Monday, February 28, 2022

Lethal aid to Ukraine, that agrees to the second round of talks with Russia

 Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

News on CCP, Ukraine, Russia, U.S., Taiwan, Myanmar, disease control

News (1)

Turkish drone bombarded Russian missile system for the first time

Reporter : Luo Tingting / Editor: Wen Hui / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/02/28/a103359738.html
Image : TB2 armed drone made in Turkey. (Birol Bebek/AFP via Getty Images)


The Ukrainian military released a video on 27 February 2022 showing Ukrainian soldiers operating Turkish-made TB2 armed drones to destroy a Russian missile system.

An aerial video posted on the Facebook account of the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces shows Ukrainian soldiers operating a Bayraktar TB2 armed drone against invading Russian troops.

The footage showed that a long line of Russian military vehicles was attacked by armed drones. The target was hit and caused continuous explosions, and dazzling lights broke out at the scene. The attack took place in Chornobayivka, Kherson Oblast, southern Ukraine.

CNN reported that this was an attack on the Russian BUK surface-to-air missile system.

The independent media Middle East Eye said that this is the first time that Turkish armed drones bombarded Russian military vehicles.

The Ukrainian embassy in Turkey confirmed on 26 February that Ukrainian troops used TB2 drones to attack a Russian military convoy in the southern city of Kherson.

A Twitter user said the video was filmed over Kherson International Airport.

Kiev defense writer Yuriy Butusov told The Wall Street Journal that the TB2 drone's cameras can laser locate targets about 12 miles away to coordinate shelling. In addition to reconnaissance and targeting, it can also launch its own missiles.

The TB2 can stay aloft for 24 hours quietly, at a maximum altitude of about 25,000 feet, and Russia cannot shoot it down.

Before the war began, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Kyiv on 3 February 2022 for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The two countries signed a free trade agreement (FTA) and eight cooperation agreements, including an agreement for Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar Technology to produce in Ukraine.

"We continue to support Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, including Crimea," Erdogan said.

Turkey has repeatedly expressed its willingness to mediate tensions between Ukraine and Russia, hoping to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means.

On the fifth day of the Ukraine-Russia war, Ukraine called on the international community to provide more military support. Ukraine needs Javelin anti-tank missiles and short-range personal air defense stinger missiles, "the more the better."

Individual air defense and anti-tank weapons are mainly FIM-92 "Stinger" anti-aircraft missiles and "Javelin" anti-tank missiles. These two missiles can automatically lock on the target and strike with precision.

Stinger missiles can shoot down helicopters and other aircraft in the air, and the "Javelin" is considered by many experts to be Ukraine's "best hope" to stop the Russian army, and it can pose a strong threat to armored vehicles.

The "Javelin" is suitable for personal carrying. It can be used for assault anywhere, hit and run, and is very beneficial to defenders in street battles.

The United States has announced more stinger missiles, and Germany has decided to help Ukraine with 500 stinger missiles and other weapons and supplies.

Sweden also broke the practice of not sending weapons to warring countries and decided to provide Ukraine with military equipment such as 135,000 field rations, 5,000 helmets, 5,000 pieces of armor and 5,000 disposable anti-tank launchers.



News (2) to (8) / Source : Eric Mack, Newsmax / Image : Video Screenshot

News (2)

Trump's lethal aid to Ukraine

Despite leftist media claiming Trump has praised Putin to a fault, Trump reminded the crowd he gave lethal aid to Ukraine.

"I gave Ukraine the Javelins that everyone is now talking about and millions of dollars of other military equipment—the Obama administration gave them blankets," Trump said.

"Reporters asked me if I thought President Putin was smart; I said, 'Of course, he's smart – to which I was greeted with, 'ah, that's such a terrible thing to say.'"

News (3)

Trump: Putin outsmarts Biden

Trump added he is saying Putin is merely outsmarting Biden, our "dumb" leaders, and other world leaders.

"NATO nations and indeed the world, as he looks over what's happening strategically with no repercussions or threats whatsoever," Trump continued. "They're not so smart. They're looking the opposite of smart: 'If you take over Ukraine, we're going to sanction you.'

"They say, 'sanction? Well, that's a pretty weak statement.' Putin is saying, 'oh, they're going to sanction me; they sanctioned me for the last 25 years – you mean I can take over all the country, and they're gonna sanction me. You mean they're not going to blow us to pieces?'"

"The problem is not that Putin is smart, which of course he is, but that our leaders are dumb — they so far allowed him to get away with this travesty and assault on humanity.

"Putin is playing Biden like a drum, and it is not a pretty thing to watch, and it would have been so easy for me to stop this travesty from happening."

News (4)

Trump: Biden has turned stability into anarchy, security into catastrophe

"A major war in Europe may very well erupt; that's how they start, exactly what's happening today – this is how they start," Trump told the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday in Orlando, Florida. "Joe Biden has turned calm into chaos, competence into incompetence, stability into anarchy, and security into catastrophe.

News (5)

Trump: The Russia-Ukraine war would never have happened if he were re-elected

"The Russian attack on Ukraine is appalling; it's an outrage and an atrocity that should never have been allowed to occur, it never would have occurred.

"We are praying for the proud people of Ukraine. God bless them all."

Trump took direct aim at his predecessors for allowing Russia's Vladimir Putin to invade other countries.

"As everyone understands, this horrific disaster would never have happened if our election was not rigged, and if I was the president," Trump continued. "Very simple: It wouldn't have happened. Under Bush, Russia invaded Georgia. Under Obama, Russia took Crimea. Under Biden, Russia invaded Ukraine.

"I stand as the only president of the 21st century on whose watch Russia did not invade another country."

Using a World War II phrase as Russia is testing NATO in Europe, former President Donald Trump said the "sleeping giant" conservative MAGA movement has awoken.

News (6)

Trump: Communists and socialists are attacking the U.S.

Trump also took aim at Democrats.

"Socialist globalists, Marxists, and communists who are attacking our civilization have no idea of the sleeping giant they have awoken," Trump said.

"We are a sleeping giant. They cannot even begin to imagine the brave and righteous spirit they've unleashed in men and women."

Trump began with a stark message for Democrats before the 2022 midterms.

"The radical left is exposed, they're weak, and their pathetic policies of been out there long enough now that we don't want them – we will never take him," Trump told the crowd. "We are bringing back our country and we are bringing back our freedom."

News (7)

Trump praises Zelenskyy

Trump called Democrats the worst opponent he has faced, while praising Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"The worst are the politicians," Trump said. "The toughest are the politicians. The meanest are the politicians. And the biggest lying scum are the politicians – like Adam 'shifty' Schiff. Where do you meet people like this?

"He actually made up a story about my phone call with the president of Ukraine, who, by the way, is a brave man; he's hanging in."

Trump praised the office of the presidency, while rebuking President Joe Biden for embarrassing the U.S. on the world stage.

"This year we're being vividly reminded how fragile and precious that heritage really is," Trump said. "I never knew how important being president was."

News (8)

Trump laments loss of U.S. self-confidence under Biden

U.S. self-confidence is lost under Biden, Trump lamented.

"You could take the five worst presidents in American history and put them together and they would not have done the damage that Joe Biden is administration has done in just a very short 13 months," Trump continued. "And no matter how you look at it, our country has totally lost its self-confidence, lost its self confidence. We, as a country, have no confidence anymore.

"But we will get it back and we'll get it back stronger than ever before."

Video: https://www.newsmax.com/politics/conservative-save-america-speech-sleeping-giant/2022/02/26/id/1058661/?ns_mail_uid=b3ec8ca8-eb50-4e71-ac8f-934c630c31f3&ns_mail_job=DM306279_02272022&s=acs&dkt_nbr=010104z498sv

News (9)

CCP is financing Russia on push for Ukraine

Reporter : Eric Mack, Newsmax / https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/gordonchang-invasion-sanctions-vladimirputin/2022/02/27/id/1058727 / Images of Gordon Chang (left) and Xi Jinping (below) : Video Screenshot


Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping made economic and strategic connections that are ultimately feeding Russia's invasion into Ukraine and helping Putin's increasingly isolated economy lean on China to subsist, according to Far East expert Gordon Chang.

"Just a few hours before the Olympics started, China and Russia announced their oil and gas deals — $117.5 billion," Chang told Sunday's "The Cats Roundtable" on WABC 770 AM-N.Y. "Also, in the last few days they announced a coal deal — 100 million metric tons of Russian coal for China. China is financing the Russian push on Ukraine.

"It's not just the petroleum and commodity dollars; it's also providing access to an alternate financial system," Chang added to host John Catsimatidis.

Also, China has lifted restrictions on the importing of Russian wheat, which "further helps Russia finance its invasion of Ukraine," Chang told Sunday's "Wake Up America" on Newsmax.

"Although it might have some second thoughts about what it is doing, it is still supporting the Russians to the hilt," Chang told host Carl Higbie.

Beijing had designs on taking Taiwan, but seeing this Russian invasion "not be successful" has Beijing perhaps looking to "distance itself from Russia," Chang added to Higbie.

"Because if this invasion fails, then it puts Beijing in a very bad light," he said, noting NATO allies activating its response force is signaling to China that similar actions will be taken if it made a move on Taiwan.

Still, Xi's position on Taiwan has not changed, save for perhaps "timing," Chang added to Higbie.

Ultimately, Chang told Catsimatidis, the Biden administration has been too soft on both China and Russia to date, two countries President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden have had close ties to.

"We know that China (CCP) is supporting Russia," Chang said. "So the question is: Are we going to go after China for backfilling sanctions that we will impose on Russia? I'm not sure that the Biden administration will move in time. It will repeat a mistake."

News (10)

The CCP’s embassy in Ukraine says it’s too dangerous to evacuate Chinese citizens
Editor : Lin Qing / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/02/27/a103359483.html / Image : At present, the Chinese and Chinese students in Ukraine are already very panicked, and they are scrambling to tear up the Chinese Spring Festival couplets. (Twitter image)
The CCP embassy in Ukraine, which had promised to return Chinese citizens by chartered flights a few days ago, changed its tune again, saying that the evacuation operation could not be carried out, on the grounds that "after Russia invaded Ukraine" the situation is "too dangerous.”
In the afternoon of 26 February 2022, the Weibo account of the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine released a nearly 10-minute video and text of the Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Fan Xianrong, refuting the rumor that the "ambassador escaped", and trying to appease the trapped Chinese citizens in Ukraine in the middle of the war due to failure to evacuate them in advance. 
He said that many people want to return to China, but "the current security conditions are indeed not available in all places". "Let's think about it, there are missiles in the air, explosions and guns on the ground from time to time, and the two armies are fighting. The curfews are kept one after the other. How is it possible to ensure safety in this situation?!  … So, we must wait until it is safe to leave."
In the weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine, many countries, including the United States, Britain and Japan, evacuated diplomats from Ukraine and urged their nationals to leave Ukraine immediately but the CCP authorities have never called or arranged for Chinese personnel to evacuate Ukraine before the war.
The CCP embassy in Ukraine did not announce until Thursday after the opening of the war that it would arrange a charter flight to evacuate the Chinese but on the same day, Ukraine announced the closure of its airspace to civil aviation due to concerns over the high risk posed by missiles and anti-aircraft weapons.
In addition, it is even more ironic that after Russia invaded Ukraine, the CCP embassy in Ukraine once suggested that Chinese nationals who travel long distances by car can put the CCP Chinese flag on the car body, which means that it can protect Chinese citizens from attack. Under the hype of the official media, the CCP Chinese blood flag was even sold out in Kiev. Notes such as "#with the national flag will have the backbone#" and "#the scene of the original battle wolf 2 is true#" also became hot search keywords on Sina Weibo for a time.
However, Ukrainians were angry because of the CCP's support for Russia and the remarks of Chinese little pinks insulting Ukrainian women. The Chinese in Ukraine are all in danger. Many people are questioned by locals in subways and bomb shelters, and they dare not stay any longer. Some Chinese students took to the streets to be asked which country they were from, and they lied that they were "Japanese" out of fear.
Some netizens also sneered, "Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, suddenly has thousands of Japanese who can't speak Japanese. Can Japan give a reasonable explanation?"
In the early morning of 26 February 2022, the CCP embassy in Ukraine issued another emergency notice, asking local Chinese and international students to "don't reveal their identities and display identifying signs at will." Pictures and videos online show that students and Chinese in Ukraine are now busy tearing down and destroying anything that could be identified as Chinese.
In contrast, for Taiwanese in Ukraine, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs arranged a special car to evacuate overseas Chinese from western Ukraine to escort 6 Taiwanese all the way to Warsaw, the capital of Poland, unhindered. They have arrived in Poland.
News (11)
Little pinkies harm Ukrainian Chinese, CCP brainwashing education leads to anti-CCP tide
In the face of Ukraine being invaded, there were cheers on the mainland Internet, and a video of a Chinese student showed that anti-CCP sentiment began to appear in Ukraine. The evil consequences of the CCP's long-term brainwashing and education ultimately hurt the Chinese people in Ukraine.
When Russia invaded and Ukrainians fought on the streets and defended their homes, there were voices insulting Ukrainian women on the Chinese mainland. Ukrainian media translated the content and reported it in the country, sparking outrage among Ukrainians.
Overseas Chinese in Ukraine: "The bullet of this gun is flying on the head. We were shot just now. Two Ukrainian civilians with long guns chased us behind us. The three of us ran as if we were dead."
Ukrainian student said, "Tonight in Khatasya, Kharkiv, there is a Chinese who seems to have been shot. In the future, how many Chinese people will be killed and shot to death in this place, all thanks to you. Thanks to the keyboard warriors."
A video widely circulated online shows students in Ukraine calling on domestic netizens not to hurt their compatriots.
Ukrainian international student said, "I hope these keyboard warriors in China, you will leave some words and give us a chance to survive. Today, my buddies in Kiev Agricultural University, what do they do when they are outside? Someone asked them directly, 'Which country are you from? ', and then they said 'we are Japanese' (smiling bitterly), we can't even say that we are Chinese, thanks to you guys."
All kinds of information about Ukraine's crimes were spread on the Internet, and some Chinese people raised placards to call for a truce but they were blocked by the authorities.
So far, the CCP authorities have not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and have opposed Western sanctions against Russia.
Overseas Chinese in Ukraine said, "The Kiev air defense siren sounded, go to the basement quickly, the Kiev air defense siren sounded."
When the Russian invasion began on 24 February, the CCP embassy in Ukraine informed that it was preparing to evacuate Chinese nationals in batches. On the 27th, it was notified that the situation was too dangerous to carry out evacuation operations.
The Epoch Times interviewed Feng Jun (pseudonym), a Ukrainian student, who said that most of them asked to return to China, and they had filled out the evacuation registration form for returning to China, but there was no specific time for the evacuation.
According to Chinese media reports, about 6,000 Chinese nationals are studying and working in Ukraine.
News (12)
Hiding in the bathtub and fleeing to the countryside
Reporter : Zhu Ying / Editor : Zhu Xinrui / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/02/28/a103359610.html
It has been 4 days since Russia launched a full-scale armed attack on Ukraine. So far, a large number of Chinese students, businessmen, real estate speculators or migrant workers are still stranded in Ukraine. A few days ago, several Chinese stranded in Kiev revealed their secrets of fear, hiding and suffering in Ukraine when they were interviewed by mainland Chinese media through the Internet.
According to the "Xiaoxiang Morning News", a 23-year-old international student from Shanghai, Xiao Jian (pseudonym) and his girlfriend are still dormant in a rental house in Kiev, enduring the torment of explosions and gunfire, waiting for the Notice of the evacuation of overseas Chinese from the consulate.
Jane came to Kiev in 2019 to study at the Ukrainian National Academy of Fine Arts. Before the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, although he and his girlfriend bought and stocked supplies for half a month, deep down he never believed that Russia would really go to war with Ukraine. It wasn't until the sound of gunfire that they realized that the situation was completely beyond their imagination.
Last Friday (25 February), the Russian army's offensive line was approaching the city of Kiev. Jane went to the supermarket to buy food, but found that the bread had been sold out. After night fell, Jane and her girlfriend, who were hiding in the rental house, listened anxiously to the Russian military vehicles and tanks passing by the street downstairs where they lived, begging them not to open fire here.
Beginning at 2.45 am on the 26th, Russia and Ukraine began to exchange fire, and the sound of gunfire was incessant. Jane and her girlfriend stayed up all night, nervously refreshing every message in the mobile phone group. They learned that there was a fierce street battle downstairs of a Chinese friend's house 10 km away from their residence. An armored vehicle was destroyed, and the casualties were unknown; someone in the circle of friends sent a text message: "Now go to the direction of Victory Street (forward), hurry up and hide in the bathtub! Avoid grenades!"
Xiao Jian's girlfriend was terrified. They dared not sleep all night, for fear that it would be too late to escape in case of a situation. Finally, it was dawn and the gunfire stopped. They went out to inquire about the situation and found that almost every gas station had many cars queuing up for refueling, and the price of oil had also risen.
Xiaojian said that with the current battle situation, the airport should not have the conditions for a safe take-off, and it is estimated that the overseas Chinese will not be evacuated for a while.
Xiaojian and his girlfriend were relatively lucky but Mr. Ye and his family, who are doing business in Ukraine, are facing a more difficult situation than Xiao Jian and the others.
According to a report by the mainland Chinese media "Prism", Mr. Ye's family of four lives in Ukraine, more than 30 km away from Kiev. 
Since 25 February, the situation near Kiev has been getting worse. At around 5 a.m. that day, Mr. Ye's family was awakened by two loud explosions. Seeing that the sky outside the window was dyed red, they quickly hid in the subway. Police and the army were stationed at the door.
At around 1 pm, after witnessing the fierce street fighting in the Abulong district of Kiev, Mr. Ye took the opportunity to take his family to escape from the city of Kiev by car, and drove south for about three hours. Villagers take in. I thought this village would be safer, but I didn't expect that just after a good night's sleep, something happened near the village.
At about 9 am on 27 February, as soon as Mr. Ye got up, the villagers who took him in told him that there were signs of where the Russian airborne troops had been dropped around the village. The villagers organized early in the morning to destroy these signs and prepared some equipment, made of oil ammunition, intending to fight against the Russian army at that time.
This news made Mr. Ye very worried. In an interview, he said that money and wealth are foreign objects, and the safety of the family is the most important thing. Now he can only wait patiently for the evacuation notice.
However, the Chinese stranded in Ukraine may only be disappointed now, because the Chinese ambassador to Ukraine just said on the 27th that the evacuation operation cannot be carried out now because the situation after Russia's invasion of Ukraine is too dangerous.
Previously, before Russia invaded Ukraine, when the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and many other countries announced to withdraw their diplomats from Ukraine and urged their nationals to leave Ukraine immediately, the CCP’s official media had been ridiculing European and American countries for scaring themselves, and the officials had not called for it. Or arrange for the evacuation of Chinese personnel from Ukraine. It was not until the war started on the 24th that it announced that it was planning to arrange charter flights to evacuate the overseas Chinese, but the opportunity for safe evacuation had been lost.
Ukrainian real estate is one of the sectors that has been devastated by the war. There is a Chinese named Jason, who was in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, a day ago talking about the price of house prices falling and that he can buy the bottom. Now he told the mainland Chinese media who interviewed him that he wanted to take back the investment that he said the day before the war to "buy the house at the bottom of Kiev". .
Jason said that a landlord he knew originally owned about 20 suites. Seeing that Russia was about to call, he sold his house very cheaply and went to Europe. At the time, Jason believed that the situation would not continue like this, and that it must be a good time to buy a house in Kiev, Ukraine. As a result, the idea of ​​taking the opportunity to speculate in real estate came into being, and he also called for bargain hunters everywhere to buy houses.
But the current situation is not optimistic, and Jason completely withdraws the idea of ​​buying a house. He said that in the process of drifting for refuge, he felt the horror of war, and he was emotionally broken down to tears.
News (13)
On the eve of Russia-Ukraine negotiations, satellite exposes Russia's heavy forces advancing towards Kiev
Editor : Wen Hui / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/02/28/a103359614.htmlImage : On 27 February 27, local time, on the fourth day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accepted Russia's request for negotiations.  (Stefanie Loos-Pool/Getty Images)
On the fourth day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, on 27 February 2022, the Ukrainian president accepted Russia's request for negotiations but expressed doubts about Russia's sincerity. On the same day, satellite images showed that a large number of Russian ground troops were advancing towards the Ukrainian capital Kiev.
After Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, it encountered stubborn resistance from the Ukrainian military and civilians. The Russian army who originally wanted to "lightning beheading" Kiev failed to siege the city and was blocked outside the city of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was frustrated by the attack, made a request to Ukraine for negotiations earlier. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who initially refused to negotiate, changed his attitude on the 27th and expressed his willingness to "try" to negotiate with Russia, but he is skeptical.
"As always, I'll be honest: I really don't believe in the outcome of this negotiation, but let's try it," Zelenskyy said in a statement, AFP reported.
Zelenskyy made the remarks after talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Ukraine has agreed to hold talks on the Belarusian border without any preconditions. This is the result of the mediation of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
The Ukrainian presidency has previously refused to negotiate with Russia on Belarusian territory. Belarus, an ally of Moscow, has also been accused of being a rear base for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba said the talks were about "listening to what Russia has to say". He said, "What we're going to discuss is how to stop the war and end the occupation of our territory."
On the same day that Ukraine agreed to negotiate with Russia, on 27 February, images taken by U.S. satellites showed that a large number of Russian ground troops were assembled about 64 km away from Kiev and were advancing in the direction of the capital.
The US space technology company "Maxar Technologies", which has been tracking the movements of the Russian military recently, released the latest satellite photos on February 27, showing that the Russian army is moving in the direction of Kiev on a large scale. The convoy includes trucks, combat vehicles, armored combat vehicles and self-propelled guns that carry fuel and supplies.
At a sensitive moment when the two sides agreed to negotiate, Russia still mobilized its troops on a large scale to advance towards Kiev, making the outside world suspect that Russia's negotiations were not sincere.
News (14)
Do you have to wait to die? There is nowhere to hide on the island of Taiwan. He calls for "resuming the 1-year conscription system" 
Editor : Chen Yunzhen / news.tvbs.com.tw/life/1727035 / Image : Many are worried that mainland China (CCP) will take the opportunity to start a war. (Schematic diagram/shutterstock Dazhi Image) 


Russia suddenly invaded neighbouring Ukraine. The artillery fire on both sides continued and the situation was tense. The outside world was also very worried about the impact, and many people speculated that if the CCP took the opportunity to attack Taiwan, how should the Chinese people in Taiwan protect themselves? Taiwanese blogger "I'm a Xiaosheng" also shared his suggestions and opinions on Facebook. 
"If there is a war, where can we hide?" " I'm a Xiaosheng"admitted that there is nowhere to hide, because Taiwan, as an island country, does not have other borders like Ukraine. The country can flee, but if the CCP goes to war, the Taiwanese can only fight the backwater. Therefore, he, who was discharged from the 824T anti-artillery, appealed to support the restoration of the one-year conscription system, "I am Xiaosheng calling for the restoration of the one-year conscription system."
Many people may think that it is just a waste of time but he pointed out that this is a logical fallacy, because the training is not precise, it will feel like a waste of time, what should be done is to strengthen the training rather than simply inappropriate. 
He shared his experience as a soldier, "I have used 65K2 to hit full targets, skip artillery drills, get off the base, and go through high-level equipment inspection. Although I will forget it after I am discharged from the army, the operation process of the entire army has a basic concept, which can be reviewed during wartime. You will have basic combat power at once.” 
This is considered the most important purpose of training for compulsory service. The past ten years are the era of peace. The troops only need to maintain and operate basic equipment, as long as they can clean and do a lot of meaningless things, so it seems useless but if one does not understand and is familiar with the process, when war breaks out, just wait to die.
He even said that it is better for girls to be able to shoot targets, "Think about what will happen to those who say they want to accept Ukrainian girls after they cross the sea and come to Taiwan?" At least girls should know how to shoot to protect themselves. He also hopes to go to the front line during wartime, and his wife knows self-protection skills. "After all, war is so cruel, regardless of gender, age, or colour."
News (15)

Russian TV uses Tucker Carlson and Tulsi Gabbard to sell Putin's war

Reporter : Robert Mackey, The Intercept / https://theintercept.com/2022/02/24/russian-tv-uses-tucker-carlson-tulsi-gabbard-sell-putins-war/

In the hours since Russia launched its military assault on Ukraine, the news on Russian state television has been dominated by official statements and reports from war correspondents. But in the days leading up to the attack, as the state broadcaster worked to tarnish Ukraine and cast American criticism of President Vladimir Putin as hysterical, its producers borrowed heavily from another source: Fox News.

At least four times this week, Russian news reports have featured translated clips of Tucker Carlson or his guest Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic U.S. representative, attacking the Biden administration.

What is more, one report broadcast on Russian television’s main channel Sunday did more than just quote Carlson: It developed and sharpened a political attack on a prominent Democratic senator that Carlson had just hinted at.

At 8 pm on Sunday, a primetime review of the week’s news presented by Dmitry Kiselev, a bombastic Putin favorite, featured remarks from the opening monologue of Carlson’s February 17 show, in which the American commentator trashed Ukraine’s government.

“These people are so ghoulish,” Carlson said of U.S. officials who provided military aid to Ukraine. “Of course they’re promoting war,” Carlson continued, as his comments were translated into Russian, “not to maintain the democracy that is Ukraine. Ukraine is not a democracy. It has never been a democracy in its history, and it’s not now. It’s a client state of the Biden administration.”

The Russian broadcast cut away from Carlson’s monologue at this point to show Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s appearance at the United Nations that day. But that exactly echoed the next part of the original Fox News broadcast, which also showed Blinken on screen as Carlson mocked his warning that Russia might stage a false flag attack and blame it on Ukraine as a pretext for war.

An hour later, the evening news program on Russia’s main state television channel used a longer excerpt from the same Carlson monologue and shaped its own report to amplify the Fox News host’s attack on a Democrat. In the original Fox News broadcast, Carlson had suggested that Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who worked to arm Ukraine with Javelin anti-tank missiles, was only doing so because of donations from American defense contractors like Raytheon.

Before quoting Carlson’s comments, the Russian report noted that Blumenthal had received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from Raytheon and referred to Blumenthal’s false claim that he had served in Vietnam. The Russian broadcast then cut to a part of Carlson’s program in which he showed viewers video of Blumenthal telling MSNBC about the need to supply Javelin missiles to Ukraine. Carlson was then shown laughing at Blumenthal. “So that guy, who lied about his own war service, is pretty excited at the thought of Ukrainians fighting and dying in the streets,” Carlson scoffed.

After cutting away from Carlson, the Russian correspondent noted that President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump had also received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Raytheon.

On Wednesday night, just hours before Putin ordered the attack on Ukraine to begin, two excerpts from Carlson’s most recent program were featured in Russian state television’s 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. news broadcasts.

Carlson had started his show Tuesday night with a sarcastic monologue in which he told viewers, “Democrats in Washington have told you it’s your patriotic duty to hate Vladimir Putin. It’s not a suggestion. It’s a mandate. Anything less than hatred for Putin is treason. Many Americans have obeyed this directive. They now dutifully hate Vladimir Putin. Maybe you’re one of them. Hating Putin has become the central purpose of America’s foreign policy. It’s the main thing that we talk about. Entire cable channels are now devoted to it. Very soon, that hatred of Vladimir Putin could bring the United States into a conflict in Eastern Europe.”

Carlson’s comments were so welcome in Moscow that an excerpt from that rant with Russian subtitles was quickly produced by the Russian-language service of RT, the government-funded network formerly known as Russia Today.

During the 8 pm news bulletin on Russian state television Wednesday, as Russians tried to make sense of what was about to happen, a dubbed version of Carlson’s monologue was offered to them as an explanation.

An hour later, Russian television’s main evening news program featured another clip of Carlson’s show from the previous night, an excerpt from his discussion of possible economic sanctions on Russia with Gabbard, who is now a frequent Fox guest and was given a prime speaking slot at the Conservative Political Action Conference this weekend.

Like Carlson, Gabbard sought to blame the U.S. and NATO for supposedly provoking Putin’s attack on Ukraine and suggested that Americans would suffer from higher energy prices if Russia was sanctioned for invading Ukraine.

“These sanctions don’t work,” Gabbard told Carlson in an exchange screened for Russians. “What we do know is that they will increase suffering and hardship for the American people. And this is whole problem with the Biden administration: They are so focused on how do we punish Putin that they don’t care and are not focused on what is actually in the best interests of the American people.”

Russian officials have not been shy about pointing out that fuel prices are likely to spike in Europe and the United States if sanctions are imposed on its vast oil and gas industry. State television reports from Washington on the crisis have repeatedly included close shots of high gas prices and suggested that they could go higher.

On Thursday, after Russia launched its military assault on Ukraine, Gabbard posted the video of her comments about sanctions on Twitter and suggested, without evidence, that doing anything to press Putin to stop the invasion of Ukraine could lead to a nuclear war.

Gabbard returned to Carlson’s show Thursday night. During her appearance, she blamed Biden for not preventing the war, which she said he could have done by giving in to Putin’s demand to rule out the possibility of Ukraine ever joining NATO.

News (16)

Germany to send anti-tank weapons, missiles to Ukraine in major policy reversal

Reporter : Allen Zhong, The Epoch Times PREMIUM

Germany will provide anti-tank weapons and surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Saturday.

“The Russian attack marks a turning point. It is our duty to do our best to help Ukraine defend against the invading army of Putin. That’s why we’re supplying 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger missiles to our friends in Ukraine,” he wrote in a Twitter post.

This is a major reversal of Berlin’s longstanding policy of banning weapon exports to battle zones.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed Germany’s change of stance, “Keep it up, Chancellor Olaf Scholz! Anti-war coalition in action!”

Berlin Saturday authorized NATO partners the Netherlands and Estonia to deliver German-made weapons to Ukraine.

The batch of weapons included 400 RPGs from the Netherlands and old GDR howitzers from Estonia.

Germany has a long-standing policy of not exporting weapons to war zones, rooted partly in its bloody 20th-century history and resulting pacifism. Countries aiming to pass on German weapons exports need to apply for approval in Berlin first.

Scholz had repeatedly referred to this policy in recent weeks when refusing to deliver weapons to Ukraine.

News (17)

Trump : Big mistake for Biden to shut down China Initiative

Reporter : Mimi Nguyen Ly, The Epoch Times PREMIUM

The recent move by the Biden-Harris administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) to terminate the China Initiative is a “big mistake,” former President Donald Trump said at a Feb. 26 press conference prior to his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Trump also issued remarks on the current situation in Ukraine during the press conference.

The DOJ announced on 23 February that it was ending the China Initiative program, which was spearheading an unprecedented crackdown against economic espionage, trade theft, and technology transfer by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) against the United States. The program was launched in 2018 by the Trump administration.

“I’m surprised to see that. I don’t think we should be doing that. … I think it’s a big mistake,” Trump said of the DOJ’s decision to terminate the program, in response to a question from Epoch Times senior editor Jan Jekielek. “China, as you know, is a very big player, but it can be a very dangerous player in so many different ways.”

DOJ Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen told a press briefing on Feb. 23 that the China Initiative was designed as a coherent approach to the challenges posed by the CCP and was “driven by genuine national security concerns.”

Under the initiative, the FBI was conducting roughly 1,000 investigations by February 2020 across 56 regional offices into China’s attempted theft of trade secrets, FBI Director Christopher Wray said at the time. China has also been implicated in about 80 percent of all economic espionage charges brought forward by the DOJ, and the country is connected to 60 percent of all trade-secret theft cases. The initiative has led to dozens of prosecutions since its inception, according to the DOJ’s 2021 year-end report.

However there have been growing concerns from the civil rights community that the program was fielding “a narrative of intolerance and bias,” Olsen said. He also said the academic and scientific community had raised concerns over the department’s prosecutions of certain fraud cases involving research grants, alleging that the prosecutions could ultimately “lead to a chilling atmosphere for scientists and scholars” and threaten academic research and economic development in the long term.

As such, the program will be replaced by a broader, new approach to tackle threats “from a range of hostile nation-states,” and the DOJ “will continue to prioritize” threats from the CCP, Olsen said.

News (18)

Suspected special forces support Russia. Belarus President : The Ukrainian war will become a "meat grinder" 
Editor : Liu Zheqi / news.tvbs.com.tw/world/1727062
The Ukrainian-Russian war has entered its fifth day, and many media reported that the Russian invasion was frustrated and the progress was not as expected.
According to a report by Daily Mail, Belarus is suspected to have sent special forces to support Russia, preparing to launch an air strike on Kiev. 
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also warned that a war in Ukraine would be a "meat grinder". 
The Security Service of Ukraine announced that the Zhytomyr Airport, about 150 km west of Kiev, was attacked by a rocket from Belarus. Military sources also said that Belarusian special forces were suspected to have boarded the plane and were preparing to carry out an air strike on Kiev.
According to reports, the Russian army has not been able to capture Ukraine's second largest city Kharkiv, and the capital Kiev is also properly defended, which may make Russian President Vladimir Putin feel angry and frustrated, and make ally Belarus must join the battle. If the war expands, NATO members may also be affected, triggering a war in Europe.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also said in a referendum poll on the 27th that if the conflict in Ukraine continues, it will lead to the worst situation. He also claimed that "this is just a conflict, not a war at all. If the war lasts for a day or two at most, it will turn into a meat grinder in three days." 
According to the Guardian report, former Kiev Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk also said that Belarus is very likely to join forces with Russia because there is intelligence that Belarusian airborne troops have boarded a plane into Ukraine. He said sadly that Ukraine and Belarus regarded each other as brothers not long ago, and the other party must have been instructed by Putin to make such a decision.
News (19)
Kremlin sent more than 400 private militia mercenaries to assassinate Zelenskyy and his government officials

Reporter : Lawrence Dollimore, Daily Mail

More than 400 Russian mercenaries have been flown in from Africa to assassinate Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it was revealed last night.

A private militia known as the Wagner Group allegedly has orders from Vladimir Putin to take out Zelenskyy - and 23 other government figures - to allow Moscow to take over its eastern European neighbour. 

According to the Times, the army-for-hire, run by oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin - a close ally of the Russian president who is often dubbed "Putin's chef" - was flown in five weeks ago and is being offered a huge sum for the mission.

It prompted Kiev to declare a 36-hour "hard" curfew, ordering everyone indoors so that soldiers could sweep the streets for Russian saboteurs.

Citizens were warned that they risked being "liquidated" if they were spotted outside during the curfew hours, as they may be assumed to be the enemy.

A source with knowledge of the Wagner Group's activities told the Times that between 2,000 and 4,000 mercenaries had actually arrived in Ukraine in January, but with different missions.

Some were sent to the rebel-held regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in the east of the country - while the 400 tasked with taking out Zelenskyy headed to Kiev from Belarus.

The group are said to be tracking Zelenskyy and his colleagues via their mobile phones - claiming to know where they are at all times.

Another source claimed the killers-for-hire have been told to put on the brakes while Putin holds "peace talks" with Zelenskyy this week.

But they have allegedly been informed that the Russian leader has no desire to reach a deal, branding the meeting on the Belarus border as "smoke and mirrors."

News of their assassination plans has not seemed to faze Zelensky, who admitted he was "target number one" during an address to the nation, telling them Russian special forces were hunting him.

When the US offered to extract him, he told President Joe Biden, "I need ammunition, not a ride."

Wagner has conducted covert operations across Africa and the Middle East, including in Syria, and they have most recently been on the ground in Ukraine to guide Russian tanks to the capital.

General Sir Richard Barrons, a former commander of Joint Forces Command, said: 'They are very effective because they are hard to pin down.

"They can appear from the shadows, do very violent things and then disappear again, without it being obvious who was responsible. They are not directly linked to the Russian government and therefore they are plausibly deniable."

Sources told the Times the militia were briefed about Putin's plans on Ukraine back in December, long before the Russian army was told.

Soldiers and generals were feared to oppose the invasion plans, and several have been executed for doing so, claimed the mercenaries.

News (20)

Will the United States send troops to defend Taiwan? Ma Ying-jeou changed his answer: The chance is very small 

Reporter : Huang Weiquan / news.tvbs.com.tw/politics/1727047

Ukraine and Russia are at war. Former President Ma Ying-jeou said bluntly in an interview on 27 February 2022that the United States will sell weapons to Taiwan but will not send troops to help defense. Under further questioning by the media today, Ma Ying-jeou changed his answer, saying that the United States would sell weapons and provide intelligence, "but the chance of sending troops is very small." 

Ma Ying-jeou bowed to the monument at 228 Peace Park in the morning of 28 February 2022, and changed his tune for the statement that "the United States will not send troops to defend Taiwan" during an interview. He said that the opportunity for the United States to send troops is very small. In handling cross-strait affairs, we still have to go the way of "avoiding war and seeking peace." 

He said, "To avoid war, we must seek peace with the other side, so that we can truly achieve peace and happiness."  

Blue Committee Jiang Wanan believes that Russia is an aggressor but Hong Xiuzhu, former chairman of the Kuomintang, said, "The invader and the victim should not be defined by us." In this regard, Ma Ying-jeou replied that the reasons for this war are very complicated. The most important thing is that there are no winners in war and no losers in peace. Both sides should work hard to seek peace. This is what should be done. 

News (21)

Take Ukraine’s resistance to aggression as an example, Tsai Ing-wen: Unity is the only way to face challenges 

Reporter : Fang Bingchao / news.tvbs.com.tw/politics/1727074

28 February marks the 75th anniversary of the February 28th Incident. President Tsai Ing-wen attended the central commemorative ceremony held at Keelung Civic Square. In addition to expressing that transitional justice will enter the next new milestone, she also expressed her views on the current international situation. 

Tsai Ing-wen also said that the Ukrainian people are uniting and fighting against aggression. No matter what challenges they face, democracy is the Republic of China's only option, and unity is the Republic of China's only method. In pursuit of unity, the Republic of China must remember the road Taiwanese have traveled, and always remind ourselves that today's democracy in Taiwan is absolutely not for granted.

In her speech, Tsai Ing-wen said that the Keelung Port was the place where the army landed. On 8 March, 75 years ago, after the army cracked down on Keelung, the Qingxiang crackdown that spread throughout Taiwan began the next day. According to estimates, in March of that year from the 8th to the 16th, more than 2,000 people in Keelung suffered, including local gentry, students and labourers. 

Many people lost their lives at a young age, so she can understand that for Keelung people, the 228 anniversary is actually on 8 March. She can understand why people in Keelung actively fought for the truth of 28 February as early as 30 years ago. 

Turning the topic, Tsai Ing-wen pointed out that the transformational justice project requires the government and the people, as well as the elderly and young people to work together one by one, and Taiwan's transformational justice project is about to move towards the next new milestone. 

In May 2022, the transfer promotion will submit a summary report and complete the phased work. It will show how the persecution system that violated human rights in the authoritarian period worked, how Taiwanese society can implement transitional justice and deepen democracy, and put forward specific suggestions. 

After the transfer promotion has completed the investigation and planning tasks, the level will be raised, and the Executive Yuan will take up the responsibility of execution. 

A few days ago, Executive President Su Zhenchang announced that a paper to promote the transformation of justice will be established in the Government Yuan, and he will personally serve as the convener. 

To set up the Human Rights and Transformational Justice Division, it is necessary to lead all ministries and committees to implement the concept and thinking of transformational justice into administrative thinking. 

Tsai Ing-wen also mentioned that pursuing unity does not mean forgetting the past, "We must remember the road we have traveled and remind ourselves at all times that Taiwan's democracy today is absolutely not for granted, so that we can cherish the present moment, unite with each other, and protect the hard-won democracy, freedom and human rights together."

She said that adhering to the path of transformational justice and democratic values ​​is not a smooth path. For this reason, she would like to thank the seniors, family members and civil organizations of the many victims for their long-term supervision of the government and their understanding, support and advice. A country that reflects on history and reflects on its mistakes must also be a country that is strong and resilient and can uphold democracy.

News (22) to (24) / news.tvbs.com.tw/world/1722839

News (22)

The Washington Post reported that a U.S. government official revealed that Belarus will join Russia in the invasion of Ukraine, and it will take action as soon as 28 February

The official said, "Obviously, the Minsk authorities are now an extension of the Russian Kremlin." Earlier, Ukraine media Kyiv Independent quoted multiple sources as saying that Belarus was about to send troops at 5 am on 28 February. Let the Belarusian paratroopers take the first Ilyushin-76 (IL-76) transport aircraft and advance to Ukraine to fight. It makes all walks of life quite worried that the war may further expand. 

News (23)

The United States follows up with Germany and approves the provision of "Stinger missiles" to Ukraine 

The White House has approved the direct supply of "Stinger missiles" to Ukraine. U.S. government officials revealed that although the exact time is not clear, logistics and delivery are currently being arranged. 

News (24)

The EU has increased sanctions on the first foreign military supply and airspace over Russia

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed, "For the first time, the EU has purchased and delivered weapons and other equipment and provided the country under attack. She also announced that she would close EU airspace to Russia, prohibiting Russian-owned, registered and controlled aircraft from landing, taking off or flying over EU territory."

In addition, the EU will ban Russian state-owned media companies, such as Russia Today (RT), Sputnik and their affiliates, from spreading fake news to justify the authorities’ war, and from spreading the seeds of division in the EU.

News (25)

Lancet Study: Rare Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (RMIS) detected in vaccinated young

Reporter : Naveen Anthrappully, The Epoch Times PREMIUM

Some vaccinated youngsters in the 12–20 age group have reported a hyper-inflammatory condition where the body’s immune system goes into overdrive and shows symptoms of fever and systemic inflammation involving multiple organ systems, according to a study published Tuesday (22 February 2022).

There were a total of 5,973 cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) reported to the MIS-C national surveillance system of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between 14 May 2020 and 30 November 2021.

MIS-C usually manifests two to six weeks after inoculation and is characterized by severe illness that requires hospitalization.

The authors of the peer-reviewed Lancet study looked into data between 14 December 2020, and 31 August 2021, and “identified 21 individuals with MIS-C after COVID-19 vaccination.”

Those 21 individuals were aged between 12 and 20 years old, with 13 individuals male and eight female. Eleven of them developed MIS-C after receiving the first dose of the vaccine, with the remaining 10 developing the illness after taking the second dose.

News (26)

Five killed as resistance fighters attack Magway police station "used as training camp" for Pyu Saw Htee recruits

Reporter : Maung Shwe Wah, Myanmar Now / https://www.myanmar-now.org/en/news/five-killed-as-resistance-fighters-attack-magway-police-station-used-as-training-camp-for-pyu


A coalition of three People’s Defence Force (PDF) groups on Wednesday attacked a police station in Magway Region where junta forces have reportedly been training members of the Pyu Saw Htee militia, killing five.

 

The coalition said the head of the Yae Pyar police station was among those killed during the raid at the village of the same name, which is in Pauk Township. Two PDF fighters were severely wounded in the 45 minute-long firefight, the groups said. 

 

The PDF groups behind the attack were from Pauk, Myaing and Yesagyo townships. The station is located 12 miles east of Pauk’s urban centre.

 

Wai Gyi, the leader of the Yesagyo PDF, said there were over 20 police officers at the station during the attack. Some fled without fighting back while others returned fire, he said. 

“Some of them started running the moment we started shooting,” he told Myanmar Now. “We didn’t go after the ones trying to flee. Some others started fleeing after the station chief got shot though.” 

 

“The station chief was outside when we started shooting. We shot him dead when his car entered the gate,” he added. 

 

A spokesperson for the Pauk PDF said the fighters refrained from burning down the police station to avoid collateral damage. 

 

“The station is surrounded by civilian houses. The house next door and the station are only divided by a single fence. We didn’t want the civilian houses to be affected, so we decided not to torch the station,” he said.

 

Yae Pyar village is located along the Pakokku-Mindat road and has around 300 houses.

A video published on social media by the PDF groups showed the resistance fighters opening fire at the station chief’s car as it entered the station compound. The chief’s driver was also killed in the attack, the PDF groups said. 

 

The injured resistance fighters were from the Yesagyo PDF, they said.

 

The resistance fighters retreated when junta soldiers arrived at the scene, according to Wai Gyi. “We have enough skills to handle the battles,” he said. “We just need more weapons and ammunition.” 

 

Junta forces have been using the police station to give military training to people from the nearby village of Kokkosu who signed up to join Pyu Saw Htee, a guerrilla group called the Anonymous Special Task Force said earlier this month.  

 

Since late January, Pyu Saw Htee members in Pauk have terrorised and torched more than 20 villages. They also reportedly shot a man dead after he tried to get them to stop their rampage.

 

Also late last month, a coalition of PDF groups attacked the Lin Ka Daw Police Station in Magway’s Myaing Township before burning it down and seizing weapons and ammunition. The groups briefly detained 13 family members of the police officers who fled. 


News (27)


Hong Kong epidemic out of control, public hospital morgues full, emergency room morgue

Reporter : Luo Tingting / Editor : Wen Hui / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/02/28/a103359764.htmlnews.tvbs.com.tw/world/1727259 Image : On 16 February 2022, the temperature dropped significantly at night, and there were still a large number of patients lying in hospital beds under the corridor outside the Hong Kong Caritas Medical Center waiting for treatment. (Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images)

The epidemic in Hong Kong is out of control. The number of deaths from the virus has tripled in a week. The morgues of public hospitals are full, and some hospital emergency rooms have become "temporary morgues".

The Hong Kong government held a press conference on the epidemic in the afternoon of 27 February, announcing that 26,026 new confirmed cases had been confirmed in the past day, and a total of 158,683 people had been diagnosed in the fifth wave of the epidemic.

Ou Jiarong, chief doctor of the Infectious Diseases Division of the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection, said that in the past few days, the number of confirmed cases has exceeded 10,000, and it is expected to rise further in a short period of time.

In the past week (20 to 26 February), the death toll in Hong Kong has tripled, with at least 246 dead. In the previous week (13 to 19 February), only more than 60 people died.

Liu Jiaxian, chief administrative manager of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, said that in the past 24 hours, 83 people died of covid, the youngest was 19 years old and the oldest was 100 years old, and one of them had received three doses of the vaccine. There are still 60 people in critical condition and 74 in serious condition.

In addition, due to the lag in data, 27 new people died in Hong Kong from 23 to 25 February, aged between 68 and 104 years old. A total of 512 people have died in the fifth wave of the epidemic.

Due to the large number of patients, Hong Kong's medical system is overwhelmed, and many patients are not treated in time. According to the general public hospital, as of about 7 am on the 26th, 484 people in 17 A&E departments had been waiting for more than 48 hours. Caritas Hospital admitted that three elderly people who tested positive died while waiting in the A&E department.

"Ming Pao" reported on 27 February that the number of deaths from the epidemic in Hong Kong has surged, causing the morgues in public hospitals to be full, and there are not enough morgues. Some hospitals were forced to turn emergency rooms into "makeshift morgues".

A medical staff member of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong revealed that 15 bodies were stranded in the emergency room on the 26th.

Ou Jiarong, chief doctor of the Infectious Diseases Division of the Center for Health Protection, said that at present, the three public morgues (mortuaries) have stored more than 90% of the remains, which has reached the upper limit.

Kong Fanyi, a clinical professor at the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, said on the 26th that the fifth wave of the epidemic may peak in early or mid-March, when 20,000 to 30,000 people are diagnosed every day, and the number of deaths in March can reach 1,000.

"Ming Pao" said that Wu Yaotang, the eternal honorary president of the Funeral Chamber of Commerce, learned that the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department had "added furnaces", and cremations have increased from more than 140 to 200 times a day.

On 28 February 2022, the Hong Kong media quoted news that there were 34,466 new confirmed covid cases today, setting a new high for a single day. However, the exact number will be announced at the Hong Kong government press conference in the afternoon.


News (28)

World's largest transport plane may be destroyed at Ukrainian air base

Reporter : Xia Yu / Editor : Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/2/28/n13609944.htm / Image : The world's largest aircraft, Antonov An-225 Mriya, lands in Perth, Australia, on 15 May 2016. (Lin Wenzai / The Epoch Times)


On Sunday (27 February 2022), according to the official Twitter account of the Ukrainian government, the world's largest transport aircraft, Antonov AN-225 Mriya was destroyed in a Russian attack on an airfield near Kiev.

The Ukrainian government said on its official Twitter (see here), "The world's largest aircraft 'Mriya' (dream) was destroyed by the Russian occupiers at an airport near Kiev. We will rebuild the aircraft. We will achieve a strong, free and democratic Ukraine."

"Russia may have destroyed our 'Mriya'," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter (see here), "but they will never be able to destroy us building a strong, free and the dream of a democratic European nation."

There is no independent confirmation that the plane was destroyed. The Antonov company tweeted that at this time, we cannot report on the technical condition of the aircraft until the AN-225 has been inspected by experts. Stay tuned for further official announcements.

Mriya, which translates as "dream", has been stored in a hangar at the Ukrainian Air Base in Hostomel. On Friday, Russian troops claimed to have seized the Khostmel airport, and CNN's local reporting team witnessed the Russian airborne troops in action.

Ukroboronprom, the Ukrainian national defense company that manages Antonov's AN-225 Mriya, said in a statement on Sunday that the plane had been destroyed but would be rebuilt at $3 billion at Russia's expense.

"The restoration work is estimated to take more than $3 billion and over five years," the statement said. "Our task is to ensure that these costs are borne by the Russian Federation, which has caused deliberate damage to Ukraine's aviation and air cargo sectors.

The company said in a subsequent statement that the plane had been on the ground near Kyiv for maintenance on 24 February. ... According to the head of Antonov Airlines, one of the engines was removed for maintenance and the plane could not take off that day.

Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies shows that part of the hangar that houses the AN-225 is badly damaged.

Fire information from NASA's Resource Management System shows that multiple fires have been detected at the airport, including the hangar where the plane is located. A fire in the hangar where the plane was located was discovered at 11:13 a.m. Sunday, according to NASA.

NASA obtains fire data from a number of NOAA and its own satellites.

It is unclear whether the fire at the airport was the result of an actual fire or an explosion from a military strike.

The Antonov An-225 is a transport aircraft with six turbofan engines, 32 wheels, can burn 20 tons of fuel per hour, and has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 640 tons, which is heavier than the MTOW of the Airbus A380 65 tons.

The Antonov has the iconic wide twin tail and large parts protruding from the top of the fuselage, which is more distinctive compared to other transport aircraft. A peculiar aspect of the Antonov is the very wide twin rear wing. Mounting a large object on top of the fuselage can distort the airflow to the tail lifts and rudder on a single-tail aircraft, but the twin-tail design can solve this problem.

The aircraft first flew in December 1988. In 2009, AN-225 set the record for the largest single airlift, a 189-ton generator that could be transported to a gas-fired power plant in Armenia without dismantling.

News (29) to (31) / Reporter : Zhang Ting / Editor : Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/2/27/n13609307.htm / Image : File photo of Xi Jinping's meeting with Putin. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

News (29)

Can the CCP help Russia evade Western sanctions? Expert interprets


When Russia and Ukraine are at war and Western countries increase sanctions against Russia, whether the CCP will help Russia to evade sanctions has become the focus of global attention. Experts believe that Beijing will not risk losing the huge markets in Europe and the United States and being sanctioned by going all out to help Moscow.

Before the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Putin and Xi Jinping met in Beijing and issued a joint statement to signal to the outside world that China and Russia support each other.

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the United States, Britain and the European Union and other Western allies have announced or committed sanctions on Russian banks, officials, business leaders and companies, as well as export controls aimed at depriving Russia's industry and military of high power Technology Products. There is public opinion that Beijing may help Moscow to evade sanctions. Beijing's every move is currently attracting foreign media attention.

News (30)

The CCP does not dare to violate U.S. and European sanctions easily, otherwise the loss will be huge

At least two Chinese state-owned banks are restricting financing for purchases of Russian goods, according to Bloomberg. This highlights that under the deterrence of Western sanctions in the United States and Europe, Beijing may sometimes be unable to fulfill its commitment to maintain economic and trade ties with Russia.

The report, citing two people familiar with the matter, said the offshore arm of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China had stopped issuing U.S. Dollar letters of credit for purchases of physical Russian goods.

Chinese banks have also curbed financing of Russian goods based on their own risk assessments, another person familiar with the matter said. The lender has yet to receive clear guidance on Russia from Chinese regulators, two of the people said.

In response to the practices of Chinese state-owned banks, Fox News published an article titled "Is the Russia-China alliance cracking?" In the article, while the restrictions imposed by Chinese state-owned banks may be temporary, they call into question China’s support for Russia.

Bloomberg said the four major Chinese banks also had to comply with previous U.S. sanctions on officials in Iran, North Korea and Hong Kong because they needed to use the U.S. dollar settlement system. Ben Kostrzewa, a foreign counsel in Hong Kong who has handled U.S.-China disputes and negotiations at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, said Chinese financial institutions focus on sanctions-related compliance because “they don’t want to be sanctioned themselves. They can't lose access to dollar deals, so whatever the geopolitical implications might be, they're going to have to think about it very seriously."

Although Beijing has been accused by the United States and its allies of helping Iran and North Korea evade sanctions, the violations were limited in scale.

In response to the recent sanctions on Russia, the Associated Press reported that China has so far given no indication that it is willing to give Russia substantial support at the risk of potentially jeopardizing its access to the U.S. and European markets. Even if Beijing wants to import more Russian gas and other goods, its ability to support Putin is limited.

Experts say Xi's government is likely to support Putin within the limits of Western sanctions -- a situation Chinese companies may use to seek better deals -- but will not be willing to publicly violate sanctions and be the subject of punishment.

"China doesn't want to get involved, and it doesn't want to end up losing out on supporting Russia," said Mark Williams, chief Asia economist at Capital Economics, as quoted by The Associated Press.

China's purchase of billions of dollars of Russian gas over the past few years has been Putin's lifeline. China bought one-sixth of Russia's total exports last year, two-thirds of which were oil and gas, said Rajiv Biswas, chief Asia-Pacific economist at IHS Markit.

The White House said on Sunday (27 February) that the United States has not removed sanctions targeting Russia's energy sector from a possible option.

Trade between China and Russia will rise to $146.9 billion in 2021, but that's less than one-tenth of China's $1.6 trillion in trade with the U.S. and the European Union.

It all depends on whether China is willing to risk itself being banned from Western markets to help Russia, Williams said, "I don't think they will." Because China can no longer find such a big market.

The Associated Press quoted Zhang Lihua, an expert on Sino-European relations at Beijing's Tsinghua University, as saying that while the trade deal will go ahead, "China will not take Russia's side on Russia's invasion of Ukraine."

Although China has not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Xi said in a phone call with Putin that Beijing supports Russia and Ukraine to resolve the issue through negotiations.

News (31)

U.S. official: Beijing has not helped Russia evade sanctions

A senior Biden administration official said on Saturday (26 February 2022) that China so far did not appear to have helped Russia circumvent Western financial sanctions that would "severely damage" Beijing's reputation, Reuters reported.

"The latest indication is that China will not come to the rescue," the official told reporters after announcing that the United States and its allies had agreed to impose sanctions on Russia's central bank and expel major Russian banks from the SWIFT international financial trading network.

The official said recent reports that some Chinese banks have stopped issuing letters of credit for physical purchases of goods from Russia are a positive sign.

If CCP helps Russia evade U.S. sanctions, the official said, "it would be an unfortunate signal indeed for China's worldview and a tacit or explicit indulgence in Russia's invasion of a sovereign state at the heart of Europe."

"It will cause far-reaching damage to its reputation in Europe, but really worldwide," the official said of China.

The Associated Press believes that even if China and Russia's dissatisfaction with the United States may warm up their relations, their interests may collide. While the two militaries held joint military exercises, Putin was uneasy about China's growing economic presence in Central Asia and Russia's Far East.

"Sino-Russian relations are at the highest level in history, but the two countries are not an alliance." The Associated Press quoted Li Xin, an international relations expert with Shanghai political and law students, as saying.

News (32) to (35) / news.tvbs.com.tw/world/1722839

News (32)

Ukrainian and Russian sides arrive in Belarus for negotiation at 5 pm Singapore time

The Ukrainian negotiating delegation has arrived in Belarus. According to the latest news from the Russian Satellite News Agency, according to the head of the Russian delegation, the Ukrainian-Russian negotiation will be held at 9 am GMT on 28 February 5 pm Singapore time. 

According to the AFP report, the Ukrainian military claimed that the Russian army had slowed down the pace of the offensive. 

News (33)

Russian media: The Russian Air Force has seized the air dominance of the entire Ukraine

The Russian news agency on 28 February quoted the news released by the Russian Ministry of Defense on the 28th that the Russian Air Force has seized the air dominance of the entire Ukraine. Ukraine has yet to confirm this. 

News (34)

Neutral Switzerland confirms that it is "highly likely" to join the ranks of countries imposing international sanctions

As countries have imposed sanctions on Russia, Switzerland, as a neutral country, is also facing great pressure. Swiss President Ignazio Cassis said it was "very likely" that a neutral Switzerland would decide on Monday to follow up EU sanctions on Russia by freezing Russian assets in Switzerland. Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter also said that Switzerland was ready to accommodate those who needed to be protected and would support neighboring countries that were affected. "We will not leave people in trouble." 

News (35)

Singapore imposes appropriate sanctions and restrictions on Russia

Singapore's foreign minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, told parliament on 28 February that Singapore intends to follow other countries in imposing "appropriate sanctions and restrictions" on Russia. He pointed out that Singapore will impose export controls on items that could be used to harm or attack the Ukrainian people.

News (36)

Vietjet signs deal with Changi Airports International to develop aviation service supply in Vietnam

Press Release / Image : Changi Airport Group


During the Vietnamese President’s official visit to Singapore, SOVICO Group, Vietjet and Changi Airports International (CAI), the international arm of Changi Airport Group, have signed a strategic partnership agreement worth $US1.5 billion to develop the provision of aviation services at airports in Vietnam and in the region.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and high-ranking dignitaries of Vietnam and Singapore, business representatives of the two countries and representatives of SOVICO Group, Vietjet and CAI.

The signing marks the first time that a private corporation and an airline in Vietnam collaborate with an international airport group to develop aviation services and facilities. The parties will cooperate in the research and development of projects at airports in Vietnam, which include green, sustainable and smart infrastructure development projects.

Mr. Eugene Gan, CEO of CAI, said, “We believe that our expertise and geographical experience in managing airports around the world will add value to Vietjet and related partners in raising development and management standards to optimize airport-related operations; hence promoting economic development, boosting connectivity in Vietnam and in the region. Our approaches always prioritize sustainability with close attention to the global ecosystem and surrounding catchment."

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hung, Vietjet Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, said, “Through the partnership with an industry expert such as Changi Airports International, we seek to contribute to the development and improvement of aviation services standards in Vietnam and in the region. The partnership further expresses our commitment to economic development goals, especially in aviation and sustainable development. The signing is significantly crucial in the context that the two countries are gradually opening up in a post-pandemic environment, creating more motivation for Vietjet to further expand its flight network in Vietnam and international markets.”

With years of airport management and development knowledge, CAI is implementing a broad range of collaborations to play a part in elevating standards of airports globally.

Accompanying Vietjet, Sovico Group has always been a pioneer for aviation development in Vietnam and in the region by forging international collaborations that develop aviation facilities, bringing benefits to the industry in Vietnam as well as residents and tourists domestically and internationally.

News (37)
Fresh food, instant noodles in multi-region supermarkets were sold out and long queues of food stalls
Sources : Sing Tao Daily, Mingpao 
Image of Hong Kong : Researcher's Picture
The fifth wave of the epidemic in Hong Kong is severe, and a recording has recently circulated on the Internet, claiming that the Legislative Council is voting for the implementation of a 7-day lockdown in the city, calling for sufficient food reserves, although it was later confirmed to be just rumours but on 28 February 2022, the Secretary for Food and Health, Chen Zhaoshi, pointed out that it is not ruled out that during the compulsory testing of the whole people, the implementation of a foot ban or suspension of work and markets will be carried out. The news once again triggered a panic buying wave in supermarkets in many districts today. Fresh food and daily necessities were sold out.
Image credit : Sing Tao Daily
In a supermarket on Po Man Street, Shau Kei Wan, eggs were sold out in the afternoon, leaving only a box of tattered eggs on the shelves, while there was no pork available at the fresh pork counter in the store. As for other goods, including vegetables, fruits, rice, canned food and toilet paper, the supply is normal.
The situation is similar in supermarkets in various areas of Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories. In a supermarket in Fu Tung Plaza, Tung Chung, the shelves of vegetables, fruits, frozen meat and frozen food are almost empty, and only a small amount of instant noodles are left. In a supermarket in Western District, although there are still a small amount of vegetables and fruits on the shelves, there are still sporadic instant noodles available for purchase on the noodles shelves. In the supermarket in Yau Tong, some people pointed out that even toilet paper has been sold out.
In addition, there was a long queue outside a food stall in Yuen Long. Dozens of residents waited in line to pay, and many people went to another nearby food stall with fewer people to buy vegetables. 
The Centre for Health Protection announced that as of 12 am of 28 February 2022 there were 34,466 new positive covid cases in Hong Kong, a new single-day high, of which 4 are inbound cases and the others are local infections. The fifth wave of the epidemic has so far accumulated more than 190,000 positive cases.
News (38)
87 new covid deaths in Hong Kong on 28 February
Li Liye, Chief Administrative Manager (Integrated Clinical Services) of the Hospital Authority announced at a press conference on the covid epidemmic this afternoon (February 28) that 87 more covid patients, aged 51 to 100, died in public hospitals in Hong Kong in the past day. 
News (39) to (41) / Editor : Li Hong / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/02/28/a103359726.html

News (39)

Scholar: The CCP controls the political sway of various countries through organ transplantation

Image : Overseas Falun Gong practitioners held a large rally and march, calling for an end to the CCP's live organ harvesting. (Epoch Times)

In recent years, countries around the world have been alerted that the CCP has continued to infiltrate countries by using its "blue-gold-yellow plan" to control online speech, money bribes, and the temptation of women's pornography. However, Yu Zongji, the former dean of the School of Political and Warfare at the National Defense University, reminded in an interview with The Epoch Times that there is a more lethal "green gold plan" that is quietly infiltrating and controlling the world's political and business celebrities.

He further explained that the Green Gold Program refers to the fact that the CCP provides a large number of illegal organs in China to political and business celebrities from various countries with health problems for transplantation. Many people will take risks when they cannot or have to wait for a long time to obtain organs locally  in China to transplant organs.

Image : The proportion of whole liver transplantation and emergency liver transplantation (emergency liver transplantation within 72 hours) in China is extremely high. (Health 1+1/Epoch Times)

Since 2000, China's "organ transplant industry" has suddenly flourished. Different from countries in the world who have to log in transparently and wait for many years to exchange organs, it usually takes only one or two weeks to exchange organs in China, and the organs are of high quality and fresh. Patients from all over the world who came to China for transplant operations flocked.

According to the investigation report released by WOIPFG on 20 July 2020, from 1 January  to 16 July 2020, through hundreds of phone calls, it was found that even during the covid epidemic, the transplant business in hospitals across mainland China has not stopped, and the waiting time of patients for organ transplants has not significantly increased.

Image : After 1999, the organ transplant industry in mainland China experienced explosive growth. The picture shows the explosion of data on liver transplantation as an example. (Health 1+1/Epoch Times)

News (40)

Illegal organs become a threat of the CCP

The opacity of organ transplantation in China has now become the CCP’s foreign united front method. Yu Zongji said that this kind of green gold grasping handle generally has two forms. One is that people are in urgent need of organ transplants. They use money and connections to find intermediaries to help connect them, and go to Chinese hospitals to exchange organs, but after the exchange, the relevant personal information will also be grasped. In particular, people with high social and economic status will use it as a threat whenever the CCP needs it in the future, and then they will obediently accept the CCP’s orders like a puppet.

He said that the other is that the CCP takes the initiative to contact the parties through channels by grasping the physical conditions of specific individuals, high-level party and government officials, corporate consortia, etc., claiming that the CCP can help obtain the required organs without any legal or responsibility. and leaks.

Yu Zongji said that many political leaders, high-level officials and people in financial groups know that in order to prolong their lives for a few years, they know that organs must be obtained from other people. It is a matter of anger and grievance, which is extremely contrary to morality and human relations, so the parties generally keep their mouths shut.

He said that the lethality and influence of this set of green gold is very large, far surpassing that of blue gold and yellow, and it can be said that it has been tried and tested. Taiwanese people should be especially vigilant and do not fall into the trap of the CCP.

In the early years, the CCP insisted that organs were donated by citizens. Until March 2006, two journalists from mainland China who went by the pseudonym Pete and a hospital staff member who went by the pseudonym Annie came forward to expose in the United States that these organs came from organs that had been harvested alive such as Falun Gong practitioners.

So far, when faced with doubts about the source of the organs, the CCP changed its tune and claimed that the organs came from criminally executed prisoners, but refuted that there were no ideological prisoners or political prisoners, and firmly denied that the organs came from Falun Gong practitioners, and refused any independent investigation.

News (41)

The number of organ transplants in China reaches 100,000 per year

David Kilgour, the former director of Canada's Asia-Pacific Department and human rights lawyer David Matas, who have long been concerned about the CCP's live organ harvesting issue, found that statistics on the number of beds in the organ transplant department, operating rooms, organ transplant team manpower, and According to various hospital websites, the actual number of organ transplants in China is estimated to be as high as 60,000 to 100,000 per year.

Moreover, there is more and more information showing that the source of organs in China has gradually expanded from Falun Gong practitioners to other persecuted groups, including Uyghurs, Tibetans, underground churches, and other persecuted human rights groups and deceived young people. There is also a steady stream of news about the black market sale of organs.

News (42)

Denmark and Latvia open up for their citizens to go to Ukraine to join the Ukraine resistance force and fight against Russia
The Ukrainian government revealed on 27 February 2022 that it will organize foreign volunteers, the "Ukrainian Territorial Defense International Team", to let all foreigners who want to go to Ukraine to join the resistance force against the Russian army. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also said at a press conference at night of the 27th local time that the government will allow volunteers to join the international force prepared by Ukraine to assist the Ukrainian army in resisting Russia's comprehensive aggression. She pointed out that the volunteers went to assist Ukraine "preliminarily do not see any legal obstacles".
Latvia's parliament voted on the case earlier, unanimously allowing citizens to travel to Ukraine to fight.
News (43)
Ukrainian demands: Russian military ceasefire immediately 
Editor : Liu Zheqi / news.tvbs.com.tw/world/1727184
According to the Russian Satellite News Agency (Sputnik), a five-member delegation from Ukraine arrived in Belarus today (28th) and arrived at the venue by helicopter. It is reported that the members of the delegation include the Ukrainian Defense Minister, the Chairman of the People's Servant Party and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. 
The Belarusian foreign minister also posted a photo, saying that the negotiation venue is ready. It is understood that the location is Gomel, on the border between Belarus and Ukraine. The head of the Russian delegation said Ukrainians were dying every hour after the conflict, so he hoped an agreement could be reached as soon as possible. The premise is that the agreement must be in the interests of both parties. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also revealed to the media that the main appeal of this negotiation is to hope that the Russian army will cease fire immediately and withdraw from Ukraine.
News (44)
Fear of escalating a world war? Russia announces evacuation of overseas Russians from Europe 
Ukrainian-Russian delegation has launched a round of ceasefire negotiations on the Ukraine-Belarus border. Russian negotiators said that Russia's position is to reach an agreement with Ukraine to end the military conflict. However, more and more European countries are closing their airspace to Russia and restricting air traffic. According to Russian official media, Moscow is about to evacuate its citizens in Europe. Whether it means that the war may escalate to a world war is worthy of follow-up attention.
News (45)
Leung Wannian, the highest-level mainland epidemic prevention expert, arrives in Hong Kong and says he will work closely with local experts
Image : Leung Wannian, head of the expert group of the National Health Commission's Covid Epidemic Response and Disposal Work Leading Group (photographed by Zeng Xianzong)
Leung Wannian, head of the expert group of the National Health Commission's New Crown Epidemic Response Leading Group, came to Hong Kong on 28 February 2022 to assist the SAR government in fighting the epidemic.
Leung Wannian arrived at the Grandview Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui this afternoon, saying that the central government attaches great importance to the epidemic in Hong Kong and requires the whole country to go all out to support the Hong Kong government's anti-epidemic work. He said that he came to Hong Kong for this trip to guide and assist the Hong Kong government in its anti-epidemic work. He felt honoured to have a mission and a great responsibility with fellow experts. They would hurry up to work hard, cooperate closely with local experts, and communicate fully to ensure that Hong Kong implements effective prevention and control strategies. measures, as well as the health and safety of Hong Kong people. 
News (46)
Hong Kong's increase of 34,466 cases hit a new high
Image of Hong Kong : Researcher's Picture
Wuhan pneumonia (covid, COVID-19) continues to affect the world, and Hong Kong has added 34,466 confirmed cases on 28 February, setting a new record.
According to Hong Kong media reports, there were 34,466 new confirmed cases in Hong Kong today. Except for 4 confirmed inbound cases, the rest were all local cases, which also brought the cumulative number of cases in Hong Kong to 200,000. The number of confirmed cases in the fifth wave of the epidemic recently, That's 190,000 of them.
There were 87 new deaths, ranging in age from 51 to 100 years old, of whom 10 had received two doses of the vaccine, 10 had received one dose, and 67 had not received the vaccine. Since the outbreak in Hong Kong, 861 people have died, including 636 deaths in the fifth wave.
The fifth wave of the epidemic in Hong Kong is heating up very fast. The number of cases almost doubles every 2 or 3 days. On the 21st and 22nd of this month, more than 8,000 cases were diagnosed in a single day. From the 23rd to the 25th, the number of cases has exceeded 17,000. More than 4,000 cases are expected to continue to rise.
News (47)
Russian negotiators: Willing to make a deal with Ukraine
Reporter : Luo Tingting / Editor: Wen Hui / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/02/28/a103359876.htmlImage : On 27 February 2022, in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, a Russian armored vehicle was hit and burned, and soldiers fell to the ground. (Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images)
In the afternoon of 28 February 2022, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations arrived in Belarus to negotiate the situation between Russia and Ukraine. The Russian representative said that Russia intends to reach an agreement with Ukraine.
Reuters reported that Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said Russia intends to negotiate a deal with Ukraine that is in the interests of both parties.
Negotiations start at 5 pm Singapore time.
The Ukrainian presidency's office said the key issues in the negotiations were a ceasefire as soon as possible and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
This negotiation was conducted under unprecedented international sanctions against Russia. At the same time, Russia's attack on Ukraine did not achieve the expected results. Instead, it suffered huge losses in weapons and personnel, and Russia was in a dilemma.
Russia is further isolated politically and economically. The United States and its allies announced the most severe economic sanctions on the 26th, banning some Russian banks from entering the SWIFT international payment system, which caused the Russian ruble to plummet by nearly 30% against the dollar to an all-time low.
Japan and South Korea have also joined efforts to block some Russian banks from using SWIFT. South Korea, a major exporter of semiconductors, said it would ban exports of strategic goods to Russia.
Japan is considering sanctions against some individuals in Belarus, a key staging ground for Russian aggression.
Singapore, the financial and shipping hub, also announced sanctions and restrictions on Russia. Singapore's foreign minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, said in a statement that Singapore would impose export controls on items used directly as weapons that could cause harm to Ukrainians.
“We will also impose a ban on certain Russian banks and financial transactions related to Russia,” Vivian said. Specific measures are being worked out and will be announced soon.
CCP's foreign ministry disapproves of sanctions against Russia.
The European Central Bank said several European subsidiaries of Russian government-controlled Sberbank were closing or could fail due to sanctions.
The Russian central bank is also on the sanctions list. The United States, Europe and Canada issued a joint statement on the 26th, announcing that they would prevent the Russian central bank from using its $630 billion in international reserves. This is a direct response to the reserves that Russian President Vladimir Putin has built up in recent years to protect the Russian economy from external pressure.
The Wall Street Journal said the restrictions may be the most powerful weapon in the Western financial "arsenal", targeting the heart of Russia's financial system.
Russia's central bank responded to the escalating impact of sanctions by announcing it would resume gold purchases in the Russian market, launch unlimited repo auctions and ease restrictions on banks' open foreign currency positions.
The Bank of Russia also ordered brokers to prevent foreigners from selling Russian securities.
When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, it also faced the threat of being excluded from the "global interbank system". The Russian government has established an independent payment card system "Mir" for this purpose. However, very few foreign banks currently use the Russian payment system.
News (48)
Chelsea owner flies in to broker peace deal in Gomel, Ukraine demands Russian troops to withdraw from Crimea and Donbass, second round of peace negotiations on the Polish-Belarusian border soon
CNN reported that Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei welcomed representatives of both sides during talks in Ukraine and Russia, telling them that they should feel very safe, "Dear friends, the President of Belarus asked me to welcome you, as agreed with President Zelenskyy and President Vladimir Putin, we will provide anything to assist you in your work, which is our sacred duty," said the Belarusian foreign minister. 
Lukashenko sincerely hopes that during the talks on 28 February it will be possible to find a solution to this crisis, and all Belarusians are praying for this. 
Reuters reported that Russia's negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said that Russia is interested in reaching a deal with Ukraine that is in the interests of both parties. 
According to the Russian Satellite News Agency (Sputnik), the head of the Russian delegation said Ukrainians were dying every hour after the conflict, so he hoped to reach an agreement as soon as possible, but only if it was in the interests of both parties. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also revealed to the media that the main appeal of this negotiation is to hope that the Russian army will cease fire immediately and withdraw from Ukraine.
Image of Roman Abramovich : AFP via Getty Images
Daily Mail reports that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich (above) is trying to broker a deal end to the war in Ukraine and has already arrived in Belarus to assist in peace talks.

The Russian-Israeli billionaire is believed to have flown into the eastern European country ahead of crunch talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials later today.

The businessman has come under pressure to speak out following the invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin's forces.

 A spokesman for the soccer club revealed that the businessman has been "trying to help" in brokering a peace deal.

"I can confirm that Roman Abramovich was contacted by the Ukrainian side for support in achieving a peaceful resolution, and that he has been trying to help ever since," a Chelsea spokesman said.

"Considering what is at stake, we would ask for your understanding as to why we have not commented on neither the situation as such nor his involvement.'"

According to the Jerusalem Post, Mr Abramovich is already in Belarus, where delegations from Russia and Ukraine are today set to meet on the border town of Gomel.

Ukraine's Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Kornichuk told the news site he would not comment specifically on Abramovich's involvement in the talks.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the European Union to start an emergency procedure "to bring Ukraine into the European Union", adding that "our goal is to be with all Europeans and have the same equality with them."

As of 11 pm of 28 February 2022 Singapore time, Ukrainian media released news that the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations have just ended but Russia's TASS News Agency, citing sources, reported that talks were still ongoing. 

Arestovich, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office, said that during the talks Ukraine demanded the withdrawal of all Russian troops, including from Crimea and Donbass region.

The talks have ended in a stalemate as the Russian delegation disagree with the Russian Occupation withdrawals from Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk.

According to Daily Mail, a second round of talks aimed at ending Russia's attack on Ukraine is set to take place after the first meeting ended without resolution.

The first set of talks ended with the Ukrainian delegation slamming Russia's destructive processes.

A member of the Ukrainian delegation today said the discussions, which took five hours, were difficult and the Russian side was biased.

Russian officials, meanwhile, said: 'We have identified certain points from which we can predict general positions.'  

Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky earlier admitted he was not confident of a positive resolution, adding that he owed it to his people to at least try and engage. 

A new round of talks is now set to take place in the coming days, according to an aide to Russia's president Vladimir Putin.  

Vladimir Medinsky said, "Another round of talks was agreed to.

"Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, gave few details except to say that the talks, held near the Ukraine-Belarus border, were focused on a possible cease-fire and that a second round could take place 'in the near future."

"The next meeting will take place in the coming days on the Polish-Belarusian border, there is an agreement to that effect," Medinsky said.

Refs: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10559941/Abramovich-trying-peaceful-resolution-Ukraine-crisis-allies-say.htmlnews.tvbs.com.tw/world/1722839news.tvbs.com.tw/world/1727594https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10561973/Second-round-peace-talks-Ukraine-Russia-held-coming-days.html

News (49)
Taiwan gradually return to normal life with 6 relaxed epidemic prevention measures
Reporter : Wang Xinyi / news.tvbs.com.tw/life/1726974
Image : No need to wear masks when talking when working outdoors in Taiwan (Web Screenshot)
After several months, the local epidemic in Taiwan has finally slowed down significantly. Many policies are relaxed from 1 March 2022, taking into account the domestic epidemic prevention capacity, and gradually moving towards a normal life, including dining and drinking on the dual railways, outdoor masking, etc.
"TVBS News Network" has also sorted out 6 relaxed epidemic prevention measures, which will be officially launched on 1 March. 
 1. Masks can be taken off during indoor and outdoor sports, indoor and outdoor shooting of group or individual photos, self-driving, live broadcast, video recording, hosting, reporting, speeches, lectures and other conversational work. 
2. Food and beverages are open to some transportations such as high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway, highway passenger transport, ships (except the fixed dining area), and domestic flights are all open for food and beverages. 
3. Open for tasting in banquets, stores, supermarkets, and markets in accordance with the epidemic prevention measures in business premises and public areas, without requiring additional crowd control. Banquets can also be open to toast tea and toast table by table. 
4.5 airports and 2 ports to outlying islands.  Passengers are exempted from screening. The Command Centre stated that due to the stable epidemic situation and no positive passengers were detected,  screening stations in domestic Songshan, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung and other 5 airports with flights to and from Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu and other outlying islands and Keelung, Kaohsiung and other 2 ports with ferry flights to and from outlying islands suspend operations from 1 March. Filling out the health declaration form is sufficient.
5. Hospitals in counties and cities other than those in Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan and Kaohsiung are open for visits, and long-term care visits are open to these hospitals. There is conditional opening of intensive care wards, palliative wards, and respiratory care wards (including RCC) , psychiatric wards, chronic wards, and children's wards, as well as those with physical and mental disabilities and critical illnesses.
The visiting period is a fixed period of 1 per day, and each inpatient has a maximum of 2 visitors at a time. All visitors should present a negative certificate of self-funded rapid antigen screening (including household rapid screening) or PCR test within 3 days before the date of visit but those who have taken the supplementary dose for 14 days can be exempted.
Residential long-term care institutions are open for visits under conditions, and visitors must present a negative certificate of self-paid screening test collected within 3 days before the visit. Self-paid screening negative certificate includes antigen rapid test or nucleic acid test. 
6. Foreigners who come to Taiwan for artificial reproductive treatment. Foreigners can apply to come to Taiwan for artificial reproductive treatment. They can be accompanied by two relatives within the spouse or third degree of relatives. If necessary, they can also add a medical staff or other care workers to accompany them. If they enter the country after 7 days, the quarantine can be shortened to 10 days.
News (50)
Reuters: The Biden delegation will arrive at 3 pm on 1 March 2022 to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen 
Reuters reported that the Biden-Harris administration will send a delegation of former senior defense officials and national security officials to Taiwan on Monday (28 February 2022) U.S. time, a trip that takes place during Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 
Voicing the United States' support of Taiwan, the delegation was led by Mike Mullen, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, along with Michael Green, the senior National Security Council director for Asia under former President George W. Bush, and Obama's Evan Medeiros, the senior director for Asia of the National Security Council, and Michele Flournoy, the former defense secretary. They are expected to arrive at Taipei Songshan Airport at 3.22 pm on 1 March 2022 to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen and Defense Minister Qiu Guozheng.
The delegation visit comes at a time when Taiwan is stepping up its vigilance, alerting CCP China not to take advantage of the West's situation in Ukraine and Russia to take action against it. The visit is also well ahead of former U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo's visit to Taiwan on 2 March 2022.
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