RT News - February 12th 2023 LATE

Donbass: The head of Russia's Wagner group says his fighters have taken the Donetsk Republic village of Krasnaya Gara. A key foothold near Artyomovsk, also known as Bakhmut, which the Ukrainians have been fiercely defending for months. Igor Zhdanov reports and explains the relevance of this small settlement.

Kiev: Pres. Zelensky has been posting controversial images on his social media pages. Nikki and John Mark Dougan discuss

February 6th 2023 earthquake, Türkiye and Syria: Over 30 thousand are now confirmed dead after catastrophic earthquakes and aftershocks hit . As the death toll continues to rise, both countries struggle to cope with the fallout. Rescue teams continue to search for survivors, round the clock. Peter Scott reports from Türkiye, Hussein Iyad from Syria. It took USA and the allies 5 days to lift their sanctions to allow aid into Syria and simultaneously blamed Russia (QS I know this to be true as I couldn't make donations to any Syrian fund or give duvets I'd bought specially, for any trips going to Syria. There were "none allowed") Mohahad Ali explains about the sanctions. (QS: USA/NATO or whatever guise they are in at the moment in Syria, take $billions worth of Syrian oil, without payment, ever month from Syria)

Nord Stream 2 Sabotage. Nikki presents the findings of Seymour Hersh and asks "why are the western press so quiet" about this act of terrorism by the NATO bloc. Lionel also comments. A bombshell report by an American award-winning journalist uncovers US involvement in the Nord Stream gas pipelines explosion, using NATO drills in the Baltic Sea to cover their tracks. Afshin Rattansi also comments.

Malaysia: Malaysia has produced the highest growth rate at 8.7%, since 2,000. Malaysia is the fastest growing economy in Asia. The EU has imposed restrictions on the palm oil trade from Malaysia (QS: I can't find any such restrictions elsewhere, I will keep looking)
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Below via RT website 1) --- Polish leader warns of Russian victory
2) --- US officials basically admit they blew up Nord Stream – Russian FM
3) --- UK holds ‘secret’ cross-party Brexit summit – media
4) --- China prepares to shoot down UFO – state media
5) --- Food will cost more this year – survey
5a) --- Food prices in Britain hit record highs – data
Consumers will pay an extra £1,000 for groceries this year, a survey shows
6) --- Zelensky shares photo of Ukrainian soldier with Nazi insignia, again

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12 Feb, 2023 17:41

1) --- Polish leader warns of Russian victory

Ukraine will lose without "urgent help" from the West, Andrzej Duda says

Russia may win the conflict in Ukraine if the Kiev government isn’t supplied with Western weapons in the coming weeks, Polish President Andrzej Duda has said.

During an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro on Saturday, Duda was asked if he thought the Russians could achieve victory in Ukraine.

"Yes, they can, if Ukraine doesn’t receive help very urgently," the Polish leader replied.

The Kiev authorities "don't have modern military infrastructure, but they have people," he explained.

"If we do not send military equipment to Ukraine in the coming weeks, [Russia’s President Vladimir] Putin may win. He can win and we don’t know where he’ll stop," Duda warned.

His comments didn’t go unnoticed by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who took to Telegram on Saturday to point out that even if Western weapons are supplied to Ukraine hurriedly – they won’t be able to change the outcome of the conflict.

The Kiev government and its foreign backers are "condemned" to defeat, she insisted, adding that the arms deliveries "won’t help you. They’ll only make things worse."

"Repentance for what they have done is the only way out for the West," Zakharova wrote.

Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that NATO members, who in January promised to send dozens of main battle tanks to Ukraine, have developed "sudden misgivings" about fulfilling the pledge due, apparently, to not having enough armor to spare.

Germany said that 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks will arrive in Ukraine in late March. Berlin also announced that it was buying up almost 190 decommissioned Leopard 1s to be refurbished and sent to the front.

Poland, which has been one of the biggest backers of Ukraine among EU states, vowed to provide its neighbor with 14 Leopard 2s and 60 of its modified Soviet-era T-72 tanks.

However, such countries as the Netherlands and Denmark, which had been pressuring Germany to send its armor to Ukraine, are now claiming that they themselves can’t part with any of their Leopard 2s. Finland said it may only supply "a few" tanks, but most likely only after it joins NATO.

Western countries have also ruled out delivering F-16 fighter jets, a new demand made by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.

On Thursday, the deputy head of Zelensky’s office, Igor Zhovkva, complained to Bloomberg that the Kiev forces had "like almost zero ammunition" left due to the high intensity of fighting with the Russians in the Donbass area.
https://www.rt.com/news/571375-duda-poland-ukraine-weapons/
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12 Feb, 2023 14:31

2) --- US officials basically admit they blew up Nord Stream – Russian FM

The pipelines were sabotaged because Washington saw Russian-German cooperation as a threat, Sergey Lavrov has claimed

US officials are basically admitting that they were behind the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, which was perpetrated to prevent rapprochement between Moscow and Berlin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

“The US decided that we [Russia] have been cooperating too well with Germany over the past 20 or 30 years; or rather, the Germans cooperated with us too well,” he said in an interview published on the Foreign Ministry’s website on Sunday.

The “powerful alliance” based on Russian energy resources and German technology “began to threaten the monopoly position of many American corporations,” Lavrov explained.

So, Washington decided to destroy this alliance between Moscow and Berlin, and did it “literally” by attacking the pipelines, which were built to deliver Russian gas to Europe through Germany, he added.

“American officials are basically admitting that the explosions that occurred at Nord Stream 1 and 2 were their doing. They even speak about it with joy,” the foreign minister stated.

Lavrov was likely referring to a confession made by US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland during a Senate hearing in late January. “I am, and I think the administration is, very gratified to know that Nord Stream 2 is now... a hunk of metal at the bottom of the sea,” she said at that time.

“The vileness of Western politicians is well known,” Lavrov continued, suggesting that “the plan, which is now being implemented through ‘inciting’ Ukraine against Russia and waging a war by the entire West against Russia by means of Ukraine, is to a large extent aimed at preventing a new rapprochement between Germany and Russia.”

The comments by Russia’s top diplomat come just days after iconic American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh released a bombshell report, blaming Washington for sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines last year.

According to an informed source who talked to Hersh, explosives were planted at the pipelines in the Baltic Sea back in June 2022 by US Navy divers under the guise of a NATO exercise. They were detonated in late September, rendering the key European energy infrastructure inoperable.

US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson denied the report by the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, calling it “utterly false and complete fiction.” No one among high-ranking American officials has even commented on the accusations made by Hersh.

For months, the Russian authorities have been pointing to the fact that the only side to benefit from the destruction of Nord Stream was the US, which has seen supplies of its more expensive liquefied natural gas to Europe increase massively since the explosions.
https://www.rt.com/news/571372-lavrov-nord-stream-sabotage/
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12 Feb, 2023 13:20 *** See post from this morning ***

3) --- UK holds ‘secret’ cross-party Brexit summit – media

London has discussed Brexit’s failings as it grapples with the fallout of its decision to leave the EU, reports The Observer

High-ranking officials from opposite ends of the UK political spectrum have held ‘secret’ discussions designed to navigate a path out of various economic and strategic problems posed by Brexit, according to a report by The Observer. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/feb/11/revealed-secret-cross-party-summit-held-to-confront-failings-of-brexit

Documents from the meeting obtained by the British newspaper say that the talks were held under the primary topic: “How can we make Brexit work better with our neighbours in Europe?”

The newspaper quoted a source who stated it to have been a “constructive meeting” which discussed at length economic problems presented by Brexit which come at a time of rising inflation and energy prices.

“The main thrust of it was that Britain is losing out, that Brexit is not delivering, our economy is in a weak position,” the source said.
The summit, which reportedly took place on Thursday and Friday, was attended by members of both the ‘Leave’ and ‘Remain’ campaigns, including senior Tory Michael Gove and several members of Keir Starmer’s Labour shadow cabinet. It also included figures from investment banking company Goldman Sachs and Angus Lapsley, the NATO assistant secretary general for defense policy and planning.

Gove, who was a central voice in the ‘Leave’ movement in 2016, is also understood to have been “honest” about problems presented as a result of the vote, though he maintained a position that Brexit will prove to be a good choice long-term.

The documents detailing the summit also said that “rejoining the EU will not be on the agenda” but noted that the UK and EU share common goals when it comes to the energy and technology sectors, the relationship with Washington, and “containing Russian aggression”. They also raised questions about the benefits of closer links between the UK and the 27-member European bloc.

The Northern Ireland protocol, which aims to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland without affecting trading ties between the UK and EU, is currently a central issue in Brussels and was also prominently discussed at the summit, The Observer wrote. The matter remains unresolved several years after Brexit came into effect.

The nature of the talks reflects wider concerns from within the UK political ecosystem that Brexit will continue to damage the UK economy, as well as its strategic influence across the globe. The Office for Budget Responsibility has predicted that Brexit will reduce the UK’s GDP per capita by a factor of 4% over 15 years from 2016.
https://www.rt.com/news/571366-uk-brexit-cross-party-summit/
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12 Feb, 2023 15:01

4) --- China prepares to shoot down UFO – state media

The unidentified aircraft was reportedly spotted off the coastal city of Rizhao, after the US shot down three similar objects

Chinese authorities are preparing to shoot down an “unidentified flying object” near the coastal city of Rizhao in the eastern province of Shandong, state media reported on Sunday. The encounter comes after US warplanes shot down three similar devices in a week, one of which originated in China.

The UFO was spotted by “local maritime authorities,” the Global Times newspaper reported, adding that the same authorities were making preparations to open fire on it. Fishermen working near the port city were sent messages advising them to “be safe.”

No further description of the aircraft was given, and it was not explained exactly how the authorities planned on bringing it down.

The UFO was discovered hours after a US F-22 fighter jet shot down an unidentified and unmanned object over Canadian airspace. Speaking to Fox News, US officials described the object as a “small metallic balloon with a tethered payload,” while other media reports described it as “cylindrical” in shape.

US forces shot down two other unidentified aircraft earlier in the week. One was taken down near Alaska, while the first was hit by a missile off the coast of South Carolina. The latter aircraft – described as a Chinese “surveillance balloon” – had made its way across the entire country from west to east before it was downed, allegedly gathering intelligence on “strategic sites” along the way, according to the Pentagon.

Beijing denied the accusations of espionage, insisting that the craft was a “civilian airship” that had veered off course. China’s foreign ministry has since condemned US politicians and media outlets for using the incident to “attack and smear China,” while the Biden administration has imposed sanctions on six firms it accused of aiding Beijing’s “aerospace programs.”
https://www.rt.com/news/571373-china-shoot-down-ufo/
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12 Feb, 2023 13:47

5) --- Food will cost more this year – survey

Stores and suppliers will reportedly continue passing rising costs on to consumers

Shoppers around the world will have to pay even more for groceries this year than they did in 2022, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing retailers, consumer goods firms and investors.

The report indicated that tough price negotiations have been unfolding between retailers and consumer goods producers for more than a year now, “with friction beginning in 2021 over Covid-related supply chain logjams.”

The situation worsened in 2022 as the skyrocketing prices of basic foodstuffs have exacerbated a cost-of-living crisis in the EU and the UK.

Data by research firm Kantar shows that Britons paid a record 16.7% more for food in the four weeks up to January 22 this year, compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, the US food index, which includes meals eaten at home and in cafes and restaurants, jumped 10.4% for the year ending in December.

Food giant Nestle’s CEO Mark Schneider told media outlets last week that the company would have to hike the prices of its food products further this year to offset higher production costs that it has yet to fully pass on to consumers.

Another leading manufacturer of consumer goods, Unilever, is also expected to increase prices for some products in 2023.

“The last time we heard from Unilever, it was made clear that they prefer to sell fewer products at higher prices, to keep prices below peers and gain market share,” said portfolio manager at Waverton Investment Management Tineke Frikkee.

The world’s biggest retailer, Walmart, warned in December that some “packaged goods suppliers are still pointing us towards more inflation next year on top of the mid-double digits this year.”

According to Bernstein analyst Bruno Monteyne, consumer goods manufacturers will continue to raise prices until they recover their profitability.

“The only thing that can stop this is … consumers starting to trade down to private-label products at a more rapid pace ... (and) if commodities keep declining, then there may be no need for more price increases,” he explained to Reuters.
https://www.rt.com/business/571174-food-will-cost-more-globally/
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1 Feb, 2023 05:11

5a) --- Food prices in Britain hit record highs – data

Consumers will pay an extra £1,000 for groceries this year, a survey shows

Food inflation in the UK soared to a new record of 16.7% in the four weeks of January; even basics such as milk, butter, cheese, eggs, and dog food became much more expensive, according to new figures released by market researcher Kantar on Tuesday.

The report says that grocery price growth is at its highest since the firm started tracking the figures in 2008, adding nearly £800 ($1,000) to the typical annual shopping bill and forcing households to change their shopping habits to save costs.

“Late last year, we saw the rate of grocery price inflation dip slightly, but that small sign of relief for consumers has been short-lived,” Kantar’s head of retail and consumer insight, Fraser McKevitt, said, noting that the current reading jumped a “staggering” 2.3 percentage points from December’s 14.4%.

The latest increase will take the average annual food shopping bill to £5,504 ($6,781), up £788 ($974), according to Kantar.

The data comes as British consumers face an even tighter squeeze on their finances this year amid the worsening cost-of-living crisis. Although overall inflation has started to ease in the UK from its highest levels in more than four decades, food prices continue to rise, the economists said.
https://www.rt.com/business/570768-uk-food-costs-rising/
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12 Feb, 2023 14:04

6) --- Zelensky shares photo of Ukrainian soldier with Nazi insignia, again

The skull-head symbol was used by one of Adolf Hitler’s elite SS units

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has posted a photo of a soldier sporting a symbol used by a notorious German unit that killed civilians in World War II. It's not the first time Ukrainian soldiers and paramilitaries were photographed displaying insignia and tattoos associated with Nazism.

On Sunday, Zelensky posted several photos on his Instagram account, including an image of a Ukrainian soldier resting in a trench.

The black-and-white skull-head patch on the soldier’s left shoulder is similar to the ‘totenkopf’ (death’s head) insignia used by the 3rd SS Tank Division, an elite unit infamous for massacring civilians in France and the Eastern Front, including Polish Jews. The unit’s first commander, Theodor Eicke, had managed the Dachau concentration camp before the war.

“If we don’t stop the struggle, sooner or later a united and independent state will be restored. If true unity is not achieved, independence will be lost,” Zelensky, who is himself of Jewish origin, wrote in a post that accompanied the photos.

In May, Zelensky shared an image of another soldier with the skull-head patch, which was then deleted. In October, the Ukrainian president was photographed while he visited the frontline and was flanked by a security guard wearing the same patch.

Ukraine’s Azov Regiment is known for welcoming fighters with openly nationalist and neo-Nazi views. The regiment, which is part of the National Guard, uses the wolfsangel (wolf’s hook) – the rune also used by two SS units – as its official symbol. The Anti-Defamation League lists the totenkopf and the wolfsangel as hate symbols.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said “denazification” is one of the reasons Moscow launched a military operation in Ukraine nearly a year ago. He also cited the need to protect the people of Donbass, as well as Kiev’s failure to implement the 2104-2015 Minsk peace accords.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571369-zelensky-posts-nazi-symbol/
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