Nearly 3,000 more Britons are dying than average on a weekly basis, and it’s not Covid-19 that’s responsible | Troubled by national statistics showing 20% excess deaths per week, UK MPs have demanded an investigation, the Daily Mail reported on Tuesday. Unlike the last time excess deaths reached such levels, during the second Covid-19 wave, few of these deaths could be attributed to the virus. ● Speaking before the House of Commons on Tuesday, Conservative MP Esther McVey skewered Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty for blaming the spike in non-Covid excess deaths on “patients not getting statins or blood pressure medicines during the pandemic,” pointing out that the monthly figures for statin prescriptions had remained constant. 💬 “Where is the evidence? And if there isn’t one, what is causing these excess deaths?” she asked, demanding the minister “commit to an urgent and thorough investigation of the matter.” “Where is the evidence? And if there isn’t one, what is causing these excess deaths?” she asked, demanding the minister “commit to an urgent and thorough investigation of the matter.” Labour shadow public health minister Andrew Gwynne described health secretary Steve Barclay as “part man, part ostrich” over his refusal to confront the issue, accusing PM Rishi Sunak’s government of “denial and buck-passing.” “There were 50,000 more deaths than we would have otherwise expected in 2022,” he told the House of Commons on Tuesday. “Excluding the pandemic, that’s the worst figure since 1951.”

■ SHOCKING - 50 000 excess deaths in Britain (01/14/23)
■ Temporary morgues are being opened across UK to deal with surge in deaths (01/15/23)
■ Pandemic of the Vaccinated: Japan’s excess deaths are four times higher after Pfizer “booster” shots (01/14/23)
■ Sudden Death: The No. 1 Cause of Death for Under 65s in 2021 (01/12/23)
■ Flu/Covid Multi-Jabbing a Virtual Death Sentence (Stephen Lendman)

Annalena Baerbock made the admission in a debate with EU colleagues, pushing for the delivery of tanks to Kiev | Arguing in favor of sending tanks to Kiev, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said EU countries were fighting a war against Russia. US and EU officials have previously gone out of their way to claim they were not a party to the conflict in Ukraine. 💬 “And therefore I’ve said already in the last days – yes, we have to do more to defend Ukraine. Yes, we have to do more also on tanks,” Baerbock said during a debate at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Tuesday. “But the most important and the crucial part is that we do it together and that we do not do the blame game in Europe, because we are fighting a war against Russia and not against each other.” ● While Chancellor Olaf Scholz has insisted that Germany ought to support Ukraine but avoid direct confrontation with Russia, his coalition partner Baerbock has taken a more hawkish position. According to German media, her Green Party has been in favor of sending Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev, and eventually managed to pressure Scholz into agreeing. Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht, who was reluctant to send tanks to Ukraine, was pushed to resign.

Moscow’s envoy to the US said Washington seeks to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia using Ukraine as a “proxy” | Any American battle tanks sent to Ukraine will be destroyed by Russian forces, Moscow’s ambassador to the United States has warned, after media reports said the White House now plans to supply Kiev with heavy armor despite its previous refusals. ● Asked about the potential shipment of the M1 Abrams main battle tank to Ukraine, Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, said the move would only escalate American involvement in the conflict and goes far beyond offering “defensive weapons.” 💬 “If a decision to transfer to Kiev M1 Abrams is made, American tanks without any doubt will be destroyed, as all other samples of NATO military equipment,” the envoy said, adding that “The Americans are constantly raising the ‘bar’ of military assistance to their puppet government.”

■ US May Send Up to 50 Abrams Tanks to Ukraine This Week, Media Reports
■ Scholz Decided to Send Leopard 2A6 Tanks to Kiev, German Media Reports
■ Switzerland makes decision on weapons for Ukraine
■ LIST OF FOREIGN AID TO UKRAINE DURING THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR
■ Why Russia should win the war in Ukraine (Eric Zuesse)

Pekka Haavisto previously proposed that Helsinki may consider joining the military bloc alone if Türkiye blocks Sweden’s bid | Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto has backpedaled on his previous remark in which he suggested Helsinki could move forward with its NATO application alone if Türkiye continues to block neighboring Sweden’s bid. Clarifying his position on Tuesday, the diplomat insisted that Helsinki’s goal of becoming part of the military bloc together with Stockholm remains unchanged.

■ Finnish Foreign Ministry admits possible accession to NATO without Sweden (01/24/23)