Elon Musk Accuses Major Media Outlet of Spreading COVID Misinformation, Ignoring Vaccine Injuries

BBC covered up side effects of Covid vaccines, claims Elon Musk as he accuses broadcaster of 'misinformation' over masks in car-crash interview

Twitter owner Elon Musk has accused the BBC of spreading misinformation about face masks and covering up the side effects of coronavirus vaccinations.

The billionaire tycoon, speaking to a BBC journalist, also repeated claims that the UK Government put the corporation under pressure to change its editorial policy.

He did not expand on either allegation during the interview at the company's San Francisco offices which saw him asked how Twitter deals with Covid misinformation.

Mr Musk was in a combative mood during the chat, and also accused his interviewer James Clayton of lying after he claimed hate speech on Twitter was increasing.

Last November, Twitter rolled back a policy aimed at tackling Covid misinformation - while concerns were raised over the dismissal of some content moderation staff.

Measures it brought in when the crisis began in 2020 included labels and warning messages on tweets with disputed information about the crisis and a framework to have users remove tweets that advanced harmfully false claims related to vaccines.

James Clayton: 'Covid misinformation, you've changed the Covid misinformation.'

Elon Musk: 'Has BBC changed its Covid misinformation?'

Mr Clayton: 'The BBC does not set the rules on Twitter, so I'm asking you.

Mr Musk: 'No I'm talking about the BBC's misinformation about Covid.'

Mr Clayton: I'm literally asking you, you changed the labels, the Covid misinformation labels. There used to be a policy, then it disappeared. Why do that?'

Mr Musk: 'Well, Covid is no longer an issue. Does the BBC hold itself at all responsible for misinformation regarding masking and the side effects of vaccinations and not reporting on that at all? And what about the fact that the BBC was put under pressure by the British Government to change editorial policy, are you aware of that?'

Mr Clayton: 'This is not an interview about the BBC.

Mr Musk: 'Oh you thought it wasn't?'

Mr Clayton: 'I see now why you've done Twitter Spaces. I'm not a representative of the BBC's editorial policy - I want to make that clear.'

During yesterday's interview, Mr Clayton - the BBC's North America tech reporter - said: 'Covid misinformation, you've changed the Covid misinformation.' 

But Mr Musk then replied: 'Has BBC changed its Covid misinformation?' Mr Clayton continued: 'The BBC does not set the rules on Twitter, so I'm asking you.' 

And Mr Musk then said: 'No I'm talking about the BBC's misinformation about Covid.' However, Mr Clayton replied: 'I'm literally asking you, you changed the labels, the Covid misinformation labels. There used to be a policy, then it disappeared. Why do that?'

Mr Musk then continued: 'Well, Covid is no longer an issue. Does the BBC hold itself at all responsible for misinformation regarding masking and the side effects of vaccinations and not reporting on that at all? 

'And what about the fact that the BBC was put under pressure by the British Government to change editorial policy, are you aware of that?'

But Mr Clayton said: 'This is not an interview about the BBC.' And Mr Musk added: 'Oh you thought it wasn't?'

Mr Clayton then stated: 'I see now why you've done Twitter Spaces. I'm not a representative of the BBC's editorial policy - I want to make that clear.'

MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment over Mr Musk's claims. 

Mr Musk may have been referring to a Guardian article last month which claimed BBC editors asked journalists to avoid using the word 'lockdown' in reports at the start of the pandemic.

The story, based on leaked email and WhatsApp messages shown to the newspaper, also claimed reporters were urged to be more critical of Labour following pressure from Downing Street.

But, commenting on the article, the BBC insisted it 'makes its own independent editorial decisions and none of these messages show otherwise'.

Elon Musk has defended Twitter’s decision to terminate a policy where posts on the platform would be accompanied by a “misleading information” warning label if the content related to COVID-19, saying the pandemic “is no longer an issue.”

The microblogging service, which was taken over by the billionaire industrialist last year, said in a report that, effective Nov. 23, 2022, Twitter is “no longer enforcing the COVID-19 misleading information policy.”

Musk commented on the matter during an interview with BBC reporter James Clayton that was broadcasted on April 11. In the confrontational interview, Musk pivoted Clayton’s question when the journalist asked the Tesla executive about the platform’s warning labels for false and misleading tweets related to COVID-19.

“Has the BBC changed its COVID misinformation?” Musk reacted fiercely to the reporter’s question.

In response, Clayton said that he was asking Musk about Twitter’s policies as the interviewer stressed that the discussion is about the social media company, not about the broadcasting corporation.

Musk has been a longtime critic of COVID-19 vaccine mandates, lockdowns, as well as other measures enforced by the government. In May 2020, the 51-year-old sent Tesla employees back to work at the automaker’s plant in California in defiance of local shelter-in-place orders, which he described as “forcible imprisoning.”

“Tesla is restarting production today against Alameda County rules. I will be on the line with everyone else. If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me,” Musk said in a post on Twitter at the time.

During an interview with TIME in December 2021, Musk said he and his eligible children are vaccinated against COVID-19 and that “the science is unequivocal,” but he also stressed that he is against COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Twitter’s policy, which was introduced to curb the spread of “harmful misinformation” related to the pandemic, resulted in nearly 100,000 pieces of content being removed from the platform and led to more than 11,000 account suspensions between January 2020 and September 2022.

Since taking over Twitter, Musk has vowed to dial back the platform’s censorship policies which many conservatives have alleged are discriminatory and amount to suppression of free speech. At the same time, Musk pledged that he would not allow Twitter to become a “free-for-all hellscape” where anything could be said, “with no consequences.”

Doctors Sound the Alarm

Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the first COVID-19 vaccines in late 2020, governments around the world and much of the media have insisted that the medicines developed in record time are “safe and effective.”

However, numerous studies and medical experts have disagreed with the government’s official messaging, suggesting COVID-19 vaccines can lead to an excess risk of spike protein-induced diseases.

Dr. Joseph Fraiman, an emergency physician based in Louisiana and the lead author of a peer-reviewed study that reexamined the original Pfizer and Moderna clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccines, told the National Citizen’s Inquiry (NCI) on March 17 that the vaccines have been associated with an excess risk of serious adverse events of special interest in about one in every 565 people.

“That is quite a high number of serious adverse effects from a vaccine. We typically have withdrawn vaccines for one in 10,000,” said Fraiman, who spoke virtually at the event on the second day of the hearing held in Canada.

The authors found that the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines were, respectively, associated with an excess risk of serious adverse events of special interest of 10.1 and 15.1 per 10,000 vaccinated over placebo baselines of 17.6 and 42.2. Combined, the mRNA vaccines were associated with an excess risk of serious adverse events of special interest in 12.5 per 10,000 vaccinated, or one in 565.

German Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach, meanwhile, said last month that adverse reactions can occur at a rate of “one in 10,000 [doses],” adding that COVID-19 vaccines have caused “severe disabilities” to German citizens. However, the country’s top health official also noted that he believes the benefits still outweigh the risks, saying: “It’s not like [vaccine] injury is common.”

“I’ve always been aware of the numbers and they’ve remained relatively stable … one in 10,000 [are injured],” Lauterbach said, citing official data (pdf) from the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut that was released in December 2022. It has to be noted that the health minister said COVID-19 vaccines can cause serious injury in one in every 10,000 doses, not people.

LIVE UPDATES - Wagner Assault Teams Fighting For Urban Areas in Western Part Of Artyomovsk

©Valentin Sprinchak/TASS

Assault teams from the Wagner private military company are fighting Ukrainian troops in the western districts of Artyomovsk, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov told a briefing on the special military operation in Ukraine on Friday.

"In the Donetsk direction, Wagner assault teams are conducting highly tense combat operations to capture urban areas in the western districts of the city of Artyomovsk. Airborne Force units operating on the flanks are providing support to the assault units and thwarting the enemy’s attempts to deliver ammunition to the city and commit reserves," the spokesman said.

Russian forces neutralize five Ukrainian subversive groups in Kupyansk area

Russian forces struck Ukrainian army units in the Kupyansk area and neutralized five enemy subversive groups over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Kupyansk direction, aircraft and artillery from the western battlegroup struck Ukrainian army units. In addition, the activity of five Ukrainian subversive/reconnaissance groups was thwarted," the spokesman said.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in that direction in the past 24 hours totaled "as many as 60 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, three motor vehicles and also two D-20 howitzers," the general specified.

Russian forces destroy 80 Ukrainian troops in Krasny Liman area

Russian combat aircraft, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems struck Ukrainian army units in the Krasny Liman area, eliminating roughly 80 enemy troops over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Krasny Liman direction, operational/tactical and army aviation, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems of the battlegroup Center inflicted damage on the enemy units in areas near the settlements of Serebryanka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Chervonopopovka and Chevonaya Dibrova in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

The strikes eliminated as many as 80 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, two motor vehicles and a D-30 howitzer in that area in the past 24 hours, the general specified.

Russian forces destroy 340 Ukrainian troops in Donetsk area

Russian forces destroyed roughly 340 Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"The enemy’s total losses in that direction in the past 24 hours amounted to 340 Ukrainian personnel, two tanks, five armored combat vehicles, four motor vehicles, a Grad multiple rocket launcher, and also D-20 and D-30 howitzers," the spokesman said.

Missile troops and artillery, and also aircraft of the Russian southern battlegroup are providing support for the offensive operations in the area of Artyomovsk, the general said.

"Aircraft of the southern battlegroup flew 14 sorties to support assault units in that area. Missile troops and artillery accomplished 62 firing objectives," the spokesman said.

Russian forces destroy about 40 Ukrainian troops in southern Donetsk, Zaporozhye areas

Russian forces destroyed around 40 Ukrainian troops and two D-30 howitzers in the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

In the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, operational/tactical and army aviation and artillery from the Russian battlegroup East struck the enemy manpower and equipment in areas near the settlements of Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Marfopol, Zaliznichnoye, Novoandreyevka and Kamenskoye in the Zaporozhye Region, the spokesman specified.

"As many as 40 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, two pickup trucks, and also two D-30 howitzers were destroyed in those directions in the past 24 hours," the general said.

Russian forces destroy 35 Ukrainian troops in Kherson area

Russian forces destroyed roughly 35 Ukrainian troops, a Grad rocket launcher and an Akatsiya howitzer in the Kherson area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Kherson direction, as many as 35 Ukrainian personnel, six motor vehicles, a Grad multiple rocket launcher and also an Akatsiya motorized howitzer were destroyed as a result of damage inflicted on the enemy by firepower," the spokesman said.

Russian forces wipe out Ukrainian ammo depot in Zaporozhye area

Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition depot in the Zaporozhye area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the area of the settlement of Chervonaya Krinitsa in the Zaporozhye region, a Ukrainian ammunition depot was obliterated," the spokesman said.

Russian forces strike 93 Ukrainian artillery units in past day

Russian forces struck 93 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the past 24 hours, operational/tactical aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian group of forces struck 93 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions, manpower and equipment in 136 areas," the spokesman said.

Russian air defenses intercept six US-made HIMARS rockets

Russian air defense forces intercepted six rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system and destroyed six Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"During the last 24-hour period, air defense capabilities intercepted six rockets of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system. In addition, they destroyed six Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Tambovka in the Zaporozhye Region, Velikaya Lepetikha and Maslovka in the Kherson Region," the spokesman said.

Russian forces destroy over 9,500 special military motor vehicles in Ukraine operation

Russian forces have destroyed over 9,500 special military motor vehicles of the Ukrainian army since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, Konashenkov reported.

"In all, the following targets have been destroyed since the beginning of the special military operation: 407 aircraft, 228 helicopters, 3,753 unmanned aerial vehicles, 415 surface-to-air missile systems, 8,672 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,084 multiple launch rocket systems, 4,584 field artillery guns and mortars and 9,504 special military motor vehicles," Konashenkov reported.

Russian MoD: Ukraine Loses 340 Military Over Past Day in Donetsk Direction

Ukraine has lost 340 military and 14 units of military equipment in the Donetsk direction in 24 hours, as Russia's Wagner Group private military company keeps fighting for the city of Artemovsk (Bakhmut), the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.

"The total losses of the enemy over the past day in this direction amounted to 340 Ukrainian servicemen, two tanks, five armored fighting vehicles, four vehicles, a Grad MLRS combat vehicle, as well as D-20 and D-30 howitzers," the ministry said in a statement.

In the Donetsk direction, Wagner assault detachments are engaged in high-intensity combat operations to seize neighborhoods in the western districts of Artemovsk (Bakhmut). On the flanks, airborne troops are supporting the assault squads and suppressing the enemy's attempts to deliver ammunition and reserves to the city, according to the ministry.

Video: Russia Unleashes MT-12 Guns, Pounds Ukrainian Positions

Since its inception in the 1960s, the MT-12 is a Soviet-designed 100mm AT-gun that has continued to perform splendidly as an artillery piece thanks to its light weight and advanced ballistic properties supported by a powerful high-explosive shell.

The Russian Defense Ministry has published a video of its artillery units effectively utilizing their weaponry in combat during the special military operation in Ukraine.

These units consist of soldiers that were conscripted during the partial mobilization in the fall, and many of them have had combat experience. They are successfully fulfilling the objectives laid out during the special operation and hammer enemy positions with high-explosive (HE) shells.

Drone footage confirms a direct hit against Ukrainian infantry, who were taking cover inside the building.

The MT-12 is effective as a light artillery piece, given that it has a relatively large 100mm caliber for its weight. The gun primarily uses an OF15 high-explosive shell, weighing almost 30 kg, with 16.7 kg of explosive filler inside and can be fired at ranges up to 8.2 kilometers, causing massive damage both to enemy infantry and defensive structures.

Deretan Kegagalan Luhut dari IKN, Elon Musk hingga Kereta Cepat

Menko Kemaritiman dan Investasi Luhut Panjaitan gagal mendesak China menurunkan bunga pinjaman Kereta Cepat Jakarta-Bandung dari 4 persen jadi 2 persen. (CNN Indonesia/Adi Maulana Ibrahim)

Kinerja investasi Indonesia yang dikelola menajemennya oleh Menteri Koordinator Bidang Kemaritiman dan Investasi (Menko Marves), Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, menuai kritik publik, setelah China meminta penjaminan APBN kepada pemerintahan Jokowi untuk pembiayaan Kereta Cepat Jakarta-Bandung (KCJB).

Direktur Political and Public Policy Studies (P3S), Jerry Massie, salah satu yang mengungkap kinerja Luhut yang ia anggap telah gagal di beberapa proyek pemerintah dan mometum investasi.

“Hampir semua diplomasi dan nego Luhut gagal. Lalu gagal datangkan Elon Musk berinvestasi di Indonesia malahan memilih China dan Malaysia,” ujar Jerry, pada hari Jumat, 14/04/2023.

Selain soal investasi digital Elon Musk di Indonesia, Jerry juga menyinggung soal rencana investasi yang diumbar Luhut di Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN).

“Beberapa investor IKN kabur,” sambungnya menegaskan.

Maka dari itu, doktor komunikasi politik lulusan America Global University ini menilai Luhut sebagai biang kerok kerugian negara dalam investasi.

“Ini memang merugikan negara kita. Coba kita ambil proyek kereta cepat cepat Jepang suku bunganya hanya 1 persen,” demikian Jerry menambahkan.

Emoat hari lalu, Menteri Koordinator Bidang Kemaritiman dan Investasi Luhut Binsar Panjaitan gagal menegosiasikan keinginan pemerintah RI agar bunga utang Kereta Cepat Jakarta Bandung (KCJB) bisa diturunkan dari 4 persen jadi 2 persen oleh China.

Pasalnya, dari hasil negosiasi yang ia lakukan dengan China, Negeri Tirai Bambu itu hanya mau menurunkan bunga utang kereta cepat di level 3,4 persen. Menurutnya, bunga utang tersebut masih terlalu tinggi. Sebab, pemerintah ingin bunga utang bisa turun sampai 2 persen.

"Kemarin dia sudah mau turun dari 4 persen, tapi angkanya kita mau lebih rendah lagi. Offer pertama 3,4 persen dari 4 persen, tapi kita masih ingin lebih rendah lagi kalau bisa. Maunya kita 2 (persen)," ujar Luhut dalam konferensi pers, pada hari Senin, 10/04/2023.

Meski demikian kata Luhut, pemerintah tidak akan menyerah. Pemerintah akan kembali melakukan negosiasi agar bunga pinjaman utang tersebut bisa turun lagi dari 3,4 persen. Hasil dari negosiasi lanjutan akan keluar pekan depan.

"Minggu-minggu depan selesai (nego bunga pinjaman)," imbuhnya.

Luhut menambahkan meskipun China tetap kekeh dan tidak mau menurunkan bunga dari 3,4 persen, pemerintah sebenarnya tidak masalah. Pemerintah akan tetap membayar karena bunga itu sudah lebih baik dari bunga pinjaman luar negeri lainnya.

"Karena kalau kamu pinjam ke luar juga bunganya sekarang bisa 6 persen juga. Jadi 3,4 persen misalnya sampai situ, we are doing ok walaupun nggak oke-oke amat," jelasnya.

Luhut menekankan pemerintah sangat mampu membayar meski bunga sebesar 3,4 persen. Ia berharap jangan pernah ada yang meragukan pemerintah di tengah penerimaan negara yang tokcer.

"Nggak ada masalah. Kamu kok meragukan negaramu sih. Kamu jangan underestimate, negara kita makin efisien makin baik. Lihat penerimaan pajak kita naik 48,6 persen tahun lalu. Karena banyak efisiensi, efisiensi batu bara efisiensi mesin segala macam. Itu kadang kita nggak sadar," pungkasnya.

Rencana Elon Musk untuk investasi di Indonesia sudah lama santer terdengar. Tahun lalui bahkan Menkomarves Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan dan Presiden Joko Widodo sampai ke Amerika Serikat untuk memastikan rencana investasi ini.

Sayangnya, puluhan lembaga swadaya masyarakat (LSM) termasuk Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WALHI) dan Friends of the Earth Amerika Serikat, telah mengirimkan surat terbuka kepada Elon Musk.

Ini dalam rangka mendesak pimpinan Tesla Inc itu untuk tidak berinvestasi di industri nikel Indonesia karena masalah lingkungan.

Indonesia memiliki cadangan nikel terbesar di dunia dan Jokowi ingin mengembangkan industri kendaraan listrik berbasis nikel di dalam negeri. Pemerintah melarang ekspor bijih nikel yang belum diolah mulai tahun 2020 untuk menjamin pasokan bagi investor.

Namun, para pemerhati lingkungan khawatir bahwa proses tersebut akan melibatkan pembuangan limbah pertambangan ke laut.

Organisasi nirlaba itu mengatakan bahwa kerusakan lingkungan akibat dari total luas hutan yang dikonversi menjadi pertambangan nikel, menyebabkan peningkatan deforestasi dan ancaman pencemaran air di sungai, danau, dan pantai.

Mereka merekomendasikan penghentian setiap rencana investasi langsung potensial di industri nikel di Indonesia dan menghentikan sumber dan produksi nikel di Indonesia di setiap lini bisnis Tesla.

Namun Tesla tidak segera menanggapi permintaan komentar dari surat tersebut. Pemerintah Indonesia pun tidak dapat dimintai komentar di luar jam reguler.

Elon Musk pada 2020 mendesak industri pertambangan untuk memproduksi lebih banyak nikel dengan cara yang peka terhadap lingkungan. Sebagai catatan, nikel digunakan untuk meningkatkan penyimpanan baterai kendaraan listrik.

Pernyataan Musk menanggapi permintaan energi listrik yang diramal akan meningkat ke depan karena pemerintah, perusahaan, dan konsumen berusaha untuk mengurangi asap berbahaya yang dikeluarkan oleh kendaraan berbahan bakar fosil.

Indonesia sendiri telah menetapkan target memiliki 13 juta sepeda motor listrik, termasuk yang dikonversi, dan 2,2 juta mobil listrik di jalan raya pada 2030. Ini sejalan dengan dengan target zero emission Indonesia.

Analysis: Emergency Credit Suisse rescue shakes faith in Switzerland

The logo of Credit Suisse is pictured on a building near the Hallenstadion where took place the Annual General Meeting, two weeks after being bought by rival UBS in a government-brokered rescue, in Zurich, Switzerland, April 4, 2023. REUTERS/Pierre Albouy

Switzerland's tradition of dependable consensus politics has taken a battering after the government used an emergency law to push through a state-backed mega-merger of UBS (UBSG.S) and Credit Suisse (CSGN.S), sidelining the country's parliament.

Switzerland's two parliamentary chambers voted to reject the government's 109 billion Swiss francs ($122.82 billion) in aid for the deal between the country's two biggest banks, delivering a slap in the face for government.

The defeat is symbolic as it cannot change the merger, but it is a blow for the government in an election year and makes it harder to build broad support among the population for the biggest corporate rescue in Swiss history.

The use of emergency laws, in which shareholders and parliamentarians have no say, will also damage the standing of Switzerland's financial industry abroad, analysts have said, especially as it faces rising competition from other financial centres like Singapore.

The Swiss political model is under pressure at the moment, said political scientist Michael Hermann, a director of pollsters Sotomo, adding that the foreign perception of Switzerland as business friendly and as a financial safe haven could be undermined.

"Legitimacy in Swiss politics has been weakened, People who worried about an over powerful government during COVID will see their fears confirmed," said Hermann.

"This is damaging for the trust in democracy – parliament says no, but the emergency credits still go through."

A recent Sotomo poll showed two thirds of the population was against the UBS takeover of Credit Suisse, while a third of respondents were angry that emergency laws had been used to bypass parliament.

The affair has already boosted support for populist right wing groups like the anti-immigrant Swiss People's Party (SVP) and the libertarian Aufrecht Schweiz movement in local elections since the takeover. Both parties are looking to make gains in national elections in October.

PARLIAMENT 'CIRCUMVENTED'

The Credit Suisse/UBS merger marked the first time that parliament had withheld its support for emergency laws designed to deal quickly with crises.

The facility to act without parliamentary approval, introduced in 2000, was used during the COVID pandemic to enforce restrictions and again last year to provide a Swiss energy producer with a credit line

In the lead-up to the UBS/Credit Suisse merger last month, Swiss emergency law allowed a sub-group of six members of parliament to approve a cabinet plan to give financial aid on behalf of the legislative body, angering the almost 250 lawmakers, who were left without a say.

Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter defended the use of the emergency powers, saying Switzerland was not an "emergency dictatorship."

"We don't do it for fun. We really didn't know what else to do," Keller-Sutter told parliament during a stormy emergency session this week. "The emergency law is based on the federal constitution and I don't think it's correct to say it's illegal."

Lawmakers were dismayed

"It has not been a great moment for Swiss democracy. It is terrible parliament has been put in this position and basically circumvented," said Roger Nordmann, leader of the Social Democrat group in the Swiss lower house told Reuters.

The Swiss government said it would take into account the rejection by parliament, but stressed the success of the takeover of Switzerland's second biggest bank - intended to prevent a financial meltdown - was paramount.

Industry experts said the deal was unlikely to be changed by politicians, with UBS being given a free hand to determine how many jobs will go and what will be done with Credit Suisse's valuable domestic retail banking business.

Swiss media has reported that the takeover could result in the combined bank cutting its Swiss workforce by up to 30%, which could cost 11,000 jobs.

"Despite the anger, most policy-makers do not want to interfere in the merger, to create and bear the risk that the merger does not succeed," said Hans Gersbach, co-director of the KOF economic research institute at ETH Zurich.

"Politicians might have wanted to show their disapproval about what happened, but they don’t want the UBS takeover to fail."

Ultimately, 209 billion Swiss francs are being provided as state and central bank guarantees and support in the plan drawn up by the seven-strong Swiss cabinet, which has members from four political parties.

The amount is equivalent to around a quarter of Switzerland's entire economic output, and includes emergency liquidity injections and a state pledge to absorb up to 9 billion francs in losses incurred by UBS, based on documents outlining the deal.

Peter Kunz, an expert in economic law at the University of Bern, said the lawmakers were ultimately powerless to change it.

"In Switzerland, we often pat ourselves on the back for having the oldest democracy in the world. Yet seven people decided on 250 billion francs of support, an unimaginably huge sum of money," he said.

"And the parliament has no say in the matter. The use of such emergency legislation, overturning antitrust rules, is a problem for Swiss democracy and rule of law. It calls Swiss democracy into question."

($1 = 0.8875 Swiss francs)

Who's Jack Teixeira, the Alleged Pentagon Leaker Arrested Thursday?

©AP Photo / Steven Senne

Since documents began to surface last week which reveal damning information about the US role in Ukraine and the espionage it conducts on its ostensible allies, questions have lingered about the identity and motives of the person responsible – and a suspect has finally been unveiled.

Americans got their first glimpse at the alleged source of the leaked Pentagon documents that have dominated the news cycle this week as 21-year-old Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira was taken into custody Thursday by heavily-armed federal agents at his home in Dighton, Massachusetts.

Teixeira is likely to be charged with violating the Espionage Act as Attorney General Merrick Garland earlier indicated that the service member was arrested over the alleged “unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information.”

An initial court appearance for Teixeira is scheduled for Friday at the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

With the arrest, media focus has quickly shifted from the fallout surrounding the leaked materials – which indicated that US officials privately acknowledge the Kiev regime has little hope of victory, and that NATO special forces are fighting on the frontlines against Russian troops – to the identity of the alleged leaker.

Teixeira, a nearly four-year member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was reportedly assigned to manage and troubleshoot computers and communications systems for the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air Base, and comes from a military family.

BREAKING: Massachusetts Air National Guardsman named Jack Teixeira identified as the leaker of sensitive US intelligence documents. pic.twitter.com/BxRSYKgKoi

— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) April 13, 2023

A spokesman for the Pentagon reportedly defended the DoD’s major intelligence breach by saying “we entrust our members with a lot of responsibility at a very early age.”

But regardless of his relative youth, it remains unclear why an enlisted airman, who hadn’t yet even reached officer status, would have access to high-level documents containing intelligence apparently compiled by the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

According to widely-circulated accounts by the Washington Post and New York Times, who effectively honed in on the alleged leaker's identity on those agencies’ behalf, Teixeira began leaking photos of highly-sensitive documents to a group of 20 to 30 of his mostly-younger friends online after they grew bored of reading mere transcriptions.

The Times quickly insisted that “Airman Teixeira was no whistle-blower,” seizing on an alleged video which apparently shows the young airman yelling racial and antisemitic slurs. But there are apparently signs that Teixeira had serious problems with the government he served.

According to the Washington Post, he told members of his group online that the US government “knew in advance that a white supremacist intended to go on a shooting rampage” at a supermarket frequented by Black shoppers in Buffalo in May 2022, but “let the killings proceed so they could argue for increased funding.”

Fox News host Tucker Carlson pushed back on Teixeira’s behalf in a Thursday night monologue.

“So this 21-year-old Air National Guardsman from Massachusetts is ‘not a whistleblower,’“ mocked the popular conservative commentator.

“He revealed the crimes, therefore he’s the criminal,” Carlson explained, sardonically, adding, “that’s how Washington works: telling the truth is the only real sin.”

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks sent a memo to Pentagon officials Tuesday, warning employees against leaking classified information or downloading classified documents from unclassified sources.

"Do not access or download documents with classified markings from unclassified websites — either from home or work — as the data may be classified, it may be associated with hostile foreign elements, or it may contain malicious code or embedded capability that could introduce cyber threats into our information system," Hicks wrote in the memo obtained by Fox News

Teixeira’s career in the national guard progressed. A photo posted to the Facebook page for the 102nd intelligence wing of the Massachusetts air national guard in July 2022 congratulated him on an apparent promotion to Airman 1st Class. The post was still live on Thursday afternoon.

As the US has followed a trail to Teixeira’s home, the question of what might have motivated the leaker has become ever more pressing. The reverberations of the leak have spread from Kyiv to Seoul and to other global capitals, and left onlookers shaken by the hugeness of the leak and by evidence that the US has been spying on its allies.

The explanation furnished by members of the chat group has been startlingly mundane. The leaker, they insist, was not a whistleblower but a young man who wanted to show off to his young friends with the documents never intended to leave the chat group.

“He’s a smart person. He knew what he was doing when he posted these documents, of course. These weren’t accidental leaks of any kind,” one member told the Washington Post.

But leak out they did. First as they were cross-posted on other social media channels and then as they were picked up by Russian channels.

Group members said OG would lecture them about international affairs and secretive government operations.

“This guy was a Christian, anti-war, just wanted to inform some of his friends about what’s going on,” said one acquaintance. “We have some people in our group who are in Ukraine. We like fighting games, we like war games.”

Equally shocking, as the story is emerging, is how that individual was able to remove classified material from a secure site without raising suspicions.

In a pointed tweet, Tom Nichols of the Atlantic, who himself had security clearance for 35 years, said: “I hope this guy isn’t the leaker, because I’m gonna have some questions about how a Mass Air Guard guy got CJCS [Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff] briefing slides.”