The Daily Chronicles are snippets of the most important news across the world for this and each day as it rolls in. Kindly also use it as an open thread.

It is formal.

China Scraps Major Zero Covid Measures

A statement from China’s State Council on Wednesday revealed the broadest shift away from Zero-Covid policies by scrapping key restrictions on a national level for the first time, including:

▪️QR Codes binned: entry to all but a select few types of venues will no longer require proof of vaccinations status  (This has clear relevance to the talk about health passports)

▪️Home Quarantine: those with mild or no symptoms will not be going into government quarantine facilities

▪️Lockdown Limits: closing down districts will only be allowed in “high-risk” areas, and lifted after five days of no new cases

Domestic travel will also no longer require proof of vaccination or negative test result, while schools will be encouraged to resume offline teaching if they’ve had no outbreak.

On the oil price cap which will fail miserably: Russian insurers jumped into the gap and arranged plans for Russian vessels to be insured.  Bear in mind this has tremendous consequences as legal action on oil spills can eddy out to many countries and eventually, the cash involved can be immense.

The first Russian oil tanker passed through the Turkish straits…with insurance from Ingosstrakh. The Turkish side did not oppose.

Unintended consequences are running rife.  Oil and petroleum products are also being offloaded in Turkey, and then they onsell, to the Europeans that are trying to sanction Russian oil and petroleum products, at a sweet fat and good markup.  So, Europe is still buying Russian oil and products – they are only paying a premium for them and only pretending that they do not buy Russian products.

A tweet by Paul of the Sirius report: @thesiriusreport

Correction/Retraction/I was spectacularly wrong.

On the thread https://thesakeris.global/2022/12/01/schrodingers-protests-in-china/ I made a statement saying “My bet is that China will not change its Zero Covid policy and will insist that local governments apply the changes.”  I was so wrong.  China is making major changes to its policy and the local governments are implementing them as fast as they can.  In general, it looks like this:  City of Lanzhou announced its COVID policy will switch from containment to preventing serious illnesses/death, raising vaccination rate. No more mandatory COVID testing, positive case will home quarantine, and quarantine centers are being emptied.  Other cities are doing the same. 

So far in this day, December 6th, I don’t see major events.  The incessant threats from the US continue apace.  Europe is walking into a wall – see the Alaistair Crooke article here.  The title says it all .. Necessary Illusions – Even the narrative of the EU as a geo-strategic player has now burst.

In general, the process by the collective west to create chaos if they cannot maintain an imperial position in our world is continuing.

Do take a look at Lavrov’s presser.  It makes a fine end-of-the-year summary.   https://thesakeris.global/2022/12/03/fm-lavrov-european-security-issues/

And while we are not quite at year-end, we have the first China-Arab summit starting on Friday.

Major News and too early to know everything

Two Russian airbases about 650 km inside of Russia, targeted by ‘Ukie’ drones.  3 Killed and 4 injured.

Three service members were “fatally injured” while four more were taken to military hospitals for treatment.

UPDATE from Russian MoD – Immediate retaliation

On the morning of 5 December, the Kiev regime attempted to attack by Soviet-made UAVs the military airfields at Dyagilevo in the Ryazan region and Engels in the Saratov region in an effort to disable Russian long-range aircraft.

◽️Russian air defence forces intercepted the Ukrainian UAVs as they were flying at a low altitude.

◽️The crash and explosion of the wreckage on the Russian airfields caused minor damage to the hull armour of the two airplanes.

◽️Three Russian maintenance personnel on the airfield suffered fatal injuries.
Another four servicemen wounded were taken to medical facilities where they were given all the necessary medical care.

◽️Despite attempts by the Kiev regime to disrupt the combat operations of Russian Long-Range Aviation by an act of terrorism, today at around 3 pm (Moscow time) the command and control system and related defense complex facilities, communication hubs, power plants, and military units of Ukraine were struck with high-precision long-range air and sea-based weapons.

The objective of the strike has been achieved. All of the designated 17 targets were engaged.

◽️The strike disrupted the transfer by rail of Ukrainian military reserves, foreign weapons, military equipment and ammunition to the areas of combat operations.

Pakistan.  At first, Russia did not want to sell oil to Pakistan.  This was announced a scant few days ago.  I do not know what changed but something must have changed.

Russia has agreed to provide discounted crude oil and refined petroleum products to Pakistan

Pakistan Stream gas pipeline project, was also reviewed.
https://azgeopolitics.com/?s=pakistan

Good  news for me.  At least we will have a responsible Syrian reporter back!

The situation in Syria due to US sanctions and occupation of the oil fields has taken a turn for the worse.

According to journalists on the ground such as @VanessaBeeley some areas of Damascus are getting 1 hour of electricity per day.

I’ll be shifting my focus towards this.

— Syrian Girl 🇸🇾🎗 (@Partisangirl) December 5, 2022

In general, this is a time of threats.  The threats from the US are now continuous.

Defense Secretary Austin says US ‘will not let’ China reshape Indo-Pacific region

If China continues to not succumb to US provocation wrt Taiwan then Washington’s erratic impulse behaviour will be exposed to the Global South, as we see here.

https://t.co/f1Nzh4qs5i

— The Sirius Report (@thesiriusreport) December 4, 2022

The responses from China, from Iran and from China are getting more crisp and the right words are being used.

: The US’s stationing of troops in Syria is illegal. The US’s smuggling of oil and grain from Syria is illegal. The US’s missile attack against Syria is also illegal. The US keeps violating international laws and rules, and yet claims to be a champion of what it calls “the rules-based international order”. When the US talks about “rules”, it is often just trying to find a pretext for serving its own interest and perpetuating its hegemony. As former French Ambassador to the US Gérard Araud, among others, noted, “When the Americans basically want to do whatever they want, including when it’s against international law, as they define it, they do it. And that’s the vision that the rest of the world has of this order”. We believe the international community is not blind to this and will treat it with vigilance.

The Western Media and Diplomats are lying routinely now, and we have to get our news from other sources.  Read the whole statement from Zhao Lijian

Alternative organizations are growing fast.  Iran is visiting the next meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Here is a good short piece from Larry Johnson asking: “What To Do When the Director of National Intelligence Is Not Intelligent?”

This, plus the Mercouris video that is linked there, will get you up to date on the Ukraine.

https://sonar21.com/what-to-do-when-the-director-of-national-intelligence-is-not-intelligent/

This is WILD!

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ukrainian Finance Ministry and the BlackRock investment company indicates a de facto sale of Ukraine. Former Ukrainian MP Ilya Kiva said

“In fact, this deal is a direct sale of Ukraine’s territory.” The population to be charged for is not part of the terms of the sale agreement. Therefore, in the near future, we will witness the continuation of the disposal of Ukrainians, who will be lucky to escape,” Kiva declared.

https://t.me/ukraina_ru/120108
@Slavyangrad

I saw it on Pepe’s Telegram as a forward:  https://t.me/rocknrollgeopolitics/5804

So, it is a MOM – memorandum and not a sale (yet).  But how wild?  If BlackRock buys the Ukraine, will Russia be fighting Blackrock?  (More Coffee Please!).  Are we seeing the first of internationals buying whole countries?

BTW, Cookies Nuland is in Kiev at the moment.

Pakistan Govt invites Imran Khan for “Unconditional Talks”

Has Imran Khan’s party called Islamabad’s bluff? The govt now wants to have a sit-down meeting with the former leader, adding that “complex problems” can be solved if the two sides hear each other out.

The comment came from Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, and follows Khan’s threat to dissolve two assemblies (ruled by his own party) if PM Sharif doesn’t call for snap elections.

“He should understand that threats and negotiations are mutually exclusive” – Rafique asserted adding that the govt allies have serious concerns over holding talks.

(I have respect for Imran and he and his people will figure out whether this is an issue of “come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly).

More and more frequently I see commentators and writers talking about the internal rifts in Europe, but now it is going further, into finding the rifts in Europe/US relations.  Some columnists are saying that a trade war is blowing up between Europe and the US.  If so, let it blow!

From Zakharova

Preparations for the US-EU trade war consuming the European press lately have entered the final stages.

France (https://www.letemps.ch/economie/leurope-hausse-contre-nouveau-protectionnisme-americain), Germany (https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-robert-habeck-joe-biden-economy-outlines-buy-european-as-riposte-in-us-trade-dispute/), and Sweden (https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/11/25/eu-countries-say-action-needed-against-us-subsidies-but-options-are-limited) are already saying officially that the Americans are not playing by the rules. The green agenda is to blame.

Paul from the Sirius Report noted:  Ongoing visible fracture of EU and US relations. Atlanticists in Brussels are alarmed.

The Big Thing is the European Union has now decided that they will put a $60 per barrel oil cap on Russian Oil and petroleum product that is transported by sea.  They are congratulating one another quite hysterically like a bunch of drunk braying donkeys.  The Russian Ambassador to the US commented:

Comment by the Russian Embassy in the United States

We took notice of the U.S. administration’s arrogant claims regarding the agreement with its partners on the notorious “price cap” on Russian oil.

Strategists in Washington, hiding behind noble slogans of ensuring energy security for developing countries, maintain a wall of silence on the fact that current imbalances on the energy markets stem from their ill-conceived actions. First of all – the introduction of sanctions against Russia and bans on energy imports from our country. With a tenacity worthy of a better application, the collective West is trying to resolve the issues it itself impetuously created.

In fact, we are witnessing a reshaping of the basic principles of free markets. Steps like these will inevitably result in increasing uncertainty and imposing higher costs for raw materials’ consumers. Moreover, from now on no country is immune to the introduction of all sorts of “caps” on its exports, rolled out for political reasons.

Regardless of the current flirtations with the dangerous and illegitimate instrument, we are confident that Russian oil will continue to be in demand.

We are in unintended consequences territory here.  They are so rabid in their hatred of Russia that they will harm the world.  Russia has repeatedly stated that it will not sell oil to nations that take part in the scheme, warning that the cap will wreak havoc in energy markets and push commodity prices even higher.

So worth while.  Please listen to this Indian Journo:

Indian TV Presenter #Arnab Outlines How #Ukraine War Is a Creation On The West And Explains Why #India Will Stand Up To America In Not Sanctioning #Russia … pic.twitter.com/3x2pxbmX0n

— Them Apples… (@DatFishGuy) March 15, 2022

I add this here because it is an event.  I have no personal interest in these waste-of-time efforts.  People will probably kvetch for weeks and most probably, there will be no real outcome.  At least this is my prediction.

Elon Musk Releases THE TWITTER FILES: How Twitter Collaborated With “The Biden Team” To Cover Up The Hunter Laptop Story | ZeroHedge
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/elon-musk-releases-twitter-files-how-twitter-collaborated-biden-team-cover-hunter-notebook

If you have a Twitter account, it is probably the most shared piece of work on there this morning.  Even the technical crew that I follow for technical stuff, are all into this.  This is simply Elon marketing Twitter and giving the supposed ‘we the people’ what the people want, and later on, as he said.  Free Speech does not mean Reach.  Elon Musk now decides what Hate Speech is.