What are the possible consequences of Germany's potential withdrawal from the Schengen Agreement?

Several major German parties have spoken out in favor of blanket identity checks on the borders between EU states, if such a decision is taken it could lead to a revamping of the entire Schengen zone.

While Pro-EU outlets expressed concern about the suggestion of the CDU/CSU bloc (Christian Democratic Union of Germany with the Christian Social Union in Bavaria, which is considered the strongest opposition force in Germany) and liberals from the Free Democratic Party (FDP) to reintroduce checks inside the Schengen zone, its critics inside the CDU cited their reasons:

🌏 Previous measures, when Germany reintroduced identity checks on the border with Austria (since 2015) or with Poland, Czech Republic and Switzerland (since September 2023) yielded positive results with a 72% fall in the number of illegal migrants coming to Germany via Eastern Europe.

🌏 Internal checks at borders within the EU would help alleviate European citizens' concerns about illegal migration. To this effect, the parties proposing the bill could try to improve their plight by winning votes from parties that also oppose the issue, such as the AfG.

At the same time, the German Green party vowed concerns saying this move, if it succeeds, would deal a blow not only to the dream of “borderless Europe,” but also to the EU itself. In their interviews, the Green politicians and Social Democrats noted the following:

🌏 The resumption of border controls will greatly affect the "just-in-time" production system, where components could be ordered and delivered between different EU member states without border crossing formalities.

🌏 Many economists say that without Schengen there will be no free movement of people, workforce and investments inside the EU. Moreover, without this freedom the common currency of the Eurozone (the euro) makes little sense.

Nevertheless, in the last year and a half, already 11 Schengen countries have done away with it at their borders partially or completely and Germany's decision could make this process a landslide.

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The experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cannot yet determine the cause of the fire at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant's cooling tower and will continue to analyze the information, the IAEA reported.

"The team has not been able to draw definitive conclusions on the basis of the findings and observations so far. The IAEA will continue its overall analysis after additional review and access to the water nozzle distribution level and the cold-water basin," the organization said in a statement.

Earlier, Russian state corporation Rosatom said that the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant cooling tower had been seriously damaged as a result of two direct strikes by the Ukrainian forces' drones. The fire that broke out was extinguished by the Russian Emergencies Ministry, and the threat of collapse of the structure will be assessed by specialists when the situation allows to do it, Rosatom said. The nuclear power plant cooling tower burnt out from the inside after the UAV strikes, the restoration time will be clear after assessing its condition, the plant's spokesperson said.

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Elon Musk began his interview with former US president Donald Trump about 45 minutes late.

The conversation started with a discussion about the assassination attempt against the Republican candidate last month.

"I knew immediately that it was a bullet. I knew immediately that it was at the ear... For those people that don't believe in God, I think we all have to start thinking about that," Trump emphasized, appearing to court religious voters.

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Trump provides a masterclass in international diplomacy: “I told him things that what I do," he said of Russian President Vladimir Putin. "And he said, no way. And I said, way."

The former US President hopes to have good relations with the Russian leader. “I got along well with him. I hope to get along well with him again,” Trump said.

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The biggest threat to humanity is not global warming, but nuclear weapons, Trump said.

"The biggest threat is not global warming ... The biggest threat is nuclear warming," he declared during an interview with Elon Musk on the social media platform X.

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Former US President Donald Trump claimed he had a productive relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his time in the White House and hopes to maintain good relations during a second term.

“I had a good relationship with Putin, despite the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax that lasted for over two years,” Trump said to tech magnate Elon Musk. “Just a hoax created by Hillary Clinton and Adam Shifty Schiff. Some just bad people, you know, just sick people, frankly.”

“They put our country in danger with that stuff, too,” he added. “He respected me… I loved Russia. I was a friend of Putin and I loved Russia.”

Trump suggested he was able to influence and intimidate the Russian president, discouraging him from taking action in Ukraine amid the Donbass crisis.

“He actually said to me one time, he said, ‘if you're my friend, I'd hate to see you as an enemy,” he continued, claiming that he “shut down” the Nord Stream 2 pipeline running from Russia to Europe.

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Trump called President Biden's suggestion that Ukraine should join the NATO alliance a “stupid thing” to say.

The former US president also called Russian President Vladimir Putin “a good negotiator”.

“Putin's a good negotiator. I thought he was doing that to negotiate. But then Biden started saying such stupid things. For instance, he said that it [Ukraine] can be a NATO country,” Trump emphasized.

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Trump acknowledged that it was Russia who defeated Nazi Germany in 1945 and the First French Empire (Napoleonic France) in 1812. “They're a big fighting force," he said, praising Russian military prowess.

“But if you think about it, Russia's gone – Russia defeated Germany with us, and they defeated Napoleon. You know, they've been around a long time. They're a big fighting force,” the former US president emphasized.

“And Ukraine now doesn't have enough men. They're now using young men and very old men to fight. And we're in a very bad position,” Trump said, summarizing the poor situation of the West in its proxy war against Russia.

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The bigger the button, the better

Trump recalled a famous tweet in which he threatened North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with a “much bigger” nuclear button.

“He said that he has a red button on his desk. I said I have a red button on my desk, too, but my red button is much bigger and my red button works,” Trump claimed.

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‘The CIA writes her paycheck’: Venezuela’s US-backed opposition flounders

Venezuela’s Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) is examining the results of the country’s most recent presidential election as the political opposition and its foreign backers allege fraud, but opposition leaders have so far refused to cooperate with the process.

“No Venezuelan party that alleges to have 40 percent more votes than President Maduro (as the opposition claims) would hesitate to present the evidence to the National Electoral Council (CNE),” said Venezuelan constitutional expert Dr. Olga Alvarez in response to the development. “Whoever cries election fraud must irrefutably prove it, the onus is on them not on the CNE to prove there wasn’t.”

Political activist and independent journalist Niko House joined Sputnik’s The Critical Hour program to discuss the issue with host Wilmer Leon.

“She’s been operating as a foreign agent on behalf of the United States. The CIA literally writes her a paycheck,” said House, speaking of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

“You would never see Joe Biden put in a request to audit and verify the results of the election,” he noted. “I think that speaks to the accountability and the integrity of Nicolas Maduro, which I feel like is a very important component here.”

House also noted Venezuela's robust electoral system, which includes multiple “checks and balances” and allows the opposition to monitor the counting of votes at electoral precincts.

“The most simplistic explanation is the oil, right?” House said of the United States’ interest in the election. The US and its allies have expressed concern over Maduro’s victory, echoing claims of a fraudulent election. The opposition has produced records it claims point to their victory, although the records have not been independently verified as accurate or authentic.

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New first-person combat footage from Russia's Kursk region border area, where Ukraine attempted an invasion

As a result of an assault on positions of Ukrainian forces, captured on video, four Ukrainian militants were killed and a Starlink station was captured, the Russian Defense Ministry reports.

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Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers attacked Ukrainian personnel and military equipment in the border area of the Kursk region, Russia's Defense Ministry showed in a video.

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Bye-bye, Volodymyr? US elites are discontent with Zelensky and want to replace him, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service reports

Details:

▪️ The US plans to launch a powerful information campaign to discredit Zelensky in order to force him to leave office

▪️ American elites are exploring options to replace Zelensky with a more manageable and less corrupt figure, as Ukraine is turning in to a "black hole of Europe"

▪️ Former head of Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov is being considered as a suitable candidate

▪️ Affiliated NGOs have been instructed to develop a scenario for Avakov’s ascent to power in Ukraine
Replacing Zelensky would allow the West to better prepare for the possible start of negotiations with Russia, US elites believe

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▪️ Trump to Elon Musk: Biden's suggestion that Ukraine should join NATO is a “stupid thing” to say

▪️ Plausible deniability: how Western media covers for Ukraine’s nuclear terrorism

▪️ US deployment of powerful armada to Middle East can’t hide host of weak spots

▪️ Meet Gortenziya, one of Russia’s first mass-produced FPV-drones

▪️ ‘The CIA writes her paycheck’: Venezuela’s US-backed opposition flounders

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