Great European Gas Crash AVERTED? EU guidelines say firms could pay for Russian gas indirectly in Rubles

Russian Victory: Companies could pay in euros or dollars through a Gazprombank account inside Russia. The EU Commission finally agrees to ignore its own law, (speaking dictatorially for its 450 million citizens), and thus saving Capitalism from a Russian cutoff.

EU companies may be able to work around Russia’s demand to receive gas payments in rubles without breaching sanctions, if they pay directly to Russia in euros or dollars which are then converted into the Russian currency, the European Commission (EC) said on Friday, according to Reuters.

In an advisory document sent to member states on Thursday, the Commission reportedly said that Moscow’s gas-for-rubles proposal does not necessarily prevent ‘a payment process that would comply with EU sanctions against Russia’.

“EU companies can ask their Russian counterparts to fulfil their contractual obligations in the same manner as before the adoption of the decree, i.e. by depositing the due amount in euros or dollars.”

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EU rejected Moscow’s ruble-for-gas demand on 29th March.. but now agrees it ‘could be okay’

The bloc’s refusal to pay in Rubles followed a similar announcement by G7 countries. EU member states “won’t pay for Russian gas in rubles”, the European Commission said on Tuesday March 29th, rejecting Moscow’s March 31 deadlin. Russia allowed time to consider the matter, and finally it seems companies will be allowed to indirectly pay in rubles, giving a boost to the Russian currency and a blow to the dollar hegemony which for generations has allowed it to ‘just print trillions’..

Read more… Russia explains gas for rubles switch

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The plan is identical to what the Russian government had suggested earlier this month, except that it’s now proposed by the EU, saving face.

Brussels also said that, ‘before making payments, EU operators could make a clear statement that they consider their contractual obligations to be completed when they deposit euros or dollars with Gazprombank – as opposed to later, after the payment is converted into rubles’.

This document would get around the EU decree prohibiting payment in Rubles.

In true dictatorial fashion, ‘worse than Putin’, the European Commission has decided we can ‘comply with EU sanctions against Russia’ by not complying. But Europeans will be happy to avoid economic ruin merely over which currency their gas is paid in.

Proposed Fossil Fuel Embargo on Russia Collapsing

By proposing acceptance of the workaround by which payments are made to a bank in Russia which then changes the currency to Rubles the EU can save its economy from a gas cutoff.

Also Russia would be safe from the money being ‘frozen’ by sanctions in ‘western’ banks, as already happened to 300 billion dollars of their money which has been ‘illegally stolen’ by the USA.

In fact the gas has never stopped flowing. The Russian ‘invasion’ of Ukraine has carefully avoided damaging the gas pipelines to Europe, which are pumping at full pressure, along with the direct North Stream One gas pipeline.

According to the new guidelines, the sanctions regime does not prohibit companies from opening accounts with Gazprombank, in Russia, NOT in an EU branch, or from engaging with the bank to attempt to seek a solution.
However it remains to be seen what pressure and threats the US bosses will put on the EU to revoke this permission… will they now sanction the EU for not sanctioning Russia enough?

GREAT CRASH AVERTED? EU guidelines suggest way to let firms pay for Russian gas in rubles

Companies could pay in euros or dollars through a Gazprombank account, Brussels finally agrees

EU companies may be able to work around Russia’s demand to receive gas payments in rubles without breaching sanctions, if they pay in euros or dollars which are then converted into the Russian currency, the European Commission (EC) said on Friday, according to Reuters.

In an advisory document sent to member states on Thursday, the Commission reportedly said that Moscow’s gas-for-rubles proposal does not necessarily prevent a payment process that would comply with EU sanctions against Russia.

The document said there were options that could allow companies to continue lawfully paying for gas. “EU companies can ask their Russian counterparts to fulfil their contractual obligations in the same manner as before the adoption of the decree, i.e. by depositing the due amount in euros or dollars.”

*****************

EU rejected Moscow’s ruble-for-gas demand on 29th March.. but now agrees it ‘could be okay’

The bloc’s refusal followed a similar announcement by G7 countries. EU member states “won’t pay for Russian gas in rubles”, the European Commission said on Tuesday March 29th, rejecting Moscow’s March 31 deadline for switching payment mechanisms. The announcement came a day after a similar response from the G7 nations. Russia allowed time to consider the matter, and finally it seems companies will be allowed to indirectly pay in rubles, giving a boost to the Russian currency and a blow to the dollar hegemony which allows it to ‘just print trillions’..

Read more… Russia explains gas for rubles switch

***************

The procedure for securing exemptions from the requirements of the decree is not yet clear, the European Commission’s new guidelines added.

The plan is identical to what the Russian government had suggested earlier this month.

Brussels also said that, ‘before making payments, EU operators could make a clear statement that they consider their contractual obligations to be completed when they deposit euros or dollars with Gazprombank – as opposed to later, after the payment is converted into rubles’.

This document would get around the EU prohibition against paying in Rubles.

In true dictatorial fashion, ‘worse than Putin’, the European Commission has decided we can ‘comply with EU sanctions against Russia’ by not complying.

By proposing acceptance of the workaround by which payments are made to a bank in Russia which then changes the currency to Rubles the EU can save its economy from a gas cutoff,

Also Russia would be safe from the money being ‘frozen’ by sanctions in ‘western’ banks, as already happened to 300 billion dollars of their money which has been ‘illegally stolen’ by the USA.

According to the new guidelines, the sanctions regime does not prohibit companies from opening accounts with Gazprombank, in Russia, not an EU branch, or from engaging with the bank to attempt to seek a solution.

However it remains to be seen what immense pressure and threats the US will put on the EU to revoke this permission… will they now sanction the EU for not sanctioning Russia enough?

Steve Kirsch> One honest, courageous public health official could end the false narrative almost instantly

All they would have to do is simply request a few documents from the CDC. The CDC won’t be able to provide any of the documents, but they would have no excuse for not supporting their request.

Steve Kirsch16 hr ago 351 likes 103 comments

Common mistakes and pitfalls in responses to Requests for Production of  Documents

A single honest, but courageous public health official could put an end to the false narrative insanity and prove to the world that the emperor has no clothes just by making a few document requests of the CDC.

Here are some suggestions that would expose the fraud, but this is not a complete list. I just want to show how easy it would be for someone like Florida’s Surgeon General Joe Ladapo or Maui’s Lorrin Pang to end the deception.

Pang had the courage to speak the truth about ivermectin and HCQ (two drugs that we know for sure work) and was recently cleared of all charges. Now that’s he’s cleared that hurdle, perhaps he’s willing to take the next step and ask for these four documents.

Can you imagine what would happen to him next? Maui regulators would charge Pang with asking the CDC for evidence backing their decisions. Surely, that has to be a criminal offense in Maui, isn’t it?

Seriously, the nice thing about these document requests is that it doesn’t require any courage because asking for information does not require any of these people have to take a position on the issue. All they are doing is asking for evidence so they can do their job in properly letting people know if there is solid evidence or not that shows that the vaccines are safe.

Who will have the courage to ask the CDC for the information that every single honest public health official would want to see?

Here are my suggestions for document requests from these public health officials to the CDC

  1. Risk-benefit analysis. The risk-benefit analysis stratified by age, using the mortality data from VAERS and the URF using the CDC’s methodology (published a year ago by five CDC authors) which the CDC uses to justify their vaccine recommendation. See this article for more info.
  1. Clinical trial autopsy reports. The 21 autopsy reports filed with the FDA in the Pfizer EUA application that show that each of the deaths in the vaccine group were properly tested for the possibility that they died from the vaccine or a clear and convincing explanation as to how Pfizer could know this for certain without doing such tests. See this article for more info.
  2. Blood clot analysis. The written analysis that the CDC did on these massive telltale blood clots that have been found in up to 93% of people being embalmed.
  1. This is a major health emergency that has been brought to the CDC’s attention. What did their investigation reveal as to the cause of these deadly clots and how can they possibly be happening in up to 93% of the cases? The CDC refused to get blood clot videos and tissue samples that Steve Kirsch offered. This a a critical public health issue so presumably, this is because the CDC already has numerous videos and tissue samples.
  2. Mask mandate necessity analysis. The written analysis that the CDC relied upon when it asserted that the mask mandate shouldn’t be overturned because “at this time an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the public health.” That written analysis would necessarily explain why gold-standard randomized trials such as the Denmark and Bangladesh studies which both showed no measurable effect of masking were ignored. The document should also explain why the Finland study was rejected by the CDC as well. What was the fatal flaw that the CDC found that nobody else on Earth noticed? And why did they ignore the conclusions of hundreds of studies showing masks don’t work.
  1. Why did the very recent study in school-aged children in Spain fail to find an effect if masking kids is so important? What mistake did they make? Surely, they’ve got a good reason for rejecting all of these studies, and the public has a right to know why since they want to mandate this on the public. Which mask studies are the CDC holding up as the gold standard above all these studies and why? The report should include how the CDC determined “necessary”? Is necessary based on an absolute effect size? If so, what is it? Or is it based on a relative risk reduction? So if it would reduce deaths by .001%, is that the criteria for MANDATING a public health intervention that according to the Finland study could very likely increase the rate of infection (watch at 3 minutes)? The public is left in the dark on how the “necessary” determination is made. Also, if cloth masks work, then how come even the Bangladesh study authors flatly admitted that they don’t?
  2. VAERS safety signal analysis. A document explaining how the CDC could possibly have missed the elevated symptoms in VAERS that started happening in January 2021. For example, pulmonary embolism reporting rate jumped by over 1,000 fold. How could the CDC not detect this and investigate the cause? Since it wasn’t the vaccine, what caused the 1,000-fold reporting increase in this and other symptoms? Why did pulmonary embolism generate a safety signal in January or February 2021? Also, in what month did myocarditis finally generate a safety signal? Can we see the monthly reports showing when it “popped up” on the radar?
  3. Number of vaccine injured. A document showing the current number of vaccine injured. This should be at least 5 million Americans at this point (based on the Israeli data, VAERS data, and doctor reports). If the vaccines are so safe, what is causing so many injuries?

Is there an intellectually curious public health official out there that will request this information?

I’d ask myself, but these agencies don’t answer me when I ask for this info even though I have more readers than 90% of the newspapers in the US.

Please forward this widely

That’s what it will take to find a public health official who still has some critical thinking skills left.

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I write about COVID vaccine safety and efficacy, corruption, censorship, mandates, masking, and early treatments. America is being misled by formerly trusted authorities.

Timothy JAE35 min ago·edited 34 min agoOnce again, Steve demonstrates that we don’t defeat liars with arguments: we defeat them with questions. It is only a matter of formulating the right question, like a dagger aimed at the vitals, and Steve has the intuition of a prosecuting attorney. I have learned from him to apply this lesson in my own life as well, to expose crime rather than try to bury it. Maybe you are learning this lesson too.

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Suing Exxon: Rising Tide of Lawsuits Cite Climate Denial Lies

greenman3610's avatarThis is Not Cool

Above, CBS News on the steady onslaught of lawsuits against major oil companies, especially Exxon, as the costs of climate impacts continue to rise.
Below, Josh Pearce of Michigan Tech on the Fossil Fuel industry’s exposure to legal risk. It only takes one win to break the dam, and the fossil industry will face retribution far greater than what the Tobacco industry saw when similar suits began to break against them in the 90s.

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Earth Day 2022 – from the Middle of the World

Playamart - Zeebra Designs's avatarZeebra Designs & Destinations

From the Middle of the World

Scarlet Tanager

Ecuador –   The lovely Scarlet Tanager joins the list of rare birds that drop in for a photo session then move on!  This one visited Parque las Vegas on March 31.  At first glance I thought it was the ‘common’ Vermillion Flycatcher:

Vermillion Flycatcher

Scarlet Tanager

This bird was quite patient with the impromptu photo session, but it was not until that night that I realized how rare this beauty was in this area.   It was the third time for this species to be reported in Manabi Province on eBird:   eBird/Scarlet Tanager/Manabi-Ecuador

In nearby La Tomatera, a new eBird Hotspot, several more VIP birds have provided special glimpses, and I continue to find myself Blessed by Birds.   The quite rare Black-billed Cuckoo continues to ‘multiply.’   First there was one sighting, thanks to Luis Saltos, then another visit to La Tomatera…

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Ukraine is a gold mine for the US war industry.. A disaster for the Planet – English/Spanish


Editorial office April 22, 2022 https://mpr21.info

The war in Ukraine has triggered a wave of increases in military budgets, both in the United States and in Europe, for which the essentially American arms industry is celebrating.

But before hostilities broke out, the bosses of the main arms companies were already preparing to increase their sales. In a January this year conference call with his company’s investors, Greg Hayes, CEO of Raytheon Technologies, boasted that the prospect of war in Eastern Europe and other global hot spots would be good for business:

“ We see, I would say, international sales opportunities… The tensions in Eastern Europe, the tensions in the South China Sea, all of those things put pressure on some of the defense spending there. So I hope we get some benefit from it.

At the end of March, in an interview given to the Harvard Business Review after the start of the war in Ukraine, Hayes defended that his company would benefit from the war:

“So I don’t apologize for it. I think once again we recognize that we are there to defend democracy and the fact is that we will end up benefiting from it over time. Everything that’s being shipped to Ukraine today, of course, is coming from stockpiles, whether it’s from the DoD [Pentagon] or from our NATO allies, and that’s great news. Over time we will have to replace them and we will make a profit for the business for years to come.”


Ukraine only provides the dead

The war in Ukraine will indeed be a boost for companies like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.

First, there will be resupply contracts for weapons like Raytheon’s Stinger anti-aircraft missile and the Raytheon/Lockheed Martin-produced Javelin anti-tank missile that Washington has already supplied to Ukraine by the thousands.

However, the largest stream of benefits will come from assured increases in post-war “national security” spending, here and in Europe, justified, at least in part, by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Direct arms transfers to Ukraine already reflect only part of the extra money for US military companies.

In this fiscal year alone, they are guaranteed significant benefits from the Pentagon’s Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) and the State Department’s Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program, which finance the acquisition of US weapons and other equipment, as well as military training.

They are the two main channels of military aid to Ukraine since the time the Russians took Crimea in 2014. Since then, the United States has committed some $5 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
Everything was planned before the war

On March 31 last year, before the start of the war, the US European Command declared an “imminent potential crisis”, given the nearly 100,000 Russian troops already present along the border with Ukraine.

Late last year, the Biden administration pledged $650 million in weapons to Ukraine, including anti-aircraft and anti-armor equipment like the Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin anti-tank missile.

Continue reading “Ukraine is a gold mine for the US war industry.. A disaster for the Planet – English/Spanish”

More than 1,500 million extra Spanish military spending since the war in Ukraine began – English/Spanish


04/19/2022 – 19:02 by Juan Carlos Rois,at Tortuga Anti-Militarists

Eurofighter fighter from Wing 14. Los Eurofighter españoles ahora lideraban la misión de ‘Policía Aérea’ de la OTAN en la frontera de Rusia en el Báltico..

Since Russia’s war with Ukraine began, we have attended 6 Councils of Ministers in Spain. Little is reflected in them of the actions undertaken by the Spanish State, either for the reception of Ukrainians, or for the expatriation of Spaniards in Poland or in the delivery of humanitarian aid and weapons to the Ukrainian army.

Continue reading “More than 1,500 million extra Spanish military spending since the war in Ukraine began – English/Spanish”