5 Feb, 2023 02:26

Putin did not threaten Germany – Scholz

German tanks are also not a threat to “Russian territory,” the chancellor has said

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has claimed that a “consensus” was reached with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that Kiev will not use Western weapons, including German Leopard tanks, to stage attacks on Russian territory. The West, however, still considers Crimea and four other new Russian regions to be parts of Ukraine.

In an interview with the Bild am Sonntag newspaper published on Saturday night, Chancellor Scholz once again placed all of the blame for the conflict on Moscow, arguing that Russia’s “unprovoked aggression” justified the collective West’s intervention with military aid to protect the “European peace order.”

“Together with our allies, we are giving battle tanks to Ukraine so that they can defend themselves,” Scholz argued. He added that Berlin “carefully weighed every arms shipment, closely coordinating… first and foremost with America.”

Scholz pledged 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks to Ukraine from the Bundeswehr’s own stocks last month, after the US promised to send some of its own M1 Abrams tanks sometime later this year. In the interview, the German leader dismissed any concerns about his country’s weaponry once again being used against Russian soldiers as “abstruse historical comparisons.”

At a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of victory at the Battle of Stalingrad on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was “unbelievable but true – we are once again threatened with German Leopard tanks, with crosses on their hull. And once again seeking to battle Russia in Ukraine with the help of Hitler’s followers, the Banderites.”

“Those seeking to defeat Russia on the battlefield apparentlydo not realize that a modern war with Russia would be entirely different for them,” he added, promising a response that goes beyond armored vehicles.

“No, Putin didn’t threaten me or Germany,”Scholz said regarding phone conversations with the Russian leader when the interviewer brought up recent claims by ex-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The Kremlin stated that Johnson had either deliberately lied about a “missile threat” or simply did not understand what Putin was talking about.

When asked if there is any kind of agreement with President Vladimir Zelensky that Western weapons will only be used on Ukrainian territory, Scholz said there is a “consensus.”He did not elaborate on whether there is a consensus regarding which territories are considered Ukrainian.

The US has also reportedly provided military aid to Ukraine on condition that it will not be used to strike targets in Russia. However, American officials have said this restriction does not apply to Crimea and other new Russian territories, and has repeatedly stated that Kiev is free to pick its own targets.

Crimea and the city of Sevastopol joined Russia in 2014 following a referendum. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, did the same last year. Kiev has dismissed the referendums as a “sham.”

On Wednesday, Putin tasked the military with “eliminating any possibility” of Ukrainian strikes against Russia. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov clarified that this includes the territories that Ukraine still considers to be its own, saying that Moscow will “push back” the Ukrainian troops to a range at which they will not be a threat, and that “the longer range the weapons supplied to the Kiev regime have, the further the troops will need to be moved.”

https://www.rt.com/news/570971-scholz-russia-ukraine-german-tanks/

5 Feb, 2023 03:49

China reacts to US downing of ‘civilian airship’

Beijing claimed the right to retaliate after the Pentagon shot down what it called a “spy balloon”

China has blasted US President Joe Biden’s decision on Saturday to scramble an advanced F-22 stealth fighter jet to bring down a Chinese high-altitude balloon – after it traversed the United States – as an “obvious overreaction” and a “serious violation of international practice.”

As the US military sent a salvage vessel to recover the debris that landed in shallow waters about 6 nautical miles off the coast of South Carolina, China’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday morning, expressing its “strong dissatisfaction and protest against the US use of force to attack civilian unmanned airships.”

“China will resolutely uphold the relevant company’s legitimate rights and interests, and at the same timereserving the right to take further actions in response,” the ministry said.

Biden said he initially wanted to shoot the balloon down as early as Wednesday, a day before the Pentagon first publicly acknowledged it had been tracking the suspicious craft. However, defense officials allegedly convinced him to wait until it was safe for people on the ground, arguing that it posed no threat to national security, despite traversing over multiple sensitive military locations at an altitude of around 18km (60,000 feet).

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin accused China of using the balloon “in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States,” in a statement after the “successful” air-to-air missile strike that brought it down above US territorial waters on Saturday.

China insisted that it was “a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological purposes,” which allegedly deviated far from its planned course due to “force majeure.”

The incident forced US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a planned trip to Beijing, over what he called “a clear violation of US sovereignty.” China countered that no such visit had been agreed to in the first place.

(China will always be the Master of Fake Outrage, much better than Ukraine!)

https://www.rt.com/news/570972-china-balloon-civilian-airship/

Abhishek Jha@abhishekjha157

Thats how the Chinese Balloon was brought down down by US aviators.

https://twitter.com/abhishekjha157/status/1622076320393076736

4 Feb, 2023 19:01

China helping Russia to obtain key technology – media

Western sanctions apparently haven’t hampered the flow of aircraft parts, radios and microchips

Chinese defense firms are supplying Russia with components suitable for military use, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. Despite repeated attempts by Washingon to shut off the flow of such components through Turkey and the UAE, tens of thousands of shipments have been successfully completed, the report claimed.

Citing Russian customs data allegedly obtained by C4ADS, a Washington-based think-tank, the newspaper stated that 84,000 shipments were made since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine last February. These reportedly include “dual use”components – items suitable for military or civilian use – like navigation computers, semiconductors, aircraft parts, and communications jamming equipment.

The US has repeatedly demanded that China abide by sanctions on the Russian defense industry, and has sanctioned some Chinese firms that it accused of violating these restrictions. Beijing denies flouting the sanctions, with a spokesman for its foreign ministry telling the Wall Street Journal that the allegations are “purely speculative and deliberately hyped up.”

Russia did not provide a comment to the newspaper, while most of the Chinese and Russian companies allegedly involved refused to return its messages.

While Washington’s European allies have cut their ties with Russia – often to the detriment of their own economies, America’s partners elsewhere have been less enthusiastic. The report claimed that many of the components shipped by China came to Russia via Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates, both of which have refused to sanction Moscow.

The US Treasury Department’s top sanctions official visited both countries this week, where he pressed local businesses to cut their ties with Russian entities, threatening them with loss of access to Western markets. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to raise the issue of China’s alleged sanctions evasion while on a trip to Beijing this week, before the trip was canceled amid controversy over the appearance of a supposed Chinese “surveillance balloon” over the US on Wednesday.

With relations between Washington and Beijing at an historic low, China and Russia have continued to strengthen their partnership, Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said after a visit to Moscow earlier this week. The US, meanwhile, has responded with further sanctions, blacklisting nearly two dozen individuals and entities on Wednesday for allegedly helping Russia acquire military technology.

https://www.rt.com/news/570966-china-russia-sanctions-trade/

5 Feb, 2023 08:27

India ditches dollar to bypass sanctions on Russian oil – Reuters

Local refiners are reportedly using UAE dirhams to pay for most of the Russian oil bought from Dubai-based traders

Indian refiners are now using Emirati dirhams instead of US dollars to pay for most of the Russian oil they purchase via traders based in the United Arab Emirates, Reuters reported last week, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The Indian authorities have not supported the measures against Russia adopted by the G7 in response to the conflict in Ukraine. The steps are aimed at cutting Moscow’s energy revenues.

A $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian seaborne oil exports was introduced by the EU, G7 countries, and Australia on December 5. The mechanism prohibits Western companies from providing insurance and other services to shippers of Russian oil unless the cargo is purchased at or below the set price.

A similar measure targeting petroleum exports came into force on February 5. It sets the price of refined petroleum products imported from Russia at $100 per barrel for diesel and $45 per barrel for fuel oil.

Though New Delhi decided not to take part in the restrictions, Indian banks and financial institutions remain cautious about clearing payments so as not to unintentionally fall foul of the other measures introduced against Russia.

Previous attempts to pay traders for Russian crude in dirhams through Dubai banks reportedly failed, forcing Indian refiners to switch back to the US currency. The State Bank of India, the country’s top bank, is now clearing the dirham payments, the sources told the news agency, disclosing some details of the transactions.

Indian refiners reportedly make most of their purchases of Russian crude from Dubai-based traders, including Everest Energy and Litasco, a unit of Russian oil major Lukoil.

In July of last year, media reports emerged that Russia expected some Indian buyers to pay for crude in dirhams. Later, Indian refineries reportedly turned to the yuan and dirhams for Russian coal as well.

https://www.rt.com/business/570960-india-russia-oil-uae-dirhams/

5 Feb, 2023 10:08

Train carrying hazardous chemicals derails

50 cars went off the tracks sparking a massive blaze in the state of Ohio

A train carrying chemicals derailed in the US state of Ohio late on Friday, causing a massive fire and triggering an evacuation of residents in the area.

Some 50 cars from a 140-car train went off the tracks in the village of East Palestine not far from the state border with Pennsylvania, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Saturday.

There were no reports of fatalities or injuries as a result of the derailment, but a massive blaze broke out at the site, which continued burning into Saturday.

“It's an active fire scene,” NTSB board member Michael Graham said. Several explosions were heard at the crash site on Saturday, according to media reports.

Firefighters in East Palestine were forced to work in hazmat suits as the ill-fated train had been transporting chemicals, among other things.

According to the NTSB, ten of the derailed cars contained hazardous materials, including five carrying vinyl chloride, a colorless gas used to make tubes for plumbing and other plastic products. The US National Cancer Institute warns that exposure to vinyl chloride is associated with therisk of several forms of cancer.

So far, only a small amount of vinyl chloride was released through special pressure release devices, which are set up on train cars to prevent explosions, the NTSB said.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency told CNN that as of Saturday evening it hadn’t discovered any dangerous levels of air contamination in the area around the crash. Experts will remain on site “as long as necessary,” the agency assured.

The massive fire and the threat of chemical explosions prompted local authorities to order an evacuation of residents living within 1 mile (1.6km) of the site of the incident. Around 2,000 people, roughly half of East Palestine’s population, had to leave their homes, with the remaining inhabitants told to stay indoors.

An investigation is currently underway to determine the causes of the derailment.

https://www.rt.com/news/570986-ohio-chemicals-train-derailment/

Exclusive — Rep. Thomas Massie, Antitrust Subcommittee Chair: No Monopoly Is Safe

Sean Moran3 Feb 2023

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview on Wednesday that he plans to take a comprehensive look at monopolies across all industries as the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee chair.

Last House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) announced that Massie would serve as the Subcommittee chair on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust.

Massie told Breitbart News that he plans to investigate nearly all industries for potential solutions to anticompetitive and monopolistic behavior.

He explained, “I contend that no monopoly can survive in a free market. Most monopolies require the government to survive, and when the federal government gives handouts and carveouts and overregulates competition and indemnifies the incumbents, those are recipes for monopoly creation and growth. And we do way too much of that. So, without spilling the beans, I intend to cover a lot of areas with this committee. There’s almost no industry that doesn’t have some kind of monopoly or group of people that dominate the market unfairly because of government intervention, government carveouts, handouts, indemnification, and overregulation.”

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) strongly endorsed Massie in a statement this week. Russell Dye, a spokesperson said.

“Rep. Massie is one of the smartest minds in Congress and will work harder than anyone on holding Big Tech accountable,” Dye said. Dye noted that every issue from antitrust to holding big tech is on the table..

Massie said that he might be the perfect lawmaker for the committee, as he is both not afraid of ruffling feathers and does not raise enough money to worry about offending entrenched interests and donors.

The Kentucky conservative fought off critics who claimed that because he was nominated to serve as the antitrust subcommittee chairman, he would go softer than prior chairs on monopolies and other concentrated industries. He even contended that his subcommittee may broach other committees and discuss other bills that may further entrenched monopolies.

He elaborated, “There’s legislation that passes out of other committees that enables these monopolies. So, you know me, I’m not afraid of offending anybody and barely raised any money to start with. I’m like the perfect candidate to go in and upset a lot of monopolies that haven’t been visited because the committees of jurisdiction aren’t judiciary.”

“If somebody’s got a monopoly and they think they’re safe because I’m the chair of this, I think that they’re going to be sorely disappointed. They better hang on to their handouts and carveouts and indemnifications and overregulations.”

Massie added that if he had the power, he would call it the “Anti-Cronyist” subcommittee.

Massie’s appointment to the Judiciary antitrust subcommittee left some Republicans and other activists fearing that Massie would go lax on big tech and not focus on potential antitrust solutions. This includes Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), who led the failed and controversial effort in the House to pass the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA), a bill that would create a media cartel for the largest media conglomerates to collectively bargain against technology platforms for more advertising revenue.

Conservatives and technology experts have warned that the media cartel bill, which distracted from bipartisan antitrust efforts, would lead to censorship of conservatives and would help only the largest media organizations.

Coincidentally, Massie’s critics have been vocal advocates for the media cartel bill and have spent months trying to swindle conservatives into backing a bill that may end up censoring conservatives.

Instead of attempting to pass legislation that was highly opposed by conservatives – then-Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Jordan, and many Senate conservatives – the House antitrust subcommittee can now focus on investigating and providing solutions to the most concentrated industries across America.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/02/03/exclusive-rep-thomas-massie-antitrust-subcommittee-chair-no-monopoly-is-safe/

Nolte: Report Says Abusive Don Lemon ‘Screamed’ at CNN Colleague

John Nolte3 Feb 2023

Disgraced CNN anchor Don Lemon screamed at his CNN This Morning cohost Kaitlin Collins, the New York Post reported.

The Post talked to two sources who say the aging Lemon got in Collins’ face in early December and — lol — “unloaded on her in front of staffers as he accused her of ‘interrupting’ him on air.”

One source told the Post, “Don screamed at Kaitlan, who was visibly upset and ran out of the studio.”

She ran out of the studio.

Ran.

Can we get that video?

Terrible people behaving terribly towards one another is a beautiful thing.

And for what?

Don Lemon is a joke. Kaitlin Collins reminds everyone of their first wife. CNN This Morningis hitting record-low ratings (along with the rest of CNN). Which makes this the perfect case of:The fight was so bitter because the stakes were so low.

All that strife and tension for what? The equivalence of a cable access show?

Let me tell you exactly what’s happening here…

Credibly-accused sexual assaulterDon Lemon knows he’s on his way out, and he’s cracking under the pressure. He’s 56 years old, he has never-ever-ever attracted a respectable audience, he’s not very smart, and he knows left-wing affirmative action has kept him on the air. When CNNLOL finally parts ways with this useless prima donna, he knows his future will be about as humiliating as Keith Olbermann’s. He will only be remembered as a punchline, if he’s remembered at all. He will certainly not be treated like some elder statement of journalism. He’s an embarrassment.

This leak might even be part of an overall plan to edge Lemon out, not that someone as unappealing as Kaitlin Collins will rescue CNN’s ratings.

I tell ya, the slow-motion implosion of all things CNN is proof of God’s love.

Kekkity!

https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2023/02/03/nolte-report-says-abusive-don-lemon-screamed-cnn-colleague/

>>18289120

Excellent I’ll remember that

Can you imagine being Anderson Cooper having to include Swallowell in a serious matter. Look at his stupid face

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2023/02/03/fmr-clinton-defense-secretary-cohen-inspect-chinese-balloon-for-biological-component/

Tucker Carlson Tonight 2/3/23 | FOX BREAKING NEWS February 3, 2023

Spy Balloon

Kekkity

https://rumble.com/embed/v25o2he/?pub=4