Day: May 5, 2023

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Friday criticized comments by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who said Brussels did not attach importance to China's peace initiative over Ukraine.

"Only a person who knows nothing about geopolitics or a person with 'colonial logic' who does not respect those whom he considers 'inferior' may not take seriously the proposals, put forward on behalf of a fifth of the world's population and the world's leading economy," Zakharova said in a statement on Telegram.

Borrell possesses both of the qualities mentioned, she alleged.

To EU foreign policy chief remarks that the EU considers President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's "peace formula" to be the only viable peace plan for Ukraine, Zakharova responded, "It is not a plan, and it is not peaceful."

"This is (yet) another American tutorial on inciting conflict in Europe," she claimed.

The spokeswoman also said it is not the EU's or even Borrell's opinion on the Chinese initiative, but Washington's, and that if the EU was able to have its own opinion, it would not be in the current situation.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A convoy of empty buses sweeps into a town, alongside members of Russia's domestic intelligence agency FSB. They cite a decree issued by the Russian president regarding the deportation of anyone without Russian citizenship from the occupied territories. "They radically demand that people either give up their Ukrainian passport in favor of a Russian one, or their property will be confiscated immediately and they will be resettled," according to the Ukrainian military.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree according to which citizens of Ukraine living in the Russian-occupied parts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk who wish to keep their Ukrainian citizenship can only stay there until July 1, 2024. After that, they can be deported from those occupied regions.

'Constant threats'

DW spoke to people from the occupied parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions who confirmed that Ukrainians are being forced to take Russian passports. For security reasons, none of the people want to be named.

"Russian soldiers searched everything in our house. When I showed my Ukrainian passport, they shouted that I should change it for a Russian one, and that otherwise my car would be taken away, and I would be deported," an elderly man from near Kherson said.

A woman from the Zaporizhzhia region was in tears as she recounted how Russian occupiers threatened to deport her young children to Russia if she didn't immediately apply for a Russian passport.

Another woman was threatened by Russian soldiers who "put a bag over her head" because she refused to change citizenship. "We held out until the end, we didn't want to accept a Russian passport. But it's just unbearable and scary," the woman from near the Azov Sea told DW.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stands at a podest Why the rush?

The first deputy chairman of the Kherson regional council, Yuriy Sobolevsky, said the pressure on the people living in the occupied territories has recently increased significantly. "Access to medical care and freedom of movement between cities will be restricted for those who refuse to accept Russian passports," he said. He thinks the Russians are now resorting to terror because not as many people in those territories want to become Russian citizens as Moscow had hoped.

According to the British Ministry of Defense, Moscow apparently wants to speed up the integration of the occupied territories into Russia to sell the invasion of Ukraine as a success to its own people, particularly in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election.

But people are afraid of ending up in Russian databases, a young man from Khrustalnyi in the Luhansk region told DW. He's from an area which has been occupied since as early as 2014. Many don't know what to do. "More and more employers are demanding a Russian passport," the young man explained. But anyone who applies for a Russian "residence permit" is handing themselves over to the occupying forces. Then there is also the risk of being drafted into the war.

Conflicting signals from Kyiv

Should people have a Russian passport forced on them or not? There are conflicting takes on this among Ukrainian politicians. Dmytro Lubinets, human rights commissioner in the Ukrainian parliament, said on TV that Ukrainians in the occupied territories should accept Russian passports if they fear for their lives. He stressed that Ukraine does not recognize such forced passports and that it would not mean that they lose their Ukrainian citizenship.

However, the Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, Mychajlo Podoljak, said Ukrainians should not accept Russian passports. "Do not cooperate with the occupiers, do not accept Russian passports, flee if possible or wait for our army," she said on TV.

Life under occupation not a crime

"I'm ashamed and afraid to accept a Russian passport, but I'm also afraid of being deported," said one desperate woman from the occupied part of the Kherson region. "We can't leave, as the Ukrainian authorities advise us, because we have an old, sick mother."

According to Alyona Lunyova from Ukraine's ZMNINA Human Rights Center, the contradictory advice from Ukrainian officials is confusing people. She stressed that living under occupation is not a crime. "On the contrary, not everyone should leave the occupied territories, it shouldn't become an empty country and we cannot take in four to five million people from there." She added that it is not a crime to accept a Russian passport under duress.

Meanwhile, an adviser to Ukraine's presidential office, Mykhailo Podolyak, said Lubinets' and Vereshchuk's advice was not contradictory. He tweeted this advice for Ukrainians in the occupied territories: "If it is possible not to take a Russian passport, then try not to take one. But if you have to take a Russian passport to avoid oppression and torture, then take one."

Podolyak stressed that Ukraine would not persecute citizens who "passively obtained Russian citizenship."

Source: Deutsche Welle

Drones will be restricted from flying above Liverpool during Eurovision, as police in Merseyside prepare for their biggest ever operation.

The city is hosting the competition on behalf of war-torn Ukraine.

Merseyside Police said restrictions affecting drones would be in place from 23:00 BST until 14 May, the day after the competition final.

A "visible armed presence" was also expected as about 100,000 extra visitors are set to travel to the city.

Liverpool is preparing to host the UK's first Eurovision Song Contest for more than 20 years.

Two semi-finals and a final will take place at the M&S Bank Arena between 9 and 13 May.

Ch Insp Iain Wyke said: "Our policing plans for the Eurovision Song Contest take land, sea and air into consideration and these airspace restrictions, just like other security measures such as road closures or patrols on the River Mersey, are aimed at keeping people safe."

Ch Supt Jonathan Davies, tactical commander for Eurovision 2023, said there were "unique challenges" because the event was being hosted on behalf of last year's winner, Ukraine.

"Despite it being the biggest policing operation we have ever done here in Merseyside, we are confident we have a robust policing plan in place to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone involved," he said.

"There will be a visible armed presence, but I would like to reassure visitors this is not in response to any direct threat but just as part of our normal reassurance for everyone enjoying the festivities."

He urged visitors to plan their journeys in advance, with a strike by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union due to affect 14 train operators across the country on the day of the final.

Extra night trains, buses and ferries will be running in Merseyside though.

Ch Supt Davies said: "It doesn't matter which country you're backing in this year's competition or whichever festivities you're taking part in, our officers will be out and about to make sure that everyone can enjoy themselves."

He added: "Have fun, look after each other and remember to report any incidents to our officers."

Source: BBC

Agriculture is in trouble, while animals are having a hard time finding natural water sources in Austria's mountain pastures, the public broadcaster ORF reported Friday.

Some families fear having to abandon their farms, some of which are centuries old, because of the lack of water, ORF reported.

An organic farm in the Nockeberg mountains in the province of Carinthia, located at 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) above sea level with a view of Lake Millstatter See, has three springs, with two of them barely able to supply water, the report said.

When grazing, the animals have to travel long distances to get water, the owner of the farm told the broadcaster. The farm is around 300 years old, and whether it will get much older is currently questionable, the owner added.

According to the report, Austria's mountainous region, of all places, is threatened by a thinning out of alpine farming. Instead of a hot alpine summer, farmers are hoping for lots of rain.

Although Austria saw rainfall in mid-April after a long dry spell, there was up to 85% less precipitation during the dry spell than the multi-year average, data by the institute Geosphere Austria showed.

The water shortage could worsen in the future due to climate change, especially in eastern Austria, where a particularly large number of people live, according to the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences in Vienna.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Wesley Browne farms full-time in Leagh, Dunraymond, just outside Monaghan town on heavy, drumlin-type soil, which is typical of the area. The farm size is 65.7ha and is fragmented into four main grassland blocks.

Gabriel Trayers, Future Beef Programme Advisor to the farm, explains how Wesley is gaining confidence through weekly grass walks to stay on track with grazing in challenging conditions in this article.

Wesley runs a simple farming system with a 90-cow, spring-calving suckler herd. All male progeny are finished as under 16 month bulls. Suitable high-index females are either retained or sold to repeat customers for breeding, with all other heifers slaughtered at 23-24 months. Calving started in early February this year and the herd calved compactly in just eight weeks.

Grassland

An emphasis is placed on grassland management. 45 grazing divisions are present, split using a combination of permanent and temporary fencing. All of these paddocks have good water access, which facilitates the grazing of 3-4 groups.

Wesley is measuring grass on a weekly basis using PastureBase Ireland to help him make the correct grazing decisions. From a labour and animal performance point of view, getting cows and calves out to grass quickly after calving is a priority for Wesley.

All was going well in February – ground conditions were excellent and there was an average farm cover (AFC) on February 18th of 1,096kg DM/ha. However, March and early April were very wet and ground conditions deteriorated. While many farmers across the county chose to re-house, this option was not available to Wesley due to the farm being fragmented.

Wesley managed to keep the cows out by keeping the group size small (5-7 cows per group). The paddocks are well sheltered and Wesley kept moving the groups every 3 to 4 days; a lot of effort, but Wesley was determined to keep his cows out.

Growth at the end of March was poor, with growth rates of just 5kg DM/ha/day recorded. At the same time, demand was 31kg DM/ha/day. As a result, average farm cover dropped to 483kg DM/ha by April 19th. A rule of thumb in grassland management is not to allow the AFC to drop below 500kg DM/ha. Remember: ‘It takes grass to grow grass’.

Wesley took the opportunity to apply 18 units of urea + sulphur per acre on March 27th to the grazing ground and this was followed up with another 18 units on April 22nd. As a result, growth increased slowly to 35kg DM/ha/day.

Another farm cover taken on May 3rd has given Wesley more confidence. While ground conditions are still tender (recently grazed paddock pictured above), there has been a big jump in growth to 61kg DM/ha/day due to milder weather and the fact fertiliser had been applied. This is now giving 20 days of grass ahead - an increase of five days from last week. The target for this time of year is 14. Average farm cover has increased to just over 600kg DM/ha. So in the space of one week, grass has gone from being tight on the farm to possibly getting into a surplus. It highlights why grass is so difficult to manage on farms.

Figure 1: PastureBase Ireland summary from Wesley Browne's farm

PastureBase Ireland summary from Wesley Brownes farm

The silage ground was zero grazed in early March and then received 3,000 gallons of slurry per acre plus 80 units of protected urea per acre. The target is to have this ready for cutting in the third week of May. High quality (70% DMD) silage is needed for the weanlings, so a cutting date in May is crucial.

Wesley plans to amalgamate the smaller groups into three larger groups of 30 cows each. A reduction in group numbers will be make grassland management a lot easier.

Lime spreading and dock control

In April, Wesley submitted an expression of interest to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s National Liming Programme. He plans to spread 200t this year. The plan is to increase the soil pH to 6.7 and start incorporating clover in 2024.

As part of the preparation to oversow clover next year, docks will need to be controlled this year. There is a large dock problem in most of the grassland. Wesley will spray as soon as possible using Dockstar. The docks are rapidly growing at the moment, making it an ideal time to spray.

Source: EMM