45% of respondents to a YouGov survey spoke against delivering German Leopard 2 battle tanks to Kiev | Nearly half of Germans do not want to see the country’s Leopard 2 battle tanks handed over to Ukraine, a recent YouGov opinion poll has indicated. Kiev has been imploring Berlin for the hardware for several months now, to no avail. ● Media outlet Das Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND), citing a YouGov survey, reported on Sunday that 45% of respondents opposed shipping Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev, while another 33% were in favor, with the remaining 22% undecided. ● The poll, commissioned by Die Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), also revealed that it is only among German Green Party supporters of the that the number of those backing sending tanks exceeds the number of skeptics, at 50% to 25%, respectively.

The fire spread so quickly that authorities had no other option but to let the fire burn the church to the ground. The absence of “reasonable causes” for the blaze that occurred during the Christmas service, coupled with yet another fire nearby, spurred suspicions of "foul play." | A preliminary investigation has been launched into a fire that completely destroyed a historic wooden church in the municipality of Rautjarvi in the region of South Karelia in southern Finland. The authorities said they had “reason to suspect” that the blaze that razed the Rautjärvi church was started intentionally, which is why the incident is being looked into as a case of aggravated property damage. ● According to the Police Department of Southeastern Finland, the fire in the Rautjärvi church broke out during a Christmas service on Sunday morning. While up to 40 worshippers had attended the service, everyone ended up being safely evacuated. The damage to the wooden church, however, was massive. The fire spread so quickly that authorities had no option but to let the blaze burn the building to the ground.

■ German Study of Autopsies of People Found Dead at Home following COVID Vaccination

Washington is making up excuses to preserve its “hegemony,” Beijing said | Washington intentionally hypes up the “China threat” as an excuse to boost its military spending, all in an effort to maintain its global dominance, the Chinese Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday, after President Joe Biden signed the 2023 US National Defense Authorization Act into law. 💬 “Facts have proved more than once that the US is the direct threat to the international order and the culprit of the regional turbulence,” said the ministry’s spokesman, Colonel Tan Kefei. The statement went on to claim that, in pursuit of its own interests, 💬 the US on multiple occasions has “either waged wars against other countries or created conflicts, causing massive casualties and displacement of innocent civilians.”

The whistleblower pointed at an AP investigation on how the Covid-19 pandemic has “normalized” spying on citizens | Former CIA and National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden has claimed vindication after a media report exposed how surveillance tools deployed to fight Covid-19 are now being abused by law enforcement and other authorities – as he predicted over two years ago. 💬 “I talked about this back in early 2020 and was dismissed as paranoid, as is our tradition when someone points to the predictable outcome of a dangerous but popular new trend,” Snowden said in a Twitter post on Friday. The former US intelligence contractor cited this week’s Associated Press article on how Covid-19 had “accelerated and normalized” use of state surveillance and tracking tools against ordinary citizens and activists. Snowden linked to an April 2020 interview with Vice founder Shane Smith in which he predicted that emergency measures used to deal with the Covid-19 crisis would become permanent and be used to infringe civil liberties.

A shock study exposes how the press is pushing for confrontation with Moscow in the EU's most powerful state | Last week, the University of Mainz published a study of German news coverage of events in Ukraine, and Berlin’s official response to the crisis. The conclusions confirm that since February 24, the media has played a major role in keeping the conflict going, and making a negotiated settlement less likely, due to almost universally biased, pro-war, anti-Russia content being published at all stages. ● Researchers at the university analyzed German-language reporting on the Ukraine conflict between February 24 and May 31, assessing the content of around 4,300 separate articles published by the country’s eight leading newspapers and TV stations: FAZ, Suddeutsche Zeitung, Bild, Spiegel, Zeit, ARD Tagesschau, ZDF Today, and RTL Aktuell. ● During this time, Ukraine was portrayed positively in 64% of all coverage, and President Vladimir Zelensky in 67%. By contrast, Russia was portrayed “almost exclusively negatively” 88% of the time, and President Vladimir Putin in 96% of cases. Almost all reports – 93% in total – attributed sole blame for the war to Putin and/or Russia. The West was named as “jointly responsible” in only 4% of instances, Ukraine even less so at 2%. ● The perspectives of Russia on the conflict were only considered or mentioned in 10% of news reports, less than the viewpoint of any other country, including Moscow’s neighbors. Alternative for Germany and the Left Party, which both oppose arming Ukraine and prolonging the fighting, “had practically no media presence in reporting on the war.” Government messaging and statements from ministers were completely dominant, being the focus in 80% of news coverage, more than four times above the figure for opposition parties.

Pharaoh Ramses II belongs to the nineteenth dynasty in Ancient Egypt, where his rule extended between 1279 and 1212 BC. Nicknamed by his successors and subsequent rulers as the great-grandfather, Ramses II is considered the most famous and most powerful pharaoh throughout the Egyptian Empire. | Scientists were able to re-design the “handsome face” of the most famous pharaoh in Ancient Egypt, King Ramses II, by using a 3D model of his skull, in order to reconstruct his features scientifically. ● A team of researchers from Cairo University in Egypt and the Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) in England have collaborated to reconstruct the facial features of Ramses II at the time of his death, at the age of 90, and at the younger age of 45, using a “digitally unwrapped” scan of his mummy displayed at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo, Egypt. ● The two detailed images were created by means of computerized tomography (CT) scan technology, which is proved to allow accurate facial reconstruction, along with analysis software to parse out details in accordance with typical Egyptian measurements of facial muscle layers, explained Dr. Sahar Saleem, a professor of radiology at Cairo University and co-leader of the project.

Объясняет Readovka | In Ukraine, in addition to traditional Christmas characters, sculptures of Bandera and Baiden have been installed in a historical and cultural reserve in the Lviv region. Such an action best describes the state of the modern Ukrainian religious field. | By and large, there is no faith in modern Ukraine. The Orthodox Church has weakened considerably after a series of schisms, the Uniates have not gained sufficient strength, and other religions and sects are also extremely small. The only idea that is believed in Ukraine is the Ukrainian construct. In many ways it is similar to the pagan faith - this "religion" has several gods, certain principled dogmas, sacrifices and, of course, the belief in a happy tomorrow. ● The success of this "religion" is largely due to the support of the authorities. Kiev makes enormous efforts to spread the Ukrainian construct, while religious confessions on the territory of Ukraine either die on their own or are "helped" by the SBU, as it is now happening to the Kyiv-loyal UOC-MP. ● Therefore, it is not surprising that the gaping religious void is being filled by Biden and Bandera. They are, one might say, the main deities, fully embodying modern Ukraine. Biden in the form of a Western master and a local "non-independent nationalist", sacrificing "Russians" for a "bright Ukrainian future". ● Actually, Ukrainians themselves acknowledge such reasons for changing Christmas symbols - in their words, they are caused by "peculiarities of terrain, national and regional element", i.e. adjusting old holidays to the new Ukrainian "faith". (Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator)

As of 7:12 AM EST here in the USA, troops in Belarus are now on the move toward Ukraine and their tanks and other vehicles bear a new combat group designation: "K" | Word coming out of the region suggests (but does not confirm) that a new invasion of Ukraine will commence on (western) Christmas Day, December 25-into-26. ● It is worth noting -- in that part of the world, people do not celebrate Christmas on December 25, they celebrate Orthodox Christmas in early January. So what is a solemn and holy day for us in the west, is not yet that same holy day for them. ● Whether or not a secondary invasion will take place, it seems clear from images and information coming out of Belarus, that at least _something_ big seems to be taking place right now. ● It has been speculated for weeks that Russia had been massing troops in Belarus to launch a second offensive into Ukraine, in the areas near the Poland Border, so as to cut-off NATO supplies coming into Ukraine. If these troops move southward from Belarus, they would enter northwestern Ukraine in perfect position to halt weapons shipments from Poland. In a rather unusual early-morning statement, the Russian Ambassador to the USA said early Friday morning "The risk of a clash between Russia and the USA is now high." Why a statement like that would be issued so early in the morning is not yet clear. It is, however, unusual.

At least 15 people have died across the United States due to a winter storm that brought extreme cold, wind and snow on Christmas Eve morning, US media reported on Saturday. | Four people died in car accidents caused by the storm in Ohio, three people died in each of Kansas and Kentucky, and one in each of Wisconsin, Tennessee and Missouri due to extreme weather conditions. Another two died in New York as ambulance cars could not reach their homes, according to the report. ● The storm damaged power lines and left over 1.7 million US households and businesses without power, the broadcaster said, citing the PowerOutage service. ● On Saturday, over 1,800 flights were canceled across the entire US, with especially difficult situation reported in airports in Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis and Denver. ● According to the report, the storm is likely to continue in the East and Midwest regions of the country through Sunday. ● Ohio's state police patrol service said that at least 46 cars collided on a snow-covered highway, killing four people.

Supported as best they could...Italians were asked to sit without lights for one hour a day "for the sake of Ukraine." 💬 "To understand what Ukrainians are going through, I ask all Italians to turn off all energy sources for one hour a day," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said during a meeting with Italian ambassadors. ● That's a great idea. It seems that many Italians will even be able to exceed this plan. And in solidarity with Ukraine, not to use the gas stove and lights from, say, 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. And most importantly, Ukrainians sitting without light, water and heat will immediately feel better. (DeepL.com)

Out of more than a thousand cases of alleged offences by Israeli soldiers against Palestinians, only 11 have yielded an indictment, according to the rights group Yesh Din. | Israeli soldiers accused of harming Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip over the last five years have been indicted in less than 1 percent of the hundreds of complaints against them, an Israeli rights group reported. The watchdog argued that Israel's military systematically fails to conduct a credible prosecution of itself. ● Between 2017 and 2021, the Israeli military received 1,260 cases of alleged offenses by Israeli soldiers against Palestinians, including 409 cases involving the killing of Palestinians, according to military data obtained by the group Yesh Din and released Wednesday after a freedom of information request. ● The Israeli military opened 248 criminal investigations into instances of possible misconduct in response to those complaints — just 21.4 percent of the total, Yesh Din said. Only 11 investigations during that five-year period have yielded indictments. In those cases, Israel’s military prosecutors acted with leniency toward convicted soldiers, the group added, with those sentenced for killing Palestinians serving only short-term military community service.

■ Norway to review Israel investments to ensure they do not fund illegal settlements: report (The New Arab)

These data are contained in the DTRA expanded report on the activity in Ukraine, the Russian defense official said | The Russian Defense Ministry has the document with the names of all the key American officials supervising Ukraine’s military biological program, Chief of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Force Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov said on Saturday. 💬 "Among them are former DTRA [Defense Threat Reduction Agency] Director Kenneth Myers, Executive Vice President of the CIA-controlled In-Q-Tel venture fund Tara O’Toole, ex-Head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Thomas Frieden, ex-Director of the National Institutes of Health Francis Collins, ex-Executive Director of the Battelle Memorial Institute Jeffrey Wadsworth, the Pfizer chief scientific officer and president of the company’s global research, development and medicine division and many other officials," Kirillov said. ● These data are contained in the DTRA expanded report on the activity in Ukraine, the Russian defense official said. American bio labs carry out work for intensifying the effect of pathogenic microorganisms without proper control, Kirillov said. ● The Russian defense official cited UN Under-Secretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu who said before the 9th Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention that there was no proper control process of compliance with the Convention. As she put it, there were a lot of grey zones, especially when this concerned researches carried out in laboratories.

German authorities said on Thursday they had arrested an employee of its foreign intelligence service (BND) on suspicion of sharing state secrets with Russia this year and thereby committing treason. (Ground News // Articles)

Lawmakers agreed to the measure as part of a $1.7 trillion spending package that doles out an additional $44 billion to Kiev | The US Senate has greenlit legislation authorizing the administration of President Joe Biden to seize the American assets of Russian officials, businessmen and entities and send the proceeds to Ukraine. South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said the change in the law would raise “billions of dollars” for Kiev. ● The amendment was proposed by Graham and Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat. It passed unanimously and was added to a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package, which the Senate then passed by 68 votes to 29, comfortably clearing the 60-vote threshold necessary to advance the legislation. ● Graham and Whitehouse have been among the loudest anti-Russian voices on Capitol Hill, even since before Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine in February. Graham traveled to Ukraine in 2016 in a show of support for Kiev as its forces shelled civilians in Donetsk and Lugansk, and in recent months has called for the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

■ Sen. Lindsey Graham: Putin Must Be 'Taken Out'

Gazprom has been banned from buying gas from its projects with Western partners at above a price to be set by Kremlin | Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday that partially relieves state energy major Gazprom from fulfilling its obligations to its foreign partners who hail from countries that have imposed sanctions on Moscow. According to the decree, published on the official government portal, Gazprom and its subsidiaries are prohibited from paying for gas, or for its production and transport, from joint projects with its EU partners in Russia if the amount of payment is higher than the cost established by the Russian government. ● The decree targets Gazprom's joint ventures with Germany’s Wintershall and Austria's OMV. In partnership with the two companies, Gazprom is developing two large natural gas deposits in Russia, the Yuzhno-Russkoye and the Urengoyskoye fields. ● The regulation has been introduced retroactively, and so is enforeceable from March 1, 2022, and will be effective until October 1, 2023. The government has been charged with setting a price limit within ten days.

Andrew Tettenborn (Spiked!) A recent event in suburban Birmingham offers a stark reminder of the threat to free speech posed by Britain’s censorious state. | Earlier this month, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was standing silently in a public street. She was doing, saying and displaying absolutely nothing, apparently lost in thought. A policeman approached her. He asked if she was inwardly praying. When she said she might have been, he immediately arrested her, took her to a police station and searched her. Last week, Vaughan-Spruce was told she faces prosecution. ● How did this happen? First, Vaughan-Spruce was known to be a member of a pro-life organisation. And second, she was within 150 metres of an abortion clinic, inside a so-called buffer zone. In September, Birmingham City Council introduced a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), which makes any ‘act of approval or disapproval’ toward abortion in the surroundings of the clinic a criminal offence, on pain of a £1,000 fine. This restriction applies to any expression related to abortion services, by any method: whether by graphic, verbal or written means, prayer or counselling, or in any other way. So Vaughan-Spruce’s alleged silent prayer was apparently enough. Someone had disapproved of her presence and asked the police to get rid of her. All the ploddingly literal-minded copper needed was Vaughan-Spruce’s admission that she might have been privately communing with her god and might therefore have been illegally praying in a restricted area. ● Whatever your view on abortion, even if you are strongly pro-choice, this whole episode should worry you immensely. The implications for personal liberty are terrifying. If an arrest for silent prayer is not an instance of Orwellian ‘thoughtcrime’, then I don’t know what is.

Elena Panina (Елена Панина) | There's another fraud on the record of the global crisis. | The Financial Times tells us about it in a heartbreaking article entitled "Women Go into the Sex Industry to Survive. There, a Tiffany is very proud of herself - in hard times she figured out to change her line of work and can now support her family. Her husband is happy, too.

● FT conducted a survey and found out: British women, including married ones, have started to trade under the table. The worsening economic situation in the kingdom, they say, is to blame. Inflation at 11% promises a prolonged recession in Britain, and food and utilities are rising in price. And many people are burdened by credit - the scourge of modern society. But the English Prostitutes Association is always happy to help fellow citizens with advice on how to start a business. This includes advice for mothers, office workers and ex-saleswomen.

● According to statistics, one in ten Britons resort to sex services. However, ladies, taking the first steps in this field, complain that British men are not behaving as a gentleman and sometimes steal money at the end of the work. Sometimes it even came to a fight. Moreover, stiff competition means that women have to dump their wages. The average fee is £ 20 per client. Another £200 a month are paid by the authorities. The fact is that prostitution in the kingdom is not considered legal work, that is, the ladies of the semi-luxury are listed as unemployed. High relations!

● Meanwhile, at 10 Downing Street, there is a heated debate about the legality of the business and the tasks of the police. Suggestions range from full legalization of sex services to a crackdown on the shameful trade. But most importantly, everyone unanimously blames the economic crisis in the spirit of "life is not what we are. Decline in morals? No, we haven't. (T)

The military said the overnight calls and texts were an “accident” | Tens of thousands of Israeli army reservists received obscure phone calls and messages via an automated emergency call-up system early Thursday morning, in what the Israel Defense Forces called a technical “malfunction” during a planned maintenance. 💬 “Tonight, a planned maintenance operation was carried out on the IDF dialer system, as part of which a malfunction occurred and as a result an error message was sent in English,” the IDF said in a tweet. ● According to Israeli media reports, the robocalls did not actually call up any reservists for duty, but only issued an “Error” message before hanging up. The military also reassured the public that there was no emergency, issuing an apology and wishing everyone a happy Hanukkah. ● A similar accident happened in 2018, during the country’s independence day celebrations amid heightened tensions following the shooting of Palestinian protesters on the Gaza border. Back then thousands of Israelis received more specific messages that read: “You are to report immediately to the meeting place. Reminder, you are to bring your protection kit and your military kit.” Once the error was realized, a message canceling the original order was issued.

The Estonia’s sinking in 1994 killed 852 people and is seen as the second-worst peacetime maritime disaster, ranking only behind the Titanic. With decades having gone by, questions about the tragedy abound, despite survivors’ numerous calls for justice. | In a sensational confession, the Swedish Armed Forces have admitted that the Estonia passenger ferry, whose demise in 1994 is seen as one of the worst maritime disasters of the 20th century, was used for secret military transports. ● Ever since the Estonia sank on September 28, 1994, there have been rumors that the ferry had military cargo on board on the night of the accident. The accident commission appointed shortly afterwards dismissed the rumors as unsubstantiated fantasies. However, in 2004 Swedish media revealed that at least on two occasions, two weeks and one week before the accident, cars loaded with military gear were transported to Sweden. ● In a new document, “a handful” of military transports from the Baltic countries with the Swedish Armed Forces as recipients were finally confirmed, yet without exact dates. However, the document features “electronic equipment without any connection to weapons systems” transported in civilian vehicles.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths said that 97 percent of Afghans are living in poverty with 20 million people are facing food insecurity and hunger. | Griffiths made the remarks on the situation of Afghanistan at a UN Security Council’s meeting. 💬 “97 percent of Afghans live in poverty. Two-third of the population needs humanitarian assistance to survive. 20 million people face acute hunger,” he said. ● With winter around the corner, millions of Afghans are facing dire situation. 💬 “I am looking everywhere for work. No one give us a job. We are eight people in the family. My mother is a teacher. My father was a colonel but he has been retired. They wouldn’t pay hid ransom," said Zabiullah, a resident of Kabul. ● Analysts suggest that there is a need for aid in areas to provide job opportunities to the people. 💬 “In case, we want to reduce poverty in the country. We are in need of aid in the fields that can provide jobs so that the people can be helped," said Mir Shikib Meer. ● The World Bank has reported that the real GDP of Afghanistan will contract further, with an accumulated contraction of close to 30-35 percent between 2021 and 2022.

Sweden’s foreign minister will visit Turkey on Thursday to discuss with Turkish officials the Nordic country’s bid to enter NATO, announced the Turkish foreign ministry on Wednesday. The trip comes days after Stockholm blocked the extradition of a journalist to Ankara. | The Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement that Sweden foreign minister Tobias Bilistrom and his Turkish counterpart will discuss bilateral relations and “Sweden’s NATO membership process as well as regional and international developments.” Bilistrom’s office is yet to confirm the visit. ● Sweden and Finland made bids to enter NATO after Russia launched a major military offensive against Ukraine in February. Both Scandinavian countries were already close partners of NATO but by joining it they would gain the support of 30 member countries if attacked by their foe, Russia, or any other country. The military alliance makes its decisions by consensus, meaning that both countries require the blessing of all 30 countries. Only Turkey refused to vote for the bids.

Several people who have been damaged by the corona vaccine knocked on her door. Many do not dare to talk about this openly because they are ashamed. Heart said it is "very painful" to read all these stories. Heartbreaking stories: She pointed out that there are 60,000 Norwegians who have been seriously damaged by the vaccines. There are many heartbreaking stories of previously healthy people taking a 'safe and effective' vaccine. “They have been misled, as the corona vaccines are neither safe nor effective,” said Heart. People were told that the vaccines would prevent disease. They didn't, she continued. The politician noted that Europe, including Norway, has been experiencing high unexplained excess mortality since the vaccines were rolled out. She said mRNA has never been tested in humans before. “We are the great experiment.” New religion: Secret studies that have been released show that Pfizer knew how dangerous the vaccines were. Thousands of doctors and researchers worldwide are concerned about the vaccine strategy, the politician said. They were discredited or banned from social media. Heart spoke of a "new religion" that has been spread around the world in record time by the media, authorities and globalists. Completely safe and 95 percent effective, they promised. And if you did not worship their god, you were unclean and should be banished. You are dangerous. You are evil. You should be locked up.

Is Sean Penn a Naziphile? His infatuation with Zelensky and Ukraine is obvious, despite the very uncomfortable prevalence of neo-Nazis in the armed forces, and their role in the current conflict. | A year ago, Penn even met with some of these Azov “service members” when he went to the country to start a film project. Now, it seems as though he’s taken up the Third Reich’s mantle, becoming a modern day Goebbels — Penn, as a mouthpiece for the leftist propaganda machine, has deemed the “unvaccinated” second class citizens. ● The man who boycotted a state because it chose to protect innocent life, and aligns himself with entities that have overt views of “White supremacy” and Nazism, says those who don’t participate in clinical trials of a “vaccine” are the ones lacking a moral compass — that’s rich. Penn went on: 💬 "I think that is an unwillingness to engage in a culture of common sense. That at this point, it seems criminal to me, actually. I really feel that if someone chooses not to be vaccinated, that they should choose to stay home… Not go to work. Not have a job."