Guardian view on the Russian spy attack: Sergei Skripal and the sowing of discord

When Vladimir Putin was asked recently what historical event he would change if he had the power, he said he would undo the collapse of the Soviet Union. This was not a surprising answer, but it was a timely reminder of what motivates Kremlin policy. Putinism embodies the feeling that Russia was robbed of its wealth and superpower status. The internal failings and atrocities of the Soviet system are of little consequence in this account of history. The Russian president’s project is the reversal, at any cost, of a humiliating defeat by the west.

The attempted murder of Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy who worked for MI6, and the credible suspicion of Kremlin responsibility, must be seen in this context. The use of a sophisticated nerve agent points to an assassination attempt by a government actor. Moscow attacks such talk as “an anti-Russian campaign”. But commentary on Russian state television observed that “traitors to the motherland” are not safe on UK soil, alluding to the “strange deaths” of other Russians in Britain in recent years, not just the 2006 poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko.

Source: Theguardian

Brendan Farrell: 'If we don’t support farmers, in 10 years we’ll be importing 100% of our food'

That’s a bit personal,” Brendan Farrell arcs up. He’s had enough of those kind of questions and refuses point-blank to answer any about family or upbringing either. That’s fair enough. Farrell is a man on a mission.

The fourth-generation farmer from Burrumbuttock, New South Wales, has been organising massive convoys of hay to drought-stricken farmers since 2014. Last year 260 trucks and 400 trailers carted 14,000 bales to Ilfracombe in central-west Queensland, where his crew also helped build bar facilities at the racecourse. In January this year, on his 13th run, 150 trucks and 200 trailers took $2m worth of hay to Cunnamulla in south-west Queensland.

Source: Theguardian

Empire strikes back: why former colonies don't need Britain after Brexit

The countdown to leave the European Union began in the British summer of 2016, but nobody in the country seemed to know in which direction they were headed. Those who voted to leave don’t know what kind of future they would like; those who voted to stay don’t know what they can do to stop the process they are certain will create only misery. British politicians from the two major parties – Conservative and Labour – aren’t helping.

The Conservatives are led by a prime minister who voted to stay and seems reluctant to leave the EU; Labour is led by a man who never wanted the UK to join the EU, and must somehow convince voters who wish to remain that he can strike a better bargain.

A decisive vote would have made the politicians’ job easier. But just over half (52%) voted to leave, and nearly half voted to stay. Britain sees itself as a trading country – the EU began as the Common Market with free movement of goods, capital and people across national borders. Leaving would be easy, some politicians said; there would be new trade deals with the United States and China, as well as with the Commonwealth. Ministers spoke eloquently about re-establishing old ties with Commonwealth countries.

Source: Theguardian

Journalists are risking all to expose the Italian mafia. They must be protected

The Italian mafia extended their tentacles into eastern Europe a long time ago. So anyone who was surprised by the death last month of the Slovak journalist Ján Kuciak was not paying attention.

Kuciak, the second journalist to be murdered in Europe in recent months, was found shot dead alongside his partner, Martina Kusnirova, at their home on 25 February. Like Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta, Kuciak appears to have paid the price for his investigative reporting. At the time of his death, he had been working on a story on the influence of the Calabrian mafia, the ‘Ndrangheta, on business and politics in Slovakia.

Mafia organisations were the first western businesses to develop long-term relationships with communist regimes and used them to gain a foothold in the east. Although they could not buy property during communist rule, the mafia could rely on two other things: political corruption, to facilitate their illegal traffic, and a near monopoly of the black market in western goods illegally smuggled into eastern bloc countries.

Source: Theguardian

Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for peanut and broccoli pad thai

In the late 1930s, Thailand’s prime minister held a public competition to find a new national noodle dish. The winning entry was a dish that combined rice noodles, vegetables, peanuts, shrimp and egg, and it was named “pad Thai” in a bid to promote Thai-ness. This vegan interpretation of that classic dish celebrates the brilliance of the original, while also bringing in something new in the form of purple sprouting broccoli. I’m not sure the former Thai PM would approve, but I hope you do.
Peanut butter and purple sprouting broccoli pad thai

Pad thai is best eaten with as many garnishes as possible, so feel free to customise yours with shop-bought fried shallots, pickled Thai radishes, beansprouts and crushed roasted peanuts as you wish. Buy sprouting broccoli with thin, tender stalks, rather than fat, woody ones. Rice noodles are fragile, so be gentle with them.

Source: Theguardian

Harley-Davidson: Trump's tariffs pose grave threat to famous American name

Harley-Davidson is not having a great year. In January, the legendary bike company, struggling to reverse a four-year slide in sales, had to close its Kansas City factory. Now Donald Trump – who seems as if he’d like to be a Harley man – has added to its woes.
This week’s announcement of steel tariffs on US imports could add $30m to the company’s costs, according to Wedbush Securities, an investment firm. Worse still, European leaders are threatening retaliation, and several symbols of Americana – including Kentucky whiskey, Levi’s and Harley-Davidson motorcycles – are on their list.

Source: Theguardian