RT News - November 2nd 2022

Shelling by Kiev forces of civilian only areas in Donetsk continued as a school, cafe and restaurant were struck. Villages and small communities/towns are also still under regular daily fire.

Protesters set UN trucks on fire in the Democratic Republic of Congo amid claims that peacekeepers' vehicles have been transporting insurgents near the Rwandan border.

An RT crew in South Africa ventures into a colonial-era gold mine currently used by locals desperate to make ends meet.

A recent poll shows that 80% of Americans believe their country is "out of control," just a week before the critical US midterm elections, as the Democrats fear they might lose their dominance in the federal government.

An RT documentary called "Journalists Under Fire" was shown (in part) in the UN yesterday.

COP27 - the hypocrisy of the west.

Iran is set to sign a free trade zone agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union.

Qatar refuses the proposed EU/UK price caps on gas and calls them "a lot hypocritical"

War crime in Afghanistan, by all parties, need to be properly investigated, that's according to Human Rights Watch. (QueenStreet comment - this is important, especially in the light of proceedings so far, with US and allies seeming to be let off scot-free and the .govs consider the Court illegitimate. It isn't. Also, who was funding the terrorists in Afghanistan? Will this ever be investigated?)

Censorship as a method of control. The "Censorship State" has existed for some years. Reports
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Via RT website 2 Nov, 2022 05:58

UK households face ‘very, very hard’ winter – National Grid
Brits will have to pay twice as much for energy in the coming months, the operator has warned

Many British households will struggle to pay energy bills this winter that could be double what they are accustomed to despite a government price cap, the National Grid’s CEO, John Pettigrew, has warned.

In an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, he said he was “under no illusions” and that Brits would find the upcoming winter “financially very, very hard.”

“Even with the [taxpayer-funded] price cap this is a doubling-up of what people are used to paying for their energy bills,” Pettigrew said, adding: “Therefore, inevitably there are going to be people who are going to struggle.”

The British government has capped the unit cost of energy until April, meaning that an average household would pay about £2,500 ($2,885) over a year on average. But last winter the equivalent amount was £1,277 ($1,474). Each household will also receive a £400 rebate on utility bills with additional means-tested payments through Social Security benefits. However, that will still be unable to make up the difference given the soaring energy prices.

Pettigrew said the National Grid was working on a number of emergency plans to protect the UK against a shortfall of energy from Europe.

Earlier, the grid operator’s boss warned that the country could face power cuts on “really cold” evenings this winter due to Europe’s continuing energy squeeze. He said that rolling blackouts could happen during “those deepest darkest evenings in January and February,” likely between 4pm to 7pm.

Such measures were “unlikely,” according to Pettigrew, who warned, however, that there were potential scenarios where Britain's power generators would fail to secure sufficient supplies from Europe.

Normally, during the coldest months and extreme weather events, the UK imports gas and electricity from continental Europe for its gas-fired power plants. However, this year European countries are themselves facing a severe energy crisis exacerbated by anti-Russian sanctions and a sharp decrease in Russian energy supplies.
https://www.rt.com/business/565716-uk-households-energy-prices/
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Via RT website

via RT website 1 Nov, 2022 20:48

Russia demands Black Sea corridor guarantees from Ukraine

Kiev should vow never to use the route for military purposes, President Vladimir Putin has said

Kiev should provide “real guarantees” that it would not use the Black Sea corridor created as part of an Istanbul grain deal in its military activities, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a phone conversation on Tuesday. The two were discussing the circumstances that could convince Moscow to return to its own commitments under the agreement.

Russia indefinitely suspended its participation in the deal last week following a massive drone attack on its naval base in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol. Some of the naval drones launched by Kiev allegedly used the Black Sea grain corridor’s security zone to close in on their targets, according to the Russian military.

“It is necessary to conduct a detailed investigation of … this incident, as well as to get real guarantees from Kiev that it would rigorously abide by the Istanbul agreements, including the non-use of the humanitarian corridor for military purposes,” the Russian president said, according to the Kremlin’s press release.

Russia would only consider re-opening this corridor if that happened, Putin added. He also pointed out that the part of the deal that involved lifting restrictions on Russia’s own agricultural and fertilizer exports had never been implemented.

The corridor was touted as a way to secure food supplies to the neediest nations as a matter of priority. But this goal has not been reached in the three months since the agreement was established, Putin noted. Moscow is now ready to supply African nations with “large volumes” of grain and fertilizers out of its own stocks for free, the president confirmed.

The Russian military closed the Black Sea grain corridor on Monday, arguing that its security could not be guaranteed while Kiev used it for military purposes. Moscow had previously blamed Ukraine and UK Navy specialists for the attack on Sevastopol. London has dismissed the accusation.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the corridor would stay closed at least until all the circumstances of the attack were established. Russia has also repeatedly said that it has not left the deal entirely but only suspended its own commitments under the agreement.

In the wake of Moscow’s decision, the UN insisted that “food must flow” regardless of the circumstances. Civilian vessels “can never be a military target or held hostage,” the UN coordinator for the Black Sea grain initiative, Amir Abdulla, said.
https://www.rt.com/russia/565766-black-sea-corridor-guarantees-ukraine/
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