World News: Russia Troop Buildup Near Ukraine Grows --- U.S. officials say Putin is amassing force with capability for potential invasion by early 2022

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"WASHINGTON -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is amassing a force expected to total 175,000 troops near Russia's border with Ukraine, giving him the capability for a potential invasion of his neighbor by early 2022, Biden administration officials said Friday.

The officials, citing new intelligence reports that include images from spy satellites, said the Russian military buildup differed markedly from an earlier massing of troops in the spring. When completed, they said, it will be twice the size of that previous buildup. In addition, Russia has embarked on a rapid mobilization of reservists.

The officials cautioned that U.S. intelligence agencies don't know whether Russia will, in fact, invade Ukraine, whose ties with the West have been opposed by Mr. Putin. The intelligence reporting, while containing new details, echoes concerns raised earlier by the U.S. and its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The Russian military moves in recent weeks have sharply heightened tensions with the U.S., which has warned of serious reprisals, and with the NATO alliance.

"If Russia decides to pursue confrontation, there will be serious consequences," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday before meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Stockholm.

The Washington Post earlier reported the new U.S. assessment, publishing what it said was an unclassified intelligence report that included images of troop concentrations in four locations on Russian soil along its Ukraine border.

The Wall Street Journal hasn't seen the unclassified document, but U.S. officials confirmed its authenticity.

"The Russian plans call for a military offensive against Ukraine as soon as early 2022 with a scale of forces twice what we saw this past spring during Russia's rapid military buildup near Ukraine's borders," one of the administration officials said. "The plans involve extensive movement of 100 battalion tactical groups with an estimated 175,000 personnel, along with armor, artillery, and equipment."

"We estimate half of these units are already near Ukraine's border," the official said.

Russia has denied that it is preparing to invade its smaller neighbor and has accused NATO of providing Ukraine with sophisticated weaponry, fomenting tension and destabilizing the region. Russian officials have said they don't want any conflicts and Moscow wants a balance of interests in the region.

U.S. officials have been attempting to approach Russia's military deployments diplomatically. The White House on Friday said it was working with the Russians to schedule a call between President Biden and Mr. Putin but no phone call had yet been scheduled.

On Friday, Mr. Biden said his administration is putting together a plan "to make it very, very difficult for Mr. Putin to go ahead and do what people are worried he may do."

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley on Thursday said the activity near Ukraine had triggered "a lot of concern."

"There's significant national security interests of the United States and of NATO member states at stake here if there was an overt act of aggressive action militarily by the Russians into a nation state that has been independent since 1991," he told reporters on a military jet Friday.

Gen. Milley didn't elaborate on options open to the U.S. if Russia did take action.

Mr. Blinken suggested earlier this week that if Russia invades Ukraine, the U.S. would deploy harsh economic sanctions of a type it has held back from using so far. Mr. Blinken didn't provide specifics.

The White House is conducting a review of U.S. options to respond to Russia, and they range from more military support for Ukraine to stepped-up diplomacy to de-escalate the conflict, according to U.S. officials.

In 2014, Russian-backed forces seized parts of eastern Ukraine, and Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula.

The administration official said information the U.S. has acquired indicates Russia is already conducting information operations to support a potential invasion.

 

Russian officials are proposing information operations "to emphasize the narrative that Ukrainian leaders had been installed by the West, harbored a hatred for the 'Russian world,' and were acting against the interests of the Ukrainian people," the official said.” [1]

 

 Anušauskas, stop staring at the young girls. Climb, plump guy, on the horse. Let's raise a huge hysteria in Lithuania again.

1. World News: Russia Troop Buildup Near Ukraine Grows --- U.S. officials say Putin is amassing force with capability for potential invasion by early 2022

Strobel, Warren P.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 04 Dec 2021: A.7.

Pasaulio naujienos: Norvegijos vakarėlio istorija rodo omikron padermės plitimo galimybes

„Omikron protrūkis Norvegijos kalėdiniame vakarėlyje yra ankstyvas, nors ir anekdotinis, duomenų šaltinis apie tai, kaip lengvai naujasis variantas plinta tarp paskiepytų žmonių ir kokie lengvi kartais gali būti jo simptomai.

 

    Prieš surengiant vakarėlį Norvegijoje įsikūrusiai atsinaujinančios energijos įmonei Scatec ASA, buvo imtasi visų pagrindinių saugos priemonių, sakė bendrovės atstovas Stianas Tvede Karlsenas. Buvo kviečiami tik paskiepyti darbuotojai. Visi turėjo atlikti greitąjį testą dieną prieš tai. Lapkričio 26 d. vakarėlyje Oslo restorane dalyvavo apie 120 žmonių, keli iš jų ką tik grįžo iš Pietų Afrikos.

 

    Nuo to laiko daugiau, nei pusei susirinkusiųjų buvo nustatytas teigiamas Covid-19 testas, mažiausiai 13 patvirtinta, kad tai - naujasis variantas. Tai yra didžiausias pasaulyje omikron protrūkis už Pietų Afrikos ribų – ir žvilgsnis į tai, kaip jam sekasi tarp labai paskiepytų gyventojų. Oslo sveikatos departamentas teigė, kad tarp 64 Covid atvejų tikimasi daugiau omikron infekcijų.

 

    Klasteris yra ypatingas, nes jis įvyko imunizuotų žmonių burbule, šalyje, kurioje daugiau, nei 80% suaugusiųjų yra visiškai paskiepyti. Tai taip pat suteikia vilties ženklų, nors ir anekdotiškų ir menkų, kad sveikų, paskiepytų suaugusiųjų omikron atvejai gali pasirodyti lengvi. Kol kas nė vienas iš užsikrėtusių darbuotojų rimtai neserga, – sakė M. Karlsenas.

 

    Vis dėlto greitas plitimas, pasak jo, jį nustebino. "Staiga 60 žmonių. Tai tiesiog beprotybė."

 

    Plačiai paplitęs skiepijimas greičiausiai palengvino pradinę Norvegijos ligoninių naštą, nors pandemija pradeda antrąją žiemą. Šalyje kasdien užfiksuojama daugiau, nei 2 000 naujų atvejų, nors valdžios institucijos vis dar imasi naujų į karantiną panašių priemonių, kad intensyviosios terapijos palatos nebūtų pervargusios. Trečiadienį „Our World in Data“ surinkti duomenys užfiksavo 38 patvirtintas mirtis tą dieną iš 5,4 mln. Norvegijos gyventojų.

 

    Nuo penktadienio ryto grįžo panaikinti kaukių mandatai, privačiuose patalpose susibūrimai buvo apriboti iki mažiau, nei 100 žmonių, biurų darbuotojai buvo skatinami dirbti iš namų, o barai dirba mažesniu pajėgumu.

 

    Laboratorinių eksperimentų, kaip lengvai omikron išvengia vakcinų, rezultatų laukti dar liko savaitė ar dvi, todėl mokslininkai turi atidžiai išnagrinėti tokius protrūkius, kaip Osle, kad būtų galima rasti ankstyvų užuominų. 

 

Šie atvejai papildo įrodymus, kad vakcinos neapsaugo nuo infekcijų, nors jos vis tiek gali užkirsti kelią sunkių ligų rizikai daugumai žmonių, sakė Alexandra Phelan, Džordžtauno universiteto pasaulinės ir visuomenės sveikatos teisės ir etikos docentė. [1]

 

Norvegus galima suprasti. Norvegija yra šiaurėje. Dabar ten žiema. Saulutės mažoka, nuotaika bloga. Norisi išgerti ko nors stipresnio linksmoje kompanijoje. Labai norisi. Taip pat labai norisi parodyti, kad turtingoje Norvegijoje prieinamos vakcinos duoda tam tikros naudos. Mes nesame kažkokia Afrikos šalis. Galime išgerti Covid metu. Oi, o gal ir negalime?

1. World News: Norway Party Cases Provide Clues to Strain's Spread

Hinshaw, Drew.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 04 Dec 2021: A.7.

World News: Norway Party Cases Provide Clues to Omicron Strain's Spread

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"An Omicron outbreak at a Norwegian Christmas party is providing an early, if still anecdotal, data point on the ease through which the new variant spreads between vaccinated people, and how mild its symptoms at times can be.

 

Before Scatec ASA, a Norway-based renewable-energy firm, hosted the party, it took all the major safety precautions, said Stian Tvede Karlsen, a company spokesman. Only vaccinated employees were invited. All had to take a rapid test the day before. The Nov. 26 party at an Oslo restaurant, included about 120 people, several of whom had just returned from South Africa.

 

More than half of those present have since tested positive for Covid-19, with at least 13 confirmed to have the new variant in what appears to be the world's biggest Omicron outbreak outside southern Africa -- and a glimpse into how it fares in a highly vaccinated population. The Oslo health department said it expects more Omicron infections among the 64 Covid cases.

 

The cluster is remarkable because it took place in a bubble of immunized people, in a country where more than 80% of adults are fully vaccinated. It also provides signs of hope, however anecdotal and thin, that Omicron cases can turn out to be mild among healthy, vaccinated adults. So far, none of the infected employees are seriously ill, said Mr. Karlsen.

Still, the rapid spread, he, had said had taken him aback. "All of a sudden, 60 people. It's just insane."

Widespread vaccination likely has eased the initial burden on Norway's hospitals as the pandemic begins its second winter. The country is seeing more than 2,000 new cases daily, although authorities are still rolling out new lockdown-like measures to spare intensive-care wards from being overwhelmed. On Wednesday, data compiled by Our World in Data recorded 38 confirmed deaths that day, out of a population of 5.4 million.

Starting Friday morning, mask mandates that had been lifted were back in place, private indoor gatherings were limited to fewer than 100 people, office workers were encouraged to work from home, and bars are operating at reduced capacity.

 

Lab results from experiments into how easily Omicron evades vaccines are still a week or two away, leaving scientists to scrutinize outbreaks like Oslo's for early clues. The cases add to evidence that vaccines aren't preventing infections, though they might still prevent the risk of severe disease in most people, said Alexandra Phelan, an assistant professor of global and public-health law and ethics at Georgetown University.” [1]

 

Norwegians can be understood. Norway is in the north. Now it's winter. The sun is low, the mood is bad. There is a wish to drink something stronger in a fun company.  Very strong wish indeed. There is also a strong wish to demonstrate that vaccines available in a rich Norway give some benefits. We are not some African country. We can drink during Covid time. Or maybe not?

1. World News: Norway Party Cases Provide Clues to Strain's Spread

Hinshaw, Drew.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 04 Dec 2021: A.7.