Ukraine’s Kherson to Become ‘Part of Russia’, Occupation Official Claims

"

The Russian-appointed head of Ukraine’s Kherson region said Thursday that the area will
“soon become part” of the Russian Federation.

De-facto governor Volodymyr Saldo was installed by Russian forces after they took control of the southern Ukrainian region in early March." MT

Ongoing Surrender "On Far Bigger Scale Than Kyiv Has Acknowledged" At Azovstal

 "A new Reuters headline has stressed that there's ongoing "silence from Kyiv" as the surrender is on a much larger than expected scale:

Moscow said on Thursday that 1,730 Ukrainian fighters had surrendered in Mariupol over three days, including 771 in the past 24 hours, claiming a surrender on a far bigger scale than Kyiv has acknowledged since ordering its garrison to stand down." ZeroHedge

McDonald’s Agrees Sale of Russian Restaurants to Siberian Oil Magnate

"McDonald’s will sell its Russian restaurants to Siberian businessman Alexander Govor, the
U.S. fast-food giant announced Thursday.

Govor, who co-owns oil firm NefteKhimServis, already operates 25 of the chain’s restaurants in Russia." MT

 

Washington state gas stations run out of fuel, prep for $10 a gallon

"Gas stations in Washington state are resetting their price boards to accommodate double
digits in preparation for fuel prices potentially reaching $10 a gallon, according to a report.

The move comes as several gas stations in the Evergreen State ran out of fuel, The Post Millennial reported.

The 76 Gas Station in Auburn, which lies about 30 miles south of Seattle, gas pumps were reprogrammed so that the display could indicate a price of at least $10 a gallon." NYP

Russia Bogged Down in Ukraine Amid 'Long War' Warnings

"Russian troops have made only limited gains in Ukraine and are bogged down in brutal
fighting, inching forward in some places and losing territory in others. With Russia’s losses of men and materiel rising rapidly, predictions of a long and bloody military stalemate are becoming increasingly common." MT

China Warns US a ‘Dangerous Situation’ Forming Over Taiwan

"China’s top diplomat again warned the US over its increased support for Taiwan, showing the island democracy remains a major sticking point between the world’s biggest economies as Beijing sent more military aircraft toward the island.

“If the US side insists on playing the Taiwan card and goes further and further down the wrong road, it will certainly lead to a dangerous situation,” Yang Jiechi, Beijing’s top diplomat, said in a phone call with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan." MS

Vast swath of U.S. at risk of summer blackouts, regulator warns

"A vast swath of North America from the Great Lakes to the West Coast is at risk of
blackouts this summer as heat, drought, shuttered power plants and supply-chain woes strain the electric grid. 

Power supplies in much of the US and part of Canada will be stretched, with demand growing again after two years of pandemic disruptions, according to an annual report. It’s among the most dire assessments yet from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, a regulatory body that oversees grid stability. 

Electricity supplies will be particularly tight in the Midwest. Across the region, enough older plants have shut down to cut generation capacity 2.3 per cent since last summer. Demand, however, is expected to grow. Even when temperatures are normal, grid managers may need power from neighboring regions to keep air conditioners humming, and a heat wave or low wind speeds could trigger blackouts, according to the report. NERC had previously warned the Midwest could face power shortfalls as plants close, but not until 2024. The region also is missing a key transmission line damaged by a December tornado, with repairs expected to wrap up in June.

Early retirement of fossil fuel plants is an issue in other parts of the US as well. The coal and natural gas plants that continue to operate are running harder, and NERC expects them to break down more often, Moura said. The gas-fired plants in Texas that shut unexpectedly late last week during a spring heat wave underscore that risk, he said." Bloomberg

US confirms first case of rare disease

"A Massachusetts man has been diagnosed with monkeypox after traveling to Canada, the US Centers for Disease Control and Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed on Wednesday.

The case is the first to surface in the US this year and comes on the heels of an alert by the Spanish authorities of a potential outbreak of the virus among 23 people in Madrid. While typically spread by respiratory transmission, a spokesperson for Madrid’s regional health department said the local outbreak was driven by “fluid contact,” noting that eight of the suspected cases were found in gay men.

Around 20 suspected cases of monkeypox also surfaced among young Portuguese men in and around Lisbon this week, and a number of similar cases have been confirmed in the UK. Of the seven UK cases confirmed as of Monday, four of the most recent were in gay or bisexual men, and the first involved a person who had recently been to Nigeria, where the infection was likely contracted." RT

Sen. Rand Paul: Congress Has to Borrow from China to Send $40 Billion in Aid to Ukraine

"Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) told Breitbart News Daily that America has to borrow the money to
send $40 billion in aid to Ukraine.

 “I think it’s important to know that we don’t have any money to send, we have to borrow money from China to send it to Ukraine. And I think most people kind of get that, and many Republicans will say that when it’s a new social program, but if it’s military aid to a country, they’re like we can borrow that, that’s a justified borrowing,” Paul explained to Marlow." Breitbart

Ukraine Reportedly Frustrated With US Reluctance to Supply Multiple Launch Rocket Systems

"Ukrainian officials are frustrated that their calls for the United States to arm them with long-
range MLRS are being resisted by the White House, Politico said in a report on Wednesday, citing a congressional staffer with knowledge of recent talks on arming Ukraine.

The Biden administration remains in active discussions about whether to deliver MLRS to Ukraine, with worries persisting at the White House that the Kremlin could view the shipment of such systems as escalatory, the report said.

Analysts recently told Sputnik that US weapons flowing into Ukraine will still fall into the hands of terrorists and end up threatening the United States and its allies even if proposals to boost oversight are implemented." Sputnik

Russia says 900 Ukrainian troops sent to prison colony from Mariupol

"A foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said on Wednesday evening that of the  959 Ukrainian service personnel Russia said had surrendered since Tuesday, 51 were being treated for their injuries and the remainder had been sent to a former prison colony in the town of Olenivka in a Russian-controlled area of Donetsk region." Guardian

Russian soldier pleads guilty in first Ukraine war crimes trial since invasion

"A Russian tank commander has pleaded guilty to shooting dead a 62-year-old man as he rode
his bicycle down a village road, in Ukraine’s first trial for war crimes committed during the Russian invasion.

Vadim Shysimarin, 21, sat emotionless as prosecutors detailed charges that he had fired his AK-47 at the unarmed cyclist from the window of a car in the north-eastern Sumy region in late February." Guardian

US Embassy Reopening In Ukraine's Capital

"After a 3-month long closure which was triggered by the Russian military build-up and
invasion of Ukraine, the United States on Wednesday announced the formal reopening of the US embassy in the capital of Kyiv." ZeroHedge

Crisis-Hit Sri Lanka Defaults On Debt As It Runs Out Of Fuel

"There's no money to buy petrol, the crisis-hit Sri Lankan government said Wednesday as it
urged citizens to "not to wait in line" for fuel, and following violent protests in the streets.

Sri Lanka is expected to be placed into default by rating agencies on Wednesday after the non-payment of coupons on two of its sovereign bonds." ZeroHedge

Russia touts new generation of ‘blinding’ laser weapons

"Russia on Wednesday touted its new generation of laser weapons including a mobile laser system first announced by President Vladimir Putin in 2018 which Moscow said had advanced so far it could blind orbiting satellites and destroy drones.

Little is known about what exactly the laser weapon, named Peresvet after a medieval Orthodox warrior monk Alexander Peresvet who perished in mortal combat, does. Putin gave few specifics in 2018 and the laser’s details are secret." MS