World Politics

[Tracker]

7 minutes ago, Mark F said:

"The US Department of Justice said in June the US and its allies have frozen $30bn of Russian elite assets and $300bn of Russian central bank assets held overseas."

After his fuckery with Trump, 2016 election, he might have hadan inkling that some powerful Americans were unhappy with him.  Yet, in exchange  for nothing, he gave them the opening to punish him.

which they are doing.

 it's clear that Putin is just not very smart. 

Apparently there are about $600 billion in frozen international assets awaiting adjudication. That ought to buy a lot of bricks and mortar but not the lives lost.

[Mark F]

3 minutes ago, Brandon said:

I assume they are playing the long game to prevent a giant war and hope that Putin is "removed" from within Russia. 

yes  most likely.

after his buddies lose their cash..... 

Edited November 15, 2022 by Mark F

[bustamente]

55 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

And do what? Plunge the world into a thermonuclear war? 

Step up their presence in all border countries that belong to NATO with the warning that any attack on them will be considered an act of war and retaliation will be swift, if his army is any indication most of his nuclear arsenal will explode in their silos

Edited November 15, 2022 by bustamente

[TrueBlue4ever]

9 minutes ago, bustamente said:

Step up their presence in all border countries that belong to NATO with the warning that any attack on them will be considered an act of war and retaliation will be swift, if his army is any indication most of his nuclear arsenal will explode in their silos

Do you want to be in the country where the exception to “ most of the arsenal” lands? Even 10% success rate of all launched nukes would be fairly devastating for life on the planet. 

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, Tracker said:

And a Russian missile crossed over "by accident" into Poland, killing two people today. 

                                                     

[SpeedFlex27]

4 hours ago, bustamente said:

Step up their presence in all border countries that belong to NATO with the warning that any attack on them will be considered an act of war and retaliation will be swift, if his army is any indication most of his nuclear arsenal will explode in their silos

What kind of attack? Boots on the ground? You're really walking on thin ice if you think an attack on Russia is the answer. 

[bustamente]

5 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

What kind of attack? Boots on the ground? You're really walking on thin ice if you think an attack on Russia is the answer. 

Boots on the ground, no but there are other ways to get your point across

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

6 hours ago, Tracker said:

                                                     

My Guess... missile was probably fired from Belarus. 

Curious to see what happens now. Invoke NATO article 4- discuss what measures are to be taken...  

 

NATO goes to war with... Belarus?

Edited November 16, 2022 by Wanna-B-Fanboy

[JCon]

Still waiting on the determination of who launched the rocket. Everything is pointing to the Ukrainian defense. Deep breath, everyone. 

[bustamente]

Apparently it was an Ukrainian air defense missile trying to intercept incoming Russian missile

Edited November 16, 2022 by bustamente

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ukraine-invasion-day-266-1.6653070

Quote

NATO ambassadors held an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss a missile that hit Poland close to the Ukrainian border and killed two people, with at least two alliance members calling for steps to strengthen air defence on the military alliance's eastern wing.

The Brussels gathering was chaired by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who later told the media there was "no indication that this was the result of a deliberate attack." There was no evidence that Russia had launched an offensive attack on a NATO member, he said.

Stoltenberg said it appeared that the missile that landed on a grains facility in Poland was a Ukrainian air defence missile. That echoed what U.S. President Joe Biden earlier told G7 and NATO partners, according to a source who spoke to Reuters.

Poland said it was still analyzing the possibility of launching NATO's Article 4 procedure, but Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki admitted on Wednesday it may not be necessary. President Andrzej Duda, speaking at the same press conference in Warsaw, said there were no signs of an intentional attack on Poland and that the rocket was probably used by Ukrainian air defence.

The incident initially raised global alarm that the Ukraine war could spill into neighbouring countries. Stoltenberg stressed the incident was "not Ukraine's fault" and put the blame on Russia and its President Vladimir Putin for creating "dangerous situations" that could have deadly consequences.

It's still Russia's fault. They're the chucklefucks who started this ****.

[Tracker]

11 hours ago, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:

My Guess... missile was probably fired from Belarus. 

Curious to see what happens now. Invoke NATO article 4- discuss what measures are to be taken...  

 

NATO goes to war with... Belarus?

Doubt it would be war at this point, but perhaps they will choose to fund and equip opposition forces in Belarus or cut it off completely from Europe.

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/china-justin-trudeau-xi-1.6653939

Quote

Xi Jinping's threatening rebuke of Justin Trudeau was a rare and surprising move by the Chinese president, and highlighted the disregard he has for the Canadian prime minister, according to some experts and former diplomats. 

"He certainly wouldn't speak like that to the U.S. president. So it does suggest that Mr. Xi has a degree of disdain for the prime minister and does not see Canada as an important partner," said Charles Burton, senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and a former diplomat to China.

Burton said he found the language used by Xi during his interaction with Trudeau at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, to be "quite dismissive and threatening," indicating that any illusions the government has that China respects Canada as an influential nation in the world have long since disappeared.

"I just think in general, it was very unpleasant. I found it highly offensive on the part of his intent," Burton said.

"We have not seen the president of China engaging in this really quite undiplomatic, rough language with a counterpart leader of another country."

[Mark F]

bribery....India:  selling votes.   at least they are honest about their bribery.

 

Calling it a “constitutionally correct” principle, the Centre on Tuesday backed in the Supreme Court a 1998 ruling that shields MPs and MLAs from prosecution if they accept bribes in lieu of their votes

"The Constitution bench judgment in 1998 came after criminal prosecutions were sought to be launched in the wake of 10 MPs belonging to the JMM and the Janata Dal casting their votes to defeat a no-confidence motion moved in the Lok Sabha against the minority government of Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao in 1993. 

The Supreme Court at that time held that the bribe-taking MPs who voted on the no-confidence motion are entitled to immunity from criminal prosecution for the offences of bribery and criminal conspiracy conferred on them by Article 105(2) of the Constitution. "

hindustan times

Edited November 17, 2022 by Mark F

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, blue_gold_84 said:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/china-justin-trudeau-xi-1.6653939

Xi is a dictator with blood on his hands and around a million Uighurs Tibetans and other minorities in "re-education" prisons. Criticism from someone of that ilk is praise. China is still PO'd that Canada excluded Xiomi from supplying high-tech communications equipment to Canada and daring to criticize China for setting up "stations" to ostensibly help Chinese who migrated to Canada but really to spy on and threaten reprisals to them if they speak out against China.

[Tracker]

 

                              

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/nord-stream-pipeline-investigation-1.6656126

Quote

Investigators have found traces of explosives at the site of the damaged Nord Stream gas pipelines, confirming sabotage had taken place, a Swedish prosecutor said on Friday.

Swedish and Danish authorities are investigating four holes in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines which link Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea and have become a flashpoint in the Ukraine crisis as gas supplies in Europe run short.

Denmark last month said a preliminary investigation had shown that the leaks were caused by powerful explosions.

"Analysis that has now been carried out shows traces of explosives on several of the objects that were recovered," the Swedish Prosecution Authority said in a statement, adding that the findings establish the incident as "gross sabotage."

It said the continued probe would determine whether it would be possible to identify those responsible.

 

[Mark F]

2 hours ago, blue_gold_84 said:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/nord-stream-pipeline-investigation-1.6656126

 

 

https://www.wired.com/story/nord-stream-pipeline-explosion-dark-ships/

New analysis seen by WIRED shows that two large ships, with their trackers off, appeared around the leak sites in the days immediately before they were detected.

According to the analysis by satellite data monitoring firm SpaceKnow, the two “dark ships,” each measuring around 95 to 130 meters long, passed within several miles of the Nord Stream 2 leak sites. “We have detected some dark ships, meaning vessels that were of a significant size, that were passing through that area of interest,” says Jerry Javornicky, the CEO and cofounder of SpaceKnow. “They had their beacons off, meaning there was no information about their movement, and they were trying to keep their location information and general information hidden from the world,” Javornicky adds.

The discovery, which was made by analyzing images from multiple satellites, is likely to further increase speculation about the cause of the blasts. Multiple countries investigating the incident believe the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were rocked by a series of explosions, with many suspicions directed at Russia as its full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues. (Russia has denied its involvement.) Once SpaceKnow identified the ships, it reported its findings to officials at NATO, who are investigating the Nord Stream incidents. Javornicky says NATO officials asked the company to provide more information. "

Edited November 18, 2022 by Mark F

[Tracker]

‘Final Crushing Blow’: Putin’s Men Scramble Over Feared Crimea Blitz

Panicking over a nightmare scenario in Crimea, Putin’s officials are allegedly mobilizing troops in secret—all while claiming Russia’s hold on the peninsula is “unshakable.”

After a series of crushing defeats for Russia’s military in Ukraine from the northeast to the south over the last several weeks, Russian authorities in Moscow appear to be increasingly concerned that Ukraine has set its sights on seizing back Crimea next.

Russian MP Andrei Gurulyov on Sunday urged Moscow to determine the risk of Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization launching an attack on Crimea, which Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Russian MP Mikhail Sheremet warned that Ukrainian troops will suffer a “final crushing blow” if they launch an attack on Crimea.

In an apparent attempt to temper fears that Ukraine would go after Crimea, the chairman of the Federation Council’s committee on defense and security, Viktor Bondarev, warned Monday that he doesn’t think Ukraine has the firepower to take back Crimea.

“Ukraine has neither the resources, nor the military force, nor the support of the Crimeans for the promised offensive on the peninsula,” Bondarev said, adding, “‘Crimea is ours’ is not only a slogan and a hashtag. It is an unshakable reality.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his administration have been warning for months that Ukraine will work to take back Crimea from Russia. And now, with mounting losses for Russia’s army, the pressure is on. Russia just fled the strategically important city of Kherson in the south of Ukraine, a move which the top Ukrainian official in charge of Crimea told The Daily Beast in an exclusive interview would be an important precursor to seizing back Crimea.

-Getty

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/russia-ukraine-war-1.6661200

Quote

Russia rained down volleys of missiles across Ukraine on Wednesday, hitting infrastructure in the capital, Kyiv, and other cities as Moscow pursued its campaign to knock out Ukraine's power and heat ahead of the looming winter.

Authorities reported power outages across the country as well as in neighbouring Moldova, where officials said at least half the country lost power.

Multiple regions reported attacks in quick succession, suggesting a barrage of strikes. In several regions, authorities reported strikes on critical infrastructure. The Kyiv city administration said that three people were dead and three wounded in the capital after a Russian strike hit a two-storey building.

The entire Kyiv region is now without electricity, according to Gov. Oleksiy Kuleba, and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said water supplies were knocked out for the entire city.

Power units of three Ukrainian nuclear power plants were switched off after the strikes, but nuclear power operator Energoatom said radiation levels at all nuclear sites in the country were normal.

State-owned grid operator Ukrenergo said the repair work would begin when the air raid sirens stop.

Since October, Russia has repeatedly targeted electric power and heating infrastructure. Moscow says the aim is to reduce Ukraine's ability to fight; Kyiv says the intentional strikes on civilian infrastructure constitute a war crime.

Ukrainian authorities said an overnight rocket attack destroyed a hospital maternity ward in southern Ukraine, killing a two-day-old baby.

Following the overnight strike in Vilniansk, close to the city of Zaporizhzhia, the baby's mother and a doctor were pulled alive from the rubble.

The region's governor said the rockets were Russian.

Straight up terrorism. 

[Tracker]

42 minutes ago, blue_gold_84 said:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/russia-ukraine-war-1.6661200

Straight up terrorism. 

And here is the reason why- the attacks started within minutes of the resolution being passed

[Mark F]

Wow. 

strange days.

[Mark H.]

I just a spent a few minutes listening to the Fox (faux) propaganda machine

Their latest spin: Italy has continued to buy Russian oil all along, which they are refining and selling to the United States

Of course, no details about how Italy could do that, given they support Ukraine joining the EU

Anything to implicate Biden...

[Tracker]

5 hours ago, Mark F said:

Wow. 

strange days.

The EP deputies called on the EU to include PMC "Wagner" in the list of terrorist organizations. In response, Wagner owner handed over to the European Parliament an “information case” - a sledgehammer with an engraved Wagner PMC logo and traces of “blood” on the handle.

sledgehammer with an engraved Wagner PMC logo and traces of “blood” on the handle.

 

 

[blue_gold_84]

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/kremlin-ukraine-leadership-can-end-suffering-by-meeting-russian-demands-2022-11-24/

Quote

MOSCOW, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Thursday denied that its attacks on Ukraine's electricity network were aimed at civilians, but said Kyiv could "end the suffering" of its population by meeting Russia's demands to resolve the conflict.

Repeated missile barrages against power infrastructure across Ukraine over the last few weeks have forced millions of people to go without light, water or heating for hours or days at a time, just as outdoor temperatures fall below freezing.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that "there have been no strikes on 'social' targets and there are none - special attention is paid to this".

 

"As for targets that are directly or indirectly related to military potential, they are accordingly subject to strikes," he said.

Peskov was asked how the suffering of Ukraine's civilian population could be reconciled with President Vladimir Putin's positions. Putin has said Russia does not wish to destroy Ukraine or its people.

"The leadership of Ukraine has every opportunity to bring the situation back to normal, has every opportunity to resolve the situation in such a way as to fulfil the requirements of the Russian side and, accordingly, end all possible suffering among the population."

Russia's scummy "leadership" living in an alternate reality.