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'Diplomacy is the answer' - Cologne protesters march against increased defence spending, military support for Ukraine and Israel

'Diplomacy is the answer' - Cologne protesters march against increased defence spending, military support for Ukraine and Israel

"Hundreds of anti-war demonstrators took to the streets of Cologne on Saturday to protest the German government's plans to increase the country's defence budget and voice their opposition to Germany's military support for Ukraine and Israel. Footage shows protesters marching with flags and banners reading, 'lay down your arms,' 'deserters of all countries, we love you' and 'German health is built on war - resistance is built on solidarity.' "Every war has ultimately been resolved not on the battlefield, but at the negotiating table. So diplomacy is the answer, and unfortunately, that is what our government has not been striving for since the beginning," one protester said. Demonstrators denounced Germany's plans to expand its defence spending, voicing concerns that the increase would divert funds from other social programmes. "The money has to come from somewhere, and at the moment, all the leading parties are aiming to take it from the social budget. That means cuts for the unemployed, cuts for social services, cuts for educational institutions, cuts for refugees and so on. That's not being said openly yet, but there's no other way," a protester explained. Protesters also voiced opposition to any NATO military deployments in Ukraine, warning that such action would be a 'significant step towards World War Three.' "It would only increase the risk of war and the threat of a world war. And for the Ukrainian people and all other parties involved, it would only bring death, not liberation or self-determination," a protester claimed. "The only thing that might be acceptable would be blue helmets from the UN in a buffer zone. That might be a compromise we could live with," another suggested. This comes as Chancellor Friedrich Merz ripped up borrowing restrictions to ramp up defence spending, with 3.5 percent of economic output going towards defence over four years, and increasing the armed forces from 182,000 to 260,000 by the 2030s. Earlier this week, Merz also announced changes to military service, which he said would be 'voluntary' in the first instance but could go further, adding that the country was back on the 'path to a conscript army'. The chancellor has also suggested that German troops could be part of a peacekeeping force in Ukraine."

'Diplomacy is the answer' - Cologne protesters march against increased defence spending, military support for Ukraine and Israel

'Diplomacy is the answer' - Cologne protesters march against increased defence spending, military support for Ukraine and Israel

"Hundreds of anti-war demonstrators took to the streets of Cologne on Saturday to protest the German government's plans to increase the country's defence budget and voice their opposition to Germany's military support for Ukraine and Israel. Footage shows protesters marching with flags and banners reading, 'lay down your arms,' 'deserters of all countries, we love you' and 'German health is built on war - resistance is built on solidarity.' "Every war has ultimately been resolved not on the battlefield, but at the negotiating table. So diplomacy is the answer, and unfortunately, that is what our government has not been striving for since the beginning," one protester said. Demonstrators denounced Germany's plans to expand its defence spending, voicing concerns that the increase would divert funds from other social programmes. "The money has to come from somewhere, and at the moment, all the leading parties are aiming to take it from the social budget. That means cuts for the unemployed, cuts for social services, cuts for educational institutions, cuts for refugees and so on. That's not being said openly yet, but there's no other way," a protester explained. Protesters also voiced opposition to any NATO military deployments in Ukraine, warning that such action would be a 'significant step towards World War Three.' "It would only increase the risk of war and the threat of a world war. And for the Ukrainian people and all other parties involved, it would only bring death, not liberation or self-determination," a protester claimed. "The only thing that might be acceptable would be blue helmets from the UN in a buffer zone. That might be a compromise we could live with," another suggested. This comes as Chancellor Friedrich Merz ripped up borrowing restrictions to ramp up defence spending, with 3.5 percent of economic output going towards defence over four years, and increasing the armed forces from 182,000 to 260,000 by the 2030s. Earlier this week, Merz also announced changes to military service, which he said would be 'voluntary' in the first instance but could go further, adding that the country was back on the 'path to a conscript army'. The chancellor has also suggested that German troops could be part of a peacekeeping force in Ukraine."

"От ваших успехов зависит укрепление топливно-энергетического потенциала России". Путин поздравил шахтеров с профессиональным праздником

"От ваших успехов зависит укрепление топливно-энергетического потенциала России". Путин поздравил шахтеров с профессиональным праздником

"Президент России Владимир Путин в воскресенье обратился к сотрудникам угледобывающей отрасли по случаю профессионального праздника. "Сердечно поздравляю всех, кто работает на шахтах, разрезах, обогатительных фабриках, кто готовит кадры для угольной отрасли, производит горное оборудование. <...> От ваших успехов во многом зависит укрепление топливно-энергетического потенциала России и, конечно, экономическое и социальное благополучие городов и поселков, рост уровня и качества жизни людей", - заявил глава государства. Путин добавил, что государство оказывает поддержку коллективам угледобывающих компаний с целью устойчивого и долгосрочного развития отрасли. "Будем и дальше обновлять транспортную инфраструктуру и логистику, в том числе наращивать возможности Транссиба [Транссибирская магистраль] и БАМа [Байкало-Амурская магистраль], других железных дорог, увеличивать мощности морских портов и терминалов, активно продвигать угольную продукцию на внутренних и внешних рынках", - подчеркнул лидер. В заключение Путин отметил, что сотрудники данной сферы "всегда работают на совесть". "Ваша верность трудовому братству говорит о достоинстве настоящего рабочего человека. Все эти качества, как и гордость за профессию, передаются из поколения в поколение. <...> Особые слова благодарности за результативный труд горнякам Кузбасса, где добывается более половины российского угля, и, конечно, шахтерам нашего героического Донбасса, которые работают в сложнейших условиях, показывая пример стойкости и надежности", - сообщил президент. День шахтера учрежден в 1947 году и традиционно отмечается в последнее воскресенье августа. Праздник приурочен к рекорду советского горняка Алексея Стаханова, добывшего в ночь с 30 на 31 августа 1935 года 102 тонны угля при норме в 7 тонн за смену."