RT News - January 13th 2023 (Mid-day)

Media manipulation by western "governments" of world citizens to the cost and risk of world citizens - Twitter

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Why is this so important? To begin with, Russiagate 'The greatest mass delusion in US history' – the latest twitter files reveal democrats peddled 'fake tales of Russian bots' despite Twitter knowing there was no evidence of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

(QS Traceable since at least 2008, Britain and USA .govs have used citizen's money to groom and grow deeply fascist nationalists and racists (Nazis) in Ukraine and then use them to overthrow the Ukraine democratically elected government in 2014 in preparation for illegitimate war against Russia. And we are talking £$ billions of OUR money without a vote or even a list of UK/US .gov objectives in Ukraine. In 2014 the Kiev .gov began their attack on eastern Ukraine (Donbass) commencing with blockades and trench warfare from Kiev to Donbass - terrorising, killing, bombing and shelling, looting and destroying communities of Donbass for no other reason than Donetsk and Lugansk did not accept the puppet government installed by USA, UK and EU; fascists which despised everything good and worked for, successful, decent and industrious and created by hard work from the people of Donbass)

RT's correspondent discovers Nazi symbols at an Azov battalion headquarters in Mariupol, abandoned after the Ukrainian forces' retreat from the city. (It's just another part of a cache which was found earlier last year, including ID badges and names from nationalist extremists of Ukraine and mercenaries and others from western countries, including USA, Poland, France, Germany)

Philippines/Ukraine threats and bullying. Kiev has accused the Philippines of snubbing phone-call requests from Ukraine .gov (QS and who could blame them?). When Kiev hasn't got the instant replies it wanted, they then used the press to complain about the Philippines.

Some representatives in US want to erect a bust of Pres. Zelensky in the US Capitol building. Report from Lionel.

Chinese FM continues on his tour of Africa - report from Ma Ke (CGTN)

Israel: Three more Palestinian citizens have been killed in the past 24 hours after raids on the West Bank. Clashes erupt in Palestine as local protest against the Israel army killings. Three residents are killed in 24 hours during Israeli army raids, the latest in a series of attacks since last year. RT speaks to a mother who lost her 15 year old son in previous violence.

Africa - Nigeria: At least seven officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence have been killed in Kaduna after an armed ambush, during the rescue operation of an army colonel who was earlier abducted by militants. Terrorists have killed thousands in Nigeria in the past few years. Millions are forced to flee or take up weapons.

Special counsel to investigate Pres. Biden: As of Thursday, the president is under investigation over the apparent mishandling of classified files. It's the second set of classified files found in Pres. Biden's private residence (or garage).

U.S. government says inflation is now at it's lowest level in twelve months but does this reflect the reality for citizens and businesses in America? Chris Emms and Eunan O'Neill discuss this and the CPI (consumer price index)

A Taiwan air force officer has received NATO training in Italy.

RT has a new show "Inland Visions" - it's currently only on the main RT website but have asked if it can be uploaded to Rumble.
Here is the link to the show if you are lucky enough to live in a country where the government hasn't censored RT or if you can use a VPN https://www.rt.com/shows/inland-visions/

***stop press*** have just got the link to the new show and it's great - it's right here on Rumble
https://rumble.com/v25abi4-inland-visions-hockey-legend-igor-larionov.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=15
Inland Visions

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Below via RT website ---A--- Soledar fully liberated – MOD
1) --- Ukraine slammed over restrictive media law
2) --- Russia blasts France for arming Ukraine
3) --- Moscow slaps new sanctions on UK citizens
4) ---- Kremlin comments on major Donbass battle
5) --- Britain and EU enter talks to settle Brexit disputes
6) --- Key ‘Russian bots’ claim was false – Twitter documents
7) --- US lawmakers slam 'insane' Zelensky bust proposal
8) --- Special counsel to investigate Biden
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3 Jan, 2023 10:39

A) --- Strategic Donbass town of Soledar fully liberated – MOD

The victory is key to a further "successful offensive," the Russian military has said

Russian forces have taken full control of the strategic Donbass town of Soledar, Moscow’s Defense Ministry confirmed on Friday. The news comes after Russian private military company Wagner Group claimed this week that its fighters had already overrun the Ukrainian stronghold and were clearing its vast underground tunnel network.

The city had a pre-conflict population of around 10,500. It is part of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), but had been held by Ukrainian troops since 2014, when the DPR seceded from the country following a coup in Kiev. The DPR became part of Russia after holding a referendum on the matter in September.

“The liberation of Soledar was completed on the evening of January 12,” the Defense Ministry said during its daily briefing. The MOD added that the town is “important for the continuation of successful offensive actions.”

According to the Defense Ministry, airborne troops blocked off Soledar from the north and the south, while aircraft and artillery carried out “concentrated strikes” on Ukrainian troops holed up there.
More details to follow .....
https://www.rt.com/russia/569799-strategic-donbass-town-soledar-liberated/
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12 Jan, 2023 19:13

1) --- Ukraine slammed over restrictive media law

Kiev’s “authoritarian” step threatens press freedom in the country, the International Federation of Journalists has warned

A controversial media law enacted in Ukraine last month could create “systemic problems for democracy” by greatly expanding government control over press freedom, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) stressed in a damning statement on Thursday.

“We are extremely concerned about the authoritarian drift of the Ukrainian government towards the media and journalists,” IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said.

Established in 1926 and currently the world’s largest organization of journalists, the IFJ says it represents media professionals “within the United Nations system and within the international trade union movement.”

The concern expressed by the international body was over the fact that the new law grants Ukraine’s media watchdog – the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council – sweeping powers to effectively control the national media landscape. The organization cited the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, which warned in mid-December that the Ukrainian media was set to become subordinate to a body formed by the president and the parliament.

Another journalist association – the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine – warned in early January that the law de-facto places the Ukrainian media “in full political and economic dependence on the personal decisions of the country’s president” as it allows the state to revoke media licenses and ban media activities without a decision by a regulator or a court.

The legislation could “create systemic problems for democracy in Ukraine as it expands state control over the media,” the IFJ head noted. He then called on Kiev to review the law and engage in an open discussion with the journalistic community. “There cannot be a democracy without independent journalism,” Bellanger added.

The media bill had been in the works since 2020 but was only given the go-ahead amid the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. Ukraine’s parliament adopted it in December 2022 and Zelensky signed it later the same month. The legislation allows the state media regulator to impose fines on media outlets in the country and revoke their licenses for publishing restricted materials.

It also specifically bans any positive coverage of Moscow’s actions that challenges Kiev’s official stance as part of an effort to tackle alleged “Russian propaganda.” The law also reinforces a ban on all Russian media outlets, which had already been de-facto outlawed in Ukraine.
https://www.rt.com/russia/569779-journalist-organization-slam-ukraine-law/
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12 Jan, 2023 15:17

2) --- Russia blasts France for arming Ukraine

Paris should take responsibility for prolonging the conflict, Moscow has said

Paris should not talk about the need for dialog on the Ukraine conflict while at the same time providing increasingly heavier weapons to Kiev, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, has suggested. She was commenting on the French decision to supply light tanks to Ukraine.

The move was not particularly surprising, but it was “reckless and irresponsible” and risks a further escalation of the crisis, the official told journalists during a briefing on Thursday.

Moscow has provided evidence to Paris confirming that French weapons previously sent to Kiev were used to attack civilian targets, Zakharova stated.

She also blasted Catherine Colonna, the French minister for European and foreign affairs, who has argued that since the Ukrainian conflict threatens “the stability of Europe,” sending weapons to Kiev was a “duty” for her country. Colonna has also suggested that sending AMX-10 RC armored vehicles and other weapons to Ukraine didn’t make France a party to the conflict.

“Don’t be coy. It does, very much so,” the Russian diplomat said, addressing the French government. “Don’t take your own population into a disinformation wilderness.”

The French government said the shipment would be “the first time that tanks designed in the West are being delivered in support of the Ukrainian army.” The vehicles are manufactured by Nexter Systems, and are wheeled and designed for reconnaissance, but are sometimes described as “light tanks.”

According to Zakharova, the arming of Ukraine “lays naked the cynicism and deception” of Paris’ claims that it wants to prevent an escalation of the conflict and to address Russian security concerns. In practice, France “pushes the confrontation towards spiraling out of control.”

“It’s high time for Paris to acknowledge its responsibility for the failure of the Minsk agreements,” the spokeswoman suggested.

She was referring to a proposed peace roadmap, which France helped mediate in 2014 and 2015. It was aimed at reconciling Kiev with its breakaway regions in the east, but never implemented. Top Ukrainian and European officials have since admitted that the agreements were meant to help Kiev build up its armed forces.
https://www.rt.com/russia/569757-russia-france-light-tanks/
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12 Jan, 2023 11:33

3) --- Moscow slaps new sanctions on UK citizens

The restrictions target 36 British nationals that support an “anti-Russian course,” the foreign ministry has said

Russia has expanded sanctions against the UK, blacklisting dozens of officials and journalists, the Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday. The move comes in response to British policies that Moscow regards as hostile.

In a statement, the ministry denounced the British government’s “anti-Russian course,” claiming that the UK “continues to actively apply the mechanism of personal sanctions and conducts an intensive propaganda campaign in order to discredit our country and isolate it on the global stage.”

Against this backdrop, Moscow decided to “additionally include in the Russian ‘stop list’ a number of Cabinet members, representatives of law enforcement agencies and the journalistic corps of the United Kingdom.” The sanctions apply to 36 people in total. However, the ministry did not provide any details regarding specific names or positions.

The Foreign Ministry went on to say that London had “deliberately abandoned constructive dialogue” with Moscow while embracing a confrontational approach. The UK, acting in collaboration with Washington, “spreads false information about Russia” and “incites Russophobia,” it said.

The ministry also warned that “the hostile actions and aggressive rhetoric of British officials would not remain without an adequate response, and support for the neo-Nazi Kiev regime would cost its Western masters dearly.”

On Wednesday, Britain announced that it would provide Ukraine with main battle tanks. According to earlier media reports, Britain was considering sending around a dozen Challenger 2 tanks to Kiev.

Following the start of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine in late February, the UK imposed severe sanctions on Russia, freezing assets belonging to a vast number of entities and individuals and introducing export bans on a number of industries and services.

In retaliation, Moscow has on several occasions sanctioned UK officials and nationals, having targeted several hundred individuals in total. The previous round of restrictions was announced by Russia’s Foreign Ministry in September, which blacklisted 30 individuals that either “promoted [an] anti-Russian news agenda,” or acted as “representatives of the UK defense lobby.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/569742-russia-new-sanctions-uk/
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2 Jan, 2023 15:05

4) ---- Kremlin comments on major Donbass battle

“Gigantic” efforts have been devoted to seizing the mining town of Soledar, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

Russia will continue its Donbass offensive, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, after the country’s Defense Ministry reported that airborne troops had blocked the Ukrainian-held mining city of Soledar. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the private Russian military company Wagner Group, later confirmed that his soldiers had completely seized the city.

“Truly gigantic work has been done,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He described the fighting as “absolutely selfless, heroic actions not only in Soledar, but in many other areas where offensives are taking place.”

Peskov said the Russian advances would continue. “It is not the time to stop and celebrate. The main work still lies ahead of us.”

The fierce battle for Soledar, a city with a pre-conflict population of around 10,000, has been raging for several months. Prigozhin said in a statement to the media on Tuesday that his soldiers had managed to seize the “entire territory” of Soledar. He added the next day that Wagner fighters had begun clearing the city’s vast underground tunnel network.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in its daily briefing on Wednesday that Russian airborne troops had blocked Soledar from the north and the south, while “assault units are fighting inside the city.”

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and the country’s general staff, meanwhile, claimed on Wednesday evening that the battle for Soledar was ongoing and the Donbass frontline was “still holding.”

Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine in late February, citing the need to defend the people of Donbass. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, together with two other former Ukrainian territories – Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions – became part of Russia after holding referendums in September 2022. Crimea joined the Russian Federation shortly after the 2014 coup in Kiev.
https://www.rt.com/russia/569756-kremlin-soledar-offensive-continue/
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13 Jan, 2023 05:17

5) --- Britain and EU enter talks to settle Brexit disputes

The first signs of progress have emerged after the sides signed a data-sharing agreement on goods tracking

The EU and UK are gradually moving towards settling a longstanding post-Brexit trade dispute and are preparing to launch intense negotiations next week, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

On Monday, London struck an agreement with Brussels to share live data on trade with Northern Ireland, which was described as “a critical prerequisite to building trust and providing assurance” and laid “a new basis for EU-UK discussions.”

British Foreign Minister James Cleverly and European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said the deal was an important step towards further talks on the trading rules known as the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The dispute stems from the Brexit deal in which Britain agreed to leave Northern Ireland within the EU’s single market for goods in order to preserve a 1998 peace deal between Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and EU member Ireland, thus avoiding instituting a land border between the two.

However, the UK has so far failed to implement parts of those agreements and in response the EU has opened several infringement procedures.

The aim of next week’s talks between Cleverly and Sefcovic is to prepare the ground for a negotiating “tunnel,” the outlet said, citing people who spoke on condition of anonymity. The CEO of Northern Ireland's Manufacturing NI, Stephen Kelly, who has been outspoken on a number of Brexit-related issues, expressed hope that the UK and EU would announce “a deep scoping exercise, deep conversation – what’s traditionally known as a tunnel” after the meeting of the UK foreign minister and chief EU negotiator on January 16.
https://www.rt.com/business/569767-uk-eu-brexit-trade-dispute-talks/
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12 Jan, 2023 21:32

6) --- Key ‘Russian bots’ claim was false – Twitter documents

As media and Democrats labeled organic content Kremlin propaganda, the platform chose silence

Twitter executives knew that several hashtags denounced by leading congressional Democrats and corporate media as “Russian disinformation” were a product of authentic Americans, but chose not to say so in public, journalist Matt Taibbi revealed on Thursday.

Taibbi has been publishing the “Twitter Files,” internal company documents provided by the company’s new owner, Elon Musk, since early December. Evidence published so far shed light on the censorship of key stories ahead of the 2020 presidential election, FBI pressure, direct White House interference on Covid-19 matters, and the banning of Donald Trump – the sitting US president at the time.

Thursday’s revelations concern the events of January and February 2018 and the memo by Republican Congressman Devin Nunes of California detailing how the FBI used the “Steele Dossier” to spy on Trump’s campaign and presidency. Democrats and major media outlets denounced Nunes in what Taibbi described as “oddly identical language,” while attributing the calls to #ReleaseTheMemo to “Russian bots” and “trolls.”

Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congressman Adam Schiff – ranking Democrats in the Senate and House intelligence committees – wrote to Twitter on January 23, 2018, claiming that #ReleaseTheMemo “gained the immediate attention and assistance of social media accounts linked to Russian influence operations.”

Another Democrat, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, followed up with a letter denouncing as “reprehensible that Russian agents have so eagerly manipulated innocent Americans.”

Twitter, however, “found no evidence, as in zero, that Russians were anywhere near this story,” Taibbi wrote on Substack. Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth personally reviewed the accounts that started the hashtag and found “none of them show any signs of affiliation to Russia.”

The engagement was “overwhelmingly organic” and driven by prominent real people, Roth found. He also noted that Schiff, Feinstein and Blumenthal all pointed to the same source – the “Hamilton68 dashboard,” run by an outfit calling itself the Alliance for Securing Democracy (ASD). “All the swirl is based on Hamilton,” he wrote.

Documents show that Twitter executives eventually realized that Democrats weren’t looking for solutions, but were just using the Russia accusation to push them further. One executive even compared it to the children’s book ‘If You Give a Mouse a Cookie’.

Yet for some reason, the company chose not to say so publicly, allowing Democrats and the media to continue blaming “Russian bots” for any problems in US society – government shutdowns, school shootings, gun control, etc.

“By spreading the Russia collusion hoax, they instigated one of the greatest outbreaks of mass delusion in US history,” Nunes told Taibbi when reached for comment, referring to the Democrats.

The memo itself was published on February 2, 2018. Justice Department Inspector-General Michael Horowitz confirmed its findings in his report, published in December 2019.
https://www.rt.com/news/569778-twitter-russiagate-false-taibbi/
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12 Jan, 2023 09:06

7) --- US lawmakers slam 'insane' Zelensky bust proposal

Conservatives claim the idea plays into the “worship” of the foreign leader

Conservative US lawmakers critical of the adulation of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky have rallied against a proposal to place a bust of the foreign leader in the Capitol building in Washington. US Representative Joe Wilson has suggested making a Zelensky statue a permanent feature.

Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina, made a proposal on Monday to direct the Fine Arts Board to obtain a bust “for display in a suitable, permanent location in the House of Representatives wing of the United States Capitol.”

Some members of the GOP’s Freedom Caucus, which includes a conservative minority opposing unconditional support for Ukraine, expressed skepticism. Andy Biggs of Arizona, one of its leading members, asked whether Congress allocating over $100 billion in aid to Ukraine was “not enough.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said she was “absolutely not” approving the idea, adding that US lawmakers were serving “America not Ukraine.”

Popular conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson branded the idea “insane,” telling viewers that Zelensky is a “dictatorial” politician who banned opposition parties in his country and is currently cracking down on a Christian denomination. Having a bust of Zelensky at the Capitol would allow Americans to “worship him daily,” he joked.

here's the short tweet https://twitter.com/CatchUpNetwork/status/1613356492362756100

Carlson lamented the fact that the proposal came from a Republican and called Wilson “a pretty nice guy.” The congressman is a vocal supporter of Kiev. He led a bipartisan House delegation on a visit to Kiev in December. He also sponsored a resolution urging the US government to suspend Russia from the UN Security Council, which it has no authority to do.

Zelensky received a hero’s welcome when he flew to Washington last month. Some officials, including then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, compared him to Winston Churchill, Britain’s leader during World War II.

Last year, the US Congress approved requests for over $100 billion in spending related to Ukraine, with a large portion of it going to weapons procurement. Zelensky’s visit happened as the Congress was debating a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill, which included $45 billion for Ukraine assistance.
https://www.rt.com/news/569736-zelensky-bust-capitol-resolution/
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12 Jan, 2023 19:46

8) --- Special counsel to investigate Biden

As of Thursday, the president and his predecessor are both under investigation over the apparent mishandling of classified files

US Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to probe President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. The White House has confirmed that Biden stored two batches of sensitive files in his garage and at a university office.

Speaking at a Justice Department press conference, Garland named federal prosecutor Robert Hur as the special counsel, claiming that Hur would “carry out his responsibility in an even-handed and urgent manner.”

Appointed US Attorney for the District of Maryland by former President Donald Trump in 2017, Hur resigned from that post shortly after Biden took office. He previously worked with FBI Director Christopher Wray, who despite also being appointed by Trump, has been accused by the former president and his allies of “weaponizing” the agency to persecute conservatives.

As Maryland’s chief prosecutor, Hur led an investigation into the theft of classified information by two National Security Agency contractors, securing prison time for both.

White House counsel Richard Sauber confirmed this week that Biden’s lawyers had discovered classified documents at an office at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, a think tank affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, in November. Dating from Biden’s time as vice president, the documents included sensitive information on Ukraine, Iran, and the UK, CNN reported on Tuesday.

Sauber also confirmed that a second box of secret documents was found in a garage at Biden’s Delaware home, and another single file inside the property. Garland said that he authorized a preliminary investigation into the documents in November, before deciding to name Hur special counsel.

With Hur’s appointment, both Biden and Trump are now under investigation for unauthorized removal of classified documents or material. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida was raided by armed FBI agents last August in a pre-dawn operation that recovered hundreds of government documents.

Trump claims that he declassified the files before taking them to Mar-a-Lago, and accused the Biden administration and FBI of orchestrating a “witch hunt” against him.
https://www.rt.com/news/569780-biden-garland-special-counsel/
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13 Jan, 2023 13:25

9) --- Kiev envoy explains postponed Israel-Ukraine phone call

“Technical problems” are to blame, Evgeny Korniychuk said after slamming West Jerusalem for engaging with Russia

Ukraine and Israel have postponed a phone call between their foreign ministers, Evgeny Korniychuk, Kiev’s ambassador to West Jerusalem, said on Thursday. This comes after the envoy expressed discontent with the ongoing dialogue between Israel and Russia.

Speaking to i24NEWS, Korniychuk said that the planned call between Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba and his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, was delayed due to “technical problems.” The call has been rescheduled for next week, he added.

His comments came amid a Times of Israel report which, citing Ukrainian sources, said the delay was caused by the ongoing hostilities and should not be seen as “an expression of Kiev’s displeasure at Israel.”

Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Cohen spoke on the phone, which left Kiev fuming. At the time, Korniychuk said the move could be interpreted as a change in Israel’s foreign policy, pointing out that its foreign minister had not spoken to Lavrov since the conflict between Moscow and Kiev broke out in late February.

This notion was dismissed by an Israeli official who told The Times of Israel that “there is no change in Israel’s policy” regarding the Ukraine conflict.

Commenting on the Lavrov-Cohen call, Korniychuk said it “wasn’t very promising to us … But we think it’s too early to judge, and we will try to keep the dialogue on a friendly basis and explain what our priorities are.”

Last week, Cohen, who was appointed as foreign minister in late December, signaled that West Jerusalem would “talk less” about the ongoing hostilities, while vowing that Israel would continue to send “significant humanitarian aid” to Ukraine.

Two days later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his country would revise its foreign policy in a way to make it more suited to its national interests instead of “giving in to dictates from the international community.”

Following the start of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine, Israel condemned Russia’s actions, but stopped short of taking part in the Western sanctions or providing Kiev with weapons. West Jerusalem rejected Kiev’s calls to send Iron Dome air defense systems, arguing that it does not “have a large enough production base” to meet Ukraine’s needs.
https://www.rt.com/news/569815-israel-ukraine-call-delay/
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