Politico: A majority of voters across seven Western countries, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom, believe their democracy is in worse shape than it was five years ago Nearly seven in 10 American respondents said the state of democracy had declined in recent years, while 73 percent of poll takers shared the same opinion in France. In the United Kingdom, more than six out of 10 respondents said that democracy was working less well than five years ago, according to the poll which was carried out by Ipsos in September. The results reveal widespread angst about the state of democracy ahead of major votes in the United States, the U.K, and the European Union in the year ahead — as well as mixed views of the 27-member union. In all but one of the countries — which also included Croatia, Italy, Poland and Sweden — about half of voters reported being “dissatisfied” with the way democracy was working, while majorities agreed with the statement that the system is “rigged” in favor of the rich and powerful, and that “radical change” was needed.

https://www.politico.eu/article/western-democracies-face-crisis-of-confidence-ahead-of-big-votes-poll-shows/

More than 20 countries called for the tripling of world nuclear energy capacity at UN climate talks on Saturday as part of efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
A declaration endorsed by nations ranging from the United States to Ghana to Japan and several European countries said nuclear energy plays a "key role" in reaching the goal of carbon neutrality.

The use of nuclear energy as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels is controversial as environmental groups are concerned about safety and the disposal of nuclear waste.
"We are not making the argument to anybody that this is absolutely going to be a sweeping alternative to every other energy source," US climate envoy John Kerry said at the COP28 conference in Dubai.
"But we know because the science and the reality of facts and evidence tell us that you can't get to net zero 2050 without some nuclear," he said.
"These are just scientific realities. No politics involved in this, no ideology involved in this."

The aim is to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050 from 2020 levels.

☢️Meanwhile, More than 20 countries called for the tripling of world nuclear energy capacity by 2050 at UN climate talks on Saturday

The list of countries includes: United States, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Ghana, Hungary, Japan, Republic of Korea, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.

"We are not making the argument to anybody that this is absolutely going to be a sweeping alternative to every other energy source," US climate envoy John Kerry said at the COP28 conference in Dubai.

"But we know because the science and the reality of facts and evidence tell us that you can't get to net zero 2050 without some nuclear," he said.
"These are just scientific realities. No politics involved in this, no ideology involved in this."

https://www.energy.gov/articles/cop28-countries-launch-declaration-triple-nuclear-energy-capacity-2050-recognizing-key

⚡️⚡️ Key updates on Russia and #UkraineCrisis as on November 30

🇷🇺Russian hostages
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has confirmed that Hamas handed over two Russian women, Irina Alexandrovna Tatti and Yelena Yulianovna Trufanova (mother and daughter) in the latest episode of hostages release. At 5 people with Russian passports are still held by Hamas.

On November 26, Hamas released Russian citizen Ron Krivoy, who had not been included in the exchange list with Israel, handing him over to representatives of the Red Cross. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that the release of the Russian citizen took place thanks to the efforts of Russian diplomats who were in direct contact with Hamas.

🇺🇦Ukrainian pollA total of 78% of surveyed citizens of Ukraine are ready to vote to join the European Union, and 77% would vote for NATO membership if a referendum was held, according to Ukrainska Pravda. The poll was conducted by Rating sociological group on 22-23 November. The survey shows that only 5% of respondents oppose joining the EU and NATO. At the same time, in July, Ukraine's membership in the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance was supported by more respondents – 85% and 83%, respectively.

The idea of Ukraine joining NATO within the limits of only those territories controlled by the Ukrainian government is considered unacceptable by more than half of the respondents – 53%. 40% of respondents completely or partially support this idea.

💰NATO support
With whispers of doubt swirling and a tough winter ahead for Ukraine, NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels offered another show of confidence amid funding hold-ups and talk of a stalemate  on the Ukraine-Russia conflict frontline, DW claims. At a press conference after the meeting, which was also attended by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba as a guest, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned against losing focus.

US President Joe Biden requested billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine, but the funding was not part of a stop-gap spending bill. Meanwhile, EU and NATO member Hungary is calling for Ukraine to push for a diplomatic solution with Moscow. Asked on his way into the talks by DW about suggestions that Kyiv could leave some of its land in Russian hands in order to get NATO membership — an idea floated by former NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen — Kuleba made clear that was out of the question.

⚠️Chemical weapons councilMoscow lost its seat at the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Wednesday after it could’t secure enough votes to stay on board after May 2024. The 41-member board is elected to two-year rotating terms by the 193 member states, “with due regard to the principle of equitable geographical distribution, the importance of chemical industry, and political and security interests,” according to the OPCW. 

Of the five seats allocated to the Eastern Europe region, four are currently held by NATO members: Albania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Romania. When Moscow’s mandate expires in six months, along with those of Tirana and Sofia, the grouping will be joined by Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine.

👉 Follow t.me/russiawire for daily updates, analytics and ground reportage from Russia, Donbass, and the neighbourhood.

⚡️⚡️Key updates on Russia and #UkraineCrisis as on July, 12🔥War but not ColdThe current stage of international affairs should now be viewed as a new Cold War; it would be more correct to describe current global trends as the process of creating a new multipolar world order, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview to Indonesia’s Kompas newspaper. "This is an objective process. Everyone can see that new globally meaningful decision-making centers are strengthening their positions in Eurasia, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America," the top Russian diplomat said.🔴Nord Stream sagaThe Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, called the letter of Germany, Denmark and Sweden addressed to the UN on the investigation of the explosions of the Northern Stream pipeline “just a formal response”. He, however, believes that this letter gives Russia the right to examine the cite anytime. According to Reuters report, in a letter, Germany found traces of subsea explosives in samples taken from a yacht that it suspects "may have been used to transport the explosives" to blow up the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
☎️Call to KissingerFormer U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger fell victim to Russia’s pranksters Vovan and Lexsus — they posed as President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. In a video published by them, they asked Kissinger whether he believed Moscow blew up its own undersea energy links with Germany last September. At first Kissinger seemed hesitant to respond, but the fake Zelensky insisted. “I, frankly, have thought you did… but I didn’t blame you” Kissinger can be heard saying.🇺🇦🇪🇺Blame the EUThe European Union’s failure to make sure Ukraine has enough ammunition heavily impacts the country’s ability to withstand Russian aggression, according to the cross-border investigation released by the Kyiv Independent and partners. “Red tape and subsequent shortages thwart military operations, and delay the counteroffensives that Ukraine is being pressured to accomplish,” the report reads. “The inability of officials, both domestically and internationally, to ensure Ukraine has enough arms and ammunition leaves the soldiers on the ground with an impossible task: meeting the world's high expectations of Ukraine's counteroffensive without the means to do so,” it says.

🇷🇺Shoigu’s warning
If the US supplies cluster munitions to Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces will be compelled to use equivalent weapons against the Ukrainian forces” Shoigu told reporters while visiting military factories in Tatarstan. “It should be noted that Russia has cluster munitions, as they say, for all occasions,” Shoigu added. “They are much more effective than American ones, their range is broader and more diverse.”

In an interview, Shoigu claimed that since the start of the counteroffensive, Ukrainian armed forces have lost more than 26000 troops and 3000 weaponry items, half of which (1200) are tanks, including 17 Leopards. He said the Russian military launched a counterattack, advancing 1.5 km deep and 2 km along the front in the Krasny Liman direction of the frontline.

👉 Follow t.me/russiawire for daily updates, analytics and ground reportage from Russia, Donbass, and the neighbourhood.