RT News - February 6th 2023 Late

A second massive earthquake rips through south-central Türkiye and neighbouring Syria with the tremors felt hundreds of kilometres away in several other countries. The devastating quakes are the most powerful Türkiye has seen in 84 years, leaving more than 1,500 confirmed dead and over 9 thousand injured there. At least 538 people die from the quake, in neighboring Syria, which has been ravaged by some of the heaviest aftershocks leaving thousands injured, with scores more trapped beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings.
Alper Kucuk reports by phone and says the disaster is complicated by other factors including cold and snow. Kenan Akbayram reports and says urgent international assistance is needed.
In Syria the situation is truly dire and hampered by lack of equipment. Vanessa Beeley reports from Damascus. "The most terrifying night ever, having suffered from the war"
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Russia has sent aid and emergency rescue teams to Syria and Turkiye (and is dispatching more) Pres. Putin sent condolences to both countries over the tragedy / disaster.
Shocks from the earthquake could be felt in Israel who are sending aid to Turkiye and have offered help to Syria too.
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Tremors could be felt also in Iraq where Russia's FM Lavrov is meeting President Abdul Latif Rashid and Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani and with his counterpart Fuad Hussein to discuss trade, bilateral ties and political, military and cultural cooperation. He is grateful to Iraq for not imposing sanctions. It's part of a scheduled tour. Vera Gaufman reports on the day, which is almost exactly 20 years since NATO invaded Iraq on false pretences. (see "the Weekly" from yesterday for series part 2, which will continue for a while to report on million and more dead in the illegal Iraq War.)
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Palestine (Gaza) / Israel. Palestine accuses Israel of not allowing cancer patients to travel abroad for treatment. Ahed Imtirat (Physicians for Human Rights) reports.
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Africa: Kenya. Four volunteers have been killed by Al-Shabaab militants from South Sudan. A joint effort with Ethiopia is needed to eliminate the terrorists. Ngala Chome (political analyst) reports.
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Rolling news is available on RT Rumble's channel for updates on the earthquake tragedy and more, including excellent documentaries. https://rumble.com/vwbbjn-putin-announces-special-operation-in-donbass-special-coverage.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=13
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Below via RT website N) --- Death toll in Turkish quake surpasses 1,000 – authorities
N1) --- Quake ruptures gas pipeline in Türkiye
N2) --- Syria stops rail service
1) --- Moscow offers condolences and aid to quake-stricken nations
2) --- Ukraine accused of chemical warfare
3) --- Kremlin reacts to ‘Zelensky elimination’ comment
4) --- Kiev sanctions Russian nuclear industry
5) --- Abrams tanks might be poor fit for Ukraine – FT
5a) --- Germany met with ‘silence’ over tanks for Ukraine – politician
6) --- Largest healthcare strike in UK history beginsShow more

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6 Feb, 2023 10:44

N) --- Death toll in Turkish quake surpasses 1,000 – authorities

The disaster has also left over 7,600 injured and destroyed several thousand buildings

A powerful earthquake that hit Türkiye on Monday morning has killed more than 1,000 people and left over 7,000 injured, according to the latest figures released by the nation’s authorities.

Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said that casualties had been reported in several provinces and that the death toll had reached 1,121.

The agency estimated the number of injured across the provinces at 7,634, adding that at least 2,834 buildings have been destroyed.

AFAD President Yunus Sezer also noted that, “there have been 105 aftershocks so far”.

Despite the powerful jolts, for now there is no tsunami threat that could affect Türkiye’s Eastern Mediterranean, the AFAD noted.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated earlier that local authorities “have mobilized all their means,” adding that the response efforts involved not only officials in the ten provinces hit by the disaster but in ten other provinces as well.

He said that priority had been given to search and rescue efforts to reach those still stuck under the rubble. In total, 9,000 people are involved in such efforts, a number that is constantly increasing, Erdogan added.

He described the quake 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 surpassed 300 people in several provinces, with over 1,000 injured.
https://www.rt.com/news/571029-at-least-912-killed-quake-erdogan/

6 Feb, 2023 18:07 *** Update ***

Türkiye earthquake death toll rises

More than 1,500 people have been killed by two quakes in Türkiye
The death toll in Türkiye following two historic earthquakes has risen to 1,541, Vice President Fueat Oktay announced on Monday. Some 9,733 people were injured, and hundreds of deaths were reported in neighboring Syria.

Oktay announced the revised casualty count in a press conference on Monday evening, hours after a preliminary count recorded 912 people dead and around 5,300 injured.
https://www.rt.com/news/571062-turkiye-earthquake-death-toll-rises/
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N1) --- 6 Feb, 2023 07:55

N1) --- Quake ruptures gas pipeline in Türkiye

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.
https://twitter.com/Lerpc75/status/1622430411681931266
https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1622431528176259072
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/
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6 Feb, 2023 12:31

N2) --- Syria stops rail service

A powerful quake killed at least 371 in the Arab country and at least 1,014 in neighboring Türkiye

Rail traffic has been suspended across Syria after the country was hit by a deadly earthquake, the Transport Ministry said on Monday. In a statement on its website, the ministry said technical teams were inspecting roads, tracks, bridges, and ferries for damage.

A powerful earthquake struck southern Türkiye and northwestern Syria on Monday morning, causing destruction in both countries. According to the Syrian Health Ministry, over 400 people were killed and over 1,300 injured.

The Syrian Oil and Mineral Resources Ministry said that the Banias refinery on the Mediterranean coast, the country’s largest, was shut down after tremors caused a leak of petroleum products.

According to the ministry, the repairs are expected to take 48 hours. It said that gas facilities in Aleppo were also damaged.

Officials said several historical sites and artifacts were damaged, including Aleppo’s medieval citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cracks appeared on the facade of the ancient city’s main museum, according to the authorities.

The army has been deployed to the areas affected to help rescuers clear the rubble and look for survivors.

In neighboring Türkiye, over 1,100 people were killed and over 7,000 injured, the authorities said. According to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the disaster was the strongest earthquake the country has seen since 1939.
https://www.rt.com/news/571037-syria-rail-service-earthquake/
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6 Feb, 2023 08:41

1) --- Moscow offers condolences and aid to quake-stricken nations

President Putin has pledged assistance to the governments of Türkiye and Syria after a deadly earthquake

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed condolences and offered support to his Turkish and Syrian counterparts, after a powerful earthquake caused devastation in both nations on Monday morning.

In a cable to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin asked to relay “words of earnest sympathy” to the families of people killed in the disaster and wishes for a swift recovery to the survivors.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay reported that the quake killed at least 284 people in his country and injured at least 2,324 others.

A separate message from Putin to Syrian President Bashar Assad said Russia “shared the grief and pain” of Syrians affected by the quake and is ready to help in responding to it.

The Syrian Health Ministry reported a death toll of at least 237, with at least 648 other people injured by the disaster.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry said it has placed on alert around 100 airmobile rescuers and two Il-76 transport planes which can transport them and their gear to Türkiye on short notice. The ministry said it is always prepared to come to the aid of a friendly nation in peril.

The epicenter of the 7.4-magnitude quake was located in the Kahramanmaras Province of Türkiye, where it also affected the provinces of Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis. In neighboring Syria, Northern Aleppo, Hama, Latakia, and Tartus were hit worst.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571021-putin-quake-t%C3%BCrkiye-syria/
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6 Feb, 2023 14:33

2) --- Ukraine accused of chemical warfare

Toxic compounds have reportedly been used against Russian troops in Donbass

Russian military commanders have reported that Ukrainian troops deployed a type of chemical weapon against their units in Donbass, according to a local official.

Speaking to Russian television on Monday, Denis Pushilin, the acting governor of the Donetsk People’s Republic, said his office has been receiving reports about possible chemical warfare “for at least two weeks.” Ukrainian troops have reportedly been deploying “chemical compounds that make our military service members ill,” he said.

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, declined to discuss the allegation with journalists, saying that his office didn’t have accurate information about the issue.

He said the Russian military would pass such incidents up the chain of command and suggested contacting the Defense Ministry with further inquiries. The Defense Ministry did not immediately comment on the claim.

Speculation that some Ukrainian units may use air-dropped munitions with a chemical agent has been swirling on social media since mid-January. The rumors were apparently triggered by a video that surfaced showing people in Ukrainian military uniforms assembling small quad drones carrying small containers, with the payload apparently taken from a refrigerator. Some military experts suggested that whatever was used must have been volatile if it had to be stored at a low temperature.

Chemical warfare is forbidden under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), an international treaty that took effect in 1997 and to which both Ukraine and Russia are signatories. The military prohibition applies even to riot control agents, colloquially known as tear gas, though unlike other chemical weapons, the CWC allows such substances to be manufactured and used in law enforcement.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571039-ukraine-donbass-chemical-warfare/
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6 Feb, 2023 14:36

3) --- Kremlin reacts to ‘Zelensky elimination’ comment

Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied a claim by Israel's former PM that Putin promised not to kill the Ukrainian leader

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has refused to confirm or deny an allegation that President Vladimir Putin promised not to assassinate his Ukrainian counterpart, Vladimir Zelensky. Peskov said Moscow did not wish to reveal details concerning sensitive conversations with foreign leaders.

On Saturday, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated in an interview that during his meeting with Putin last March, the Russian leader repeatedly reassured him and gave his word that Zelensky would not be “killed” or “eliminated.”

Asked to respond to this claim on Monday, Peskov confirmed that the two leaders held “a very intensive dialogue” and “frequently communicated” during Bennett’s tenure as PM. However, the spokesman refused to share confidential information.

“Indeed, on the agenda, in addition to bilateral relations, was the topic of Ukraine,” Peskov told journalists. “But you know that we are not in favor of disclosing the details of the talks between heads of state. We do not want to do this now. Therefore, I will neither refute nor confirm what Mr. Bennett said.”

The then-PM traveled to meet with Putin in the early phases of Moscow’s military operation against Kiev, which was launched in late February. Bennett had hoped to broker an early ceasefire between the two sides as Russian forces were encroaching on the Ukrainian capital. At that point, Zelensky was reportedly in an undisclosed location and had allegedly asked Bennett to secure assurance from Putin that he would not be targeted for assassination.

Bennett said he called Zelensky immediately after leaving the talks with Putin, telling him he would not be killed. Two hours later, the Ukrainian leader posted a video from his office in Kiev, explaining that he was “not hiding,” and “not afraid of anyone.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/571044-kremlin-putin-zelensky-promise/
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6 Feb, 2023 07:57 (includes links to tweets and documents)

F) -- The Maidan sniper killings were pivotal for the 2014 Kiev coup – why is research into the massacre being censored in the West?

Evidence that external forces were involved has been suppressed 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.” https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/unsolved-maidan-massacre-casts-shadow-over-ukraine/

Thread with all links https://twitter.com/I_Katchanovski/status/1611196287122116609

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1611196287122116609.html

e.g. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337947623_The_far_right_the_Euromaidan_and_the_Maidan_massacre_in_Ukraine

Ask the witnesses

It may not remain unsolved for much longer though, due to an ongoing trial https://khpg.org/en/1608809505 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 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx9P7IlU0ow&ab_channel=IvanKatchanovski 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, https://twitter.com/I_Katchanovski/status/1611429010440863744 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.

In all, 300 witnesses https://twitter.com/I_Katchanovski/status/1611435153104207872 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 killings of specific Maidan protesters, but that authorities aimed at walls, trees, lampposts, and even the ground, simply to disperse crowds.

Among those targeted https://twitter.com/I_Katchanovski/status/1611470762657079296 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 https://twitter.com/I_Katchanovski/status/1611522068440301574 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 https://twitter.com/I_Katchanovski/status/1611769756989759494 that Western government representatives expressly https://twitter.com/I_Katchanovski/status/1611773555556995073 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. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356691143_The_Maidan_Massacre_in_Ukraine_Revelations_from_Trials_and_Investigation

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.
https://www.rt.com/russia/570921-maidan-sniper-killings-censorship/
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5 Feb, 2023 21:53

4) --- Kiev sanctions Russian nuclear industry

Some 200 entities have been blacklisted for 50 years

Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council has introduced sanctions on the Russian nuclear industry, President Vladimir Zelensky said in a statement on Sunday. The list of entities subject to the restrictions includes the Rosatom nuclear agency, as well as the company operating the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) – Europe’s biggest nuclear power station.

Zelensky accused Russian troops of shelling nuclear power stations in Ukraine and using them as “cover” for strikes.

“These are sufficient reasons for the Russian nuclear industry to be subjected to global sanctions,” he said. The president issued a decree on Sunday, which blacklisted a total of 200 entities for a period of 50 years.

The ZNPP once belonged to Ukraine but fell under Russian control in the spring of 2022. It is located in Zaporozhye Region, which formally joined Russia in autumn 2022 following a referendum, along with three other former Ukrainian territories, including the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and Kherson Region.

The plant has been repeatedly subjected to artillery shelling and suicide drone attacks over the past year while Moscow and Kiev trade blame over the incidents.

Moscow insists that damage to the facility is attributable to Kiev’s forces, while Ukraine has claimed that Russia, for unnamed reasons, has itself been targeting the site it controls. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has only established that attacks on the plant have occurred, but has refused to assign blame to either party.

Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine nearly a year ago, citing the need to protect the people of Donbass and Kiev’s failure to implement the 2014-15 Minsk peace accords. Ukraine has said the attack was entirely unprovoked.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571007-ukraine-russia-nuclear-industry-sanctions/
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5 Feb, 2023 18:51

5) --- Abrams tanks might be poor fit for Ukraine – FT

Maintenance and logistics needs reportedly make the US armor a dubious asset for Kiev

The M1 Abrams tanks that Washington recently promised to Ukraine might end up being a liability rather than a boost to Kiev’s war effort, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Such a view is explained by the armor’s overcomplicated logistics and maintenance needs.

The 70-tonne tank has a gas turbine engine, which allows it greater acceleration than a diesel engine but requires meticulous maintenance and consumes larger amounts of fuel, the FT explained.

The paper cited former US Army platoon commander John Nagl, who said his soldiers “spent a whole lot of time literally banging our air filters” during the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 US invasion of Iraq amid “big concerns” about the tank engine “ingesting sand and not working.”

Maintaining the combat readiness of the Abrams tanks would require “completely different types of machinery” relative to other Western-designed tanks promised to Kiev, as well as crews trained for special gadgets, the FT highlighted. The mechanics crews for the tanks would also take longer to train, the paper reported.

The tanks will need a steady supply of spare parts and have their “500-gallon tank refilled every day” with jet fuel given that it cannot run on diesel, it added.

The M1 Abrams “is a terrific tank, but it is an American tank and the American way of war demands all the logistics in the world,” Nagl told FT. The paper then noted that the logistics and supply network for the Abrams tanks would remain in the US.

The logistical shortcomings might eventually turn the Abrams into something of a liability for Ukrainian troops as they could easily fall prey to Russian attacks, Josh Kirshner, a managing director at Beacon Global Strategies, a strategic advisory firm, warned.

Kiev’s forces “don’t want the Cadillac of defense items, they just need ‘good enough’ gear,” he argued.

Back in December 2022, the Pentagon also argued that M1 Abrams tanks were just too difficult to operate as it refused to supply them to Ukraine at that time. Washington then changed its stance in January, promising 31 Abrams tanks to Kiev. Yet, the hardware is expected to arrive in Ukraine no sooner than in several months.

Russia has repeatedly warned the West against supporting Kiev with weapons, arguing that doing so will only prolong the conflict. Commenting on the deliveries of modern tanks to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that they will “burn like the rest” of the Western weapons.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571001-abrams-tanks-poor-fit-ukraine/
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6 Feb, 2023 11:02

5a) --- 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 Kiev to 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. https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/suche/bundesregierung-kuendigt-lieferung-von-leopard-2-panzern-an-die-ukraine-an-2160236

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/
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6 Feb, 2023 17:31

6) --- Largest healthcare strike in UK history begins

Nurses and ambulance staff say they are not being paid enough to survive

Tens of thousands of British nurses and ambulance workers walked off the job on Monday, in what is the largest strike in the 75-year history of the National Health Service (NHS). While the government has offered a pay rise, workers and unions say their earnings haven’t kept up with inflation.

While nurses and ambulance staff have participated in separate strikes in recent months, Monday’s work stoppage involved both members of the Royal College of Nursing and ambulance workers who are members of the GMB and Unite trade unions.

Nurses are set to strike again on Tuesday, while physiotherapists will stage a walkout on Thursday. Seven additional strikes are planned by ambulance workers before the end of March.

The workers are demanding that the government reopen pay negotiations, insisting that a planned 4.8% pay rise isn’t enough to compensate for the UK’s spiraling inflation rate, which stood above 10% in December. Unions have demanded that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak get involved in the negotiations, something he has thus far refused to do.

Sunak can demonstrate that his government “is on the side of the hardworking, decent taxpayer” by negotiating, Royal College of Nursing chief Pat Cullen wrote in a letter to the PM on Sunday. “There would be no simpler way to demonstrate this commitment than bringing the nurse strike to a swift close,” she concluded.

A spokesperson for Sunak called the strikes “deeply regrettable,” while the NHS noted that industrial action would place its services “under increased pressure” at an already busy time. The health service noted on its website that October and November were already the busiest months on record for emergency room visits and ambulance callouts.
https://www.rt.com/news/571056-nhs-nurses-ambulance-strike/
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