boredtortoise

China sat out the Swiss meeting -- "The international community should create conditions for the resumption of direct dialogue and negotiations between the two sides and provide assistance," Xi told Orban, according to Chinese state media.

Finland's results in the European election bucked a continent-wide trend of rising support for parties on the outer fringe of right-wing politics, with the Left Alliance and the National Coalition winning big at the expense of the nationalist Finns Party.

Leftist leader Li Andersson received more votes than any other candidate has ever received in a European election.

ChatGPT summary:

Russia reportedly planned disruptive campaigns to hinder Finland and Sweden's NATO membership, as revealed in a leaked intelligence report obtained by Yle MOT. The document outlined a strategy involving organizing demonstrations under the guise of disruption to heighten tensions, particularly exploiting incidents like the Quran burning in Sweden. The objective was to sow discord and create a rift between Turkey and Europe, slowing down the NATO accession processes of both Nordic countries.

The Finnish Security Intelligence Service, Supo, confirmed awareness of these plans in Finland but refrained from providing further details due to operational considerations. While there's no evidence that Russia successfully implemented its disruptive strategies in Finland, Sweden continues to await approval for NATO membership, with the Russian intelligence service allegedly focusing more on campaigns against Sweden to exploit existing tensions.

The leaked documents, prepared by a Russian intelligence officer, were obtained by The Dossier Center, an organization dedicated to tracking criminal activities associated with the Kremlin. The identity of the report's author is known to the MOT investigation team but remains undisclosed for security reasons.

Currently running with uBlock Origin with a lot of filter lists and Consent-o-matic, and the hidden setting to auto decline cookie dialogs but still getting popups, sticky videos and such.

Used to go with I still don't care about cookies but heard it can default to accepting more cookies than needed

Neo-Nazi suspects discussed 'how easy' attacking Sanna Marin would be, court hears

Two suspects chatted about how easy it would be to attack a Social Democratic Party event in Lahti which then-PM Sanna Marin was scheduled to attend.

Police seized the suspects' ammunition cases, with some of the bullets arranged to resemble swastika patterns. Image: Poliisi

Yle News

17:56•Updated 18:00

On Monday, the trial of Finnish men accused of crimes with terrorist intent, who authorities claim were motivated by far-right ideologies, began at Päijät-Häme District Court on Monday.

According to the prosecutor, three of the four defendants are facing various charges related to firearms offences and training to commit a terrorist act. The fourth suspect is facing firearms possession charges.

Police have said the suspects are neo-Nazis who aimed to use accelerationist tactics to destabilise society, start a race war and advance their far-right goals.

Contrary to what authorities initially suggested during a preliminary investigation of the case, the prosecutor said the men did not formally form a group.

The central matter of the prosecutor's case surrounds the firearms that the defendants stand accused of manufacturing using 3D printing technology — allegedly part of preparations for a "race war."

According to the prosecutor, the 28-year-old defendant attempted to manufacture, acquire and share firearms parts and ammunition for terrorist purposes. The defendant admitted to manufacturing two guns and also admitted guilt of aggravated firearms offences, however the suspect denied the crimes were terrorism-related.

Target lists and "banter"

Among other evidence, a police preliminary investigation showed that two of the defendants had discussed the possibility of attacking a Social Democratic Party event in the city of Lahti.

Two of the defendants, discussing the matter on the messaging platform Telegram, shared information that then-prime minister Sanna Marin (SDP) would be making an appearance at the event.

According to information during a police interrogation, one of the defendants specified that an attack meant shooting. One of the defendants, however, suggested that discussion was their "ordinary banter" about how easy it would be to carry out an attack on a Finnish head of state, and that the discussion was merely a matter of them blowing off steam and seeking extreme experiences.

On the other hand, the man also said that he could have killed Marin if he wanted to.

According to the prosecutor, the 28-year-old suspect gave the 26-year-old defendant access to a weapon for a few days, and the younger suspect used it to shoot at a family's mailbox. The prosecutor said the motive for was the family's race.

List of "leftists"

One of the defendants noted that the accused did not actually attempt to carry out a single attack that harmed anyone, even given the opportunity. He also said during the preliminary investigation that he stated in a Telegram conversation he was not prepared to carry out racist killings and risk receiving a lifelong jail term.

Police have previously said the suspects had planned attacks on railways and other infrastructure, and also discussed plans to attack people.

One of the suspects had compiled a list of addresses of members' belonging to the Helsinki-based European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats.

The 28-year-old chief suspect had listed the addresses of several groups and individuals named as "leftists".

This list included a number of associations, political individuals and other entities, including the Left Alliance party office in Helsinki, the Tampere-based alternative nightclub Vastavirta and the volunteer-run Book Café in Turku

Brazil’s Lula backtracks on Putin arrest safety at Rio G20

Putin missed the G20 summit in India, avoiding any risk of criminal detention under an ICC warrant for alleged war crimes.

Published On 11 Sep 202311 Sep 2023

Brazil’s leader has withdrawn his personal assurance that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not be arrested if he attends next year’s Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, saying it would be up to the judiciary to decide.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also questioned Brazil’s membership in the United Nations war crimes court, saying on Monday “emerging countries often sign things that are detrimental to them”.

“I want to know why we are members but not the United States, not Russia, not India, not China,” Lula said. “I’m not saying I’m going to leave the court. I just want to know why Brazil is a signatory.”

Putin missed this year’s G20 gathering in the Indian capital, New Delhi, avoiding possible political opprobrium and any risk of criminal detention under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.

In March, the ICC announced an arrest warrant for Putin over the war crime accusation of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children. The Kremlin denies the accusations insisting the warrant against Putin is “void”.

Russia issued an arrest warrant for Karim Khan, the prosecutor at The Hague-based war crimes court, in May and he was added to the “wanted list” of its Ministry of Internal Affairs.

‘The judiciary decides’

Brazil is a signatory to the Rome Statute, which led to the founding of the ICC. Lula raised eyebrows at the weekend when he told Indian news network Firstpost: “If I’m the president of Brazil and if he [Putin] comes to Brazil, there’s no way that he will be arrested.”

He changed tack on Monday at a press conference in Brazil telling reporters: “I don’t know if Brazil’s justice will detain him. It’s the judiciary that decides, it’s not the government.”

Putin has skipped recent international gatherings and sent his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to New Delhi instead for the September 9-10 G20 meeting, even though India is not an ICC signatory.

On Saturday, the G20 nations adopted a declaration that avoided condemning Moscow for the war in Ukraine but called on all states to refrain from using force to grab territory.

The next summit is slated for November 2024 in Rio de Janeiro and Lula said he hoped “by then the war is over”.

Russia Breaks Silence Over China Map Claiming Its Territory

The Russian Foreign Ministry has rejected China's apparent claim of ownership over a disputed island that has been a source of tension between Moscow and Beijing for decades.

Earlier this week, the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece Global Times newspaper published the "2023 edition of China's standard map," crediting the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The map touches on multiple territorial disputes, among them Bolshoi Ussuriysky Island, which sits at the confluence of the Ussuri and Amur rivers that separate Russia and China. The island is known as Heixiazi, or Black Bear, in Chinese.

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova dismissed any suggestion of reopening the territorial dispute, which she said had been settled by bilateral agreements more than 15 years ago.

"The Russian and Chinese sides adhere to the common position that the border issue between our countries has been finally resolved," Zakharova said in a statement published on the Foreign Ministry website.

"Its settlement was marked by the ratification in 2005 of the Supplementary Agreement on the Russian-Chinese state border on its eastern part, according to which Bolshoi Ussuriysky Island was divided between the parties."

"The delimitation and demarcation of our common border has been completed along its entire length (almost 4,300 km [2,670 miles]), including in 2008 on Bolshoi Ussuriysky Island."

The island has been split between Russian and Chinese control per the bilateral agreements. But China's newly published official map suggests it claims control of the entire 135-square-mile piece of land.

Zakharova, though, said the "resolution" of the dispute "was the result of many years of efforts by both sides, a reflection of the high level of relations between the two countries, made an important contribution to ensuring security and stability in the region, and is a successful example of resolving border disputes for all countries of the world."

"Russia and China have repeatedly confirmed the absence of mutual territorial claims, and there is a corresponding provision in the Treaty on Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation of July 16, 2001," the spokesperson added

"The parties have an extensive structure of interaction in the field of border cooperation, the Joint Border Commission is functioning effectively, within which all relevant issues are discussed."

Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry by email to request comment.

Beijing's new map has created fresh tensions with several other neighbors. India, Malaysia, Taiwan, and the Philippines have all expressed opposition to the symbolic landgrab.

Chinese officials have been unapologetic. "A correct national map is a symbol of national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Li Yongchun, a senior resources ministry official, said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said publishing the map was "a routine practice in China's exercise of sovereignty in accordance with the law." Wang added: "We hope relevant sides can stay objective and calm, and refrain from overinterpreting the issue."

Post title from the lead paragraph for better context. I prefer original ones but felt it missed the beat somewhat. Hope I didn't add much bias.

Article:

"Finland to criminalise Holocaust denial, probe banning swastika use

The four-party government coalition revealed the contents of its anti-racism statement at a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

The four parties comprising Finland's coalition government unveiled their highly-anticipated joint statement on eradicating racism and promoting equality within Finnish society at a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

The statement comes in the wake of a summer of racism and far-right scandals — mostly involving ministers from the Finns Party — that engulfed the new government and led to the appointment of a working group tasked with proposing concrete measures to tackle racism and discrimination.

PM Orpo opened the press conference by noting that "racism is still a problem in Finnish society" before revealing how his administration will set about addressing the issues.

The measures include plans to criminalise Holocaust denial, Orpo said. The government will also probe the possibility of outlawing the political use of certain symbols, including the swastika as used by Nazi Germany as well as the hammer and sickle that appeared on the former Soviet Union flag.

State Secretary Risto Artjoki, who chaired the working group, noted however that such a ban would be "legally challenging" and it was not possible to draft a proposed change in legislation on such a tight schedule as the working group faced.

Promoting equality in schools, workplaces

In terms of other measures, the government plans to launch a development programme aimed at promoting equality in Finnish schools, with an added emphasis on getting more children from immigrant backgrounds into early childhood education.

The measures also include an initiative to tackle workplace discrimination, with legislative changes planned that will roll out harsher punishments for discriminating against employees or colleagues. The government also wants to encourage more women from immigrant backgrounds to enter the workforce.

Finns Party leader, and Deputy PM, Riikka Purra — who was herself caught up in one of the summer's racism scandals — told the press conference on Thursday that the government's statement is intended to send a clear message about its stance on racism.

"There should be no ambiguities for anyone reading the statement," Purra said.

Coalition to continue

The fallout from the series of summer scandals had led to widespread speculation that the four parties may not be able to continue in the current coalition, with the opposing views of the Finns Party and the Swedish People's Party (SPP) deemed to be a particular problem.

However, SPP leader Anna-Maja Henriksson said the agreement reached by the four parties on the anti-racism statement was "historic" and proved her party can work with their coalition partners.

"For the SPP, the preparation of this statement has also been a matter of whether we are able to participate in the coalition or not," Henriksson stated, adding that the statement was a clear indication that the government does not accept any form of racism.

She also noted that this stance on racism applied to the individual ministers too, a sentiment echoed by PM Orpo.

"Each government minister denounces racism and is committed to actively working against racism in Finland and internationally," Orpo said.

He also stated that the government will provide sufficient funding to achieve the measures set out by the anti-racism statement.

The government's statement will next be handed over to Parliament, where it will be debated by MPs next week."

IL: Supo blocks Purra's choice for media advisor role due to China links

The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo) highlighted a number of issues during the preferred candidate's security check, including his partner's former Chinese nationality.

Finance Minister Riikka Purra's (Finns) plans to appoint journalist Jari Kuikanmäki as her media relations advisor have fallen through following a background check by the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo).

The decision was first reported by tabloid Iltalehti.

In an interview with the newspaper, Kuikanmäki said that Supo highlighted a number of issues during his security clearance check, including his partner's former Chinese nationality, a trip to China in 2016, the Chinese nationalities of his partner's parents, and a trip to Finland in 2017.

"We met in London in 2011 and have been together ever since. We moved to Finland in 2013," Kuikanmäki told the tabloid, adding that his partner is now a Finnish citizen, with no criminal record, and has lived in Finland for over 10 years.

IL noted that Kuikanmäki's common-law spouse became a Finnish citizen in 2022, and is no longer a Chinese citizen, as China does not recognise dual citizenship.

Kuikanmäki told Yle that it is still unclear to him why this connection to China has prevented him from taking up the role as Minister Purra's advisor.

"I don't quite know what has happened. It seems to me that there are dimensions to this case that would require an assessment of whether discrimination has taken place, but it is not for me to make that assessment," Kuikanmäki said.

The government's office carries out security checks on all individuals appointed to the role of ministerial special advisor, as a matter of protocol.