RT News - January 3rd 2023 Late

A civilian lady has been killed in Donetsk after Ukraine shelling. Russia's military destroys four US-supplied Himars rocket launchers, used by Ukraine's troops to shell targets in the Donetsk Republic. More than 200 Ukraine troops/mercenaries have been killed. A hospital has been struck in Zaporozhye region. Comprehensive report from Eva K Bartlett.

Donald Courter brings us up to date with Special Operation since February 2022 (and before). Please remember this report and share it with friends and acquaintances. Start at 3 minutes, 30 seconds into this video.

Tensions rise in Western Sahara, as the conflict between Moroccan forces and the Sahrawi People’s Liberation Army escalates.

An Israeli official flouts Hamas's warning regarding visits to contested religious compound. Arab states and Palestine say these risky policies with drive the region to the edge of the abyss. More than just complicated. RT talks to analysts and commentators.

Russian FM Sergei Lavrov has once again express Russia's willingness to act as mediators which could also begin to normalise the situtation in Syria.

Ten militants are caught by Nigerian police on the border with Cameroon, as both countries continue to struggle with the fallout from their colonial past - with dangers of murders, kidnappings and rape.

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Below via RT website
A) U.S. - made HIMARS destroyed in new strikes – Moscow
1) ---- Germany ‘open’ to seizing frozen Russian assets – Bloomberg
2) ---- German defense minister slammed over ‘inappropriate’ message on Ukraine
3) ---- Poland seeks UN help in reparations case against Germany
4) ---- French ambassador expelled after unrest
5) --- African nation wants major investment from Russia
6) ---- US Capitol Police hype up threat of ‘unthinkable’
7) ---- Another state revokes recognition of Kosovo – Serbia
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3 Jan, 2023 12:15

A) U.S. - made HIMARS destroyed in new strikes – Moscow

More than 200 Ukrainian troops and foreign ‘mercenaries’ were killed in the missile attacks, Russia’s Defense Ministry has claimed

Russian forces have destroyed several US-supplied HIMARS rocket launchers and eliminated scores of Ukrainian troops and dozens of foreign fighters in a fresh series of missile strikes, Moscow’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

According to the military, two launchers were destroyed at the Druzhkovka railway station in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). The second pair of launchers, which were firing at other DPR cities, were located near the Ukrainian-held city of Kramatorsk, the ministry added.

In addition, nine HIMARS rockets were intercepted near the frontline in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), as well as in Kherson Region to the north of Crimea, the statement said.

The Russian Air Force’s “precision strikes” on positions of the “foreign legion” fighting for Ukraine near Kramatorsk and Maslyakovka destroyed over 130 “foreign mercenaries,” it added.

Up to 120 Ukrainian soldiers were eliminated at Druzhkovka railway station, the military claimed.

This attack comes after Russia confirmed on Monday that over 60 of its soldiers were killed in Makeyevka, when Kiev's forces targeted the building they were housed in with missiles fired from HIMARS launchers.

The strike had earlier been reported by the republic’s Information Minister Daniil Bezsonov, who claimed it happened precisely at 0:01 am on New Year’s night.

Ukraine continues to request more weapons from the US and other Western countries, while Moscow insists that deliveries of foreign arms to Kiev will not change the course of the conflict and can only lead to more casualties.
https://www.rt.com/russia/569332-himars-destroyed-ukraine-mercenaries/
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via RT website 3 Jan, 2023 15:13

1) ---- Germany ‘open’ to seizing frozen Russian assets – Bloomberg

Berlin would reportedly support the confiscation if its allies follow suit

Germany is open to using the assets of the Russian central bank that were frozen last year as a result of sanctions to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

The German government is in favor of using the funds in Ukraine. However, no official position on the matter has yet been taken, as members of cabinet are divided on the issue, Bloomberg writes, citing people familiar with the discussions.

The EU and its G7 allies froze some €300 billion ($311 billion) in reserves belonging to the Russian central bank, along with billions in assets owned by sanctioned Russian businessmen.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock insists that at least some of the frozen assets have to be seized, while Finance Minister Christian Lindner is concerned that the move could create a dangerous precedent and lead European nations and their allies into a legal quagmire, sources told Bloomberg.

Berlin would support the confiscation on condition that legal issues were resolved and its allies follow suit, the outlet adds.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier said the EU would “find legal ways” to seize Russian assets to use in Ukraine.

The US has so far been more cautious out of concern that a confiscation would damage its reputation as a safe haven for foreign assets.

The Bank of Russia stated last week that it considered the chances of Western countries returning Russian assets frozen by sanctions as “extremely low,” despite the fact that they haven’t been legally confiscated.
https://www.rt.com/business/569344-germany-open-seizing-russian-assets/
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3 Jan, 2023 00:27

2) ---- German defense minister slammed over ‘inappropriate’ message on Ukraine

Opposition MPs called for Christine Lambrecht's resignation over her “embarrassing” New Year’s Eve message

Germany’s defense minister, Christine Lambrecht, has been roundly criticized after publishing a New Year’s Eve greeting in which she touched upon the ongoing conflict in Ukraine against the backdrop of festive fireworks in Berlin. The message was broadly slammed as an “embarrassment” and prompted opposition politicians and some journalists to call for her resignation.

In a video published on her personal Instagram page on Saturday night, Lambrecht can be seen standing in the middle of a Berlin street, with loud fireworks blasting behind her.

“A war is raging in the middle of Europe,” the minister says at one point, without even mentioning Russia or Ukraine. Lambrecht then goes on to say that over the past year she has had “many encounters with interesting and great people” and has received “many special impressions” in connection to the ongoing conflict. “I would like to say a heartfelt thank you for that,” she adds.
A member of the Bundestag’s Defense Committee, Serap Guler, branded the minister’s message an “embarrassment” that only added to a pile of her previous alleged mistakes. “Every additional minute the chancellor [Olaf Scholz] still holds on to this minister and further damages the reputation of our country would lie at his door,” said the lawmaker from the Conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) – Germany's largest opposition party.

It is not just about the image of the minister herself, but the perception of Germany in Europe and around the world, Guler warned, wondering “who is supposed to take us seriously anymore?”

Her words were echoed by another CDU MP, Roderich Kiesewetter, who called Lambrecht’s message “inappropriate” in an interview with the Tagesspiegel daily. “It strengthens the distrust… towards Germany that is unfortunately taking hold in Europe and internationally,” he said.

The CDU’s former leader, Armin Laschet, also lashed out at the German government over Lambrecht’s message. “Have they lost their minds in Berlin?” he wrote in a Twitter post, wondering if Scholz “really does not care about Germany’s image in Europe and the world.”

The government has refused to comment on the situation, with deputy government spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann telling journalists “I don't see any reason to evaluate this now.”

The CDU has been calling for Lambrecht’s resignation for months. Scholz has so far supported the defense chief, and in an interview with the SZ newspaper back in December, he said Lambrecht had been a “first-class defense minister.”
https://www.rt.com/news/569315-germany-defense-minister-new-year-ukraine/

I can't post telegram as I don't have it - here are a couple of tweets I could find
https://twitter.com/gchahal/status/1610225902801281024
https://twitter.com/MaranMatters/status/1610318954400186369 (video)
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3 Jan, 2023 15:12

3) ---- Poland seeks UN help in reparations case against Germany

The global body should intervene as Berlin rejects any dialogue on the issue, a Polish official has claimed

Warsaw will address the UN for assistance in launching dialogue with Germany on World War II reparations, Poland’s deputy foreign minister has said.

Arkadiusz Mularczyk told Polskie Radio on Tuesday that the international community is unaware that Berlin failed to pay reparations to Warsaw for the “terrible crimes” committed in Poland between 1939 and 1945.

In order to correct this, the Polish government has launched a large-scale information campaign and reached out to major global organizations, the MP from the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) said. Warsaw has already sent appeals to EU members, the Council of Europe and NATO, explaining the situation. The diplomat noted that last month, his government also contacted UNESCO over the works of art it claims were looted from Poland by the Germans.

“We are also submitting a request to the UN, asking it to intervene in this issue,” Mularczyk said.

The global body must get involved to promote “the creation of a platform for dialogue with Germany, which doesn’t want to engage,” he explained.

Mularczyk also said that he had requested a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to discuss reparations from Berlin.

Relations between the two EU and NATO members have been strained in recent months, since Poland decided that Germany owes it 6.2 trillion zlotys ($1.36 trillion) for damages suffered during the Nazi occupation.

Warsaw officially addressed Berlin about the reparations in early October. Berlin insists that the matter was resolved when Warsaw waived its right to restitutions in 1953 under a deal with East Germany, and that the issue was definitively settled under a 1990 treaty on German reunification.

While Berlin made one-time payments to victims of forced labor and former inmates of Nazi concentration camps, the issue of reparations is “closed from the perspective of the German government,” Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said.
https://www.rt.com/news/569339-poland-un-germany-reparations/
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3 Jan, 2023 13:48

4) ---- French ambassador expelled after unrest

Burkina Faso made the decision amid public disillusionment with Paris’ counterterrorist campaign

Burkina Faso has ordered the French ambassador to leave the country, local authorities confirmed on Monday. The move comes after unrest in November last year, during which protesters attempted to storm the French embassy while blaming Paris for its security problems.

Speaking to the AP News agency, government spokesman Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo said that French Ambassador Luc Hallade had been expelled, but did not provide any further details.

According to sources of the French daily Le Monde, the foreign ministry of Burkina Faso made the request to replace the French ambassador in a letter sent to Paris in late December.

Le Monde’s sources claimed that the reasons for pushing the ambassador out are partly linked to a leaked letter allegedly sent by Hallade to French nationals in the Burkinabe city of Koudougou in early December.

At the time, the ambassador reportedly insisted that his compatriots relocate to the capital city of Ouagadougou or Bobo-Dioulasso, another Burkinabe city, amid surging jihadist threat in the region. Burkina Faso has undergone two coups since January 2022.

Anti-French sentiment has been on the rise in the country for several months. In November, protesters besieged the French embassy in Ouagadougou, demanding the expulsion of the ambassador.

Some activists blame Paris, which has a military footprint in the country, for failing defeat terrorism. They want to break off the older security relationship with France in favor of closer ties with Russia.

France deployed troops to West Africa’s Sahel region to fight off jihadist extremists in 2013, and a year later began the protracted anti-insurgent Operation Barkhane. The campaign, which has been largely viewed as a failure, was officially ended by French President Emmanuel Macron in November, who also ordered a six-month review of the nation’s military strategy for the region.

As France pulled out troops from the Sahel, the total number of stationed military was reduced from 5,500 to 3,000. As of late November, Ouagadougou still hosted 400 members of the French special forces. At the time, Hallade noted that they would remain there “as long as the Burkinabe authorities wish, but in an adapted, more restricted format.”
https://www.rt.com/news/569338-burkina-faso-expel-french-ambassador/
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3 Jan, 2023 11:39

5) --- African nation wants major investment from Russia

Resource-rich Angola has pledged total support for Russian businesses

Angola, the resource-rich African nation, has called on Russian businesses to invest in the country's economy, pledging full diplomatic support for new initiatives.

Speaking to the RIA Novosti news agency, Angolan Ambassador to Moscow Augusto da Silva Cunha said that to date, Russia’s business presence in the country has been modest. However since the conflict in Ukraine began, Western interest in Angola's resources has spiked, particularly in the country's oil and gas deposits.

"We want to motivate Russian businessmen to take advantage of Angola’s openness to foreign investment. We want them to participate in various projects to develop the country's economy, and to earn money as well," the ambassador said.

In an earlier interview with RIA Novosti Cunha said that Russian businesses have so far mostly invested in Angola’s diamond industry and its banking sector, but there are also projects being developed in the agriculture, transport and industry sectors.

Angola is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and is the second-largest oil producer in Africa. It also has major natural gas reserves. The nation gained independence from Portugal in 1975.
https://www.rt.com/business/569329-african-nation-major-investment-russia/
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3 Jan, 2023 06:26

6) ---- US Capitol Police hype up threat of ‘unthinkable’

The law enforcement agency said more than 100 security improvements at the US Capitol may not be enough to prevent future unrest

US Capitol Police has warned of future “attacks,” similar to the riot that erupted in the halls of Congress following the 2020 presidential election, adding that despite all precautionary measures new unrest is possible given the “polarized state of our nation.”

In a statement issued on Monday to mark the second anniversary of the January 6 riot, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said his department had been “working around the clock” to implement scores of security improvements to the complex. https://www.uscp.gov/media-center/press-releases/two-years-hard-work-message-us-capitol-police-chief-tom-manger

“Make no mistake, there is still work to be done. The current threat climate, particularly against elected officials, will require continued and heightened vigilance,” he said, adding: “With the polarized state of our nation, an attack like the one our Department endured on January 6, 2021, could be attempted again. Should the unthinkable happen, we will be ready.”

In addition to hiring additional staff, creating better planning for “demonstrations and significant events” around the Capitol, and coordinating with “dozens” of policing agencies in the region, Manger said the department had brought on a new intelligence director and “dramatically improved the manner in which we collect, analyze, and share intelligence with our partner law enforcement agencies.”

The Capitol Police have also introduced “specialized training” for officers – presumably to deal with protests and civil unrest – and “made significant equipment upgrades,” the chief said, though did not specify the new gear acquired by the department.

The January 6 riot kicked off in the days after the 2020 presidential race, spearheaded by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, who repeatedly claimed the election was marred by widespread fraud in favor of Democratic nominee Joe Biden. While the demonstrators successfully pushed their way into the Capitol – in some cases allegedly with the help of local police – they accomplished little beyond vandalism to the building. A number of rioters lost their lives amid the chaos, including one woman fatally shot by police and multiple others who suffered medical episodes, while nearly 1,000 individuals later faced a harsh crackdown from local and federal law enforcement agencies.

Though many of the protesters were able to leave the Capitol following the riot, the FBI repeatedly called on the public to help identify those who participated in the months afterward, ultimately filing hundreds of charges, many of them felonies. Some corporate media outlets even joined in the hunt, with USA Today working to identify rioters to the public.

The incident triggered a second Democrat-led impeachment proceeding against Trump, with critics insisting he “incited” his supporters to storm the Capitol and stop lawmakers from certifying the election results. While the impeachment effort failed, Democrats and a handful of dissident Republicans have continued to press for charges against Trump, with a committee established to investigate the Capitol riot recommending a criminal case in its final report last month. Short of an indictment, however, some lawmakers have also called to bar Trump from returning to the White House, after he announced a 2024 presidential bid in November.
https://www.rt.com/news/569318-capitol-police-hype-threat/
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3 Jan, 2023 15:41

7) ---- Another state revokes recognition of Kosovo – Serbia

The total number of countries that have done so is now at ten, according to Belgrade

The number of nations that have signaled their readiness to revoke recognition of Kosovo has increased to ten, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Tuesday. Belgrade is inteisifying its de-recognition campaign in response to what it sees as Kosovo’s violation of agreements reached with Serbia, Dacic told Serbia’s Vecernje Novosti media outlet.

The minister refused to disclose the names of the countries that made the decision, arguing that the nations involved should be protected from pressure that could be exerted by Kosovo’s powerful backers.

“We respect their position and do not want to expose them to any pressure from Pristina, especially from its allies,” Dacic said, adding that “we have to be careful.” According to Vecernje Novosti, the list includes nations from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Asia-Pacific regions. Some of them are “influential” regional players capable of causing a “domino effect” when it comes to the de-recognition of Kosovo, the media outlet claimed.

According to Dacic, Belgrade intensified its Kosovo de-recognition campaign in response to Pristina supposedly violating agreements reached with Serbia in Washington back in 2020. At that time, Kosovo agreed to suspend seeking membership in international organizations in exchange for Serbia halting its de-recognition campaign. Pristina’s application for EU membership demonstrated that it no longer considers itself bound by the provisions of that agreement, Vecernje Novosti reported.

Before striking the 2020 deal, Belgrade claimed it had managed to convince 18 nations to withdraw their recognition of Kosovo. Serbia never officially named these nations either. Yet, according to Vecernje Novosti, the list includes Sierra Leone, Suriname, Togo, Ghana, Nauru, the Union of Comoros, Sao Tome and Principe, Guinea-Bissau, Burundi, Liberia, Lesotho, Grenada, Madagascar, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Palau, and the Central African Republic.

Not all EU members recognize Kosovo: Greece, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain are in no rush to do so. Madrid also said in December that it would oppose granting Pristina EU candidacy status.
https://www.rt.com/news/569345-kosovo-recognition-revoke-serbia/
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