UN Chief In 'Bone-Chilling' Statement: Nuclear War Back "Within Realm Of Possibility" Over Ukraine

Days after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed an emergency session of the UN General Assembly. He said at the time that the thought of a nuclear is "simply inconceivable" - but warned world powers they must do everything possible in terms of diplomacy from reaching a nuclear showdown scenario.

But now more than two weeks into the war, and with ratcheted warnings flying between NATO/Western capitals and Moscow, the UN chief raised his threat assessment in a new statement Monday, warning the world that it now stands at a new dangerous precipice.

"United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday sounded the alarm over Russia raising the alert level for its nuclear forces, describing it a 'bone-chilling development' and added that the prospect of nuclear conflict was back within realm of possibility," according to Reuters.

He said in the statement:

"The prospect of nuclear conflict, once unthinkable, is now back within the realm of possibility."

It seems he was both responding to Russia's prior widely-reported raising of its nuclear posture, which came closer to the start of the invasion, and the fact that Moscow and Washington are now openly trading threats and warnings that includes mention of "World War 3" scenarios.

Guterres further announced in the Monday statement that the United Nations is readying plans to allocate an additional $40 million in humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, which will come from its Central Emergency Response fund.

Regarding the nuclear warning it must be recalled that it was only in January that the independent consortium of scientists that produce the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the "doomsday clock" another 20 seconds closer to midnight:

Two years after moving the metaphorical minute hand of its Doomsday Clock to within two minutes of midnight — a figurative two-minute warning for all humanity — the science and security board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists revealed Thursday that it has moved that minute hand another 20 seconds closer to the midnight hour.

It remains now at "100 seconds to midnight" - and as NPR previously pointed out in late January, significantly prior to start of Russia's Feb.24 invasion of Ukraine: "Never since the clock's 1947 Cold War debut has it come so close to the putative doomsday annihilation represented by the 12 a.m. hour."

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/un-chief-bone-chilling-statement-nuclear-war-back-within-realm-possibility-over

Archbishop Vigano—Long, detailed analysis of all the players in Ukraine

It is dismaying to see with what hypocrisy the European Union and the United States - Brussels and Washington - are giving their unconditional support to President Zelenskyy, whose government for eight years now has continued to persecute Russian-speaking Ukrainians with impunity (here), for whom it is even forbidden to speak in their own language, in a nation that includes numerous ethnic groups, of which those who speak Russian represent 17.2%

https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/abp-vigano-globalists-have-fomented-war-in-ukraine-to-establish-the-tyranny-of-the-new-world-order/

NATO Is Arming and Training Nazis in Ukraine, as US Floods Russia’s Neighbor with Weapons

NATO is sending weapons and trainers to help neo-Nazis in Ukraine’s white-supremacist Azov movement fight Russia. This follows numerous reports of Western government support for Ukrainian far-right extremists.

The US-led NATO military alliance is sending weapons to neo-Nazi extremists in Ukraine as they battle Russian soldiers.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the US government has flooded the country with arms, authorizing sending $350 million worth of military equipment to Kiev.

In less than a week in late February and early March, the United States and other NATO member states transported more than 17,000 anti-tank weapons, including Javelin missiles, over the borders of Poland and Romania into Ukraine, the New York Times reported.

Washington has also sent Kiev 2,000 stinger anti-aircraft missiles. And the Joe Biden administration gave the “green light” to NATO countries to send fighter jets to Ukraine.

Western governments have invited hardened right-wing militants from around the world to travel to Ukraine to join the fight against Russia – just as they did in Afghanistan in the 1980s, in a strategy that gave birth to al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Meanwhile, as NATO creates an insurgency in Ukraine, some of the fighters receiving these arms are white-supremacist fascists.

The anti-Russian activist media platform NEXTA tweeted on March 8 that NATO countries had shipped Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW) guided missiles and sent instructors to the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

“The Azov regiment was the first to learn about new weaponry,” admitted NEXTA, a Western-backed Belarusian opposition outlet.

Azov is an explicitly neo-Nazi extremist group.

The Azov movement was founded as a fascist gang that served as the muscle behind a violent US-sponsored coup in Ukraine in 2014, overthrowing a democratically elected government that had maintained political neutrality, and instead installing a pro-Western and viciously anti-Russian regime.

After the 2014 putsch, the Azov Battalion was officially incorporated into Ukraine’s National Guard. It is now known as the Azov Detachment or Azov Regiment, and helps oversee special operations.

Azov preaches a white-supremacist ideology that portrays Russians as “Asiatic” and Ukrainians and “pure” white people. It uses numerous neo-Nazi symbols, including the German wolfsangel and black sun.

Given Azov’s links to white-supremacist fascist groups in the United States, there was actually a short-lived campaign to get the Ukrainian neo-Nazi militia listed as a terrorist organization.

In 2019, Democratic New York Representative Max Rose and 39 more congressmembers wrote a letter to the State Department asking it to label Azov as a terrorist organization.

That designation never came. Instead, Washington and NATO have armed Azov to wage a proxy war on Russia.

US, Britain, France, Germany, Israel, Poland, and Canada support Nazis in Ukraine

The photos tweeted by NEXTA are far from the only piece of evidence showing that Western governments have supported Nazis in Ukraine.

In 2017, US and Canadian military officers met with Azov Nazis in Ukraine and advised them on how to battle Russian-speaking Ukrainian independence fighters in the eastern Donbas region.

Azov published photos of the meeting on its official website.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/nato-arming-training-nazis-ukraine-us-floods-russia-neighbor-weapons/5774032

Massive Evergreen Container Ship Runs Aground In Chesapeake Bay

A massive 1,100-foot-long container ship ran aground Sunday night in the Chesapeake Bay after departing from the Port of Baltimore, according to Chesapeake Bay Magazine.

Coast Guard Petty Officer First Class Stephen Lehmann said the container ship "Ever Forward," sailing under the Hong Kong flag for the Evergreen Marine Corp., ran aground around 2300 ET Sunday.

Ever Forward departed from Baltimore for Norfolk when it ran aground near the Craighill Channel, a major shipping lane in and out of Baltimore. The port in the metro area is the nation's largest for specialized cargo (roll-on/roll-off ships) and passenger facilities.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/massive-evergreen-container-ship-runs-aground-chesapeake-bay

Graham to Biden: ‘Go After Anybody and Everybody Who Tries to Prop Up the War Criminal Putin’

Monday on FNC’s “Fox & Friends,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called on President Joe Biden to “go after anybody and everybody who tries to prop up the war criminal” that is Russian President Vladimir Putin.

To prevent China from partnering with Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, Graham suggested sanctioning China. He also warned Russia taking over Ukraine would be a “death sentence for Taiwan.”

“I mean, the only problem is, with Putin, that he’s ineffective,” Graham said of the relationship between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. “He doesn’t have a problem with the fact that Putin’s murdering people on an industrial scale, that he’s a war criminal. The only problem he has it’s just taking so long.”

He continued, “So, China’s all in with Russia. They have very few friends on the planet. So, what I propose we do is, if, in fact, the Chinese are helping arm Russia and providing assistance to get around international sanctions, that we put secondary sanctions on China, that we go after anybody and everybody who tries to prop up the war criminal Putin. And if we don’t do that, then I think we’re missing an opportunity to further isolate Russia and finally, in my lifetime, since Trump left anyway, stand up to China.”

“If Russia is able to dismember the democracy in the Ukraine, that’s a death sentence for Taiwan,” Graham added.

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2022/03/14/graham-to-biden-go-after-anybody-and-everybody-who-tries-to-prop-up-the-war-criminal-putin/

Parliament of NATO Country Estonia Calls for ‘Immediate’ Establishment of No-Fly Zone

The latest on the Russia–Ukraine crisis, March 14. Click here for updates from March 13.

Parliament of NATO Country Estonia Calls for ‘Immediate’ Establishment of No-Fly Zone

The parliament of Estonia on Monday called for UN member states to “take immediate steps to establish a no-fly zone” over Ukraine to prevent further civilian casualties as Russia’s multi-front war against the country rages on.

Estonia is the first NATO member nation to formally call for the implementation of a no-fly zone amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.

“The Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) expresses its support to the defenders and the people of the state of Ukraine in their fight against the Russian Federation that has launched a criminal war, and calls on showing absolute support to Ukraine in its war for maintaining its freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Estonia’s parliament said in a statement Monday.

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Spain Asks China to Use Influence to End War

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said Monday that he has asked his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to use Beijing’s influence over Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.

“We are at a historical moment that requires responsibility and vision of all world leaders,” Albares told Wang during a telephone conversation on Monday, according to a statement from the ministry.

It said that Albares condemned “the Russian aggression on Ukraine” by telling Wang that “Russia has undermined the foundations of peace and stability in Europe and threatens the international community.”

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Mariupol Evacuation Underway After Multiple Prior Ceasefire Failures: Mayor’s Adviser

Evacuation of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol is underway after multiple prior failures to secure a ceasefire that would allow for the safe operation of a humanitarian corridor, according to an adviser to the city’s mayor.

Petro Andrushenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, said in a Monday post on Facebook that, as of 1 p.m. local time, a ceasefire was being observed along a corridor leading out of the city toward Zaporizhia.

“Let’s help everyone out! Call, write to everyone whom you reach!” he wrote, while cautioning that local Ukrainian authorities are unable to officially guarantee safety down the corridor.

Still, he said that the evacuation route was operational and that residents are able to leave using their own modes of transport. He said around 160 vehicles had already managed to depart Mariupol via the corridor.

Read the full article here.

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Putin Spokesman: Russia’s Invasion Going According to Plan

The top Kremlin spokesman said Monday that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is still going according to plan and “within the timeframe” that was “approved in advance.”

“The Russian armed forces are using modern high-precision weapons, hitting only military information infrastructure facilities. All plans of the Russian leadership will be implemented in full within the timeframe approved in advance,” asserted Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, to state-run media.

Peskov declined to comment on how long the war, described by Russia’s government as a “special military operation,” will last. Peskov also appeared to dispute a significant number of reports and claims from Ukrainian officials who said Russia was targeting civilian infrastructure, including hospitals

https://www.ntd.com/live-updates-taiwan-says-asus-will-evacuate-russia-after-ukraine-urges-exit_751880.html

>>15862478

Cyber attack against Israeli government websites is possibly retaliation for an alleged failed Mossad operation.

The Mossad allegedly attempted to attack the Islamic Republic's key Fordow nuclear enrichment site, Iranian media claimed on Monday night.

There was no way to independently confirm the report and Tehran frequently claims to have busted Mossad cells when actually it is merely arresting local opposition elements.

According to Iranian media, a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence unit said a Mossad team that was seeking to carry out an act of sabotage at Fordow was arrested.

Further, reports said that an employee had been given cash and a laptop to sabotage the site, but that he was caught and arrested by the IRGC.

Fordow is the second most important site in terms of volume of centrifuges for enriching uranium, after the Natanz facility.

It is also important because Israeli intelligence and nuclear experts believe that it was previously intended to be where Iran would carry out the final stages of uranium enrichment to the 90% weaponized level and because it is harder to attack from the air, being that it resides under a mountain.

The government confirmed late Monday that a wide number of government websites had been hit and were possibly still being hit by a massive cyber attack.

Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel said that officials were working hard at tackling the issue.

Former senior cyber authority official Rafael Franko, founder of Code Blue, said that Black Shadow, said to be affiliated with Iran, was behind cyber attacks on the diamond exchange over the weekend, potentially in retaliation to other events related to the ongoing Israeli-Iranian conflict, without specifying more.

He warned the country to heighten cyber-preparedness during this rocky period and leading into the Passover holiday when Israeli adversaries often mount cyber attacks.

Confidas CEO Ram Levi said that there was a major attack on Cellcom, likely a denial of service attack where the cyber attacker tries to overwhelm the victim with data and inquiries.

He said the attack started at 6:15 p.m. and ended at 7:30 p.m and also declared it an Iranian cyber-attack.

Some speculated that this was part of Iranian retaliation for the alleged attempted sabotage of Fordow.

The Islamic Republic also claimed multiple recent arrests of Mossad officials and that its missile strikes in the Kurdish Erbil portion of Iraq were aimed at clandestine Mossad sites there.

According to foreign sources, the Mossad successfully hit three Iranian nuclear sites from July 2020 - June 2021 and possibly other nuclear-related sites as well even as recently as September 2021.

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-701269

Joe Biden Says 17 Nobel Prize Winners in Economics Wrote to Him Saying Build Back Better will Ease Inflation

Spending Trillions = Reduces Inflation

Joe Biden addressed the National League of Cities on Monday morning. During his mumbling rant Biden told the crowd that 17 Nobel Price Winners in economics wrote to him saying his multi-trillion-dollar Build Back Better redistribution plan will ease inflation.

Who are these dummies? We know idiot Paul Krugman is one, who are the rest? We want names!

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/03/joe-biden-says-17-nobel-prize-winners-economics-wrote-saying-build-back-better-will-ease-inflation/

BoJo Begs Saudis For More Oil As MBS Invites Xi Jinping To Riyadh To Strengthen Ties

As his government prepares to spend billions of pounds to subsidize the heating bills of millions of British families, British PM Boris Johnson is reportedly planning to push Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to pump more oil, despite the fact that the Kingdom just beheaded 81 people, including members of the Kingdom's Shia minority.

According to the FT, BoJo is preparing for a "daunting diplomatic mission" to Saudi Arabia, where he will discuss "a wide range of issues, not just energy supply" while simultaneously criticizing Riyadh about this weekend's "mass execution".

The UK denounced the beheadings, with Foreign Office minister Amanda Milling saying the UK was "shocked" by the news.

"No aspect of our relationship with Saudi Arabia prevents us from speaking frankly about human rights," Milling told the House of Commons, adding that the UK "strongly opposes" the death penalty.

Of course, if BoJo has a prayer of convincing the Saudis to pump beyond their OPEC quota, he probably will need to offer some concessions to a Kingdom that's still remembers the international backlash to the killing of regime insider-turned-dissident Jamal Kashoggi.

No. 10 Downing Street refused to confirm whether the PM would travel to Saudi Arabia this week when approached by the FT, and the paper said it wasn't able to confirm the plans.

Even if BoJo makes the trip, there's still no guarantee that the Saudis will accede to his demands (especially if he doesn't offer some kind of concession). Since the start of the Ukrainian invasion, Riyadh has reiterated its OPEC+ pumping commitments, which it has refused to violate even as other members recorded a shortfall earlier this year. Russia is part of OPEC+ and Moscow has been co-ordinating production levels with OPEC+ since late 2016. Brent and WTI crude prices have fallen from their peaks.

While convincing the Saudis to pump more would be a difficult win for BoJo, he has other goals in his talks with the Saudis, including sealing a trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council.

But the UK isn't the only nation looking to strengthen investment ties with the Saudis. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly invited Chinese President Xi Jinping for a meeting as the Kingdom looks to deepen its ties with Beijing as its ties with Washington and the West grow increasingly strained.

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/bojo-begs-saudis-ramp-oil-production-despite-latest-round-beheadings

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/bojo-begs-saudis-ramp-oil-production-despite-latest-round-beheadings

Plan to establish field hospital in western Ukraine approved by cabinet

Project is named after former PM Golda Meir, who founded Foreign Ministry aid program and has become symbol of hope for Ukrainians

Cabinet ministers on Monday approved plans for an Israeli field hospital to be established in war-torn Ukraine in the coming days.

The hospital — under a project dubbed Shining Star — is slated to operate in western Ukraine for fleeing refugees for one month, a government statement said.

Budgeted at NIS 21 million, the funds are to come from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Health Ministry and Foreign Ministry, as well as the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.

The facility will be operated by Sheba Medical Center, Clalit Health Services, and medical staff from other hospitals, according to the Health Ministry.

The hospital will include wards for children and adults, an emergency room, a delivery room, and a primary care clinic.

Representatives from the Foreign Ministry will also join the delegation.

Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz clarified last week that the hospital will be managed and manned exclusively by civilians.

The project (Kochav Meir in Hebrew) is named after former prime minister Golda Meir, who was born in Ukraine and was the founder of the Foreign Ministry’s MASHAV aid program, which is leading the field hospital project.

Kyiv-born Meir has become a symbol of hope for Ukrainians amid Russia’s invasion.

“I can officially say here today that we are establishing a field hospital for injured Ukrainians that will operate there, on the ground. This is important and I am pleased that we — the Health Ministry and the Foreign Ministry, with the assistance of the Finance Ministry — are leading it,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said during the weekly cabinet meeting.

Israel already sent a 100-ton humanitarian aid package to Ukraine, which Russia invaded on February 24 in a military campaign that has since met with fierce resistance.

The aid included medical equipment, medication, water purifiers, tents, blankets, sleeping bags, with additional aid to be provided in the coming weeks, the Foreign Ministry said.

Also during Monday’s meeting, Bennett said Israel was managing its response to Russia’s war on Ukraine with “sensitivity and responsibility,” pushing back against criticism over the fact that Jerusalem has failed to take stronger action against Moscow over the invasion of its neighbor.

“We are managing this complex crisis with sensitivity and responsibility, and are making an effort to offer assistance however we can,” Bennett said.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/plan-to-establish-field-hospital-in-western-ukraine-approved-by-cabinet/

Democrat official in Michigan charged with ballot tampering, misconduct in 2020 election

Ex-Flint township clerk accused of intentionally breaking a seal on a ballot container so the votes could not be counted.

A former Michigan county township clerk has been charged with ballot tampering and official misconduct in connection with an expected recount in her own August 2020 primary election.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the charges on Friday against ex-Flint Township Clerk Kathy Funk, a Democrat who will face trial in Genesee County District court.

Funk is accused of intentionally breaking a seal on a ballot container so the votes could not be counted in an anticipated recount. Funk was running for reelection, and narrowly prevailed in the unofficial count, Nessel said.

Funk also was serving at the time as an election official. A recount did not happen. Funk later resigned her township job and took a job as Genesee County election supervisor.

"Election officials must uphold the integrity of their positions," Nessel said. "Those who abuse that commitment undermine the very foundation of our democracy. Our department is committed to prosecuting election violations, regardless of the political party of the perpetrator."

Funk's attorney says she plans to plead innocent to the charges, each of which is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison.

"She says it's absolutely not true," attorney Matthew Norwood told MLive.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/michigan-official-charged-ballot-tampering-misconduct-2020-election

Thirty Horry County Gang Members and Drug Trafficking Associates with Ties to Mexican Drug Cartel Sentenced in Federal Court

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/thirty-horry-county-gang-members-and-drug-trafficking-associates-ties-mexican-drug-cartel

Russian Oligarch Charged With Making Illegal Political Contributions

Andrey Muraviev Charged with Conspiring to Fund One Million Dollars in Illegal Donations

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/russian-oligarch-charged-making-illegal-political-contributions

BIDEN: "Make no mistake, the current spike in gas prices is largely the fault of Vladimir Putin. It has nothing to do with the American Rescue Plan."

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1503456420989227017

Another drone falls on soil of Ukraine’s NATO neighbor

An unmarked UAV landed in the Romanian countryside, some 100 km from the border with Ukraine

A drone bearing no markings was discovered by a farmer in northern Romania, not far from the border with Ukraine. The NATO member country’s officials are now investigating the incident, which follows last week’s drone crash in nearby Croatia.

Police and prosecutors descended on Bistrita-Nasaud county in Transylvania on Monday, after a villager found the aircraft in a field near his house, local media reported.

“So far, the origin of the aircraft has not been established, and its owner has not been identified,” AP quoted prosecutors in the nearby city of Cluj as saying. “An investigation is underway to determine the circumstances in which the aircraft was flown and to identify the pilot of the aircraft.”

The drone was later reportedly identified by some media as Orlan-10, a Russian-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Bistrita-Nasaud is on the south side of the Carpathian mountains, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Romania’s border with western Ukraine – and nowhere near the combat zone. Russian troops entered Ukraine last month, on what Moscow called a mission to demilitarize and “denazify” the government in Kiev. Ukraine has accused Russia of an unprovoked attack.

It was unclear where the drone came from, or how it may have evaded the air defenses of Romania, a key NATO member in southeastern Europe.

Monday’s discovery is the second time in less than a week that a drone has made its way through NATO airspace. Last Thursday, an old UAV flew from the direction of Ukraine over Romania and Hungary, before crashing in the Croatian capital of Zagreb.

NATO said it had tracked the Tu-141 for hours, but made no attempt to shoot it down. Speaking on Monday, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said his government is a “solid and loyal” ally to NATO, but ultimately needs to rely on its own air defenses.

Croatian defense minister Mario Banožić said on Sunday that the Tu-141 contained “bomb parts” and traces of explosives, indicating it was not a scouting aircraft.

https://www.rt.com/news/551907-romania-transylvania-drone-ukraine/

Beijing wants US to ‘open biolabs’ to international experts

If Pentagon-funded research is as benign as Washington claims, why not subject it to scrutiny? – Chinese Foreign Ministry

Washington should prove that the global network of biolabs funded by the Pentagon does not conduct nefarious research by subjecting the facilities to international scrutiny, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said during a daily briefing on Monday.

“If the US wants to prove their activity is benign, why not open those biolabs to independent examination by international experts?” he asked.

There are dozens of biolabs funded by the US through the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) scattered throughout the globe. The US insists they act as early warning outposts collecting data on potentially dangerous infections in various parts of the world.

Skeptical nations, including China and Russia, believe the labs may also serve darker purposes by conducting bioweapon studies on behalf of the US. The work is allegedly conducted on foreign soil for extra secrecy, and to circumvent Washington’s international commitments to refrain from this type of military research, critics claim.

The network was brought back into the spotlight this month amid Russia’s military attack against Ukraine. Moscow released documents allegedly proving that Washington ordered labs in Ukraine to destroy samples of highly dangerous pathogens and other materials. US officials offered an array of explanations in response.

https://www.rt.com/news/551855-china-biolabs-international-inspectors/