News of the World

[kyonides]

Psaki pushes renewable energy to stop dependence
on foreign oil instead of increasing US production

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the U.S. needs to decrease its reliance on foreign oil by switching over to renewable energy, not increasing domestic production.

"We need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, on oil in general, and we need to look at other ways of having energy in our country and others," Psaki said during an interview with ABC This Week Sunday. "We've seen over the last week or so... a number of European countries are recognizing they need to reduce their own reliance on Russian oil."

Psaki's comments come as fears grow that energy prices could continue to rise amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, with many NATO countries such as Germany dependent on Russian oil to fuel their countries.

That dependence has also limited the international response to Russia's invasion, with sanctions being specifically designed not to target Russian fuel exports amid fears such a move could send energy prices soaring in Europe.
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Since 2021 Russia is the United States' top source of imported gasoline and other refined petroleum products, Forbes recently reported. Lithium, one of the main ingredients in rechargeable batteries used in cars, phones, and other products, chiefly originates in China.

Qatar deploys ex-spies to blunt German’s World Cup criticism

As head of the German soccer federation, Theo Zwanziger was among his sport’s most prominent critics of the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. He publicly attacked the energy-rich Gulf nation’s human rights record. He questioned the wisdom of staging the world’s most popular sporting event in searing desert heat.

“The infinite wealth of this small country of Qatar spreads almost like a cancer through football and sport,” Zwanziger once said. A member of FIFA’s executive committee, he urged world soccer’s governing body to reverse its 2010 decision.

The Qatari government was so concerned by Zwanziger’s criticism that it took action. It paid more than $10 million to a company staffed by former CIA operatives for a multi-year covert influence operation codenamed “Project Riverbed,” according to internal company documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

The records indicate that the goal of the operation was to use spycraft to silence Zwanziger. It failed.
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The endeavor has long been dogged by allegations of corruption and wrongdoing. U.S. prosecutors said in 2020 that bribes were paid to FIFA executive committee members to gain their votes. Qatar has denied any wrongdoing.
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Chalker acknowledged in a statement that GRA did work on a Project Riverbed, but said it was only “a media monitoring project staffed by interns and supervised by one full-time employee, who were responsible for reading and summarizing news articles.”

Chalker’s spokesman David Wells said he was not at liberty to say who the client was for Project Riverbed or provide other details, like how long it ran or the name of the employees who worked for on it. Chalker’s attorney, Brian Ascher, said Zwanziger was never the subject of a covert influence campaign by GRA.

The records reviewed by AP indicate otherwise.

EU shuts airspace to Russian airlines, will buy Ukraine arms

The European Union agreed Sunday to close its airspace to Russian airlines, spend hundreds of millions of euros on buying weapons for Ukraine and ban some pro-Kremlin media outlets in its latest response to Russia’s invasion, EU officials said.

That and Germany’s announcement earlier in the day that it would almost triple its defense budget this year underscored how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was rewriting Europe’s post-World War II security and defense policy in ways that were unthinkable only a few weeks ago.

In what he described as “a defining moment for European history,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers had greenlighted the unprecedented support for Ukraine and that those actions would take effect within hours.
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The EU ministers also agreed to add several more people and organizations to a growing list of sanctions. Those included Russian oligarchs whose money, Borrell said, is important for the Russian economy, as well as other key officials, notably those spreading disinformation. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have already seen their assets in Europe frozen.

In a separate announcement, Germany’s leader said the country would commit 100 billion euros ($113 billion) to a special armed forces fund and keep its defense spending above NATO’s target of 2% of GDP.

Anti-war protesters, meanwhile, took to the streets in Berlin, Rome, Prague, Istanbul and elsewhere — even Russian cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg and in a dozen Belarusian cities — to demand an end to the war, the largest ground offensive on the continent since WWII.
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said beyond the weapons purchases, EU nations would shut down European airspace for Russians.
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She said the EU will also ban “the Kremlin’s media machine. The state-owned Russia Today and Sputnik, as well as their subsidiaries, will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin’s war and to sow division in our union.”

Von der Leyen added that the EU will also target Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko for supporting Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.

“We will hit Lukashenko’s regime with a new package of sanctions,” she said.

Thief steals Angela Merkel’s wallet in Berlin supermarket

A pickpocket stole German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s wallet while she was shopping for groceries in Berlin on Thursday.

Merkel’s wallet was in her handbag which was dangling from her shopping trolley when it was taken, according to German tabloid Bild, which first reported on the incident.

Berlin police confirmed to the paper that the incident occurred around 11:40 a.m. on Thursday. According to the report, Merkel did not call the police from the store, but went to a nearby police department to report the incident.

Merkel’s bodyguard, who was accompanying her in the grocery store, was unable to prevent the theft.

Danish police seek info on apparent escaped kangaroo

Police in southeastern Denmark on Monday appealed for public help to track down what appeared to be a kangaroo that was filmed hopping across a field.

Police said on Facebook that a driver saw the marsupial “hopping around” near Øster Ulslev, a village 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the port city of Rødbyhavn where ferries connect to northern Germany. They said the driver, whom they didn’t identify, had the presence of mind to film the animal, although they acknowledged the three-second video they posted was “short and grainy.”

Nobody has reported a kangaroo missing.
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Despite the fact that kangaroos are not common in northern Europe, it is the second time the same police district has reached out for help in finding one: in 2014, a kangaroo escaped from a private animal farm in the same area.

And in July 2018, a kangaroo was on the run elsewhere in Denmark for half a day before its owner found it.

 So why are kangaroos in Denmark always escaping from some unknown place every so often?
 Are they some of the most wanted  criminals in Denmark!?

An Ukrainian Airplane Visits Costa Rica During the Ukraine War

This afternoon the arrival of an Antonov An-124 from Antonov Airlines at Juan Santamaría Airport (SJO) at 5pm. However, he suffered a land delay. The flight took off at 3:40pm time from Houston and is estimated to arrive in Costa Rica at 7pm. It would be a great gesture to receive them with flags of Ukraine, or any distinction with the colors of this nation, as they adorn the An-124 missile. Flight ADB3132 can be traced in the following links:
https://es.flightaware.com/live/flight/UR82007
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/adb3132

Curiously, some Costa Rican News anchors like one from Teletica were spreading the rumor that they might have brought some Ukrainian refugees to the Central American nation.  His emotive tone of voice could not be hidden from viewers.

What's weird about this coverage of the story is that the very same post on Facebook included the following explanation on the reason why the plane had landed in Costa Rica.

Frequently Asked Questions: ✅ What's coming to? Cargo charter flight for a private company moving operation from Asia to Costa Rica. ✅ When and where does it go? The ferry (no charge) flight to Miami is scheduled for tomorrow morning, no confirmed time. Update 3:40pm, already flying to Costa Rica.

And guess which company was moving some of its operations and cargo to Costa Rica...
It was Intel.  So nope, it was not related to the Ukraine War at all.
 What a blooper!