Washington’s latest maritime seizure comes as US leaders impose more sanctions on Iran and are increasingly downplaying the possibility of a return to the JCPOA deal from which the US unilaterally withdrew in 2018.

The US has seized a shipment of Iranian oil being carried by a Russian-owned tanker, according to an article published Thursday by Reuters. A source at the Greek shipping ministry claimed that the oil was “transferred to another ship that was hired by the U.S.” after the US Department of Justice “informed Greece that the cargo on the vessel is Iranian oil.” Neither US nor Greek authorities have commented on the matter publicly, but according to ship-tracking services, the Greek-owned tanker Ice Energy has been stationed alongside the Russian-owned Lana since Monday, and shipping journal Lloyd’s List reports the former initiated “a ship-to-ship transfer” on Monday afternoon.

"Western media turns blind eye to US occupation of oil-rich Syrian regions" (05/25/22)

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are collapsing on the battlefield and the defeats are happening so fast, over such a wide area, that today, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky told the country "Ukraine is not eager to talk to Russia's Vladimir Putin but that it has to face the reality that this will likely be necessary to end the war." Quite a turnaround from just a week ago when Zelensky said Ukraine will never give up any territory, and would "win" against the Russian Army.

Over the past two weeks, the situation for Ukraine has gotten almost dire. Its armed forces are being decimated on almost every battlefield. Russian long range artillery is smashing thousands of Ukraine troops, and causing those still alive to surrender. In fact, the number of Ukraine troops surrendering has gotten so enormous, the Ukraine legislature voted on a Bill allowing military officers to SHOOT SURRENDERING TROOPS to stop the mass-surrenders!

Of the $40 billion allocated by the United States, Ukraine will get only 15%. This is the opinion of the speaker of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin. 35% of the total amount will be used to finance the armed forces of the United States itself, 45.2% will be spent on “other countries”, another 4.8% will be spent on refugee assistance and diplomatic issues, Volodin noted. “But Ukrainians will have to pay the debt — and all $40 billion -“.

Ukraine Will Receive Only 15% Of $40 Bn US Aid, But Will Repay Entire Sum: Russian Speaker: "Washington and Brussels do not really intend to help Ukraine, or solve its economic and social issues. They only need Ukraine to fight Russia," Volodin said. "Ukraine will only receive 15% of the allotted sum," the Speaker said. "Ukrainians will have to pay off the whole sum, while they just get some percentage of it," Russian official warned. He added that Washington is aware that Kyiv will not be able to repay the debt in the future. "That is why they are seizing Ukraine’s last reserves, including grain, which is what we are seeing right now," Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin reiterated. (Republic World)

Andrei Martyanov [...] The US and its allies have communicated to Ukraine the danger of escalation should the weapons provided by the West be used to attack targets inside Russia, according to an exclusive report by Reuters quoting anonymous officials on Thursday. However, Washington has not explicitly banned Kiev from doing so. [...] Well, this verbal acrobatics is merely a convoluted way to say that Russia not MAY, but WILL escalate, and NATO will begin to lose its own assets. Recall Putin commenting on a HMS Defender hoax? He clearly stated, next time we will sink any ship sent to our waters and UK will do nothing about it. Nobody wants that, but, hey, a la guerre comme a la guerre, simple as that. Any NATO P-8 or any other aircraft over the Black Sea are easy targets for both Black Sea Fleet aviation or S-400s or S-300V4. In the end, Russia is ready for a really big war if shit hits the fan in the West big time, she was for the last 4 years at least. It is now or never, and it is entirely up to the West (a euphemism for the US) to decide how it will handle its own political, economic and military cauldron it finds itself in now.

Chaos erupted almost as soon as Trudeau arrived at Kamloops, where he was set to make a speech on the Indigenous graves uncovered last year. “Take your disrespect out of our tribe,” First Nations protesters chanted as Trudeau and his armed security detail tried to make their way through the crowd. Eventually, Trudeau made his way to the stage and gave his speech, which went about as well as you’d expect.

Russian MFA: Opinion by Maria Zakharova | President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach said at a news conference in Switzerland that whether Russian athletes can compete in the 2024 Olympic Games depends on how the political situation develops. His words:

💬 “We do not know how the political situation evolves and how the [military operation] evolves. We hope that there will be peace soon, hopefully as soon as possible. But we can just monitor the situation. This is up to the political world to take these decisions and then when the time comes if the situation should change, we will take the appropriate actions.”

He also said that the sanctions imposed on the Russian athletes and sports functionaries who were banned from international sports competitions are intended to protect Russian and Belarusian athletes:

💬 “The safety of the Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials could not be guaranteed because of the deep anti-Russian and anti-Belarusian feelings in so many countries following the [military operation].”

Well, thank you for your concern. But the IOC’s function is the opposite: it is to guarantee the safety of competition participants and to prevent the politisation of sports. A little crash course. Pierre de Coubertin declared the principle of sports without politics. Below are international legal documents serving as grounds for cultivating this statement as one accepted by all. MORE

Pepe Escobar | Three months after the start of Russia’s Operation Z in Ukraine, the battle of The West (12 percent) against The Rest (88 percent) keeps metastasizing. Yet the narrative – oddly – remains the same. On Monday, from Davos, World Economic Forum Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab introduced Ukrainian comedian-cum-President Volodymyr Zelensky, on the latest leg of his weapons-solicitation-tour, with a glowing tribute. Herr Schwab stressed that an actor impersonating a president defending neo-Nazis is supported by “all of Europe and the international order.” He means, of course, everyone except the 88 percent of the planet that subscribes to the Rule of Law – instead of the faux construct the west calls a ‘rules-based international order.’

The Western alliance spent 78 days bombing Yugoslavia in 1999, contaminating the Balkan nation with at least 15 tonnes of highly toxic depleted uranium (DU) munitions. Serbian attorneys have filed multiple lawsuits against NATO, but have yet to receive any formal admission of wrongdoing by the alliance for its actions. NATO has formally responded to lawsuits filed by Serbs with the Belgrade High Court over the bloc’s DU munitions use during the 1999 bombing campaign, claiming immunity from prosecution, Srdan Aleksic, a lawyer representing victims, has told Sputnik Serbia. [...] Serbia suffers one of the highest cancer rates in Europe, with nearly 60,000 oncology patients diagnosed each year and the cancer rate among children up to 2.5 times above the European average. Serbian doctors are convinced that the high oncology rate is directly connected to the liberal use of DU munitions during the NATO bombing. Along with cancers, scientists have reported an alarming spike in infertility, autoimmune diseases and mental disorders over the past two decades, including post-traumatic stress and other psychological problems associated with the bombings.

Prague, SANA- Former Slovak Minister of Education, Science, Research, Juraj Draxler said the continued presence of US occupation of part of the Syrian territory constitutes a blatant violation of international law, adding that this occupation has caused thousands of casualties among the Syrians. “The United States rudely occupies part of Syria’s lands, especially the most fertile and oil-rich regions,” Draxler said in an article published on “Novinky – regionálny” news website, slamming the Western media for turning a blind eye to these facts. He added that the Syrian people have achieved great victories in their war on terrorism and its backers, and this has been achieved only through massive sacrifices made over the past years.

Gonzalo Lira II: Few people know that the US every day STEALS oil and grain from Syria, under the guise of “fighting terrorism”. Just another reason why everyone in the civilized world hates America.

Washington moves to annex north-east Syria by proxy Vanessa Beeley | Needless to say that the de-facto unilateral sanctions being applied as a collective punishment for the entire Syrian population living in areas protected by the Syrian government are illegal. To extend those sanctions to sovereign nations providing assistance to rebuild Syrian infrastructure is barbaric and a deliberate attempt by the US to ensure that Syria cannot recover from the eleven year war waged against it. The correlation between economic and military coercion in Syria was made clear by previous Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo’s point-man on Syria, Ambassador James Jeffrey, who not only described Al Qaeda as a “US asset” in Syria but also bragged openly about the misery that sanctions had brought to the Syrian people.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, citing the conflict in Ukraine, just hours after parliament approved the measure as a way for Budapest to respond to crisis situations. Orban announced the emergency in a video address on his Facebook page. The emergency regime takes effect at midnight, and the first measures will be revealed on Wednesday.

💬 “To safeguard Hungary’s national security interests, to make sure we stay out of the war and to protect Hungarian families, the government needs room to maneuver and the ability to act immediately,” Orban said in the announcement.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Hungarian parliament passed a constitutional amendment giving the prime minister authority to declare an emergency if there is a war or humanitarian disaster in a neighboring country, in addition to the existing crisis categories. Orban’s critics claim this will allow him to “rule by decree” and bypass lawmakers.

Stephen Lendman | The former no longer funny comedian/entertainer — masquerading as Nazified Ukraine’s leader — once again embarrassed himself on Monday from his Polish hideout. Addressing the World Economic Forum (WEF) — an organization hell bent to establish ruler/serf societies worldwide — he called for more weapons, more sanctions on Russia, more help for Ukraine’s battered military and crumbling economy “as fast as possible.” Fiddling in Poland while Ukraine burns, he called on “everyone” to support Nazi-infested Kiev, to pour more billions down a black hole of waste, fraud and abuse to aid its scourge. [...] A caricature of a leader, clearly not the real thing, Zelensky is captive to US dark forces controlling him.

Paul Craig Roberts | Pfizer affirms that its agreement with Washington under “Other Transaction Authority” permits Pfizer to violate clinical trial regulations and federal laws protecting the public. In other words, Pfizer has legal authority to commit fraud that kills people.

As I have explained on many occasions, the US government is privatized. It is run by private interests whose representatives are found on the SEC, FDA, EPA, Federal Reserve, and all other regulatory agencies. As George Stigler made clear 60 years ago, the US regulatory agencies are captured by the industries they are supposed to regulate. The power of private interests also comes from the fact that private interests are the financers of political campaigns. Every elected official—House, Senate, President—and every state and local official knows he/she is in office because of the campaign contributions. This means that elected officials are responsible to their donors, not to the voters. The power of private interests was reinforced by the US Supreme Court decision that gave essentially unlimited ability to corporations to purchase government to serve their interests. This is the real picture of today’s United States.

Thierry Meyssan | The war in Ukraine is a trompe-l'œil [an illusion of reality]. Behind the appearances of the unity of NATO and its consolidation by new members, several big players run with the hare and hunt with the hounds. In reality, all those who are not blinded by their own propaganda know that their side is going to lose and is already planning other enemies on other battlefields. Washington is making the best of a bad situation and using Russian pressure to close ranks.

On the front of the stage, Nato assures that it has been strengthened by "Putin’s madness". Ukraine, powerfully armed by the West, is leading a counter-offensive and pushing back the "invader". At the international level, the sanctions are bearing fruit. Finland and Sweden, feeling threatened, decided to join the Atlantic Alliance. Soon the Russians will overthrow the "dictator" in the Kremlin. This magnificent narrative is contradicted by the facts: only about a third of Western weapons reach the front. But the Ukrainian army is exhausted. Almost everywhere it is retreating and a few exploits do not change the overall picture. Two-thirds of Western weapons, especially the heaviest ones, are already available on the black market in the Balkans, particularly in Kosovo and Albania, which have become the main places for trafficking in this area. Western sanctions pose a risk of famine, not in Russia, but in the rest of the world and particularly in Africa. Turkey and Croatia are opposed to the accession of new members to NATO. It is possible to convince them, but at the price of radical political changes which the West has always opposed. Even if Russia is wise enough to not celebrate its victory too loudly, as it did in Syria, it will be seen as the failure of the greatest military force in history, NATO. MORE

World Health Assembly to vote on IHR amendments in unprecedented WHO power grab |Moshe Tokayer| Incredibly, the Biden administration proposed the amendments. According to AFLDS’ position paper, “This amendment...will serve to give away our country’s healthcare system, national sovereignty, and personal freedoms to the WHO on a silver platter. America’s Frontline Doctors (AFLDS) strongly opposes the creation and implementation of any treaty or international instrument that governs world pandemic preparedness and response.” Succinctly put, the upshot of these amendments is to surrender sovereignty to the WHO regarding very broadly defined public health crises subject to the whim of the WHO Director-General.

WHO Pandemic Treaty: ‘A Stealth Coup to Dictate Global Health Agenda of Gates, Big Pharma’ |F. William Engdahl| Acting on an initiative from the Biden Administration, by November 2022, conveniently at the onset of the next flu season in the northern hemisphere, the World Health Organization, barring a miracle, will impose an unprecedented top-down control over the national health regulations and measures of the entire planet. In what amounts to a stealth coup d'état, WHO will get draconian new powers to override national sovereignty in 194 UN member countries, and to dictate their health measures with force of international law. It is sometimes referred to as the WHO Pandemic Treaty but it is far more. Worse, most of the WHO budget comes from private vaccine-tied foundations like the Gates Foundation or from Big Pharma, a massive conflict of interest.

Denmark will arm Ukraine with a modern Harpoon anti-ship launcher and missiles to protect its coasts, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday after concluding the latest U.S.-led meeting of international defense chiefs to coordinate military aid for Ukraine.

NATO member to send Ukraine anti-ship missiles (RT.com)
Denmark Sending Ukraine Anti-Ship Harpoon Missiles To Take on Russian Ships in Black Sea (USNI News)
NATO eyes Danish port as naval hub for Baltic Sea operations (Anti-Bellum)

Fra Hughes | Two very distinct and separate wars are concurrently happening in West Asia and Eastern Europe. Both wars have their origins in people fighting to free themselves from corrupt government. The Yemini people rose in a popular revolution against a corrupt regime that acted in the interests of regional and international power blocks and not in the interests of its people. The people of Ukraine found themselves the victim of a regime change operation in 2014 resulting in a coup that forced the democratically elected leader Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych to flee for his life as a fascist junta was installed.

While the people of Yemen fought for independence and free sovereignty, the people of Ukraine were facing a government led by Neo-Nazis, Russophobic ultra-nationalists who were determined to destroy one-third of the population who are Russian-speaking Ukrainians. The spectre of the Great Patriotic war loomed over the people as echoes and ghosts from 1941 returned to haunt the people who had defeated fascism in Ukraine and liberated the country from the nazi occupation. So we have a tale of two wars. MORE

The majority of people here are Russian speakers with a proud Russian culture.

Since the nationalistic Ukrainian government took power in Kiev in 2014, they have attempted to impose their agenda on majority Russian areas, pulling down statues and forcing institutions to drop Russian as an official language. There has also been the killing of dozens of pro Russian activists. This is what led to Donbas rising up and attempting to create a breakaway state. The flags of Donbas and Russia side by side. While at first demanding autonomy, since the war they are adamant they want to be independent or to join Russia.

Monkeypox is a production of Gates, the World Health Organization (WHO), and all the people who brought you Event 201. As Cindy Ragusa (who researched this entire presentation) succinctly put it, “They must live in a bubble where they just do whatever they want. It’s got $$$$ printed all over it, so they can’t see out, and they think we’re all too dumb for it to matter.” MORE

Monkeypox is coming, just as they predicted (and just as "Ukraine" started getting old)! | Mark Crispin Miller | How did Dr. Fauci know, back in 2017, that a new respiratory virus would hit the world while Trump was still in office? And, some two years later, how did the participants in Event 201 foresee the emergence of “a novel zoonotic coronavirus” just a few months prior to its “outbreak”? We might know the answers to those questions, if anyone in “our free press” had ever thought to ask them, instead of working overtime to keep us in the dark, and thereby keep us stupefied with fear.

European CDC Drops Bomb: ‘Monkeypox Outbreak Appears To Have Leaked From US Biolab In Ukraine’ | American Buddhist Net | MP appearing suddenly in multiple places is either media hype or a sign of it being disseminated by bad actors. It also may be a normal stochastic outbreak, in which case it will subside quickly. Natural MP is not dangerous and easily controlled. Deliberately planted lab-enhanced MP is another matter. Not doing fear porn here, just considering possibilities. Since covid was a bioweapon it is reasonable to suspect a repeat performance.

Monkeypox: "Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me" | Mike Whitney | And what if Monkeypox is not, in fact, a natural occurring virus but merely the next phase of a relentless war on Constitutional government, individual freedom and the basic institutions of modern civilization? Perhaps, we are being prepared for a different civilization altogether, a civilization in which all of our decisions will be made for us by enlightened elders, corporate stakeholders and well-meaning philanthropists. Is that possible?

The Monkeypox Scam | Stephen Lendman | The die appears to be cast. Get ready for the rollout of more kill shots. What’s crucial to shun for flu/covid applies to monkeypox. Ignore the coming hype already begun. Protect and preserve health by avoiding all kill shots — especially what’s heavily promoted with diabolical aims in mind.