The island nation’s statement of defiance comes as Beijing increases its military activities near the island that it has claimed since the communist nation’s founding, a claim which Taipei routinely rejects, saying only the people of Taiwan can decide its future.
The Chinese Communist Party claims it was forced to escalate its military activities around Taiwan after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s visit, the most high-profile visit of any U.S. politician in the country in decades.
Officials from Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said China’s “high intensity” military patrols have not stopped since Pelosi’s visit. The ministry added that the main source of instability in the region comes from the CCP acting on its plans to make the Taiwan Strait, which separates the island from Mainland China, its “inner sea.”
“For aircraft and ships that entered our sea and air territory of 12 nautical miles, the National Army will exercise the right to self-defense and counterattack without exception,” said Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Operations and Planning Lin Weng-Huang.
Following the end of the military drills, Taiwan has repeatedly been visited by Chinese drones flying close to groups of islands governed by Taiwan that are only a few miles – or even less than a mile – from the Chinese mainland. In more than one incident, Taiwanese soldiers fired warning shots at Chinese drones.
The drone entered Taiwanese territory shortly after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen ordered the military to take “strong countermeasures” against Chinese provocations. This warning was followed by Lin saying that if these incursions did not heed the warnings of Taiwanese forces to leave their territory, the military would exercise its right to counterattack.
China continues to claim Taiwan
In multiple press briefings, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian reiterated Beijing’s position that Taiwan is the rightful territory of the communist nation.
“Firstly, I need to tell you, Taiwan is a province of China, it has no so-called defense ministry,” he said. “The Taiwan authorities are playing up their nervousness, this is meaningless.”
The Foreign Ministry also dismissed complaints from Taiwan about drone incursions and harassment as “not worth fussing about.”
Ma Cheng-Kun, director at the National Defense University, Taiwan’s national military academy, said if Chinese drone incursions are not stopped, the communist nation might escalate by moving to reject the passage of foreign naval ships through the Taiwan Strait without China’s permission.
“After the new military normal status has been consolidated, then the risk of collision will increase if foreign naval ships insist on the rights of navigation and freedom,” said Ma.
Warships from the United States and allied nations such as Canada and the United Kingdom have routinely sailed through the Taiwan Strait in recent years, including two U.S. Navy warships in the last week of August.
Military analysts note that Taiwan’s armed forces are well-trained and well-equipped, but are dwarfed by China’s massive military, the second most well-funded in the world behind the United States. Tsai is overseeing a rapid modernization program and has made increasing defense spending a priority, but it will take time before her reforms bear fruit.
Learn more about conflicts around the world at WWIII.news.
(Natural News) A group of Russian Navy ships has been seen entering the Irish Sea in what is being considered an aggressive move. There are strong signals the ships will sail up and around the United Kingdom and this will move them close to the main submarine base of Faslane.
The group is led by the Slava class cruiser Marshal Ustinov and it is accompanied by the Udaloy class destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov and tanker Vyazma.
The exact positions of the Russian cruiser and destroyer are currently not visible. But the tanker is reporting its position on automated identification system or AIS. It has passed the entrance of the English Channel and is sailing in the Irish Sea.
The HMS Lancaster, a Royal Navy Duke-class frigate, is shadowing the vessels.
The Marshal Ustinov departed from the Mediterranean Sea on August 24 and has slowly moved closer to the United Kingdom.
The Russian warships are assumed to be going back home after six months of being deployed to the Mediterranean Sea to assist Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
When the warship was deployed there in January it prepared live firing exercises in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which stirred controversy at the time.
The exercises, which include the firing of missiles, raised concerns because of their closeness to underwater communications cables. Russia ultimately agreed to move the exercises farther into the Atlantic Ocean and out of the EEZ after the Irish government protested against it.
The Marshal Ustinov was one of the various ships included in planned naval exercises off the coast of County Cork in Ireland last February, which was generally viewed as an incitement to the West in anticipation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian Navy ships taking unusual route alarms Irish and British defense officials
Russia is allowed under international law to navigate through the Irish Sea as long as it stays outside Irish and U.K. territorial waters, which extend about 22 kilometers off each nation’s coast.
Nevertheless, it is a very uncommon route for Russian Navy ships and the maneuvers are expected to cause concern among Irish and British defense officials given the strained international condition.
Previously it has been more common for Russian Navy ships journeying to their northern ports to take the travel east through the English Channel or western route around Ireland.
Another Russian ship was noticed acting strange off the Irish south coast in August.
The Akademik Pashin, a naval oil tanker, was seen leaving the English Channel on August 17 and suddenly sailing west along Ireland’s south coast, moving within 140 kilometers at times.
Defense sources indicate it was likely assisting other Russian ships in the region.
But Marshal Ustinov is a more modernized ship with upgraded systems and weapons, and is a major component of the Russian Navy’s northern fleet.
As a fully armed guided missile cruiser, Marshal Ustinov is well equipped with 16 SS-N-12 Sandbox (P-1000 Vulcan) supersonic anti-ship missiles and 64 SA-N-6 Grumble (S-300F Fort) area air-defense missiles.
It is also armed with twin-mounted AK-130 130mm (5 in)/L70 dual-purpose guns, including six AK-630 30 mm (1.2 in) close-in weapons systems.
The route that the warships have taken on their homeward journey seems provocative, apparently sending a strong message to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members.
It also serves as a notice to Ireland, which is not a member of NATO. In a number of ways, Ireland can be considered a weak spot on Europe’s western border.
At the moment, the warships appear to have taken a U-turn and are sailing southwest. Nevertheless, this is a fluid situation that people need to watch closely.
Follow WWIII.news for more news about Russia’s military posture in Europe.
(Natural News) The United Kingdom’s largest warship has suffered an awkward setback, breaking down shortly after sailing on a “landmark mission” to the United States.
According to a spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defense (MOD), the HMS Prince of Wales suffered an “emerging mechanical issue” and is now broken down just off Britain’s southern coast. The unexpected breakdown of the aircraft carrier, considered a North Atlantic Treaty Organization flagship, came a day after it left Portsmouth on Aug. 27.
A spokesperson for the Royal Navy stated that HMS Prince of Wales “remains in the South Coast Exercise Area while [authorities are] conducting investigations into an emerging mechanical issue.” British naval news site Navy Lookout confirmed this development, saying that divers have been investigating the 930-foot farrier following damage to a propeller shaft.
“Should the issue prove to be serious it goes without saying that this is extremely unfortunate and not a good look for the [Royal Navy],” it said.
HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy’s second aircraft carrier after HMS Queen Elizabeth, became fully operational in October 2021 following several repairs. However, the vessel costing an estimated £3 billion (US$3.48 billion) has had a history of problems.
The breakdown of the HMS Prince of Wales, coupled with its record of troubles within its first year at sea, puts its four-month mission to the U.S. in peril. The mission seeks to address F-35 fighter takeoffs and operations involving advanced drones. The ship is also scheduled to stop by New York, Halifax in Canada’s Nova Scotia province and the Caribbean.
Navy Lookout stated that unless the problem can be decided at sea – allowing it to proceed with its U.S. mission – the ship might be required to go into dry dock at Scotland’s Rosyth Dockyard ahead of a planned 2023 inspection.
A Navy source told the Daily Mail that the breakdown was a “serious setback” that could see the ship “taken out of the water” and put into dry dock. The trouble may take a “significant period of time to fix,” the source added.
Rear Adm. Steve Moorhouse, who is in charge of making sure Royal Navy ships are ready to deploy, verified in a statement on August 29, that a “mechanical fault was discovered with the starboard shaft.” He hinted that the fault will “require repairs which may impact the ship’s program.” Meaning, there is a huge chance the HMS Prince of Wales won’t be able to set sail.
Rear Adm. Dr. Chris Parry seconded his colleague, saying that the warship will have to “come alongside again or even go into some sort of dry dock arrangement” the moment a “serious fault” is found.
“We’ve got an issue here with a vastly complex piece of machinery, warships nowadays are technologically advanced. In some ways they are quite fragile and just like a car, sometimes you take it out and there’s a mechanical fault you have to deal with,” he said during an Aug. 30 appearance on the BBC Radio 4 program “Today.”
Naval leaders now have to determine whether to rush Britain’s other carrier – the HMS Queen Elizabeth – to sea instead. Moreover, there is still no official MOD verification of propeller damage or the extent of possible damage.
Footage posted Aug. 26 by local Spanish newspaper Faro de Vigo showed the ancient Roman camp Aquis Querquennis at the bank of Galicia’s Lima River. Aerial photographs revealed a spreading collection of cleanly organized stone structures principally built of gray-brown cobblestones. The remains of a wall ran around the minor structures as water washed at its edge. The once-grand entrance to the camp, now lying just beyond the river, suffered partial damage.
Onda Cero, another local outlet, said that the locals dubbed the structure “A Cida.” The ruins were located almost 300 miles of the Spanish capital Madrid, near the country’s border with Portugal.
In its heyday, Aquis Querquennis had numerous barracks, two granaries, a hospital and a temple. The complex that can house up to 600 Roman solders boasted of thermal baths, utilizing the region’s natural hot springs. The soldiers would even give offerings of spiritual importance in the hot baths.
Spanish researchers wrote in a 2018 study that ancient Romans started building Aquis Querquennis about 75 A.D. and abandoned it about a century later. The remains of the abandoned camp were submerged upon the creation of the As Conchas reservoir in 1949. It reappeared as water levels in the reservoir dropped to 49 percent capacity.
The Roman ruins were not the only treasures unearthed due to the drought drying up bodies of water. Megalithic monuments and shipwrecks from World War II also emerged from shrinking rivers and lakes.
In Italy, the Zibello barge that sank underneath the Po River reemerged as the body of water dried up. The barge, which transported wood across the river, sank in 1943 – only to reappear almost seven decades later.
The Hunger Stones in Central Europe’s Elbe River also resurfaced due to the drought. The stones, which contain engravings that date back to the 15th century, also served as drought warnings. One of the stones contained the message “if you can see me, then weep” – a warning of low water levels and hard times.
Current drought in Europe among the worst in 500 years
According to scientists at the European Drought Observatory (EDO), the ongoing drought in the continent is expected to be one of the worst in 500 years.
The EDO stated that at least 47 percent of Europe has already been in drought warning conditions, the second of three drought categories. Another 17 percent of Europe is under alert conditions, the most severe category, and drought hazard continues to increase in a handful of nations, including Spain. (Related: Europe struggles amid WORST DROUGHT in 500 years.)
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist John Gresiak, meanwhile, said rainfall from May through Aug. 28 was only seven percent of average in Madrid for the same time period, the temperature was 8.4 degrees Fahrenheit above average.
Spain, Portugal, France and the U.K. all saw temperatures measure over 40 C (104 F), and the Iberian Peninsula saw numerous days with maximum temperatures above 35 C (95 F) as a long-lasting heat wave baked the region.
As reported by the Spanish National Meteorological Service (AEMET), July this year was the hottest month ever recorded in Spain and it was one of the three warmest Julys on record worldwide.
With such record high temperatures, more and more treasures submerged beneath bodies of water will definitely resurface as rivers and lakes dry up.
Follow Climate.news for more news about the drought happening in Europe.
Watch the video below to know how the ongoing drought revealed ancient henges and ruins in Europe.
(Natural News) Survival scenarios during winter may be dangerous because you’re not just dealing with things like a power outage, you also have to face various factors like freezing temperatures.
If you’re worried about how you’re going to keep your family warm during a power outage, invest in a wood-burning stove or get a kerosene heater and stock up on fuel before SHTF. (h/t to SurvivalCache.com)
The survival “Rule of Threes”
Beginner preppers often start their prepping journey by learning about the “Rule of Threes.”
The timeframes for these rules are not absolute, but if you’re confused, the order of the rules will help you prioritize your needs. The version of the rule above is more about temperature regulation than shelter.
When SHTF, remember that you can only survive for three hours “without maintaining core body temperature.” Lengthy exposure to the cold will eventually use up your body’s stored energy, which can cause your body temperature to rapidly decrease, leading to hypothermia.
Signs and symptoms of hypothermia include:
Clumsiness or lack of coordination
Confusion or memory loss
Drowsiness or very low energy
Loss of consciousness
Shivering
Slow, shallow breathing
Slurred speech or mumbling
Weak pulse
Safety tips when using alternative heat sources
Before you start deciding which alternative method to use to stay warm during a power outage, follow the tips below to avoid accidents when SHTF.
Avoid sweating
If possible, avoid hard physical labor that can make you sweat in cold weather. This is dangerous because sweating in cold conditions may be deadly.
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning occurs when you burn biomass and fuels without proper ventilation. Exposure to CO can cause unconsciousness and even death.
Make sure you only burn fuel or gas in a well-ventilated area or room to prevent CO poisoning. You should also have battery-operated carbon monoxide detectors in your home that are functioning properly.
Fire safety
When using certain heat sources, there may be a risk for an uncontrolled fire to break out. Always prioritize fire safety when using a heat source like space heaters or a non-electric heater.
This means:
Making sure the heat source can’t fall over.
Keeping all flammable materials away from the heat.
Knowing where you store fuel in relation to the heater.
Having several methods for extinguishing an uncontrolled fire, like fire extinguishers.
Make sure rooms are properly ventilated
Make sure the area is well-ventilated when sheltering in closed spaces.
Even in cold weather, you can’t completely seal yourself off because you need a source of fresh air. If you’re closing the hatch when the temperatures drop, leave a window cracked open.
Alternative heat sources to use during a power outage
Before SHTF, consider some of the options detailed below so you can stay warm even when there’s a power outage.
Alcohol heater
An alcohol heater is usually small and lightweight, and can burn different fuels, making it a great emergency heating source. Additionally, alcohol is a relatively cheap and available fuel that you can buy from most big box stores or hardware stores.
You can use different types of alcohol with this kind of stove, but it’s best to use denatured alcohol because it burns the cleanest, making it safer to use indoors. Be careful with an alcohol stove since it produces flames that are nearly invisible.
Body heat
This emergency heat source has two variations.
Using the body heat of other people is an effective way to stay warm. The best way to do this is to have your family get as close as possible and cover yourselves with an insulating layer like a blanket in one room.
You can also use the body heat of animals when SHTF. Certain animals, like dogs, have an internal temperature that runs a little higher than humans. This means humans generally have a temperature of 98.6 F while a dog’s normal temperature can be several degrees above that. If the power goes out and you feel cold, cuddle with your pet dog or other friendly domesticated animals to stay warm.
Clothing
Wearing weather-appropriate clothing is crucial because your body is your primary source of heat. If the weather is cold, avoid wearing cotton. Once cotton gets wet, it loses its insulating ability.
Choose wool, which can be a bit expensive but is very durable. Even if wool clothing gets wet, its ability to insulate remains very high.
Wear wool socks to stay warm and put on a pair of gloves, a scarf and a hat. Covering these body parts will help prevent heat loss.
Wear several layers. You can peel off layers if it starts to feel warm.
Exercise
When SHTF and you lose all access to any kind of heat source, you can still stay warm with exercise since it is a great way to increase your body temperature.
While sweating in cold temperatures should be avoided, there is a trick to exercising to stay warm. Don’t exert yourself for long periods like you would during a normal exercise session since this will make you sweat.
Instead, work large muscle groups slowly, take a break, then repeat the process. Squats and pushups are good options because they target large muscle groups.
Electric heaters
Electric space heaters use electricity to heat internal coils, which provides radiant heat. Note that if you want to use electric space heaters, you also need a backup power supply.
This device requires a lot of energy to operate, so you need something more powerful than small-scale solar and wind systems. Get small or whole-home generators instead.
Fireplace
Many homes have a fireplace that is perfect for staying warm even without electricity. But most fireplaces aren’t efficient because most of the heat goes up and out the chimney flue.
If you don’t have another option, use a fireplace to stay warm.
Hand warmers
Hand warmers are a quick and easy way to keep parts of your body warm.
There are two different kinds of hand warmers: non-electric and electric.
Non-electric heaters come in a packet and consist of a chemical mixture that generates heat when activated. These types of hand warmers are cheap and you can easily find them at sporting goods stores, big box stores or hardware stores.
Electric heaters are little devices that can be used to charge other devices or as a hand warmer. If you don’t have electricity, you will need an alternative power source to charge it, like a generator or solar panels.
Kerosene heater
A kerosene heater needs kerosene as a liquid fuel. When ignited, kerosene produces an open flame enclosed within the frame of the heater.
Due to the nature of the fuel being used and the open flame, some kerosene heaters have an accidental tip over shutoff mechanism. This safety feature will extinguish the flame if the heater becomes unstable to prevent an uncontrolled fire. (Related: Survival tips: How to live without electricity like the Amish.)
Outdoor fire
Outdoor fires can help a large group stay warm, but the downside is a lot of the warm air from the fire itself is lost to the surrounding area.
To create a better heating system, set up a heat reflector around the fire by building a small wooden fence. This will help radiate some of the heat back to you.
Pellet stoves
Pellet stoves are similar to wood stoves, but the former are usually smaller and can be more expensive. But pellet stoves burn quite clean, work efficiently and generate a lot of heat.
Instead of firewood, you only need recycled sawdust and wood compressed into small pellets.
Propane heater
A propane heater can provide heat during an outage and they are portable like a traditional space heater. Propane heaters typically use small bottles of propane that attach right to the heater.
Rocket mass heater
A rocket mass heater is a type of rocket stove that operates similarly to a rocket stove but on a larger scale. Pair a rocket mass heater with a ventilation system for a very effective indoor heater.
Tea candles
Even small candles are effective at warming small spaces if you don’t have other heat sources.
While you can use several tea candles to keep an average-sized room warm, you shouldn’t use this method if you are going to sleep. It’s much safer to heat a room with candles using several clay pots.
Wood-burning stove
Unlike a fireplace, where most of the heat is lost through the chimney, wood-burning stoves contain the entire fire, allowing them to retain heat in the room more effectively.
If it has a flat surface on top, you can also use a wood-burning stove for cooking food or boiling water. However, a wood-burning stove will also require firewood.
Before disaster strikes during winter, choose a method that doesn’t rely on the grid so you can keep your family warm even during a power outage. Always exercise caution when using heating devices with open flames.
If we are operating on the assumption that the lockdown-induced social and economic damage was the bug and not the feature, we’d expect the ruling class to throw the kitchen sink at the virus in order to minimize its impact.
The only prophylactics the corporate media ever apparently want to promote are masks and vaccines – tools of social control and biomedical profiteering, respectively.
Johns Hopkins is the undisputed Heart of COVID-19 Darkness – the progenitor of lockdown policies and the most-cited authority for the corporate media and government to justify mask and vaccine mandates.
What the Johns Hopkins hack Salzberg did in his anti-vitamin D propaganda piece was cherry-pick a few studies (probably funded by Big Pharma) to shape the narrative that he wanted to promote. He then whole-cloth disregarded the overwhelming preponderance of evidence that debunks his moronic take on vitamin D.
But that’s all golden for Big Pharma. They’ve got vaccines for acute infections and drugs to hook you on for life to treat chronic illnesses. They’ll drain you of your life savings as you slowly die, all the while never getting to the root cause of your illness – which, in many cases, might well be a vitamin D deficiency.
Cured patients don’t pad Pfizer’s bottom line.
Salzberg asserts in his anti-science propaganda piece as a matter of fact that vitamin D does not support weight loss, despite the treasure trove of peer-reviewed published clinical data indicating that vitamin D deficiency is linked to obesity while higher vitamin D levels correlate to less weight gain (see here, here, and here).
Commit the mortal sin that the corporate media warns against and do your own research. You’ll find a veritable treasure trove of scientific research published in leading medical journals connecting vitamin D with lower adiposity (fat accumulation).
