RT News - February 23rd 2023

USA/Washington policy - Donald Trump: "A long obsession with pushing Ukraine towards NATO to confront Russia." Former US president Donald Trump speaks up and criticizes Washington policy in it's actions in Ukraine and the proxy war being waged against Russia and says "the world is being led into world war three". Scottie Nell Hughes says this is exactly what is being quieted up but what the people need to hear, as frustrated Americans suffer from the effects of neglect, whilst more than $110 billion is given to Ukraine.
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Donbass, Donetsk: RT visits a temporary refugee camp in the Donetsk Republic to speak to those evacuated from the frontlines in Artyomovsk. Roman Kosarev reports.
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Iraq War, 20 years on: The excellent series of reports from RT continues as the US-led invasion of Iraq reaches its 20-year anniversary, RT looks at how the American architects of the war spread their neo-conservative policies around the globe. Caleb Maupin reports on the most illegal of wars which claimed more than a million innocent lives. "The U.S. war of terror"
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Iran has seized a vessel containing U.S. made weapons intended for use by protesters, (rioters) in the Gulf. U.S. has so far made no comment. (QS : in all it's forms, USA or NATO or the "western liberal democracies" continue to fund and arm terrorists to achieve their goals of illegal regime changes and we, the citizens, are forced to pay for it. This has got to stop) Hamidreza Gholamzadeh discusses the impact for his country, Iran.
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Russia - Fatherland Defender Day: President Putin congratulated the military service personnel and veterans and others and thanked them for helping in the conflict in Ukraine. New weapons systems are to be introduced to help resolve the conflict. He also said Russia is paying more attention to strengthening her nuclear deterrent and a new nuclear armed submarine will come into use later this year. "a full complement of modern strategic weapons" to protect Russia from foreign threats.
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Africa, Nigeria elections: RT continues the special coverage. Nigeria is tormented by doubts about foreign influence from former colonial powers ahead of the upcoming elections as the country continues to battle multiple crises.
- also there are many new financial challenges for the new Nigerian president; Chris Emms reports on the wild state of Nigerian debt, how it managed to get there with the current president's obsession with the West's "nett zero" policies. (QS brilliant coverage from RT)
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via RT website ---- A) --- Nord Stream investigator recalls hidden history of US-Norway covert ops
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1) --- Russia and China didn’t discuss Beijing’s ‘peace plan’ – Moscow
1a) --- Russia-China trade to hit $200 billion target early – Putin
1b) --- Beijing has overtaken the EU as the largest buyer of Russia’s agricultural products, according to new data
2) --- Russian lawmakers limit use of foreign words
3) --- Ukrainian mayor fined again for using Russian
4) --- Kremlin not optimistic after Western reaction to nuclear deal suspension
5) --- India’s clash with the BBC is a warning of things to come
6) --- US uranium site catches fire
7) --- EU fails to agree new Russia sanctions – Reuters
8) --- US governor blacklists major outlet over ‘blatant lie’
9) --- Top politician calls on Scholz to ‘stop’ German foreign minister
10) --- State Department explains cutting ties with Soros-funded group
11) --- Wall Street suffers worst day of 2023
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22 Feb, 2023 19:21

Show more

A) --- Nord Stream investigator recalls hidden history of US-Norway covert ops

Decades before allegedly helping it bomb European gas lines, the Norwegian military aided the CIA’s undeclared war in Vietnam

Six decades before Norway helped the CIA destroy the Nord Stream gas pipelines, it gave the agency heavily-armed boats that it used to target North Vietnam, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh wrote on Wednesday. Norway’s involvement in this secret war was deeper than previously reported, Hersh claimed.

Hersh, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist, claimed earlier this month that the CIA sabotaged the Nord Stream lines on President Joe Biden’s orders. The Norwegian Secret Service and Navy reportedly helped CIA divers choose the correct spot to plant the explosives, and ferried the Americans out on a boat to the location, near Denmark’s Bornholm island in the Baltic Sea.

Explaining why the US chose Norway as its partner in destroying the Russia-to-Germany gas lines, Hersh said on Wednesday that the “Norwegian Navy has a long and murky history of cooperation with American intelligence.”

Historical reports show that Norway sold a number of fast attack boats to the US Navy, which were used by the CIA to conduct clandestine attacks along the North Vietnamese coast. By 1964, prior to the US’ official entry into the Vietnam war, at least two Norwegian sailors had confessed to taking part in these raids, while unconfirmed reports claimed that Norwegian officers and crew manned some of these boats.

However, according to Hersh’s source “within the intelligence community,” the CIA was given more boats than previously reported. Manned and captained by Norwegian sailors, these vessels carried US Navy SEALs to missions against “far more aggressive targets that included heavily defended North Vietnamese radar facilities.”

While the CIA’s previously reported clandestine attacks were controlled by the American command in Saigon, these more aggressive missions were commanded by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington.

“It was a secret war within a secret war,” Hersh wrote, adding that at least two Navy SEALs were wounded on these missions, and received the Medal of Honor in secret.

“This bit of top secret and heretofore unknown history raises, to this reporter, an obvious question: what else do we not know about the secret operation in Norway that led to the destruction of the pipelines?” Hersh concluded.

The Biden administration has described Hersh’s reporting on the Nord Stream explosions as “utterly false and complete fiction.” Moscow considers the destruction of Nord Stream an act of “terrorism,” and Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, argued this week that Hersh’s reporting was “more than a smoking gun” suggesting US involvement. Prior to Hersh’s initial article, Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the explosions on the West, arguing that the US in particular benefited from the attack due to its position as a supplier of LNG to Europe.
https://www.rt.com/news/571942-nord-stream-norway-vietnam/
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22 Feb, 2023 19:51

1) --- Russia and China didn’t discuss Beijing’s ‘peace plan’ – Moscow

The two countries’ top diplomats have only exchanged thoughts on the “root cause” of the Ukraine crisis, Maria Zakharova says

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi did not discuss Beijing’s yet-to-be-unveiled peace proposal for the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev, the ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, told reporters on Wednesday.

“Our Chinese partners explained their thoughts on the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis, as well as their approaches to its political resolution,” she said. The official added “there were no talks of any specific ‘plan’.”

Wang first mentioned his “peace proposal” at the Munich Security Conference last week. “We will put forth China’s position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis,” the diplomat announced. Wang warned that he knew that “some forces might not want to see peace talks materialize” without naming any party in particular.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin also commented on the peace proposal at the Monday press briefing. “The international community is fully aware who is calling for dialogue and striving for peace, and who is fanning the flames and stoking confrontation,” the diplomat said. He then encouraged the US to “seriously reflect on the role it has played” in the Ukrainian conflict so far.

China presented ‘key elements’ of peace plan to Ukraine – Kiev
Read more China presented ‘key elements’ of peace plan to Ukraine – Kiev
On Tuesday, Chinese Ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun said that a “position paper” with China’s consistent views on the conflict would be released “within days.”

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky commented on the plan during a press conference on Tuesday, saying that he had his own “peace formula” supported by a large number of states. Zelensky was apparently referring to the so-called ‘10-point peace plan’ that was presented by him at the G20 summit in November.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow anticipated a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping once Beijing had completed items on its domestic agenda. “We assume that we will realize our plans regarding face-to-face meetings, which will give an additional boost to our relations,” Putin added.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571944-china-russia-peace-plan/
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22 Feb, 2023 16:00

1a) --- Russia-China trade to hit $200 billion target early – Putin

Turnover could surpass the goal ahead of schedule given the rate at which trade is growing, the Russian president says

Trade between Russia and China soared last year and the $200 billion turnover goal set by Moscow and Beijing for 2024 could be achieved earlier than expected, President Vladimir Putin stated on Wednesday. The Russian leader was speaking at a meeting in Moscow with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi.

“We set a goal of reaching the level [of trade turnover] of $200 billion in 2024. Last year, it was already $185 billion, there is every reason to believe that we will reach our goals in terms of trade turnover, maybe even earlier than we planned,” Putin said, adding that the expansion of mutual trade is important for both countries.

“I would like to note that Russian-Chinese relations are developing the way we planned in previous years. Everything is progressing, developing. We are reaching new milestones,” the Russian leader stated.

Last year, trade turnover between the two nations grew by nearly a third. According to data from China’s Customs Administration, the country exported $76.1 billion worth of goods to Russia in 2022, an increase of 12.8% compared to the previous year, while shipments from Russia to China surged by 43.4% to $114.1 billion.

The figures also showed that Russia was the leader among China’s 20 largest partners in terms of trade growth in 2022. China has been competing with India as Russia’s biggest buyer of oil, and has overtaken the EU as the top importer of Russian agricultural products.

Wang asserted that relations between Moscow and Beijing are strong and are successfully withstanding outside pressure, while noting that crises had offered opportunities to both.

“Our relations are not aimed at third countries, are not subject to pressure from third parties. We have a strong foundation in the economy, politics, and culture… Together we support multi-polarity and democratization in international relations,” the diplomat said. Wang added that China is ready to strengthen strategic cooperation with Russia in any spheres that the two nations deem necessary.
https://www.rt.com/business/571918-russia-china-trade-soaring/
============= RE POST ===
10 Feb, 2023 09:02

China becomes top Russian food importer – report

1b) --- Beijing has overtaken the EU as the largest buyer of Russia’s agricultural products, according to new data

Imports of Russian agro-industrial products by China have continued to grow, jumping 44% last year, it was reported on Thursday. According to data from the Russian Ministry of Agriculture’s Agroexport center, the physical volume of purchases increased by 36%.

“China regained its position as the largest buyer of Russian agricultural and food products, which was lost in 2021,” Agroexport stated. Two years ago, the European Union was the leading importer of Russian agricultural goods.

China remained the leading importer of Russian rapeseed oil, poultry meat, beef, soybeans, oats, and flaxseeds. It was also the top buyer of Russian honey and linseed oil.

Preliminary data from the Federal Customs Service showed that over the past year Russian exports of rapeseed oil to China have doubled in physical terms. The East Asian country now accounts for almost 70% of all rapeseed oil exports by Russia.

Shipments of fish and seafood have also increased significantly, with the total volume exceeding 500,000 tons.

Data showed that almost 140,000 tons of poultry meat was delivered to China last year, which is 11% more than in 2021. In monetary terms, the growth rate was 53%. “China has retained its leadership among buyers of Russian poultry meat. Around 40% of the total physical volume of Russian poultry meat exports last year came from this country,” Agroexport wrote.

It added that Russia has the potential to further expand food supplies to China. Agroexport indicated that the most promising categories for export are fish and seafood, cereals, meat products, and vegetable oils.
https://www.rt.com/business/571215-china-top-russian-food-importer/
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22 Feb, 2023 22:41

2) --- Russian lawmakers limit use of foreign words

New legislation seeks to protect “the norms of the modern formal language”

Russian senators have upheld a bill ordering all public and private entities to use only Russian words in their official communication. The legislation adopted on Wednesday by the parliament’s upper house – the Federation Council – states that the only exception is words that have no Russian equivalent.

“When the Russian language is used as the state language of the Russian Federation, any use of words and phrases that do not comply with the norms of the modern formal language is not allowed,” the bill says, adding that an exception is made “for foreign words that do not have commonly used equivalents in the Russian language and are included in the standard dictionary lists.”

The government will now have to review the standard dictionary list if the bill is passed into law by the president. Under the legislation, the use of language is considered to be “official” if it is used in the fields of education or in state and municipal information systems, as well as by private entities when communicating with business partners or clients.

According to Interfax news agency, the bill’s authors argued that it would help increase the overall literacy level among citizens, as well as the correct use of the state language and ensure that all public servants have sufficient command of modern formal Russian.

The State Duma adopted the legislation last week. The bill was reportedly designed to “protect” the language from the excessive number of foreign words.

At the time, the head of the Duma’s Culture Committee, Elena Yampolskaya, blasted the advertising practice of placing phrases in English written in “giant capital letters” on ads while the Russian equivalent is barely visible.

She insisted that new rules should be formulated for the media, advertising, and consumer information after the law is passed. Yampolskaya also called on fellow MPs to consider making the violation of norms on the use of state language an administrative offense.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571949-russia-limit-use-foreign-words/
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22 Feb, 2023 18:36

3) --- Ukrainian mayor fined again for using Russian

The head of Kharkov’s city administration has already sued the language commissioner in response

The mayor of the Ukrainian city of Kharkov, Igor Terekhov, has been fined for using the Russian language on his official social media accounts. This is his second offense, as reported by local media outlets, which obtained a copy of the legal document on Wednesday.

The fine was issued by Taras Kremen, the commissioner for the protection of the state language. According to the document, Terekhov is guilty of using “a language other than the state one” on his Facebook and Telegram pages, which the politician listed as official channels. The punishment was instated late last year and the fine itself is 3,400 hryvnia ($93).

This is the second time Terekhov has been fined for using Russian. He was similarly penalized for the exact same sum last November for using the “non-state language” during a TV marathon.

Terekhov filed a lawsuit against Kremen for fining him the first time, the politician’s spokesman Igor Sidorenko told Suspilne Novini in January. The mayor said he will continue speaking to Kharkov residents in Russian, while keeping all official communication in Ukrainian. Terekhov added that he was appealing to the court as an individual, not as a mayor.

Kiev passed a new language law in 2019, but the document has seen multiple revisions and expansions, the latest update coming this month. The legislation requires that all communication by government officials be conducted in Ukrainian or available in it at the same time.

Moscow has maintained that such laws violate the rights of Russian-speaking people, who make up around half of Ukraine’s population. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said last week that Kiev’s “discriminatory campaign” against the language was growing more and more “indignant.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/571939-kharkov-mayor-russian-fine/
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22 Feb, 2023 12:29

4) --- Kremlin not optimistic after Western reaction to nuclear deal suspension

Moscow sees no sign that talks on New START may be renewed, but things could change in the future, the spokesman said

The Western reaction to Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the New START agreement gives little hope that talks on nuclear arms reduction will be renewed, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

On the other hand, “circumstances change” with time, so Russia will maintain “a patient approach, waiting for our opponents to mature for a normal dialogue,” the official added, speaking to journalists on Wednesday. Moscow, meanwhile, will take care of its security, including in terms of strategic stability, he added.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow intended to formally freeze its obligations under the New START treaty. The US-Russian accord limits both nations’ nuclear stockpiles and allows them to monitor each other’s military facilities to confirm compliance. Amid the conflict in Ukraine, however, Moscow and Washington have accused each other of failing to facilitate such inspections.

As he announced the suspension of New START, Putin accused NATO specialists of helping Kiev to launch drone attacks against Russian airfields hosting long-range bombers, which are part of the Russian nuclear deterrence. He also blamed Washington’s and NATO’s proxy war against Russia for destroying the foundation of trust on which the treaty was initially built.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken branded the Russian move “deeply unfortunate and irresponsible” and said Washington will be “watching carefully to see what Russia actually does.”

“We remain ready to talk about strategic arms limitations at any time with Russia irrespective of anything else going on in the world or in our relationship,” he added.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg lamented that “more nuclear weapons and less arms control makes the world more dangerous,” speaking at a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba.

Asked by Russian MPs on Wednesday about the possibility of a revival of New START, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that this would require Washington to change its anti-Russian behavior. He added that it would be impossible to amend the agreement in a way that would account for the nuclear arsenals of NATO members Britain and France, an issue that Putin raised during his speech.

The top diplomat also told the press that the Russian government had no intention of altering its military doctrine after suspending participation in New START. “If the situation requires that, additional analysis will be done” on the issue, Ryabkov added.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571905-new-start-western-reaction/
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21 Feb, 2023 18:30 ---- OP ED ----

5) --- India’s clash with the BBC is a warning of things to come

Western powers are friendly with New Delhi now, but what happens when they begin to see it as a rival? By Timur Fomenko

Recently, there has been outrage across India over a BBC documentary.

Titled ‘The Modi Question’, the program shines a critical light on what it alleges was the Indian prime minister’s role in anti-Muslim riots that shook the state of Gujarat in 2002.

Indian authorities reacted by banning the documentary and denouncing it as “colonial propaganda”. Such sensitivity is common in today’s India, which under Narendra Modi’s leadership has steered onto a pathway of Hindu nationalism, which has led the country to be more prone to outrage over international criticism and to become less “liberal” in nature.

Some weeks after the documentary’s release, the BBC in India came under investigation for alleged tax violations. The broadcaster’s response emphasized its status as a “trusted, independent media organization,” and coverage of the tax probe has implied that it is politically motivated. However, this row comes at a critical moment in geopolitics where Western countries are actively courting New Delhi as part of their Indo-Pacific initiatives. More specifically, their bid to use India and its massive economic potential as a strategic bulwark to contain China.

However, the question is how long the West’s honeymoon with New Delhi can last? Especially when, in current conditions, India may decide to pursue governance decisions which are not in harmony with the values the Western nations proclaim to uphold. After all, the tilt towards India is seen with a certain romanticism in Western countries, whose officials praise it as the “world’s largest democracy” and a partner with “shared values.”

The truth, though, is that they don’t truly see India as an equal. They hope, given the foundations of its political system, that India will one day be “the same” as they are, and anticipate a course of liberalization and political change under their guidance, similar to what was once expected from Russia and China. But, if India fails to follow that route, or continues to grow as an autonomous power which does not consent to Western dominance, the chances are that the West’s tolerance for the country, and especially for Modi’s government, will run out.

This brings us to the BBC. Indian authorities are right in describing the BBC as a “post-colonial” institution because that’s what it is. The BBC world service is not impartial at all, but an institution created with the imperialistic goal of projecting British influence overseas, paying special attention to the former dominions of the British Empire. The BBC is ideologically biased, and has unsurprisingly drawn criticism in India for its condescending coverage.

The UK looks at India with starry-eyed nostalgia. It does not see its century-long history of colonial rule over the subcontinent as a time of exploitation, oppression, violence and inequality. Instead, it tends to believe that it has done the country a favor by boosting its development, and that this history affords it a “special relationship” with New Delhi. Therefore, even though Britain’s Brexit ideology seeks substantial trade and financial benefits from India, the UK still believes that it has a right to interfere in its internal politics, with Modi’s nationalistic and centralized rule placing them on a long-term collision course.

Things are relatively stable now, despite this “row” over the documentary, but this poses the question – what happens when India becomes wealthy and powerful and does not eagerly accept the Western-centric political world order? Also, what if it seeks to be a geopolitical power in its own terms? What happens when Western countries begin to perceive India not as a partner in need of help and support, but as a rival in a similar vein to how they view China and, of course, Russia? What happens when the US-led Indo-Pacific initiative starts to appear not as something that would incorporate and help India, but something that could also potentially contain its military rise?

This BBC documentary is a reminder to India that the collective West seeks not to befriend it, but to use it, and in turn is not likely to accept an India which does not adhere to its political terms and conditions. India’s current foreign policy is often described as “strategic autonomy,” but in recent years the country has been overly friendly with the US to exploit mutual anti-China sentiment in a bid to gain economic opportunities for itself. At the same time, there has been a domestic political shift in India which orients it away from westernization. The West’s good will for New Delhi, a superpower of the future, will one day run out, and the agenda will shift towards containment. India needs to look at what is happening now with China and be ready when that day comes.

"...The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT...."
https://www.rt.com/india/571852-india-new-delhi-bbc-modi/
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22 Feb, 2023 19:52

6) --- US uranium site catches fire

The incident involved a nuclear processing facility at the Y-12 site in Tennessee

A fire broke out at a major US uranium processing facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee on Wednesday. All employees have been accounted for and there is no danger to the general public, the Department of Energy officials insisted.

The “incident” happened at Building 9212 of the Y-12 National Security Complex, according to the WVLT-TV in nearby Knoxville. Emergency crews responded to “a fire involving uranium,” the outlet reported. About 200 employees who work in the building were evacuated, as emergency crews reacted to handle the blaze.

“I think if you live nearby you’d be very concerned,” a spokesperson for Y-12 told WVLT. “The situation is under control and is contained.”

The facility’s official Twitter account spoke of “an incident” that happened around 9:15 on Wednesday morning. It was later described as “a fire in a hood” that was “contained to the production building.” There were “no reports of injury or contamination,” and there was “no off-site impact to the public as a result of the incident,” Y-12 said.

By 1pm local time the complex had returned to normal operations, but Building 9212 remained off-limits and there was no confirmation that the fire had been put out.

The National Nuclear Security Administration and the contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC are in charge of the response, Y-12 officials told the local outlet.

The US Department of Energy lists the building as a uranium processing facility. Built in 1945 for the original nuclear weapons program, it serves “as one of the primary chemical processing and enriched uranium production facilities at Y-12,” but was scheduled to be decommissioned by the end of 2025. The fire involved “a compound of uranium … in a metal form,” according to WVLT.

The Y-12 website describes the National Security Complex as “a premier manufacturing facility dedicated to making our nation and the world a safer place,” that deals with storing nuclear materials, producing fuel for the US Navy’s reactors, and performs “complementary work for other government and private-sector entities.”

Oak Ridge was built by the US government in 1942, as part of the “Manhattan Project” to build the world’s first atomic bomb. The planned community of some 75,000 residents was initially shrouded in secrecy and run by the federal government, but incorporated as a city in 1959.
https://www.rt.com/news/571941-uranium-fire-y12-tennessee/
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22 Feb, 2023 17:11

7) --- EU fails to agree new Russia sanctions – Reuters

Negotiations on the tenth round of restrictions have been postponed to later this week, sources say

European Union countries failed to agree on a new batch of sanctions against Moscow on Wednesday, four diplomatic sources told Reuters. The restrictions are reportedly meant to be in place for the one-year anniversary of the Ukraine conflict, on Friday.

“There are several issues outstanding, including on rubber and reporting obligations of Russian assets in Europe,” one of the anonymous sources explained.

More talks among the representatives of EU member states were due on Thursday afternoon, the sources claimed.

On Monday, the EU extended for another year an array of sanctions on Russia, imposed over the conflict in Ukraine. European Council President Charles Michel acknowledged earlier that debates on new penalties targeting Russia have become more challenging as the bloc has already imposed nearly every possible major sanction on the country and there are “not many things left” to do.

The proposed tenth package of EU sanctions on Russia will reportedly be worth €11 billion ($11.7 billion) and focus on stopping sales of high-tech goods that can be used in weapons systems.

The export blacklist will reportedly include electronics, lasers, radio equipment, software, avionics, marine cameras and rare-earth minerals, as well as other more specific components used in nanotechnology.

Brussels has so far adopted nine sanctions packages on Russia, targeting numerous sectors of the economy, as well as businessmen, politicians, and journalists.
https://www.rt.com/business/571932-eu-fails-new-sanctions-russia/
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22 Feb, 2023 21:36

8) --- US governor blacklists major outlet over ‘blatant lie’

Florida’s Ron DeSantis says he will boycott NBC until the network starts telling the truth

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took an unusual step on Wednesday, informing NBC and MSNBC that he will ignore them until he receives an apology for being falsely accused of racism.

“There will be no consideration of anything related to NBC Universal or its affiliates until and at least Andrea Mitchell corrects the blatant lie she made about the governor… and NBC and its affiliates display a consistent track record of truthful reporting,” DeSantis’ press secretary, Bryan Griffin, said in a statement.

NBC and its affiliates also need to “display a consistent track record of truthful reporting,” Griffin added.

During an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, which aired on ‘MSNBC Reports’ last week, Mitchell claimed DeSantis “says that slavery and the aftermath of slavery should not be taught to Florida schoolchildren” and accused him of being ignorant of “Black history and the Black experience.”

Reacting to Mitchell’s interview, Griffin called it “shameful.”

“This question from [Mitchell] exemplifies everything wrong with corporate media. They’re not accidentally terrible at their jobs – they’re maliciously intent on deceiving people,” he tweeted on Friday. “[DeSantis] never said this, and Florida has extensive black history requirements.”

So far, according to the governor’s office, neither Mitchell nor her network have apologized or retracted the claim.

First elected in 2018 after a term in Congress, DeSantis gained prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic by pushing back on lockdowns and mandates, and declaring Florida would be a free state, not a “biomedical security” state.

Since then, he has also sought to ban what he dubbed racial and gender indoctrination programs, drawing denunciations from Democrats. His parental rights bill banning the promotion of gender identity to preschoolers was denounced by Democrats as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, a label then picked up by most US media outlets.

Earlier this week, National Public Radio criticized DeSantis for banning “gender-affirming” procedures, using the example of a 13-year-old who wanted puberty blockers. Speaking for the governor, Griffin denounced NPR as a “publicly funded propaganda machine” and said Florida refuses to “bow to a radical minority” and intends to “stand for protecting our children and protecting their innocence.”

Though DeSantis has not announced his intent to run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, a faction within the party has argued for him as an alternative to former President Donald Trump. The Democrats’ biggest donor, George Soros, has expressed hope that a DeSantis-Trump split might destroy the Republican Party.
https://www.rt.com/news/571948-desantis-florida-nbc-racism/
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22 Feb, 2023 19:21

9) --- Top politician calls on Scholz to ‘stop’ German foreign minister

Annalena Baerbock is talking herself into a “war frenzy” and might become a “security risk,” the head of Bavaria has warned

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz must “stop” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock before she becomes a “security risk” and pushes Berlin towards a conflict with Moscow with her “thoughtless statements,” Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Soeder said on Wednesday during a German political festival.

The foreign minister and her party – Alliance 90/The Greens – are talking themselves into a “war frenzy” amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Soeder told a crowd of cheering supporters during what is known in Germany as Political Ash Wednesday. Originating in Bavaria, the 100-year-old event allows German politicians to vent and pull no punches about the perceived shortcomings of their political rivals.

Soeder referred in particular to when Baerbock told the European Council in January that the EU was “fighting a war against Russia,” words that sparked uproar at the time. In mid-February, Baerbock herself conceded that the remark was a mistake.

“A foreign minister has to be careful what she says,” Soeder warned during the event in Passau, Bavaria, adding that “an escalation of words can quickly lead to the escalation of violence.” Germany is helping Ukraine but is not at war with Russia, he maintained.

"Mr. Scholz, finally stop Ms. Baerbock,” Soeder said, adding that the foreign minister’s “thoughtless statements” are often “to the detriment of our country.”

Baerbock has emerged as one of the most hardline supporters of Kiev in the German government, repeatedly arguing for increased military aid to Ukraine and criticizing Chancellor Scholz for supposedly not doing enough. She has also supported tougher sanctions on Russia and opposed any compromises.

In October 2022, she said that any concessions to Russia in the conflict would be “naïve.” The minister also maintained that the West should not settle for a peace agreement that would result in Ukraine losing any territory.

Soeder, who has been a prominent figure in the German opposition, previously criticized Berlin for prioritizing military aid to Ukraine over the nation’s own security. In particular, he argued that Germany should not have sent IRIS-T air defense systems to Ukraine and should have instead used them to enhance its own national defense.

https://www.rt.com/news/571943-germany-scholz-stop-baerbock-call/
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22 Feb, 2023 17:18

10) --- State Department explains cutting ties with Soros-funded group

US taxpayers were funding an effort to blacklist conservative news sites, according to research by the Washington Examiner

The US State Department said on Tuesday that it has pulled funding from the George Soros-backed Global Disinformation Index (GDI), after it was revealed that the organization was working to deprive conservative media outlets of advertising revenue.

GDI is a UK-based nonprofit that describes its mission as “disrupting the business of disinformation.” It does this by compiling lists of “high-risk” news and information outlets – predominantly right-leaning and anti-liberal – and passing these on to advertisers, which in turn refuse to run ads on the sites.

According to a recent investigation by the Washington Examiner, GDI received more than $200,000 from the National Endowment for Democracy and around $100,000 from the Global Engagement Center, both entities of the US State Department. The funding is in addition to undisclosed amounts from billionaire financier Soros and the UK Foreign Office, both of which are listed as donors on its website.

GDI’s ‘dynamic exclusion list’ features more than 2,000 websites, and the organization’s CEO, Clare Melford, claims that the blacklisting has “had a significant impact on the advertising revenue of these sites.”

When GDI analyzed American news sites for potential targeting, Republican lawmakers were outraged to discover that conservative and libertarian sites were considered the “ten riskiest online news sources,” and demanded that the State Department pull its funding.

The National Endowment for Democracy told the Washington Times on Tuesday that it “will no longer provide financial support to GDI,” as it “cannot fund anything that focuses on the United States.” A spokesperson for the Global Engagement Center said that its role is to “identify foreign state and non-state disinformation narratives, trends and techniques aimed at undermining… the policies, security or stability of the United States.”

Both of the State Department offshoots remain formidable implements of American soft power. In recent months, the National Endowment for Democracy sponsored a gathering of anti-China officials and delegates in Taiwan, and promoted anti-government news outlets during protests in Iran. The Global Engagement Center, meanwhile, has funded video games to warn children about the dangers of so-called “disinformation,” releasing the games in the UK, Ukraine, Latvia, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.

In the runup to the 2020 election in the US, the Global Engagement Center also played a key role in pressuring Twitter to censor accounts linked “to the Russian government,” despite being unable to prove any ties.
https://www.rt.com/news/571935-state-department-soros-disinformation/
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22 Feb, 2023 09:34

11) --- Wall Street suffers worst day of 2023

The Dow and S&P experienced their steepest declines in two months amid a broader stock market selloff

US stock markets suffered extended losses on Tuesday, as investors brace for further key interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve, following the most recent data on inflation and an unfavorable retail outlook.

According to trading data, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed nearly 700 points down at 33,129, dropping 2.06% in its worst downturn since December 15. The S&P 500 fell 2%, also its biggest decline since December 15, to close at 3,997. All indices ended lower, while consumer discretionary stocks suffered the steepest drop, 3.3%. The Nasdaq Composite fell by 2.50% to 11,492.

While US stocks initially rallied in early 2023, they have lost momentum amid further rate-hike fears. The market-wide drop came ahead of the Fed’s release of the minutes from its January 31 to February 1 meeting, where the regulator hiked rates by 25 basis points.

The market believes the central bank will raise rates by another 25 basis points when it meets in March, and again in May, but is awaiting the minutes to see what the Fed has to say about its further policy.

Tuesday’s selloff also came after the US’ largest retailer, Walmart, issued a cautious outlook for 2023, with full-year earnings expected to be below earlier estimates amid weaker demand and high prices. Walmart CFO John David Rainey told CNBC that consumers are still “very pressured” and buy fewer discretionary items due to stubbornly high grocery costs.

According to data released last week, inflation somewhat cooled in January, rising at an annual rate of 6.4%, but is still far above the 2% target.
https://www.rt.com/business/571893-wall-street-worst-day-selloff/
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