RT News - November 23rd 2022 Late

Areas of Ukraine are reportedly plunged into darkness, after a series of missile strikes across the country. The lights also go out in neighbouring Moldova.

The European Parliament brands Russia a state sponsor of terrorism in a non-binding resolution.

Ukraine the liberator or Ukraine the occupier - as Ukraine soldiers conduct door to door searches for those having "collaborated" with the Russians. 39 civilians were executed by Ukraine soldiers as they entered Kherson.

35 POWs have returned to Russia and are on their way to Moscow for rehabilitation.

A teenage boy is killed and at least 18 more are wounded in twin bus-stop explosions in Jerusalem. Local police have branded it a terror attack. The bombs were IEDs, remotely controlled and were packed with nails.

In Veronekh (western Russia) two Ukrainian nationalists have been detained and one killed after being found with intent to sabotage.

Bulgaria will now be able export some oil to EU circumventing sanctions and keeping the profits.

U.S. military involved in video game development for defence interests.

In Armenia some people are protesting the visit of Pres. Putin and demand their country leave CSTO. Another protest was held to protest that protest.

Twitter is back to free-speech, or is it?
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via RT website 23 Nov, 2022 14:45

---- Russia responds to EU ‘sponsor of terrorism’ resolution

The European Parliament should be designated a sponsor of idiocy, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has said

The European Parliament, which on Wednesday adopted a non-binding resolution branding Russia a “state sponsor of terrorism”, should be designated a “sponsor of idiocy,” Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

The EU’s legislative body passed the decision on Wednesday in a landslide vote in Strasbourg. The document was supported by 494 MEPs, with 58 votes against and 44 abstentions. The resolution merged drafts penned by three different factions of the European Parliament.

The labeling is the EU’s latest condemnation of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine. Some individual states, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and the Czech Republic, previously passed similar resolutions on a national level.

The move is largely symbolic, but the document urged member states to develop a new legal framework, which would allow the blacklisting, on terrorism grounds, not just individuals or organizations, but entire nations.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky hailed the news, declaring that Russia had to be “isolated at all levels and held accountable in order to end its long-standing policy of terrorism in Ukraine and across the globe.”

Moscow accused Kiev’s Western backers of ignoring its warnings that NATO’s informal expansion into Ukraine was crossing Russia’s red line. Ukraine is being used for a proxy war against Russia, and as long as it delivers, the US and its allies are prepared to turn a blind eye to any Ukrainian crimes, officials in Moscow claimed.

According to Russian investigators, the Ukrainian government is responsible for a number of terrorist attacks on Russian soil, including the assassination of journalist Darya Dugina in August and the deadly truck bombing of the Crimean Bridge in October. Western media reported that Washington suspects Kiev’s involvement too, and allegedly “admonished” Zelensky for both attacks.
https://www.rt.com/russia/567050-zakharova-eu-sponsor-idiocy/
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via RT website 23 Nov, 2022 15:01

---- Germany and France rally against US ‘challenge’

The two nations want a European response to Washington’s incentive plan for US electric car makers that the EU deems unfair

Germany and France have called for a joint European pushback against a landmark incentive scheme in the US that the EU deems discriminatory, amid fears that it risks sparking a trade war between Brussels and Washington.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and his German counterpart Robert Habeck said that they are calling for a EU industrial policy that would enable the bloc’s companies “to thrive in the global competition.”

“We want to coordinate closely a European approach to challenges such as the United States Inflation Reduction Act,” they added.

To achieve this goal, they noted that they would “explore industrial policy possibilities to prevent downside effects of protectionist measures by third countries” while ensuring that the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) rules are followed by all parties.

The Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed by US President Joe Biden in August, provides huge subsidies and tax breaks meant to support the American green industry. The White House described it as its “most aggressive action” to tackle the climate crisis and rampant inflation.

However, EU officials have raised concerns about this law, describing it as a “risk” to some European businesses. Brussels is worried that the Act, which supports US electric vehicle manufacturers, puts their European counterparts at an unfair disadvantage on the lucrative US market.

The joint Franco-German statement comes after Politico reported last month that the two countries had agreed that the EU would retaliate against the US if it goes ahead with its subsidy plan. However, at the time they reportedly hoped to resolve their dispute via the US-EU Task Force on the Inflation Reduction Act, which was launched on October 26.

Meanwhile, the recent attempts to address the EU’s concerns have met little enthusiasm on the US side, according to the European Commission. Bernd Lange, the chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee, offered a reminder that the Act enters in force in just several weeks, and “once the act is implemented, it will be too late for us to achieve any changes.” He added that should the US and EU fail to reach a deal on the matter, the bloc is likely to lodge a WTO lawsuit against Washington.
https://www.rt.com/news/567043-eu-nations-us-challenge/
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via RT website 23 Nov, 2022 15:16

---- Turkish air operation ‘just the beginning’ – Erdogan ----

The Turkish leader says Ankara is more determined than ever to secure its southern border

Türkiye’s air operations in northern Iraq and Syria are “just the beginning” and the country may soon launch a ground offensive into Kurdish-controlled areas of Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

In an address to ruling party lawmakers in parliament, Erdogan said Türkiye is determined to “close down all of our southern borders… with a security corridor that will prevent the possibility of attacks on our country.”

He said the ground incursion will begin “at the most convenient time for us,” and will target the regions of Tel Rifaat, Mambij and Kobani, which he called “sources of trouble.”

Erdogan also reassured the Iraqi and Syrian governments that Ankara’s operation is not a challenge to their sovereignty or territorial integrity, and stressed that the aim of the operation is to protect the security of Türkiye. If those countries “cannot fulfill the requirements of the agreement, we have the right to take care of it ourselves,” he warned.

Retaliatory raids have escalated along the Turkish-Syrian border in recent days, with Ankara carrying out a series of air and artillery strikes against targets linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the YPG, which it considers to be terrorist organizations and blames for the November 13 bomb attack in Istanbul, which claimed the lives of six people and wounded 81 more.

Russia has called on Türkiye to avoid escalating tensions in the region and refrain from using “excessive force” on Syrian territory. Moscow has also stated it is willing to work with all interested parties to find a peaceful solution to the “Kurdish issue.”

Washington, meanwhile, has acknowledged Türkiye’s right to defend itself but has conceded that Ankara’s ‘Claw-Sword’ operation could provoke a reaction from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces militia, the bulk of which is made up of Kurdish fighters, and hinder their ability to fight against Islamic State (formerly ISIS) terrorists.

So far, Türkiye claims to have eliminated as many as 254 militants and hit 471 “terrorist” targets in Syria and Iraq since the air operation was launched over the weekend.
https://www.rt.com/news/567054-turkey-ground-operation-syria/
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