The World Blog by humble servant.

Equity Action Plan” detailing its progress in implementing President Joe Biden’s very first executive order and outlining what the US military intends to do next to embed the idea of “equity” in everything it does – ranging from embracing transgender soliders to making sure artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t racist. The military is committed to having “a holistic strategy for continuing to cultivate enduring and equitable change,” said the document, dated April 13 but made publicly available on Friday. The plan was mandated by executive order 13985, the first thing Biden signed after taking the oath of office in January 2021. As some of the examples of what the Pentagon has already done, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pointed to the February 2021 “stand-down” to warn all DOD personnel of “extremist ideologies” that will not be tolerated in the military, and reversing the Trump administration’s prohibitions on the use of critical race theory and transgender Americans serving in the m...

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) condemned the UK government’s plan to relocate illegal migrants to Rwanda, arguing that people “should not be traded like commodities.” Responding to Thursday’s announcement of a new Migration and Economic Development Partnership between Britain and Rwanda, the UNHCR urged both sides “to re-think” the plans and to refrain from sending asylum seekers and refugees to East Africa for the processing of asylum applications. “People fleeing war, conflict and persecution deserve compassion and empathy. They should not be traded like commodities and transferred abroad for processing,” UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Gillian Triggs said in a statement. In her opinion, the initiative not only shifts asylum responsibilities and increases risks for migrants but also contradicts “the letter and spirit of the Refugee Convention.” The UNHCR also pointed to the UK’s obligation “to ensure access to asylum for those seeking ...

ussian forces have almost completely destroyed the Ukrainian defense industry and are “finishing off” the civilian one, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Alexey Arestovich, claimed on Thursday. Commenting on the most recent round of the negotiations between Kiev and Moscow, which took place earlier this week in Istanbul, Arestovich underlined that any “large-scale military aggression and peace agreement are always compromises between the sides.” “Because both sides suffer losses. If you think that we do not suffer losses, then you are deeply mistaken. They have practically destroyed our military industry and in many ways are finishing it off. And in many ways they are finishing off the civilian one, deliberately destroying it,” he explained. Ukraine ready to fulfill key Russian demands – MoscowREAD MORE: Ukraine ready to fulfill key Russian demands – Moscow He claimed that Russia’s goal is to reduce Ukraine to a state when “no one would be interested” in it, “like a destr...

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday that President Joe Biden will not be visiting Ukraine, a day after Biden himself said he’s ready to make the trip. A procession of world leaders have traveled to Kiev in recent weeks, and although Biden won’t be joining them, Republican lawmakers are already there, demanding more arms for the Zelensky government. Asked on Thursday whether he’s ready to travel to Kiev, Biden told a reporter “yes.” However, Psaki appeared on the ‘Pod Save America’ podcast a day later to pour cold water on these apparent plans. “He’s ready for anything,” Psaki said of Biden, before adding: “we are not sending the president to Ukraine.” While Biden has pledged US support to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government, a trip to Poland last month was the closest he personally came to Ukraine since Russia launched its military offensive there in February. Psaki said on Friday that actually entering Ukraine from Poland would involve an “eight-ho...

The highest-earning Kremlin official in 2021 was not President Vladimir Putin but his aide and namesake Vladimir Medinsky. The former culture minister, now special presidential assistant who led the recent peace talks with Ukraine, earned 106.8 million rubles – approximately $1.28 million – last year, nearly ten times more than his boss. Medinsky’s income jumped sixfold from 17.6 million rubles in 2020, while his wife went from a 47.9 million-ruble income to 77.3 million. This is according to the annual property declarations published by the Kremlin on Friday. A 2008 law aimed at combating corruption made it mandatory for public officials to declare their income, property and real estate possessions. Rounding off the top three richest Kremlin officials were head of the Expert Management office Vladimir Simonenko with 95.8 million rubles, and deputy Security Council secretary Oleg Khramov with 38 million. Medinsky led the Russian negotiating team in the Istanbul talks with Ukraine a...

State Department spokesman Ned Price told CNN on Friday that “nothing will dissuade” the Biden administration from funneling weapons to Ukraine. Earlier, Russia reportedly sent a diplomatic cable to Washington warning of “unpredictable consequences” if these arms shipments continue. “The Russians have said some things privately, they have said some things publicly; nothing will dissuade us from the strategy that we’ve embarked on,” Price told CNN’s Kate Bolduan. If the Kremlin is concerned that the Biden administration is “providing billions of dollars worth of security assistance to our Ukrainian partners … then we’re guilty as charged,” he added. The US has sent more than $2.5 billion worth of arms and other military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its offensive in February. Initially shipping thousands of anti-tank missiles and ammunition to the war-torn country, the Biden administration has more recently forwarded heavier weapons to the government of Ukrainian President Vol...

The Ukrainian government is preparing a false-flag attack against a railway station filled with civilian refugees, in order to accuse Russia of war crimes, the Russian military announced on Friday. Moscow cited intelligence to name the target, method, and even point of origin of the impending attack, which it said was patterned after the recent carnage in Kramatorsk. “The Kiev regime is preparing another monstrous provocation, similar to the one carried out in Kramatorsk, to accuse Russian servicemen of war crimes with a massacre of civilians,” Lieutenant General Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the National Defense Management Center, said on Friday afternoon. According to Mizintsev, the 19th Missile Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine intends “in the near future” to fire a Tochka-U tactical ballistic missile at “the accumulation of refugees at the railway station” at Lozovaya – a city in the Kharkov region and a major rail junction. In order to make the strike look like it came from t...

Every German should contribute to reducing the nation’s dependence on Russian energy, federal Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck told the Funke Media Group on Friday, as he called on fellow citizens to start reducing their energy consumption, while offering several tips. “As a rule of thumb, I would say: saving 10% is always possible,” Habeck said, urging “everyone to make a contribution to saving energy now” and announcing a government campaign. The Green politician said saving energy is not only part of the effort to “become more independent from Russian imports,” but also a “big joint project” that will help Germany in the long run. “It will make it easier on the wallet and annoy [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” the minister said, adding that “we will protect climate on top of that.” The list of measures suggested by the minister involves using bicycles instead of cars, and “not just on Sundays,” as well as allowing people to work from home, as it had been duri...

Several buyers of Russian natural gas have agreed to switch to payment in rubles, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday. “We expect the decision [to switch to rubles] from other importers,” Novak added, in comments published in the ministry’s magazine, without disclosing the identities of the customers who have already switched. The deputy PM noted that EU countries will likely not be able to completely replace Russian energy in the next 5-10 years. It is impossible to talk about guaranteeing Europe’s energy security without Russian resources, he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that some Western countries are failing to pay on time for deliveries of Russian energy. Last month, Putin signed a decree that requires a new payment procedure for Russian gas starting on April 1, for buyers from hostile nations. The measure concerns countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia and have frozen its foreign reserves. Russia has instructed buy...

Anti-Asian sentiments are on the rise in the US and they are being covered up by the country’s authorities, China’s largest human rights NGO has claimed. On Friday, the China Society for Human Rights Studies published a report entitled, ‘Increasing Racial Discrimination Against Asians Exposes Overall Racist Nature of U.S. Society’. Noting that while the problem of discrimination and violence against Asian Americans cannot be considered a new one, the authors of the report argue that the coronavirus outbreak, which supposedly started in China before turning into a global pandemic, “has exposed various racial discrimination problems existing in the society.” China to restrict visas for US officialsREAD MORE: China to restrict visas for US officials According to the AAPI Hate, a national coalition that tracks and responds to racially motivated hate crimes towards Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, more than 9,000 anti-Asian incidents took place between March 2020 and June 2021, d...

The sovereign debt of Italy has set another record, nearly €2.74 trillion, the country’s central bank reported on Friday. According to the latest data published by the Bank of Italy, the nation’s debt increased by 2.1% compared to December. In monetary terms, the growth totaled nearly €59 billion. “This is a historical record! If we were talking about the debt of each family, then it would amount to €104,482 – a debt for a heart attack,” Massimiliano Dona, the president of Italy’s National Consumers Union, said regarding the latest surge. Italy’s national debt began growing in January, when, after a two-month break, it again exceeded €2.7 trillion. READ MORE: Number of EU country’s farms at risk of closure revealed The previous all-time high was reached in August 2021, when it amounted to €2.735 trillion. By December, it dropped to €2.6784 trillion, making up 150% of the country’s GDP. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section

Sri Lanka’s state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) on Friday started rationing the amount of fuel available at pumps. The bankrupt country defaulted on its foreign debt payments this week, and food and energy shortages have triggered mass protests against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government. Motorists in cars, vans, and SUVs will be limited to 19.5 liters of fuel per purchase, while motorcyclists will be restricted to four, French state-media AFP reported. Motorists will also be banned from filling fuel cans. The CPC controls around two thirds of Sri Lanka’s fuel market, with Lanka IOC – a local subsidiary of the Indian Oil Corporation – controlling the rest. Government officials told AFP that Lanka IOC would likely follow suit and introduce rationing at its own stations in the near future. Filling stations across the country are running out of fuel, while cooking gas is also in short supply, with Litro Gas – Sri Lanka’s main distributor – saying it won’t have any avail...

Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Israel has condemned all that support the propaganda of these Nazi hunter calls .Ukraine Azov fighters are neo-Nazis .Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Efraim Zuroff tells media to stop the charade as press agents for bigots and celebrities who rasie money should ask for it back these are Ukrainian Neo-Nazis . The Western media have club together to white-wash Ukrainian Neo-Governments and media across the West have also in a INTERCESSORY evil combine .We insist that claims about “Azov” and others. “It’s not Russian propaganda, far from it,” Zuroff . “These people are neo-Nazis. There is an element of the ultra-right in Ukraine and it’s absurd to ignore it.” We won't Stand for the continue charade being play out.You will be label Anti Semite bigots and are supporters of Antisemitism from here on. We start we Ashton Kuchter and Sean Penn we add Blinken and self hater austin we add the dry up prune queen nancy pelosi with her old ugly self bi...

The situation in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol is “catastrophic,” and the Ukrainian forces are largely to blame for it, a UK citizen identified as Aiden Aslin, who reportedly fought in the city, said in a video obtained by RT. The British man apparently surrendered to Russian forces along with Ukrainian marines earlier this week. Aslin said that when he joined the Ukrainian military in 2018, he believed he was with the “good side.” He explained that the situation in Mariupol was “an eye-opener” for him, claiming he sought to convince his commanders to leave the city, but they chose to stay, not least because Kiev supposedly wanted them to stay. “The situation in Mariupol is catastrophic. It could have been avoided should Ukraine have left but they chose to stay. Zelensky had a big role [in this decision]. He could have told them to leave but they stayed. I did not want this, I wanted to leave because we do not need war,” Aslin can be seen saying in the video. What he saw in t...

Russia has reportedly sent a formal diplomatic note to the US this week in which it warned that the further arming of Ukraine by Washington and allies could lead to “unpredictable consequences,” claims a report by the Washington Post published on Friday. The outlet says that it has seen a copy of the document, which was sent as US President Joe Biden approved an $800 million military aid package, representing a major expansion in the scope of weapons provided to Kiev. As the total amount of US military aid to Ukraine since February 24 has reached over $2.5 billion, the note was reportedly forwarded to the State Department by the Russian Embassy in Washington on Tuesday, April 12 and was titled “On Russia’s concerns in the context of massive supplies of weapons and military equipment to the Kiev regime.” The Washington Post claims that in the letter Russia deemed “multiple launch rocket systems” as “most sensitive” and accused the US and its NATO allies of violating “rigorous princ...

Russia is planning to increase the use of the ruble in energy exports, but no deadlines have been set for the payment switch, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. “The president has set a methodical and step-by-step approach to expanding the use of national currencies,” Peskov told reporters in a conference call on Friday. The statement comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in late March that Russia would only accept payment for gas exports in rubles from countries deemed “hostile” by the Kremlin due to their sanctions policies. Putin ordered the government to take necessary steps to switch all payments for gas sales to Russian currency from April 1. According to the Kremlin, the change concerns nations that introduced penalties against Russia with the intention of damaging the country’s economy, which includes most EU member states. According to Peskov, it is too early to talk about deadlines and details concerning the expansion of the measure.

Despite Taiwan paying billions of dollars to US defense manufacturers, Washington has failed to honor its contractual obligations and still has not delivered $14.2 billion worth of military equipment that the island nation has ordered since 2019, according to a Defense News report published on Thursday. Sourcing a congressional staffer, the outlet concluded that the delay has occurred due to the disruption of supply chains caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, some US lawmakers are concerned that the delay in Washington’s defense shipments has put Taiwan’s security in danger by undermining its ability to deter a potential Chinese invasion. “We need to make sure that we provide Taiwan with the assistance that they need so that they’re not vulnerable to [Beijing’s aggression]. We best not forget about Taiwan because China’s actions have been more and more provocative,” stated US Representative Steve Chabot last week amid a special meeting dedicated to the three-year backlog. A...

Moscow sees Ukraine’s hardcore nationalist units as a threat to peace in the country and is working to destroy them, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained on Friday. Moscow stated that a crackdown on far-right forces in Ukraine, many of which adhere to various kinds of neo-Nazi ideology, was one of the goals for the Russian troops operating in Ukraine. Peskov said it remained a priority. “In places where there are no nationalist battalions to take peaceful populations hostage [or] shoot up social sites, houses, peaceful life takes hold,” he outlined. “In places where the nationalist battalions do those things, there is intensive fighting. There, they are all subject to being destroyed.” “The [military operation] continues and the objectives are well known. They have to be achieved and they will be achieved,” the official said. Ukrainian nationalist fighters played an important role in the Western-backed 2014 Maidan in Kiev, which ousted the country’s democratically-elected pre...

President Biden @POTUS · 1h United States government official Jill and I join our fellow Christians in observing Good Friday. Today, we remember Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, pray for all who suffer, and seek to love others as God has loved us.t See new Tweets Conversation johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 4m 1I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no Savior but Me. 12 alone decreed and saved and proclaimed—I, and not some foreign god among you. So you are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “that I am God. johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 4m Isaiah 45:5 I am the LORD. johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 3m There is no other God; I am the only God. I will make you strong, even though you don’t know me. johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 3m Matthew 22:37-40-37-40 johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 3m The Message from Jesus,everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on...

The UK could become a “transit” country for natural gas supplies to Europe this summer, the Daily Telegraph reported Friday, citing data by British energy giant National Grid. Europe, which relies on Russia for about 40% of its natural gas, seeks to cut imports by two-thirds in 2022. National Grid predicts a surge in gas exports from Britain to Europe during the six months to September as the continent starts to refill storage sites ahead of next winter. It estimates that exports could reach 5.1 billion cubic meters this summer. According to the energy firm, gas is piped into Britain from the North Sea, Norway, and from ships sent from all over the world in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG). It can then be sent on to Europe via pipelines to Belgium and Holland. “There is a high uncertainty around Russian gas supplies going into the summer and Europe may have to rely on LNG, including via the GB [British] market and interconnector flows, to refill its storage stocks,” National...

China’s government is not planning to release the country’s massive reserves of grain to provide much-needed relief to Western nations that are bracing for historically high food prices, Chinese local media outlet Xinjiang Daily reported on Friday. “Some foreign media have recently claimed that the build-up of Chinese grain reserves supposedly 'portended' the [Russian-Ukrainian] conflict by causing a rise in prices in the global grain markets, they even called on China to free up 20% of its grain stocks to save the European market.” the newspaper reported, adding that the demands are “absurd and inadequate.” In December, the US Department of Agriculture estimated that China is expected to have 69% of the globe’s maize reserves in the first half of the crop year 2022, 60% of its rice and 51% of its wheat. Russia expands list of regions that can supply grain to ChinaREAD MORE: Russia expands list of regions that can supply grain to China The report highlights that grain price...

Slovakia’s Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad has likened Vladimir Putin to Nazi Germany's leader Adolf Hitler over Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The Russian president “is equal to Hitler,” Nad claimed in an interview published by the New York Times on Thursday. The minister, whom the paper described as a “gung-ho supporter of Ukraine,” insisted that Putin had to be stopped before he could move further to the West – despite Moscow never having voiced such plans. Slovakia, a country of 5.5 million, shares 97km (60 miles) of its border with Ukraine. It joined the US-led NATO military bloc in 2004. “Ukraine is literally fighting for our future,” Nad said, explaining Bratislava’s decision to send its aged Russian-made S-300 air defense systems to Kiev earlier this month. Before the conflict in the neighboring country, it would have been unimaginable for Slovakia to give away sophisticated weapons for free, “but this is the world’s new reality,” he said. “We are a frontline state. We ha...

Late Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed that the Russian Black Sea flagship the Moskva had sunk after a fire was triggered by an unconfirmed cause. There is no independent confirmation of what happened amidst the sea of Ukrainian propaganda, which was quick to claim Kiev’s forces had struck the vessel with a Neptune missile. Meanwhile, the United States had also confirmed a new $800 million package of military aid to Kiev, including new heavier weapons, while EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had recently affirmed a commitment for Kiev to win on the ‘battlefield’. As Moscow gears up for a new offensive to secure the Donbass region, it should be abundantly clear that the Western powers are not seeking to resolve the conflict or secure peace, but to escalate it and transform it into a fully-fledged proxy war against Russia. Apart from its own invasions, bombings, coups, and regime change attempts imposed on countries around the world, one of America’s preferred met...

Sweden and Finland will lose part of their sovereignty while compromising their security if they join NATO, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned on Friday, referring to the two nations’ expected requests for formal membership in the US-led military bloc. Sweden and Finland have long been close to the organization but have maintained formal nonalignment with NATO since the Cold War. Both may soon apply for membership amid the ongoing security crisis in Ukraine. The Russian ministry warned that Sweden and Finland would not gain anything by moving forward with the plan. NATO membership “is unlikely to help build Sweden’s and Finland’s international prestige,” spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a comment released by the Russian ministry. She said the two nations will lose the opportunity to act as “conveyors of many constructive, unifying initiatives” as they did in the past. “Naturally the choice belongs to the authorities of Sweden and Finland. But they should realize the consequenc...

The office of Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Friday that he signed a bill into law that allows the assets of business entities that support Russia to be frozen. The document also provides for a ban on imports of Russian coal. “The law on special measures” was adopted to protect national security, the document said. It provides for a freezing of funds and other assets of individuals and legal entities, which will be included in a special list maintained by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration. The ministry will update the list on its own or at the request of special services and other government bodies. The ban on the import of Russian coal to Poland also applies to private firms. Failure to comply with it will lead to penalties, which include imprisonment. Since the start of the military conflict in Ukraine, Warsaw has been calling for a complete ban on Russian energy. Last month, the EU nation said it will end all Russian energy imports, including oil, gas, ...

A group of NATO warships belonging to the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) have started arriving in the Baltic Sea to partake in joint exercises with allied and partnered nations, with some having already docked in a port in Tallinn, Estonia, according to a NATO press release published on Thursday. The bloc announced the move on Monday, saying “NATO regularly deploys maritime forces in the Blatic Sea in order to maintain a credible and capable defensive capability in accordance with treaty obligations.” The SNMG1 consists of flagships from the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom, while the SNMCMG1 is composed of Norwegian, Belgian, German, Estonian, British and Dutch mine layers and minesweepers. These are two of a total of four task groups comprising ships from various allied countries that are continuously available to NATO to perform different tasks ranging from participation in exercises to operati...

US President Joe Biden has been widely mocked following a public appearance on Thursday. After delivering a speech in North Carolina, he appeared to offer a handshake with no one there to receive it. The president visited North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro to make a 40-minute address on the economy. After finishing his remarks on how his administration has worked to rebuild supply chains and kickstart an economic recovery, Biden turned right and stretched his hand out as if he was offering it for a handshake. He then turned his back to the audience and stood for a second or two, before walking off the stage. Biden’s political opponents interpreted the hand gesture as the latest episode of apparent confusion, which the 79-year-old politician has demonstrated on several occasions during his presidency. Richard Grenell, who served as US ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence in the Trump administration, called it a moment of “weakness” ...

Russia’s demand for ruble payments for natural gas cannot be fulfilled, according to Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, who says doing so would breach EU sanctions. “We cannot pay in rubles; Russia introduced a double billing scheme from euro to rubles, this is impossible as it would mean bypassing sanctions against the [Russian] Central Bank,” Di Maio said in an interview with Italy’s Radio 24. According to him, Russia has imposed an embargo against itself “from a technical point of view.” Di Maio also said the Italian government is currently working on new channels for supplies of natural gas, adding that Prime Minister Mario Draghi had already visited Algeria, and was planning to negotiate on extra supplies with Angola and Congo in the near future. ‘Unfriendly’ West delaying payments for Russian energy – Putin “I am convinced that Italy should not tolerate any form of blackmail. We need to diversify the supplies, we haven’t done it yet, but we have to,” he said. In March, ...

Billionaire Elon Musk has responded to Saudi Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, after he refused to sell his share in Twitter under the terms proposed by the American. The Tesla CEO made an offer to buy out Twitter for $41 billion, and the Saudi entrepreneur was the first major stock owner to say no. Responding to Al Waleed’s public rejection of the bid, Musk tweeted two questions: “How much of Twitter does the Kingdom own, directly & indirectly?” and “What are the Kingdom’s views on journalistic freedom of speech?” The Saudi businessman, one of the richest men in the Arab world, invested $300 million in Twitter in 2011. In 2015, after the company went public, he reported owning around 5% directly and through his firm, Kingdom Holding Company. He is currently estimated to own 4.4% of Twitter’s stock. Musk became one of the largest Twitter shareholders after buying a 9.1% stake, a fact that he disclosed earlier this month. He rejected a seat on the company’s board and instead went for ...

The Chinese military has staged a large-scale naval and aerial patrol mission and held drills near Taiwan amid a visit by US lawmakers to the self-governed island. Following the arrival of the American delegation to Taipei on Thursday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry demanded that the US “stop official exchanges with Taiwan and avoid going further down the dangerous path.” This was followed by a show of force on Friday as destroyers, bombers, fighter jets and other equipment from various branches of the Chinese People's Liberation Army were sent on a combat readiness patrol mission in the Taiwan Strait. Drills were also held that simulated a surprise attack at sea, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command, said. According to Shi, the move was a response to the “wrong signals” about Taiwan coming from the US. Despite being destined to fail, Washington’s “tricks” were still dangerous, the spokesman stated. “Those who play with fire will get burnt,” he...

US credit rating agency Moody’s has raised a red flag over Russia’s sovereign debt, saying the nation may face its first major default on foreign bonds since the years following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. The warning comes days after Russia made a payment on two sovereign bonds, maturing in 2022 and 2042, in rubles rather than dollars as mandated by the terms of the securities. This was after the US blocked attempts by Russia to pay the debt in dollars held in American bank accounts. Russia “therefore may be considered [in] default under Moody’s definition if not cured by 4 May, which is the end of the grace period,” the New York-based agency said in a statement released on Thursday. READ MORE: Russia responds to CNN’s default claim “The bond contracts have no provision for repayment in any other currency other than dollars.” The firm said that while some Russian Eurobonds issued after 2018 allow payments in rubles under certain conditions, those issued before 2018, includi...

Moscow has announced that its Kalibr cruise missiles struck a missile factory outside Kiev, overnight, and has promised more assaults on the Ukrainian capital should Ukraine continue its attacks on Russian territory. Russia earlier accused Ukraine of shelling its Belgorod and Bryansk regions on Thursday, leaving eight residents injured, including a two-year-old boy and his pregnant mother. A Russian warship was used to destroy the Vizar military factory outside Kiev, which was building and repairing anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said on Friday. Konashenkov warned that Moscow will “increase the number and scale of missile strikes” on the Ukrainian capital in response to attacks on Russian soil. He had issued a similar warning on Wednesday. Russia claimed that Ukrainian helicopters crossed the border on Thursday, flying close to the ground and attacking the village of Klimovo in the Bryansk Region bordering Ukraine. ...

A Ukrainian military helicopter which conducted an attack a Russian village, on Thursday, was hit with an S-400 long-range missile as it was returning to base, the Russian Defense Ministry has claimed. The Soviet-designed Mil Mi-8 helicopter was taken down near the town of Gorodnya in Ukraine’s Chernigov Region, the ministry said at a morning press briefing on Friday. The area is located around 30km from the Russian border. The helicopter, according to the ministry, was used in the April 14 attack on the village of Klimovo in Russia’s Bryansk Region on the other side of the border, leaving eight residents injured, including a two-year-old boy and his pregnant mother. Russia said two Ukrainian helicopters fired at least six missiles at the village after approaching at low altitude. The S-400 is one of the most advanced long-range air defense systems in the world, and is produced by Russian company Almaz Antey. According to the specifications, it can hit targets at a range of up to 40...

johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 13s Replying to @e7johnny Opinions are like assholes everybody got one.Facts are better than double agents. johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 13s Ukraine Chronicle 401. The Super Imperialism, describing not only an asymmetrical relationship that the US dollar has to the global economy. By The humble servant. April 09, 2022 What is the US dollar hegemony? johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 13s The term monetary hegemony appeared in Michael Hudson's Super Imperialism, johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 12s describing not only an asymmetrical relationship that the US dollar has to the global economy, but the structures of this hegemonic edifice that Hudson felt supported it, namely the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 11s Weaknesses of the U.S. Dollar The fundamental weakness of the U.S. dollar is that it is only valuable through government fiat. johnnie ellington @e7johnny · 11s This weakness is shared by every other maj...

India has received an order of Russian S-400 air defense systems, according to local media, with officials stating the shipments would continue despite Western efforts to force countries around the world to scuttle relations with Moscow over its ongoing military campaign in Ukraine. The missile platforms arrived in the country by air and sea and have since been deployed in “designated locations,” senior government officials told India Today on Thursday, noting the S-400s are “now operational.” “We are continuing to receive our consignments without any delays or issues, and the latest consignment of overhauled engines was received a few days ago despite the war [in Ukraine],” one unnamed official said. Russia is a top arms supplier to the Indian military, which is currently “stockpiling spares and equipment,” the sources added, though they said those efforts may encounter difficulties in the future due to Western sanctions and “banking system restrictions” on Moscow. India defies W...

CIA Director William Burns has outlined the major threats facing the United States, pointing to China’s rise on the world stage and Russia’s ongoing military offensive in Ukraine as the top challenges, while declaring that US intelligence has entered a “new era.” Speaking at the Georgia Institute of Technology on Thursday in his first public speech ever as the agency's head, Burns argued that “an increasingly adversarial China and a pugnacious and revisionist Russia” have forced the Langley to “reimagine itself to compete successfully in this new age.” “Xi Jinping’s China is our greatest challenge, in many ways the most profound test the CIA has ever faced,” Burns continued. “As an intelligence service, we have never had to deal with an adversary with more reach.” It seeks to overtake us in literally every domain, from economic strength to military power, and from space to cyberspace. Calling China a “silent partner” in Russia’s “aggression” against Ukraine, the intelligence ...

NATO planners are updating the US “nuclear sharing” program to account for most European allies planning to buy F-35 joint strike fighter jets, the military bloc’s director of nuclear policy said this week. Lockheed Martin’s fifth-generation fighter has been embraced by multiple US allies, including most recently Germany, despite the Pentagon’s own misgivings about the program. “We’re moving fast and furiously towards F-35 modernization and incorporating those into our planning and into our exercising and things like that as those capabilities come online,” Jessica Cox, director of the NATO nuclear policy directorate in Brussels, said on Wednesday, adding that “By the end of the decade, most if not all of our allies will have transitioned” to the F-35. Cox spoke during an online discussion hosted by the Advanced Nuclear Weapons Alliance Deterrence Center (ANWA DC), a US think tank, according to Defense News. Her remarks come a month after Berlin said Germany would replace its aging...