8 Aug, 2022 16:50

German media sheds light on Zelensky’s ‘secret deals’

Die Welt published an excerpt from a new biography which describes alleged cases of corruption involving Ukraine’s president

German newspaper Die Welt has put Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s “secret deals” under the microscope, publishing an extract from a new book which suggests the head of state may have evaded taxes at home.

Published last Wednesday, the excerpt comes from a new book released this month, ‘Zelensky: A Biography’. The paper cited parts of the book that deal with alleged cases of corruption involving the Ukrainian president.

It says that in 2019, Zelensky was found to have offshore accounts in Cyprus, and research by Slidstvo.info revealed that the former comedian owns companies in the British Virgin Islands and Belize, including the “previously unknown” Maltex Multicapital Corp., which owns apartments in central London worth $7.5 million. The corporation is also said to have received a total of $40 million from Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoysky since 2012. Zelensky apparently transferred his shares in this company to a close friend shortly before the 2019 presidential election, which he went on to win.

While it was not clear what the purpose behind the scheme was, Ukrainian investigative journalists speculated at the time that Zelensky might have used it to dodge taxes at home, or that he participated in money laundering for Kolomoysky.

The excerpt also states that the airing of a documentary called ‘Offshore 95’, which centered on Zelensky’s alleged shady dealings revealed in the Pandora Papers, was canceled in Kiev at the last minute last October. The cinema’s manager had apparently received a call from the SBU, Ukraine’s security service, the extract said, citing Ukrainian media. It was only thanks to public outcry that the screening did take place later in the day, it said.

Despite initially refusing to answer questions posed by Slidstvo.info, Zelensky’s office explained in October 2021 that “everyone relocated their business abroad, especially in the TV industry” during the “Yanukovich times,” a reference to former President Viktor Yanukovich. Zelensky also claimed that the tax authorities looked into his dealings “almost every day” at the time, implying that they never found any violations. He also vehemently denied involvement in any money laundering, but dodged a question about whether he had actually paid all the taxes due at all times.

A journalist from Slidstvo.info was, however, apparently not satisfied with the president’s reply and suggested the next day that the mere existence of this offshore corporation pointed to the fact that Zelensky does not “trust the country in which you built up your business and which you are in charge of.”

“You want to conceal something, and you have a reason for that,” she said.

According to the book, on October 27, Ukraine’s National Agency on Corruption Prevention announced that it had conducted a probe into Zelensky’s business activities and found nothing illegal.

https://www.rt.com/russia/560472-german-media-zelensky-shady-affairs/

8 Aug, 2022 18:10

==Outbreak of new virus reported in China=

Taiwan is bracing for the possible spread of a novel and potentially deadly henipavirus that spreads from animals to humans

At least 35 people in China have become infected with a novel henipavirus that apparently spreads from animals to humans, setting off alarm bells in neighboring Taiwan over a potentially dangerous pathogen.

Taiwanese laboratories will need to establish standardized testing procedures to identify the Langya henipavirus (LayV), Chuang Jen-hsiang, deputy director of Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC), told reporters on Sunday. Genome sequencing of the virus is expected to be completed within about one week, he said.

Chuang made his comments three days after the New England Journal of Medicine posted a study on the newly discovered virus, which was detected in China’s Shandong and Henan provinces. All of the affected patients had high fevers, while at least half were also experiencing fatigue, coughing, loss of appetite and a drop in white blood cells.

More than one-third of patients suffered liver failure, and 8% had kidney failure. The study said LayV is part of the Paramyxoviridae family of negative-strand RNA viruses, which can cause “fatal disease.” Its emergence comes as public health officials around the world are still dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, which has reportedly killed more than 6.4 million people.

It’s not yet known whether the pathogen can spread from human to human, according to researchers. Testing on animals in the affected areas revealed that 5% of dogs and 2% of goats had been infected. Shrews might be key carriers of LayV, inasmuch as 27% tested positive.

None of the 35 infected humans had close contact with each other or a common exposure history, Chuang said. Contact tracing indicated that no family members or other individuals exposed to the infected people had contracted the virus.

The Taiwanese CDC will work with agriculture regulators to study whether similar pathogens exist in species native to the self-governing island, Chuang said. The Chinese outbreak hasn’t caused any deaths so far, he added.

Chinese researchers discovered a novel henipavirus, called Mojiang paramyxovirus (MojV), in 2013. Rats living in an abandoned copper mine in Yunnan province were found to be infected with the virus. Three men who had been working in the mine fell ill with severe pneumonia. They died long before scientists arrived on scene, so no direct connection to MojV was confirmed.

https://www.rt.com/news/560488-new-virus-outbreak-detected-in-china/

>>17225133 Shelling-Europes-largest-nuclear-plant-suicidal-head-says.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign - daily mail

8 Aug, 2022 18:07

Ukraine’s nuclear plant attacks holding Europe hostage – Moscow

Kiev’s forces are making the situation around the Zaporozhye facility much more dangerous, the Russian Foreign Ministry says

Kiev is holding all of Europe hostage by carrying out strikes on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday, noting that the situation around the facility is growing increasingly dangerous due to heightened activity from Ukrainian forces.

Russia has long been calling on the international community to condemn the unrelenting military strikes being carried out by Kiev on the grounds of the plant, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted in a statement posted on the ministry's website.

She added that the strikes were renewed on Friday and Saturday, and that a catastrophe was avoided only thanks to the “skillful and prompt actions” of the power plant workers, as well as the Russian forces stationed there to provide “comprehensive protection” of the facility.

“We can’t ignore the obvious: every day the situation becomes more and more dangerous,”Zakharova warned,noting that Russia regularly sends updated information “from the ground” to the IAEA, providing clear evidence of the “criminal actions of the Ukrainian armed forces, the command of which has finally lost the ability to think sensibly.”

“They have apparently lost the basic instinct of self-preservation. After all, by pointing artillery at the operating reactors and the storage of spent nuclear fuel, the Ukrainians are aiming at themselves,” the spokeswoman said, adding that Kiev is now not only targeting the people of Russia and Ukraine, but are taking the whole of Europe hostage and “apparently won’t hesitate to burn it for the sake of their Nazi idols.”

Earlier, Russia’s Defense Ministry condemned Kiev’s attack as a “new act of nuclear terrorism,” after last week’s shelling damaged a high-voltage power line, causing a short circuit at the plant and starting a fire at the facility, which was eventually put out.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the attacks on the nuclear facility could have “catastrophic consequences for a huge territory, including the territory of Europe.”

“We hope that countries which have an absolute influence on the Ukrainian leadership will use this influence to rule out such shelling,” Peskov said.

The Ukrainian side has denied attacking the plant, with President Vladimir Zelensky saying that it was in fact Russia that shelled the facility on Friday and called for a “stronger response” to “Russian nuclear terror.”

The nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, Europe’s largest, was seized by Russian forces in late February, when Moscow launched its military operation in the neighboring state. The facility continues to operate under Russian control with Ukrainian personnel.

Ukraine and the US previously accused Russian forces of using the plant as cover, a claim that Moscow has rejected.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the “suicidal” attacks on the plant, and expressed hope that international inspectors will be able to access the facility soon.

https://www.rt.com/russia/560481-kiev-holding-europe-hostage/

Any outlet saying Russia is shelling the nuclear plant is fake news, they took control of it to protect it, there are Ukrainian workers and Russian soldiers protecting it. It makes no sense because Russia has only attacked locations of Ukraine military and ammo depots. Why would they shell their own military?

8 Aug, 2022 17:06

Russia suspends US inspections of nuclear military sites

Western sanctions are preventing Russian inspectors from doing their jobs under the START treaty, Moscow says

Moscow has informed Washington of a “temporary withdrawal” from the inspection regime under the START nuclear disarmament treaty, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday.

Citing provisions in the document for “exceptional circumstances,” Russia claims Western sanctions have prevented its inspectors from performing their duties, thus giving their US counterparts an unfair advantage. Once the principle of parity and equality is restored, the previous arrangements will resume, the statement added.

Moscow cited “anti-Russian unilateral restrictive measures” imposed by the US and its allies, such as visa restrictions on Russian inspectors and a ban on Russian aircraft in US and EU airspace. These restrictions effectively make Russian inspections under the treaty impossible, while the Americans “do not experience such difficulties.”

“The Russian Federation is now forced to resort to this measure as a result of Washington’s persistent desire to implicitly achieve a restart of inspection activities on conditions that do not take into account existing realities, create unilateral advantages for the United States and effectively deprive the Russian Federation of the right to carry out inspections on American soil,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Russia “raised this issue with the relevant countries, but did not receive an answer.” Until these problems are resolved, “it would be premature to resume inspection activities under the START Treaty, on which the American side insists.”

As justification for the measure, Moscow cited the relevant section of the treaty protocol that covers extraordinary circumstances. Washington has been officially informed through diplomatic channels.

“We would like to emphasize that the measures we have taken are temporary. Russia is fully committed to complying with all the provisions of the START Treaty, which in our eyes is the most important instrument for maintaining international security and stability,”the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

As soon as the “existing problematic issues”are resolved, the inspections can resume again in full, according to Moscow.

The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (known as New START) went into effect in 2011, and limits the number of nuclear warheads and their delivery vehicles that the US and Russia are allowed to possess. It is the only remaining arms control agreement between the two nuclear powers, after the US withdrawal from the INF and Open Skies treaties in recent years. New START almost expired before it was extended in February 2021, and is supposed to remain in effect until 2026.

Though US President Joe Biden said he had offered Russia talks on a new treaty, which would include China as well,Moscow said last week that it had received only “declarative statements” and not concrete proposals.

https://www.rt.com/news/560487-russia-suspends-us-inspections-nuclear-military/

8 Aug, 2022 20:29

HomeWorld News

NYT writer accuses Trump of flushing documents down toilet

Trump’s team called the evidence “fabricated” and journalist Maggie Haberman “desperate”

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman released photos on Monday apparently showing former President Donald Trump’s handwritten notes flushed down two toilets, supposedly in violation of White House protocol. Trump himself ridiculed Haberman, and his office called her scoop “desperate.”

Published by Axios on Monday, the photos show two torn-up wads of notes, apparently in Trump’s handwriting, lodged in a pair of toilets, one in the White House and the other from an overseas trip.

The names ‘Rogers’ and ‘Stefanik’ are visible on the shredded notes, likely referencing Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama and Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik of New York.

Trump has long been suspected of mishandling White House documents and briefing papers, with the Justice Department in May reportedly opening a probe into 15 boxes of letters, mementos and classified files that the former president is believed to have taken to his Florida residence after leaving Washington last year.

Haberman, who released the latest photos amid a promotional campaign for her upcoming book on Trump, claimed in February that Trump would clog White House toilets with shredded papers, apparently in violation of the Presidential Records Act.

Referring to Haberman as “Maggot,” Trump at the time said that her claims were “categorically untrue and simply made up by a reporter in order to get publicity for a mostly fictitious book.”

Trump’s office struck a similar tone on Monday. “You have to be pretty desperate to sell books if pictures of paper in a toilet bowl is part of your promotional plan,” his spokesman, Taylor Budowich, told Axios. “There's enough people willing to fabricate stories like this in order to impress the media class, a media class who is willing to run with anything, as long as it anti-Trump."

Haberman was infamously mentioned in leaked emails belonging to former Hillary Clinton campaign manager John Podesta, published by WikiLeaks in 2016. In a 2015 strategy document, Haberman was described by the Clinton campaign as a “friendly journalist” who had been hired to “tee up stories” beneficial to Democrats before, and would be useful in “shaping” a pro-Clinton narrative.

https://www.rt.com/news/560492-trump-documents-toilet-photos/

(Maggie should have gotten off the train when it was offered. Now she’s digging a deeper train ride into the bowels of the earth)

God Almighty. He is POTUS and Commander in Chief, he’s not going to fuck around and flush papers down a toilet, anyone saying this are crazy as fuck! Why isn’t the print blurry with it being supposedly watersoked? And who took the pictures. Honestly their stories are worse than a clever 5 year old.