A WEEK IN BRIEF
A Week in Brief: Volume II
A Week in Brief: Sunday, 24 April to Saturday, 30 April 2022
Saturday, 30 April 2022…
As Russian forces continue to target Mariupol’s Azovstal steelworks, according to the Azov Battalion deputy commander, at least 20 civilians have left the plant.
“Twenty civilians, women and children… have been transferred to a suitable place and we hope that they will be evacuated to Zaporizhzhia, on territory controlled by Ukraine,” said Sviatoslav Palamar.
Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov regiment, appears hopeful. Ukraine’s presidency, the previous day, had referenced the evacuation of some civilians had been planned. There are other evacuations, including Zaporizhzhia, planned. Osnat Lubrani, a UN representative to Ukraine, earlier revealed her intent to travel to Zaporizhzhia.
Unconfirmed reports of Russian forces having gained full control of Mariupol have been circulated. The port city, considering the geographic location, is of significant strategic importance to the Russians. It seems the Azovstal industrial area currently remains out of their grasp.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, numerous times these past few weeks, has warned his Russian counterpart of what would happen if his invading forces killed the last remaining troops at the plant. President Vladimir Putin appears unwilling to accept, if Russian forces take out the troops, any possibility of a peaceful resolution would be forever gone. Peace talks would be off the table.
Friday, 29 April 2022…
Russia, not immune to COVID-19, has seen pandemic related deaths surpass 800,000 persons. The new figures are based on recently provided data from the Rosstat state statistics service.
Rosstat, during March alone, had reported 35,584 Russians died. March, down from the previous month, was marginally better than February. February’s figure had hit 43,543 deaths.
Putin, evermore focused on taking control of Ukraine, has clearly taken his eyes off the COVID-19 pandemic. Russian deaths, if nothing is done soon, could rise significantly. The true impact of the pandemic has as-of-yet not been revealed.
Thursday, 28 April 2022…
A small meteor, travelling at approximately 55,000 mph, exploded above western Mississippi. The explosion resulted in several reported sonic booms. A statement from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, soon thereafter, was released.
“After multiple reports of a loud sound this morning across a portion of our state, [we have] confirmed with NASA it was a fireball that caused the noise,” MESA said in a statement. “No injuries or property damage have been reported. We are told the meteor ran parallel to the Mississippi River.”
Initial reports suggested much anxiety revolving around the nearby Grand Gulf Nuclear Station. The Claiborne County Sheriff Department assured residents there was nothing to fear. The sound had nothing to do with the nuclear power plant.
The 90-pound meteor, a piece of an asteroid, measured about a foot in diameter. The object, when hitting Earth’s atmosphere, broke into pieces. The energy generated from the fragmentation equals an explosion from three tons of TNT.
Wednesday, 27 April 2022…
International relations between the United Kingdom and Russia, on Wednesday, 27 April 2022, when the latter insinuated NATO countries are now legitimate targets.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what’s happening. President Vladimir Putin, clearly frustrated with prominent diplomats and world leaders meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, has his foreign minister put out a statement specifically targeting the United Kingdom.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently visited with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. Johnson, during his visit, continued to pledge the U.K.’s support for Ukraine’s war effort against the invaders. This support obviously had irritated Russian officials.
“Russia can strike military targets on the territory of those NATO countries that supply arms to the Kiev regime,” Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. “As far as I understand, Britain is one of those countries.”
Both British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and the UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, the same day, brought their voices to the conversation. Raab, adding significant weight to Russia being “pariah” nation, plainly stated Russian threats to target Britain are “unlawful”. Truss believes Russian forces must be pushed out of “the whole of Ukraine”.
Tuesday, 26 April 2022…
Vice President Kamala Harris, on Tuesday, 26 April 2022, is reported to have tested positive for COVID-19. Harris, not showing symptoms, has (apparently) not been in close contact with either President Joe Biden or first lady Dr. Jill Biden. The American vice president, 57, “[is isolating] and continue to work from the vice president’s residence.”
Monday, 25 April 2022…
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, paying an astronomical sum, reaches an agreement to buy the social media giant Twitter. The price tag is $44 billion. Twitter’s board of directors, despite concerns expressed by numerous well-established users, has accepted the takeover offer bid. Republicans, such as Gov. Mike Huckabee, are pleased with the news.
“Whether Elon Musk ultimately buys Twitter, he’s done the world an invaluable service by forcing leftists to admit that Twitter & other social media outlets are biased & censorious, & that there’s nothing that terrifies the left more than people having freedom of speech,” tweeted the former Arkansas governor.
Anything that makes Huckabee happy is questionable. There is something seriously fishy about the entire deal. Right wing thinkers, cheering their support for the takeover, are clearly having a field day.
“On the day Elon Musk announced his Twitter takeover, 200,000 Katy Perry followers deactivated. Marjorie Taylor Greene gained 90,000 followers,” tweeted senior NBC News reporter Ben Collins. “Twitter confirmed to [NBC News]: It wasn’t bots. Apolitical users fled. Right-wing users joined.”
Leftist Twitter users, when news of a Musk takeover broke, suggested they would abandon the popular social media platform. Left is best.
Not all leftists are leaving Twitter. Some well-established Twitter users, including Star Wars legend Mark Hamill, have said they will stay with the platform no matter the owner’s identity.
“No matter who owns it, no matter who’s on it, I’m staying to engage with you, listen to diverse opinions & to keep fighting the good fight! (also, to keep posting the inane tweets I’m known for),” tweeted Hamill.
Oddly, something Hamill immediately noticed, he “lost more than 8,000 followers in the last couple of hours”. The Star Wars actor isn’t the only one to see their follower figures suddenly drop.
“Its a bot purge,” tweeted political consultant Fred Wellman. “They have to do some due diligence for the sale. I bet having millions of fake accounts will be a problem so they are deleting.”
Neera Tanden, Charles Gaba, David Hogg, Trish Zornio, Cliff Schecter, Joyce Alene, and Walter Shaub have all seen their follower figures decrease.
Former US president Donald J. Trump, when asked about returning to Twitter, said to Devin Nunes that he “really doesn’t have an interest in going on twitter … Twitter right now is nothing but a global PR wire … there’s nobody there … We have more engagement in Truth Social than they have.” Ron Filipkowski, via his Twitter account, brought the quote to our attention via his Twitter account.
Filipkowski, an attorney, marine, triathlete, and historian, has been tweeted regularly since August 2020. Curiously, when Trump suggests there is nothing on Twitter, it sounds like he’s really referencing Truth Social. Truth Social, something many people saw coming, has less than nothing. Trump often says one thing and does the opposite.
Sunday, 24 April 2022…
The Russian Federation’s Embassy in Tehran, on Sunday, 24 April 2022, dismissed any possibility circulated stories about it having a secret arrangement with Iran to supply Russia with weapons.
Iranian officials want a political resolution of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Curiously, whilst it is believed Iran is supplying Russia with a Bavar 373 missile system, the Russian Embassy labels such reports as fake news.
The Guardian, a prominent British newspaper, claimed on Monday, 11 April 2022, “Russia [is] ‘using weapons smuggled by Iran from Iraq against Ukraine’.” The article, mirroring more recently published news stories, references an Iranian-made Bavar 373 missile system.
In related news, something which is likely to get under President Vladimir Putin’s thin skin, the United Kingdom’s embassy in Tehran has raised the Ukrainian flag. The embassy is close to the Russian embassy.
“#UK embassy in #Tehran, #Iran raise the #Ukrainian flag. The embassy is close to the #Russian embassy,” tweeted journalist Barzan Sadiq.