De-Branded News They Dont Want You To See

Officials in Donetsk accuse Kiev of targeting the city, leaving at least six people dead. One of the areas hit was a hotel housing media with an assistant to a cameraman left with concussion. Amnesty international reveals it's documented how Kiev has endangered its own civilians, by allowing its forces to base themselves at schools and hospitals. Beijing encircles Taiwan with large-scale military exercises, in direct response to the visit to the island of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Chinese Defense Ministry has confirmed the use of ballistic missiles in the drills.

The US warns China not to escalate the situation in Taiwan into a crisis after Pelosi's visit to the region. That's as Beijing begins large-scale military exercises and halts trade with Taipei. The Ukrainian army attacks civilian areas in Donetsk but reportedly suffers setbacks in the towns of Peski and Avdeevka, which are used as firing positions to target the Donbass. In an exclusive interview with our team - former Austrian foreign minister Karin Kneissl shares how she had to flee Europe after facing death threats over her ties with Russia.

Tensions, sanctions and military drills follow in the wake of Nancy Pelosi's footsteps, as she leaves Taiwan. China warns that both Washington and the self-governed island will face consequences over the US house speaker's controversial visit. Meantime a wall of silence goes up from EU officials over Pelosi's trip, with the only statement being that there's no change to the bloc's policies towards China. At least four people are killed in South Africa, as violent protests erupt in a township over skyrocketing electricity costs.

New footage shared by Chinese media reveals China preparing for military exercises in the Taiwan Strait. That's as US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi begins her official visit to Taipei, despite numerous warnings from Beijing. China strongly condemns the visit, saying it will 'resolutely' defend its territorial integrity and accuses the US of provocations. People in Taiwan tell us Pelosi's visit plays to the US domestic audience and will not benefit Taiwan at all.

A confrontation in the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo is narrowly avoided after authorities in Pristina postpone a controversial plan to ban entry to anyone with Serbian documents. The first grain shipment has left the Ukrainian port of Odessa and is expected to reach Istanbul by Tuesday as part of a deal between Kiev and Moscow. We report from the front line in the Ukraine conflict, as artillery is fired day and night by both sides with Ukrainian batteries reportedly hitting residential areas. Iraqi police and military are on high alert while protesters occupy the parliament building for a third day in a row, angered at a coalition currently trying to form the next government.

China warns it will take all necessary measures to safeguard its 'sovereignty and territorial integrity'. It comes after the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi touched down in Taiwan with the visit triggering increased tension between China and the US. In response to the visit, China is set to hold military drills around Taiwan today, saying it'll conduct missile launches off the sea, east of the island. Beijing had already been boosting its activity near the self-ruled territory. While Taiwan's islands are said to have been put on full combat alert. People in Taiwan itself are anxious over the US House Speaker's trip. Members of the public told us the US just wants to spread its power and influence, not help them.

China accuses the US of threatening international peace and security by spending trillions on nuclear arms development and basing nuclear weapons around the world. Russia opens a probe into Thursday's deadly shelling of Donetsk by Ukrainian troops, which killed eight people, including a 12-year-old girl. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban slams the liberal global order, saying the west is at war with itself and calling for conservatives to unite across the Atlantic.

The US sees no issues with its House Speaker visiting Taiwan, which she's apparently set to do on Tuesday, despite China seeing the move as a breach of its sovereignty. We need BRICS: The Algerian president says the country's ready to join the alternative, rapidly-growing economic bloc. That's in contrast to US-led alliances which appear to be losing global influence. OPEC Secretary General describes Russia as a vital member in the alliance, this despite continuing Western sanctions on Moscow's crude. We visit Moscow's new neon facility as Russia ramps up its production, amid an acute global shortage of semiconductors.

Officials of the self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo postpone a plan to make Serbians obtain permission to enter. That's as the Serb leader stresses Belgrade's intent to defend his countrymen. That’s as in the Serb-populated north, sirens and gun shots are reported, as Serb protesters set up barricades while police close crossings connecting it to mainland Serbia. Winter is coming: Germans call for the Nord stream 2 pipeline to be opened ahead of an expected severe energy shortage as Europe enters its coldest part of the year. Allegations of France's national news agency supporting fascism blow up on social media after a recent Twitter post by AFP about Ukraine that contained Nazi symbols.

Russian authorities investigate a drone bombing that struck the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean city of Sevastopol. Vladimir Putin lays out Russia's new naval doctrine of national security and self-defense as the country celebrates Navy Day. China steps up its military activity near Taiwan in response to US House speaker Nancy Pelosi's possible trip to the island as she kicks off her tour of the region. Beijing has warned the move would mean crossing a red line. Russia's Foreign Minister gets a warm welcome as he visits four African nations. That's despite Western pressure for them to snub Moscow.

As Ukraine's relentless shelling of the Donetsk capital continues. Russian-led forces de-activate banned anti-personnel mines found in abundance in the city center after Saturday's attacks. Russia invites international organizations to probe an alleged Ukrainian strike on a Donetsk detentions facility, which left 50 of Kiev's fighters dead and 73 wounded. Tensions rise in the Taiwan Strait as US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi starts her tour of Asia, with a stop scheduled for Taipei despite multiple warnings from China. Russia's foreign minister received a warm welcome while visiting four African nations despite Western pressure for them to snub Moscow.

Western officials are at odds on who to blame for the latest deadly shelling in the Donetsk People's Republic, while Russia says Ukraine bombarded the POW detention facility to cover up its own war crimes. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi begins her highly anticipated tour of Asia. One of her stops could be Taiwan, which would defy multiple warnings from China that 'forceful measures' would be taken in response. Our team follows an elite detachment of the Donetsk People's Militia as it targets Ukrainian troops who have been shelling civilians in the People's Republic.

Brutality backfires: A plan by Kiev to encourage anti-war feelings by spreading videos of the murders of Russian prisoners of war instead outraged the international community. An Azov battalion member discloses the exercise. Moscow blames Kiev's troops for the shelling of a detention facility in the Donetsk People's Republic, killing 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war. Russia's envoy to the UN says Western countries are complicit in war crimes in Ukraine and Donbass as their weapons supplied to Kiev are being used to kill civilians. Energy rationing measures kick in across Germany as the EU's top economy seeks to lead by example with Europeans gearing up for a cold winter - due to the backlash of their own sanctions against Russia. "Don't play with fire" warns the Chinese president, as Joe Biden holds to his plan to send a delegation to Taiwan. With France hosting Saudi Arabia's crown prince on his first EU trip since a scandal over a high-profile journalist's murder. Human rights advocates blast the French president for wooing him to get energy deals. As US GDP meets the terms of recession, the White House tries to put on a brave face claiming the economy is not struggling.

Washington offers Moscow a deal to secure the release of two Americans, reportedly in exchange for convicted arms dealer Victor Bout. Ukraine goes from the begging bowl to the judges bench, with Kiev now demanding charges be placed against several US banks over Russian financing. With the French president set to host Saudi Arabia's crown prince in his first EU trip, since a scandal over a high-profile journalist's killing. Human rights advocates lash out at Macron for wooing the prince to get energy deals. We take a look at Russia's newest energy project, in Northern Siberia- which flies in the face of a reported price cap on Russian oil imports, by G-7 countries. Another US Senator urges Nancy Pelosi to proceed with her scheduled trip to Taiwan, despite growing threats from China to take 'forceful measures' - if the US House Speaker follows through on her plans.

Russia's Foreign Minister breaks down the reasons for the global food crisis, as he stops by Ethiopia during his tour of African countries. We get exclusive access to the inner workings of a high-profile Russian private military agency 'Wagner', during its classified operations against Ukrainian forces in Donbass. Amid Europe's energy crisis, Britain urges two warring governments in Libya to reach an agreement to resume oil exports, as the North African country struggles with the fallout of the West's 2011 military intervention. Russian energy giant Gazprom blames turbine engine repairs as it slashes natural gas supplies via its Nord Stream One pipeline to just 20 per cent of capacity, sending European prices to their highest level since March. Uganda's president spells out his foreign policy views after talks with Russia's foreign minister, who's in the African country on the latest stop of his tour of the continent.

Preparing for the worst this winter, Europe commits to a 15% cut in gas consumption until next spring, but on a voluntary basis with numerous exemptions to the energy saving plan. The city of Donetsk comes under further shelling from Ukrainian forces. Donbass authorities say a psychiatric hospital and an oil terminal were hit and point to US-supplied weapons being used. 'It’s a firm 'no' to blackmail when it comes to foreign affairs' - that's the message from Russia and the Republic of the Congo after talks between the countries' top diplomats with Sergey Lavrov's African tour in full swing. The Pakistani business community is keen to develop trade relations with Russia. That's as the President of the Pakistan Business Forum notes the attractiveness of the Russian market for the country's exports. Russian energy giant Gazprom says it's taking another gas turbine offline for maintenance, cutting already reduced flow to Europe by almost half and seeing an immediate spike in Europe's gas prices.

. ‘In the interests of their own people’: those were the words of Egypt's foreign minister after talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, who's on a tour of Africa. That's to the dismay of US politicians, who rang alarm bells over Russia's increasing influence. Russia and the Republic of the Congo stress their resistance to blackmail in foreign affairs. That's the message coming after Russia's top diplomat lands in the country, on the second leg of his African tour. As Western countries apparently attempt to pressure the Arab League, demanding its members break ties with Russia, the country's foreign minister also receives a warm welcome from more than twenty representatives of the organization. Restricting the flow: Russian energy giant Gazprom says it's taking another gas turbine offline for maintenance, cutting the already reduced energy flow to Europe by half, from Wednesday, which resulted in an immediate spike in Europe's gas prices. We see a number of files from an FSB sting operation, showing a failed attempt by Kiev to get Russian pilots to switch sides. Russia says its artillery has destroyed Ukrainian control centers and ammunition depots across the Donbass front. Brazilian President Bolsonaro reiterates his country won't join anti-Russian sanctions. That's despite Ukrainian President Zelensky's call for Brasilia to choose a side in the conflict. Russia, Iran and NATO-member Turkey hold talks to discuss conflict resolution in Syria with calls for the US to withdraw its troops from the country. Russia's Foreign Minister gives his take on what the US and UK have in store for Ukraine and the EU.

A massive blast is reported in the city of Gorlovka in the Donetsk People's Republic after Ukrainian forces shell the city, according to local authorities. The Donbass republics get to grips with the aftermath of the retreat of Kiev's forces - securing abandoned weapons and de-mining explosives hidden in grain fields. Terrorists and criminal groups may use western weapons supplied to Ukraine, Interpol and Europol report. The organizations ring the alarm over the ongoing influx of weapons into the country. Russia and Ukraine seal a deal to resolve the long-standing grain issue - opening up Black Sea ports for Ukrainian wheat exports. That is despite the West's repeated allegations of Moscow 'weaponising' food, and fueling the global hunger crisis. And, as Russia's Foreign Minister begins a diplomatic tour around Africa the US is left vexed by Moscow's presence on the continent, with military chiefs saying it needs to be countered. We look into Washington's interests in the region.

As a deal is agreed by Russia and Ukraine to open up Black Sea ports for grain exports, Russia's Foreign Minister says it's proof that Western accusations that Moscow provoked the food crisis were groundless and false. Both Europol and Interpol ring the alarm over the possible influx of weapons into Ukraine making their way to terrorist and criminal groups all over the world. Hungary's Foreign Minister says Budapest wants to buy more Russian gas and won't get through the winter without it. That's as the EU struggles with the repercussions of its anti-Russian sanctions. Africa criticizes Europe's U-turn calls to increase energy supplies in an attempt to replace Russian commodities after years of setbacks over fossil fuel development projects across the continent as part of a stalled green agenda. A new bill that will decide Puerto Rico’s future with the US is making its way through Congress. The country is set to choose between becoming a US state, independence or free association status. Security forces in crisis-hit Sri Lanka raid the main anti-government protest camp while a senior veteran lawmaker is sworn in as the new prime minister.

Brussels says the coming winter will be spent without Russian gas and calls on the bloc's members to rely on other sources of energy. The Russian Foreign Minister shares his take on what the US and UK are planning for Ukraine and the EU. Our correspondent is in the thick of the action amid the latest Ukrainian shelling of the Lugansk People's Republic, as Kiev's forces launch an offensive to retake territory there. Mass demonstrations rage on in Sri Lanka, after the acting leader is elected president in a secret ballot by parliament, with protesters burning his effigy, as security forces are on high alert. The EU pours another 500 millions euros into Kiev's army, despite struggling to fix its own budget amid the economic backlash of its sanctions against Russia. The US wants a price cap on Russian oil supplies, as Washington looks to declare a climate emergency, which could further cut supplies of the commodity and drive up costs around the world. Hungary's Foreign Minister says Budapest wants to buy additional Russian gas and cannot get through the coming winter without those imports. Europe sinks deeper into political and economic uncertainty. That's after Italy's Prime Minister steps down and his coalition government collapses.

Vladimir Putin visits Tehran for a summit with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts, as the trio seeks to work out a solution for peace in Ukraine and Syria. The EU is reportedly set to unfreeze some seized Russian assets, while Ukraine cries foul over what it calls a betrayal, as Western sanctions thaw in the face of a global food crisis. While Kiev's forces continue their relentless shelling of the Donetsk Republic, our team visits the mother of a 10-year-old girl, who was killed by a Ukrainian strike right in front of her home.

Russia and Iran plan to deepen bilateral ties with a new deal to be considered amid Putin's upcoming visit to the Islamic Republic. Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz suggests ending the EU's veto policy for individual countries, as he says the bloc needs to be unified on its foreign affairs if it wants to remain a global power. While Kiev's forces continue their relentless shelling of the Donetsk Republic, we visit the mother of a 10-year-old girl killed in a Ukrainian artillery strike, right in front of her home. And, African and Middle Eastern refugees in France demand to be treated as well as those from Ukraine.

Reports of incoming artillery fire in Russia's Kursk region near the Ukrainian border, as Russian-led forces make further front-line advances. Our correspondent follows the troop movements. 'A failed policy of Iranophobia': That's the message from Tehran as it accuses the US of inflaming tensions in the Middle East as Joe Biden wraps up his first presidential visit to the region. Sri Lanka's government limits petrol sales to its own citizens, as long lines persist outside gas stations amid severe economic turmoil in the South Asian country. We hear from locals struggling to cope with the crisis. Russia says its forces have killed hundreds of foreign mercenaries and destroyed multiple Ukrainian military assets inside the Donetsk People's Republic with a decisive battle for control of the area in full swing. While in the neighboring Lugansk People's Republic, our correspondent joins a Russian combat patrol that's mopping up hostile resistance from Ukrainian troops dressed as civilians, in the recently recaptured city of Lisichansk. Saudi Arabia says its relations with the US and China are not mutually exclusive. That's in the wake of Joe Biden's much-hyped, but ultimately lackluster, trip to the Middle East. Sri Lanka's acting president slams Western sanctions against Russia, saying they are only bringing third-world countries like the impoverished South Asian nation to their knees.

Biden's mission to ease Americans' pain at the pump is incomplete, as he says the meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince during his Middle East trip is unlikely to reduce gas prices back home. With the British army resuming its joint military training program in Kenya, locals fear the white phosphorus claimed to be used 'legally' by UK troops in the area, is posing a grave threat to people's health. Our crew visits a town in the Donbass recently taken by Russia-led forces, and hears from locals who say the town was under fire every day. The Russian defense minister orders troops on the frontline to increase their operations to prevent Kiev forces from striking civilian areas. Moscow also says airstrikes have almost entirely destroyed a Ukrainian brigade near a key Donbass city. Saudi Arabia says it has no extra capacity to boost its oil production beyond 13 million barrels a day, denting hopes of high, global energy prices being significantly eased, much to the disappointment of recent 'gulf kingdom visitor' Joe Biden. The UK military is to resume joint training in the former British colony of Kenya, adding they will continue using white phosphorus munitions in drills. Locals living near the firing line shared their health fears with us.

In the stories that shaped this week, Kiev frees a former commander of a neo-Nazi battalion, convicted for rape and torture in Donbass, as part of an amnesty program for criminals with combat experience. Fueling fears, as EU countries panic over Russia temporarily halting the flow of gas through the Nord Stream One pipeline. That's despite the 10 days of scheduled maintenance having been agreed upon, well in advance. Sri Lanka's president caves into increasing political pressure and resigns, with the prime minister appointed in his place. But the mass protests show no signs of abating. We have reports on location.