6 Feb, 2023 10:44

At least 912 killed in quake – Erdogan

The tremor has left 5,385 injured and is the most powerful in decades, the Turkish president has said

A powerful earthquake that hit Türkiye on Monday morning has killed more than 900 people, leaving more than 5,000 wounded, the nation’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Speaking in the aftermath of the tragedy, Erdogan said that the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that wreaked havoc in the central part of the country had claimed the lives of 912 people, with 5,385 injured. “2,470 people were rescued from the rubble, and 2,818 buildings were destroyed,” he stated.

The president noted that local authorities “had mobilized all their means,” adding that the response efforts involve not only the ten provinces hit by the disaster, but also ten other regional governors.

He said that priority had been given to search and rescue efforts aimed at freeing those who are still stuck under the rubble. In total, 9,000 personnel are involved, with this number constantly increasing, Erdogan said.

He went on to describe the tragedy as “the biggest disaster since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake” in eastern Türkiye which killed an estimated 32,000 people and injured 100,000.

The calamity has also hit neighboring Syria, with the nation’s health ministry saying that the death toll has reached 326 people across several provinces, with 1,042 injured.

https://www.rt.com/news/571029-at-least-912-killed-quake-erdogan/

6 Feb, 2023 11:02

Germany met with ‘silence’ over tanks for Ukraine – politician

The Bundeswehr’s weapon supplies are scarce, the Social Democratic Party leader has said

Germany’s European allies have been suspiciously “quiet” after it promised to send Western-made tanks to Ukraine, the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Kevin Kühnert, said on Sunday.Berlin is struggling to find Leopard 2s for Kievto use in the conflict with Russia, according to the politician.

“Over the last couple of weeks, there has been an impression that everyone wants to supply [Western-made tanks to Ukraine] and that Germany was the only one not doing so,”Kühnert said in a ZDF interview. “Now we see that Germany made specific obligations to deliver a tank company. And suddenly it got very silent around us.”

The SPD leader also noted Berlin’s low supplies of the Leopards and ammunition for them, explaining that there is not a “big warehouse” where all the tanks are ready and waiting to be ordered. “The supplies are scarce,” Kühnert told ZDF.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed the shipment of 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev in late January. In addition to this, the government gave permission for other operators of the German-made tank to transfer their stocks.

US President Joe Biden confirmed on the same day that America would send 31 of its M1 Abrams tanks. However, as was the case with Germany, no timeline was provided for the shipments. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said last week that Washington simply “doesn’t have these tanks available in excess”in their stocks.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Nikkei Asia last week that Athens cannot spare their Leopard 2 tanks, as they are “absolutely necessary for our defense posture.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has commented on the Western tank shipments for Ukraine numerous times, saying in late January that they will “burn” like every other weapon in the conflict zone. Peskov said at a press briefing last week that the more weapons the West sends, the more Russia will utilize its military potential to counter them.

https://www.rt.com/news/571030-bundeswehr-tanks-shipment-silence/

6 Feb, 2023 07:07

Swiss firms planning return to Russia

The initial exodus was prompted by Western sanctions pressure, according to Credit Suisse

About 6% of large Swiss companies that have left Russia amid Ukraine-related Western sanctions plan to return in the next three years, according to a survey released by the Credit Suisse Research Institute.

The report indicated that around 4% of micro-enterprises, 3% of small- and 8% of medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and nearly one in four large Swiss companies ceased business ties with Russia in 2022.

The confrontation between the West and Russia has ended the era of multilateral trade, at least for the time being, Credit Suisse wrote, noting that geopolitical tensions have posed challenges for Swiss firms.

Companies are affected not only by sanctions but also by customs duties and other non-tariff barriers such as government procurement regulations and approval procedures, it said.

“Unsurprisingly, the list of countries from which Swiss companies have withdrawn in the last three years is headed by Russia… Even so, a few of the big companies in particular are already planning to begin or resume business activities in Russia,” the report stated, adding that “whether and when these plans will actually be implemented will depend on the further course of the Ukraine war.”

The report also highlighted that foreign companies working with Swiss firms have generally opposed the adoption of anti-Russian sanctions by Switzerland. According to the survey, around 40% of the polled companies felt negative reactions from their business partners because of their support for the international sanctions against Moscow.

“The results of the survey illustrate the importance of maintaining neutrality for Swiss companies. More than three-quarters of the firms surveyed believe that maintaining Swiss neutrality is in the interest of their own company,” wrote Credit Suisse.

The survey involved 650 Swiss companies, including 600 SMEs and 50 large companies. It is based on responses from executives whose companies do business with foreign countries.

https://www.rt.com/business/570871-swiss-firms-return-russia/

6 Feb, 2023 07:57

The Maidan sniper killings were pivotal for the 2014 Kiev coup – why is research into the massacre being censored in the West? 1 of 2

Evidence that external forces were involved has been suppressed for ‘political reasons’

Political scientist Ivan Katchanovski – of the University of Ottawa – has revealed that a paper he produced outlining evidence that the February 2014 massacre of Ukrainian protesters by sniper fire, a defining moment of the Western-backed Maidan coup, was not published by an academic journal for “political reasons.”

‘The evidence is solid’

In a lengthy Twitter thread posted on January 6, Katchanovski first laid out the circumstances behind the rejection of his article, and the bombshell evidence included in it. The paper was initially accepted with minor revisions after peer review, and the journal's editor offered a glowing appraisal of his work, writing:

“There is no doubt that this paper is exceptional in many ways. It offers evidence against the mainstream narrative of the regime change in Ukraine in 2014… It seems to me that the evidence the study produces in favour of its interpretation on who was behind the massacre of the protesters and the police during the ‘Euromaidan’ mass protests on February 18-20, 2014, in Ukraine, is solid. On this there is also consensus among the two reviewers.”

As the editor noted, the massacre was a “politically crucial development,” which led to the “transition of powers in the country” from the freely elected Viktor Yanukovich to the illegitimate and rabidly nationalistic administration of Aleksandr Turchinov, a former security services chief. It was endlessly cited in Western media as a symbol of the brutality of Ukraine’s government and an unprovoked attack on innocent pro-WesternMaidan protesters, who allegedly sought nothing more than democracy and freedom.

Rumors that the killings were a false flag intended to inflame tensions among the vast crowds filling Maidan, and provoke violence against the authorities, began circulating immediately.

No serious investigation into what happened was ever conducted by the Western media, with all claims that the sniper attacks were an inside job dismissed as Kremlin “disinformation.” However, even NATO’s Atlantic Council adjunct admitted in 2020 that the massacre was unsolved and that this “cast a shadow over Ukraine.”

Ask the witnesses

It may not remain unsolved for much longer though, due to an ongoing trial of policemen at the scene on the fateful day. The legal action has been unfolding for well over a year and has received no mainstream news attention at all outside Ukraine. Katchanovski drew heavily on witness testimony and video evidence that has emerged over the course of the trial in his suppressed paper.

For example, 51 protesters wounded during the incident testified at the trial that they were shot by snipers from Maidan-controlled buildings, and/or witnessed snipers there. Many spoke of snipers in buildings controlled by Maidan protesters shooting at police. This is consistent with other evidence collected by Katchanovski, such as 14 separate videos of snipers in protester-controlled buildings, 10 of which clearly feature far-right gunmen in the Hotel Ukraina aiming at crowds below…

https://www.rt.com/russia/570921-maidan-sniper-killings-censorship/

>>18294014

2 of 2

In all, 300 witnesses have told much the same story.Synchronized videos show that the specific time and direction of shots fired by the police not only didn’t coincide with the killingsof specific Maidan protesters, but that authorities aimed at walls, trees, lampposts, and even the ground, simply to disperse crowds.

Among those targeted by apparently Maidan-aligned snipers were journalists at Germany’s ARD. They weren’t the only Western news station in town at the time – so too were Belgian reporters, who not only filmed Maidan protesters screaming towards Hotel Ukraina for snipers not to shoot them, but also participants being actively lured to the killing zone. This incendiary footage was never broadcast.

CNN likewise filmed far-right elements firing at police from behind Maidan barricades, then hunting for positions to shoot from the 11th floor of the Hotel Ukraina, minutes before the BBC filmed snipers shooting protesters from a room where a far-right MP was staying. The network opted not to report this at the time.

We needn’t rely purely on video footage. Over the course of the trial, no fewer than 14 self-confessed members of Maidan sniper groups testified they had explicitly received massacre orders, Katchanovski claims. By contrast, no police officer at the scene has said they were directed to kill unarmed protesters, no minister has come forward to blow the whistle on such a scheme, and no evidence Yanukovich approved of the killings has ever emerged.

Separate from the trial, leaders of the far-right Svoboda party have openly stated that Western government representatives expressly told them before the massacre that they would start calling for Yanukovich’s ouster once casualties among protesters reached a certain number. This figure was even actively discussed by both sides – were five enough, or 20? Or even 100? The latter was the final total reported, and indeed led to calls for the Ukrainian government’s abdication.

Katchanovski previously published a landmark study on the Maidan massacre in 2021, which has been referenced over 100 times by scholars and experts, already making him one of most cited political scientists specializing in Ukraine, according to Google Scholar.

Whatever the nature and source of the political pressure applied to the journal that led to the censoring of the dynamite paper, the move may well backfire massively, in the spirit of the Streisand Effect. Indeed, it could help the truth of what happened on those deadly days come out, and assist in those responsible for the killings being brought to justice.

It should also prompt a wider reconsideration of the nature of Maidan too, and the government it produced. The banning of opposition parties, attacks on the Orthodox Church, the closure of dissident media outlets, and the war on Russian culture and language are all consequences.

6 Feb, 2023 02:12

Ukraine issues demands to Israel – media

Kiev wants money and public condemnation of Moscow

Ukraine has laid out a set of requests to “test”Israel’s support and commitment during a planned visit of Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to Kiev, according to several media reports citing unnamed Israeli and Ukrainian officials on Sunday.

Kiev sees the visit by the highest-ranking Israeli official in over a year as an opportunity to verify the new Israeli government’s “intentions and policy” towards Ukraine, a diplomatic source told Axios. Cohen apparently asked for a meeting with President Vladimir Zelensky, but it may depend on whether the diplomat is ready to denounce Moscow in a public speech.

“The president won’t meet Cohen for a photo-op,” the Ukrainian source allegedly said, while the Israeli side expects the meeting to take place regardless. (Kek, who cares!)

Israel has tried to walk a diplomatic tightrope between Moscow and Kiev since the conflict erupted last year, refusing to impose sanctions on Russia. Former PM Yair Lapid took a harder stance on the conflict, condemning Moskow publicly, and Kiev apparently hopes for a similar pledge of allegiance from the new Israeli administration.

Ukraine also requested a $500 million loan, according to a separate report by the Walla news site. Israeli officials cited by Axios said that Cohen wasready to offer only $50 million.

In a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmitry Kuleba, last month, Cohen accepted an invitation to visit Kiev, but the exact date of the trip remains unknown. He also reportedly pledged to fully reopen the Israeli Embassy in the coming months.

Cohen signaled after his appointment as foreign minister in late December that West Jerusalem would “talk less” about the ongoing hostilities, while vowing that Israel would continue to send “significant humanitarian aid”to Ukraine. Some Ukrainian officials expressed concerns that Israel could take a more “pro-Russian” line on the conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his new cabinet would revise the country’s foreign policy in a way to make it more suited to its national interests instead of “giving in to dictates from the international community.”

Unlike many Western countries, Israel has thus far not sent weapons to Ukraine and has only supplied Kiev with protective equipment, such as gas masks, flak jackets, and helmets, as well armored ambulances and various humanitarian aid. In several recent interviews, Netanyahu dodged questions about whether Israel would provide any military aid to Kiev, saying he will “look into” everything as part of a policy review.

(Ukraine apparently doesn’t understand who they are giving orders to. It won’t work with Israel. Whatever Ukraine has on other countries leaders, Israel has a lot more on Ukraine leaders!)

https://www.rt.com/russia/571009-ukraine-israel-cohen-demands/

6 Feb, 2023

==Quake ruptures gas pipeline in Türkiye (VIDEOS)

Key infrastructure was damaged and hundreds killed by the powerful tremor==

The powerful earthquake that struck southern Türkiye on Monday morning has damaged a natural gas pipeline in the region, state energy company BOTAS has confirmed. Videos circulating online show massive plumes of flame erupting into the air.

The 7.4-magnitude quake has killed scores of people and caused significant damage to civilian and municipal infrastructure, according to Turkish officials.

BOTAS said it has cut supply in the wake of the tremor, but the rupture in the Kilis province is being fed by the gas inside the pipeline.

Videos purportedly shot on the scene show massive plumes of fire rising high into the sky in at least two locations.

The quake hit at around 4am local time in central Türkiye. According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, 912 people were killed and 5,385 injured.

https://www.rt.com/news/571016-t%C3%BCrkiye-quake-gas-pipeline/

5 Feb, 2023 18:50

Microplastics found in human veins

Researchers discovered 15 particles of the contaminants per gram of vein tissue in the first study of its kind

Microplastics have been found for the first time in human vein tissue, a team of researchers from the University of Hull revealed last week. Five distinct types of microplastic were discovered in samples taken from the saphenous (leg) veins of patients undergoing heart bypass surgery.

“We were surprised to find them,” Professor Jeanette Rotchell said in a press release accompanying the paper’s publication in the journal PLoS One. “We already know microplastics are in blood…but it was not clear whether they could cross blood vessels into vascular tissue and this work would suggest they can do just that.”

The UK-based researchers found an average concentration of 15 particles of plastic per gram of vein tissue, similar to or higher than the levels found in lung and colon tissue, but observed that the shape and types of plastic found in the vascular tissue was markedly different from other tissue types.

“These first human tissue analyses suggest that the distribution of the microplastics’ predominant types may be tissue-specific,”Rotchell observed.

The most common types of plastic found in the samples include alkyd resin, which is found in synthetic paints and varnishes; polyvinyl acetate, anadhesive used in food packaging and shipping; nylon, and EVOH-EVA, used for food packaging and watertight lamination.

While Rotchell stressed that “we don’t yet know the implications of this on human health,” she acknowledged that microplastics had been shown to cause “inflammation and stress responses” in laboratory settings.

Co-author Professor Mahmoud Loubani added that the presence of the microplastics might contribute to the failure of coronary artery bypass surgery involving grafts from the saphenous veins, suggesting the contaminants “may well play a role in damaging the inside of the vein leading to it becoming blocked with the passage of time.”Removing the microplastics was a possibility, he said in the press release.

The team has previously discovered the ubiquitous pollutants in blood and lung tissue, as well as in surgical operating theaters. By some estimates, 15 tons of plastic waste enters Earth’s oceans every minute, breaking down into smaller particles and entering the body through the food chain and through the air people breathe.

https://www.rt.com/news/571000-microplastics-found-veins-tissue/

FTX Asks for Political Donations to Be Returned – First Full List of Recipients Released

February 5, 2023 |

Axios is positioning this announcement as FTX asking for political donations to be returned. However, the request is realistically from the FTX

(Via Axios) – Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX is sending notices to former donor recipients asking for the donated funds to be returned, the company said in a press release Sunday.

Why it matters: Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX Digital Markets Co-CEO Ryan Salame were two of the largest political donors during the last election cycle. Now the company’s debtors want the money back.

Bankman-Fried primarily backed Democrats and was the party’s second-largest donor last cycle with around $37 million in contributions.

Salame’s $19 million to Republicans made him the party’s 10th largest donor.

The big picture: FTX’s debtors are confidentially contacting “political figures, political action funds and other recipients of contributions or other payments.” (more)

Additionally, the Twitter Account “Unusual Whales” which tracks and researches financial transactions, has published the first list I have seen that makes it easy to see who FTX donated to. The list IS HERE and is alphabetized.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/02/05/ftx-asks-for-political-donations-to-be-returned-first-full-list-of-recipients-released/

Full list(lot of R’s on the list too)

https://unusualwhales.com/politics/article/senate_ftx

Sunday Talks, Former DNI John Ratcliffe Gives His Opinion of “Chinese Spy Balloon” Story

February 5, 2023 | Sundance |

The more I see how much attention was exhausted focusuing on the Chinese balloon, the more I am inclined to believe the attention was manufactured by internal deep state operatives.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken cancelled his trip to China over the spy balloon issue, and beyond the general cancellation, he also cancelled a rare meeting with Chairman Xi.Xi never almost never meets with foreign ministers, only Presidents and Prime Ministers.

So, what gives? Did the intelligence community expose the balloon crossing to stop the Xi/Blinken meeting?I don’t know, but something is fishy.

Former Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe gives his .02 cents. Ratcliffe takes the position that it was an intended spy and surveillance operation by China, and it was successful. WATCH:

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/02/05/sunday-talks-former-dni-john-ratcliffe-gives-his-opinion-of-chinese-spy-balloon-story/

https://youtu.be/0mauL-3yvOU

>>18294300

I like it when Ratcliffe says“Not a sternly worded letter to Putin”, did it stop him from invading Ukraine”

Sunday Talks, House Intel Chairman Mike Turner Discusses Likely China Objectives with Massive Surveillance Balloonwith Cuck Todd (nasty man)

February 5, 2023 | Sundance |

House Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) appears on Meet the Press to discuss his perspective on the motive of China to send a massive surveillance balloon over key U.S. military facilities.

According to Chairman Turner, it appears (a) the balloon was designed to capture some intelligence that satellites cannot; and (b) the flight path of the surveillance balloon was steered to cover areas housing key the strategic military bases and missile defenses

Mike Turner:taking down the balloon over the ocean, is like tackling the quarterback when the game is over!

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/02/05/sunday-talks-house-intel-chairman-mike-turner-discusses-likely-china-objectives-with-massive-surveillance-balloon/

https://youtu.be/fsOmInmoBUM

>>18294411

Turner said he was briefed andthis is second time in Biden Admin they let a China balloon to fly over US, the public didn’t see the first balloon, and they kept it secret!