One dead, others injured after 'rogue wave' strikes Viking Polaris ship



A "rogue wave incident" left one individual dead and injured four others, according to Viking.

The Associated Press reported that authorities said the deceased individual was a U.S. woman — the outlet reported that Argentine authorities indicated that the victim, who was 62, was struck by broken glass when the wave compromised windows amid a storm on Tuesday.

The Viking Polaris ship suffered some damage, according to the cruise company.

"There was a rogue wave incident involving the Viking Polaris on November 29 at 22:40 local time, while the ship was sailing towards Ushuaia, Argentina. The ship sustained limited damage during the incident and arrived in port in Ushuaia without further incident the afternoon of November 30," Viking noted.

"It is with great sadness that we confirmed a guest passed away following the incident. We have notified the guest's family and shared our deepest sympathies. We will continue to offer our full support to the family in the hours and days ahead," the company added. "Four other guests sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the incident and were treated by the ship’s onboard doctor and medical staff," Viking continued. "We are investigating the facts surrounding this incident and will offer our support to the relevant authorities."

Viking noted that it chose to nix the ship's next voyage, which had been slated to occur later this month.

Suzie Gooding, who was aboard the ship, told WRAL that the rogue wave strike was "sudden" and "shocking."

Durham couple's cruise takes unexpectedly deadly turn www.youtube.com

"Rogues, called 'extreme storm waves' by scientists, are those waves which are greater than twice the size of surrounding waves, are very unpredictable, and often come unexpectedly from directions other than prevailing wind and waves," according to the National Ocean Service. "Most reports of extreme storm waves say they look like 'walls of water.'"

Psaki's tough talk on Russia, China comes days after Biden admin reportedly got fleeced in Iran deal negotiations: 'This looks like plain ol’ stupidity'



The Biden administration this week rightly called out Russia and China as liars and cheaters that can't be trusted. Yet apparently, that notion did not occur to White House officials when they invited those officials to take part in Iran nuclear deal negotiations earlier this year.

The nearsightedness raises concerns once again that the Biden administration — despite its tough talk — remains woefully naïve regarding the nefarious intentions of two of America's greatest geopolitical foes.

What happened?

Serving as a mouthpiece for the administration on Thursday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki raked Russia and China over the coals in a lengthy Twitter thread. She brandished the nations' government officials as "preposterous" propagandizers and asserted that President Biden and his administration have "[taken] note" of their past transgressions while being on the "lookout" for more.

But that type of sober-minded vigilance seemed remarkably absent in recent days and weeks when the White House not only tolerated Russian and Chinese participation in Iran deal negotiations — but actually invited their involvement.

"U.S. seeks Russian and Chinese support to salvage Iran nuclear deal," a Guardian report in December said.

The negotiations reportedly ended in a disaster, with Russia's top negotiator, Mikhail Ulyanov, bragging publicly that his country, along with their Chinese partners, essentially fleeced the U.S., securing more for Iran's nuclear proliferation than previously thought possible.

"I am absolutely sincere in this regard. Iran got much more than it could expect — much more," Ulyanov said in a victory lap following talks. "Realistically speaking, Iran got more than frankly I expected, others expected. This is a matter of fact."

"Our Chinese friends were also very efficient and useful as co-negotiators," he added.

Shocking video: This is the lead Russian negotiator for the Iran nuclear talks, Mikhail Ulyanov. \n\nHe's bragging about how Russia, Iran, and China teamed up to deliver huge wins for Iran's nuclear program in Vienna negotiations.pic.twitter.com/oiTOgfh99i
— POLARIS (@POLARIS) 1646574051

It's no wonder Psaki's words rang hollow.

What did she say?

The press secretary fumed at Russia for alleging that the U.S. was involved in biological weapons labs in Ukraine. The Kremlin, it seemed, pushed the propaganda as a pretext for invasion.

"This is preposterous," Psaki wrote, stating elsewhere that "it’s Russia that has a long and well-documented track record of using chemical weapons."

This is preposterous. It\u2019s the kind of disinformation operation we\u2019ve seen repeatedly from the Russians over the years in Ukraine and in other countries, which have been debunked, and an example of the types of false pretexts we have been warning the Russians would invent.
— Jen Psaki (@Jen Psaki) 1646862488
It\u2019s Russia that has a long and well-documented track record of using chemical weapons, including in attempted assassinations and poisoning of Putin\u2019s political enemies like Alexey Navalny.
— Jen Psaki (@Jen Psaki) 1646862488
Also, Russia has a track record of accusing the West of the very violations that Russia itself is perpetrating. In December, Russia falsely accused the U.S. of deploying contractors with chemical weapons in Ukraine.
— Jen Psaki (@Jen Psaki) 1646862489
Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them. It\u2019s a clear pattern.
— Jen Psaki (@Jen Psaki) 1646862490

Psaki went on to call the move "an obvious ploy" by the Russians, further noting, "We should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them."

One might ask, where was the "lookout" before Biden's White House called on Russia and China to assist in the revival of the Iran nuclear deal?

Anything else?

Reacting to Psaki's statements, Hot Air's Ed Morrissey wrote, "So explain to me again why we invited Russia to negotiate a deal over illegal WMD development in Iran?"

"Having Mikhail Ulyanov on hand to negotiate Iran’s compliance on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons is akin to having Ted Bundy mediate Jeffrey Dahmer’s sentencing," the conservative writer quipped. "Were they really that naive?"

"Rather than naïveté, this looks like plain ol’ stupidity," he concluded.

(H/T: Hot Air)

Top Russian diplomat brags about new Iran nuclear deal and suggests US taken to cleaners by China, Russia, and Iran



Russian envoy Mikhail Ulyanov celebrated the forthcoming new Iran nuclear deal in a recent interview, essentially saying the United States was taken to the cleaners by Iran, China, and Russia.

What is the background?

The Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was originally negotiated under the Obama administration. But then-President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the controversial deal in May 2018.

President Joe Biden, during his campaign and after his election, expressed willingness to re-enter the JCPOA and lift sanctions on Iran that were imposed by the Trump administration.

Diplomats officially returned to negotiation last year in hopes of reviving the plan.

What did Ulyanov say?

Ulyanov, the top Russian diplomat working on JCPOA negotiations, boasted in a recent interview that Iran received more in the forthcoming deal than even he expected.

"Iranian clerics are fighting for Iranian nuclear national interests like lions," Ulyanov said. "Indeed, I’m very serious. They fight for every comma, every word, and, as a rule, quite successfully. I must recognize that."

"I am absolutely sincere in this regard. Iran got much more than it could expect — much more," he added. "Realistically speaking, Iran got more than frankly I expected, others expected. This is a matter of fact."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ulyanov said that Beijing and Moscow worked together to achieve their goals within the JCPOA.

"Our Chinese friends were also very efficient and useful as co-negotiators," Ulyanov said. "We could rely on each other on many, many points. And on many, many points of joint differences we succeeded. I can recollect dozens of such cases, when on rather serious, significant questions, we managed together to get positive results close to what we wanted to achieve."

Shocking video: This is the lead Russian negotiator for the Iran nuclear talks, Mikhail Ulyanov. \n\nHe's bragging about how Russia, Iran, and China teamed up to deliver huge wins for Iran's nuclear program in Vienna negotiations.pic.twitter.com/oiTOgfh99i
— POLARIS (@POLARIS) 1646574051

The totality of concessions made by the U.S. and western allied powers will not become clear until the deal is finalized.

However, the Jerusalem Post reported:

Among the concessions to Iran that Israel has been concerned about are allowing Iran to keep its advanced centrifuges even when they are out of use, and lifting the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization by the US, as well as rescinding all sanctions placed by the previous US administration, including those put in place due to terrorism and human rights violations.

Meanwhile, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, corroborated on Monday that a finalized deal is nearing completion as long as the Biden administration makes the concessions that Tehran demands, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

What is the US saying?

State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter said last week that "significant progress" had been made and a final deal is imminent.

"We are close to a possible deal, but a number of difficult issues still remain unsolved," she said. "We will not have a deal unless we resolve quickly the remaining issues. If Iran shows seriousness, we can and should reach an understanding of mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA within days."

State Dept says new Iran nuke deal (brokered by Russia) \u201cwithin days\u201d \u2014 \u201cWe can and should reach an understanding of mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA within days.\u201dpic.twitter.com/QBDFNSb37r
— Adam Kredo (@Adam Kredo) 1646418532

In a nod to Russia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted Sunday that sanctions imposed by Washington on Moscow because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine will be totally disconnected from the Iran nuclear deal.