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| NATO to hold largest ever European air drills over Germany |
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Posted by: Stone - 5 hours ago - Forum: Global News
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NATO to hold largest ever European air drills over Germany
DW | June 7, 2023
US and German officials said that the drills will be "absolutely impressive" and show that NATO territory is a political "red line." The drills are designed to simulate a response to an attack on a NATO member country.
Germany is set to host NATO's largest air force deployment over Europe in the alliance's history, officials said on Wednesday.
The Air Defender 23 exercise is scheduled to start on Monday. It will involve 10,000 participants and 250 aircraft from 25 countries.
The drills are designed to simulate a response to an attack on a NATO member country.
The US will send 100 aircraft and 2,000 personnel to take part in the exercise.
![[Image: 65847980_906.jpeg]](https://static.dw.com/image/65847980_906.jpeg)
Washington is one of the major contributers to the exercise and plans to send 100 aircraft and 2,000 personelImage: Jane Schmidt/Bundeswehr
NATO to defend 'every centimeter' of territory
"We are showing that NATO territory is our red line, that we are prepared to defend every centimeter of this territory," German Air Force Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz said.
But the senior German commander insisted that the exercise was designed to show a "defensive" posture toward Russia.
"But we won't, for example, conduct any flights toward Kaliningrad. So this is intended to be defensive," he said.
US Ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann said that the drills will constitute an "impressive" show of force toward other countries in the world.
"This is an exercise that would be absolutely impressive to anybody who's watching, and we don't make anybody watch it," the US official told reporters in Berlin.
"It will demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt the agility and the swiftness of our allied force in NATO as a first responder," she said.
"I would be pretty surprised if any world leader was not taking note of what this shows in terms of the spirit of this alliance, which means the strength of this alliance," she declared. "And that includes (Russian President Vladimir) Putin."
Officials foresee only minor civilian flight disruption
Gerhartz said at a press conference on Wednesday that the drills would only have a minor impact on civilian air traffic.
"It will be in the range of minutes at the most," the German air force commander said.
US National Guard director Michael Loh echoed the comments, saying that disruption is expected to be minimal.
But the German air traffic controller's union GdF has argued that the drills could have a "massive impact."
"The military exercise Air Defender will of course have a massive impact on the flow of civil aviation," GdF chairman Matthias Maas told the German Press Agency.
Maas cited figures by the air traffic control organization Eurocontrol, which calculated up to 50,000 delay minutes per maneuver day.
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| RFK Jr. declares he would ‘keep government away’ from banning abortion as president |
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Posted by: Juan Diego - 06-06-2023, 08:06 PM - Forum: Abortion
- Replies (1)
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So much for Children's Health Defense! What about the innocent defenseless in the womb? According to Kennedy, not all children's lives matter.
RFK Jr. declares he would ‘keep government away’
from banning abortion as president
![[Image: rfkjr24-810x500.jpg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/rfkjr24-810x500.jpg)
Ever since announcing his long-shot bid for the Democrat presidential nomination, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has received interest from pro-lifers due to his steadfast opposition to the COVID-19 vaccines and medical authoritarianism more broadly. But in remarks last week, he confirmed that he shares the pro-abortion stance of both his party and his famous family.
Kennedy, nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy and son of the late Attorney General Robert Kennedy, is a longtime environmental activist and founder of the group Children’s Health Defense, which gained prominence in recent years as a sharp critic of the federal government and medical establishment’s response to the COVID pandemic.
Last month, he launched his bid against President Joe Biden for their party’s nomination with a challenge to the orthodoxies of both parties and a pledge to “end the corrupt merger of state and corporate power that is threatening now to impose a new kind of corporate feudalism on our country.”
“My whole family, including myself, have long personal relationships with President Biden,” Kennedy told a crowd at his announcement at Park Plaza Hotel in Massachusetts. “And they are entitled to their beliefs, and I respect their opinions — and I love them back. Is it too much to hope that we could have the same thing for our country? We have a polarization in our country today that is so toxic, so dangerous, than at any time since the Civil War.”
Between opposition to the extremes of the modern Democrat Party and discontent with the current Republican frontrunner to oppose Biden, former President Donald Trump, some conservatives began to speculate about Kennedy, and how palatable some of his less-vocal positions might be to them.
His campaign website touts a desire to “heal the divide” between Left and Right and says Kennedy “has clear positions on most of today’s divisive trigger issues like abortion, guns, and immigration, but he knows that both sides have legitimate concerns and legitimate moral positions,” including “[f]ew relish the thought of dead fetuses, nor do they want to force women to have unwanted babies.”
The Kennedy campaign did not respond to an inquiry from LifeSiteNews requesting elaboration on his abortion position but did give a statement to Newsweek published May 15. Kennedy Jr. “believes strongly in the principle of bodily autonomy, whether the issue is abortion or medical mandates,” a spokesperson said. “He will keep government away from women’s childbearing choices. The moral issues are best left to the woman, her family, and her religious community.”
The news is unsurprising given Kennedy’s and his family’s history with far-left politics. In an otherwise-glowing 2021 review of his “extraordinary” book The Real Anthony Fauci, The American Spectator’s Jack Cashill faulted Kennedy for omitting the preborn from his organization’s stated mission of “hold[ing] bad actors accountable in order to help ensure a healthy future for our children.”
“It is hard to imagine any exposure more ‘toxic’ for a baby than to be vacuumed into oblivion or ripped apart by forceps,” Cashill wrote at the time. “Calling the baby a ‘fetus’ may salve the conscience of the abortion industry’s enablers, but it does not make the killing any more humane. Here is hoping that Bobby, upon seeing the irony, expands the CHD franchise to ‘children from the very moment of conception.’”
Kennedy is sufficiently out of step with the modern Democratic Party that he is not expected to pose a serious threat at winning the nomination. But a USA Today/Suffolk University poll released around his campaign launch found that 14% of Americans who voted for Biden in 2020 would back Kennedy instead, suggesting he resonates with a disaffected minority of Democrats and could pose a serious problem for the party if he were to run as a third-party candidate in the 2024 general election.
Meanwhile, Biden instists he will run for a second term, although his underwater approval ratings and ongoing questions about his cognitive health continue to fuel speculation that Democrats will replace him with a younger candidate, such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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| World's first baby is born from a transplanted uterus implanted by a robot |
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Posted by: Stone - 06-06-2023, 08:57 AM - Forum: General Commentary
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World's first baby is born from a transplanted uterus implanted by a robot
- and it brings hope to tens of thousands of American women who lack a womb
![[Image: 71789615-12161741-image-a-35_1685988039285.jpg]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/05/19/71789615-12161741-image-a-35_1685988039285.jpg)
Surgeons used robots to help carry out the surgery in Sweden, which are less invasive and reduce the risk of developing an infection
Daily Mail [adapted] | 6 June 2023
A baby boy carried in a uterus implanted into his mother by a robot was born in a world first.
The youngster, who has not been named, weighed six pounds and 13 ounces when he was born via planned C-section in Sweden last month. Both the child and his 35-year-old mother are doing well.
The pregnancy was made possible when a family member agreed to donate their uterus to the mother, who then had a fertilized egg implanted into it via IVF. The case marks the first time robots have been used for the procedure.
It will give hope to the tens of thousands of American women who don't have a uterus — which can be due to cancer or a medical condition — or have one unable to carry infants.
The case was revealed by surgeons at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, a leader in uterus transplants. ...
Surgeons inserted cameras and robotic arms with surgical instruments attached through the small entry holes in the lower belly to carry out the procedure — with the robotic arms being the first for this type of surgery.
The arms were steered via joysticks, with surgeons using consoles to see 3D images of the patient's insides simultaneously.
This method is less invasive than the standard uterus transplant, which involves opening up larger openings in patients.
It is also thought to reduce the risk of infections, hemorrhages and allow patients to return to their daily lives faster.
The transplant occurred in October 2021 at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Ten months later, an embryo was created via IVF before being inserted in the transplanted uterus, and a few weeks later, pregnancy was verified.
Dr Pernilla Dahm-Kähler said they were able to carry out ultra-fine surgery with robots. Dr Niclas Kvarnström added: 'With the robot-assisted technique, procedures can be done that were previously considered impossible to perform with standard keyhole surgery.'
The mother-to-be felt well throughout her pregnancy, which has thus now concluded with a planned C-section in the 38th week at the end of May 2023.
Pernilla Dahm-Kähler, adjunct professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, was the principal surgeon in the complex operation on the recipient.
She said: 'With robot-assisted keyhole surgery, we can carry out ultra-fine precision surgery.
'The technique gives very good access to operate deep down into the pelvis. This is the surgery of the future, and we’re proud and glad to have been able to develop uterine transplantations to this minimally invasive technical level.'
Dr Niclas Kvarnström, the transplant surgeon who performed the complicated blood-vessel suturing in the recipient, added: 'With the robot-assisted technique, procedures can be done that were previously considered impossible to perform with standard keyhole surgery.
'It is a privilege to be part of the evolution in this field with the overall goal to minimize the trauma to the patient caused by the surgery.'
The work is headed by Mats Brännström, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, and gynecologist and senior consultant doctor at the University Hospital.
He said: 'This is the 14th baby born in the uterus transplantation project at Sahlgrenska Academy, and more births are awaited this summer.
'The research project continuously evaluates numerous variables in donors, recipients, and children after the uterus transplantation, following up the operation for several years afterward.
'All this is done to maximize the efficacy of the operation and minimize side effects in the patients.'
About one in 5,000 women in the US is born with a genetic condition that means they do not have a uterus.
Women can also have a uterus that is not structurally able to hold a developing fetus. It may also need to be removed due to conditions like uterine cancer, which affects about 3,300 women under 40 years old annually.
Uterus transplants have been available for women since 2014, although not using robotic arms.
A total of 33 have been carried out in the US to date, with the majority completed at Baylor University's medical center in Texas.
Globally, an estimated 90 uterus transplantations worldwide have been performed, and some 50 babies have been born as a result.
Previous patients have included mother-of-five Aprill Lane, who donated her own uterus at the age of 39 years so that another woman could have children.
The research group has spread the methods and techniques further through direct knowledge transfer to several centers worldwide.
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| Kansas City: Invalid Eucharists for Years? |
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Posted by: Stone - 06-06-2023, 07:01 AM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism
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Kansas City: Invalid [Consecrations]for Years?
gloria.tv | June 5, 2023
Two newly appointed Kansas City priests discovered in their three different parishes that they have used a "wine" that was an invalid matter for consecration for years, Archbishop Joseph Naumann wrote in a May 31 letter (PillarCatholic.com).
Therefore, the Eucharists were possibly invalid and the intentions not fulfilled. Naumann has asked Francis' Vatican for guidance - although Francis couldn't care less.
Naumann tells his priests that altar wine must be made from grapes, without additives, and be "vinified for sacramental use" (although the Vatican has said that the latter is not necessary).
It's unknown what the Eucharists have been celebrated with (grape juice?). Naumann simply states that many commercial wines contain additives like elderberry extract, sugar, alcohol, etc. which could invalidate the Eucharist.
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| Universal Basic Income To Be Trialed In England |
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Posted by: Stone - 06-06-2023, 06:51 AM - Forum: Global News
- No Replies
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Universal Basic Income To Be Trialed In England
![[Image: 2023-06-05_15-04-40.jpg?itok=vMYQzcSY]](https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/styles/inline_image_mobile/public/inline-images/2023-06-05_15-04-40.jpg?itok=vMYQzcSY)
ZH | JUN 06, 2023
Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News,
The scheme will see participants receive £1,600 a month for two years...
Plans have been announced to trial a universal basic income (UBI) in England that would see up to 30 people receive an unconditional payment of £1,600 (€1,854) a month.
Under the scheme, which is the first of its kind in England, residents in central Jarrow, northeast England, and East Finchley, north London, will be handed the funds each month for two years, and researchers will monitor the effect the payment has on their work ethic and mental well-being.
The trial run has been organized by the progressive Autonomy think tank, which is seeking to fund the £1.6 million (€1.85 million) scheme through private donors.
The initiative is not being paid for by U.K. taxpayers and is not affiliated with the British government.
Quote:“Our society is going to require some form of basic income in the coming years, given the tumult of climate change, tech disruption and industrial transition that lies ahead,” claimed Will Stronge, Autonomy’s director of research.
“This is why building the evidence base and public engagement now is so important, so the ground is well prepared for national implementation.”
He explained that researchers were interested to note the effect the UBI payment would have on people’s mental and physical health, as well as their desire to continue working.
Recipients will be free to carry on earning their own salary if they wish and will receive the payment on top of any employment income.
“All the evidence shows that UBI would directly alleviate poverty and boost millions of people’s well-being: the potential benefits are just too large to ignore,” Stronge added.
UBI schemes have recently been piloted elsewhere in Europe, most notably in Finland where a government-backed initiative saw 2,000 unemployed citizens of working age receive a more modest €560 a month in January 2017.
One proponent of UBI is U.S. billionaire Elon Musk who believes the scheme could be an adequate response to the inevitable continuous infringement of artificial intelligence in the workplace.
Quote:“UBI means that unemployed people will be paid across the globe,” Musk told a tech summit in Dubai back in 2017.
“Machines, robots are taking over. There will be fewer and fewer jobs that a robot cannot do better,” he added.
Critics, however, consider the concept to be far too expensive to roll out nationally, would undermine productivity and prevent the government from investing in other priorities, as well as result in citizens relying even more on the state.
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| WHO Body Calls For 'Simulation' To Prep For Next Global Health Crisis |
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Posted by: Stone - 06-06-2023, 06:47 AM - Forum: Global News
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WHO Body Calls For 'Simulation' To Prep For Next Global Health Crisis
ZH | JUN 06, 2023
Authored by Kevin Stocklin via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
As 194 nations continue to work through drafts of pandemic agreements that would grant more authority to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), a body convened by the WHO, has called for a worldwide pandemic simulation to be carried out by the end of this year to test the effectiveness of the new terms before member nations sign them in 2024.
“We feel very strongly that we cannot wait for the next emergency to find out how well the pandemic accord and the IHR amendments will work; we need to know now,” Joy Phumaphi, co-chair of the GPMB, stated on May 22. “We therefore suggest that Member States, together with other key stakeholders, carry out a simulation exercise based on the draft accord and draft IHR amendments later this year, before they are finalized and adopted.”
International negotiations to centralize pandemic-related action within the WHO have been ongoing throughout this spring. They include a “zero draft” WHO pandemic accord and amendments to International Health Regulations (IHRs), as well as discussions among various WHO subcommittees, U.N. organizations, and finance arms like the World Bank. The current round of negotiations on the pandemic accord and IHR amendments have gone on behind closed doors in Geneva, but statements from some of the ancillary groups like the GPMB may shed light on the tone of the discussions.
Phumaphi said that the GPMB’s “Manifesto for Preparedness” includes three “tests” for the treaty and IHR amendments. These are whether the treaty and IHR amendments are “sufficiently powerful,” whether they “deliver equity and coherence,” and whether they “have robust mechanisms for monitoring and accountability.”
Ambassador Pamela Hamamoto is currently negotiating terms of the WHO pandemic accord on behalf of the United States. While the language of the accord and IHR revisions is often opaque and bureaucratic, analysts say the ultimate goal of the reforms is to vest more pandemic authority within the WHO and have this authority extend beyond pandemic emergencies.
“The trajectory is about centralizing power over health emergencies,” David Bell, a public health physician and former WHO staffer specializing in epidemic policy, told The Epoch Times. “It will centralize authority within the WHO, particularly in the director general, and it will broaden the scope to what they call One Health.”
Negotiations Proceed in Secret
In April, delegates from the United States agreed with a Chinese proposal that new IHR drafts would not be shared with the public. Hamamoto stated that “at this stage, I have some concern about sharing the draft to all stakeholders given where we are in the process.”
In response, several nonprofit organizations and health experts wrote a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Secretary of State Antony Blinken protesting the secrecy of the negotiations.
“The attempt to create a veil of secrecy now surrounding the substantive and technical text-based negotiations on the WHO pandemic treaty sets a dangerous precedent for norm-setting at the multilateral level,” they wrote. “It also undermines trust in the process at a time when attacks on the WHO and on the pandemic accord are increasing.”
The GPMB’s Manifesto for Preparedness states that “the success of these reforms will largely be dependent on the adoption of a coordinated, One Health approach to PPPR that involves all countries, international and regional organizations, financial institutions, and the private sector.”
PPPR is the WHO acronym for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. “One Health” refers to the broadening of pandemic response to potentially include things like farming, poverty, and climate change, which could either cause or exacerbate outbreaks, or impair peoples’ health in other ways.
“One Health is anything in the biosphere that affects human well-being in its current definition,” Bell said. Current terms being negotiated, he said, would not only broaden the scope of the WHO’s mandate but would also grant it authority to act when a pandemic “threat” is perceived, as opposed to an actual pandemic emergency.
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