World

Russia to Grease Taliban Coffers Through Petroleum Deal

Russia to Grease Taliban Coffers Through Petroleum Deal

Ivo Fysic January 3, 2022

It looks like Russia is taking another whack at establishing a presence in Afghanistan, this time by working with the Islamo-fascists that now control the country, the Taliban. Russia is prepared to help the Taliban make a lot of money, and make some for herself as well, extracting and refining Afghanistan’s petroleum.

Taliban say Russian investors expressed willingness to extract Afghanistan’s petroleum

From timesofindia.indiatimes.com
2022-01-03 12:23:44

Excerpt:

KABUL: The Taliban have said that Russian investors have expressed their willingness to extract Afghanistan‘s petroleum and gas while meeting with a top leader of the country, reported local media.
Russian investors met the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister in the interim government Abdul Salaam Hanafi on Sunday and discussed a number of economic projects including refinement and excavation of gas and petroleum, reported Khaama Press citing the Taliban’s spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid as saying.
The spokesperson also said that Hanafi accompanied by Afghan traders and investors called on Russian investors in his office and discussed founding a cement factory, separate plants of LNG beside refinement and extraction of oil and gas in the country.
Mujahid further informed that Hanafi appreciated and welcomes the willingness of the Russian investors to extract the country’s gas and oil, according to Khaama Press.
The Taliban leader also assured the investors of providing a conducive…

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Another Top Political Leader Arrested by Myanmar Junta

Another Top Political Leader Arrested by Myanmar Junta

Mark Clouse December 22, 2021

The Myanmar Junta has now arrested the NLD Deputy Parliament Speaker in a bid to hold on to a power they have not yet been able to consolidate after more than a year in power. The arrest follows the 4 year jail sentencing of the former Prime Minister.

Myanmar Junta Jails Ousted NLD Deputy Parliament Speaker

From www.irrawaddy.com
2021-12-22 14:30:15

Excerpt:

A Myanmar junta court sentenced former lower house deputy speaker U Tun Tun Hein, also known as U Tun Aung, to four years in jail with labor for denouncing the coup in February.

Sources close to his legal team told The Irrawaddy that a court inside Lashio Prison in Shan State found him guilty of sedition under Article 505(a) and (b) of the Penal Code on Wednesday. They said the legal team would appeal.

U Tun Tun Hein, a central executive committee member of the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD), was initially put under house arrest in Naypyitaw during the military coup on Feb. 1.

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China Gets Tennis Star to Revoke Sex Charge Claims

Ivo Fysic December 20, 2021

Peng Shuai, Chinese Tennis Player, Denies Sexual Assault Claim

From Freedomist.com

Excerpt:

The Philippines has been hit by a massive typhoon named Rai. The typhoon struck the Philippines this past Thursday, December 16th and rescue and recovery efforts have been ongoing ever since. So far, the death toll has gone past 375, with the final toll expected to be much higher.

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Typhoon Rai Devastates Philippines with Death Toll Rising

Typhoon Rai Devastates Philippines with Death Toll Rising

Parker Davis December 20, 2021

The Philippines has been hit by a massive typhoon named Rai. The typhoon struck the Philippines this past Thursday, December 16th and rescue and recovery efforts have been ongoing ever since. So far, the death toll has gone past 375, with the final toll expected to be much higher.

Here are a couple of YouTube videos and news blurbs that have covered this still emerging story.

Philippines Super Typhoon Rai death toll surges

From www.bbc.co.uk
2021-12-20 13:03:15

Excerpt:

At least 375 people are now known to have died after a powerful storm struck the Philippines on Thursday, police say.

Super Typhoon Rai – with winds of about 195km/h (120mph) – sent some 400,000 people running for safety when it hit the country’s south-eastern islands.

At least 500 people were injured and 56 others have been reported missing by local police.

Rescue teams have described scenes of “complete carnage”.

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Philippines Grapples With Typhoon Aftermath As Death Count Tops 300

From www.ndtv.com
2021-12-20 14:26:50

Excerpt:

More than 300 people have been in killed by a powerful typhoon in the Philippines that destroyed homes, flooded towns, severed power and communications lines and displaced hundreds of thousands in its central and southern regions.

Military airplanes and naval vessels were dispatched on Monday to carry aid to areas devastated by Typhoon Rai, as the country grappled with the strongest of 15 such storms to hit the archipelago this year.

“We are still assessing the damage, but it is huge,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters on Monday. “The first thing we are doing is address the food and water (supplies) and medical care of the injured.”

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Typhoon Rai: 208 deaths confirmed after 168mph ‘carnage’ storm in Philippines | World | News

From www.express.co.uk
2021-12-20 12:18:00

Excerpt:

The death toll in the Philippines has surpassed 200 on Monday following a 168mph typhoon — the country’s strongest storm this year — on Thursday. Described as “complete carnage”, it caused widespread flooding and landslides that impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents.

The horrific typhoon, which hit the southern and central regions of the Philippines, also destroyed homes and infrastructure.

According to the government, more than 300,000 residents had to evacuate their homes, and a total of about 780,000 people were affected in one way or another.

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Search and rescue efforts continue in Philippines after Typhoon Rai

From www.csmonitor.com
2021-12-19 21:31:00
Jim Gomez
Excerpt:

The death toll in the strongest typhoon to batter the Philippines this year has reached at least 146. Search and rescue efforts continued across the region, three days after super Typhoon Rai struck. On Sunday, the governor of an island province especially hard-hit by the typhoon said there may be even greater devastation that has yet to be reported.

Gov. Arthur Yap of Bohol province in the central Philippines said 72 people died there, 10 others were missing and 13 injured, and suggested the fatalities may still considerably increase because only 33 of 48 mayors were able to report back to him due to downed communications. Officials were trying to confirm a sizable number of deaths caused by landslides and extensive flooding elsewhere.

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Typhoon Rai death toll tops 200 as Philippines grapple with dozens still missing – National

From globalnews.ca
2021-12-20 05:39:05

Excerpt:

The death toll rose to more than 200 following the strongest typhoon to batter the Philippines this year, with 52 people still missing and several central towns and provinces grappling with downed communications and power outages and pleading for food and water, officials said Monday.

At its strongest, the typhoon packed sustained winds of 195 kilometers (121 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 270 kph (168 mph) before it blew out Friday into the South China Sea.

At least 208 people were killed, 52 remained missing and 239 were injured, according to the national police. The toll was expected to increase because several towns and villages remained out of reach due to downed communications, power outages and clogged roads, although massive clean-up and repair efforts were underway with the improved weather.

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Without Immediate Talks, Russia Tells US War More Likely

Mark Clouse December 20, 2021

Russia Demands ‘Urgent’ U.S. Talks, Warning of ‘Military Response’ to NATO Activity

From www.themoscowtimes.com
2021-12-20 14:51:05

Excerpt:

Russia demands immediate talks with the United States on security guarantees from NATO, a senior diplomat said Monday, while President Vladimir Putin’s chief arms control negotiator warned of a “military response” if the alliance continues to step on Moscow’s “sore spots.”

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov spoke days after Moscow made public a list of demands that seek to limit the U.S.-led Western military bloc’s role in Ukraine and the former Soviet space.

“We need [answers] urgently since the situation is very serious and may get more complicated,” the state-run RIA Novosti news agency quoted Ryabkov as saying.

Konstantin Gavrilov, who heads Russia’s delegation on military security and arms control talks in Vienna, echoed Ryabkov’s earlier warning of military action from Moscow in response to what it views as NATO’s threatening activities.

“Everyone in NATO understands well that, despite all [its] strength and power, it needs to take concrete political actions,” Gavrilov said in a state television broadcast.

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Chile Falls to Marx

Mark Clouse December 20, 2021

Communist Candidate Wins Chile Presidential Election After Year of Leftist Mob Violence

From www.breitbart.com
2021-12-20 14:26:51
Frances Martel
Excerpt:

Chile elected Gabriel Boric its president on Sunday, a sharp turn left after two years of Marxist mob violence targeting churches and government institutions. Boric is a far-left radical protest organizer endorsed by the Communist Party.

Boric defeated conservative candidate José Antonio Kast, who won the first round of presidential voting in November. Kast conceded on Sunday night. In the past month – during which Boric and Kast had the election to themselves after defeating a large slate of candidates in round one – rising numbers of violent attacks by leftists on Kast supporters and staffers had come to define the election.

“I have just spoken to [Gabriel Boric] and congratulated him for his great victory,” Kast wrote on Twitter on Sunday night. “From today on he is the president-elect of Chile and deserves all our respect and constructive collaboration. Chile is always first.”

Acabo de hablar con @gabrielboric y lo he felicitado por su gran triunfo. Desde…

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China’s Candidates Sweep Hong Kong Elections

Ivo Fysic December 20, 2021

Hong Kong: Pro-Beijing candidates sweep controversial LegCo election

From www.bbc.co.uk
2021-12-20 13:04:23

Excerpt:

Pro-Beijing candidates have claimed a victory in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo) election, as the city saw its lowest-ever voter turnout.

It was the first LegCo election since China made sweeping and controversial changes to the city’s electoral system.

Officials argue the changes were needed to ensure stability, but critics say they weakened democracy.

On Monday, Beijing also unveiled a statement outlining “democracy with Hong Kong characteristics”.

In a white paper released hours after election results were announced, China said Hong Kong was now entering a new stage of “restored order” as a result of these Beijing-introduced changes.

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Xi Targets Christians for Han Nationalization

Xi Targets Christians for Han Nationalization

Paul Collier December 10, 2021

The ethno-state of the People’s Republic of China under the leadership of Chairman Xi is stepping up its efforts to track down religious practitioners not following the Party-altered versions of religious that the Party will allow. For instance, there are CCP-altered versions of Christianity and Buddhism.
Xi is announcing new efforts to nationalize (make Han Chinese) all beliefs and customs to harmonize with the Middle Kingdom, the beacon of the world, whose beacon, Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, will one day shape the societies of the world. These are my words, but Xi’s hopes, and paraphrased words.
Xi appears more and more to need a nationalist narrative to sustain his stranglehold on power while at home he suffers embarrassing loss after embarrassing loss, from natural disasters to corruption to economic shake-ups. As the state struggles more and more to satisfy its primary base of power, the few wealthy cities of the nation, Xi’s ability to keep his own CCP wolves at bay from within might become more and more strained.

Xi Stresses Sinicization and Regulation of Religious Activities – Bloomberg

From www.bloomberg.com
2021-12-04 13:37:20

Excerpt:

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to pursue the sinicization and to improve regulation of religious affairs in a way that will respect and protect people’s beliefs, state media CCTV reported.

Religious affairs in China should be regulated in accordance with the country’s socialist society, Xi said at the latest National Religious Affairs Meeting held in Beijing. Xi urged more nationalism, collectivism, socialism, and an improved understanding of history in the religious sector. He also emphasized the importance of the overall national security.

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Myanmar Junta Sentences Deposed PM to 2 Years

Myanmar Junta Sentences Deposed PM to 2 Years

Mark Clouse December 6, 2021

Here is a news blurb report to give you a sense of the latest news out of Myanmar. In the wake of the military coup, the junta has gotten around to sentencing the deposed Prime Minister, Aung San Suu Kyi. She would be sentenced to four years in prison, only to get a bit of a junta pr reprieve in the form of a reduction of her sentence from 4 years to 2 years.

Myanmar junta sentences deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to prison almost a year after seizing power in coup

From www.cbsnews.com
2021-12-06 14:59:00

Excerpt:

Seoul — Aung San Suu Kyi, the 76-year-old Nobel laureate who spent years under house arrest for advocating for democracy under the military dictatorship in her native Myanmar, was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday by the generals who toppled her civilian government almost a year ago. The military junta seized power in February, arresting Suu Kyi and many other politicians and activists in the process.

State television later reported her sentence for incitement was reduced to two years, but it’s just a fraction of the time Suu Kyi is facing once the junta’s courts have heard all the cases pending against her.

All of the charges were laid by the military commanders that deposed her and her democratically elected government in February. The overthrow led to huge street protests in Myanmar, and then violent repression by the army.

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Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyii receives four-year jail sentence – World News

From www.mirror.co.uk
2021-12-06 06:33:39
[email protected] (Abigail O’Leary)
Excerpt:

Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyii has received a four-year jail term on charges of incitement and violations of a law on natural disasters.

The ruling is the first in a series of cases brought against the 76-year-old Nobel laureate since the army seized power on February 1, blocking her National League for Democracy party from starting a second term in office.

The legal official, who insisted on anonymity for fear of being punished by the authorities, said Suu Kyi received two years in prison on each of the two charges.

The incitement case involved statements posted on her party’s Facebook page after she and other party leaders had already been detained by the military, while the coronavirus charge involved a campaign…

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Suu Kyi sentence reduced to 2 years from 4: Myanmar TV

From timesofindia.indiatimes.com
2021-12-06 15:50:43

Excerpt:

Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi has had her sentence reduced from four years to two years after a partial pardon by the head of the military-appointed government, the country’s state television reported on Monday.
Earlier on Monday, a court in Myanmar found Suu Kyi, ousted in a Feb. 1 coup, guilty of charges of incitement and breaching coronavirus restrictions, drawing international outrage at what some critics described as a “sham trial”.
President Win Myint was sentenced to four years’ detention, Myanmar’s state-run broadcaster MRTV reported.
Both Suu Kyi and Win Myint will serve their sentences where they are currently being detained, an undisclosed location, suggesting they will not be sent to prison.

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Myanmar: Unbridled destruction of freedoms as Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced

From www.amnesty.org
2021-12-06 06:23:57

Excerpt:

In response to the sentencing of Aung San Suu Kyi to four years in prison, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Campaigns Ming Yu Hah said:

“The harsh sentences handed down to Aung San Suu Kyi on these bogus charges are the latest example of the military’s determination to eliminate all opposition and suffocate freedoms in Myanmar. The court’s farcical and corrupt decision is part of a devastating pattern of arbitrary punishment that has seen more than 1,300 people killed and thousands arrested since the military coup in February.

“There are many detainees without the profile of Aung San Suu Kyi who currently face the terrifying prospect of years behind bars simply for peacefully exercising their human rights. They must not be forgotten and left to their fate.

“As violence escalates, displacing tens of thousands of people and setting up a humanitarian crisis in the middle of an ongoing pandemic, the situation in Myanmar today is alarming in the extreme. Without a decisive, unified and swift international response this can and will get worse.

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The Assassination of Kosmos 1408

Paul Collier November 30, 2021

Kosmos 1408 was lolling across the skies between earth and space, minding its own business, when all of the sudden a smash could be heard, could be felt by the machine that soon sent it tumbling into a sea of fire.

That poor machine was a satellite called Kosmos 1408. F in Chat, first of all, before we go on.

That poor satellite was taken out by a missile that was designed, built, equipped by, and fired by the Russian government. Poor Kosmos 1408 had become the same stuff as targets, ducks in a carnival lined up for an unfair sporting. Poor Kosmos 1408 was blown to smithereens by its own government (I won’t assume the gender here, folks).

The net effect, of course, is that now there is space debris hurtling towards, well, us, you and me. We are all surely about to…ok, so we’re not all about to die, but who knows, some unlucky human might be felled by the chance encounter with the remnant of that sad machine, that satellite, Kosmos 1408.

Needless to say, the world community is not too pleased with this little Top Gun stunt, and formal complaints are sure to follow the public rheotric that has emerged in response to this senseless assassination of Kosmos 1408.

RIP Kosmos 1408. May your death not kill me or anyone I know. Thanks.

Russia Blew Up One of Its Satellites Creating Dangerous Space Debris | by Nabil Alouani | Nov, 2021

From onezero.medium.com
2021-11-30 13:40:01

Excerpt:

Earlier this month, a Russian satellite called Kosmos 1408 exploded, resulting in a cloud of debris that endangered the International Space Station (ISS) and the safety of its seven astronauts.

The explosion was no accident.

The Russian military destroyed Kosmos 1408 using an anti-satellite missile fired from the ground. Upon impact, the old craft shattered into thousands of pieces of space junk that began to race around the earth at high speeds.

The problem with space debris is its destructive power. An object the size of a can of soda can inflict the same damage as 15 pounds of TNT — enough power to pierce through the most solid metallic structures ever built.

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