MTQ News

Russia is set to pull out of the International Space Station and will no longer work with NASA and ESA (pictured: a view of the International Space Station taken on March 30, 2022 by crew of Russian Soyuz MS-19 space ship after undocking from the Station)   Daily Mail: Russia will quit the International Space Station due to economic sanctions over war in Ukraine   * General Director of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin confirmed the news earlier today  * He did not specify a date for Russia's pullout, but a year's notice must be given  * A Russian pullout from the International Space Station would pose a serious challenge for NASA, ESA and other space agencies to maintain the operation  Russia is set to pull out of the International Space Station and will no longer work with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), according to the head of its space programme.  General Director of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin told Russian state TV earlier today that Moscow will...

  The National: Liz Truss seeks a ‘global Nato’ approach to allies   Britain’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said the defence of one by all at the heart of the Nato alliance must become a global security and economic principle.  Ms Truss told leaders at Mansion House in the City of London that the new geopolitics after the Russian invasion of Ukraine meant that Nato countries should operate defence alliances beyond Europe. “I mean that Nato must have a global outlook, ready to tackle global threats,” she said. “We need to pre-empt threats in the Indo-Pacific, working with allies like Japan and Australia to ensure that the Pacific is protected.” Ms Truss said the G7 countries should adopt a similar approach, “collectively defending our prosperity”.  Read more ....   Britain’s Foreign Secretary Wants To Form A 'Global NATO'   The G-7 should act as an 'economic NATO' for collective defense against attacks in global markets, UK foreign minister s...

Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev. © Alexei Nikolsky/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS   The Saker: Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.   Machine Translated and then refined by The Saker’s Team of Translators   Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, spoke about the tasks of the Russian special operation and the role of the United States in supporting neo-Nazis in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta. And also-about the near future of Europe, the Russian gold and foreign exchange reserves and sanctions, and what changes are waiting for our country in the near future.   Read more ....   WNU Editor: Nikolai Patrushev rarely gives interviews, and IMHO I see him as the second most powerful Russian leader after Putin. Here is a good summary on who he is .... The Second Most Powerful Man In Russia (New Lines Magazine). f...

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says the UK is 'supporting Ukraine's sovereign integrity... which includes Crimea'   SKY News: Ukraine war: Ben Wallace backs Liz Truss and says Russia should be pushed out of 'the whole of Ukraine' - including Crimea   Both Ms Truss and Mr Wallace's remarks imply that the UK government believes Russian forces must leave not just the territory occupied since the current invasion at the end of February, but also areas they occupied and annexed previously.  Ben Wallace has reinforced Liz Truss' view that Russian forces must be pushed out of "the whole of Ukraine" - and suggested this should include Crimea.  Speaking at an event at Mansion House on Wednesday evening, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Western allies, including the UK, must "double down" and "keep going further and faster" to "push Russia out of the whole of Ukraine".  Asked on Sky News if Ms Truss was referring to Crimea...

  AP: Ukraine cracks down on ‘traitors’ helping Russian troops   KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Viktor appeared nervous as masked Ukrainian security officers in full riot gear, camouflage and weapons pushed into his cluttered apartment in the northern city of Kharkiv. His hands trembled and he tried to cover his face.  The middle-aged man came to the attention of Ukraine’s Security Service, the SBU, after what authorities said were his social media posts praising Russian President Vladimir Putin for “fighting with the Nazis,” calling for regions to secede and labeling the national flag “a symbol of death.”  “Yes, I supported (the Russian invasion of Ukraine) a lot. I’m sorry. … I have already changed my mind,” said Viktor, his trembling voice showing clear signs of duress in the presence of the Ukrainian security officers.   Read more ....   WNU Editor : Everyone I know in Ukraine deleted their social media accounts a day or two after the invasion. And wh...

  Daily Mail: Dow plunges 900 points and Nasdaq dives 4% to finish its worst month since the Great Recession as Amazon leads tech sector in brutal selloff   * Tech stocks plunged on Friday as Amazon shares had their worst day since 2006  * Nasdaq composite plunged 4.2% to finish worst its month since 2008 crisis  * The Dow dropped 939 points in a broad selloff to end the month of April  Losses for technology stocks accelerated on Wall Street Friday, pushing the Nasdaq composite to its biggest monthly loss since the 2008 financial crisis.  In a day of brutal selling, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 939 points, or 2.8 percent, ending April down nearly 5 percent for the month.  The S&P 500 notched its worst month since the beginning of the pandemic, losing 3.6 percent on Friday and nearly 9 percent since March.   Read more ....  Update #1: Tech stocks sink again, Nasdaq has worst month since 2008 (AP)   Update #2: ...

The UK has predicted that Vladimir Putin will use Russia's victory day parade on May 9 to announced the mass mobilisation of his reserves for a final push in Ukraine. Pictured: Russian military vehicles take part in a rehearsal of Victory Day military parade marking the 77th anniversary of the end to World War 2, at Red Square in Moscow, Russia on April 28, 2022   Daily Mail: Putin 'could declare war on the world's Nazis' on Victory Day: UK predicts Russia will use parade on 9 May to announce mass mobilisation of reserves for final push in Ukraine to defeat West's support for Kyiv   * Each year, Russia marks the end of the Second World War with a parade on May 9  * Analysts have predicted he would use this occasion to declare victory in Ukraine  * But his forces have mess less progress than expected since the invasion began  * Britain's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has predicted that Putin may instead use the parade to declare war on the world's ...

  Washington Examiner: NATO scrambled jets over Baltic and Black seas over Russian aircraft   NATO has been forced to scramble fighter jets stationed near the Baltic and Black seas in recent days to “track and intercept” Russian aircraft near the alliance's airspace.  NATO has tracked “a number of unidentified” aircraft over the Baltic and Black seas since Tuesday, and in response, it launched allied fighter aircraft from NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centers at Uedem, Germany, and Torrejon, Spain, the organization said in a statement on Friday.   Read more ....  Update #1 : NATO jets scramble in response to Russian aircraft over Baltic and Black Sea (NATO)  Update #2 : NATO scrambled fighter jets multiple times this week to intercept Russian aircraft near alliance airspace (CNN)  WNU Editor :These intercepts are nothing new. But it appears that the intensity of them has increased in the past week or two. from War News Updates https://i...

An eye witness of Kabul attack says that more than 70 people have been killed in the blast. pic.twitter.com/70rI3BqrjJ — Afghan Peace Watch (@APWORG) April 29, 2022 Daily Mail: Suicide bomber kills 50 in suspected ISIS attack on Afghanistan mosque as the country descends further into chaos   * At least 50 killed after suicide bomber targets last Friday prayers of the month  * Eyewitnesses describe 'dead bodies everywhere' after 'deafening blast' in Kabul  * Hundreds were inside the mosque at the time of the attack, survivors claim  * Today's Zikr remembrance prayers seen as heretical by hardliner Sunni Muslims  * Whitehall adviser says death toll could be 200 as Taliban insist only ten dead  A suicide bomb blast killed at least 50 worshippers during Friday prayers at a mosque in Afghanistan today. Hundreds were gathered inside the Khalifa Sahib Mosque in western Kabul when the huge explosion took place.  It's thought hundreds are injured. ...

This picture taken on August 13, 2021, in Moscow, shows Russian ruble coins and banknotes pictured next to Russian ruble sign. (AFP)   Reuters: Kremlin says idea to peg rouble rate to gold prices is being discussed   Russian President Vladimir Putin is discussing with officials the idea of pegging the ruble to gold and other goods, the Kremlin said on Friday.  A powerful Russian security official said this week linking the ruble to bullion could give Russia more “sovereignty” over its financial system, which has been battered by Western sanctions since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine on February 24.  Asked about the idea on a conference call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “this question is being discussed with Putin.”   Read more ....   Update: A New Gold Standard? Kremlin Confirms Intention To Back Ruble With Gold And Commodities (Zero Hedge)   WNU Editor: Russia is a commodities-based superpower. Having its currenc...

The PCK oil refinery in Schwedt, Germany, shown in 2014, is operated by Russian oil company Rosneft. (Reuters/Axel Schmidt / Reuters)   FOX News: Germany drops opposition to Russia oil embargo: report   Move clears way for potential full European Union embargo on Russian oil  The reversal from Germany – which had been one of the main opponents of the EU severing its oil and gas trade with Russia – comes after Berlin struck a deal with Poland to import oil by way of one of its Baltic Sea ports, The Wall Street Journal reports.  On Wednesday, Germany’s representatives to the EU lifted its objection to a Russian oil embargo pending the country has enough time to find alternative supplies, according to two German government officials who spoke to the newspaper.   Read more ....   Update #1: Germany Ready to Back EU Ban on Russian Oil If It’s Gradual (Bloomberg)   Update #2: Germany says it's ready to stop buying Russian oil, paving the way for...

Airman 1st Class Joshua Kleinholz   Defense News: A-10 official issues warning over US Air Force’s ‘devastated’ Warthog fleet   WASHINGTON — A U.S. Air Force official managing the A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft says the service is “hollowing” its Warthog fleet by starving it of resources amid a push to retire the aging attack plane — but still continuing to heavily fly it.  In a March 31 briefing, Pamela Lee, the A-10 systems manager at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, said the Air Force has “resourced the A-10 to divest yet flew it like an enduring fleet, rapidly accelerating [the] decline toward today’s hollowing fleet.”  The watchdog group Project on Government Oversight posted the slides Tuesday. The Air Force confirmed the slides are authentic, but said they were prepared for internal discussion and that Lee declined to comment.   Read more ....   WNU Editor : The A-10 has been on the chopping block for years. But it looks like this time it is going to...

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova © Mikhail Metzel/TASS     Daily Mail: Moscow says it CAN attack military sites in NATO countries who support Ukraine and provide arms and may target diplomats in Kyiv with 'retaliatory strikes'   * The Kremlin warned it could strike NATO sites in countries like the US and UK over their support of Ukraine  * The escalation comes as Russia agitates over the West arming Ukrainian forces in their resistance of Putin  * Russia's defense ministry made the remark after a UK minister backed Ukrainian air strikes on Russia  * It comes as US Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin on Monday said he wanted to see Russia 'weakened' to prevent further invasions in the future  * The US last week also announced a multi-billion dollar financial and military aid package for Ukraine  The Kremlin has warned it could target military sites in NATO countries which are supporting Ukraine amid Russia's invasion.  Mari...

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg holds a news conference in Brussels   Reuters: NATO says it's ready to back Kyiv for years in war against Russia   BRUSSELS (Reuters) -NATO is ready to maintain its support for Ukraine in the war against Russia for years, including help for Kyiv to shift from Soviet-era weapons to modern Western arms and systems, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday.  He spoke after the Kremlin warned that Western arms supplies to Ukraine, including heavy weapons, posed a threat to the security of the European continent "and provoke instability".  "We need to be prepared for the long term," Stoltenberg told a youth summit in Brussels. "There is absolutely the possibility that this war will drag on and last for months and years."  The NATO chief said the West would continue to put maximum pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military o...

The Guardian: Russia doubles fossil fuel revenues since invasion of Ukraine began   Country receives about €62bn from exports of oil, gas and coal in two months, with Germany the biggest importer Russia has nearly doubled its revenues from selling fossil fuels to the EU during the two months of war in Ukraine, benefiting from soaring prices even as volumes have been reduced.  Russia has received about €62bn from exports of oil, gas and coal in the two months since the invasion began, according to an analysis of shipping movements and cargos by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.   For the EU, imports were about €44bn for the past two months, compared with about €140bn for the whole of last year, or roughly €12bn a month.   Read more ....   Update: Russian Fossil Fuel Revenues Double Despite Western Sanctions (Zero Hedge)   WNU Editor: Gazprom has already surpassed last year's earnings .... Gazprom’s 2021 Annual Earnings Hit Rec...

Chilean President Gabriel Boric [Ivan Alvarado/Reuters]   Bloomberg : Just 46 Days in Office, Chile’s Leftist Leader Runs Into Trouble   (Bloomberg) -- Hailed as the face of a new Latin American left, Chile President Gabriel Boric was not only elected in a landslide, he embraced a constitutional rewrite to turn his nation from a neoliberal mining power into a model of humane green development.  But just six weeks in office, Boric faces turmoil, his disapproval rating up more than 30 points, his closest aide under attack for rookie mistakes, the economy sputtering and crime rising. After two years of a global pandemic with inflation and supply chain troubles exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many heads of government are facing discontent. But the suddenness of Boric’s troubles, and their depth, are especially noteworthy.   Read more ....   WNU Editor: Elections have consequences, and it looks like there is some buyer remorse among the Chilean ...

A Taliban fighter poses with a US-made Afghan air force Blackhawk helicopter at Kandahar airfield in August last year, as weapons fell into the hands of the country's new rulers   Daily Mail: The US left $7 billion of military gear - including 78 aircraft, 12,000 Humvees and thousands of air-to-ground weapons - in Afghanistan after Biden's chaotic 2021 withdrawal, according to Pentagon report   * Pentagon report details billion of dollars in arms left in Afghanistan after exit  * It was prepared for Congress, and obtained by CNN * It says $7 billion in hardware was left behind last year after chaotic withdrawal  * That includes $1 billion of aircraft and some 22,000 military Humvees  * The details will provide ammunition for critics who say President Biden should have done a better job of ensuring weapons did not fall into Taliban hands  * Some 9,524 air-to-ground munitions were also left in the country  A Pentagon report reveals that billions...

FILE - Afghan resistance movement and anti-Taliban forces take a break as they patrol on a hilltop in the Darband area of Anaba district, in Afghanistan's Panjshir province, Sept. 1, 2021.   VOA: Afghan ‘Fighting Season’ Ushers in New Anti-Taliban Groups   With the onset of the “fighting season” in Afghanistan, small pockets of anti-Taliban resistance appear to be forming across much of the country.  The development, coupled with a spike in deadly attacks by the Islamic State terrorist group, could threaten the Taliban's hold on power eight months after their takeover of Afghanistan.  In recent weeks, about a half-dozen previously unknown “resistance” groups have announced their existence, vowing to fight the Taliban alongside the National Resistance Front, the only prominent anti-Taliban group.  The new groups have names such as the Afghanistan Freedom Front and the Afghanistan Islamic National & Liberation Movement. But beyond claims made on social...

An image of a crashed Russian Sukhoi jet in Ukraine shared by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. Ukraine's Defense Ministry Daily Mail: REVEALED: US spies have been helping Ukraine military with intelligence to track Russian movements in the country where at least eight of Putin's generals have died   * The US has been providing real-time intelligence to Ukrainian forces since Russia invaded the country in February, former and current U.S. officials said  * On Tuesday, an analysis by independent Russian outlet revealed that 317 officers of junior lieutenant rank and above have been killed in Putin's invasion  * A third of the casualties came from the most senior grades - major or above - including eight generals and the deputy commander of Russia's Black Sea fleet  * Last week, in one of the most recent blows to Russia's army, Moscow admitted another officer, Col. Mikhail Nagamov, had been killed in battle April 13  * His death was announced hours after the...

In this image released by Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service, Ukrainian soldiers use a launcher with US Javelin missiles during military exercises in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. (Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP).  Task & Purpose: The Pentagon is on the hunt for new weapons it can quickly get into Ukrainian hands   Anti-tank weapons and air defense missiles top the list  Ukraine needs weapons. They are fighting off an invasion where there have been troops stacking up in elevators and tanks getting their turrets blown off for almost two months now. This might explain why it appears to be open season on contracting arms and equipment to send to the conflict.  An order request posted to the U.S. government’s contracting database states that the Defense Department is “exploring options which would accelerate production and build more capacity across the industrial base” for shipping arms and equipment that can be rapi...

    CNN : Exclusive: Top US general tells CNN ‘global international security order’ is at stake following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine   Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told CNN’s Jim Sciutto on Tuesday that the entire “global international security order” put in place after World War II is at stake if Russia gets away “cost-free” following its invasion of Ukraine.  The top US general spoke exclusively to CNN at the conclusion of a meeting hosted by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin with allied countries at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Austin gathered the countries to discuss the current situation in Ukraine.  “If this is left to stand, if there is no answer to this aggression, if Russia gets away with this cost-free, then so goes the so-called international order, and if that happens, then we’re entering into an era of seriously increased instability,” Milley said.   Read more ....   Update #1: Milley: Russian invasion ...

Guterres' spokesman said Putin agreed ‘in principle’ to the UN and the ICRC being involved in evacuating civilians from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol [Vladimir Astapkovich/Kremlin via Reuters]    Daily Mail : Putin gets his big table out again: Russian leader invites UN Secretary-General to sit down at his 100,000-Euro 20-foot gold-leaf furniture   * The comically-large table Putin uses for engagements made its reappearance when he hosted Guterres today  * The 100,000 Euro 20-foot gold table was widely mocked online in earlier meetings with world leaders  * Pundits have suggested that the table is convenient for the Russian dictator who is afraid of catching Covid  The comically-large table Vladimir Putin uses to host world leaders has made a reappearance as the Russian dictator hosted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for talks about the war in Ukraine.  The now-famous gargantuan table has been a feature of Putin's televised engagemen...

  BBC: Ukraine war: Russia to halt gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria   Russian energy firm Gazprom has told Poland and Bulgaria it will stop sending gas to the two countries from Wednesday.  Polish state gas company PGNiG said it had been told all gas deliveries would be halted from 08:00 CET (06:00 GMT).  The Bulgarian Energy Ministry also said it had been informed deliveries would be suspended from Wednesday. It comes after Russia said "unfriendly" countries must start paying for gas in roubles or it would cut supplies. Both countries have refused to pay in this way.   Read more ....   WNU Editor: Gazprom earlier today denied that gas exports were going to be cut, to now confirmation from Gazprom that gas supplies will stop effective on Wednesday. The situation is definitely very fluid and changing by the hour. Russia To Halt Gas Deliveries To Poland And Bulgaria   Russia suspending gas supplies to Poland, Bulgaria -- AP Russia's Gaz...

  Jake Horton, Daniele Palumbo & Tim Bowler, BBC: How reliant is the world on Russia for oil and gas?   The amount of Russian oil sold to other countries has fallen, although gas continues to flow into Europe.  After the invasion of Ukraine, the US, EU, and UK announced restrictions on Russian imports.   Read more ....  Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- April 26, 2022   Russia’s war in Ukraine threatens to spill over in dangerous new phase -- Julian Borger, The Guardian   Ukraine conflict: What is Nato and how has it responded to Russia's invasion? -- BBC   Is Switzerland right to prevent the delivery of ammunition to Ukraine? -- Rob Mudge, DW   Ukraine crisis: Why India is buying more Russian oil -- Shruti Menon, BBC   How Ukraine Upended Europe’s Agriculture and Energy Policies -- Bill Wirtz, National Interest   Sweden, Finland Gave Up Neutrality a Long Time Ago -- Elisabeth Braw, Defense One  ...

  Daily Mail: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin blasts Russia's 'saber rattling' and Sergei Lavrov's 'dangerous' claims that Putin will turn to nuclear weapons: Pentagon chief doubles down on bid to weaken Russia so it can't 'bully neighbors'   * Sergei Lavrov warned east-west tensions are now worse than they were during the Cold War  * The foreign minister accused NATO of fighting a proxy war with Russia in Ukraine to 'wear out' its army  * The Kremlin loyalist said the risk of nuclear war is now 'very significant' and 'cannot be underestimated'  * Ukraine said Lavrov's 'scaremongering' is a sign he 'senses defeat' in the war  * But on Tuesday Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hit back, accusing him of 'dangerous and unhelpful' rhetoric  * 'Nobody wants to see a nuclear war happen,' he said at Ramstein Air Base.  'It's a war where all sides lose' U.S. Secretary of Defense Ll...

Lavrov, speaking to Russian state TV, said tensions between east and west are now at a worse point than during the Cuban missile crisis at the height of the Cold War   Daily Mail : Russia is at WAR with NATO and there is now a real chance the conflict will turn NUCLEAR, Kremlin foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warns   * Sergei Lavrov warned east-west tensions are now worse than they were during the Cold War  * The foreign minister accused NATO of fighting a proxy war with Russia in Ukraine to 'wear out' its army  * The Kremlin loyalist said the risk of nuclear war is now 'very significant' and 'cannot be underestimated'  * Ukraine said Lavrov's 'scaremongering' is a sign he 'senses defeat' in the war Russia's top diplomat has warned that NATO is now fighting a proxy war with Russia in Ukraine and there is a 'very serious' risk the conflict could turn nuclear.  Sergei Lavrov, speaking on Russian state TV last night, accused we...

Ukrainian servicemen unpack an earlier shipment of US military aid at Boryspil airport outside Kyiv, Ukraine, February 11, 2022 [File: Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo]   Defense News : Partisan politics threaten to derail Ukraine aid package as Biden runs out of money   WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has nearly run out of funds to continue sending highly sought-after U.S. military aid to Ukraine, and partisanship in Congress threatens to hold up swift passage of a bill for additional assistance.  An official from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget told Defense News that Biden only has approximately $250 million left out of the $3.5 billion that Congress authorized for the president to use in transferring military equipment to Ukraine from U.S. stockpiles.  Read more ....  Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- April 26, 2022   US Sees Russian Military Shortfalls After Austin, Blinken Trip -- Bloomberg   Austin Says Group of 40 Nati...