31 Mar, 2022 12:58

Moscow’s new gas payment scheme explained

It requires a ruble account to be opened in an unsanctioned Russian bank abroad

Lesson here, dont piss off Russia

Russian gas buyers from “unfriendly countries” will be obliged to open a ruble account in an unsanctioned Russian bank, RBC reported on Thursday, citing sources with knowledge of the new payment mechanism.

“The proposed scheme requires the mandatory opening of accounts in Russian rubles in a Russian bank by a foreign buyer of Russian gas,” a government source said. “The payment from the buyer to Gazprom will have to be made exclusively in rubles.”

A source close to Gazprom has confirmed to RBC the structure of the new payment plan.

The deadline set by the Russian government for switching to rubles in gas payments is March 31.

https://www.rt.com/business/553042-moscow-new-gas-payment-scheme/

31 Mar, 2022 12:49

HomeWorld News

France’s Macron is a key enabler of NATO’s anti-Russian provocations

Far from being ‘the next de Gaulle’, the French president has sided with the US and NATO at every turn

During NATO’s US-led intervention in Iraq, then-UK Prime Minister Tony Blair played the role of shotgun-riding sidekick to then-US President George W. Bush when the prime minister was in the best position to mitigate the headlong rush into war. Now, the role of enabler in the conflict ginned up by NATO against Russia in Ukraine goes to French President Emmanuel Macron. And it’s the people of Europe – including French citizens who are set to head to the polls on April 10 and 24 to decide whether Macron deserves a second five-year presidential mandate – who are on the verge of realizing just how much Macron’s kowtowing to the US is going to personally cost them.

In February 2019, Foreign Policy magazine claimed that “Macron is going full De Gaulle,” and that, “France’s president is pushing around Britain, Germany, and Italy – and going back to his country’s foreign-policy roots.” If it truly had been the case that Macron was acting like the legendary French president and former World War II era General Charles de Gaulle, then Macron would have stood up to the US as it pushed its NATO allies to arm and train Ukrainian fighters while recklessly and flagrantly ramping up antagonism and belligerence towards Russia.

President de Gaulle was so incensed by Washington’s willingness to have France’s armed forces come under US-led NATO collective control that he pulled Paris out of the integrated military command in 1966, at the very height of the Cold War with the Soviet Union that represented the military alliance’s entire raison d’être. De Gaulle shuttled between Moscow and Washington afterwards, armed with the credibility of having rejected strict alignment with either global superpower, and thereby allowing him to act as a truly honest and independent broker on both sides of the Iron Curtain. To further underscore France’s total independence, de Gaulle ratified a foreign affairs, science, and technology cooperation agreement that same year with the Soviet Union, which set France on a divergent course from its Western allies.

But in 2009, French President Nicolas Sarkozy reintegrated France into NATO, and Macron has been trying to regain France’s previous reputation as a truly independent broker between Moscow and Washington. He even tried to reorient NATO’s strategic objectives by calling it “brain dead” and emphasizing that it should redefine its focus to counterterrorism missions. Macron has also advocated in favor of the Gaullist position of Europe as an independent world power unto itself.

But recent actions speak much louder than Macron’s words. And it didn’t start with the Ukraine conflict. Last year, the Australian government canceled a €50 billion submarine acquisition contract with France, with Washington being the ultimate beneficiary, as President Joe Biden announced that a new China-targeting alliance would include Australia, Britain, and the US, with France excluded despite having significant overseas territories in the region.

Despite various French experts suggesting that Macron should have responded to the costly snub by pulling France out of US-led NATO, Macron instead settled for undefined future American help in the Sahel region of Africa. Today, the current value of that US offer is questionable in the wake of France’s withdrawal from Mali.

So what net gain did Macron secure for France in exchange for shrugging off Washington’s screw-over of the French economy? Not much.

Likewise, in the run-up to the Ukraine conflict, Macron should have known better than to follow along with Washington’s dangerous game. He had every opportunity to adopt an independent stance amid Washington’s arming, training, and supporting of Ukraine and its brazenly anti-Russian stance that had already resulted in sanctioning the Russian-German Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline construction to the detriment of 40% of Europe’s gas supply.

As holder of the six-month rotating Council of Europe presidency, Macron sat on his hands and zipped his mouth as the EU attempted to crush Russia with sanctions, blocked Moscow’s foreign reserves, and cut it off from the global banking system….

https://www.rt.com/news/553043-macron-nato-anti-russian-provocations/

31 Mar, 2022 11:44

China to restrict visas for US officials

The tit-for-tat move comes after Washington placed similar restrictions on Chinese officials, citing “human rights abuses”

China has decided to restrict visas for a number of US officials in response to similar measures introduced by Washington earlier this month over alleged human rights abuses.

"The Chinese side decided to impose retaliatory visa restrictions on certain US officials who spread lies on the issue of human rights, imposed sanctions against China and harmed China's interests," stated Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Thursday. Wang said the move was made "to protect the sovereignty, security and development interests of the PRC.

"The spokesperson claims that the US used the false pretext of human rights issues to interfere in the internal affairs of China, discredit Beijing, and put pressure on Chinese officials. Wang stated that such actions are a serious violation of the basic principles of international law and international relations.

China’s foreign ministry has so far not confirmed which exact officials will fall under these new restrictions, but the spokesperson said that those who invented the “lies” surrounding the issue of human rights and harmed China’s national interests already know who they are themselves.

The announcement comes after The US State Department imposed visa restrictions for Chinese officials who Washington claims are responsible for the intimidation and harassment of human rights activists and dissidents in China and around the world.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken cited the alleged “genocide” of Uighur muslims and repression of dissidents in Hong Kong and Tibet, saying the US “rejects efforts by [People’s Republic of China] officials to harass, intimidate, surveil and abduct members of ethnic and religious minority groups, including those who seek safety abroad, and US citizens, who speak out on behalf of these vulnerable populations."

The US urged China to “end its ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, repressive policies in Tibet, crackdown on fundamental freedoms in Kong Kong,” and other abuses elsewhere.

https://www.rt.com/news/553035-china-restricts-visas-us/

31 Mar, 2022 12:04

US exempts critical Russian commodity from sanctions

Washington aims to protect farmers from fertilizer shortages

Washington has eased sanctions on Russian agricultural products, including fertilizers, placed on Moscow over the crisis in Ukraine. The move aims to protect US farmers from a shortage of chemical products as food prices in the country continue to soar.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury recently published a new general license dated March 24, which effectively removed restrictions on the import of Russian fertilizers.

The document authorized transactions relating to the exportation and re-exportation of agricultural commodities, banned last month by Washington’s ‘Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations’.

The list of agro-related products now exempt from sanctions includes food for humans, live animals, vitamins and minerals, food additives and supplements, seeds for food crops, fertilizers, and reproductive materials.

Exemptions also cover medicine, medical devices, software updates, and replacement parts for medical devices and Covid-19-related medical components. Analysts say the EU may soon mirror the measure.

https://www.rt.com/business/553034-us-russia-fertilizers-sanctions/

31 Mar, 2022 11:20

HomeBusiness News

India allows Russian investment

Moscow is permitted to invest in country’s corporate debt funds

Modi is not stupid

India will allow sanctions-hit Moscow to invest and borrow on its domestic market, the Economic Times reported on Thursday. The move comes as countries around the world introduce new restrictions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine.

According to the report, Moscow has been approved to invest in Indian corporate debt funds. The country has also been allowed to pay for the investments through a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) account. These funds have reportedly accumulated pending payments for defense purchases made from Russia.

New Delhi also licensed Moscow to invest in debt securities. Media reports say that Russian government officials have asked their Indian counterparts to relax India’s External Commercial Borrowing (ECB) framework. This would allow Russian entities to invest in bonds of Indian companies, known as ‘Masala bonds’, and pay for these investments through an account with the RBI. Masala bonds are rupee-denominated bonds issued overseas by Indian companies. Both government and private entities can issue them.

READ MORE: Russia offers SWIFT alternative for dollarless trade with India — report

Russia and India are also currently negotiating a ruble-rupee payment mechanism after Moscow offered the development of an alternative to SWIFT to its trade partner. The arrangement aims to boost commerce between the two countries by avoiding dollar-denominated trade. It would allow India to continue purchasing Russian oil, weapons, and other goods.

https://www.rt.com/business/553033-asian-economy-allows-russian-investment/

31 Mar, 2022 09:36

Kiev sends new arms ‘wish list’ to US – media

US was reportedly asked to send drones, radars, anti-drone systems and Soviet ground attack planes

Ukraine this week has sent to Washington its latest list of things it wants to get to continue fighting against Russia, CNN reported after obtaining the document. Kiev is said to have requested reconnaissance and attack drones, tactical radars, electronic warfare anti-drone systems and close-air support aircraft.

Ukraine has delivered several wish lists to the Americans over the past few weeks. One of them, revealed last week, requested 1,000 man-portable anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles per day.

The new bid outlines 17 priority items, including Switchblade kamikaze drones. The drones were included in President Joe Biden’s $800 million military aid package for Ukraine announced on March 16.

The military planes requested by Ukraine are Sukhoi Su-25s – jets originally produced by the USSR and later Russia. Ukraine inherited dozens of that type of aircraft during the collapse of the Soviet Union, but reportedly had just 17 still operational as of last year.

CNN said, among other things, Kiev is now seeking artillery systems, anti-ship missiles, optical surveillance equipment and planes to transport weapons. It also wants neighboring countries to provide logistical support to its armed forces by treating its wounded and repairing itsdamaged military hardware.

Destroyed is more like it, kek!

https://www.rt.com/russia/553032-ukraine-arms-wishlist-revealed/

31 Mar, 2022 07:59

World must work with Taliban – Moscow

Russia says a lack of political diversity stands in the way of the Afghan government’s recognition by the UN

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday that the world must work more closely with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, welcoming the steps towards its recognition by the United Nations. The militant group seized power in Kabul last year, as Western forces were completing their withdrawal from the country.

Lavrov was meeting with Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in Tunxi, China.

“We’re convinced that the international community must actively cooperate with the new government of Afghanistan, encouraging the steps towards its official recognition by the UN and all its member states,” Lavrov said.

Despite] not having enough governing experience, financial and economic constraints, political and diplomatic pressure from the US and their allies, Afghanistan’s new administration is generally managing to keep the state afloat.

At the same time, Lavrov said the lack of diversity was “the main obstacle” on the way of the Taliban government’s recognition around the world. “I’m talking about the absence of people in official positions, who are not only representing different ethnic groups, but also… religious minorities and [different] political forces.”

Lavrov added that the first diplomat sent by the Taliban to Moscow has already received accreditation.

The Taliban returned to power after seizing Kabul last year. They previously ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001 until they were toppled during the US-led invasion of the country.

The last Western forces left Afghanistan in August 2021.

The UN has, so far, not recognized the Taliban’s pick for a new envoy to the body. However, it did decide this month to formally reestablish an office in the country.

https://www.rt.com/russia/553024-russia-afghanistan-taliban-government/

https://twitter.com/CGasparino/status/1509271947376480269?s=20&t=2e1I-3yV5l8U6mcgPfoorg

Sean Davis @Federalist is bring shadow banned or something

https://twitter.com/PolitiBunny/status/1509522015023251462?s=20&t=2e1I-3yV5l8U6mcgPfoorg

Sussman is desperate and Perkins Choe freaking out

https://twitter.com/ProfMJCleveland/status/1509514461182365705?s=20&t=2e1I-3yV5l8U6mcgPfoorg

Another good article

Special Counsel John Durham demolished a key Russia hoax figure’s attempt to get criminal charges against him dropped.

Special Counsel John Durham demolished a key Russia hoax figure’s attempt to get criminal charges against him dropped.

Approximately two weeks ago, Michael Sussmann’s legal team filed a motion to dismiss the criminal charge the special counsel’s office brought against the former Hillary Clinton campaign attorney. On Friday, the special counsel filed a response that demolished Sussmann’s legal arguments, highlighted several significant facts related to the pending charge, and revealed the ridiculousness of the defense’s attempt to hide behind the First Amendment…

https://thefederalist.com/2022/03/07/5-new-special-counsel-arguments-against-a-russia-hoaxers-attempt-to-escape/