The Faithful Watchman

Ukraine Says Russia Amassed Over 94,000 Troops at Border

Newsmax – December 3, 2021

Ukraine’s defense minister estimated Friday that Russia has amassed more than 94,000 troops near their borders and said there is a probability of a “large-scale escalation” in late January.

Ukrainian and Western officials recently voiced alarm about a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine, saying they feared it could herald an invasion. Moscow has denied planning to invade and accused Ukraine and its Western backers of fabricating claims to cover up their own allegedly aggressive designs.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told lawmakers Friday that the number of Russian troops near Ukraine and in Russia-annexed Crimea is estimated to be 94,300.

“Our intelligence service analyzes all scenarios, including the worst ones. It notes that a probability of a large-scale escalation on the part of Russia exists. The most probable time when (Russia) will be ready for the escalation is end of January,” Reznikov said.

The minister noted an escalation “is a probable scenario, but not certain, and our task is to avert it.”

Russia and Ukraine have remained locked in a tense tug-of-war after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and threw its weight behind a separatist insurgency in Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland, known as the Donbas. More than 14,000 people have died in the fighting.

Repeated reports about Russia building up troops near Ukraine this year ignited concerns about the conflict intensifying, with tensions growing in recent weeks.

https://www.newsmax.com

EU Official Warns Of ‘Rolling Blackouts’ As Energy Crisis Worsens

Tyler Durden – December 1, 2021

Europe’s energy crisis is about to get a whole lot worse as the Northern Hemisphere winter is just weeks away. New risks are emerging across the continent that households and companies might have to scale back on power use or even plan for rolling blackouts.

There is no immediate fix to the energy crisis that comes from the supply side, with Russia’s Gazprom, the largest supplier of natural gas to Europe, only pumping what it has. At the same time, EU stockpiles remain well below trend.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Italy’s government is ready to combat soaring energy prices for households, according to Bloomberg.

“We set aside 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in June and over 3 billion euros in September,” Draghi said. “We are now taking steps in the budget and are prepared to continue doing so, with particular attention to the most vulnerable.”

“Given the current energy supply system, a blackout cannot be ruled out” across Europe, Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said, adding that “it’s important to neutralize the impact of increased energy bills on households and companies in the fairest way possible.”

Even before the winter season arrives, cold weather is driving energy prices across Europe to record highs. The massive rally in European gas prices is not diminishing anytime soon. Gas prices at the Dutch TTF hub, the benchmark gas price for Europe, jumped to €100 per MWh, adding more pressure on households who are already dealing with rapid food and shelter inflation.

The long-awaited activation of Gazprom’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany would ease the natural gas crunch. Still, the project continues to hit regulatory snags from German regulators who recently suspended the certification process of the pipeline. What this could mean is flows might not start until spring.

https://www.zerohedge.com

Christianity on trial in Finland as Bible is deemed ‘hate speech’

World Net Daily – December 3, 2021

Religious liberties in danger.

Religious liberties are in danger in Finland, and Christianity has a giant target on its back.

In a court case with monumental implications, a pastor and a member of the Finnish Parliament are on trial for their faith. Juhana Pohjola, 49, faces criminal charges for teaching the Christian word that has been established for thousands of years.

Pohjola has ministered to small delegations of only dozens and has worked a lifetime building a tight-knit network of churches across Finland. Many of the humble churches started as a handful of people gathering for Bible study, singing hymns, prayer, and communion.

Many of the humble churches started as a handful of people gathering for Bible study, singing hymns, prayer, and communion.

But Pohjola’s life work faces a harrowing test of persecution when he and Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen go to trial on January 24th.

What’s the accusation against Pohjola and Räsänen?

Hate speech!

The Federalist wrote:

Rasanen’s alleged crimes in a country that claims to guarantee freedom of speech and religion include tweeting a picture of a Bible verse. Potential penalties if they are convicted include fines and up to two years in prison.

https://americanfaith.com

U.S. Government Continues To Panic Over Mild Omicron

Mac Slavo – December 2, 2021

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that the United States government is set to impose new Covid restrictions on travelers. These new control measures will require a negative test within one day of travel for all arrivals, including vaccinated people.

That means that even those who bowed down to the state and big pharma dutifully got injected two or even three times, will still have to live through the same draconian dictatorship as the unvaccinated. The move comes after the CDC confirmed America’s first case of the Omicron variant in California in an individual who arrived from South Africa on November 22, according to RT. The fully vaccinated traveler later tested positive on November 29 after showing mild symptoms.

Has anyone wondered yet why omicron is only popping up in the vaccinated?

More COIVD-19 Vax Deaths: Think They’ll Blame This On COVID-21?

Nonetheless, the ruling class has decided that the unvaccinated need not travel. Currently, the United States denies entry to all unvaccinated individuals from other countries, while fully inoculated people who have received approved vaccines can travel to America if they provide a negative Covid test taken within three days of arrival. The CDC also encourages vaccinated individuals to take a test on the third to the fifth day after they enter the US.

All this testing is going to do is boost the numbers and increase the fear of this cold. This is all coming to a head, and we could begin to see the real plans taking shape in the coming months.

https://www.shtfplan.com

Powerful M7.5 earthquake hits northern Peru

Teo Blašković – November 28, 2021

A major earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.5 hit a very sparsely populated region of northern Peru at 10:52 UTC on November 28, 2021. The agency is reporting a depth of 112.5 km (69.9 miles). EMSC is reporting M7.5 at a depth of 110 km (68.3 miles).

The epicenter was located 43 km (27 miles) NNW of Barranca (population 5 779), and 173 km (107 miles) N of Moyobamba (population 44 276), Peru.

27 000 people are estimated to have felt severe shaking, 127 000 very strong, 1 090 000 strong, and 4 343 000 moderate.

The USGS issued a Yellow alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. Some casualties and damage are possible and the impact should be relatively localized. Past yellow alerts have required a local or regional level response.

Estimated economic losses are less than 1% of GDP of Peru.

Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though some resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are mud wall and reinforced/confined masonry construction.

USGS estimated limited number / and (or) spatial extent of landslides triggered by this earthquake. The number of people living near areas that could have produced landslides in this earthquake is low, but landslide damage or fatalities are still possible in highly susceptible areas.

Liquefaction triggered by this earthquake is estimated to be extensive in severity and (or) spatial extent and the number of people living near areas that could have produced liquefaction in this earthquake is significant.

https://watchers.news

129 nations ignore Jewish ties to Temple Mount, call it solely Muslim

TOVAH LAZAROFF – DECEMBER 3, 2021

The United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution 129-11 on Wednesday that disavowed Jewish ties to the Temple Mount and called it solely by its Muslim name of al-Haram al-Sharif.

The text, referred to as the “Jerusalem resolution,” is part of a push by the Palestinian Authority and the Arab states across the UN system to rebrand Judaism’s most holy site as an exclusively Islamic one.

The United States, which opposed the text, said that the omission of inclusive terminology for the site sacred to three faiths was of “real and serious concern.”

Located in the heart of Jerusalem’s Old City, it is where the ancient Jewish Temple stood 2,000 years ago, and it is the home of the Aksa Mosque compound which is Islam’s third holiest site.

“It is morally, historically and politically wrong for members of this body to support language that denies” both the Jewish and Christian connections to the Temple Mount and al-Haram al-Sharif, the US envoy told the UNGA.

https://www.jpost.com

‘Hazardous’ asteroid to enter Earth’s orbit next week

RT – December 3, 2021

A large asteroid, listed by NASA as “potentially hazardous,” is going to fly by Earth next week, the agency warns.

Asteroid 4660 Nereus is expected to enter Earth’s orbit on December 11, coming closer to our planet than ever before.

But there is no reason for panic, Boris Shustov, who heads the Institute of Astronomy at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said.

“The asteroid will pass some 4.6 million miles away from Earth, which is about 10 times the distance between the Moon and Earth, so there’s no risk to talk about,” Shustov told RIA Novosti.

What makes it special isn’t its larger-than-usual size (equal to three football pitches), but its unique 1.82-year orbit around the Sun. Nereus approaches Earth at a safe distance roughly every 10 years because of this.

According to the scientists, the asteroid’s regular passing makes it a perfect candidate for a future robotic mission, and even a mining operation – it is believed to be rich in nickel, iron, and cobalt.

Despite currently posing no threat, Nereus is closely monitored by space agencies to make sure it does not deviate from its path.

https://www.rt.com

Europe Under Attack: Polish Border Guards Again Defend Border From Belarus-Backed Migrants

Chris Tomlinson – November 26, 2021

Poland remains under sustained attack from the Belarus side of its eastern border, with a group of at least 200 migrants making an attempt to storm the nation Wednesday night, according to Polish border guards as tensions continue to build.

Polish border guards stated that the group of 200 or so migrants made an attempt to storm the border on the evening of November 24th near the village of Czeremcha, just over an hour drive from the Belarusian city of Brest.

Border Guard spokeswoman Anna Michalska commented on the incident, telling news agency Reuters, “They were trying to break through the border, attacking the border,” and added, “They were throwing branches and stones and the attempt was stopped by our officers.”

On Thursday, Polish broadcaster Radio Kielce reported that within the last day alone, Polish board guards had reported at least three attempts by migrants to attack and storm the border, some of them using stones to attack officials as well as laser in an attempt to blind them.

Spokeswoman Michalska stated that the migrants were being actively helped by Belarusian authorities saying that Belarus had attempted to hide their support for the migrants but were now helping cut security fencing and were providing tools to migrants as well.

https://www.breitbart.com

In Early 2022, Prices Will Be Going Up 20 To 25 Percent On Thousands Of Different Products

Michael Snyder – November 23, 2021

If you think that inflation is bad now, just wait until we get into early next year. As you will see below, some of the biggest corporations in the entire country have just announced major price increases which will take effect during the first few months of 2022. So if there are some things that you want to stock up on, you may want to do it now, because your money won’t stretch as far once we get a few months down the road. I really wish that I had better news for you. I really wish that I could tell you that prices are going to level off and that economic conditions will return to normal soon. Unfortunately, the truth is that it appears that our problems will soon be accelerating.

Earlier today, I was stunned to learn that General Mills has announced that prices on “hundreds of items” will be jacked up dramatically in early 2022. In some cases, prices “will go up by around 20%”…

General Mills (GIS) notified retail customers that it’s raising prices in mid-January on hundreds of items across dozens of brands. They include Annie’s, Progresso, Yoplait, Fruit Roll-Ups, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charm’s, Wheaties, Reese’s Puffs, Trix and more, according to letters General Mills sent to at least one major regional wholesale supplier last week.

For some items, prices will go up by around 20% beginning next year.

Ouch.

When you go to the grocery store after the holiday season is over, get ready for a case of severe sticker shock.

Of course General Mills is not the only large corporation that will be doing this.

According to CNN, Tyson Foods, the Kraft Heinz Company, Procter & Gamble, and Kimberly Clark have all announced significant price increases for 2022…

General Mills’ plans are the latest evidence that rising prices won’t be going away anytime soon for some of the most recognizable food and household brands. The company is the latest consumer manufacturer to announce price hikes beginning next year, joining Tyson (TSN), Kraft Heinz (KHC), Mondelez (MDLZ), Procter & Gamble (PG), Kimberly Clark (KMB) and others.

In my entire lifetime, I have never seen anything like this.

https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com

New COVID variant considered ‘worse than’ Delta is ‘spreading rapidly’ in South Africa and worrying health experts across the globe

Phil Shiver – November 26, 2021

A new COVID-19 variant recently identified in South Africa is causing concern from public health experts across the globe due to its high number of mutations and increased transmissibility among young people. Some are even warning the new strain could prove to be more dangerous than the Delta variant.

What are the details?

It’s unclear where exactly the new strain, formerly known as B.1.1.529, initially arose but it was first detected in South Africa and has since been detected among South African travelers in neighboring Botswana as well as Hong Kong, the Associated Press reported. On Friday, Israel also said it had detected cases.

South Africa’s minister of health, Joe Phaahla, announced this week that the variant has been linked to a rapid increase in the number of cases in the country’s Gauteng province over the last few days.

“Over the last four or five days, there has been more of an exponential rise,” Phaahla said, according to Time. The magazine noted that South African scientists are presently working to determine the percentage of new cases that were caused by the new variant, but they suspect it to be high.

Over the past several weeks, COVID-19 transmission in the country had settled to a relatively low rate at just over 200 new confirmed cases per day. But in the past week, the daily new cases suddenly shot up to more than 1,200. And then on Thursday, the number of new cases skyrocketed to 2,465.

One of the most worrying elements about the new variant is its “constellation” of more than 30 new mutations, said Tulio de Oliveira of the Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa.

“We can see that the variant is potentially spreading very fast,” de Oliveira added. “We do expect to start seeing pressure in the healthcare system in the next few days and weeks.”

“[The] very high number of mutations is a concern for predicted immune evasion and transmissibility,” he explained.

https://www.theblaze.com