(and China, Taiwan, the US: A love triangle)

There's such STIGMA surrounding menopause - the natural phenomenon that generally [?] occurs in the life of a woman (or anyone with a female [?] reproductive system) once she[sic]'s no longer fertile - that the topic has long been excluded from being publicly discussed.

Women have been shamed and stigmatised over menopause for CENTURIES, made to feel like the time marking the end of their menstrual cycles also corresponds to the end of their desirability, youthfulness and even value, as ageing women often denounce feeling "invisible" once they're not perceived as "young" anymore.

Most women live through menopause from their early to mid-40s - when they're usually at the height of their careers - until they left work ...

"Limiting menopause to a medical and private sphere and the failure to address menopause as a workplace issue is increasingly leading to insufficient protection of female [?] workers and the early exit of women from labour markets, and thereby increase the risk of women's economic dependence [!], poverty [!] and social exclusion [purdah!], contribute to the loss of women's knowledge, skills and experience, and lead to significant economic losses," a statement on the EU Parliament's website read.... "So far, there is no EU-wide data collection on this issue," said EU Commissioner for Equality Helena Dally
[...]
Whether we want to avoid these women, trans men and non-binary workers dropping out of the workforce because we're not ready to make the workplace comfortable enough for their needs will depend on breaking the STIGMA around menopause and ageing anywhere.

Yet our system is rife with injustices that make us all less safe. The idea that we need to choose between justice and safety is false. They reinforce each other: If people trust the justice system, it will work. And if the system works, public safety will improve.

We need to acknowledge that black people in the U.S. are five times as likely to be sent to jail as white people. That is an injustice that undermines our democracy.

We spend $81 billion every year keeping around two million people in prisons and jails. We need to invest more in preventing crime with strategies that work--deploying mental-health professionals in crisis situations, investing in youth job programs, and creating opportunities for education behind bars. This reduces the likelihood that those prisoners will commit new crimes after release....

In the 1930s and 1940s, the island of Ventotene was used as a site of imprisonment for political dissidents under fascism.

In early 1940s, during a period of confinement on the island, three men - Altiero Spinelli, Ernesto Rossi and Eugenio Colorni - produced the so-called Ventotene Manifesto, one of the texts widely considered to be a founding document of the European Union.
[...]
The report refers to the Ventotene seminar founded by Spinelli in 1982 as a key part of implementing European citizens' education. For the subsequent four decades, young people from across the globe, together with MEPs and politicians of various backgrounds, have gathered at the island each year to participate in lectures and discussions on European federalism.

Poland's de facto [PiS] leader Jarosław Kaczyński is vowing that his government will take no further steps to meet the European Commission's rule of law demands to unlock €35 billion in grants and loans from the EU pandemic relief program.

"We have shown maximum goodwill, but concessions have yielded nothing," Kaczyński told the pro-government Sieci news portal. He insisted that Poland has met its side of a deal with Brussels to backtrack on some aspects of judicial system reforms in return for the EU cash, but the agreement was "broken" by the other side. "It's time to learn lessons," he added.
[...]
He sees the issue as part of a broader conspiracy aimed at subverting Poland and accused the Commission of trying "to break Poland and force it into full submission to Germany."

"We do not fit into German-Russian plans to rule Europe," he warned. "An independent, economically, socially and militarily strong Poland is an obstacle for them."

* Krzysztof Sobolewski on radio Jedynka: "'we will have no choice but to pull out all the cannons in our arsenal' and respond 'an eye for an eye'"

Parity basically means that $1 buys €1. It is nothing more than a psychological threshold for market participants, who are well-known for their fondness for round figures.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Monday for a growing European Union to agree on a series of changes that would help it overcome internal divisions and stand up to external rivals such as Russia and China.

In a wide-ranging speech at Charles University in Prague, Scholz said the EU must make itself "fit" for future enlargement from 27 to 30 -- or even 36 -- nations by taking more decisions by majority vote, rather than requiring unanimity on all issues that has in the past allowed individual member states to veto key decisions.
[...]
"We have to remember that swearing allegiance to the principle of unanimity only works for as long as the pressure to act is low," Scholz said, arguing that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a wake-up call for the EU to change the way it takes decisions.
[...]
The German leader also backed calls to reconsider the composition of the European Parliament, which currently has 751 deputies, to prevent it becoming "bloated" through future expansion. A similar reform of the way each member state is represented in the bloc's executive Commission could see commissioners share responsibility in certain areas, he said.

We've deleted our tweet about the turbine, which triggered a controversial discussion. We understood that tonality & topic of the tweet were considered inappropriate. This was never our intention and we apologize. We condemned the war in Ukraine from day one & continue to do so.

— Siemens Energy (@Siemens_Energy) August 19, 2022

Canada intends to return the remaining five turbines for the Nord Stream to Germany, which are being repaired in Montreal, said Foreign Minister Melanie Joly.

"We have made such a decision. This is exactly what Germany asked us to do, " she told the Canadian CBC television channel.

Joly also noted that, according to Ottawa, Russia "should reconsider its refusal as soon as possible" to take the Siemens turbine already transferred to Germany for installation on the Nord Stream gas pipeline. In turn, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the TV channel that Berlin will continue to work with Canada to ensure the return of the remaining five turbines.

The EU, when announcing the embargo on Russian oil imports--to come into force at the end of this year--exempted imports of Russia crude and petroleum products via pipeline because several landlocked countries, such as Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, are highly dependent on pipeline oil supply from Russia. EU member states dependent on Russian pipeline oil were given a temporary exemption to import Russian crude via pipeline until the EU Council decides otherwise, but were not allowed to resell such crude oil and petroleum products to other Member States or third countries.

International benchmark Brent crude jumped by $2 per barrel to trade near $98 as the news added to concerns about reduced energy supplies.

Transneft said it made payments for August oil transit to Ukraine's pipeline operator Ukrtransnafta on July 22, but the money was sent back on July 28 as the payment did not go through. It said the shipments were halted from Aug. 4. Gazprombank, which handled the payment, said the money was returned because of European Union restrictions, Transneft said in a statement.

The grant funds were provided by the United States and directed to the World Bank's Multi-Donor Trust Fund as part of the Public Expenditures for Administrative Capacity Endurance in Ukraine

In an interview with the Washington Post, Zelenskyy argued that the current sanctions on Russia are "weak" compared to the message that would be sent by a travel ban and a total embargo [sic] on Russian energy.

"The most important sanctions are to close the borders -- because the Russians are taking away someone else's land," he said, adding that Russians should "live in their own world until they change their philosophy."
[...]
"It's not right that at the same time as Russia is waging an aggressive, brutal war of aggression in Europe, Russians can live a normal [?] life, travel in Europe, be tourists. It's not right," [PM  Prime Minister Sanna Marin] told Finland's national public broadcaster Yle.

"This morning, Liberian-flagged OCEAN LION departed from Chornomorsk to South Korea [AFRICA!] carrying 64,720 tonnes of corn. Turkish-flagged RAHMİ YAĞCI also departed from Chornomorsk to deliver 5,300 tonnes of sunflower cake to Istanbul [AFRICA!]," the Ministry of Defense of Turkey posted on Twitter.

"Had a conversation with President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Felix Tshisekedi. During the first ever talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ukraine, I stressed the need to overcome food crisis caused by the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine. I noted the importance of the Democratic Republic of Congo support for Ukraine, particularly in the UN"

In all, 44 soldiers and officers are shown on the wall, according to a photograph that was initially posted to the Russian social media site VK and confirmed by RFE/RL.

The wall does not say where they were killed, only that they were all awarded the prestigious Order of Courage. Aleksei Astashov, the man who posted the photograph, told RFE/RL where: Kyiv, Izyum, and Slovyansk in Ukraine, where Russia's invasion is in its sixth month and where Western intelligence says Russia has suffered more deaths than it did in the entire decade of the Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
[...]
Last month, however, CIA Director William Burns estimated Russian losses were at least 15,000 killed and about 45,000 wounded, a figure echoed on August 8 by Colin Kahl, U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy.

"I think it's safe to suggest that the Russians have probably taken 70,000 to 80,000 casualties in less than six months," Kahl told reporters. "Now, that is a combination of killed in action and wounded in action, and that number might be a little lower, a little higher. But I think that's kind of in the ballpark, which is pretty remarkable considering that the Russians have achieved none of [Russian President] Vladimir Putin's objectives at the beginning of the war."
[...]
In all, RFE/RL was able to corroborate the deaths of 30 out of the 44 soldiers featured on the memorial wall using publicly available information from official publications, social media, and media reports. ...

Since the war started in late February, six Senate Republicans have traveled to Ukraine, as well as one Senate Democrat, 11 House Democrats, and four House Republicans, according to a tally by The Hill.    

"It was [an] emotional experience," the person said of shuttling the lawmakers between meetings with Zelensky in Kyiv and to the suburbs to speak with civilians who survived the Russian occupation.

"When they hear the sirens and see how the people stay ... they understand it's not just through the TV screen, but real, real experience, this is a real, horrible war," the person said.

"It's a big problem if people forget about Ukraine, about this war, this is what [Russian President Vladimir] Putin wants," the person said. "I'm also worried if the people of United States are just tired from the war and forget about it, this is important."

< wipes tears >

The law on collaboration[] came into force on Aug. 16.

"It should be determined on a case-by-case basis. It is mostly difficult to establish, because people who are served with suspicion in absentia are in temporarily occupied territories. Often cooperation with the occupiers is based on the fact that people are promised leadership positions, and it can also be a financial reward," [spokeswoman of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Alyona Matveeva] said.  Also, according to her, people can cooperate with the aggressor in order to obtain some benefit for themselves or through revenge.
[...]
According to her, the punishment for collaboration with the Russian Federation is also determined separately in each case. "For example, if a person called to support the military of the Russian Federation or provided some information, took humanitarian aid (from the Russians - ed.) and distributed it--this is one punishment, if it is about some more serious actions of a person, for example, when a person's collaborative activity had such an impact that someone died because of it--the term in this case can be more serious, even up to life imprisonment," the spokeswoman said.

CHARLES KUPCHAN, CFR: NATO is not directly at war with Russia, but a nuclear-armed Russia is at war with a NATO-armed Ukraine. It's conceivable that war could widen. We don't know, but this a hot war, not a cold war.

In the interview with The Post, published Tuesday [16 Aug], Zelensky cited his fears that Ukrainians would panic, flee the country and trigger economic collapse as the reason he chose not to share the stark warnings passed on by U.S. officials regarding Russia's plans.

"If we had communicated that ... then I would have been losing $7 billion a month since last October [?!], and at the moment when the Russians did attack, they would have taken us in three days," Zelensky said.

Sevgil Musaieva, editor in chief of Ukrainska Pravda, a Ukrainian news site, posted on Facebook that she was "personally offended" by Zelensky's explanation, saying it called into question the intelligence of Ukrainians. She wouldn't have fled, she said, and the $7 billion a month potential cost to the economy has to be weighed against the lives lost, the swift capture by Russia of parts of southern Ukraine and the fear and intimidation of civilians who unexpectedly found themselves under Russian occupation.

The lack of warning for civilians living in the threatened areas [Donetsk and Luhansk?], and especially those with children, the elderly and people with impaired mobility, was "not a glitch, not a mistake, not an unfortunate misunderstanding, not a strategic miscalculation -- it is a crime," said Ukrainian author Kateryna Babkina.

president.gov.ua | Russia must be held accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, the corresponding resolution will be submitted for consideration by the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, 24 Aug 76th session

[...]
This is Volodymyr Zelenskyy's third speech at the UN Security Council since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia. The participation of the President of Ukraine in this meeting was endorsed by 13 out of 15 delegations to the Security Council.

Goooooo, Ooooosula!

Actual 1YR trend (ex ROW "discounts", bi-lateral currency settlement)

yahoo! Bloomberg | Russia Floating Long-Term Oil Contracts ahead of G7 racketeering, 24 Aug

"We are working very hard to implement this joint project," Scholz told reporters earlier this month. "However, it will not work if only the G-7 countries agree on it. There are others who are needed as partners."

The [FY 2022/23] budget still include[s] a price of just $62 per barrel.

Iceland will partner with non-profit lender Fair For You to offer loans of 25-100 pounds ($30-$121) through pre-loaded cards to financially vulnerable customers, who can make repayments once a week.
[...]
The loan scheme would offer flexible repayment programmes and borrowers would not be harassed by debt collectors, Walker said on Sky News earlier on Wednesday. He also said loans would not be sold off to third parties.
[...]
The loans will be limited to six windows through the year to coincide with school holidays when expenses usually rise, Iceland said.

Removing the UK altogether from the ECHR, the rights of which were incorporated into UK law in 1998 with the Human Rights Act, is viewed as notably difficult, not least as the ECHR was an integral part of the Good Friday deal that brought peace to Northern Ireland.

In June, the government pledged to introduce a UK new UK bill of rights, saying this would greatly reduce the influence of the ECHR and the European court of human rights.

Asked about efforts to decouple UK law from Strasbourg during a Q&A after her speech, Braverman claimed this was possible using domestic legislation, saying: "So we can find legislative means. I think it's something we definitely support going forward, with our bill of rights."

Sec. 1246 Sense of Congress on Taiwan defense relations.
Sec. 1247. Statement of policy on Taiwan.
Sec. 1248. Annual report on Taiwan asymmetric capabilities and intelligence support.
Sec. 1249. Feasibility briefing on cooperation between the National Guard and Taiwan.
Sec. 1250. Feasibility report on establishing military-to-military crisis communications capabilities.
Sec. 1251. Comparative analyses and reports on efforts by the United States and the People's Republic of China to advance critical modernization technology with respect to military applications.
Sec. 1252. Sense of congress on defense alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region.

There is no way her FYE 2022 appointment with President Tsai can be construed as a "good will" demonstration of US commitment to peaceful foreign policy, much less UN Resolution 2758.

CNA | "the ongoing visit 'in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy'."

EO 14078, Bolstering Efforts To Bring Hostages and Wrongfully Detained United States Nationals Home, July 19, 2022

Terrorist organizations, criminal groups, and other malicious actors who take hostages for financial, political, or other gain--as well as foreign states that engage in the practice of wrongful detention, including for political leverage or to seek concessions from the United States--threaten the integrity of the international political system

and the safety of United States nationals and other persons abroad. I therefore determine that hostage-taking and the wrongful detention of United States nationals abroad constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with this threat....

reference
James M. Inhofe [!] National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023

Sec. 121. DDG(X) destroyer program.
Sec. 123. Block buy contracts for Ship-to-Shore Connector program.
Sec. 124. Procurement authorities for John Lewis [!]-class fleet replenishment oiler ships.
Sec. 125. Tomahawk cruise missile capability on FFG-62 class vessels.
Sec. 126. Navy shipbuilding workforce development initiative.
[...]
(1) Covered program.--The term "covered program" means the DDG(X) destroyer program.
(2) Eligible shipbuilder.--The term "eligible shipbuilder'' means any of the following:
(A) General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. [ME]
(B) Huntington Ingalls Incorporated, Ingalls Shipbuilding division. [AL]

Nancy Pelosi in Taiwan with wise words from "Benjamin Franklin, our presidency" on "freedom and democracy on one thing, security here." pic.twitter.com/mElfFUoF5C

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 3, 2022

Holy shit. Rand Paul just said he opposes health care for veterans because they can't prove they got their health problems while serving. https://t.co/eTPq43vgBH

— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) August 2, 2022

It's an uncomfortable reality confronting Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his extended tour of Southeast Asia and Africa

  G7: FR, DE, IT, EU-CO, EU-EC, EU-High Representative, JP, UK, US, CA
G20: FR, DE, IT, JP, UK, US, EU-CO, EU-EC, CA, RU, CN, AU, AR, BR, IN, ID, KR, MX, SA, ZA, TR

NBC has obtained the Mar-a-Lago search warrant. It shows Donald Trump is under investigation for potential obstruction of justice and violations of the Espionage Act

— Chris Jansing (@ChrisJansing) August 12, 2022

Who did this? 🤣🤣🤣pic.twitter.com/tC4n63NqXl

— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) August 13, 2022

In July, our economy had zero percent inflation ...

Note: negative figures represent higher receipts or lower outlays

USD:TWD, 1:29.95
EUR:TWD, 1:30.47
GBP:TWD, 1:36.47
JPY:TWD, 1:0.22
CAD:TWD, 1:23.29
AUD:TWD, 1:20.74

The Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday that a meeting between China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Japanese counterpart on the sidelines of ASEAN events in Cambodia had been cancelled.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend the ASEAN-China (10+1) Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia [.KH] from August 3 to 5. Upon the invitation of Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will pay a visit to Cambodia.

The battery factory is intended to supply Tesla and Ford.
[...]
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. [CATL], the world's biggest maker of batteries for electric vehicles, has been considering at least two locations in Mexico near the Texas border, as well as sites in the U.S., for the plant.

In response to Pelosi's egregious provocation, China decides to adopt sanctions on Pelosi and her immediate family members in accordance with relevant laws of the People's Republic of China.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) strongly condemns the Chinese government for following the example of North Korea in willfully test-firing missiles into waters near other countries, and demands that China exercise self-restraint.

MOFA urges the international community to condemn China's military coercion towards Taiwan. The Ministry also calls on countries around the globe to continue to speak up in support of democratic Taiwan in order to jointly safeguard the values of freedom and democracy, to maintain the rules-based international order, and to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on August 4, 2022

Bloomberg: China often complains that too many in the West subscribe to what it calls the "China threat" narrative. But what would you say to those that will cite the military drills today, these missiles and weapons, as evidence of the threat that is posed by China?
Hua Chunying: Your question is a typical example of how certain people think in the West. This is an issue about fundamental facts and principles because it involves China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. ...

The Eight-Nation Alliance was a multinational military coalition that invaded North China in 1900 to relieve the foreign legations [legio] in Beijing besieged by the popular Boxer militia determined to expunge foreign influence and government troops determined to defend China. The Allied forces consisted of approximately 45,000 troops from the eight nations of Germany, Japan, ["White"] Russia, Britain, France, the United States, Italy and Austria-Hungary. Neither the Chinese nor the foreign allies issued a formal declaration of war, and no treaty or formal agreement bound the Alliance together...

[1947] 6 Jan CHINA----President Truman directed that American participation in Peiping[sic]'s Executive Headquarters be ended. (Shaw, '68 ed., 20). The Committee of Three, consisting of representatives of the U.S., the Chinese NATIONALISTS, and the Chinese COMMUNISTS, maintained the Executive Head
[...]
30 Jan CHINA----The United States wrote off the unsuccessful efforts by General of the Army George C. Marshall to end the Civil War in China. The withdrawal of about 12,000 military personnel (including some 2,000 Marines) was ordered. (NY Times).
[...]
[1948] 13 Feb CHINA----The Chinese COMMUNISTS confirmed they had captured five U. S. Marines who had disappeared on Christmas day near Tsingtao while on ["]a hunting trip["]. PFC Charles J. Brayton, Jr. was fatally wounded, and the four survivors would be held until the U. S. Navy apologized. The five were accused of participating in the civil war.
16 Dec CHINA----According to Acting Secretary of State Robert A. Lovett, nothing had caused the U.S. Government to change its hands--off policy towards China's civil war. U.S. Marines would not go into action in Shanghai unless Americans were threatened.
21 Dec CHINA----The United States suspended long-term reconstruction financial aid [Lend-Lease] to China.
[1949] 5 Jan CHINA------Reports that United States Marines were being withdrawn from China were denied by Vice Admiral Badger, Commander, Western Pacific Fleet.

...Altogether, the United Nations forces in Korea numbered 444,336 men as of January 1951. The cosmopolitan character of the fight AGAINST COMMUNISM  is indicated by the aid given to the U.S. and ROK forces by contingents of combat troops from 13 other nations--Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Kingdom....

We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, reaffirm our shared commitment to maintaining the rules-based international order, peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and beyond.

We are concerned by recent and announced threatening actions by the People's Republic of China (PRC), particularly live-fire exercises and economic coercion, which risk unnecessary escalation. There is no justification to use a visit as pretext for aggressive military activity in the Taiwan Strait. It is normal and routine for legislators from our countries to travel internationally. The PRC's escalatory response risks increasing tensions and destabilizing the region....

Arab News | https://www.arabnews.com/node/2141746/world, 13 Aug anniversary retreat

One year on from the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, some cracks are opening within their ranks over the crucial question of just how much reform their leaders can tolerate.

It is from the Taliban's power base of southern Kandahar that the secretive supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada gathers his powerful inner circle of veteran fighters and religious clerics to impose a harsh interpretation of sharia. And for them, ideological concerns outweigh any political or economic drivers to effect change.

"The needs of the Afghans remain the same as 20 years ago," Mohammad Omar Khitabi, a member of a council of clerics who advise Akhundzada in Kandahar, told AFP.
[...]
Afghan families were left stunned in March when Akhundzada overturned the education ministry's decision to reopen secondary schools for girls.

Hopes of restoring international money flows were shattered -- to the dismay of many Taliban officials in Kabul, some of whom spoke out against the decision.
Relations with Western diplomats -- who meet regularly with Taliban ministers but have no access to Akhundzada -- suffered a major setback.

Within the movement, no one dares openly challenge Akhundzada's power, but discontent is quietly growing among the lower ranks. ... Many ["Taliban guards"] have returned to their villages or traveled to Pakistan to take up different work, another Taliban member added. Attempts by the movement to shore up revenue through lucrative coal mining have sparked infighting in the north, exacerbated by ethnic divisions and religious sectarianism.
[...]
"If the Taliban leadership start to feel very real threats to their political survival, then could they change?" [Wilson Center specialist Michael Kugelman] asked. "Given that they are ideologically focused, that may not be the case."

triggered by grains that had fermented and ignited in the summer heat. The northern block of the silos toppled on Sunday, kicking up thick grey dust that enveloped the iconic structure and the port next to a residential area.

General Director of the Beirut Port Silos Assaad Haddad told The Associated Press that "everything is under control". Minutes later, the dust subsided and calm returned. However, Youssef Mallah, from the Civil Defence department, said that other parts of the silos' northern block were at risk and that other sections of the giant ruin could collapse.

Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!

These days, in our information space and in social networks, there are a lot of reports about conflict situations and threats that exist in other geographies. First - the Balkans, then - Taiwan, now it may be the Caucasus... All these situations seem different, although they are united by one factor, namely: the global security architecture did not work. If it worked, there wouldn't be all these conflicts.

And this is actually what Ukraine has been drawing attention to not only for 161 days since the start of the full-scale war, but for years. Since Russia has completely ignored international law, the interests of humanity as such.
[...]
Eternal memory to everyone whose life was taken by terrorists!

Glory to all who fight for Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!

With energy prices spiking, "using less energy is the cheapest and most efficient contribution to more independence and climate protection and helps to save on energy costs," [Robert Habeck] added.
[...]
On the one hand, 299,500 gas heaters were sold from January to July. On the other, heat pumps, which should make up 100% of heater sales beginning in 2024, saw a modest 25% increase to 96,000 units sold.

To combat the undesirable continued dominance of gas heating, the government continues to provide funding for heater switches*, albeit at a significantly lower rate as of Monday, in order to make the funding budget go further.
[...]
"Owners would need a higher subsidy instead of a lower one if they were serious about switching from fossil to renewable energies," said Felix Pakleppa, CEO of the construction industry association.

personal note: This story resonates with me. 3 years ago I parted with Constellation/BGE for a renewable supplier and pay premium/kwh/therm. I've also recounted here low-income homeowner hurdles to HVAC efficiency "upgrade," state incentives (rare individ grants or low-int loan) to stimulate purchase, and extreme reluctance among contractors/OEM authorized dealers even to replace gas furnace with heat pump. In the latest round of RFPs, contractors have confirmed that Maryland "Whole Home" (fed HOMES funded) programming does not allow them to provide rebates for fuel switching projects; incentives applied only to vertical system efficiency rating.

Theoretically, IRA provisions for states' "HIGH-EFFICIENCY ELECTRIC HOME REBATE PROGRAM" should end Maryland limitation on replacement projects. The thing is: The state first has to apply for funds specifically for that purpose with income-tested formula for awards to HHs.

Key word | R2P |

'Sapere aude'

OIC (1969 NGO): AZ, AE, IR, IQ, BD, TR, TN, SN, SL, GA, GW, QA, KW, ML, MR, YE, JO, ID, PK, AF, UZ, BH, AL, UG, BN, BJ, TM, BF, TJ, TG, TD, DZ, SA, SS, SY, SR, SO, OM, GM, GY, GN, PS, KM, KG, KZ, CM, CI, LB, LY, MV, MY, EG, MA, MZ, NE, NG

ECOWAS (1972 FTA): BN, BJ, CI, CV, GH, GY, GM, GN, GW, SN, NI, NG, SL, LB, TG

CFA (1945 Zone; 1973 CAEMC; 1994 WAEMU) CM, CF, TD, CG, GQ, GA, BJ, BF, CI, GW, ML, NE, SG, TG

PAPSS (2022): AU

Germany suspends participation in Mali military mission, 12 Aug rear guard

after the West African nation refused to grant a civilian aircraft carrying German troops permission to use its airspace. The flight was part of a troop rotation, and German officials said it was not the first time Mali has denied overflight permission.

Germany's defense minister, Christine Lambrecht, alleged her Malian counterpart, Sadio Camara, had not adhered to agreements. German troops will now focus on ensuring their own security, her ministry said.

"Camaras' actions speak a different language than his words," Lambrecht said "We must therefore take measures and suspend the operation of our reconnaissance forces and transport flights (with helicopters) until further notice."

Germany announced earlier in the year that it was drawing down its participation in a European Union military mission in Mali after France pulled out. But Germany continued to provide troops to the U.N.'s MINUSMA peacekeeping mission in the West African nation.

Like France, Germany has expressed misgivings about the presence of Russian mercenaries in Mali.

[...]
• Pursuing public-private partnerships to sustainably develop and secure the critical minerals that will supply clean energy technologies

Nation has contract with Russian state-run firm to provide components and construct turbine < reckless eyeballin' > building for Egypt's first nuclear power plant ...

27 Aug 2021

Greek City Times | Turkey's rhetorical war with France resumes: "Macron should face his country's colonial past", 29 Aug

The comments were triggered by Macron describing "networks", which are manipulated by Ankara, Moscow and Beijing, spreading "anti-French propaganda" in Africa. During his visit to the former French colony, Macron called on young Algerians and Africans "not to be seduced" by "the enormous manipulation" of networks instigated by foreign powers and present France as the "enemy".

He named Turkey, Russia and China, attributing to them a "neo-colonialist and imperialist agenda".

Why have relations been strained between the two countries?
• In October 2021, ties between Algeria and France nosedived after Macron was reported to have questioned whether Algeria had existed as a nation before French colonialism. He also decried Algiers' "political-military system" of rewriting history in a discourse of "hatred towards France".

• According to French daily Le Monde, the comments were made during a meeting with Macron and French-Algerian descendants of the Harkis, Algerians who fought on the French side during Algeria's war of independence.

• The comments also followed a French decision to sharply reduce the number of visas it grants to citizens of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
[...]
What's the history of France's colonisation of Algeria?
France occupied Algeria for 132 years, before the latter won independence in March 1962 after a fierce and bloody war lasting more than seven years.

Algerian authorities say 1.5 million people were killed in the war, whereas many French historians put the number of those killed at half a million. The majority of those killed were Algerian. ...

OIC (1969 NGO): AZ, AE, IR, IQ, BD, TR, TN, SN, SL, GA, GW, QA, KW, ML, MR, YE, JO, ID, PK, AF, UZ, BH, AL, UG, BN, BJ, TM, BF, TJ, TG, TD, DZ, SA, SS, SY, SR, SO, OM, GM, GY, GN, PS, KM, KG, KZ, CM, CI, LB, LY, MV, MY, EG, MA, MZ, NE, NG

AU/OAU(2002/1963 FTA): BI, BJ, CM, CF, CG, CD, GY, GA, ST, CM, DJ, ER, ET, KE, MG, MU, RW, SC, SO, SS, s-SS, TZ, UG, DZ, EG, LY, MR, MA, EH, TN, AO, BW, EZ, LS, MW, MZ, NA, ZA, ZM, BN, BF, CV, CI, GH, GM, GN, LY, ML, NI, NG, SL, SN, TG, TD; PAPSS (2022): AU

subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp. revealed fresh details of engine data falsification going back as far as 2003.

Hino had already halted shipments of medium- and large-sized trucks since the scandal concerning its emissions and fuel efficiency tests came to light in March [!].

"We deeply apologize once again for causing great concern," Hino President Satoshi Ogiso said in an online press conference.

Toyota sent Ogiso to head Hino, which became its subsidiary in 2001. It is almost certain that the parent company will be forced to take some of the responsibility for the falsification and play a role in Hino's recovery.

... The Pentagon said Raytheon Technologies (RTX.N) was the prime contractor for the Patriot interceptors and equipment, which could be worth as much as $3.05 billion.

Separately the State Department approved the potential sale of 96 THAAD missile defense system interceptors and support equipment to the United Arab Emirates along with spares and technical support, the Pentagon said.

The Pentagon said Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) was the prime contractor for the THAAD interceptors and equipment, which could be worth $2.25 billion....

The ICRC maintains a confidential dialogue with the parties to the conflict on their obligations under international humanitarian law

... Russia has taken "painstaking" steps to observe the Geneva Convention on the treatment of POWs, among them holding more than 40 weekly meetings with representatives of the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and establishing a medical commission on seriously ill and injured prisoners. So far, 18 such prisoners were sent back to Ukraine, General Fomin said.

There have also been 27 exchanges of POWs and the bodies of dead servicemen, while the ICRC has received more than 1,500 letters home from the Ukrainian prisoners. Detained Ukrainian soldiers can also make phone calls to their families, Fomin said, all in accordance with Article 71 of the convention
[...]
Fomin's press conference came after the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said it was appalled by a video allegedly showing a Russian soldier castrating a bound and gagged Ukrainian captive. In a statement on Friday, the commission reminded everyone that "torture and summary executions of prisoners of war" are war crimes. The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's office [!] has launched an investigation into the video, to establish where and when it might have taken place.

China's ambassador to France is the dominant alpha of wolf warrior diplomats. His most recent performance revealed Beijing's plan to "re-educate" Taiwan's public after China brings the self-ruling democratic island back under its control.

Open-source intelligence analyst Oliver Alexander said that the footage of Seagal at the site appeared to be authentic, with BBC images matching his surroundings when he gave his statement.

Although the Defense Ministry denies that any "mobilization activities" are taking place, authorities seem to be pulling out all the stops to bolster enlistment. Billboards and public transit ads in various regions proclaim, "This is The Job," urging men to join the professional army. Authorities have set up mobile recruiting centers in some cities, including one at the site of a half marathon in Siberia in May. Regional administrations are forming "volunteer battalions" that are promoted on state television. The business daily Kommersant counted at least 40 such entities in 20 regions, with officials promising volunteers monthly salaries ranging from the equivalent of $2,150 to nearly $5,500, plus bonuses.

An internal Defense Department survey obtained by NBC News found that only 9% of those young Americans eligible to serve in the military had any inclination to do so, the lowest number since 2007. More than half of the young Americans who answered the survey -- about 57% -- think they would have emotional or psychological problems after serving in the military. Nearly half think they would have physical problems.

estimated USD 1.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan that includes 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the package.
[...]
The package, which is still in an early stage, includes 60 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles for $355 million, 100 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder tactical air-to-air missiles for $85.6 million, and $655.4 million for a surveillance radar contract extension, the people said. [...]
Once the Biden administration formalizes the notification, the Democratic chair and ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee will need to sign off on the sale before it can be finalized. The lawmakers are likely to approve the sale, but the process could drag out given the ongoing congressional recess.

CSIS | The "Christmas Tree" Problem

What is a Soviet Russia? The troops were from Warsaw Pact countries: USSR, Poland, East-Germany, Hungary, and Bulgaria.

America was distracted in Vietnam ... McCain failed to avoid the SAM batteries above Hanoi .. Zelensky is no Dubcek and in 1968 fewer deaths ... the 1948 suppression of dissent in Czechoslovakia was a greater shock ... NATO mission was adjusted from German containment to Soviet containment and a fierce Cold War ensued.

Dubček joined the illegal Communist Party in Slovakia and was a member of the underground anti-Nazi resistance movement

'Sapere aude'