THE VERITY LIBERATE

~Preet. Ukraine recently asked the US to identify Russia as a "state supporter of terrorism." The designation would trigger the most severe penalties authorised to the US against Russia.  The US Secretary of State (the minister principally in charge of foreign affairs) has the authority to designate countries as "State Sponsors of Terrorism" if they "have persistently given assistance for acts of international terrorism." Sanctions can also be imposed on nations and individuals that participate in specific commerce with designated countries. There are now four nations on the list of state supporters of terrorism.  Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba are all on the list.  There are currently three statutes that allow the Secretary of State to designate a foreign government for providing repeated support for acts of international terrorism: the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, which prohibits the transfer of most aid, the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), which

 ~Preet. The European Space Agency's ExoMars 2022 mission will not launch as scheduled in September 2022, since the agency has halted all collaboration with Russia's space programme Roscosmos. Previously, Russia's space agency ROSCOSMOS stated that it will not work with Germany on cooperative experiments in the Russian component of the International Space Station (ISS). It is a two-stage project, with the first stage launched in 2016 atop a Proton-M rocket, consisting of the European Trace Gas Orbiter and a test lander dubbed Schiaparelli. The orbiter was successful, but the test lander failed on its way to Mars. The second stage of the mission, which includes a rover and a surface platform, was initially scheduled for July 2020. However, due to technological difficulties, it was postponed until September. The European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) were the original ExoMars collaborators, however NASA withdrew out in 2012 ow

UNESCO to protect Ukraine's heritage sites.  ~Preet. In light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recently advocated for preventive measures to safeguard Ukraine's threatened cultural legacy.  To prevent intentional or unintentional destruction, the agency is labelling cultural sites and monuments throughout Ukraine with the unique "Blue Shield" logo of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. UNESCO is a United Nations specialised organisation (UN). It aims to promote peace via worldwide collaboration in education, science, and culture. It was established in 1945 and is headquartered in Paris, France. It is made up of 193 members and 11 associate members. India became a member of UNESCO in 1946. The United States and Israel formally left UNESCO in 2019.  Armed wars have always wreaked devastation on people's lives throughout

  The NATO Expansionism. ~Preet When Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine, the ostensible motive for this act of territorial aggression was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's eastward expansion (NATO). NATO's expansionism threatened to enable Ukraine to join the alliance as a treaty partner at some unspecified moment in the future, bringing this transatlantic security coalition within striking distance of Russia's western frontiers. Earlier, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) held an emergency special session to consider a resolution calling for Russia to remove its troops unconditionally. NATO is a military alliance founded in April 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European states to guarantee collective protection against the Soviet Union under the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty). The alliance presently has 30 members, with North Macedonia becoming the newest to join in 2020. When NATO was founded i

 Russia and 'War Crimes' ~Preet The International Criminal Court (ICC) has stated that it will launch an inquiry into suspected Russian war crimes in Ukraine. War crimes are subject to strict international norms.  The International Criminal Court (ICC) is a permanent judicial entity established by the 1998 Rome Statute of the ICC (its foundation and governing text), which went into effect on July 1, 2002. Its headquarters are in The Hague, Netherlands. The Rome Statute has 123 States Parties who recognise the ICC's authority. The United States, China, Russia, and India are not members. The forum was created as a last-resort court to pursue crimes that would otherwise go unpunished. It is responsible for four major crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression.  War crimes are major violations of humanitarian law committed during a conflict. The concept set by the ICC's Rome Statute is based on the 1949 Geneva Conventions. It is predicated on the

UNGA asked Russia to withdraw troops from Ukraine. ~Preet India has refrained from voting at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The resolution demanded that Russia remove its soldiers unconditionally. The General Assembly meeting was called after a similar resolution failed to pass the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) due to Russia's veto. The resolution, which was co-sponsored by 96 nations, required to be supported by two-thirds of those present and voting in order to pass. It opposes Russia's'special military operation' over Ukraine on February 24, 2022. It declares that no lands gained by force will be recognised and demands that Russia withdraw from Ukraine "now, entirely, and unconditionally." T. S. Tirumurti, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated that the "safe and uninterrupted transit" of Indian people, particularly students, was India's "top con

 UNSC condemns Russia's aggression. ~Preet The United Nations Security Council recently agreed on a draught resolution proposed by the United States and Albania to condemn Russian aggression and demand for an immediate cease of hostilities and removal of Russian armed forces from Ukraine.  The resolution reiterated the Council's commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity within internationally recognised boundaries. The resolution "strongly condemns Russia's aggression against Ukraine" and orders Russia to "immediately halt use of force against Ukraine and desist from any subsequent illegal threat or use of force against any UN member state." The previous version was overly aggressive, invoking UN Chapter VII, which allows for the use of force against Russian soldiers in Ukraine. It further demanded that Russia "immediately and unconditionally revoke the decision pertaining to the status of some territori

  Russia ensures no 'escalation' from their side. The Macron-Putin talks. ~Preet The French President Emmanuel Macron held talks with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on 8th of February 2022 where the major discussions were revolving around the ongoing tension between Russia and Ukraine over the mass congregation of military power on the border of the two nations and the Ukrainian accost for help from the NATO and their reply with affirmation to help. These talks came after a 5 hour long meeting of Macron with the Russian President Vladmir Putin, held in Moscow on 7th of February 2022, over the same issue. After the conclusion of both the official conversations, in a clique Macron affirmed the possibility of resolution of conflicts between Russia and Ukraine via talks agreements. He also noted that if the issue is straightened out, the tensions that persist between the Western Nations and Russia, if not settled, can be abated as well.  But the intensity of the