RT News - December 5th 2022

In Donetsk, shelling of residential only areas has continued over the weekend. Reports of injuries as yet unavailable. Significant property damage and fires. On Sunday 12 people were wounded including two children in Donetsk city's centre and residential areas where there is extensive damage.Show more

Fighting continues on the front lines with heavy casualties.

Industry leaders say EU energy bans are killing our industries. Moscow warns/reiterates that it rejects a Western price cap on its oil trade with third countries as an EU ban on seaborne Russian oil imports comes into force today alongside the latest restriction. In depth report from Rachel Marsden. (see 1 below)

Moscow lashes out at Kiev over its persecution of the Orthodox Christian community after a recent crackdown on the Russian orthodox church's most sacred monastery in Ukraine over alleged pro-Russia activity. Monuments are being removed or vandalised.

In the DRC, thousands flock to the streets to protest the killing of over 100 civilians by M23 rebels as well as the West's apparent hypocrisy towards Rwanda's alleged involvement.

Israeli jets have bombed Gaza in retaliation to a missile being launched from an airstrip. Demolition of public buildings continue.

Important report: Ursula Von Der Leyen has compared the "Irish Troubles" to the proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. (also see 3 below)

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4 Dec, 2022 20:54

1) ----- Russia doubles down on oil price warning

Moscow will only deal with states “that will work with us on the basis of market conditions,” Alexander Novak said

Russia won’t sell oil at the $60 price limit agreed by the EU and G7 nations, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Sunday. Novak added that Moscow is “working on mechanisms” to bypass the price cap.

The EU agreed to cap the price of seaborne Russian oil at $60 per barrel or at least 5% below market rates, the EU Council announced on Saturday. The rest of the G7 states and Australia made a similar announcement on Friday, stating that they too would refuse to handle Russian oil above $60 per barrel.

Russia has repeatedly insisted that it will not supply oil to countries honoring this price ceiling.

“We will sell oil and oil products only to countries that will work with us on the basis of market conditions, even if we would have to lower production,” he said on the Rossiya-24 TV channel on Sunday.

While the EU has already cut itself off from seaborne Russian oil deliveries, the price cap would forbid European firms from transporting Russian oil priced above the $60 limit by denying them shipping insurance. Ships belonging to third countries would also be denied insurance, financing, and servicing by EU firms. The G7’s agreement works in the exact same manner.

Novak predicted that the price cap will “destabilize” global markets, and argued that it contradicts World Trade Organization rules. Russia, he said, is “working on mechanisms” to skirt the measure.

While a production cut would decrease Russia’s oil revenues, its impact in the short term would likely be limited, given that Russian oil is currently trading at $64 per barrel, just $4 above the price cap. Moreover, critics of the price ceiling argue that a decision by Russia not to supply participating nations would punish consumers in these states with higher prices.

“It’s the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard,” former US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said last month. “The market is going to set the price. So if you put sanctions on at higher prices, in a way you’re just making the situation worse,” he added.
https://www.rt.com/russia/567662-russia-wont-sell-price-cap/
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via RT website 4th Dec, 2022 19:12

2) --- Musk issues warning about his ‘suicide’

The billionaire made the statement amid the release of Twitter Files concerning Joe Biden’s son

Twitter owner Elon Musk confirmed on Saturday that he does “not have any suicidal thoughts.” The businessman made the remarks while exposing the details of how the social media platform quelled the spread of the Hunter Biden laptop story ahead of the 2020 US presidential election.

“If I committed suicide, it’s not real,” Musk stated during a livestream titled “Elon Musk Joins Us Again Live - #TwitterFilesLive Coverage.”

The title refers to the “Twitter Files,” the name Musk has given to the once-private communications among the platform’s former executives during the 2020 election.

Musk had alerted his followers that the files showcasing Twitter’s suppression of the Hunter Biden ‘laptop from Hell’ story would be revealed during the event, and hundreds of thousands were tuned in to hear what the platform’s new owner had to say about his predecessors’ handling of the scandal.

With the assistance of journalist Matt Taibbi, Musk published internal documents detailing how Twitter execs had colluded with US government agencies to quash news about a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son. The device turned up at a Delaware repair shop bristling with incriminating emails.

Three weeks before the election, the New York Post broke a story about files retrieved from the laptop. The exposé included emails about the Biden family’s business dealings in Ukraine, among other matters.

Twitter suspended the New York Post’s account at the time and barred users from sharing links to the story, arguing that it violated its controversial “hacked materials” policy.

The Twitter Spaces livestream wasn’t the first time Musk had joked about his potentially untimely death. In May, he told followers that “it’s been nice knowin’ ya” in case he were to “die under mysterious circumstances.”

The billionaire’s comments on “suicidal thoughts” were seen by some as a reaction to the sudden and unexpected death of antivirus pioneer and multi-millionaire John McAfee, who died in a Spanish prison last year after similarly stating he was not suicidal and that if he turned up dead it would be a matter of foul play.
https://www.rt.com/news/567661-elon-musk-suicide-disclaimer-biden/
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3 Dec, 2022 12:28

3) --- UK lawmakers attack EU chief over Ireland claims

Ursula von der Leyen had compared Ireland’s struggles against Britain to the Ukraine conflict

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen likened Ireland’s struggle against British rule in the 20th century to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as she addressed the Irish parliament in Dublin. Her comments sparked anger among Tory MPs.

Craig Mackinlay, a Conservative MP, told The Telegraph that von der Leyen’s comparison was “beyond disgusting,” adding: “it seems that UK bashing is alive and well in Brussels.”

Lord Moylan, a member of the House of Lords, tweeted that the EC president is playing “a dangerous game” by making such statements.

Former UK Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg told the outlet that “it is an extraordinary thing for Ursula von der Leyen to say, undiplomatic, unwise and wrong. It shows she is not entirely aware of the historic circumstances.”

In a speech on Friday – the 50th anniversary of Ireland becoming an EU member – von der Leyen said she “would like to dwell on five Irish virtues that will help our union to face our common challenges ahead. First, the Irish passion for freedom. This country knows what it means to struggle for the right to exist.”

“Today, another European nation is fighting for independence. Of course, Ireland is far away from the front line in Ukraine. But you understand better than most why this war matters so much to all of us.”

According to the European Commission head, Ukraine is not only fighting for its own future, but also for “freedom itself, for self-rule, for the rules-based global order.”

Her comments did not go unnoticed in Britain, with local media warning that her words could end up complicating talks on renegotiating the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol trading arrangements between London and Brussels.

This is the second time this week that the EU chief has landed in hot water. On Wednesday, she claimed that at least 100,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed in the fighting against Russia. The comment was later removed from the text and video of her speech on the European Commission’s website and social media accounts. Nevertheless, Kiev was angered and claimed that the figure was not correct, while insisting that such “sensitive” data can only be released by the commander of the Ukrainian armed forces.
https://www.rt.com/news/567602-leyen-uk-ireland-ukraine/
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