RT News - July 02 2024 (Late) 39 dead in Kenya protests, Orban visits Zelensky.

RT International News: Updates on protests in Kenya - in Mombassa three more people have been killed by police. In Nairobi the protesters have turned violent and continue to call for Pres. Ruto's resignation, now citing corruption as well as no faith in his government. Kenneth Omundi and Noluvuyo Kunge report - saying the protests are now Kenya-wide. Stephene Mundia Mwangi, a High Court Advocate talks about the 39 people who were killed and being remembered by the previously peaceful protesters; the finance Bill was only a symptom of the problems experienced by the young people of Kenya. Is the Kenyan government working for the IMF or the people ?
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Nine Ukrainian jets were destroyed by Russia in just one day (see below)
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Hungarian President Viktor Orban has visited Ukraine and has demanded that President Zelensky engages in peace talks (see below) and commences a ceasefire. On July 1st 2024, Hungary assumed the Chair of the EU Council. George Szamuely (Senior Research Fellow) gives comments on Pres. Orban's visit and says Orban has been pressing for peace since the start of the SMO and that there are clear and present dangers with continuing the conflict.
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Ukraine continues to experience shortage of troops manpower. See today's earlier video post and write up/articles. A decree was signed by Pres. Zelensky in May which would allow Ukrainian prisoners to fight.
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Russia continues to make steady progress in Donetsk and Zaporozhye - please see earlier video post and write up/articles. Murad Gazdiev reports.
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Muhammad Abu Salmiya is finally freed after 7 months of torturous hell in an Israeli prison - please see earlier video post for more full details. His release and others have caused concern for the Netanyahu government who call it a "moral failure" Maria Finoshina reports. Amit Assa gives comments.
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In India 87 people have been killed in a stampede at a religious event (prayer meeting) in Northern India, Hathras district. Stop press - see below for report

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A) Orban pitches ‘quick ceasefire’ to Zelensky 2 Jul, 2024 14:31
1) Nine Ukrainian jets destroyed in one day
2) West wants to drag Belarus into military conflict
3) EU state removing Soviet soldiers’ war graves
4) Ukraine responds to EU nation’s ceasefire proposal
5) BBC presenter calls for Trump to be assassinated
6) Kremlin issues update on Modi visit
7) Russia becomes ‘high income’ country – World Bank
8) Kit Klarenberg's exclusive talk with RT
9) Kenya to turn to debt after tax climbdown
10) Dozens killed in stampede at religious event in India STOP PRESS
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Short take: Protesters clash with police in Kenya in persistent demonstrations despite the government having scrapped a controversial tax bill pushed by the IMF. Locals call for President Ruto to resign. Russia destroys five Ukrainian fighter jets in a single strike. While Hungary’s prime minister visits Kiev to push Vladimir Zelensky to negotiate for peace with Moscow. The head of Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital describes seven months of torture he endured in an Israeli prison while he was incarcerated without any charges.
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A) Orban pitches ‘quick ceasefire’ to Zelensky 2 Jul, 2024 14:31

During a surprise trip to Kiev, the Hungarian prime minister argued that a truce would “speed up” peace negotiations

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has urged Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky to halt military operations against Russia in order to reach a peace deal with Moscow. Orban has long maintained that the Ukraine conflict could spiral into a continent-wide war, and that restoring peace is his government’s foreign policy priority.

Orban arrived in Kiev on Tuesday for a surprise meeting with Zelensky, in his first visit to Ukraine in more than a decade. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Orban said he had asked Zelensky “to think about whether it would be possible to take a break… to reach a ceasefire and start negotiations [with Russia], since a quick ceasefire could speed up these negotiations.”

Orban said that he was “very grateful to Zelensky for his honest answer in this regard.”

The Hungarian prime minister did not reveal Zelensky’s answer, although it is unlikely that the Ukrainian leader shared his enthusiasm for a truce. Despite mounting battlefield losses and protestations from some of his own aides, Zelensky has insisted since 2022 that he will return Ukraine’s former territories – including Crimea – by military force.

However, while Zelensky has not abandoned these goals, he stated last month that Ukraine “does not want to prolong the war,” and will “put a settlement plan on the table within a few months.” In follow-up comments last week, he said intermediaries such as Türkiye or the UN could help broker talks with Moscow.

Orban has pushed for such a plan since the outset of the conflict. Under his leadership, Hungary has refused to supply Kiev with weapons or allow Western arms into Ukraine via its soil. Budapest has also threatened to veto several of the EU’s 14 packages of sanctions on Moscow, agreeing to these measures only after securing concessions from Brussels, including a partial exemption from the EU’s bloc-wide oil embargo and a guarantee that its nuclear sector won’t be affected by future packages.

These positions have placed Orban at loggerheads with Zelensky and the EU leadership in Brussels. “The Brussels bureaucrats want this war, they see it as their own, and they want to defeat Russia,” he wrote in the Magyar Nemzet newspaper on Saturday.

Orban traveled to Kiev a day after Hungary assumed the European Council’s rotating presidency. “The goal of the Hungarian presidency is to contribute to solving the challenges facing the European Union. My first trip therefore led to Kiev,” Orban said in a statement on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

Aside from pushing Zelensky toward a ceasefire, Orban said he used the face-to-face meeting to lobby for the rights of Ukraine’s Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia, whom Budapest argues are treated as second-class citizens by Kiev. The pair also discussed trade, energy, and infrastructure cooperation.

“We are trying to close all previous disputes and focus on the future. We want to improve relations between our countries,” Orban told reporters.
https://www.rt.com/russia/600323-orban-zelensky-ukraine-ceasefire/
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1) Nine Ukrainian jets destroyed in one day 2 Jul, 2024 11:52

The Russian military also intercepted several Western-made missiles and scores of drones, the defense ministry has reported

The Russian military has destroyed nine fighter jets operated by the Ukrainian Air Force in the past 24 hours, the defense ministry reported during a regular briefing on Tuesday.

It had earlier released footage showing an airstrike on Ukraine’s Mirgorod airfield in Poltava Region. A total of seven Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets were destroyed or damaged in the Iskander-M missile strike, the ministry said.

A later update reported that another Su-27 and a MiG-29 had been shot down by Russian air defenses. They also intercepted six British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles, a French-made AASM Hammer glide bomb, a HIMARS rocket and 81 unmanned aircraft, including a Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone, the report said.

Forbes military observer David Axe has called the Mirgorod strike “one of the costliest single days for the battered Ukrainian air arm” since the start of the hostilities in February 2022. He recounted several successful Russian strikes on Ukrainian airfields in recent months.

Source: The Russian Defense Ministry
Kiev has been asking its foreign backers to supply US-manufactured F-16 jets as it continues to lose Soviet-made military aircraft.

The Ukrainian government claims that the aircraft could turn the tide on the battlefield, where Moscow has virtually unchallenged air superiority at the moment. F-16s could also be used to strike targets deep inside Russia, according to Western officials.

The Ukrainian military expects as many as 60 F-16 fighters to be supplied by a number of European countries. But according to Western media, a limited capacity to train Ukrainian pilots has undermined the effort.

Moscow has warned that the continued arming of Ukraine by the US and its allies cannot change the outcome of the conflict, but may drag Western nations into a direct confrontation with Russia.
https://www.rt.com/russia/600310-ukraine-loses-nine-jets/
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2) West wants to drag Belarus into military conflict – Lukashenko 2 Jul, 2024 12:29

The situation along the country’s borders with NATO and Ukraine is “very serious,” the Belarusian president has warned

Western countries “can’t wait” to drag Belarus into their “military squabbles,” Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said, commenting on recent reports of Ukrainian and NATO forces massing along the borders of the country, which is a key Russian ally.

Lukashenko made the remarks during a meeting with Russia’s top MP, Vyacheslav Volodin. The chair of the lower chamber of the Russian parliament is visiting Minsk for the celebration of Belarusian Independence Day on July 3.

”I think you… see what is going on around Belarus. They just can’t wait to drag us into their military squabbles. [They are doing it] in order to make us stretch [our forces] along the border, to make us unable to put up resistance, and to escalate the situation to the point where the whole world will tremble,” Lukashenko said, as quoted by BELTA news agency.

Over the weekend, the Belarusian Defense Ministry issued several statements claiming that Ukraine and NATO countries were gathering troops along the country’s frontiers. Belarus borders NATO members Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, as well as Ukraine and Russia.

According to Belarusian Chief of General Staff Pavel Muraveiko, there are 20,000 NATO soldiers stationed “near” the nation’s borders, including US troops. Those forces are acting as an “irritant” for the country’s military, he said.

On Saturday, the deputy commander of Belarusian special operations forces, Colonel Vadim Lukashevich, claimed tension was increasing along the border between Belarus and Ukraine, and that Kiev was amassing troops, armored vehicles, and missile systems on the 1,000km frontier with its northern neighbor.

The situation is “very serious,” and Minsk must remain on guard, President Lukashenko said.

Belarus is Russia’s close ally, and Russian President Vladimir Putin discusses the situation relating to Ukraine with his counterpart on a regular basis.

While Belarus is not directly involved in the conflict, it allowed Moscow to use its territory for a thrust towards Kiev in the early days of the military operation.

Russia and Belarus held joint non-strategic nuclear force exercises earlier this month. The drills were held in response to the West’s continued escalatory actions in Europe, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who stressed it was important that Russia maintain its combat readiness.

Last year, Moscow placed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus at Minsk’s request. According to Moscow’s new military doctrine adopted in April, the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil serves as a strategic deterrent.
https://www.rt.com/russia/600311-west-drag-belarus-conflict-lukashenko/

=======RELATED from 30 May, 2024 19:06

2a) Belarusian region bordering Ukraine ready for ‘wartime’ – Minsk

Emergency services and civil defense units have a sufficient level of preparedness, the country’s deputy emergencies minister has said

Belarus’ southeastern Gomel Region is prepared for a “wartime” scenario, the nation’s deputy emergencies minister, Aleksandr Khudoleev, told journalists on Thursday during firefighting drills in the area.

The exercise involved assessing the level of preparedness of various state agencies and services, including emergency response teams and civil defense units, to operate during a potential conflict, according to BELTA news agency.

“The region’s systems are generally ready to switch to the wartime [working regime],” the minister said. He added that some additional measures would be taken to further enhance the interoperability of various agencies and ensure a smooth transition in a conflict scenario.

According to Khudoleev, the Gomel Region is the third one in Belarus to host such an exercise. The drills are particularly focused on ensuring the supply of food, fuel, and medicine, as well as maintaining communications in case of military conflict, BELTA reported.

Minsk also held a snap nuclear drill in early May, following a similar move by Russia. After the Kremlin announced the exercise, citing an “unprecedented” escalation of tensions with the US and its allies over Ukraine, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko immediately ordered similar exercises to test the nation’s nuclear-capable weapon systems, including Iskander missile launchers.

Moscow stationed nuclear weapons in Belarus last year, following repeated requests from Minsk. The Belarusian leadership cited aggressive Western policies and the perceived threat posed by US nuclear missiles hosted by several of Washington’s European allies.

Minsk has so far stayed out of the conflict between Kiev and Moscow. Lukashenko stated last month that the crisis would “partially” decide the future of the world. He also criticized Ukraine for risking its statehood and said it had betrayed its past and traditions to secure Western backing.

The conflict has damaged ties between Minsk and the West, which had already been strained since the 2020 Belarusian presidential election. The vote was followed by massive protests openly backed by the EU, and particularly Poland.

In 2023, Warsaw reacted angrily to the decision by Minsk to host Russian nukes. Poland also branded its neighbor a “hostile” state and accused Belarus of “attacking” its border.
https://www.rt.com/russia/598506-belarus-border-region-ukraine-wartime/
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3) EU state removing Soviet soldiers’ war graves – media 2 Jul, 2024 09:14

The exhumed remains could reportedly be reburied without identification

Estonia has started removing gravestones at the tombs of Soviet soldiers at the Tehumardi cemetery on the island of Saarema, the state-run broadcaster ERR has reported.

Excavation work at the gravesite, where about 300 soldiers killed in World War II are buried, began on Monday, the outlet said.

The request for the removal of the burial place was made by the Saaremaa Municipality, Deputy Mayor Liis Lepik told the broadcaster, adding that the remains will be reburied at a cemetery in Vananomme.

The existing tombstones with the names of the soldiers will not be put back in place. Only a sword-shaped obelisk will remain at the spot, but some of the text will be covered up, according to the report.

“This place here will be cleaned up at a later point, and what may become of it the future, we don’t know. Once the remains here are identified and reburied, after that we will not have to mark any graves here,” Lepik said.

It is not entirely clear how many sets of human remains were buried at Tehumardi, according to Arnold Unt, an archaeologist at the Estonian War Museum. The exhumed remains, however, will not undergo DNA analysis, and will simply be reburied, he told EER.

The Estonian government announced plans to relocate the Soviet-era graves in February. The Foreign Ministry in Moscow warned that reburying the remains without the consent of the soldiers’ relatives would not go unanswered. The Russian Embassy in Tallinn branded the decision “another blasphemous act of state vandalism.”

Along with its neighbors Latvia and Lithuania, Estonia has been rolling out a national campaign aimed at so-called de-Sovietization since the start of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Over the past two years, numerous memorials of Soviet soldiers killed in WWII have been dismantled.

The Baltic States were part of the Russian Empire in the 19th century, but declared independence in 1918 in the wake of the October Revolution. After the beginning of World War II, the three nations became part of the Soviet Union. However, shortly thereafter, they were seized by Nazi Germany. The Red Army liberated them from German troops, and they remained Soviet republics until the collapse of the USSR in 1991. The current governments in the nations, which have all joined the EU and NATO, claim this was a period of “Russian occupation” and view the Soviet-era monuments as symbols of oppression.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly condemned attempts to “cancel” Russian culture, urging Western authorities to “stop rewriting history.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/600304-estonia-soviet-graves-relocation/
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4) Ukraine responds to EU nation’s ceasefire proposal 2 Jul, 2024 15:33

Kiev does not agree with a Hungarian plan to stop the conflict, Zelensky’s deputy chief of staff has said

Ukraine is not interested in Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s proposal to halt the fighting with Russia, Vladimir Zelensky’s deputy chief of staff, Igor Zhovkva, has said.

Orban arrived in Kiev on Tuesday in his first visit to Ukraine in more than a decade. Speaking to reporters after meeting Zelensky, the Hungarian PM said he had brought up the idea of a “quick ceasefire” to speed up negotiations.

“[Orban] voiced his opinion,” Zhovkva said on Ukrainian television. “This is not the first country that talks about such possible developments.”

“Ukraine’s position is quite clear, understandable and well-known,” the official continued, noting that a ceasefire “cannot be considered in isolation.”

Kiev is adamant that a settlement is only possible through Zelensky’s ‘peace formula’, he added.

The Ukrainian leader floated a ten-point program in late 2022, which included a Russian withdrawal from all territories that Kiev claims as its own, payment of reparations, and submission to a war crimes tribunal.

Moscow has said it rejects Zelensky’s demands as a non-starter and ridiculous. Last month, President Vladimir Putin presented his terms for starting ceasefire talks, including a full Ukrainian withdrawal from regions that voted to be part of Russia and legally binding guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO.
https://www.rt.com/news/600329-hungary-ukraine-russia-ceasefire/
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5) BBC presenter calls for Trump to be assassinated 2 Jul, 2024 10:20

The comment came after the Republican presidential frontrunner was granted immunity by a US Supreme Court ruling

BBC presenter David Aaronovitch has called for the “murder” of former US President Donald Trump in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Aaronovitch later deleted his message following a backlash, claiming it had been “satire.”

Aaronovitch, the voice behind the British state broadcaster’s Radio 4 program ‘The Briefing Room’, tweeted on Monday: “If I was Biden I’d hurry up and have Trump murdered on the basis that he is a threat to America’s security.” (tweet with a photo of the tweet - the original has been deleted https://x.com/HilaryStratim/status/1808186159933046898 )

The post was accompanied by the hashtag #SCOTUS, indicating that the comment had been triggered by Monday’s confirmation from the US Supreme Court that former presidents have “absolute immunity” from prosecution for their official actions.

Aaronovitch was forced delete the post after an online backlash, and claimed in a follow-up message that he had been accused of inciting violence by “a far right pile.” The presenter insisted his tweet was “plainly a satire.”

On Monday, the highest US court ruled that under “our system of separated powers, the President may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for his official acts.”

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Trump touted the verdict on presidential immunity as a “big win for our Constitution and for democracy.”

President Biden attacked the Supreme Court ruling, urging citizens to “dissent” against the verdict.

US federal prosecutors have charged Trump with four criminal counts related to the 2020 presidential election, alleging that he “conspired” to overturn the results.

The Supreme Court verdict still grants lower courts the right to hold evidentiary hearings to determine whether the actions are official or unofficial. Unofficial acts by the president are not covered by immunity from prosecution.

Trump has repeatedly called his prosecution politically motivated, describing it as a “witch hunt” launched by Biden and his administration.
https://www.rt.com/news/600302-bbc-host-wants-trump-murdered/
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6) Kremlin issues update on Modi visit 2 Jul, 2024 14:28

Preparations for an official trip to Russia by the Indian leader are in their final stages, according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov

Preparations for an official visit to Russia by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have entered the final stages, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Tuesday, adding that Moscow sees the event as “very important.”

The visit comes after Modi secured a third consecutive term as Indian prime minister in last month’s general election.

Media reports have suggested that Modi’s visit has been scheduled for sometime next week, likely July 8. Peskov did not confirm the date but suggested that the Kremlin and New Delhi would announce this soon.

“I can only confirm that the visit is in the final stages of preparation,” he said.

Regional affairs, as well as issues concerning regional and global security, will be “high on the agenda” when Modi meets with Russian President Vladiir Putin, the Kremlin spokesman said.

The two leaders will also discuss bilateral trade and economic relations, Peskov said, noting that Moscow and New Delhi have “mutual political will” to develop cooperation in a number of areas.

“Considering the very trusting nature of the relationship between President Putin and Prime Minister Modi, one can expect that there will be an exchange of opinions on all issues that are on the agenda, and there are many of them,” he added.

The leaders of Russia and India meet each year under the terms of a declaration on strategic partnership. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, regular summits were interrupted and a meeting in 2020 had to be canceled.

Putin visited New Delhi in 2021 and met with Modi during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand in 2022. The Indian prime minister hasn’t made an official trip to Russia since 2019.

Nevertheless, India and Russia have maintained robust ties despite scrutiny from the US and its allies over the Ukraine conflict, and Putin and Modi have continued to hold regular talks over the phone.

Bilateral trade between the two countries has also continued to grow, exceeding a record $65 billion last year, largely driven by India’s increased imports of discounted Russian coal and oil.
https://www.rt.com/russia/600325-modia-russia-visit-update/

=========RELATED FROM 28 Jun, 2024

6a) White House ‘concerned’ over India’s ties with Russia

Washington had earlier signed a pact with New Delhi to prevent the leakage of sensitive technology to “countries of concern”

The White House has expressed “concern” over India’s collaboration with Russia in the defense and technology sectors. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, who visited India along with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan last week, stressed that the US has conveyed its concerns to the Indian side.

“We (the US and India) have many areas of alignment, but it is not surprising that there would be areas where we had perhaps different perspectives, views, historical ties,” he said, as quoted by PTI news agency.

Commenting on India’s ties with Russia, Campbell said the US would take whatever steps it can to “mitigate some of those engagements.”

Following discussions between Sullivan and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval last week, the US and India released a joint statement covering various areas of cooperation. The document notes that the countries have agreed to prevent the leakage of sensitive technology to “countries of concern” – without naming any particular country.

Campbell's statements followed the announcement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Moscow. Modi’s bilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to be his first state visit abroad since the beginning of his third term in office.

Despite intense scrutiny from the West, New Delhi has maintained robust ties with Moscow and abstained from UN declarations condemning Russia over the Ukraine conflict.

Bilateral trade between the two countries surpassed an unprecedented $65 billion last year, largely driven by India’s increased imports of discounted Russian coal and oil. Moscow remains New Delhi’s largest supplier of arms, despite India actively onshoring defense production and diversifying its sources of imports.

India, which has advocated the use of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict, also refused to sign the final document of the recently-held Swiss Peace Summit, as Russia was not invited.
https://www.rt.com/india/600148-white-house-concerned-over-india-russia/
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7) Russia becomes ‘high income’ country – World Bank 1 Jul, 2024 22:35

Moscow’s economic growth has defied Western sanctions

The World Bank’s annual national income rankings, released on Monday, showed that Russia has advanced from “upper middle” to “high” category on the strength of its economic growth.

The bank measures gross national income (GNI) based on a method dating back to 1989, and updates its classifications every July 1, based on the previous calendar year’s GNI per capita. The income is measured in the equivalent of US dollars.

“Economic activity in Russia was influenced by a large increase in military related activity in 2023, while growth was also boosted by a rebound in trade (+6.8%), the financial sector (+8.7%), and construction (+6.6%),” said a post on the World Bank blog.

“These factors led to increases in both real (3.6%) and nominal (10.9%) GDP, and Russia’s Atlas GNI per capita grew by 11.2%,” the bank added.

This economic growth happened even after the US and its allies levied thousands of sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine conflict, openly stating that their goal was to destroy the Russian economy and provoke regime change in Moscow.

To be considered high-income, a country has to have a GNI of over $14,005, adjusted up from $13,845 for the previous fiscal year. The adjustment relies on a weighted average of GDP deflators of China, Japan, the UK, the US, and the Eurozone.

The income classification is supposed to reflect a country’s level of development, using the GNI as “broadly available indicator of economic capacity.”

World Bank figures also showed a trend towards development in South Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, while the Middle East and North Africa were worse off in 2023 than in 1987. By contrast, Europe and Central Asia went from having 71% of high-income countries in 1987 to 69% in the past fiscal year.
https://www.rt.com/business/600294-russia-high-income-world-bank/

=======RELATED from 27 May, 2024

7a) EU state’s president pledges to bring Russia ‘to its knees’

Alar Karis urges the West to keep up pressure on ordinary Russian citizens, to force political “change” in Moscow

Estonian President Alar Karis has claimed that meaningful discussions on ending the Ukraine conflict can only take place when Moscow is fully subdued. The head of state also called on Western nations to attempt to force political change in Russia.

In an interview with the news website Yle on Sunday – ahead of Finnish President Alexander Stubb’s state visit to Tallinn on Monday – Karis expressed skepticism over whether Russia can “change” quickly enough to “respond to our [Western] understanding of democracy.”

He urged Western powers to intensify the pressure on Moscow – referring to sanctions imposed by the EU and US since the start of the conflict – with the goal of fueling public discontent among ordinary Russians.

“We will do everything possible to bring Russia and Putin to their knees,” Karis stressed. “Then it will be possible to start serious negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine.”

Russia had a “chance” when the USSR ended, but then something went “wrong,” and now even regime change and the removal of President Vladimir Putin would not have the effect desired by the West, he argued.

“Maybe you have to wait a little longer, many similar leaders, before change occurs,” he continued.

Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, the Estonian leadership has adopted a hawkish stance towards Moscow, regularly referring to the country as “an aggressor” and an “existential threat” to the Baltic states.

Last week Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas suggested that the conflict between Moscow and Kiev should end with the breakup of the Russian Federation into separate states, arguing that it would bring “a change in society.” She repeatedly urged NATO nations to keep “all options on the table” to ensure that Moscow “loses the war.”

The Kremlin has consistently decried Western involvement in the conflict, accusing NATO of waging a proxy war against Russia. Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that “the acute phase of the military-political confrontation with the West” is currently in “full swing,” with no end in sight, claiming that “many facts” indicate that “Europe as a partner” will remain irrelevant for at least another generation.
https://www.rt.com/russia/598266-eu-states-president-pledges-to/
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8) Kit Klarenberg's exclusive talk with RT https://rumble.com/v553xka-ukraine-proxy-war-is-product-of-british-intelligence-grayzone-investigative.html

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9) Kenya to turn to debt after tax climbdown – president 2 Jul, 2024 13:14

William Ruto declined to sign the 2024 Finance Bill last week after several protesters were killed in clashes

Kenyan President William Ruto says his government will need to borrow more to make up for its budget deficit, following the withdrawal of a contentious IMF-backed tax bill that sparked deadly protests in the East African country.

President Ruto made the statement on Sunday during a roundtable hosted in the State House at the capital, Nairobi, days after he backed down on the 2024 Finance Bill, which contained major tax hikes aimed at generating $2.7 billion in revenue.

Last Tuesday, youth-led protests turned violent when riot police opened fire on crowds of demonstrators who had stormed the National Assembly to protest the tax legislation’s passage, setting a section of the parliamentary building on fire.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported on Monday that riot police had killed 39 people, including a 12-year-old boy, since the unrest began on June 18. At least 361 others have been severely injured in clashes between law enforcement officers and protesters, according to the group.

However, Ruto has stated that only 19 people have been confirmed dead, disputing the higher figures cited by journalists who questioned him at his office on Sunday.

The president said his government had failed to properly present the tax bill to Kenyans. “If I am given a chance to explain to the people of Kenya what the finance bill was all about and what it would have done for them, then every Kenyan would agree with me,” he said.

His decision to drop the legislation last Wednesday, he claimed, has set the country back two years and will force Nairobi to borrow $7.6 billion just “to be able to run our government.”

According to the Kenyan leader, the move will also affect the employment of 46,000 junior secondary school teachers who are currently on temporary contracts, as well as healthcare provision.

“Instead of borrowing 600 billion [Kenyan shillings], we are going to borrow 600 billion plus 346 billion,” Ruto said.

“I have been working very hard to pull Kenya out of a debt trap... It is easy for us, as a country, to say, ‘Let us reject the finance bill.’ That is fine. And I have graciously said we will drop the finance bill, but it will have huge consequences,” he insisted.

According to a recent report by Kenya’s central bank, Nairobi’s domestic and foreign public debt totals more than $80 billion, with debt servicing accounting for approximately 60% of the country’s revenues.

President Ruto, who had promoted the Finance Bill as a necessary reform to secure IMF funding and avoid debt default, has said his government is considering alternative measures, including budget cuts for his office.
https://www.rt.com/africa/600320-kenya-finance-bill-withdrawal-more-borrowing/
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10) Dozens killed in stampede at religious event in India STOP PRESS 2 Jul, 2024

Over 100 people, including children, are believed to have died at a Hindu prayer meeting in Uttar Pradesh

Scores of people were killed and many others injured during a stampede at a religious gathering in India on Tuesday. The victims reportedly included women, and children as young as four.

The tragedy took place in the Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous state. Police said that “suffocation” at the event venue caused people to rush outside, leading to a stampede, according to the Hindustan Times. Officials said that a sermon was being delivered by Bhole Baba, a Hindu preacher. Most of the attendees appeared to be female.

The death toll climbed to 116 by Tuesday evening local time, according to ANI news agency, citing an official.

Footage showing numerous lifeless bodies, mainly of women, both on the ground and being carried in trucks and cars were doing the rounds on social media immediately after the tragedy occurred.

“Suddenly there was pushing and shoving as there were more people than space allowed,” Jyoti, a survivor, told the news agency IANS. “The incident happened after the [sermon] ended, when everyone tried to leave at once,” she said. Other witnesses claimed the local health center where many survivors and the bodies of the deceased were brought had only one doctor available.

Local officials quoted by the media said it was a private event being held with the permission of authorities.

Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of the state, described the situation as “extremely sad and heart-wrenching” on X (formerly Twitter). A team comprising several senior officials has been set up to “investigate the causes” of the accident, he said. “Instructions have been given to the concerned officials to conduct relief and rescue operations on a war footing and to provide proper treatment to the injured.”

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah has said he is “deeply saddened” by the turn of events.

The tragedy coincided with a parliamentary session, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was delivering an address. Modi expressed condolences to the victims’ families and promised 200,000 rupees for the next of kin of those deceased and 50,000 rupees for those injured in the stampede.

Javed Ali Khan, a member of India’s Lower House (Lok Sabha) from Uttar Pradesh, suggested that the government should take more concrete action to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. “Just as the government insists that namaz for Eid be performed in 2-3 shifts, it should implement similar measures for other similar religious events,” he told PTI news agency. Khan represents the Samajwadi Party, a key member of the opposition bloc INDIA.
https://www.rt.com/india/600332-dozens-killed-in-stampede-india/

graphic tweet https://x.com/SudarshanNewsUp/status/1808096030790926484
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