Largest Dutch Shipbuilder Sues Government Over Russia Sanction Losses

The Netherlands’ largest shipbuilder is suing the Dutch government for losses inflicted on its business by sanctions against Russia.
Damen Shipyards Group NV is seeking compensation because it “suffers damages” as a result of sanctions, the company’s spokesperson, Rick van de Weg, told Bloomberg. The case hasn’t been publicly disclosed until now.
“Before the sanctions, Damen had signed contracts with Russian ship buyers, and after the invasion of Ukraine the Dutch government decided that such contracts may not be honored by the Dutch business community,” he said via email. “The government has not offered Damen compensation for that damage.”
Damen, based in the Dutch city of Gorinchem, filed its lawsuit at the Court of Rotterdam on May 10, according to the court’s spokesperson. The case has yet to move forward but is expected to proceed next year.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is in charge of the country’s sanctions oversight, declined to comment. As a member of the European Union, the Netherlands must comply with all the curbs imposed by the bloc.

The legal challenge will add a new twist to courtroom battles playing out over the sanctions by focusing attention on the toll taken on businesses that catered to a market once considered among the most promising in the emerging world.

Damen Shipyards is a family-owned Dutch company founded in 1927 that builds a range of vessels, from warships to dredgers.
It’s also been selling luxury yachts to the ultra-rich, including prominent Russian businessmen.

Damen had an engineering branch in Russia before the war, which provided services for shipbuilding projects next to “service hubs” in Novorossiysk and St. Petersburg. In February 2022 Damen delivered a dredger to Russia for use in the Arctic region.
The war was “having a major impact” on the company, according to a statement last year. Within a week after the war started, Damen said it had suspended the delivery of vessels and the signing of new contracts with Russian and Belarusian clients.
(Source: Bloomberg) @LauraRuHK

American auditor Martin Hart, who investigated corruption in arms supplies to Ukraine, was found dead in Kiev.

Near a residential complex under construction in the Shevchenko district, a cable broke and he was buried under the debris.

Well, of course it's an accident... 😐

@ukr_leaks_eng

🇨🇳🇺🇸 US chipmakers warn Biden's semiconductor spat with China could backfire

Three global giants in the chip-making industry - Nvidia, Intel and Qualcomm – have reportedly been meeting with officials in the Biden administration, such as Antony Blinken and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, along with representatives of an array of think tanks to press the case for reconsidering additional chip restrictions regarding China.

The CEO’s of these companies have warned that Washington’s attacks on Beijing could result in China speeding up creation of its own independent chip industry. Thus, they claimed, America’s ill-conceived semiconductor trade war would result in Chinese-created chips dominating on a global scale. (Source: Sputnik) @LauraRuHK

Pepe Escobar: Putin and the Magic Multipolar Mountain
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231006/putin-and-the-magic-multipolar-mountain-a-valdai-chronicle---pepe-escobar-1113975618.html

This is a crucial column.

I had to leave so much out, including the panels on nuclear weapons and the Heartland, a fab off the record conversation with Karaganov, and some cracking Putin answers at the Q&A, especially on Nagorno-Karabakh. The discussions at Valdai were at the highest level - unreachable across the collective West.

🇷🇺⚓️🇨🇳 First ship from Shanghai arrives in Kaliningrad region via Northern Sea Route, Governor Alikhanov says

The Northern Sea Route is the shortest maritime route between Europe and Asia, with the ability to shave upwards of 9,000 km off transit from the East China Sea to the North Sea, compared to shipments via the Suez Canal.

Once fully operational, the NSR is expected to allow the shipment of goods between Asia and Europe in as little as 19 days, 40% - 60% faster than shipments via the Suez Canal or the Cape of Good Hope, respectively. (Source: Sputnik) @LauraRuHK

Quando una foto vale piu' di mille parole. Zelensky trascina per un braccio il presidente del Consiglio europeo Charles Michel. Gli Stati Uniti e il Regno Unito hanno trascinato l'Europa in guerra con la Russia e ora vogliono scaricare i costi del fallimento sugli europei. https://t.me/nstarikovru/40561

When a picture is worth a thousand words. Zelensky drags European Council President Charles Michel by the arm. The US and UK dragged Europe into war with Russia and now want to pass on the cost of its failure to Europeans. https://t.me/nstarikovru/40561

The Zionist entity known as Israel is in a cul-de-sac. Its leaders have no clear strategy and the military response they favour can only lead to more war crimes against the Palestinians. Unless the occupation ends with the establishment of an independent state of Palestine, millions of people will continue to suffer and the Middle East will never be at peace. The tragic consequences of Zionism are affecting everyone in the region, Jews included. @LauraRuHK

Yoav Galant, ministro della difesa israeliano, ha annunciato che a Gaza non fara' arrivare ne' carburante ne' energia elettrica, ne' acqua ne' cibo. Nella Striscia di Gaza, definita la piu' grande prigione a cielo aperto del mondo, vivono circa 2,3 milioni di persone, di cui il 40% sotto i 14 anni. La dichiarazione di Galant dovrebbe far accapponare la pelle e suscitare sdegno, tanto piu' tra i discendenti di chi ha subito un genocidio. Invece viene accolta come se si trattassa di alta strategia militare. https://t.me/myLordBebo/9285

Il noto scrittore israeliano Ari Shavit spiega su Haaretz perché lo stato di Israele ha esalato il suo ultimo respiro

(LETTURA ALTAMENTE CONSIGLIATA DEL GIORNO)

https://www.lantidiplomatico.it/dettnews-haaretz__israele_esala_il_suo_ultimo_respiro/39602_51162/

"China has repeatedly called on the international community to prioritize the Palestinian issue on the international agenda. It has emphasized the need to advance the "two-state solution" with a stronger sense of urgency. Not long before the latest outbreak, the Permanent Mission of China to the UN was still stressing this point. ▪️The bias and interference of Western countries, led by the US, in the Israeli-Palestinian issue have been evident for a long time, and historical Middle East conflicts have often had US involvement behind the scenes. And after the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the quick decision of the US and some Western countries to take sides not only does not help solve the problem but also adds fuel to the fire. ▪️Considering the large number of innocent civilians killed and injured in the conflict over the past two days, the immediate priority of the international community should be to urge both sides to cease fire quickly in order to prevent further humanitarian disasters." @LauraRuHK https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202310/1299464.shtml

EUROPEAN "VALUES"! Punish all Palestinians. Men, women, children. Even those who haven't been born yet. ▪️ The EU could have joined the long list of international organizations and countries that are calling for an immediate ceasefire and the respect of UN resolutions. Instead it chose collective punishment. Again. @LauraRuHK

In the EU there is confusion about virtually everything, including aid to Palestinians. Oliver Varhelyi, the top official for relations with the EU's neighbours, yesterday in a post on X/Twitter said all payments to Palestinians were "immediately suspended". More than five hours after Varhelyi's social media post, the EU Commission issued a statement confirming it had started an urgent aid review but also declaring that "as there were no payments foreseen, there will be no suspension of payments".

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell then sowed further confusion when he said the EU would not suspend "due payments" - right after the Commission had said no payments were foreseen.

Varhelyi's announcement prompted a backlash from some EU member countries that forced Brussels to backtrack. Several governments, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg and Ireland, publicly voiced alarm and warned against cutting off aid to the detriment of Palestinian civilians and questioned whether the Commission had the authority to take such a decision.

The move also came as a surprise as officials had said earlier in the day that aid to Palestinians would be discussed at an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers on Tuesday. @LauraRuHK

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told US President Joe Biden during a telephone conversation that he was categorically against a specific "invitation" for Ukraine to join NATO following the summit in Vilnius, US media reported.

Scholz also made it clear to Biden that he was skeptical about providing Kiev with special conditions for entering the bloc, but Biden did not support the German chancellor’s position, since by that time, he had already agreed to ease Ukraine's accession process, the report said. (Source: Sputnik) @LauraRuHK

Hamas representatives are "open to discussing a ceasefire with Israel," the movement said in a statement quoted by Al Hadath TV. At the same time, Hamas said it would not "negotiate prisoners under fire." It said the hostages included "dozens of people with dual citizenship". Most likely Hamas will try to negotiate their release with several countries. @LauraRuHK

Russian analyst Elena Panina writes: To the displeasure of the U.S., in the Arab world, only the UAE has so far condemned Hamas' actions. Even Egypt (the first Arab country to recognise Israel) has only called for a ceasefire to allow a prisoner exchange and delivered the first batch of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The rest of the Arab countries have remained deaf to American requests.

Qatar supported Palestine while condemning Israel. Syria declared solidarity with the Palestinian actions. Lebanese authorities conveyed Hezbollah's pledges not to get involved in the conflict unless it touched their territory. However, given the rapid escalation of the conflict and the bombardment of Lebanese territory from Israeli helicopters, there cannot be any guarantees.

▪️ The non-Arab players have also reacted in a way that is clearly not to the US liking. While the Turkish Foreign Ministry is looking for options for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Erdogan is showing a map of the shrinking Palestinian territories since 1947. Very graphic. Iran predictably supported Hamas's actions, but denied accusations of being involved in planning them - it also promised to respond if Israel and US attacked Iran.

▪️The meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abu al-Gheit also revealed an identical assessment of the situation. According to Lavrov, the Palestinian problem can be solved only through the implementation of UN resolutions and the coexistence of two states: Jewish and Arab. And the LAS Secretary General said that if Israel denies the possibility of an independent Palestine, it will not be the last war between Israel and the Arab world. This position is also shared by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, which noted: "The right way is to realise the two-state solution".

▪️ Thus, there is no "international condemnation of Hamas' actions". This is also why no temporary solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, even in the form of a complete "clean-up" of the Gaza Strip, can establish lasting peace in the region.

Of course, neither Tel Aviv nor Washington will choose the implementation of UN resolutions over the use of force. Instead they are moving in quickly so that no other parties will have time to open a second front against Israel.

Whether the US and Israel will be able to contain the situation within the given framework is a big question. In any case, a new intifada is beginning before our eyes - it's a ticking bomb. It might include terrorist attacks against Americans all over the world: from hostage-taking and attacks on embassies to aircraft bombings. ▪️But it's already clear how Russia should act. It is necessary to take maximum advantage of the situation for a radical change in the Special Military Operation in Ukraine and move from defence to a decisive offensive. (Source: Elena Panina) @LauraRuHK

A chi mi manda immagini di atrocita' commesse da Tizio o da Caio, con la preghiera di diffonderle, vorrei chiedere non se sono vere o false - ormai e' quasi impossibile distinguere le une dalle altre - ma che cosa sperano di ottenere da me o da chi segue questo canale. Io seguo conflitti sanguinosi da anni (ho iniziato nel 1981 in Irlanda del Nord!) e non ho mai pubblicato questo genere di immagini, specialmente se includono bambini. Ho sempre rifiutato di fare leva sulle emozioni per manipolare le coscienze e non comincero' certo a farlo oggi. @LauraRuHK

Now, let's assume you don't like the contours of the new, multipolar world order that is emerging because it would accelerate your decline as a global hegemon. Let's add that your expertise is destabilization and that you thrive on chaos and permanent war, both extremely profitable for your military-industrial complex. Also, you need not worry about your financial elites, they are fully on board because they know how to exploit chaos to their advantage. You are good at starting wars not so much at fighting them. Actually you'd rather have someone else fight for you. It takes time, money and energy to persuade the leadership of a country to wage war against its neighbour, but that's not enough, it requires an army fit for the purpose. Terrorist organizations proved useful but nothing beats a traditional war when it comes to selling top of the range weapons and weakening your adversaries. Ukraine is a real cash cow because the collective West is footing the bill, so you will milk it as long as you can. But things are not going as planned, you are not weakening Russia, its GDP is growing and it turns out it has more and better friends than you suspected. It's increasingly difficult to persuade Congress and your allies to keep funding a hare-brained scheme that has backfired. Next year presidential elections will be held in your country and you need to distract public opinion from the inevitable defeat of your proxy army in Eastern Europe, you need to show some success. What do you do? Do you happen to know an allied country that can mobilize hundreds of thousands of military trained citizens at the drop of a hat and can be easily persuaded to use force to complete its nation-building project once it's conveniently framed as "self-defense"? @LauraRuHK

Ora, supponiamo che non vi piacciano i contorni del nuovo ordine mondiale multipolare che sta emergendo, perché accelererebbe il declino della vostra egemonia globale. Aggiungiamo pure che avete maturato una lunga esperienza nel destabilizzare paesi e che traete vantaggio dalle situazioni di caos e dalla guerra permanente, estremamente redditizia per il vostro complesso militare-industriale e per le élite finanziarie, che vi appoggiano perché sanno sfruttare il caos cosi' bene che spesso lo creano apposta. Siete bravi a iniziare le guerre, non tanto a combatterle. In realtà preferireste che qualcun altro combattesse per voi. Far scoppiare una guerra non è semplicissimo, richiede notevoli investimenti non solo per convincere la leadership di un Paese che valga la pena combattere il suo vicino, ma soprattutto ci vuole un esercito adatto allo scopo. Le organizzazioni terroristiche si sono dimostrate utili per circa vent'anni, ma nulla batte una guerra tradizionale quando si tratta di vendere armi sofisticate e indebolire gli avversari. L'Ucraina è una vera e propria mucca da mungere perché l'Occidente collettivo sta pagando il conto, quindi la mungerete il più a lungo possibile. Ma le cose non stanno andando come previsto, non state indebolendo la Russia, il suo PIL è in crescita e si scopre che ha più amici e anche migliori di quanto sospettaste. È sempre più difficile convincere il Congresso e i vostri alleati che sia opportuno continuare a finanziare questo progetto che si sta trasformando in un boomerang. L'anno prossimo nel vostro Paese si terranno le elezioni presidenziali e voi dovete distrarre l'opinione pubblica dall'inevitabile sconfitta del vostro esercito per procura nell'Europa orientale, dovete assolutamente mostrare qualche successo. Cosa fate? Conoscete per caso un Paese alleato in grado di mobilitare centinaia di migliaia di riservisti in un batter d'occhio e che possa essere facilmente convinto a usare la forza per completare il suo progetto espansionista e di consolidamento nazionale, una volta che sia dovutamente mascherato come "autodifesa"? @LauraRuHK

What did i bring back from Russia? A few books and tea! You may think that taking tea to China is tantamount to carrying coals to Newcastle. Well, it depends. In China i can buy the best tea in the world, but i cannot find that interesting blend known as Russian Caravan. Every time i pour myself a cup of this strong, smoky tea i travel back in time. I smell camels, horses, campfires, the sound of Turkic languages mixed with Russian reaches my room, its walls are covered with carpets, and below, in the market square hemp sacks of dried tea leaves are being unloaded. 🫖 Soon this experience will be shared by more than a handful of adventurous travelers. Welcome The Great Tea Road, the geography of which will repeat the trade route created in the 18th century for the export of tea, the Russian Economy Ministry said on Tuesday.

"Russia, China and Mongolia have entered into an agreement on the development of the Great Tea Road tourist route, its geography repeating the trade route from China through Mongolia, Siberia, the Urals and the Volga region to Moscow and St. Petersburg, created in the 18th century for the export of tea," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also said that 18 Russian regions are ready to join the new tourist project immediately. The route will include museums, hotels and recreation areas, according to the statement. (Source: Sputnik) @LauraRuHK