Wagner Chief Calls On Putin To Declare End Of War, "Gain Firm Foothold" On Held Territories

Head of Russia's most prominent mercenary firm Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has issued an unexpected call for the Kremlin to declare an end of the war in order to consolidate territory already gained.

A Friday statement by Prigozhin released by his press service suggested it's time to declare 'victory' and to focus on fully establishing Russian control over the occupied territories of Ukraine.

"For the authorities [of the Russian Federation – ed.] and for society as a whole, it is necessary to put some kind of bold full stop in the ‘special military operation’," the Wagner chief said [emphasis ours].

The rare statement continued: "The ideal option is to announce the end of the special military operation, to inform everyone that Russia has achieved the results that it planned, and in a sense, we have really achieved them. We have ground a huge number of soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and can report to ourselves that our task has been completed."

"Theoretically, Russia has already received this full stop by destroying a large part of the active male population of Ukraine, by intimidating another part of it that has fled to Europe."

Prigozhin went on: "Russia has cut off the Azov Sea and a large chunk of the Black Sea, seized a fat chunk of Ukraine's territory, and created a land corridor to Crimea," and stressed that Russia can "gain a firm foothold, cling to the territories that already exist".

But he noted that "If earlier Ukraine was part of former Russia, now it is an absolutely national-oriented state".

This comes as Wagner is spearheading the largely successful offensive to capture Bakhmut and surrounding areas of Donetsk region. At least 80% of the largely destroyed city is currently in Russian hands.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/wagner-group-chief-calls-putin-declare-end-war-gain-firm-foothold-held-territories

Japan’s PM Evacuated Unharmed After ‘Smoke Bomb’ Thrown at Speech Site

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated safely on Saturday after a man threw what appeared to be “a smoke bomb” at a site where Kishida was about to deliver a speech for an election campaign.

Kishida was visiting the local Saikazaki Fishing Port in Wakayama City to support his Party’s candidate in a local election when the incident happened.

Footage released by Japanese broadcaster NHK showed people fleeing in panic as a loud explosion occurred. Kishida was seen standing with his back to the crowd. His security detail suddenly points to the ground near him, and the prime minister whips around, looking alarmed.

“I heard an explosion about 10 seconds after the suspect was taken down. I don’t know what it was, but something that looked like it came from the explosion flew by me,” an unnamed resident told NHK.

The police arrested a man who allegedly threw what seemed to be “a smoke bomb” at the scene. The suspect was identified as Ryuji Kimura, a 24-year-old man from Hyogo prefecture, Kyodo News reported.

A police officer sustained minor injuries as a result of the incident. Kishida was immediately escorted out of the site after the explosion occurred, and his speech there was canceled, NHK reported.

The suspect was found with two cylindrical objects, one of which was used in the attack. Police are still investigating his motive as the suspect refused to speak without the presence of an attorney.

“Elections are a bedrock of democracy. It is extremely unforgivable that such violence took place [at such a time],” chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters, according to Kyodo News.

Matsuno said that authorities were ordered to boost security for officials and that investigation into the incident was underway.

Kishida Resumes Campaigning

Despite the explosion, Kishida resumed campaigning for his ruling party and delivered a speech at the Wakayama railway station later that day. He said the incident must not derail the local elections.

“I am sorry for causing many people to be concerned. We are in the middle of an important election for our country. We must carry this on together,” Kishida said.

The incident drew analogies to the assassination of the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot and killed during a campaign speech in the western city of Nara on July 8, 2022. Police arrested the shooter on the spot.

https://www.ntd.com/japans-pm-evacuated-unharmed-after-smoke-bomb-thrown-at-speech-site_913486.html

IMF Unveils New Global Currency Known As The "Universal Monetary Unit" To "Transform" World Economy

A new global currency just launched, but 99 percent of the global population has no idea what just happened.

The “Universal Monetary Unit”, also known as “Unicoin”, is an “international central bank digital currency” that has been designed to work in conjunction with all existing national currencies. This should set off alarm bells for all of us, because the widespread adoption of a new “global currency” would be a giant step forward for the globalist agenda. The IMF did not create this new currency, but it was unveiled at a major IMF gathering earlier this week…

Today, at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring Meetings 2023, the Digital Currency Monetary Authority (DCMA) announced their official launch of an international central bank digital currency (CBDC) that strengthens the monetary sovereignty of participating central banks and complies with the recent crypto assets policy recommendations proposed by the IMF.

Universal Monetary Unit (UMU), symbolized as ANSI Character, Ü, is legally a money commodity, can transact in any legal tender settlement currency, and functions like a CBDC to enforce banking regulations and to protect the financial integrity of the international banking system.

As the press release quoted above indicates, this new “Universal Monetary Unit” was created by the Digital Currency Monetary Authority.

So who in the world is the Digital Currency Monetary Authority?

Honestly, I had no idea until I started doing research for this article.

The press release says that the organization consists of “sovereign states, central banks, commercial and retail banks, and other financial institutions”…

The DCMA is a world leader in the advocacy of digital currency and monetary policy innovations for governments and central banks. Membership within the DCMA consists of sovereign states, central banks, commercial and retail banks, and other financial institutions.

Basically, it sounds like a secretive cabal of international banks and national governments is conspiring to push this new currency down our throats.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/imf-unveils-new-global-currency-known-universal-monetary-unit-transform-world-economy

Furious Viewers Complain En Masse About New UK TV Show With Adult Men Stripping Naked For Kids

The first episode of “Naked Education,” which aired last week on Channel 4, received a total of 930 complaints to Britain’s broadcasting watchdog…

A British television show aiming to promote body positivity showed adult men stripping naked in front of children. The program has been the subject of hundreds of complaints to the U.K.’s communications watchdog following the airing of its first episode last Tuesday.

“Naked Education,” which is broadcast on Channel 4, features adults who take their clothes off in front of underage teenagers who are then required to give feedback on the body parts they see in front of them.

“I’ve never seen, like, a full, naked man before,” one teenager told producers during the first episode.

“It’s just a lot to process. Naked men in real life. We’ve never really seen it,” added another young girl after four adult men stood in front of the group of children and dropped their bathrobes to bare all.

Its host, Anna Richardson, said ahead of the first episode last week, “If you’re curious about your body, and your life’s journey (whatever that may be), then tune in.” She described the program as “educational, emotional, joyous.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/furious-viewers-complain-en-masse-about-new-uk-tv-show-adult-men-stripping-naked-kids

New York Democrat accused of sexual harassment by top aide, complaint says assemblyman talked about genitals and his son's sexual encounters with underage girls

A former top aide has accused a New York Democrat assemblyman of sexual harassment and creating a toxic work environment. The Democrat talked about genitalia and his teen son's sexual encounters with underage girls, according to an eye-opening report.

Damning accusations of sexual harassment have been made against Assemblyman Patrick B. Burke of Buffalo, New York. Nicole Golias, Burke's former legislative director, claimed the Erie County Democrat of several accusations of sexual harassment.

Golias, who worked with Burke from September 2021 to May 2022, filed a complaint accusing the 38-year-old New York Democrat of making lewd comments about women's bodies and remarking about underage girls who were seen in sexual videos with the assemblyman's son.

The Buffalo News reported on Friday, "Two other people with firsthand knowledge of Burke’s behavior in his district office also said they witnessed conversations in which the assemblyman used language they considered inappropriate and commented on women’s looks."

Golias claims that Burke made "vulgar, crass, and sexually explicit comments."

Golias said, "Pat would do stuff that made us pretty uncomfortable with regularity."

The former top aide accused Burke of telling his staff that "he had viewed sexually explicit videos of his son and female partners on his son’s Snapchat account."

The upstate New York outlet reported, "Burke called his teenage son’s sexual partners 'hot,' Golias said. Golias said she told Burke that the people were minors. According to Golias’ complaint, Burke, using a profane term, told his staff that if the partner had large breasts and 'a size zero waist,' 'she's hot.'"

Matthew T.H. Dearing, the assemblyman's former director of community relations, claimed that he felt "very taken aback" by Burke’s "comments about the girl’s physique."

"He said the girls in the videos were ‘hot and it didn’t matter that they were under aged [sic]," the New York Post reported of the complaint.

Golias and Dearing accused Burke of commenting on the genitalia of a man Golias was dating.

Burke has refuted the accusations against him. He said that he "absolutely" did not comment on the bodies of men and women.

Golias claims that Burke brought psychedelic mushrooms into the office.

The complaint reads, "This behavior included comments about himself as a 'colonizer' because he had control and dominion over his wife because he is Caucasian and his wife is Puerto Rican."

Golias and Dearing alleged that Burke "would do anything he could to appear cool and attractive."

Burke has denied the accusations. He called the accusations "absurd" and "a lie."

Burke lashed out after the complaint, "Ms. Golias' behavior was egregious during her brief tenure in my office, and it is an outrage that she would accuse me of the very behavior she not only participated in, but fostered. She has twisted the truth and outright lied in the past, and she is doing it again for monetary gain."

Golias is seeking unspecified damages for lost wages and emotional distress in her sexual harassment complaint.

Golias was one of three staffers to be fired last year after controversy surrounding the Tops mass shooting in Buffalo.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/sexual-harassment-new-york-assemblyman-democrat

Kash Patel Questions Emerging Narrative on Pentagon Leaks: ‘This Is an Extensive Cover-Up’

Kash Patel, former chief of staff at the Pentagon and former deputy director of National Intelligence, in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News on Friday, questioned the evolving narrative over the Pentagon leaks — specifically that a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guard reservist acted alone to leak top secret military data.

Patel, a former federal prosecutor, said he does not believe “for a single second, this guy — a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman — ran this operation alone.”

Patel said, first, the suspected leaker, Jack Teixeira, would not have had access to the information without someone within the Department of Defense (DOD) or the intelligence community giving it to him, providing it to him, or telling him it should be put out there. “It’s just not possible,” he said.

He said even though he worked in information technology (IT), he still would not have had access to the information.

“You can be the biggest IT person in DOD, and you are still compartmented off of the actual information. Almost never does an IT person need to know, as we say, the substance of the intelligence. Their job is to provide the secure informations systems around it to protect any disclosures,” he said.

“This is crazy sensitive stuff,” he said. “Ninety-nine percent of people who have a Top Secret/SCI clearance don’t have access to this information. And me, as the former deputy DNI and chief of staff of the DOD and publisher of the [Presidential Daily Brief], with the highest security classification, knows that, literally, there is not a lot of people in the U.S. that have access to this kind of intel. It’s done for a reason. So this doesn’t happen.”

Patel said while the Joint Chief of Staff’s daily brief produced by its Directorate of Intelligence (J2) goes out to thousands of people, there is underlying contributing information that is compartmented and goes to fewer people. “The underlying intel — that’s very sensitive because it exposes how we got it, who we got it from, when we got it, and whether we can get it again, how is that delivered,” he said.

The Air Force confirmed to Breitbart News that Teixeira is Airman First Class, which is the third lowest enlisted rank in the Air Force and is a “cyber transport systems journeyman,” which is essentially an IT technician. He entered the Air National Guard in September 26, 2019. He is based at the Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts.

Second, Patel said the way the classified information was put out suggests Teixeira did not act alone.

“Whether he’s in IT or not, is irrelevant. The way it was produced, the way it was put out there — pages, printed photographs taken, published online — that is a methodical way of releasing classified information illegally,” he said.

“I think he’s definitely working with other people in DOD or the intel space to get this information out. This is an Assange-style operation. This kid — no offense to him — at 21 years old, cannot put out this five-months, unlawful disclosure of sensitive intelligence,” he said.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/04/15/kash-patel-questions-emerging-narrative-pentagon-leaks-extensive-cover-up/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-april-15-2023/

Russian intelligence, Wagner PMC infiltrate gaming chats, Microsoft President claims

These communities include Discord channels on Minecraft, among others, Brad Smith claimed

NEW YORK, April 13. /TASS/. Microsoft President Brad Smith claims that Russian intelligence agencies and the Wagner PMC have been trying to infiltrate gaming chats, including on the Discord platform, in the recent months.

"Around games, you have a community of gamers. They come together, they talk to each other, including when they're playing a game. And for the last several months, our digital threat analysis team has been identifying efforts by the Russians to basically penetrate some of these gaming communities," Smith said at the World Economic Summit 2023 Thursday. "We've been advising governments about this. I mean, it's the Wagner group and the Russian intelligence, and they're in part using this as a place to get information into circulation."

These communities include Discord channels on Minecraft, among others, Smith claimed.

Previously, the US media reported that the Pentagon’s classified documents could have been leaked via Discord.

https://tass.com/world/1603931

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Twitter partners with Israeli high-risk trading platform eToro

While details of the deal are unknown, experts warn that too close a relationship between the companies could attract scrutiny from regulators

Twitter has partnered with the Israeli-founded online trading company eToro to allow its users to trade stocks, cryptocurrencies and other assets.

Since April 13, Twitter users who type a dollar sign and the ticker symbol of certain shares or index funds are directed to a page that encourages them to trade with eToro. The page provides Twitter users with financial information and market charts of the asset and features a large button that says, “View on Etoro.” Users who click on the button are taken to the eToro trading platform.

Experts consulted by The Times of Israel said that if the relationship is one of an advertiser and platform, where Twitter receives a flat fee for each click-through to eToro, this is not problematic.

However, if the relationship is more intertwined, this could attract the attention of regulators in Europe or the United States.

In recent years, Twitter has become a popular venue for financial tips and stock recommendations, where a single Tweet by the company’s now-owner Elon Musk can cause a company’s share price to soar or crash.

He has also expressed his intention to turn Twitter into a so-called “super app,” an all-in-one application that offers services ranging from video chatting to ride sharing to banking.

On April 13, EToro tweeted: “Very excited to be launching a new $Cashtags partnership with @Twitter which will enable Twitter users to see real-time prices for a much wider range of stocks, crypto & other assets as well as having the option to invest through eToro.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/twitter-partners-with-israeli-high-risk-trading-platform-etoro/