RT News - January 10th 2023

In the past 24 hours more than 50 heavy artillery shells have been used by Ukraine to shell civilian only regions of Donetsk. Full injury report not yet known but at least one civilian has been killed. Report from front lines from Roman Kosarev.
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Intense fighting under incessant gunfire, as Russian troops advance in one of the most significant battlegrounds of the Ukraine conflict.
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Ukraine is complaining the west isn't sending enough weaponry to kill the Russians. see also https://www.azerbaycan24.com/en/ukraine-on-nato-mission-defense-minister/ and https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/ukraine-on-nato-mission-defense-minister.758153/ - I can't find anything coming from regular western MSM (there's a shock)
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Britain is considering sending Challenger-2 tanks to Ukraine. Earlier last week US and Germany discussed sending Bradly tanks to Ukraine. France says it's sending reconnaissance vehicles. Germans are kicking back at sending more weapons, tanks etc saying it will only prolong the conflict.
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US and allies discuss restrictions on tech, chips etc., exports to China.
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The US strengthens its military presence near China's borders, as a top commander says Washington has been following a Ukraine-type playbook for ramping up operations in the Asia-Pacific region. "To provoke an armed conflict"
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President Biden visited El-Paso in what has been called a "stage managed affair". Please see previous posts on this channel.
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Crowds take to the streets of Brazil's major cities to support President Lula da Silva following a violent attempted coup in the national capital. Please see previous posts for catch-up.
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Australia spying cons, goofs, gaffes and videotape. (QS Too complicated for me to write up, the CIA double bluff double bluffed again? Who knows. Might as well get hung for four sheep as a lamb) "Pants down" report from Marina Kosareva, Tim Anderson and RT's Mourad.
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China estimates that 2 billion trips will take place in the country in the coming weeks, as the nation finally reopens its borders following three years of Covid restrictions.
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Below - via RT website 1) --- EU country to change laws because of Russians – media
2) --- US to boost military cooperation with NATO hopeful (Sweden)
3) --- Sweden complains NATO member is asking for the impossible
4) --- US to host largest-ever Satanic gathering
5) --- Western sanctions reshaping global energy markets – WSJ
6) --- Kremlin rubbishes ‘hoax’ about Korea-style Ukraine split plan
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9 Jan, 2023 21:52

1) --- EU country to change laws because of Russians – media

Latvia claims too many Russian nationals are exploiting repatriation rules not meant for them

The government in Riga may decide later this week to suspend the 1995 repatriation law, in order to block Russians from obtaining citizenship in the Baltic state using the rules intended for ethnic Latvians, Delphi reported on Monday.

According to the outlet, the two ministries have compiled a report citing a “growing” Russian interest in moving to Latvia, and attributing this to the conflict in Ukraine. While the 12-year average of Russian citizens among those seeking Latvian papers has been 62%, it spiked to 81% in 2022, “at a time when the economic and international stability of Russia was under threat” due to the conflict, the report claims.

Riga received 430 repatriation applications from Russian citizens in 2022, of which 220 were granted, Delphi revealed. However, the interior ministry complained that these people had no relatives or residence in Latvia, or in some cases never visited the country, and “probably” intended to use the permits to live in the EU instead.

“The trend to obtain a residence permit just to be able to comfortably move around the Schengen countries has been particularly pronounced during the travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” the report says, according to Delphi. Many of the applications “frankly expressed” their intent to “enjoy the benefits provided by a permanent residence permit” rather than actually live in Latvia.

The two ministries also claimed that the interest in permits spiked after Russia announced a partial military mobilization in September, but if the report contained evidence of this, Delphi has not chosen to cite it.

Noting that the law was passed with the idea to bring back to their “ethnic homeland” the Latvians who relocated “due to the threat of genocide, war or assimilation,” the ministries will recommend replacing it with a more conditional scheme, requiring proof of continued residence and a language test.

Latvia had 2.65 million residents when it split off from the Soviet Union in 1991, but that number has since decreased to about 1.88 million. Ethnic Russians make up about a quarter of the population, and the government has advocated “isolating” them unless they demonstrate loyalty.

Riga has taken a hardline stance over the conflict in Ukraine, using it as a pretext to dismantle all WWII monuments to the Soviet army and declare Russia a “terrorist state.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/569623-latvia-repatriation-law-russians/
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10 Jan, 2023 03:40

2) --- US to boost military cooperation with NATO hopeful

A legal framework is being negotiated on the presence of American soldiers on Swedish soil

The United States and Sweden have started talks on a new security deal that will regulate future US troop deployments to the country, which applied to join NATO last year in response to Russia’s military action in Ukraine.

The Swedish Defense Ministry outlined the negotiations in a statement on Monday, saying officials are now working out the details of a Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA), which the ministry called a “natural development of Sweden's and the USA's long-term cooperation in the area of ​​security and defense.”

“The USA is Sweden's most important security and defense policy partner, both bilaterally and within NATO,” it said. “By creating the conditions for an American presence in Sweden, including in the form of exercises, our security is strengthened.”

In addition to “regulating the legal conditions for the presence of American forces in Sweden,” the DCA will also cover other issues, such as “access to base areas, advance storage of materiel,” and taxes and duties as they relate to future US troop deployments.

The US State Department marked the talks with a statement of its own, dubbing Sweden a “valued defense partner” while claiming the DCA would “deepen our close security partnership, enhance our cooperation in multilateral security operations, and, together, strengthen transatlantic security.”

The new deal will build on previous security pacts struck in 2016 and 2018 – the latter of which involved a trilateral deal between the US, Sweden and Finland – and comes as both Stockholm and Helsinki aim to join the NATO military alliance sometime this year.

The two Nordic states applied for membership last May, both citing new security concerns in the wake of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, quickly securing approval from most of the US-led bloc. Turkey and Hungary are the two remaining holdouts, however, with Ankara alleging Sweden and Finland have not done enough to combat Kurdish terrorist organizations.

Moscow has repeatedly urged against the continued eastward expansion of NATO, arguing the alliance seeks to encircle Russia with Western air bases, nuclear-capable bombers and missile launchers, among other strategic hardware. However, while Russian President Vladimir Putin previously said his country “does not have problems” with Stockholm or Helsinki, Russia has nonetheless pledged to adjust its military posture in its northern region if the bloc absorbs two new members.
https://www.rt.com/news/569625-sweden-us-military-cooperation/
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(related 8 Jan, 2023 18:07)

3) --- Sweden complains NATO member is asking for the impossible

Türkiye is demanding too much, despite multiple concessions, Stockholm says

Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, has complained during a security conference on Sunday that Türkiye has piled impossible demands on the country as prerequisites for joining NATO.

Türkiye “has confirmed that we have done what we said we would do, but it also says that it wants things that we can’t, that we don’t want to, give it,” he lamented. Still, he predicted Ankara would “make a decision, we just don’t know when” – with the outcome dependent both on internal Turkish politics and “Sweden’s capacity to show its seriousness.”

One of just two members yet to approve Sweden’s accession to NATO, Türkiye officially rescinded its objections in an agreement announced in June, stating at the time that it had “got what it wanted,” including “full cooperation… in the fight against” terrorism, from both Sweden and fellow applicant Finland. Its objections had centered on the countries’ support for the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), a group banned in Türkiye as a “terrorist” organization.

However, just days after Sweden’s Supreme Court blocked the extradition of former newspaper editor Bulent Kenes last month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu scolded Stockholm for what he described as the lack of a “concrete development regarding the extradition of terrorism-related criminals and the freezing of their assets.” The diplomat specifically referred to the Kenes case.

In denying Kenes’ extradition, the court argued that some of the journalist’s alleged crimes were not punishable by law in Sweden and suggested he would be subjected to political persecution if sent home. Kenes received political asylum in Sweden in 2016 following the failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ankara has accused him of having foreknowledge of the coup attempt and being a member of a terrorist organization.

Swedes have urged their government to stand firm on judicial independence even if it means delaying joining NATO. A poll conducted earlier this month found 79% of respondents wanted Stockholm to “stand up for Swedish laws” in the face of Turkish demands, while just 10% suggested that the country should prioritize joining the bloc as soon as possible.

Sweden’s troubles could delay the accession of its fellow applicant as well, as Finland doesn’t want to move forward in ditching its longstanding neutrality without its neighbor. “Finland is not in such a rush to join NATO that we can’t wait until Sweden gets the green light,” Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told reporters on Sunday.
https://www.rt.com/news/569571-sweden-turkiye-nato-impossible-terrorism/
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9 Jan, 2023 18:07

4) --- US to host largest-ever Satanic gathering

The Salem-based Satanic Temple has announced its 2023 convention in nearby Boston

The Satanic Temple group has announced on social media that SatanCon 2023 will take place at the end of April in Boston, Massachusetts. Dubbed the “largest Satanic gathering in history,” this year’s convention will celebrate the Temple’s tenth anniversary.

Those who show up to the ‘Hexennacht in Boston’ on April 28, will have to wear “an N-95, KN-95, or disposable surgical mask,” according to the convention website. Other details, such as the exact venue in the “historic downtown,” the schedule of events, or names of speakers, have yet to be provided.

After holding the first-ever SatanCon last year in Arizona, The Satanic Temple (TST) is moving the event closer to its international headquarters in nearby Salem, known for its “witch trials” in the late 1600s. The Temple claims it has around 2,500 members in the Boston area.

The group insists it doesn’t actually believe in the devil, and its official mission is to “to encourage benevolence and empathy among all people, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense and justice, and be directed by the human conscience to undertake noble pursuits.”

They have also declared abortion a fundamental religious right, and argued that any state laws restricting the practice are unfairly discriminating against their members. After coming into the national spotlight due to that advocacy in 2020, the actual Church of Satan denounced TST as “a political activist group who uses scandalous language to get press attention.”

The Temple is best known for filing lawsuits against local and state authorities, claiming infringement of religious freedoms when their demands to deliver satanic invocations or display satanic statues on public property are rejected. In July 2021, it petitioned Boston to fly a flag outside the city hall for “Satan Appreciation Week,” but was turned down. The city went on to change its flag policy in October that year.

Boston and the Massachusetts colony were originally founded by the Puritans, an austere Protestant sect that believed the Church of England was too similar to the Roman Catholic Church it had separated from.
https://www.rt.com/news/569613-satanist-temple-boston-convention/
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10 Jan, 2023 05:55

5) --- Western sanctions reshaping global energy markets – WSJ

Russian oil is being rerouted to Asia, Africa and Latin America while Middle Eastern suppliers are boosting sales to the EU, the newspaper says

Western sanctions on Russian energy resources are triggering a shift in global oil and gas flows and disrupting long-standing economic ties around the world, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

An EU embargo on seaborne Russian crude took effect on December 5 along with a $60 price cap on oil exports, as part of a sixth package of Ukraine-related sanctions imposed on Moscow. A ban on EU imports of petroleum products such as diesel and kerosene originating from Russia will come into force on February 5.

The restrictions prompted Russia, once Europe’s biggest supplier, to reroute its energy exports to India and China, where buyers are taking advantage of discounts that Moscow offers. Since late November, Russia has reportedly been selling its flagship Urals crude for $17 less than the cap, the WSJ reported, citing the International Energy Agency.

“Even if prices were to rise to $100 a barrel, China and India can continue buying Russian oil if they have access to their own insurance,” the head of research at oil consulting company Energy Aspects, Amrita Sen, said.

Russia boosted oil deliveries to China by 17% in November from a year earlier to 7.81 million tons, the highest total since August, overtaking Saudi Arabia as the country’s top supplier.

Moscow’s shipments to India surged to 1.4 million barrels a day in November, compared to just 36,000 barrels a day a year earlier, according to commodity-data provider Kpler. Indian refiners are profiting from selling oil products made from processed Russian oil to energy-strapped Europe, enjoying an exemption allowed by the bloc’s sanctions program.

Russian oil products have also been redirected to markets in Africa and Latin America, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksander Novak.

Meanwhile Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other major Middle Eastern energy exporters have shifted their focus away from traditional markets in Asia and are reaping the benefits from skyrocketing fossil fuel prices in Europe.

Saudi Arabia was the fastest-growing among other oil suppliers to the EU in the third quarter, with a 9.1% market share of the bloc’s imports of the fuel, compared to an average of 5.1% last year, according to Eurostat.
https://www.rt.com/business/569204-western-sanctions-russia-energy-flows/
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9 Jan, 2023 11:28

6) --- Kremlin rubbishes ‘hoax’ about Korea-style Ukraine split plan

Reports that a Russian presidential aide has talked to the EU about freezing the conflict are not true, Moscow says

The allegation that Russia has been secretly negotiating an end to the Ukraine conflict along the lines of how the Korean War ended is false, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Monday.

The Russian official described as a “hoax” last week’s reports in Ukraine that Dmitry Kozak, the deputy head of Russia’s presidential administration, was involved in a clandestine diplomatic mission to resolve the Ukrainian conflict.

Aleksey Danilov, the head of Ukraine’s national security council, claimed during a TV interview last week that Kozak “got into action” and was holding meetings with European officials “to force us to sign” a peace deal. He stated that Russia wanted to partition his country the way the Korean Peninsula was split in 1953, after its three-year-long devastating armed conflict. Kiev will not accept any such deal, Danilov declared.

Peskov suggested that whatever contacts between Kozak and EU officials Danilov was referring to may have involved a different person by the same surname, possibly a Ukrainian MP.

Taras Kozak is a Ukrainian politician elected to the country’s parliament in 2019 and attached to the faction of the Opposition Party - For Life bloc. The party has come under repeated attacks by the government of President Vladimir Zelensky for supposedly having a pro-Russia agenda, but its members have insisted they are victims of political persecution.

In early 2021, the Ukrainian security council imposed personal sanctions against Kozak and the head of the party, Viktor Medvedchuk. In May of the same year, both were charged with state treason for allegedly handing over Ukrainian secrets to Russia.

Kozak reportedly fled the country shortly afterwards. Medvedchuk was put under house arrest, reportedly went on the run last year, but got captured and was later included in a prisoner swap with Russia. Kiev seized the assets owned by both men.

Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, designed to give Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. The protocols, brokered by Germany and France, were first signed in 2014. Former Ukrainian president Pyotr Poroshenko has since admitted that Kiev’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and “create powerful armed forces.”

Shortly before the hostilities broke out, the Kremlin recognized the Donbass republics as independent states and demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join any Western military bloc. Last September, Donetsk and Lugansk, as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, were incorporated into Russia following referendums.
https://www.rt.com/russia/569595-peskov-danilov-kozak-deal/
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