must agree unanimously on expansion, and Türkiye and Hungary are the only countries that have been standing in Stockholm's way. Hungary claims that Swedish politicians have told “blatant lies” about the condition of Hungary’s democracy. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said last week that there was “no great willingness” to approve Sweden’s bid; however, Türkiye has been seen as the main NATO member preventing the Nordic country’s inclusion in the military alliance. In May 2022, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan objected to both Swedish and Finnish requests to join the military bloc, complaining that the Nordic nations were embracing terrorists. Türkiye later ratified Finland's bid in April, but kept Sweden waiting, demanding more security concessions. Ankara said the Nordic country needed to take more steps to crack down on Kurdish militants. Stockholm penned a new anti-terrorism bill in response and said that it had upheld its part of a deal signed last year. Sweden and NATO members Finland, Canada and the Netherlands also took steps to lift arms embargoes imposed on Türkiye. Earlier this month, Erdogan openly linked the ratification of Sweden’s membership to the US Congress’ approval of a Turkish request to purchase 40 F-16 fighter jets. The White House has backed the Turkish request but there has been opposition in Congress to military sales to Türkiye. Türkiye’s heel-dragging has baffled some of the country’s fellow NATO members, who were swift to accept Sweden and Finland into the bloc. Unlike its allies, Ankara seeks to maintain a neutral position towards the conflict in Ukraine, calling on the parties to end the hostilities, but also criticizing Western sanctions on Russia. In September Erdogan told PBS, a US broadcaster, that in his opinion, Russia and the West are “equally” reliable and trustworthy. Deputy Prime Minister Sigrid Kaag will be stepping down from her role in national politics. Kaag will take a new role with the United Nations as the Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, she announced on X. She informed King Willem-Alexander of her request to step down as both deputy prime minister and the minister of finance. "The King granted this resignation, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, in the most honorable manner, while expressing gratitude for the many and important services rendered by the Minister to him and the Kingdom," said the government communications service RVD. Kaag's resignation will take effect from January 8, 2024. "Last summer, I already announced my departure from Dutch politics. This moment is coming sooner than anticipated," she said in a statement. "Peace, security, and justice have always been my driving forces," she said. "I have accepted this special assignment in the hopes of contributing to a better future." She said she was honored to be asked to take her new role by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. The job was created by U.N. Security Council Resolution 2720. Kaag said her time on the third and fourth Cabinets of Mark Rutte have been both "special and challenging," and highlighted several points of pride. "It is good to mention that in a relatively short Cabinet period, much has been done in the field of climate, support for Ukraine, the strengthening of the European and international role of the Netherlands, purchasing power in addition to a renewed commitment to stable public finances and the reform of the European budget rules." She also noted the government's apology for the country's past ties to slavery. Kaag also thanked her Ministry of Finance staff.
In the Netherlands, Kaag's tasks as minister of finance will be handled by Rob Jetten, the current minister for climate and energy. Both Kaag and Jetten are members of political party D66. A new finance minister will be sought to serve on the current caretaker Cabinet. The disruption of cargo ships in the Red Sea due to attacks by Houthi militants from Yemen is causing global shippers to redirect vessels, potentially leading to increased prices for goods.
Swedish furniture giant IKEA announced this week that it was exploring options to secure the availability of its products that are mainly delivered through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal from Asian factories to Western markets. “The situation in the Suez Canal will result in delays and may cause availability constraints for certain Ikea products,” Oscar Ljunggren, a spokesperson for Inter IKEA Group, told Bloomberg. Meanwhile, Abercrombie & Fitch is planning to shift from sea freight to air transport whenever possible to mitigate disruptions, as reported in an email to suppliers. Earlier this week, Danish shipping group Maersk said it had rerouted vessels around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope due to the heightened risk of attacks, reducing the effective capacity of an Asia-Europe trip by 25%. German transport company Hapag-Lloyd followed suit. However, sending vessels around Africa increases a round-trip journey by nearly two and a half weeks, inevitably lowering shipping capacity and raising costs. The Suez Canal is a vital transport artery that handles about 15% of the world’s shipping activity, including nearly 30% of global container trade. The recent attacks, occurring amid the Israel-Hamas war, have triggered a new trade and shipping emergency, reminiscent of the 2021 incident where one of the largest container ships blocked the canal for six days, resulting in a daily cost of $9.6 billion to global trade. As I was watching the presidents of three elite universities testify before Congress on Tuesday, I wondered whether I was watching the beginning of Wokeism’s death throes.
To be clear, I’m not referring to the original use of the word “woke” by African American parents to encourage their children to be aware of their surroundings in an oftentimes dangerous nation for black youth. I’m referring to the blend of rules and expectations for modern behavior that’s more complicated than croquet and which has proliferated online, on college campuses, and with many of our institutions. Wokeism is made even more troubling by the inconsistent application of its ever-changing rules. Leaders who boldly proclaimed that marriage “is the union between a man and a woman” as Barack Obama did when running for president, or who opposed desegregation on the basis that he didn’t want his kids growing up in a “racial jungle” as Joe Biden did, are apparently acceptable in the world of woke. The latter even led the charge to discredit Anita Hill when she raised allegations of sexual harassment by Clarence Thomas. Still, he gets a pass. Others are canceled for lesser offenses – and it’s happened on the very campuses the three presidents who came to Capitol Hill this week are supposed to lead. Presumably, those past statements are tolerated because we recognize that even recent history, in some ways, is a foreign country – distant and unfamiliar. Or maybe it’s simply politically expedient for the keepers of the evolving woke code to forgive some words or actions and not others. Which brings us back to Tuesday’s hearings. None of the university presidents in that room – Harvard president Claudine Gay, University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology president Sally Kornbluth to testify – gets to defend their shameful equivocations as made at a different time under different cultural norms. Nor can they hide behind their disingenuous claims of protecting free speech. In fact, Harvard was recently ranked by The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) dead last when it comes to protecting speech on college campuses. What constitutes acceptable speech on their campuses appears to be whatever appeals to their sensibilities. This makes their inability to condemn calls for genocide against Jews a choice, and a deplorable one at that. America’s elite universities have subjected students and professors to censure or disciplinary action for purposefully misgendering or committing a “micro-aggression” as banal as asking someone where they are from. (If Vivek Ramaswamy had fat-shamed Chris Christie when he was a Harvard student instead of on the debate stage Wednesday night, he would have run afoul of Harvard’s written codes of conduct). To not apply a more forceful response to calls for mass murder effectively exposes their embrace of wokeism for what it is – hypocrisy. One would like to think that Claudine Gay, Liz Magill, and Sally Kornbluth are atypical. Based on reports from around the country, however, they clearly aren’t the only college administrators in America who would fail the same moral test. I understand the role of the university in encouraging intellectual conflict and being open to multiple viewpoints on a subject. But there’s a difference between calling for an end to hostilities in Gaza and calling for the elimination of millions of people. Anyone who doesn’t recognize this lacks moral clarity and is unfit to lead any organization that purports to mold young minds. In the coming weeks, members of these university boards are going to reveal whether they are simply padding their own resumes or taking their responsibilities seriously as stewards of three of our nation’s leading institutions. Over the weekend, the University of Pennsylvania, prompted by the threatened loss of a $100 million contribution and strong condemnation from the state’s governor, took a step in that direction by ousting Liz Magill. Real leadership, however, not only means addressing their morally bankrupt administrators but also redefining what constitutes acceptable behavior into something that is understandable, transparent, consistently applied, and treats everyone with dignity. The Netherlands will supply Ukraine with eighteen F-16 fighter jets, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte confirmed on Friday. He wrote on social media that he notified his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of the caretaker Cabinet's decision during a phone call on Friday morning.
The Netherlands already confirmed in August that it would supply Ukraine with the aircraft after receiving permission from the United States, where the warplanes are manufactured. Zelenskyy had requested the aircraft during earlier conversations with its allies. Although it was never officially confirmed that the Netherlands would provide 18 aircraft in total, it was known that the Dutch military had 18 surplus F-16s that were not in an operational state. The other 24 are operational, even as the Dutch Air Force has been upgrading its fleet with the newer F-35. Rutte confirmed the number of aircraft on Friday. "Today I also informed President Zelenskyy of our government’s decision to prepare an initial 18 F-16 fighter aircraft for delivery to Ukraine. The delivery of F-16s is one of the most important elements of the agreements made on military support for Ukraine," Rutte wrote. An export permit is still needed to supply the jets, and other conditions related to personnel and infrastructure will need to be "met before delivery can take place." Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren explained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will still need to make sure that handing the planes over to Ukraine meets European Union requirements about exporting arms. Zelenskyy thanked Rutte for the military support in a post on X. "We discussed frontline developments, the situation in the Black Sea, and Ukraine’s current military needs, including artillery, drones, and air defense," he wrote. The Netherlands has already helped spearhead an effort to create a training center for F-16 fighter pilots in Romania. The facility is being used to teach Ukrainian and Romanian pilots how to fly the aircraft. At least five F-16 units are on the ground at the Romanian location, but they will remain property of the Netherlands. The training takes an estimated six to eight months. "This decision confirms the Netherlands’ undiminished commitment to providing Ukraine with the support it needs to respond to the ongoing Russian aggression," Rutte stated. He also said that the Netherlands is available to assist Ukraine in its ongoing effort to join the European Union. "I also assured President Zelenskyy that the Netherlands will make every effort to ensure agreement is reached at the European Council meeting in February 2024 on financial support from the EU," Rutte said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán blocked the EU's bid to offer 50 billion euros in support to Ukraine earlier this month. After the EU summit in mid-December, Rutte said he was optimistic that that European leaders would come together in agreement early next year. "It is an assumption. And that assumption is that you need just a little more time," he said at the time. "I also thanked the Netherlands for actively supporting the opening of Ukraine’s EU accession talks and emphasized the importance of providing €50 billion in long-term EU assistance for Ukraine as soon as possible," Zelenskyy said on Friday. "We agreed to continue our joint work on security guarantees following the G7 Vilnius Declaration. We also discussed the next Peace Formula meeting and efforts to further consolidate international support for the Ukrainian vision of a just peace." More then 5,400 underage Asylum seekers arrived Alone in the Netherlands this Year, up 29%21/12/2023 The number of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the Netherlands has been increasing, with over 5,400 applications up to November this year, compared to about 4,200 in 2022 and 2,200 in 2021, NOS reported on Thursday.
The proportion of unaccompanied minors within the total asylum applications in the Netherlands has risen to 16 percent this year, up from 9 percent in 2015. The WODC institute is presenting research on the motivations of these young asylum seekers to the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, on Thursday. The Netherlands was considered a favorable destination due to relatively quick asylum and reunification processes, as noted by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND). Researchers anticipate that the current long waiting times for asylum in the Netherlands will become known among young people, potentially changing the country's previously positive image of faster procedures. Most young asylum seekers arrive in the Netherlands by chance, fleeing unsafe conditions in their home countries or in countries they initially escaped to. The increasing complexity of flight routes, including pushbacks, has led to a delay effect, resulting in an accumulation of asylum applications this year. Under the Dublin Regulation, minor asylum seekers cannot be returned to their first country of arrival in Europe. Young people often choose their destination country en route, influenced by various factors. There may be many reasons why they end up in the Netherlands, including information from acquaintances, advice from human smugglers, or friendships formed during their journey with others heading to the Netherlands. Strict asylum policies in countries like Denmark also affect their choice of the Netherlands. Half of the young asylum seekers are from Syria, drawn to the Netherlands for its reputation as a safe society with guaranteed human rights and future prospects for youth. Additionally, they often have extensive social networks within the country. "Syrians are more likely to be highly educated and have more access to knowledge about escape routes and networks that they share via social media," said researcher Isik Kulu-Glasgow. Since 2019, there's been an increase in unaccompanied minors arriving in the Netherlands and across Europe. Often, parents send their eldest child, who can withstand the tough journey, ahead when they cannot afford to flee with the entire family, while the father stays behind to care for the remaining family members. According to previous IND research, 80 percent of unaccompanied minors who are allowed to stay in the Netherlands apply for family reunification. But family reunification is not always the primary objective; sometimes, children are sent away for their safety. Youths restricted by religious or conservative norms are also more likely to decide to leave on their own. The Ministry of Justice and Security recently expressed serious concern about the ongoing shortage of shelter spaces for unaccompanied minors. In a letter to the Tweed Kamer, they noted that as of October 30, 290 minors were housed in Ter Apel, exceeding its maximum capacity of 55. The facility struggles to provide adequate guidance when over 120 youths are present. The influx is expected to remain high next year. A shooting at a university in the center of Prague has left several people dead and dozens wounded, according to local police. The exact number of fatalities was not immediately clear, but authorities said the shooter has been “eliminated” after the massacre. The entire area around Jan Palach Square has been cordoned off as first responders work to help the victims at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts. “Based on initial information, we can confirm that there are dead and injured people at the scene,” police said in a statement on X. “We urge citizens not to stay in the immediate vicinity and not to leave the house.” Footage from the scene showed students fleeing the building with their hands raised in the air. University employees were warned that the shooter might be moving around the building, one eyewitness told Radio Liberty. Police have not yet released a description of the shooter, and it’s unclear what the motive could be.
Gold Gains Amidst Fed Rate Cut Prospects Gold (XAU/USD) prices are inching higher on Wednesday. The precious metal has remained consistently above the crucial $2,000 level for a week, buoyed by the anticipation of interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve next year. This sentiment is further fueled by the Fed’s recent signals indicating a possible end to its tightening phase and a shift towards rate reductions in 2024. Treasury Yields and US Dollar Response The prospect of these rate cuts has rippled through financial markets, notably impacting U.S. Treasury yields. The 10-year yield has retreated, aligning with the Fed’s unexpectedly dovish pivot. Concurrently, the U.S. dollar is experiencing a slump against major currencies, trading lower as markets bet on imminent rate cuts. This weakening of the dollar has been a contributing factor to the gold market’s current trajectory. Global Inflation and Monetary Policies The global inflation landscape is also influencing market sentiments. The U.K., for instance, reported a more significant than expected drop in inflation, reaching its lowest annual rate since September 2021. This decline has implications for the Bank of England’s monetary policy, which maintained a hawkish stance in its last meeting, emphasizing the need for a restrictive policy for an extended period. Short-Term Market Outlook In the short term, the market outlook appears cautiously optimistic for gold. The combination of a weakening dollar, declining Treasury yields, and shifting global inflation rates presents a favorable environment for gold prices. Investors, however, remain vigilant, awaiting the U.S. November PCE index report, which will offer further insight into the inflation trajectory and potentially influence the Fed’s policy decisions in the upcoming year. Technical Analysis Gold (XAU/USD) is currently trading at 2044.90, positioned above both its 200-day moving average of 1957.36 and 50-day moving average of 1989.19. This indicates a generally bullish trend. The price is hovering between the minor support at 2009.00 and minor resistance at 2067.00, suggesting a potential consolidation phase. However, it remains below the main resistance level of 2149.00. Given its stance above key moving averages and near minor resistance, the market sentiment for gold appears cautiously bullish. Investors might watch for a breakout above the minor resistance to confirm a stronger bullish trend, or a pullback towards the main support for potential buying opportunities.
German farmers drove hundreds of tractors into the capital Berlin on Monday to protest government plans to abolish tax relief for agricultural diesel. Traffic ground to a halt for several hours in the government district and around the Brandenburg Gate as convoys of tractors moved into the city on major roads. Joachim Rukwied, president of the German Farmers' Association, described the government's decision as a "declaration of war," and said they would not accept it. He also warned that farmers would stage nationwide protests next month if the plan was not rolled back. "Then from January 8th we will be present everywhere in a way that the country has never experienced before,” he said in a statement. Chancellor Olaf Scholz's left-liberal coalition government announced austerity measures and spending cuts last week to fix a €17 billion (about $18.5 billion) gap in the 2024 budget. Under the scheme, German farmers will no longer receive tax breaks on the diesel they use and will no longer be exempt from car tax on farming vehicles. German agricultural associations have been warning that the subsidy cuts would make food even more expensive next year, as transport and energy costs are also expected to rise in 2024.
The European Union has reached agreement on new rules designed to share out the cost and work of hosting migrants more evenly and to limit the numbers of people coming in.
Representatives of the European Parliament and of EU governments reached an accord after all-night talks on EU laws collectively called the New Pact on Migration and Asylum that should take effect next year. The laws cover screening irregular migrants when they arrive in the European Union, procedures for handling asylum applications, rules on determining which EU country is responsible for handling applications and ways to handle crises. Migrant arrivals in the European Union are way down from the 2015 peak of more than 1 million, but have steadily crept up from a 2020 low to 255,000 in the year to November, with more than half crossing the Mediterranean from Africa to Italy or Malta. Previous efforts to share out the responsibility of hosting migrants have foundered because eastern EU members in particular were unwilling to take in people who had arrived in Greece, Italy and other countries. Under the new system, countries not at the border will have a choice between accepting refugees or paying into an EU fund. The screening system envisaged will seek to distinguish between those in need of international protection and others who are not. People whose asylum applications have a low chance of success, such as those from India, Tunisia or Turkey, can be prevented from entering the EU and detained at the border, as can people seen as representing a threat to security. Refugee rights groups have said it will create what amounts to prison camps at the EU's borders. Germany welcomed the deal, saying it would ensure the new asylum system is implemented in a "fair, orderly" manner."The agreement on a common European asylum system was urgently needed and long overdue," said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. |
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