News of the World

[kyonides]

Wagner’s March on Moscow Halted as Belarus’ Lukashenko
Negotiates Stand Down with Prigozhin

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, one of the chief allies of Vladimir Putin, has reportedly brokered a deal with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin to stop the paramilitary group’s advances towards Moscow.

Following negotiations that are said to have lasted the entire day, Aleksandr Lukashenko has claimed to have struck an agreement with the Wagner Private Military Company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to stop his forces from marching on Moscow and work to “de-escalate tensions”, according to Belarussian state media BelTA.

The deal — which was reached as Wagner forces reportedly were within striking distance of the Russian capital — was struck as both the Belarussians and the Wagner leader agreed that it was “unacceptable to start a bloodbath in Russia’s territory.”

Lukashenko claimed that the two sides had come to an “absolutely advantageous and acceptable” way to end the situation, which will reportedly include safety guarantees for Wagner forces.

It remains to be seen, however, if any assurances were given personally to Prigozhin, who Russia’s Federal Security Service charged for allegedly orchestrating an “armed rebellion” against Moscow. Should Prigozhin not receive such assurances, the Belarussian-brokered deal may be short-lived.
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For his part, Prigozhin responded that Putin was “mistaken”, claiming that Wagner was not attempting a coup and that his band of mercenaries are “patriots” merely interested in “justice” for the alleged strikes against their forces in Ukraine by the Russian military top brass after Prigozhin refused to give up leadership of his private army to the Kremlin.

US Holds Nuclear Weapons Dialogue With China, Russia, France, UK

The United States said it hosted a working-level experts’ meeting on nuclear weapons issues with counterparts from China, France, Russia, and the UK in “an ongoing exchange” amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Experts from the foreign and defense ministries of the five nuclear-armed states met on June 13 and 14 in Cairo in the context of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), according to the U.S. State Department.

They discussed “strategic risk reduction, as well as nuclear doctrines and policy,” it stated. The U.S. delegation included experts from the State and Defense departments and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

“The U.S. delegation welcomed the professional approach of the delegations and the inclusion of defense officials in the thematic discussions,” the State Department said in a statement.
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Under the NPT’s provisions, the five nuclear powers agreed to negotiate toward someday eliminating their arsenals, and nations without nuclear weapons promised to not acquire them in exchange for a guarantee to be able to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
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With Ukraine’s counterattack, Russia may lose the land it has occupied and even its homeland may be hit. Therefore, Putin needs to make such a move as a way of military blackmail to force NATO to limit military aid to Ukraine.

“This is also the first time since the end of the Cold War that a nuclear power has deployed nuclear weapons to other countries, which has seriously undermined the Non-Proliferation Treaty and may force some of the weaker countries to take an extra layer of concern when it comes to military assistance to Ukraine,” Tang said.

Train Carrying Hazardous Chemicals Derails in Montana After Bridge Collapses

A train carrying hazardous chemicals plunged into the Yellowstone River in eastern Montana after a bridge collapsed early Saturday morning.

Officials said 10 cars belonging to Montana Rail Link (MRL) went into the river at around 6:45 a.m. Three cars reportedly were carrying hot asphalt and four others molten sulphur.

Stillwater County Emergency Management reported on Saturday that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality had begun monitoring air and water quality at water intakes along the river for potential contamination.
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Emergency management confirmed three cars containing hot asphalt and four cars filled with molten sulfur poured into the river between Reed Point and Columbus, about 44 miles west of Billings.
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As a precaution, the Montana Department of Transportation closed Twin Bridges Road at Reed Point near the derailment site until further notice.

Meanwhile, officials are trying to determine the cause of the bridge collapse. The bridge spans the Yellowstone River in Stillwater County, population 9,044.

Members of Stillwater County Emergency Services, the Sheriff’s Office, county commissioners, and Columbus Fire and Rescue were at the scene, along with Montana Rail Link and state and federal agencies.

A unified command center has been set up to determine the next appropriate next steps.

Judge Denies NYC Request to Dismiss Orange County Migrant Lawsuit

The judge also granted a preliminary injunction that bans the city from sending more migrants into the county until a legal resolution is reached.

Orange County filed the lawsuit days after Mayor Eric Adams bused 186 homeless individuals to two hotels in the Town of Newburgh to ease the city’s mounting migrant crisis.

The lawsuit argued that the city could not operate a homeless shelter in Orange County without due process and asked the court to reverse transfers already done and ban such arrangements in the future.

Judge Sandra Sciortino, in denying the city’s dismissal request, asserted the county’s standing and causes in the legal dispute and put the case back on the trial calendar.

Under the New York Social Services Law, the city has a responsibility to care for individuals unable to provide for themselves within its boundary, and so does the county government; any transfers between the two must conform to state regulations, according to Sciortino.

No proof has been provided by the city that those regulations were met.

McCarthy Forecasts Garland Impeachment Inquiry if Whistleblower Allegations True

McCarthy retweeted allegations made by the whistleblower, IRS Criminal Supervisory Special Agent Gary A. Shapley Jr, noting if his allegations are true, “this will be a significant part of a larger impeachment inquiry into Merrick Garland’s weaponization of DOJ.”
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His retweet included a post from Washington Examiner Chief Correspondent Byron York, who noted that Shapley alleged Weiss wanted charges against Biden to be brought in Washington, DC. Moreover, York included Shapley’s legal team’s claim that during an October 7, 2022, meeting at Weiss’s office, six witnesses observed him state that he “did not have authority to charge in other districts and had thus requested special counsel status.”

Those six witnesses include Baltimore FBI Special Agent in Charge Tom Sobocinski and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryeshia Holley, IRS Assistant Special Agent in Charge Gary Shapley and Special Agent in Charge Darrell Waldon, who also independently and contemporaneously corroborated Mr. Shapley’s account in an email, now public as Exhibit 10, following p. 148 of his testimony transcript. Mr. Shapley would have no insight into why Mr. Weiss’s would make these statements at the October 7, 2022 meeting if they were false.  That Mr. Weiss made these statements is easily corroborated, and it is up to him and the Justice Department to reconcile the evidence of his October 7, 2022 statements with contrary statements by Mr. Weiss and the Attorney General to Congress.

However, on the same day, Garland denied that Weiss ever asked him for a special counsel to be appointed in the matter
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“The only person with authority to make somebody a special counsel or refuse to make somebody a special counsel is the Attorney General. Mr. Weiss never made that request to me.”

Garland added, “I would support Mr. Weiss explaining or testifying on these matters when he deems appropriate.”

I had reported the disappearance of a not so renowned actor, namely Julian Sands, some time ago. Well, I've got bad news for SG1 fans, the actor who portrayed the Doci on Stargate SG-1 might have passed away long time ago...

Remains Found in California Mountains Where Actor Julian Sands Went Missing

Hikers have found human remains in Southern California’s Mount Baldy wilderness, the mountainous area where British-born film actor Julian Sands went missing in January, local authorities said late on Saturday.

The hikers contacted Fontana Station officials at about 10 a.m. on Saturday to report the discovery of the body, which was taken to the coroner’s office for identification, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.

Sands was reported missing on Jan. 13 after he had gone hiking alone in the Baldy Bowl area of the San Gabriel Mountains, about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Los Angeles.

A search was immediately launched in the area, but ground teams were pulled out a day later due to avalanche risks and poor trail conditions.

The Baldy Bowl, a large sloping area below the crest of the Mount Baldy ski area, is a popular destination for skiers, climbers, and backpackers. Sands was believed to be an experienced hiker, officials said at the time of his disappearance.

Born in England, Sands moved to California in the 1980s to pursue a Hollywood career after the success of the 1985 film “A Room with a View,” a period romance in which he was cast as the leading man opposite Helena Bonham Carter.