The Royal Canadian Air Force deployed several aircraft on Monday to search for debris from a mysterious object that was shot down over the Yukon territory, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said.
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) first detected the "high-altitude airborne object" over Alaska on Friday evening and scrambled fighter jets to "characterize the nature of the object."
A U.S. F-22 Raptor shot the object down on Saturday using an AIM 9X missile after a conversation between President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Debris from the object, which Anand said was "cylindrical," are believed to be in a remote location northeast of Dawson City, a small town about 40 miles east of Canada's border with Alaska.
A CC-130H Hercules, CH-148 Cyclone, CH-149 Cormorant aircraft, and two CC-138 Twin Otters are scouring "complex alpine terrain that is prone to challenging northern weather conditions," Anand said on Monday.
SCHUMER SAYS CHINESE ‘HUMILIATED’ BY SPY FLIGHT INCIDENT: ‘IT’S A REAL SETBACK FOR THEM’
It's one of four flying objects that have been shot down by U.S. fighter jets this month.
The first, a 200-foot tall Chinese surveillance balloon, was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4 after traveling over the continental U.S.
On Friday, another unidentified object was shot down over northeastern Alaska, then on Sunday, an octagonal object was shot down over Lake Huron.
Recovery efforts are underway for all four objects. A "significant" portion of the Chinese spy balloon has been recovered off the coast of South Carolina, including the aircraft's electronics payload, a senior defense official told Fox News on Monday.
herc
Rihanna brings pride to Barbados in spellbinding Super Bowl performance
13 February 2023 at 20:47
‘Representing for immigrants, representing for Barbados, representing for black women’
Originally published on Global Voices
Rihanna on stage during her Last Girl on Earth tour, taken on March 4, 2011. Photo by Eva Rinaldi on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
The annual Super Bowl halftime show is one of the most highly anticipated performances in the world. Catering to a far wider audience than American football fans, the show often attracts greater viewership than the game itself, and with Robyn Rihanna Fenty — pop star, fashion icon, beauty entrepreneur — as Superbowl LVII‘s headliner, people were understandably eager to tune in.
Public anticipation was fed by new sponsor of the halftime show Apple's trailer for the event, which underscored the fact that this would be the singer's first live performance in about six years. The company also produced a series of short features based on some of Rihanna's hits, including one entitled “Run This Town” (a nod to her collaboration a few years ago with Ye (Kanye West) and Jay-Z). The aspirational spot, which generated a wave of Barbadian pride, opens with a Barbadian woman's voice saying, “But you know it's about time that she come back”:
Report: Russian President Putin Now Prefers To Travel Around Russia By Armored Train
Charter 97: Media: Putin Increasingly Uses Armored Train To Move Around Russia
Outwardly, it is very similar to the usual train.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin decided to imitate Kim Jong-in and moved from a plane to an armored train that travels inside the Russian Federation.
This is stated in the investigation of the Dossier Center. The Russian dictator began to make more active use of the armored train for his trips around Russia in the autumn of 2021, exactly at the time when the occupying army began to prepare for a war against Ukraine.
Putin travels by armored train to his residences in Valdai and Sochi.
Read more ....
Update #1: Putin uses armoured train for security reasons since beginning of war (Ukrayinska Pravda)
Update #2: Instead of flying, Vladimir Putin prefers to travel around Russia by armored train (allegedly for fear of Ukrainian attack) (Meduza)
WNU Editor: I think he is doing a mix of the two. Train for short distances. Moscow to Sochi for example. Plane for longer distances.
To Shield Households And Companies From Soaring Energy Costs Europe Has Spent 800 Billion Euros
Reuters: Europe's spend on energy crisis nears 800 billion euros
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European countries' bill to shield households and companies from soaring energy costs has climbed to nearly 800 billion euros, researchers said on Monday, urging countries to be more targeted in their spending to tackle the energy crisis.
European Union countries have now earmarked or allocated 681 billion euros in energy crisis spending, while Britain allocated 103 billion euros and Norway 8.1 billon euros since September 2021, according to the analysis by think-tank Bruegel.
The 792-billion-euro total compares with 706 billion euros in Bruegel's last assessment in November, as countries continue through winter to face the fallout from Russia cutting off most of its gas deliveries to Europe in 2022.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: And this price tag continues to grow.
To Shield Households And Companies From Soaring Energy Costs Europe Has Spent 800 Billion Euros
Europe’s spending on energy crisis nears €800 billion: study -- EurActiv
Europe has Spent almost 800 Billion Euros to Fight the Energy Crisis -- Novinite
Europe Has Spent 792 Billion To Shield Citizens From Energy Crisis -- OilPrice.com
Europe has spent more than $800 billion shielding citizens from the energy crisis -- Quartz
Energy crisis: Europe’s spend to shield consumers nears €800 billion. Where is the money going? -- Euronews
Moldova’s President Has Accused Russia Of Plotting To Overthrow The Country’s Pro-EU Government
The Guardian: Moldova president accuses Russia of plotting to oust pro-EU government
Maia Sandu says plan revealed by Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been confirmed
Moldova’s president has accused Russia of plotting to overthrow the country’s pro-EU government through violent actions disguised as opposition protest.
Maia Sandu said authorities had confirmed an alleged Russian plot to destabilise her country that Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, had revealed last week.
Zelenskiy told EU leaders that Ukraine had intercepted a plan from Russian intelligence, having uncovered a document that showed “who, when and how was going to break the democracy of Moldova and establish control” over the country.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: Moldova is a deeply divided country due to a deepening and worsening economic crisis.
A prediction.
By now branding her opponents as Russian saboteurs and/or a threat to the government, I can easily see the Moldovan government passing legislation where opposition leaders and opposing political parties may be banned or worse.
Moldova’s President Has Accused Russia Of Plotting To Overthrow The Country’s Pro-EU Government
Moldova's president outlines Russian 'plan' to topple gov't -- AP
Moldovan president warns of Russian plot to topple leadership -- Reuters
Moldovan President Accuses Russia of Plotting Her Overthrow -- AFP
Moldova's president accuses Russia of planning coup -- DW
Russia is planning coup in Moldova, says President Maia Sandu -- Politico
Moldovan president warns of Russian agent infiltration -- Al Jazeera
Chinese surveillance balloons have been detected over Middle East, US Air Force says
The U.S. Air Force has detected Chinese spy balloons over Central Command's area of responsibility in the Middle East, but the aircraft did not appear to pose any danger to U.S. or allied forces, a U.S. Air Force general said Monday.
"Even though we have seen high altitude balloons in the region before, they have not been a threat, they have not been something of concern for us," Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, said at a Center for New American Security conference on Monday.
"I understand why people are asking the question in the current context, but it’s not something that I lose sleep at night over whatsoever."
The revelation comes after an F-22 shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4.
SCHUMER SAYS CHINESE ‘HUMILIATED’ BY SPY FLIGHT INCIDENT: ‘IT’S A REAL SETBACK FOR THEM’
White House officials have said the surveillance aircraft shot down earlier this month was part of a "fleet of balloons developed to conduct surveillance operations" by China.
"When you look at the scope of this program — operating over at least five continents in regions like Latin America, South America, Southeast Asia, East Asia and Europe — again, it demonstrates why, for the Department of Defense, that China remains the pacing challenge and something that we'll continue to stay focused on," Department of Defense press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said last week.
Three other flying objects have been shot down in recent days over northeastern Alaska, Canada's Yukon territory, and Lake Huron in recent days.
The nature of those objects and their country of origin are so far undetermined. Recovery efforts are underway.
China balloon
Catholic bishop sentenced to decades in prison for treason after refusing exile to US: 'Unbridled hatred'
A court in Nicaragua sentenced a Roman Catholic bishop to more than 26 years in prison for alleged treason after he refused to be exiled to the United States.
Rolando Alvarez, who serves as bishop of the country's Matagalpa diocese, received his sentence last Friday and was also fined and stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship, according to Reuters.
Among other charges, Alvarez was also convicted of undermining national integrity and spreading false news, the outlet reported.
Alvarez was among several priests and seminarians who were arrested last August as the government of Nicaragua clashed with the clerics of the Catholic Church who have criticized his regime.
CANADIAN PASTOR REPEATEDLY JAILED OVER COVID PROTOCOLS TO FACE FINAL TRIAL: ‘CRAZY STUFF’
Alvarez refused to join four other priests and 222 other political prisoners who were expelled to the U.S. last Thursday as part of a prisoner exchange with the U.S. State Department, according to the Catholic News Agency.
The bishop said he chose to remain in his country in protest against other Catholics who are being persecuted by the Nicaraguan government.
Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega derided the prisoners as "criminal mercenaries" working for foreign powers to undermine the sovereignty of the country, according to televised remarks.
CARDINAL JOSEPH ZEN, 90, BEGINS TRIAL IN HONG KONG ON CHARGES OF FOREIGN COLLUSION
Alvarez has since been moved to La Modelo Tipitapa prison, according to U.K.-based group Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
Anna Lee Stangl, who serves as Christian Solidarity Worldwide's head of advocacy, said "we note that the choice reportedly offered to these individuals by the Nicaraguan government of remaining in prison in inhumane conditions or going into forced exile is one no one should ever be forced to make."
CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST CANADIAN PASTORS WHO HELD SERVICES DURING PANDEMIC: ‘PLEASANTLY SURPRISED’
Silvio Baez, a senior Nicaraguan bishop who is himself exiled in Miami, described the Nicaraguan government as a dictatorship and said its treatment of Alvarez exhibited "irrational and unbridled hatred."
He maintained Alvarez has the "moral high ground" and predicted his eventual release.
Ortega has alleged that Catholic leaders were involved in a plot to overthrow him, citing their role as mediators with protest groups following the 2018 protests in the country that resulted in approximately 300 deaths.
A movement within Nicaragua sees Ortega as "anointed by God," according to The Christian Post.
Pope Francis addressed the turmoil in Nicaragua during a recent address in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City.
"I am following closely, with concern and sorrow, the situation in Nicaragua, which involves both people and institutions," the pontiff said, according to Vatican News.
"I would like to express my conviction and my hope that, through open and sincere dialogue, the basis for a respectful and peaceful coexistence can still be found," the pope added.
41125d8d-Alvarez
Russia - Ukraine War: Military Summary And Analysis For 2.13.2023 (Video)
WNU Editor: A lot of updates on the Russia - Ukraine war from the Military Summary channel. Alexander Mercouris gives his update on the war below.
Tweets On The Russia - Ukraine War
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 13 February 2023
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) February 13, 2023
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/ixYOQYQdXc
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/mmbgKuxUpo
#Russia has partially regained the ability to conduct successful information campaigns in support of strategic objectives and even discrete operational aims. These campaigns have continuously aimed to deter or slow Western support to #Ukraine.https://t.co/JMF7hjXnuB pic.twitter.com/Dk9XNAF7AZ
— ISW (@TheStudyofWar) February 13, 2023
#UPDATE Ukraine conceded on Monday that fighting with Russian forces north of the battered city of #Bakhmut was "difficult", a signal that its troops are coming under mounting pressure in the longest-running battle of Moscow's invasion ▶️ https://t.co/beAdexALrP pic.twitter.com/txn0UelN2T
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 13, 2023
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned that Ukraine is using up ammunition far faster than its allies can provide it and putting pressure on Western defense industries, just as Russia ramps up its military offensive. https://t.co/0oPfsSUb5q
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 13, 2023
🇺🇸 🇺🇦🇷🇺"For NATO, the priority remains the delivery to Ukraine of not aircraft, but already promised military equipment, including armored vehicles" -Jens Stoltenberg said while shaking and dancing pic.twitter.com/UDRs8mQ6ss
— AZ 🛰🌏🌍🌎 (@AZgeopolitics) February 13, 2023
The city of Sviatohirsk, in the north of Donetsk, Ukraine, is blanketed with snow — concealing massive destruction from bombardments and heavy fighting. pic.twitter.com/OZCAp9doxH
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 13, 2023
The United States has told its citizens to leave Russia immediately due to the war in Ukraine and the risk of ‘wrongful detentions.' The last such public warning came after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization https://t.co/JQezXQTfVK pic.twitter.com/OZbROTPlTm
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 13, 2023
Moldovan President Maia Sandu has outlined what she described as a plot by Russia to overthrow her country’s government using external saboteurs and derail its aspirations to one day join the European Union. https://t.co/RxWDgWtWTy
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 13, 2023
Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has blamed Ukraine's president for the nearly year-old Russian invasion, again placing himself at odds with Premier Giorgia Meloni's staunch support for Kyiv. https://t.co/xVr0nl1239
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 13, 2023
Tweets Of The Day
5⃣ stories you need to know today: China says the U.S. flew high-altitude balloons over its airspace without permission, Russia claims incremental gains along frontlines in Ukraine, Turkey finds more survivors a week after the earthquakes, and more pic.twitter.com/VaamsGENVg
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 13, 2023
The White House defended the recent shootdowns of three unidentified objects, even as it acknowledged that it had no indication they were intended for surveillance in the same manner as the Chinese balloon that traversed U.S. airspace earlier this month. https://t.co/ZL03DywZft pic.twitter.com/yPxtjDKxeY
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 13, 2023
"There is no, again, no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns."
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 13, 2023
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed alien speculation in a briefing Monday regarding the latest downed unidenitified objects. pic.twitter.com/tZegzXH4bj
The rescue phase of the devastating quakes in Turkey and Syria is drawing to a close. But teams are still retrieving people from the rubble a week on. https://t.co/cPyNEEVDyv
— DW News (@dwnews) February 13, 2023
Drone footage in Turkey showed fissures slicing across a road, a week after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the south of the country and neighboring Syria https://t.co/pBB47YiM8A pic.twitter.com/ys76VMMXsa
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 13, 2023
#UPDATE Europe's economy will grow more than previously forecast this year as it avoids a winter recession, with inflation expected to ease as gas prices have fallen, the European Commission said Monday.https://t.co/VmhIJS4cqI
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 13, 2023
Finland and Sweden's NATO membership bids remain blocked by members Turkey and Hungary.
— DW News (@dwnews) February 13, 2023
Germany's top diplomat Annalena Baerbock said she expected their NATO accession to take place "without further delay."https://t.co/hxcsDyQbr2
The Munich Security Conference is set to convene, one year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
— DW News (@dwnews) February 13, 2023
In its annual report, the MSC warns of a growing divide between 'competing world orders.' https://t.co/0xpx5Zggfh
China Sends Warplanes And Naval Ships Near Taiwan After U.S. Navy Drills In The South China Sea
China's incursions around Taiwan have become an almost daily occurrence in recent months
Nearly two dozen Chinese military aircraft and ships were detected around Taiwan on Monday morning after the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps held joint exercises in the South China Sea over the weekend.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry said that 18 People's Liberation Army aircraft were detected, 11 of which crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial buffer zone in between the island and China.
Four vessels were also detected around Taiwan. China's incursions have become an almost daily occurrence in recent months, but the latest sign of aggression comes just days after the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps conducted joint drills in the South China Sea.
Read more ....
Update: China sends warplanes, ships near Taiwan after U.S. naval drills (UPI)
WNU Editor: I guess China had to make their own display of force after the US did theirs .... US holds drills in South China Sea amid tensions with China (AP).
Israeli protesters take to streets to blast Netanyahu 'judicial reforms' as PM calls for unity
JERUSALEM, Israel — In what was considered to be one of the largest protest in Israel's history more than 80,000 people demonstrated against judicial reforms put forward by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Jerusalem on Monday. Other protests where also held across the country.
The demonstrators, marched and gathered outside the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, held flags and chanted "democracy" and "no to dictatorship" as Netanyahu's government formally launched a controversial plan to overhaul the country's judicial system.
According to the suggested plan, which was introduced mid-January, the ruling coalition will have control over the appointment of judges, including high court justices, and allow the Knesset to re-legislate laws the court annuls with a majority of a simple majority of 61 of the 120 Knesset members.
The government will also be able to appoint the president and vice president of the supreme court neither of whom needed to have previously served on the court and potentially not even served as a lower court judge. Justice Minister Yariv Levin has argued that the hight court has surpassed its authority in the last two decades and severely interfered with the ability of elected coalitions and ministers to enact government policies.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU RETURNS TO POWER IN ISRAEL AS NEW GOVERNMENT IS SWORN IN
Addressing the tens of thousands of protesters, Eliad Shraga, founder and chairman of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, and one of the protest organizers, opened his speech with a quote from the Book of Isaiah: "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me." Isaiah was the prophet who foresaw the destruction of the Second Temple, and Shraga warned of the destruction of the third temple; the state of Israel.
He warned that, "Night and day, in the constitution, law and justice committee, he is moving the anti-democratic legislation forward, the laws that will transform Israel overnight from a liberal democracy into a fascist dictatorship."
On Sunday, President Isaac Herzog appealed to Netanyahu and his coalition allies to suspend the legislation and open a dialogue with the opposition in a special televised address to the nation. Netanyahu has not responded to the appeal.
Herzog emphasized the importance of reaching a broad compromise and presented his 5 point plan for Israel's balance of powers.
ARE PROGRESSIVES DEMONIZING INCOMING ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU'S RIGHT-WING COALITION?
"The reform is the creation of a camp that feels that the powers [of the branches of government] are unbalanced," Herzog stated. "I feel – we all feel – that we are moments from a crash, perhaps even a violent one," he said. "Both sides must understand that if only one side wins – no matter which side it is – we will all lose. The State of Israel will lose."
Netanyahu released a short video following Monday's mass demonstration where he called on the leaders of opposition to "Stop it. Stop deliberately deteriorating the country into anarchy. Take care of yourselves, and show responsibility and leadership. Most Israeli citizens do not want anarchy. They want a substantive discussion, and in the end, they want unity," he said.
Despite Herzog's plea the Knesset's constitution, law, and justice Committee, headed by MK Simcha Rothman, approved the second bill that would prevent the Supreme Court from overruling legislation amending one of Israel's semi-constitutional basic laws – effectively restricting the court's power of judicial review on core issues.
The vote now sends the legislation to the entire parliament for a series of votes. The step caused chaos in the committee, as opposition members who objected to the move shouted at Rothman 'shame' and were removed from the meeting.
NETANYAHU VICTORY IN ISRAELI ELECTION PRESENTS 'STARK CHALLENGE' FOR US MIDDLE EAST POLICY
Outside, the demonstrators kept pouring in. Parents were pushing baby carriages, older adults and others marched waving Israeli flags. Women's organizations marched in red cloaks and white bonnets, declaring that "Israel will not become Gilead," in a reference to The Handmaid's Tale. This is "a warning against the transformation of the State of Israel from an egalitarian democracy into a theocracy that separates women and tramples on their rights" they said in a statement to Fox News digital.
Before joining the demonstrators outside the Knesset, the opposition leaders held a joint presser, calling on some of Netanyahu's Likud to "stop the disaster." Former Defense Minister Benny Gantz said, "the entire opposition and many more Israeli citizens who voted for the coalition parties are united against the 'targeted assassination' that is being carried out against Israeli Democracy."
Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid warned that if the bill passed, it would tear Israeli society apart. "If this legislation passes, the democratic chapter in the life of the state will end," which would end Israeli Democracy."
Following the protest Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Rothman, who orchestrated and initiated the reform, called upon the opposition leaders to "start talking without preconditions. It's time," they said, addressing opposition head Yair Lapid and National Unity Party head Benny Gantz.
Both Lapid and Gantz replied they were both willing to join the negotiations as long as they would halt the legislation process for the duration of the talks. Labor Party leader Merav Michaeli told Fox News Digital that "as long as there is a gun at the head of Israeli democracy, there can be no discussion of anything with Rothman and Levin. Anything else is surrender".
David Amsalem, who serves as a minister in the justice ministry said during a debate in the Knesset that the demonstrators were "anarchists and thugs." We will pass this legislation, and whoever will defy it, will face criminal charges".
f95dffab-APTOPIX Israel Politics
North Korea orders residents with same name as Kim Jong Un's daughter to change it: report
North Korean authorities reportedly are forcing residents who share the same name as Kim Jong Un’s daughter, Ju-ae, to change their identities to something else.
The orders are part of the regime’s effort to build mystique around Kim Ju-ae, according to the South China Morning Post. She is believed to be between 9 and 10 years old.
A source told Radio Free Asia that in one northern province, a security official "summoned women registered with the resident registration division under the name 'Ju-ae' to the Ministry of Safety to change their names."
One of those women was a 12-year-old girl, the source said.
KIM JONG UN BRINGS DAUGHTER ON TOUR OF NORTH KOREA IN HIS FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE IN WEEKS
"The Ministry of Safety’s resident registration department called the girl’s parents to the Ministry of Safety and forced her to change her name and change her birth certificate," the source told Radio Free Asia.
In another part of the country, "the Pyongsong City Security Department issued an internal order from the central government to change the name of women who use the name ‘Ju-ae’ within a week," another source told the website.
NORTH KOREA DISPLAYS ENOUGH MISSILES TO DEFEAT US NUCLEAR DEFENSES: REPORT
North Korea historically has banned people from using the same names as its leaders, the South China Morning Post reports.
The news agency said North Korean media in November introduced Kim Ju-ae as an "adorable" and "noble daughter".
Last week, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un brought his young daughter to an event celebrating the 75th anniversary of the country's military.
The event marked Ju-ae's fourth appearance alongside her father in North Korean state media, fueling speculation on her possible role as his successor.
Fox News' Timothy Nerozzi contributed to this report.
4bcd5b3c-Kim Jong Un
Hungarian minister first EU rep to visit Belarus since diplomatic crackdown
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto on Monday became the first senior official from a European Union country to visit Belarus since the authoritarian Belarusian regime imposed a harsh crackdown on opposition in 2020.
His trip came as the EU is expected to consider a new package of sanctions against Belarus. The EU has slapped an array of sanctions on the country already, both for the repression that followed mass protests against the 2020 presidential election — widely seen as rigged — and for Belarus' hosting Russian troops during the war in Ukraine.
Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich said that as a result of the sanctions Minsk is experiencing "huge" difficulties with the export of potash fertilizers — a key source of revenue — and oil products.
BELARUSIAN COURT SENTENCES PROMINENT POLISH JOURNALIST TO 8 YEARS IN PRISON FOR 'INCITING DISCORD'
"And the continuation of the war (in Ukraine) is tightening the economic knot around the neck of Belarus," Karbalevich said. "The Belarusian authorities are doing their best to ease this pressure."
Belarus has not deployed troops in Ukraine, but Russian soldiers based there have crossed the border into Ukraine's north.
After the 2020 election that gave authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko a new term, massive protests broke out and persisted for weeks, the largest and most prolonged wave of unrest since Lukashenko came to power in 1994.
He unleashed a brutal crackdown on the protesters; more than 35,000 people were arrested and thousands were beaten by police. Among those arrested was human rights activist Ales Bialiatski, one of last year's Nobel Peace Prize laurates. He is on trial and faces 12 years in prison if convicted.
BELARUS' PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN ZIMBABWE TO CEMENT ECONOMIC, POLITICAL TIES BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN ALLIES
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who ran against Lukashenko in 2020 and left the country days after the election, condemned Szijjarto's vist.
"At a time when a Nobel laureate is being tried, journalists are being tortured, Russian soldiers are being trained before going to fight in Ukraine, such actions are unacceptable," she said.
In closing remarks at his closed-door trial, Bialiatski said Monday that Lukashenko made "a political decision to crush and destroy the civil society of Belarus," according to the Viasna human rights center that he founded.
Bialiatski and two other Viasna figures are charged with tax evasion, smuggling and financing activities that undermine public order - charges linked to Viasna paying the legal fees of people it regards as political prisoners.
959dd9a4-DOTCOM_STATE_COUNTRY_NEWS_EUROPE (1)
Russia's Foreign Spy Service Says The U.S. Is Providing Support To Train Militants To Attack Russia
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed relations with the United States to the lowest level since the crises of the Cold War. (AFP)
Reuters: Russian spy service says US grooming militants to attack Russia
* Militants from groups affiliated with Daesh and Al-Qaeda had been recruited and were undergoing training at an American base in Syria
MOSCOW: Russia’s foreign spy service said on Monday that it had received intelligence that the US military was grooming Islamist militants to attack targets in Russia and the former Soviet Union.
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, headed by an ally of President Vladimir Putin, said it had intelligence that 60 such militants from groups affiliated with Daesh and Al-Qaeda had been recruited and were undergoing training at an American base in Syria.
“They will be tasked with preparing and carrying out terrorist attacks against diplomats, civil servants, law enforcement officers and personnel of the armed forces,” said the Foreign Intelligence Service, known by the initials SVR.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: A part of me finds it hard to believe that Al Qaeda or Islamic State militants would want to work with the US. But I then realize that the US would use a third party just like they used the Pakistanis in the 1980s to arm the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan when they were fighting against the Soviets in the 1980s.
To say that the conflict between Russia and the U.S. is getting hotter with each passing day is an understatement.
Could UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace Be The Next NATO Secretary General?
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace holds a news conference with Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov at the Ministry of Defence, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in London, Britain, March 21, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
* Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has previously described NATO role as 'nice job'
* He is among those being tipped to replace the current chief Jens Stoltenberg
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is being tipped to become NATO's next chief after current Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed he will stand down in October.
Officials at the military alliance this weekend dismissed claims Mr Stoltenberg could extend his term again amid the Ukraine war.
It means the secretary-general post will become vacant in just under eight months' time, with the race now on to become his successor.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: There is also talk that Canada's deputy PM Chrystia Freeland (left) or Estonian PM Kaja Kallas could be appointed NATO's first female leader. I personally do not think virtue signalling should be the priority for NATO right now.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg Says Russia's Feared New Offensive Has Already Begun
* Moscow has been widely thought to be planning a new major assault on Ukraine
* Kyiv is calling for more military hardware to counter this and regain territory
Russia's feared new major offensive in Ukraine has already started, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said today, warning that Ukraine is using more munitions than the military alliance is producing.
'We see no sign whatsoever that [Russian] president [Vladimir] Putin is preparing for peace ... What we see is president Putin and Russia still wanting to control Ukraine', he said, almost one year after Moscow launched the war in February 2022.
'We see how they are sending more troops, more weapons, more capabilities.'
Read more ....
Update #1: NATO Chief Says Military Buildup Shows Russian Offensive Has Already Begun -- RFE
Update #2: NATO chief says new Russian offensive in Ukraine has already begun -- DPA
WNU Editor: Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg sounds nervous and worried.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg Says Nato Is In Ammunition Race Against Russia
Nato is in ammunition race against Russia in Ukraine, says Stoltenberg https://t.co/rnhCLVmH6i
— Financial Times (@FT) February 13, 2023
Zero Hedge: Ukraine Short On Ammo With Russia Gaining, Despite West's Billions, Stoltenberg Admits
NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg in a Monday briefing warned that the West is now locked in a race against Russia to get ammunition to the front lines in support of Ukrainian forces. He specifically affirmed that NATO countries are in a "race of logistics" regarding ammo and arms supplies at a crucial moment of intensified fighting. This as "Russia seems to have already launched a large-scale offensive in Ukraine... sending in thousands and thousands more troops," Stoltenberg explained.
"It is clear that we are in the race of logistics. Key capabilities like ammunition . . . must reach Ukraine before Russia can seize the initiative on the battlefield." He also described dramatically that "A war of attrition becomes a battle of logistics," while acknowledging that "Yes, we have a challenge. Yes we have a problem . . . but we have a strategy to tackle that." In some ways, his new words are a belated admission that Russia has already seized the initiative.
Read more ....
Update: NATO chief says Ukraine's ammunition use outstripping supply (AP)
WNU Editor: WNU has been reporting on Ukraine's ammo crisis for the past two weeks .... Top Ukraine Official Admits That The Country's Military Has Almost 'Zero' Ammunition (February 10, 2023). More here .... NATO's Top Commanders Say Losses In Ukraine Are 'Out Of Proportion' To What NATO Has Been Planning For (February 6, 2023).
This is also a race that NATO and Ukraine are losing. My sources in Ukraine tell me that in many places along the front lines there is no armor and limited artillery. Just infantry dug in and waiting for a Russian offensive.
Elon Musk Defends Putting Limitations On Ukraine's Military Use Of Starlink Satellites. Wants To Prevent Escalation ‘That May Lead To WW3’
You’re smart enough not to swallow media & other propaganda bs.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 12, 2023
Starlink is the communication backbone of Ukraine, especially at the front lines, where almost all other Internet connectivity has been destroyed.
But we will not enable escalation of conflict that may lead to WW3.
Politico: Elon Musk says SpaceX restricted internet in Ukraine to prevent escalation ‘that may lead to WW3’
‘We’re trying hard to do the right thing,’ says billionaire. SpaceX's recent restriction on the Ukrainian military's use of its satellite internet service for drone control was to prevent the conflict from escalating into a world war, according to Elon Musk.
Answering a request from a former NASA astronaut to restore full access to the internet for Ukrainian forces, SpaceX CEO Musk tweeted late Sunday: "Starlink is the communication backbone of Ukraine, especially at the front lines, where almost all other internet connectivity has been destroyed.
But we will not enable escalation of conflict that may lead to WW3."
Read more ....
Update #1: Elon Musk defends limitations on Ukraine's military use of Starlink satellites -- FOX News
Update #2: Elon Musk warns NASA astronaut Starlink can't be used to fight in Ukraine -- Business Insider
WNU Editor: There have been videos posted on social media by Ukrainian soldiers boasting how they have converted drones to carry chemical weapons .... Without giving evidence, Russia says it probes Ukraine use of chemical weapons (Reuters). There was a Starlink dish clearly visible in one of them, and I am sure this must have caught Musk's attention.
There have also been numerous reports from Ukrainian officials that they are dependent on receiving data from Western intelligence and military agencies for targeting their artillery. The only internet network that is in operation in some of these battlefields is Starlink.
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