British Lockdown Official Wanted to ‘Frighten the Pants’ off Nation and Asked When to ‘Deploy the New Variant,’ Leaked Messages Show

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British Health Minister Matt Hancock wanted to “frighten the pants” off the nation to scare residents into compliance with a sweeping COVID lockdown regime, according to more than 100,000 leaked messages among senior officials in the United Kingdom.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had vowed that citizens would be able to reunite with their loved ones during the Christmas season of 2020, leading to concerns among officials that the administration would receive backlash over continued lockdowns. Hancock, a fellow member of the Conservative Party, and Damon Poole, his media adviser, expressed frustration that complication with Brexit, the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union, was “taking the top line” in the news and distracting from the danger of the virus.

The officials agreed to declare a new strain of COVID called Alpha or Kent, according to a report from The Telegraph. Isabel Oakeshott, a journalist who assisted Hancock with writing his memoir about the response to the pandemic, had leaked the communications to the outlet.

“Rather than doing too much forward signaling, we can roll pitch with the new strain,” Poole suggested on December 13, 2020. “We frighten the pants [off] everyone with the new strain,” Hancock replied, leading Poole to concur that the move “will get proper [behavior] change.”

Hancock then asked when they should “deploy the new variant.” Poole said that “we need to be more cautious” to avoid implicating schools in subsequent lockdowns. (Read more from “British Lockdown Official Wanted to ‘Frighten the Pants’ off Nation and Asked When to ‘Deploy the New Variant,’ Leaked Messages Show” HERE)

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NBC Reporter Goes to Crimea, Shockingly Tells the Truth; Ukraine Puts Him on Kill List (VIDEO)

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Mainstream media correspondents for major US networks rarely, if ever, report from inside Crimea and certainly are nowhere near Russian-held territory in eastern Ukraine. However, this week NBC News chief international correspondent Keir Simmons went to Sevastopol, surrounded by a significant Russian military presence given it is home to the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet, and in a live segment admitted that it’s not at all realistic Zelensky and Ukrainian forces can ever hope to take Crimea.

This is especially as the “the people there… view themselves as Russian.” Simmons noted that “This is the closest that any US news crew has got to the Russian Black Sea Fleet in many many years.” He explained that “Vladimir Putin will be determined to defend that port – to not have it take it away from him – he may well do pretty much anything to try to achieve that.”

“It is a very, very dangerous standoff.. it’s hard to see how you reach a negotiation over that. There’s military absolutely everywhere, it is a military town,” he continued, before saying…

“When for example Victoria Nuland talks about that at the very least we [the US] want Crimea to be demilitarized, I find myself standing there and wondering, how on earth does that happen?” . . .

But it appears that the NBC correspondent, once he was on the ground in a place that few Western reporters ever venture, couldn’t deny the plain truth he was seeing all around him.

(Read more from “NBC Reporter Goes to Crimea, Shocks Viewers by Telling the Truth (VIDEO)” HERE)

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Germany’s Scholz Says China ‘Declared It Will Not Deliver’ Weapons to Russia

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday said China had declared it won’t supply Russia with weapons for its war against Ukraine, suggesting that Berlin has received bilateral assurances from Beijing on the issue.

Scholz was speaking at a press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who told reporters that the EU has received “no evidence” so far from the U.S. that Beijing is considering supplying lethal support to Moscow.

Senior U.S. officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken have expressed deep concern in recent weeks that China could provide weapons such as kamikaze drones to Russia, which in turn triggered warnings to Beijing from EU politicians. Scholz himself urged Beijing last week to refrain from such actions and instead use its influence to convince Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine. . .

“We all agree that there should be no arms deliveries, and the Chinese government has declared that it will not deliver any either,” the chancellor said in response to a question by POLITICO. “We insist on this and we are monitoring it,” he added. (Read more from “Germany’s Scholz Says China ‘Declared It Will Not Deliver’ Weapons to Russia” HERE)

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Trump Refuses to Lay Out Russia-Ukraine Peace Plan Until He’s President

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Former President Donald Trump refused to say what he would do to broker a peace negotiation between Ukraine and Russia, telling the Daily Caller he would have to be president to do it.

Trump has maintained that he would end Russia’s war on Ukraine in “24 hours,” making him the only presidential candidate to endorse peaceful negotiations between the two countries.

“What specifically will you do to end the war in 24 hours?” Daily Caller’s White House Correspondent Diana Glebova asked Trump at Saturday’s CPAC event.

“I’m not going to tell you that because if I told you that, I probably wouldn’t be able to do it,” Trump responded.

“We’re playing a giant chess game here… It would be so easy, to settle that war. I could do it in 24 hours,” Trump said, reiterating a claim he has made repeatedly. (Read more from “Trump Refuses to Lay Out Russia-Ukraine Peace Plan Until He’s President” HERE)

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European Prime Minister Says US Dragging West Into World War, Should Be Kicked Out of NATO

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By First Post. Hungary called for “European NATO” that should be free from the influence of America. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he believes that the US is dragging Europe into a conflict that cannot be won and risks a global war. . .

“The solution would be a European NATO,” the Hungarian PM was quoted as saying by Swiss Weltwoche.

He further claimed that desire of the US for further expansion of its influence has led to the tensions between the West and Russia. . .

Referring to his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin few weeks ahead of the start of Ukraine war, the Hungarian PM claimed that Moscow was concerned about NATO expanding further east into Ukraine and Georgia.

Orban said that Putin told him “his problem was with the American missile bases in Poland and Romania and possible NATO expansion in Ukraine and Georgia.” (Read more from “European Prime Minister Says US Dragging West Into World War, Should Be Kicked Out of NATO” HERE)

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Ukraine War: Blinken and Russia’s Lavrov Meet as Tension With Moscow Soars and War Grinds On

By CBS News. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talked briefly Thursday at a meeting of top diplomats from the Group of 20 nations in the first high-level meeting in months between the two countries. U.S. officials said Blinken and Lavrov chatted for roughly 10 minutes on the sidelines of the G-20 conference in New Delhi. The short encounter came as relations between Washington and Moscow have plummeted over Russia’s war on Ukraine.

A senior U.S. official said Blinken used the discussion to make three points to Lavrov: That the U.S. would support Ukraine in the conflict for as long as it takes to bring the war to an end, that Russia should reverse its decision to suspend participation in the New START nuclear treaty and that Moscow should release detained American Paul Whelan.

The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation, said Blinken had “disabused” Lavrov of any idea Moscow might have that U.S. support for Ukraine was wavering.

The official declined to characterize Lavrov’s response but said Blinken did not get the impression there would be any change in Russia’s behavior in the near term.

Russia offered no immediate comment on the substance of the conversation, but Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Blinken had asked to speak to Lavrov. (Read more from “Ukraine War: Blinken and Russia’s Lavrov Meet as Tension With Moscow Soars and War Grinds On” HERE)

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Japan’s Birth Rate Just Half of Its Record-Setting Death Rate, Most Deaths in a Year Since WWII

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Japan’s birth rate sank to another record low in 2022, marking a long and steady decline which also saw a record number of post-war deaths in the country.

The country saw 799,728 births in 2022, according to CNN, the fewest on record and the first time the number has dropped below 800,000. Combined with the record 1.58 million deaths, the country’s population replacement rate is in trouble despite the country allowing in more immigrants than it is colloquially considered to.

From 2000 to 2010, Japan’s migrant population increased by about 500,000. However, Pew Research reported that the country’s 2015 immigrant population was under 2%. Despite this, a 2018 poll showed that 71% of Japanese respondents preferred immigration numbers to either stay “about the same” or for the country to welcome fewer, at a rate of 58% and 13% respectively.

The prime minister, Fumio Kishida, reportedly stated in early 2023 that Japan is “on the brink of not being able to maintain social functions.”

“In thinking of the sustainability and inclusiveness of our nation’s economy and society, we place child-rearing support as our most important policy,” said Kishida. (Read more from “Japan’s Birth Rate Just Half of Its Record-Setting Death Rate, Most Deaths in a Year Since WWII” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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Greek FM Calls for Immediate End to Ukraine War Without Conditions

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Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has called for an immediate end to the war in Ukraine without any conditions and called on both Russia and Ukraine to begin negotiations.

Foreign Minister Dendias made his statements on the one-year anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine saying, “What we ask is for this war to end immediately, completely and with no conditions because this is the only way for real dialogue to begin.”

He stated that both sides should have a dialogue based on the principles of the charter of the United Nations and added that international law needed to be respected and implemented, Ekathimerini reports.

“The Greeks do not have feelings of hostility for the Russian people. The thing we are against is revisionism and the created tragedy. Greece and its allies will continue to support Ukraine for as long as this irrational war continues,” he added.

The comments come after Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that Greece would not be sending Russian-made S-300 anti-air missile systems to Ukraine as the country currently has nothing to replace them with. (Read more from “Greek FM Calls for Immediate End to Ukraine War Without Conditions” HERE)

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China Slams COVID Lab-Leak Theory, Accuses FBI of ‘Politicizing’ Issue

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China on Wednesday strongly pushed back against the FBI’s claim that the COVID-19 pandemic may have originated from a virus that leaked from a Chinese laboratory and urged the US to “respect science and facts.”

“By rehashing the lab-leak theory, the US will not succeed in discrediting China, and instead, it will only hurt its own credibility,” said China Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning in responding to remarks made by FBI Director Christopher Wray this week.

Mao further argued that the involvement of the bureau in this matter was evidence enough of “politicization of origin tracing.”

“We urge the US to respect science and facts … stop turning origin tracing into something about politics and intelligence, and stop disrupting social solidarity and origins cooperation,” she added.

In an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier on Tuesday, Wray said: “The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in (central China’s) Wuhan.” (Read more from “China Slams COVID Lab-Leak Theory, Accuses FBI of ‘Politicizing’ Issue” HERE)

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Zelensky Says American Sons and Daughters Will Have to Die; Russia Is Taking Bakhmut

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UA POV. Zelensky: “the US will have to send their son’s and daughter’s to war, and they will be dying”
by u/Kamerat_Andreas in UkraineRussiaReport

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‘Extremely Tense’ as Russians Bid to Encircle Ukraine’s Bakhmut — Commander

By Arab News. The situation in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was “extremely tense” on Tuesday, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces said, as Russian troops besieging it stepped up their assault in a bid to encircle it.

Russia is trying to cut the Ukrainian defenders’ supply lines to the city, the scene of some of the war’s toughest fighting, and force them to surrender or withdraw. That would give Russia its first major prize in more than half a year and open the way to the capture of the last remaining urban centers in the Donetsk region.

“Despite significant losses, the enemy threw in the most prepared assault units of Wagner, who are trying to break through the defenses of our troops and surround the city,” Ukraine’s Col. general Oleksandr Syrskyi was quoted as saying on a military messaging platform. (Read more from “Zelensky Says American Sons and Daughters Will Have to Die; Russia Is Taking Bakhmut” HERE)

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Putin Will Eventually Be Killed by His Inner Circle, Ukraine’s Zelensky Says

By The Independent UK. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly claimed that president Vladimir Putin will one day be killed by his own inner circle, saying: “Predators will devour a predator”.

The comments were made in an Ukrainian documentary called Year, according to The Times.

It comes as the Russian leader Mr Putin warned his people that they might not survive as a nation if Ukraine wins the war.

Mr Zelensky told the documentary: “There will definitely be a moment when the fragility of Putin’s regime will be felt inside the [Russian] state.

“And then the predators will devour a predator. They will find a reason to kill a killer.” (Read more from “Putin Will Eventually Be Killed by His Inner Circle, Ukraine’s Zelensky Says” HERE)

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Russians Hung Out With U.S. Army Soldiers at a Weapons Expo and Played With the Missiles Killing Putin’s Tanks in Ukraine

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The US is arming Ukraine with deadly weapons to use on the battlefield against Russian forces, but that didn’t stop Russians from coming over and checking out Washington’s military hardware this week at an expo in the Middle East, according to a new report.

US Army soldiers and Russian weapons contractors both had displays at the Naval Defence & Security Exposition, a place for countries to showcase their weaponry and other combat systems, in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates this week, and they were separated by just a few yards, Breaking Defense reported from the event.

At one point, the Russians reportedly came over to the US stand, where one soldier told Breaking Defense the mood was friendly and there was even an exchange of patches. At least one of the Russians even picked up a Javelin, an anti-tank missile system that the US military has sent to Ukraine and has been used to destroy Russian tanks.

Neither US Central Command, nor the US Army, immediately responded to Insider’s requests for comment.

The US-provided FGM-148 Javelin, a portable shoulder-launched weapon, was widely seen as a symbol of Ukrainian resistance during the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February and March of 2022. It uses an infrared guidance system to track a target’s emission of light and delivers a high-explosive anti-tank warhead. (Read more from “Russians Hung Out With U.S. Army Soldiers at a Weapons Expo and Played With the Missiles Killing Putin’s Tanks in Ukraine” HERE)

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