Welcome to European Tribune. It's gone a bit quiet around here these days, but it's still going.

August 2022

by Bernard Mon Aug 1st, 2022 at 06:36:23 PM EST

Your take on this month's news


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by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Aug 1st, 2022 at 06:36:48 PM EST
an unusual, limited edition of lady parts uhh curated by DW w/e 6 Aug

breasts
vulva and vagina
smegma
pelvic floor

Perhaps the man parts are still in EP committee post-edit?

by Cat on Wed Aug 3rd, 2022 at 02:50:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]
orgasm

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

by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 10:10:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Fire, explosions at Berlin police munitions facility, 4 Aug
"Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey visited the scene later on Thursday, labeling the events "unprecedented in the post-war history of Berlin." "
by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 09:38:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 09:47:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Menopause leave: Is it time for new legal rights to break the stigma in the workplace?, 4 Aug FIFTH WAVE is a void.
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.

saywut
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 ...
the wutnow
"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.
and minorities
Soros | Why I Support Reform Prosecutors, 22 July
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....

DW | Brittney Griner: Russian court jails US basketball star on drugs charges, 4 Aug
by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 11:35:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Poland nabs [Danish] octogenarian with 5 kilos of heroin in suitcase headed for Canada
"said family members had given her the suitcase with gifts for relatives"
by Cat on Fri Aug 19th, 2022 at 04:05:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]
ABC News AP | Mother wants US soldier tried in Italy for son's death, 23 Aug DWI
U.S. military authorities expressed their "deepest condolences" and said they were working closely with Italian law enforcement.
La Republicca | La mamma del 15enne ucciso a Pordenone: "La militare Usa guidava ubriaca. Pretendo giustizia qui in Italia", 22 Aug
vOldEmoRT: "La Republicca predicted that a 1951 military treaty involving NATO jurisdiction over Europe would be used to turn the case over to a US military court. The decision is apparently up to the Italian Minister of Justice, who can block extradition depending on the circumstances."
by Cat on Tue Aug 23rd, 2022 at 11:42:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
euractiv | Ventotene nominated historical and moral capital of European values, 29 Aug
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.

alrighty then
by Cat on Mon Aug 29th, 2022 at 07:06:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, 27 Dec 2021
(10) Enhancing security and stability in the Western Balkans [?] is a goal that the United States shares with European allies and partners. The United States should continue its efforts to build interoperability and support institutional reforms of the militaries of the Western Balkan nations, including both NATO allies and partners. The United States should also support those nations' efforts to resist disinformation campaigns, predatory investments, efforts to promote instability, and other means by which Russia and China may seek to influence this region of Europe.
(11) Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are model allies and play a critical role in strategic efforts to ensure continued deterrence against aggression by Russia and maintain the collective security of the NATO alliance. The security of the Baltic region is crucial to the security of the NATO alliance.
(12) The United States should continue to pursue efforts consistent with the comprehensive, multilateral Baltic Defense Assessment of the military requirements of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania issued in December 2020. Robust support to accomplish United States strategic objectives, including by providing assistance to the Baltic countries through security cooperation referred to as the Baltic Security Initiative pursuant to sections 332 and 333 of title 10, United States Code, should be prioritized in the years to come.
EU Observer | Lithuania only EU state to back Pelosi on Taiwan, 3 Aug 2022
"Now speaker Pelosi has opened the door to Taiwan much wider, I am sure other defenders of freedom and democracy will be walking through very soon," Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Twitter on Tuesday (2 August).
[...]
"In the event of a military invasion [of Taiwan], we have made it very clear that the EU, with the United States and its allies, will impose similar or even greater measures than we have now taken against Russia," Jorge Toledo, the EU's incoming ambassador to China, said on 17 July.
< wipes tears >
by Cat on Wed Aug 3rd, 2022 at 05:50:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Politico.eu.com | Poland warns it will turn cannons* on the EU in rule of law dispute, 9 Aug ingrates
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."

22 July Polish lawmakers eye lease of German nuclear power plants
"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."
US News | Poland Warns of Repercussions if Brussels Keeps Blocking Funds

* 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'"

by Cat on Tue Aug 9th, 2022 at 10:29:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
DW | Why euro falling below dollar parity is a big deal, 25 Aug
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.
by Cat on Thu Aug 25th, 2022 at 02:38:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Aug 25th, 2022 at 06:22:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
"Europe as a developing nation [!]" like Africa and Asia
by Cat on Thu Aug 25th, 2022 at 06:42:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
APsplainin vision for bigger, more coherent EU, 29 Aug
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.

archived It's democracy, Europe CAMPAIGN 2019 gerrymander and apportionment calculations
by Cat on Mon Aug 29th, 2022 at 07:23:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Le Figaro | Le premier ministre polonais au Figaro: «Sur la guerre en Ukraine, il y a un risque d'implosion de l'Europe», 29 Aug Zelensk*'s social calendar
Mateusz MORAWIECKI. - Nous avons discuté du contexte géopolitique, de l'agression russe en Ukraine, de la manière de l'arrêter le plus vite possible et de forcer les troupes russes à se retirer. Mais nous avons aussi évoqué les effets indirects de la guerre, notamment la désorganisation du marché de l'énergie et l'inflation. Ce sont les défis d'aujourd'hui, nous devons y répondre et trouver des solutions. J'incite aussi Emmanuel Macron à suspendre le système ETS (système d'échange de droits d'émission de l'UE) pour quelque temps, afin de créer un espace de respiration pour les économies européennes. Comment rendre le système énergétique européen résilient et souverain, mais aussi comment mieux aider l'Ukraine à ne pas céder au chantage russe? Nous partageons tous deux l'idée qu'il faut...
by Cat on Tue Aug 30th, 2022 at 10:51:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
EU Observer | opEd | Why the EU is not an 'Empire', AMSTERDAM, 30. AUG, 07:02
At the time of the great enlargement of the EU with 10 new member states in 2004, the Polish-born Oxford [!] scholar Jan Zielonka suggested in his book Europe as Empire that the EU should leave the dream of a Westphalian super-state [wtaf] behind and instead adopt a neo-medieval [wtaf] paradigm.
subtext the German European empire
"The European state is dead, long live the European empire!", he wrote. Shortly afterwards, the then president of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso [?] launched the suggestion during a press conference that the EU was to become the first-ever "non-imperial empire" [wut].
archived a Ukrainian textbook on geography, Urheimat de Gauls
Faced with the Russian aggression against his country, the Ukrainian minister of foreign affairs Dmytro Kuleba [?!] used an interview with the New York [Yella Cake] for elaborating his conviction that the EU should be seen as a 'liberal empire'.
comments are cheap
... In the past, under the empires, Central Europe was ethnically diverse. Everyone lived together. But after the mass murders, ethnic cleansing and border changes of World War II, these countries are more ethnically homogeneous than Western European countries. And while they were under the communists, the moment they lost their colonies, Western European countries started European integration - France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands. They brought people from ["]the colonies["] to Europe, and later labor from Turkey or Morocco. It was never easy, but Western Europeans were used to ethnic diversity. < wipes tears > For Central Europeans, the product of decolonization after 1989 [?!], this was new and scary. Partly because of this, a European asylum and immigration policy has been impossible for years....
Whatever the reason for the appeal of the concept of the EU as an empire may be, it contradicts both the idea and the construction of the Union.

The vision of the founding fathers [wut] was to curb the absolute sovereignty of the bellicose European states rather than [?] to vest absolute sovereignty in a new[!] overarching European empire. ...

Or, Do you have the faintest fuckin clue what in hell The Bloody Reformation was all about or why the several petty kingdoms of Europe expelled teh jews and seized the "resource-rich" lands of savages around the world? No problem! Never. happened.
Politico.eu.com | European leaders to skip climate summit with Africa, 25 Aug
euractiv | African states to use threat of fossil fuels to get EU climate finance, 25 Aug Rutte story / 26 Aug "blackmail" story
by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 08:24:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]
v1 euronews | Scholz 'calls Putin's bluff' over turbine at centre of gas dispute with Russia
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz inspected a mechanical turbine at the centre of a natural gas dispute and declared on Wednesday that "there are no problems" with the part besides information from Russia's state-controlled gas company.
[...]
The turbine is now stored at a Siemens Energy facility in Germany's western city of Mülheim an der Ruhr.
[...]
"There is nothing standing in the way of its transport on to Russia -- other than that the Russian recipients have to say that they want to have the turbine, and give the necessary information for the customs transport to Russia," the chancellor continued. "All other permits are there -- that goes for the permit from Germany, the permit from the European Union, from the United Kingdom, from Canada. There are no problems."
v2 volDemORT | Turbine manufacturer explains Russian gas supply shortfall
Only one turbine is currently operational at the facility, Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch said on Wednesday, while five turbines are needed for the natural gas pipeline to pump at 100% capacity. Bruch's comments come after the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited a Siemens Energy site in north-western Germany, where the firm is keeping a turbine that was due to be returned to Russia after repairs in Canada.

"It is in our best interest, with support from the German government, to return this turbine to Russia," Bruch said.

Reuters | Nord Stream gas row deepens as Gazprom airs new complaints on turbine, 29 July
customer complaint: "the serial numbers of three other engines"
by Cat on Wed Aug 3rd, 2022 at 07:20:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Chicago Today | Siemens asks the Network to send songs for the «lonely» turbine of Nord Stream 1, and Gazprom proposes a "music playlist dedicated to The Turbine of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, blocked in the company's factory in Germany."
by Cat on Fri Aug 19th, 2022 at 04:17:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Siemens Germany joins Mossad and NSA to send sabotaged Siemens control-system SCADA to the Mullah Republic of Iran ... susceptible to the Israeli designed Stuxnet malware virus.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri Aug 19th, 2022 at 05:16:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
See how "Siemens asks the Network" becomes "Gazprom proposes"? Who is to know whether the twitterati "ratio-ed" Siemans or Gazprom or that Gazprom contributed one song to Siemens' playlist, when Siemens deleted its twitter thread and G7 "de-platformed" KREMLIN-LINKED broadcasters?

VOLdemoRT got-jokes? memorial:

Siemens Energy has offered to create a playlist on the Spotify streaming platform for the Nord Stream gas turbine, which is stuck in Germany with international sanctions preventing its return to Russia.

"Our famous turbine is still not where it should be. It stands alone on our site in Mülheim an der Ruhr. Let's do the poor thing a favor and create a Spotify playlist," the company tweeted on Wednesday, proposing to start with the song 'So Lonely' by The Police.
[...]
Russia's Gazprom has also joined in, advising Siemens to include the track 'Breaking the Law' by Judas Priest.

also-ran replies to @Siemens_Energy
• The Clash, 'Should I Stay or Go?'
• Queen, 'I want to break free'
• T.Rex, 'Life's a Gas'
• Limahl, 'Never Ending Story'
• Depeche Mode, 'Tired of Being Alone', 'Enjoy the Silence'
etc.
by Cat on Sat Aug 20th, 2022 at 04:46:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Interfax | Canada to return five remaining Nord Stream turbines to Germany, 24 Aug
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.

by Cat on Wed Aug 24th, 2022 at 10:27:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 11:04:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]
practice, practice, practice
CONSTITUTION OF UKRAINE
Adopted at the Fifth Session
of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
on June 28, 1996
Amended by the Laws of Ukraine
№ 2222-IV dated December 8, 2004,
№ 2952-VI dated February 1, 2011,
№ 586-VII dated September 19, 2013,
№ 742-VII dated February 21, 2014,
№ 1401-VIII dated June 2, 2016
№ 2680-VIII dated February 7, 2019
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, on behalf of the Ukrainian people - citizens of
Ukraine of all nationalities [sic], ...
by Cat on Sat Aug 6th, 2022 at 12:07:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Oilprice | Russia Halts Oil Pipeline Exports To Europe Via Ukraine, 9 Aug
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.
yahoo! Reuters | Russia's Transneft says Ukraine halted oil flows to Europe over payment issue, 9 Aug
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.

Way to stick it to RUB-paying, REPowerEU scofflaws, Ukraine!
Ukriform | Ukraine and the World Bank sign $4.5 billion grant agreement
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
archived communicating vessels
by Cat on Tue Aug 9th, 2022 at 01:43:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Wed Aug 10th, 2022 at 01:13:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]
euractiv | Latvia seeks to join Kyiv in ECHR case against Russia, 10 Aug intervenor
"On 15 March, Latvia's security service opened a criminal investigation into Russian war crimes in Ukraine, citing articles in Latvia's war crimes and crimes against humanity laws which have no territorial limitation."
ukriform | Zelesk* has another important phone call, 10 Aug
"Had the 1st conversation in the history of bilateral relations with Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo [8 Aug]. Talked about supporting Ukraine in international organizations, including UNSC; Ukraine's willingness to guarantee food security in the region. We're actively enhancing cooperation with Africa!" Zelensky posted on Twitter.
almayadeen | No grain ships from Ukraine ports will reach Africa: NYT, 10 Aug
by Cat on Wed Aug 10th, 2022 at 03:56:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Readovka | The problem with the transit of Russian oil to Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia was solved in a day, 9 Aug
"And so it happened: there was no change in the sanctions regime, but less than a day later, the Hungarian MOL and the Slovak Slovnaft simply introduced necessary payment"
by Cat on Wed Aug 10th, 2022 at 10:12:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Politico.eu.com | Zelenskyy begs [G7] for total ban on Russian travelers, 8 Aug
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.

Times of India | From flight of capital to PLUMMETING imports: How sanctions are destroying Russia, 4 Aug stretch goals!
by Cat on Tue Aug 9th, 2022 at 02:13:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Ukriform | Two more dry cargo ships load with grain leave Chornomorsk port, 9 Aug
"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.
Zelensky holds phone conversation with DR Congo president, 9 Aug
"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"
Al Jazeera | DR Congo expels UN peacekeeping mission [MONUSCO] spokesman after protests, 3 Aug
by Cat on Tue Aug 9th, 2022 at 02:25:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
S&P Global | Ukraine's wheat exports slump 53% on year to 325,000 mt in MY 2022-23, 1 Aug comme ci, comme ça
As of July 29, Ukrainian farmers harvested 8 million mt wheat, down 52.7% on the year, according to ministry data. The data showed Ukraine had harvested around 16.9 million mt wheat till the same period last year.

The Ukrainian Grain Association has its Ukraine wheat output estimate for MY 2022-23 at 20.8 million mt, 37% below the previous year's level. The USDA, in its July World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report released July 12, pegged Ukraine's wheat harvest at 19.5 million mt in MY 2022-23. Platts Analytics sees Ukraine's wheat production in MY 2022-23 at 20 million-22 million mt.



S&P Global | Corn bulk ship leaves Chornomorsk port for South Korea; concerns over quality, 9 Aug
"For the case of Ocean Lion, there is a risk of being rejected as she was not loaded freshly recently. Part of the cargo was already loaded [prior to the invasion]," said a trader.

The aflatoxin content is an important specification requirement for corn arriving in South Korea.

"Aflatoxin is a critical toxin, if it is over 20 ppb, we cannot use it [for feed production] and will have to reject the cargo," said a South Korean feed buyer.

Earlier, the Razoni -- the first bulk ship to leave Ukraine's deepsea ports Aug. 1 -- did not arrive at Lebanon's Tripoli port as scheduled.

The Embassy of Ukraine in Lebanon has said that "the buyer in Lebanon refused to accept the cargo due to delays in delivery terms (more than 5 months). So, the shipper is looking for another consignee to offload his cargo either in Lebanon/Tripoli or any other country/port" via a post on the embassy's official Facebook page. The Razoni was carrying about 26,000 mt corn.

USDA | EU Grain Summer Update 2022, 29 July: "MY 2022/23 EU total grain production is forecast at 273.8 MMT, down from the 293.1 MMT estimated for the previous marketing year."
by Cat on Tue Aug 9th, 2022 at 10:57:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
wut: "Jaohar Ranim is the first Ukrainian ship carrying grain to reach Albania since Russia invaded Ukraine in February."
by Cat on Thu Aug 11th, 2022 at 04:02:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
euronews | Wheat export ships leave ports!, 12 Aug
Two more ships left Ukraine's Black Sea ports on Friday, including one laden with the first Ukrainian wheat to be exported under a UN-brokered deal, Turkey's defence ministry said.
•  Belize-flagged Sormovsky, departs Chornomorsk, 3,050 mt of wheat, destination: Tekirdag, TR
• Marshall Island-flagged Star Laura, departs Pivdennyi, 60,000 mt of corn, destination: Iran
• UN WFP-flagged MV Brave Commander, arrives Odesa port, ? mt of wheat, destination: Ethiopia [!]
So far most of the cargoes under the deal have carried grain for animal feed or for fuel, heading to Turkey or Western Europe. ..."[Brave Commander will be] the first delivery of humanitarian food aid under the Black Sea Grain Initiative," WFP spokesman Tomson Phiri told a news briefing earlier in Geneva. The WFP hopes there will be regular humanitarian shipments thereafter.
by Cat on Sat Aug 13th, 2022 at 04:04:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
UN | JCC Progress report, 1-15 August 2022, 19 Aug
From 1 to 15 August, the JCC has authorized a total of 36 movements of vessels (21 outbound and 15 inbound) through the maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea to facilitate the safe exports of grain, foodstuffs and fertilizer, including ammonia, from Ukrainian ports.

• 451,481 MT of corn [comestible and coarse?]
• 50,300 MT of sunflower meal
• 41,622 MT of wheat
• 11,000 MT of soya beans
• 6,000 MT of sunflower oil
• 2,914 MT of sunflower seed

"According to information provided to the JCC, the preliminary destinations of Ukrainian food exports so far include":

• Türkiye: 26%
• Iran: 22%
• Republic of Korea: 22%
• China: 8%
• Ireland: 6%
• Italy: 5%
• Republic of Djibouti!: 4% [23,000 MT of wheat!]
• Romania: 2%
• To be determined: 5%

by Cat on Fri Aug 19th, 2022 at 10:07:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
UN tabulation, 3-25 Aug JCC outbound UKRAINE "grain" vessels
• Djibouti    Wheat    23,300    21-Aug-22
• Egypt       Corn      45,000    TBD
• Sudan      Wheat    65,340    TBD
• Egypt       Wheat    25,500    24-Aug-22

of 43 total
Slava Ukraini!

by Cat on Sat Aug 27th, 2022 at 04:36:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Tue Aug 30th, 2022 at 05:44:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Wed Aug 10th, 2022 at 10:08:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
RFERL | The Dead Of The 64th: A Notorious Russian Army Unit And Its High Casualty Rate, 10 Aug
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. ...

by Cat on Wed Aug 10th, 2022 at 10:41:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Ukranews | AFU destroy enemy command post in the south, occupiers suffer significant losses, 11 Aug
This was reported by the South Operational Command.

"During the day, the enemy carried out 8 airstrikes by helicopters and attack aircraft along the contact line to test our positions. They proved to be strong. No casualties reported. Halitsynove was shelled with heavy 152-caliber artillery. No losses and significant destruction were detected. All the hits came outside the village. During the combat day, we carried out 6 airstrikes. Twice the work of assault aircraft was ensured against a strong point and a cell of the enemy's manpower, weapons and equipment in the Beryslav district," the statement says.

APsplainin | Ukraine wants donors to give more money to 'stop Russia', 11 Aug
"The sooner we stop Russia, the sooner we can feel safe," Zelenskyy said while addressing defense leaders at a Denmark conference aimed at strengthening financing for weapons, training and demining work in his country.

"We need armaments, munitions for our defense," he added, speaking via a live link from Ukraine. The conference in Copenhagen is a follow-up to an April meeting at a U.S. air base in Germany that established the U.S.-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which coordinates international military support for Ukraine.[...]
Before the conference started, the Danish government said it would give Ukraine an extra 820 million kroner ($113 million), which would bring Denmark's total contribution to the war effort to more than 3 billion kroner ($413 million). Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called it "a huge donation." Part of the money would pay for 130 Danish troops to help train Ukrainian forces in Britain over the coming months.

by Cat on Thu Aug 11th, 2022 at 01:29:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
euractiv | EU, Ukraine sign 'strategic partnership' on raw materials, 13 July 2021
a view to develop an entire value chain of the extraction, refining and recycling of minerals in Ukraine to supply the EU market for electric cars and digital equipment [downstream].
[...]
The EU-Ukraine partnership on raw materials has a wider global significance. As Russia completes construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany, Kyiv is expected to lose out on gas transit revenues. And raw materials could provide a [untapped!] source of income for Ukraine.
1991-2022 balance of trade, because ...?
The Commission sees clear opportunities from forging closer ties with Ukraine. Europe is currently heavily dependent on imports of key raw materials, with China providing 98% of the EU's supply of rare earth elements, a key component for magnets used in electric car batteries, smartphones and wind turbines.
[...]
"There are 30 of them and 21 of these critical raw materials are in Ukraine, which is also extracting 117 out of 120 globally used minerals," [EC Vice-President Maroš] Šefčovič said. "We're talking about lithium, cobalt, manganese, rare earths - all of them are in Ukraine," he explained.
archived SIMILE SUICIDE and Europe COMISH 2019
On Tuesday, Kyiv will be invited to join the EU's industrial alliance on batteries as well as the bloc's alliance on critical raw materials launched in September. The alliance aims to strengthen the EU's "strategic autonomy" on raw materials by identifying obstacles, and investment opportunities at all stages of the mineral value supply chain - ranging from mining to processing and waste recovery - while trying to minimise the environmental and social impacts < wipes tears >, the Commission said.
What G7 really wants
WaPoo | In the Ukraine war, A BATTLE for the nation's mineral and energy wealth, 10 Aug 2022 maps
After nearly six months of fighting, Moscow's SLOPPY WAR has YIELDed at least one big reward: expanded control over some of the most mineral-rich lands in Europe. Ukraine harbors some of the world's largest reserves of titanium and iron ore, fields of UNTAPPED lithium and MASSIVE deposits of coal. Collectively, they are worth tens of TRILLIONS of dollars.

The lion's share of those COAL deposits, which for decades have powered Ukraine's critical steel industry, are concentrated in the east [Donbas], where Moscow has made the most inroads. That's put them in Russian hands, along with significant amounts of other valuable energy and mineral deposits used for everything from aircraft parts to smartphones, according to an analysis for The Washington Post by the Canadian geopolitical risk firm SecDev.

Reactors? Which reactors??
Russia possesses VAST amounts of natural resources. But DENYING Ukraine its own has strategically undermined the country's economy, FORCING Kyiv to IMPORT COAL to keep the lights on in cities and towns. Should the Kremlin succeed in annexing the Ukrainian territory it has seized -- as U.S. officials believe it will try to do in coming months -- Kyiv would permanently LOSE ACCESS to almost two-thirds of its deposits....
Bloomberg | Ukraine Cut to Default by S&P[, Fitch] After [G7, Paris Club, IMF] Creditors OK Debt-Payment Delay, 12 Aug VICTORY!
[...]
Ukraine is rated Caa3 by Moody's Investors Service.

Separately, Ukraine's road agency Ukravtodor and power grid NPC Ukrenergoon Wednesday also received approvals from their bondholders for similar debt restructuring deals.

by Cat on Sat Aug 13th, 2022 at 05:14:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Ukraine will target Russian forces at Zaporizh* nuclear power plant, says Zelenskiy, 14 Aug A/V Plan B
Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensk*, has vowed to target Russian troops at Zaporizh* nuclear power plant who fire on Ukrainian towns and cities. 'Every Russian soldier who either shoots at the station or shoots under the cover of the station must understand that they are becoming a special target for our intelligence, for our special services, for our army,' said Zelensk* in a video statement on Saturday evening. Both Ukraine and Russia have accused one another of shelling the nuclear plant, which is the largest in Europe, following multiple incidents in recent weeks. Russian troops captured the station early in the war. G7 nations have called on Moscow to withdraw from the plant to avoid < wipes tears > risking nuclear catastrophe

Note: the headline of video was edited on 14 August. The word forces was changed to soldiers.

IEIA | Nuclear Safety, Security, and Safeguards in Ukraine, 28 Apr, 20 pp

archived Plan A, Dirty Bombs and Dialects Defend Democracy 2 March

Ukranews | 236,000 consumers remain without gas supply, 616,000 without electricity - Ministry of Energy, 13 Aug

by Cat on Sun Aug 14th, 2022 at 06:02:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
in it to win "temporarily occupied territory"
euractiv | Ukraine, UN agree parameters for IAEA mission to nuclear plant, 19 Aug
Zelenskyy told a news conference after the talks in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv that Russia should immediately withdraw its forces and stop shelling from the nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.
[...]
"We agreed with the secretary general the [possible] conditions of a possible mission by the IAEA to the Zaporizh* nuclear plant, in a legal way, via territory free from occupiers [shelling UAF shelling EUROPE'S LARGEST NUCLEAR POWER PLANT]," Zelenskyy told reporters. "Russia should immediately and unconditionally withdraw its forces from territory of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as well as stopping any provocations and shelling," he said.
NOT ONE INCH. NOT ONE IAEA ENGINEER. Stand your ground, Uncle Volody!
The crowded news conference lasted nearly an hour, with the three leaders and well over 100 journalists straining in the heat. Zelensk*, clad in his trademark khaki T-shirt, appeared visibly frustrated when the simultaneous translation failed, slowing down the news conference considerably [but not artillery exchange over EUROPE'S LARGEST NUCLEAR POWER PLANT].
by Cat on Sat Aug 20th, 2022 at 08:07:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
ABC | UN nuclear agency again asks to visit Ukraine nuclear plant, 23 Aug accessories
Ukraine's U.N. Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya welcomed the readiness of the IAEA's Grossi to send a mission to Zaporizh*. He said earlier Tuesday Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba responded to Grossi's letter with the proposed IAEA itinerary saying it is in compliance with Ukrainian legislation "and in general might be accepted."

"Further arrangements are to be made based on the security conditions and require communication of detailed route plans and other logistical aspects as soon as possible," Kyslytsya said.

Ukraine's social director
After last week's high-level meeting in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv involving U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the presidents of Ukraine and Turkey, it appeared progress had been made on an IAEA mission to the plant. But there had been no sign of progress until [U.N. political chief Rosemary] DiCarlo's announcement [23 Aug].

Kyslytsya stressed that Ukraine would like to see the IAEA mission bolstered by incorporating "military and political components," and having IAEA experts remain at the plant until it is returned to Ukraine.

archived the controversial nameplate 2013
by Cat on Tue Aug 23rd, 2022 at 11:21:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]
euro-cities | Russia agreed to the IAEA visit to the Zaporozh* NPP, 23 Aug
The French Foreign Ministry announced Russia's consent to the IAEA mission at the Zaporozh* NPP. Sergey Lavrov, in a conversation with a French colleague, is "fundamentally committed" with the intention to send the experience to the station as soon as possible, declared in Paris.

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the fact of holding a meeting of foreign affairs. It took place at the initiative of the French side. The interlocutors discussed in detail the situation around the Zaporizhzh* NPP and the possibilities for the IAEA mission to visit the station, they said on Smolenskaya Square.
[...]
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said today in an interview with the BBC that he hopes to visit the Zaporozh* NPP in the very near future, to convey TASS. According to him, the IAEA mission could arrive at the station "within days, not weeks." At the same time, Grossi did not specify how exactly the specialists would get to the Zaporozhye NPP.

IAEA | Update 93 - IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine, 23 Aug
Ukraine said shelling on Monday (22 August) damaged the transformers of the nearby thermal power plant, causing a disconnection of the power line linking this plant to the ZNPP lasting several hours before it was restored later the same day.

"These incidents show why the IAEA must be able to send a mission to the Zaporizh* nuclear power plant very soon. I'm continuing to consult very actively and intensively with all parties so that this vital IAEA mission can take place without further delay. The IAEA's presence will help stabilise the nuclear safety and security situation at the site and reduce the risk of a severe nuclear accident in Europe. The mission is expected to take place within the next few days if ongoing negotiations succeed," Director General Grossi said.

US News | IAEA Says It Could Visit Russian-Held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant in Days, 23 Aug
Russia's foreign ministry said Moscow had given the go-ahead for a mission on June 3 and blamed Kyiv for trying to disrupt the promised inspection.
by Cat on Tue Aug 23rd, 2022 at 10:33:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
RIA Novosti | NYT: IAEA formed a mission to visit the Zaporozh* nuclear power plant, 27 Aug mistinformation
The International Atomic Energy Agency has appointed a group of experts to visit Europe's largest Zaporozh* nuclear power plant, writes The New York Times. The list of the IAEA , which the newspaper got acquainted with, included 14 people, mostly from neutral countries. Among the members of the delegation is the head of the organization, Argentinean Rafael Mariano Grossi. There are no US and UK representatives in the mission. The NY [Yella Cake] says the visit is planned for next week.
[...]
The Zaporozh* Nuclear Power Plant is located on the left bank of the Dnieper next to Energodar. This is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe in terms of the number of units and installed capacity . Since March, it has been under the protection of the Russian military.
RIA Novosti | Energy supply from the ZNPP to the territory controlled by Kyiv resumed, 27 Aug
The fifth and sixth power units of the Zaporozh* NPP are currently generating electricity, which is supplied to the territories liberated and controlled by Kyiv, said Vladimir Rogov, a representative of the regional administration.

"The fifth and sixth power units are in operation. They are not operating at full capacity. Electricity is supplied on both sides of the Dnieper (both to the territory controlled by Kyiv, the right bank, and to the [RF] liberated territories, the left bank - ed.)," Rogov told RIA Novosti. [He] said earlier that Energodar was shelled [again] on Saturday morning.

by Cat on Sun Aug 28th, 2022 at 01:28:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Late Breaking OOPS!(to me)

Readovka | Zaporizhzhia NPP threatens world with an atomic catastrophe for 7 years, 19 Aug anonymous Ukrainian whistleblower

The Zaporizh* nuclear power plant requires an urgent intervention of the plant's creators, the Russian power engineers. The service life of the nuclear power units expired back in 2015-2018, and the continued operation of the rusty equipment threatens to be disastrous even without shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
[...]
During a visit to the NPP of Head of Operational Safety Section of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Fuming Jiang on January 16, 2020, the technician literally ran after Mr. Fuming the entire inspection warning about the approaching disaster at the nuclear power plant. The man has been struggling to say that the shelf life of the nuclear reactors went out five years ago (unit 1 and 2 in 2015, unit 3 in 2017, unit 4 in 2018, and the fifth in 2020). The operation of all reactors had to be halted urgently, and the Soviet equipment (the units were launched in the 1980s-1990s) had to be inspected by the plant's designers - Russian nuclear specialists, the technician warned. Nevertheless, Fuming along with the plant management pretended that the inspection went smoothly and there was no itchy employee with a panicked mood. The official verdict of the IAEA's 2020 inspection was "no violations detected, equipment is operating properly." The NPP's management fired the technician, but his preoccupation with the situation made him write a letter with an appeal to the European public and environmental international organizations, the text of which was made available to Readovka.
[facsimile excerpt]
...According to the Ukrainian legislation and the IAEA regulations these reactors must be dismantled or it is necessary to perform the work for the extension of their operation. Such work cost billions of US dollars. To do this, you need to attract the design and construction organizations that built these reactors—and these firms are from Russia, the aggressor country that is fighting against Ukraine! There can be no question of cooperation with the Putin regime. Ukraine is part of Europe[,] and we must solve such problems together. ...
After appeals of the NPP employee to the IAEA small changes did occur—the press service of Zaporizh* NPP suddenly reported that power unit No. 4 will be shut down for 125 days for overhaul. "Allegedly this is previously planned work," says the author. But power unit No. 4 already underwent an overhaul in 2019, it needs [Westinghouse fuel assembly] equipment replacement, not an overhaul, insists the NPP employee.
[facsimile excerpt]
Kyiv had reportedly regularly allocated money to ensure safety at the station, though the sums of money were so small that it sufficed only for the warning systems, because it needed billions of dollars to repair the units, which Ukraine did not have. Moreover, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the ruling party have other reasons to turn a blind eye to the barely making ends meet. ....
archived Russia blocks Zap-NPT clause in Nuclear Power in a More Dangerous World
by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 02:37:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]
It can be revealed: Suits on the ground!, 12 Aug
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.    
What PUTIN who? wants
"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."

by Cat on Fri Aug 12th, 2022 at 04:02:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Tue Aug 30th, 2022 at 08:39:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 04:47:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Wed Aug 17th, 2022 at 02:36:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]
by Oui (Oui) on Wed Aug 17th, 2022 at 03:45:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Under the radar, the Polish Avenger series now includes president of the central bank picking a deep state DE "plot" to expropriate antebellum ancestral lands in lieu of paying WWII reparations. Never mind, flouting accumulated EU infringment fines. vdL may have met her match in the ill-conceived solidarity department.
by Cat on Wed Aug 17th, 2022 at 05:21:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Poland's central bank chief warns of German designs on Polish territory
[Glapiński] warned that Berlin's designs are being pushed by Donald Tusk, the leader of Civic Platform, Poland's main opposition party, and a former Polish prime minister and president of the European Council.

"For a year it's been said that the task set by Brussels for Tusk is not only for him to overthrow Poland's existing government and put our country on course for the eurozone," Glapiński said. "Once these tasks are accomplished, Tusk is to return to Brussels, become head of the European Commission and pursue an accelerated effort to build a European state."

It's all part of a broader scheme by Berlin to exert control over the Continent, warned Glapiński, a close friend of Poland's de facto leader Jarosław Kaczyński and head of the National Bank of Poland since 2016. In an earlier interview, Glapiński said: "Tusk was sent with a plan to incorporate Poland into the German European empire." ...

archived in practice we will all be collecting brushwood, opposition politicians, About Plexit
by Cat on Thu Aug 18th, 2022 at 09:36:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]
MENAFN | [FM Zbigniew Rau]: optional use of euro, 23 Aug
The foreign minister declared that "the equality of member states requires the restoration of equal opportunities for their development, which, in turn, should lead to the reform of the Eurozone. The radicalism of this reform cannot a priori exclude any solutions, such as ... a temporary or permanent return of some of the Eurozone member countries to national currencies."

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland's current Law and Justice Party, has repeatedly claimed that adopting the euro would cause the nation's citizens to become drastically poorer

MSG* Rzeczpospolita | "Freedom and equality of nations are the only defense against the Threat of imperialism", 22 Aug

parity watch
PLN:USD, 1:0.20
PLN:EUR, 1:0:20
PLN:UAH, 1:7.70
EUR:UAH, 1:36.75
USD:UAH, 1:36.86

* monosodium glutamate

by Cat on Tue Aug 23rd, 2022 at 09:41:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Ukriform | Zelensk* opens Alley of Courage near Verkhovna Rada, 23 Aug
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky took part in the opening ceremony together with President of Poland Andrzej Duda, whose name was the first to appear on the Alley, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Today I want to open the Alley of Courage in the presence of President of Poland Andrzej Duda. The name of President of Poland Andrzej Duda will always be on this alley. It is a symbol of courage, a symbol of friendship, a symbol of support for Ukraine when it is really needed," Zelensky said.

Slava Ukraini!
Ukraine Gate | For friends of Ukraine: Zelenskyy and Duda opened the Alley of Courage in Kyiv, 23 Aug
The alley was laid on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of Ukraine's independence. As noted, the place was not chosen by chance. It was on the Constitution Square opposite the Verkhovna Rada that modern independent Ukraine was born.
[...]
Andrzej Duda played a particularly important role in strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities in the early days of a full-scale Russian invasion. He arrived in Ukraine, called Russia's actions an unprecedented violation of international law and stressed that by doing so it excludes itself from the international community.

Poland was one of the first EU countries to become a new home for millions of internally displaced persons from Ukraine. The Polish government and the Sejm have simplified as much as possible the procedures for crossing the border and further including Ukrainians in a friendly European community.

archived like in the Hollywood movies
by Cat on Tue Aug 23rd, 2022 at 10:08:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
RIA Novosti | Poland demands $1.3 trillion in reparations from Germany, 1 Sep
said the head of the ruling party of the Republic "Law and Justice" (PiS) Yaroslav Kaczynski.
"The amount that was presented as the cost of damage is six trillion two hundred billion zlotys (1.3 trillion dollars. - Approx. ed.)," [Yaroslav Kaczynski] said, presenting a report on Poland's military losses. ...
by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 05:01:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Kyiv Independent | Receiving, distributing Russian humanitarian aid in occupied territories to be considered collaborationism, 16 Aug
The law on collaboration[] came into force on Aug. 16.
Ukriform | The Ministry of Internal Affairs said who will be considered a collaborator in the territories captured by the Russian Federation, 16 Aug
"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.
by Cat on Wed Aug 17th, 2022 at 02:09:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office | She denied the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, 17 Aug
residents of Irpen were informed of the suspicion
[...]
According to the materials of the pre-trial investigation, the suspect, living in the Kyiv region and being aware of the fact of the temporary occupation by the armed forces of the Russian Federation of part of the territories of our state, including the Kyiv region, in telephone conversations with citizens of Ukraine denied the facts of murders and violence against the civilian population of Ukraine by Russian military personnel, as well as their commission of other crimes in the temporarily occupied territories....
Readovka | 1st. 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine
by Cat on Wed Aug 17th, 2022 at 06:35:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Although this Newsweek story attributes UA counter-intelligence work product derogating MSM "dissindents" to a "Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation" (2021), the Myrotvorets "black list" (of white "influencers") has been circulating UA civil defense agencies and so-called Pro-Russia social media "messaging systems" far longer than Russia has occupied Ukraine ("About the Center", 23.08.2014 08:46 + NATO imprimatur) and NATO allies formally instituted telecom censorship. In consideration of hours of A/V interviews with terrified, reluctant Donbas civilians, countless ICC, ICJ human rights complaints filed under the radar of TRUMP treason, and recent purge of SBU and prosecutor offices, it occurs to me that now, this subthread, is a the correct place to acknowledge the irresistable services of a free press and "democratic processes" in a war against AUTHORITARIANISM.

Newsweek | Tulsi Gabbard, Rand Paul Placed on List of Russian Propagandists by Ukraine, 26 July

The list was compiled by the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, founded in 2021 by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensk* to study the impact of Russian disinformation. The center is part of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
[...]
Other Americans on the list are: political and business advisor Harlan Ullman, author Paul Pillar, economists Jeffrey Sachs and Steve Hanke, political analyst Brian Berletic, academics Patrick Basham and Clifford Kiracofe, former army officer David Payne, ex-diplomat Michael Springmann, retired intelligence officer Scott Ritter, finance specialist Jason Ross, businessman Mike Callicrate, politicians Geoff Young and Diane Sare, journalists Caleb Maupin and Tony Magliano, retired business consultant George Koo, Republican former Senate staffer Jim Jatras, former CIA officer Ray McGovern, former Virginia State Senator Richard Black and political analyst Graham Fuller...
GRAPHIC WARNING: myrotvorets-center searchable database (UA machine translation), purported Langley, VA, USA-Warszawa, Polska mirror sites, alias
"PEACEMAKER"
RESEARCH CENTER FOR THE SIGNS OF CRIMES AGAINST UKRAINE'S NATIONAL SECURITY, PEACE, HUMAN SECURITY AND INTERNATIONAL LEGAL ORDER
Center for Research of Signs of Crimes against the National Security of Ukraine, Peace, Humanity, and the International Law Information for law enforcement authorities and special services about pro-Russian terrorists, separatists, mercenaries, war criminals, and murderers
SLAVA UKRAINI!
by Cat on Sat Aug 20th, 2022 at 04:18:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Wed Aug 24th, 2022 at 03:17:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
CBS | Arming Ukraine, A/V (EN), running time 00:23:26
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.
by Cat on Thu Aug 18th, 2022 at 01:10:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
ICYMI: WaPoo |
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.

oh. OK.
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.
wut
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.
language of psychopathy
DW | Are attacks on nuclear plants legal under international law?
If you have to ask .... sure, do it. Why not. Degrees of atrocity and whathaveyou
by Cat on Fri Aug 19th, 2022 at 02:26:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]
For an actor he is smart ☹️ #braindrain #martiallaw #shutborders #ableman #16-60yrs

WaPo: Putting Pressure On, Zelensky to Blame

No one told Volodymyr it was going to be hard and last for months, not weeks. The cakewalk turned out into a complete disaster

2-days earlier an intelligence officer, WaPo could not use his name, put the blame of the war crisis on France and Germany for their reluctance to join. The same troubles (add Turkey too) of the Iraq War and UNSC infamy for asking questions about false intelligence and illegal decision to invade a sovereign nation ...

Road to War: U.S. Struggled to Convince Allies

Once again putting blame on European allies Germany and France who were intend to prevent the outbreak of hostilities. Reminds me of the lies in 2002/2003 to begin an illegal war in Iraq. Then too, Joe Biden was a vigorous war hawk.

This also shows a breaking of the so-called unity in NATO made under duress. Still very important the position of Turkey whether the White House manages to keep Erdogan on board.

We have seen the most staunch war supporters in London, Warsaw and Vilnius. Already today the Polish FM pushed the identical narrative.

Choice of America was never in doubt, this chance to punish Putin through a proxy war ... debt of Europe WW2 - Old and New - for freedom won under the banner of 🇬🇧 . 🇺🇸.

oops and 🇦🇺. 🇨🇦. 🇲🇦. 🇵🇱 and the major force Red Army of the Soviet Union, now 🇷🇺 .

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri Aug 19th, 2022 at 03:27:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
malice aforethought in The gloves are off

standard. operating. procedure.

by Cat on Fri Aug 19th, 2022 at 03:56:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
vOLdEMoRT: In his resignation statement, al-Sadr referenceded to the retirement on Sunday of Shi'ite spiritual leader Ayatollah Kadhim al-Haeri, who called on his followers to support Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in his stead. Al-Sadr claimed that al-Haeri's resignation was "not of his own volition," seemingly implying covert Iranian influence.

Al-Sadr is a vocal critic of foreign influence in Iraq, and has long sought to curb the influence of Iran-backed Shia militias in the country. After his political bloc won 73 seats in the 329-seat Iraqi legislature last year, he failed to form a government, due to opposition from the Coordination Framework Alliance, a Shia bloc allied with Iran, and al-Sadr's desire to exclude its members from a potential ruling coalition.

Al-Sadr's supporters have occupied the Iraqi Parliament since late July to prevent this rival bloc from forming a government of its own.

Mustafa al-Kadhimi, an ally of al-Sadr, remains Iraq's caretaker prime minister. Al-Sadr has called for the dissolution of parliament and fresh elections, and Iraq's Supreme Federal Court is scheduled to meet this week to decide whether parliament should be disbanded.

by Cat on Tue Aug 30th, 2022 at 12:51:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
wut: "Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat to use nuclear weapons in the war against Ukraine has opened the eyes of a Ukrainian woman living in Hiroshima to the horrors of nuclear warfare, pushing her to take a stand in solidarity with her compatriots."
by Cat on Mon Aug 22nd, 2022 at 10:40:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
GOOG and UN Sec General have successful suppressed UNGA vote on latest UN Amb. Sergey Kislitsa (UA) resolution to condemn Russian war of aggression, 24 Aug, coinciding with Zelensk* UNSC zoom call! (rumored UNGA roll call, YES:58, NO: ?, AB: ?)

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.
UNGA | Digital Library System
UNSC | August 2022 calendar, 9115TH MEETING (AM), SC/15004, 24 AUGUST 2022
UNSC | 9115TH MEETING (AM): SC/15004, 24 Aug
unofficial record of procedural vote, select member briefings (synopses)
by Cat on Sat Aug 27th, 2022 at 02:47:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
tai kwan do "Russian embargo" fu

Goooooo, Ooooosula!

by Cat on Tue Aug 30th, 2022 at 07:50:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Aug 1st, 2022 at 06:37:01 PM EST
UK.gov | G7 Foreign Ministers' Statement on Energy Security, 2 Aug free trade
... We remain committed to considering a range of approaches, including options for a comprehensive prohibition of all services that enable transportation of Russian seaborne crude oil and petroleum products globally, unless the oil is purchased at or below a price to be agreed in consultation with international partners. In considering this and other options, we will also consider mitigation mechanisms alongside our restrictive measures to ensure ["]the most vulnerable["] and impacted countries maintain access to energy markets including from Russia.

We will further reduce our reliance on civil nuclear and related goods from Russia, and assist countries seeking to diversify their supplies. ...

by Cat on Tue Aug 2nd, 2022 at 04:55:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Let's recap
• Ban G7 member Urals imports ("embargo" Urals)
• Fix G7 $/bbl Urals below cost, inexplicably
• Penalize unauthorized ROW Ural contracts, shipping, insurance, and imports
• Sell G7 Urals prix fixe sanction waivers to world
• Assume OPEC "excess capacity" exports, becaus obligation to balance demand
• Watch RF production collapse, benchmark $/bbl explode
• Profit!

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."
and even then, ya gits. Slava Ukraini!
readovka | It is in Russia's interests to conclude long-term oil contracts with Asians as soon as possible, 24 Aug
The [FY 2022/23] budget still include[s] a price of just $62 per barrel.

by Cat on Fri Aug 26th, 2022 at 03:16:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Reuters | Oil prices rise on signals OPEC might cut output, ahead of G7 racketeering?
nahhh. US and ECB interest rate hike, yanno, to squeeze the *flation out of energy demand. worldwide.
by Cat on Fri Aug 26th, 2022 at 11:34:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
APsplainin | Yellen warns of failure to agree on Russia oil price cap, 1 Sep
[CAPTION: [US] Treasury Secretary Yellen, right, gestures to the United Kingdom's Chancellor of the Exchequer Nahhim Zahawi during their meeting at the Treasury Department, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, in Washington]
Yellen said a price cap also would limit the impact of higher oil prices on inflation in consuming countries, with the cost of gasoline and diesel still squeezing consumers and businesses hard, especially in Europe. To be effective, participating countries would have to collectively agree to purchase the oil at a lower-than-market price.
G7 "effective" scenario

volDemoRT | Russia issues oil supply warning to G7, again, 1 Sep embargo fu

"In my opinion, this ["price cap"] is a complete absurdity... To those companies or countries that will impose restrictions, we will not supply our oil and oil products, because we are not going to work under non-market conditions," he told reporters, commenting on a plan to limit prices on Russian oil currently being discussed by the Group of Seven (G7) countries.
so go ahead. Pay more for less "free market" oil and gas. OPEC+ Norway+ Seven Sisters thank you.
by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 09:20:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
wut: "Maximising the gas price is one of the proposals that the Czech Republic wants to put on the table, Sikela said."
by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 09:27:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
restraint of trade (*-English)
and disturbances in the antitrust farce
by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 09:34:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
euractiv | 10 heads of the G7 splainin, 2 Sep
Western G7 leaders agreed in June to explore a cap to limit how much [G7] refiners and traders can pay for Russian crude - a move Moscow says it will not abide by and can thwart [G7 racketeering] by shipping oil to states wholesale buyers not obeying the price ceiling [G7 law enforcement].
< wipes tears >
The G7 consists of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. The G7 meetings also include < wipes tears > EU officials, representing the [European] Commission and the [European] Council. Some officials in the bloc have said that the cap needs broader backing [international producers'agreement?] and have questioned whether [bid-rigging] can be successful without the participation of major oil consumers China and India, which are unlikely to endorse the plan. But other G7 officials [EU High Representative?] have said that China and India have expressed interest in buying Russian oil [from WHOM?] at an even lower price in line [sic] with the cap than G7 MSRP.
[...]
Another G7 official said that the bloc has "a desire to show there's momentum on this" ahead of the European Union's planned imposition of a regional embargo on prohibition of member licensed or illicit purchases of Russian crude on 5 December.
S&P Global Commodity Insights (price discovery)

• Platts excludes Russian-origin material from European LPG assessments effective Sept 1

• Platts excludes Russian-origin material from European gasoline assessments effective Sept 1

• Platts excludes Russian-origin material from European jet fuel assessments effective Sep 1, 2022

• Platts excludes Russian-origin product from European 1%S FO and 0.5%S MF assessments from Sept. 1

• Platts discontinues nine Asia clean tanker assessments, from Sept 1

• Platts to discontinue Indonesia's Handil Mix, Australia's Gippsland crude assessments from Jan 1, 2023

• Platts to discontinue assessments of Abu Dhabi crudes differentials to OSP from Jan 1, 2023

• Discontinued USDA third party grains and biofuels symbols

• Platts discontinues some third-party grains data, August 31

• Platts discontinues publishing assessments for Eagle Ford Postings Average, August 22

• Discontinued CEC carbon credit symbols, August 16

by Cat on Fri Sep 2nd, 2022 at 03:15:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
separated at birth

UK inflation will soar to 'astronomical' levels over next year, thinktank warns
"there will be 'no respite' for British households and businesses"
by Cat on Wed Aug 3rd, 2022 at 09:13:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 11:38:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 11:45:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]
The Plan:
It's simple: we are demanding a reduction of energy bills to an affordable level. Our leverage is that we will gather a million people to pledge not to pay if the government goes ahead with another massive hike on October 1st.

Mass non-payment is not a new idea, it happened in the UK in the late 80s and 90s, when more than 17 million people refused to pay the Poll Tax - helping bring down the government and reversing its harshest measures....

euronews | human interest feature
by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 10:58:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Tue Aug 9th, 2022 at 11:00:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]
UK Supermarket Iceland Offers Loans to Help Struggling Shoppers Buy Food17 Aug universal credit
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.
UK inflation hits 10.1%, driven by soaring food and fuel prices - ONS, 17 Aug
by Cat on Wed Aug 17th, 2022 at 02:29:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Sky News | UK's ability to train fast jet pilots in crisis as threats grow from Russia and China, leaked documents suggest, 5 Aug Rodents of Unusual Sizes
"An internal memo from May and slides from a meeting of top RAF officers in July, seen by Sky News, reveal."
by Cat on Sat Aug 6th, 2022 at 12:19:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
UK wants criminal migrants to scan their faces up to five times a day using a watch, 7 Aug
The UK's Home Office [Priti Panopticon] and Ministry of Justice want migrants with criminal convictions to scan their faces up to five times a day using a smartwatch kitted out with facial-recognition software.

Plans for wrist-worn face-scanning devices were discussed in a data protection impact assessment report from the Home Office. Officials called for "daily monitoring of individuals subject to immigration control," according to The Guardian this week, and suggested any such entrants to the UK should wear fitted ankle tags or smartwatches at all times.

In May, the British government awarded a contract worth £6 million to Buddi Limited, makers of a wristband used to monitor older folks at risk of falling. Buddi appears to be tasked with developing a device capable of taking images of migrants to be sent to law enforcement to scan. ...

archived Winners and Losers in Electronic Monitoring
by Cat on Sun Aug 7th, 2022 at 10:34:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]
UK must curb influence of European human rights rules, says [Suella] Braverman, 10 Aug
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."

Policy Exchange | Keynote Speech by Rt Hon Suella Braverman QC MP - Equalities and Rights: Conflict and the Need for Clarity, 10 Aug transcript
by Cat on Wed Aug 10th, 2022 at 04:46:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Left Foot Forward | Liz Truss attacks British workers to deflect from Tory failings on the economy

[Prem SIKKA:] "The UK's ruling Conservative Party does not accept responsibility for any of its disastrous policies. The long list includes botched Brexit which has created shortages of goods, services and labour, the highest rate of inflation for 40 years, the highest tax burden for 70 years, the biggest fall in living standards since the 1950s, the biggest fall in real wages for 100 years and the worst economic growth prospects in G20 countries. It always blames others."

That mind-set is revealed by a leaked audio recording in which Liz Truss, frontrunner to be the next Conservative Party leader and effectively the Prime Minister, blames workers for economic woes. ...

by Cat on Sat Aug 20th, 2022 at 08:40:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Oil Price | UK's Centrica Signs $8.5B Long-Term Deal To Import U.S. LNG, 9 Aug
Centrica, the owner of British Gas, has signed a heads of agreement with U.S. firm Delfin Midstream to import LNG starting in 2026 from a planned floating LNG export facility offshore Louisiana, in a 15-year-deal worth USD 8.5B (GBP 7B).

Delfin has thus secured another long-term customer, which is expected to facilitate a Final Investment Decision (FID) for Delfin Deepwater Port, the first floating LNG export facility in the United States, by the end of this year, the companies said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
[...]
In June, Centrica signed a deal with Norway's major Equinor for the delivery of an additional 1 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas supplies to the UK for each of the next three winters. Centrica has also been awarded by UK authorities a gas storage license for the Rough site in the southern North Sea--a site that was closed in 2017, but could reopen as early as this winter.

by Cat on Wed Aug 10th, 2022 at 01:26:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]
The Australian gang who has produced "Honest government ads" has come up with one for the UK: Brace yourself, this is brutal.

by Bernard (bernard) on Tue Aug 23rd, 2022 at 03:59:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Sewage in sea: French appeal to EU over UK discharges of waste
A file photo shows untreated sewage flowing into a river

The UK is threatening health and marine life on the French coast by allowing raw sewage to be dumped in the Channel and North Sea, say three Euro MPs.

Pollution warnings have been issued for almost 50 beaches in England and Wales, after heavy rain caused sewage overflow to be diverted into rivers and the sea.

The French MEPs accuse the UK of neglecting environmental commitments and risking marine life and fishing.

British water companies have said they are investing in solving the problem.

Since its departure from the European Union, the United Kingdom had neglected its environmental commitments, the MEPs said in a letter calling for legal or political action from the European Commission.

by Bernard (bernard) on Fri Aug 26th, 2022 at 09:01:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Aug 1st, 2022 at 06:37:12 PM EST

The hag has landed. "'Our Congressional delegation's visit to Taiwan honors America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant Democracy,' Pelosi said in a statement after landing."

Former head of the KMT Hung Hsiu-chu "mocked that after Pelosi's arrival, the DPP authorities can receive her with a 'taste of home' with high standards, including ractopamine-enhanced pork imported from the US.'"

by Cat on Tue Aug 2nd, 2022 at 04:42:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2022 is a plan to integrate Taiwan with US Department of Defense [sic] in its operations. The plan is fully funded. Appropriations already committed and disbursed to Taiwan's private- and public-agents are not common knowledge. But I bet Miss Nancy Project Manager knows.

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'."

by Cat on Tue Aug 2nd, 2022 at 06:59:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Yonhap | Yoon, U.S. senator meet to discuss alliance, Friday 12 Aug
Markey expressed confidence the bilateral relationship will grow stronger, saying the CHIPS and Science Act [9 Aug], which focuses on the semiconductor industry and was signed by U.S. President Joe Biden this week, "will only further deepen our partnership economically but strategically as well."
APsplainin More US lawmakers visit Taiwan 12 days after Pelosi trip, Sunday 14 Aug
A delegation of American lawmakers arrived in Taiwan on Sunday ...led by Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, will meet President Tsai Ing-wen and other officials, as well as members of the private sector, to discuss shared interests including reducing tensions in the Taiwan Strait and ["]investments in semiconductors["].
[...]
Markey met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier Sunday [?] in South Korea before arriving in Taiwan  on a separate flight at Taoyuan International Airport, which also serves Taipei.
by Cat on Sun Aug 14th, 2022 at 05:18:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]
007 indemnity

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
Which is?
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....
by Cat on Wed Aug 3rd, 2022 at 11:05:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Bullying has its risks ...

Joe Biden - 2014
Lloyd Austin War Party - 2022
NSC White House - 2021

Another false flag operation behind enemy lines?

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Wed Aug 3rd, 2022 at 12:00:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Roll Call | Senate appropriators want $4 billion for ships Navy didn't seek, 4 Aug NDAA of 2023
"Winslow Wheeler, a former Senate aide who also served as an assistant director at the Government Accountability Office, said the additional ship spending is now a routine part of what he called "a profoundly corrupt, but technically legal, DOD funding system.""

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]
by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 10:20:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
free and independent State of Maine
with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe

form of government for the State of Alabama
invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God

by Cat on Sat Aug 6th, 2022 at 11:51:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Fri Aug 5th, 2022 at 12:08:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Apart from it being word salad, and Franklin never being president, there is also the matter of Franklin's views on security and freedom:

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

I see how this trip must have been worth escalating tensions with China.

by fjallstrom on Tue Aug 9th, 2022 at 01:16:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
US intel officer targeted by John Bolton reacts to coup-plot confession, 15 July
FULTON ARMSTRONG:  Coups, we have to be careful.  Just a teeny bit of history here, that when the US government supports coups, it's done on different levels.  There's the highly political level where the policy is to achieve regime change without actually getting into the mud with potential coup plotters.  A second level would be one where we establish it as a policy, and we, through various players in the US government, including covert players but also overt players, go out and sort of look for people who say, think, sort of `help me rid me of this priest' sort of stuff.  And then the third one is when you're hands-on and you're actually recruiting people, arming people, and setting particular operations in motion. ...
by Cat on Fri Aug 12th, 2022 at 09:54:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
30 Aug
31 Aug
VOA | Biden Set to Address 'Battle for the Soul of the Nation'
"Unlike countries with parliamentary systems, the United States does not have snap elections."
by Cat on Wed Aug 31st, 2022 at 10:34:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

yeah? nope.
by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 04:26:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Fri Sep 2nd, 2022 at 01:17:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Fri Aug 5th, 2022 at 12:21:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]
University D'Oh | The US-Led Drive to Isolate Russia and China Is Falling Short, 5 Aug illustrated rentier math
It's an uncomfortable reality confronting Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his extended tour of Southeast Asia and Africa
"half of the countries in the Group of Twenty have not signed up" to G7 alias NATO alias Eight Nations alias Great Powers self-sanctions

  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

by Cat on Sat Aug 6th, 2022 at 03:33:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Sat Aug 13th, 2022 at 01:53:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]
American Airlines Places [Nonrefundable "]Deposit["] on 20 Supersonic Planes, 16 Aug
"Boom CEO Blake Scholl insists his company's plane will be different [than Concorde] when it debuts in 2029, with tickets costing about $4,000 to $5,000 to fly from New York to London in about three and one-half hours."
wut: "We remain cautious as to what may happen with Ukraine" Ryanair CFO Neil Sorahan tells US American Squawk Box voyeurs
by Cat on Tue Aug 16th, 2022 at 11:20:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Thu Aug 18th, 2022 at 12:57:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Yer gonna need a bigger psycho-therapist, possibly more meme stocks
by Cat on Fri Aug 19th, 2022 at 03:58:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

"to sway voters before the 2022 election"
by Cat on Thu Aug 25th, 2022 at 11:03:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]
OBM, The 2023 Mid-Session Review, 24 Aug
In July, our economy had zero percent inflation ...
Mid-Session FY 2023 Budget Review, Table 1, technical adjustment
Note: negative figures represent higher receipts or lower outlays
by Cat on Thu Aug 25th, 2022 at 12:23:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Mon Aug 29th, 2022 at 07:28:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Aug 1st, 2022 at 06:37:25 PM EST
CNA | Taiwan shares plunge amid worries ahead of Pelosi's expected visit, 2 Aug
"It was no surprise that investors rushed to cut their holdings today to avoid further losses down the road," [International Investment Services Corp. analyst Alex Huang] added. "Few investors appeared willing to pick up bargains for the moment despite the heavy losses, which kept turnover moderate."
CNA | Chinese Internet giant Sina temporarily shuts down services in Taiwan, 2 Aug
Both the online Sina Taiwan platform and Sina Weibo became inaccessible Monday, and Sina's Taiwan operator, Sina.com Online Taiwan Branch (USA), confirmed later in the day that operations were temporarily stopped as part of an operational plan, without further explanation.
CNA | China suspends imports of multiple Taiwanese food brands (update), 2 Aug listicle
According to the Ministry of Finance, Taiwanese processed food exports to China and Hong Kong in 2021 totaled US$646.21 million and accounted for 32 percent of the total exports in that category.
the United Bakery Association of the Republic of China (Taiwan) expressed "shock and frustration" at the decision
by Cat on Tue Aug 2nd, 2022 at 05:16:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
RMB:TWD, 1:4.43

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

by Cat on Tue Aug 2nd, 2022 at 07:09:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Market Watch | China Suspends Natural Sand Exports to Taiwan, 2 Aug slo-mo demo continues
concrete
by Cat on Wed Aug 3rd, 2022 at 10:27:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]
BASF | Sand in short supply
• Things made from sand
• 5 things you didn't know about sand
• properties

The sand crisis and recycled concrete: options, June 2021
"The Global Sand Observatory describes sand resource governance as 'one of the greatest sustainability challenges of the 21st century''"

by Cat on Fri Aug 5th, 2022 at 07:38:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Politico.eu.com | Why Europe needs Taiwan
Human life? What human life?? US, Europe's tech supply chain is at risk in the CROSSFIRE.
For now, China has restricted its longer-term retaliation to banning [mainland] exports of sand to the island, along with [mainland] import of citrus fruits, chilled white scallops and frozen mackerel from Taiwan to the mainland.

But the risk for Taipei -- western companies that depend on Taiwanese chip manufacturing -- is that Beijing's future measures will be far tougher, such as a COMPLETE BLOCKADE or even a Chinese INVASION [of China].

Machinery and appliances made up almost 60 percent of EU imports from Taiwan last year. The biggest worry for European businesses would be the sudden cut to supplies of electronic chips, produced by the world's biggest semiconductor company ...The problem for Europe is that it has built up its DEPENCY on [SUPER CHEAP] Taiwanese chips over many years, but a CHINESE ATTACK could instantly wreck a vital supply line, with little or no warning. So how can the EU protect itself against such a risk [to 'value added' commerce within the Single Market] ?

wait for it ...
LURE certain producers into manufacturing commitments [to national security] on the European continent.
where proven iPhone mineral and metal reserves are abundant and CHEAP?
While Europe has BAGGED new investments in recent months -- by companies such as Intel in Germany and STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundries in France -- TSMC still hasn't committed to [building] a European fabrication plant [in EU27], choosing to open one in Japan and Arizona in the U.S. instead.

And that's a massive blindspot [sic], [VC, Acorn Computer founder Hermann] Hauser said. "Unfortunately, at the moment we seem to try and do this shift with Intel, and Intel just doesn't have the technology. We need to do it with TSMC and Samsung. I don't understand why we're not having more serious discussions with Samsung and TSMC," he said.

CNBC | WTO sales sheet, 16 Oct 2021
by Cat on Sun Aug 7th, 2022 at 11:58:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]
yahoo! Insider | Apple reportedly warned suppliers not to use 'made in Taiwan' labels on products to avoid angering China following Nancy Pelosi's visit, 5 Aug geographical indications
according to a report from Nikkei.

The tech company told its suppliers that products or parts made in Taiwan must be identified as made either in "Taiwan, China" or "Chinese Taipei" to avoid indicating that the island is independent of China, the Japanese business news outlet said.

According to Nikkei, Apple made the decision in order to avoid possible supply chain disruptions from Chinese scrutiny over the labels, especially as the company prepares to receive components from Taiwan that will be used for new products slated to launch later this year. Some iPhone components were held for review on Thursday to see whether the shipments were labeled to China's satisfaction, Nikkei reported....

Nikkei G7 | Flickering Shadow of the "New Axis" Great Power diplomacy that does not allow contradictions, Unable to break the bond between China and Russia, 5 Aug machine translation ...
Roasted liver is also shaken.
... writes itself, yo
by Cat on Sat Aug 6th, 2022 at 12:58:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
US News Reuters | China Cancels Bilateral Meeting With Japan After G7 Taiwan Statement, 4 Aug
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.
ASEAN (1967 FTA): BN, KH, ID, LA, MY, MM, PH, SG, TH, VN
EAS (East Asia Summit): US, AU, JP, NZ; CN, RU, IN, KR, ASEAN
APEC (1989 FTA): CN, CN-hk, CN-tw, RU, ID, SG, VN, TH, PH, MX, PE, CL, BN, PG, MY, KR; US, AU, JP, NZ, 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
G7: FR, DE, IT, EU-CO, EU-EC, JP, UK, US, CA
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on August 2, 2022
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.

by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 12:19:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Xinhau | China, Cambodia vow to carry forward traditional friendship, 3 Aug
When meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni thanked the Chinese government and its people for their valuable help and assistance to the kingdom's socio-economic development and its fight against COVID-19.

Noting that the Cambodia-China relations have reached a historical high, the king said both countries are actively building the China-Cambodia community with a shared future and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, which will bring tangible benefits to the two peoples.

The Cambodian side fully supports the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative proposed by China, he said, adding that Cambodia will continue its adherence to the one-China policy and stand firmly with China. ...

by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 12:27:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

CAPTION: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (L) is welcomed by U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg (C) and Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, after arriving at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 65 kilometers south of Seoul, on Aug. 3, 2022, to meet with South Korean National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo amid heightened regional tensions in the wake of her high-profile visit to Taiwan, in this photo captured from the Twitter account of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Yonhap | Victim of sexual slavery injured in attempt to meet Pelosi, 4 Aug
According to a group of activists aiding Lee, the 93-year-old had been hoping to speak with Pelosi at the National Assembly. With Pelosi about to arrive at the compound, members of the National Assembly's security detail pushed Lee's wheelchair aside to make room, sending the elderly woman to the ground.
[...]
The aforementioned civic group had asked Pelosi on Wednesday to speak with Lee and to resolve the sexual slavery issue in accordance with the U.S. House of Representatives Resolution 121. The 2007 resolution called on Japan to "formally acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical responsibility" for its coercion of young women into sexual slavery in Asia during the 1930s and World War II. Pelosi played an instrumental role [kazoo?] in the passing of the resolution.
HANKYOREH | Pelosi arrives in S. Korea, but no in-person meeting
The House speaker's visit coincided with the president's vacation period, but some observers say that considerations of the rising tensions between Washington and Beijing appear to have factored into Yoon's decision not to meet with her
Yoon's approval rating slips to 20% range as disapproval nears 70%
An official with the ruling People Power Party who is acquainted with the situation in the presidential office explained, "It's awkward [for Yoon] to meet with Speaker Pelosi at a time when the US and China are flexing their muscles like this." The presidential office however stated Thursday that Yoon was scheduled to speak to Pelosi over the phone that afternoon.
[...]
Pelosi was also scheduled to visit Panmunjom, [De-militarized Zone] afterward.
If that visit occurs, Pelosi would be the highest-level American to go to the Joint Security Area since then-President Donald TRUMP went there in 2019 for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Sitting inside the 4-km (2.5-mile) -wide Demilitarized Zone, a buffer created at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, the JSA is the site of past bloodshed and a venue for numerous talks. US presidents and other top officials have often travelled to the JSA and other border areas to reaffirm their security commitment to South Korea.

Any statement critical of North Korea by Pelosi is certain to draw a furious response from Pyongyang. On Wednesday, the North's Foreign Ministry slammed the United States over her Taiwan trip, saying that "the current situation clearly shows that the impudent interference of the US in internal affairs of other countries."

"Speaker Pelosi will be visiting the JSA," a South Korean military official confirmed in a telephone conversation with the Hankyoreh. Her visit appeared intended to send a message of warning and restraint to Pyongyang at a time when observers are predicting a seventh North Korean nuclear test is imminent.
QUAD (2007 mil): US, AU, JP, IN (2021), KR* (2022)
IPEF (2022 NGO): US, AU, JP, IN, NZ, KR, ID*, BN*, MY*, PH*, SG*, TH*, VN*
CHIP 4 (2022 ?): US, JP, CN-tw, *KR
Free Press Journal| US' Antony Blinken meets EAM S Jaishankar in Cambodia, says 'India among closest partners', 4 Aug "centrality"
"Taking part in the ASEAN meetings is the opportunity for us to get together and compare notes with our closest partners, starting with my longtime friend, Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar," Antony Blinken said in the statement.
EAS (FM Meeting, Regional Forum, Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative): to address "the COVID-19 pandemic, economic cooperation, the fight against climate change, the crisis in Burma [!], and Russia's war in Ukraine"
by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 02:42:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Automotive News Bloomberg | CATL puts U.S. plant on pause, 3 Aug
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.
by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 01:20:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Announces Countermeasures in Response to Nancy Pelosi's Visit to Taiwan, 5 Aug China-U.S. intergov cooperation list
cancelled
• Theater Commanders Talk
• Defense Policy Coordination Talks
• Military Maritime Consultative Agreement meetings
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
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.
suspended
• repatriation of illegal immigrants
• legal assistance in criminal matters
• cooperation against transnational crimes
• counternarcotics cooperation
• talks on climate change
by Cat on Fri Aug 5th, 2022 at 11:36:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]
China decides to adopt sanctions on Pelosi

What are these sanctions?

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Fri Aug 5th, 2022 at 11:46:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]
The EC with the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has developed formidable procedures according to "well-established principles of international law, such as respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other states" to identify, seize, and "freeze" real property and financial assets held by persons who violate national security laws.

Allegedly famille Pelosi holdings subject to the CBIRC, CSRC, PBOC and MoF regulation include:
• Asia Investment Fund, sub Mingji Global Investment
• Matthews Global Investors
• Matthews International Mutual Fund
• International Media Acquisition Corp

Use your imagination.

by Cat on Fri Aug 5th, 2022 at 08:12:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
What does the EU or the Treasury have to do with Chinese sanctions?

You reported on Chinese sanctions on Pelosi. Why are you not giving us the details (Or, on the other hand, why bother reporting on the fighting in Ukraine, when we could "use our immagination")

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sat Aug 6th, 2022 at 02:37:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
EU and US have "well-established principles of international law, such as respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other states" to identify, seize, and "freeze" real property and financial assets held by persons who violate national security laws."

China enforces its national security laws and constantly avers state obligations to "international laws" and UN Conventions. Until further notice, I presume China will apply those "well-established principles" and procedures (as precisely explained by US Treasury Sec Yellen, for example, and EC President vdL) to arrest proceeds from beneficial ownership entitled to persons who violate its own national security laws.

Yes, I'm not going to search for either an official statement published by the Chinese MoF or applicable provisions of Chinese civil code. I've wasted enough energy on revealing EUR LEX and USC. You try it!

by Cat on Sat Aug 6th, 2022 at 05:22:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I did look for what the sanctions are. I couldn't find anything. Maybe they only published them in Chinese. But our "journalists" who published the story should have done their job.
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sat Aug 6th, 2022 at 05:41:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Thu Jan 23rd, 2020 "Iran-related" people and companies
by Cat on Sat Aug 6th, 2022 at 06:31:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]
wkiwtf 1914 "influence zones", or "over-seas territories," or colonies

MOFA strongly condemns China for launching multiple missiles into waters around Taiwan, 4 Aug
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. ...
reference
military fandom | Eight-Nation Alliance
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...
A Chronology Of The United States Marine Corp, 1947-1964
[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.
U.S. Marine Corps Operations in Korea, 1950-1953, Vol IV, "The East-Central Front"
...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....
Taiwan's Secret Ally: US Seventh Fleet
by Cat on Fri Aug 5th, 2022 at 08:40:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on August 5, 2022 + Wang Yi's itinerary w/o 7 Aug
Phoenix TV: The US has decided to reschedule its long-planned Minuteman III ICBM test because it is demonstrating the behavior of a responsible country by reducing security risks. How do you respond to that?

Hua Chunying: Somehow the word "responsible" sounds a bit awkward when the US uses it to describe itself. ...

by Cat on Sat Aug 6th, 2022 at 03:45:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]
US [legation] says Solomon Islands [PM] 'missed opportunity' to genuflect, 8 Aug
[U.S. deputy secretary of state] Wendy Sherman and U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy were among dignitaries who attended a dawn service near the capital of Honiara on Sunday to commemorate the Battle of Guadalcanal.

Sherman's father, Marine Mal Sherman, and Kennedy's father, the late President John F. Kennedy, almost died in fighting on the Solomons. Kennedy had been the commander of a patrol torpedo boat that was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer. Sherman was wounded during the Guadalcanal campaign, which was the Japanese army's first defeat of WWII.

Sep 2013: Solomon Islands Supports Elimination of all Nuclear Weapons
Oct 2014: Fourth Committee Takes Up Effects of Atomic Radiation Exposure
Aug 2019: Cancer control in the Pacific
Sep 2020: Why are there unexploded bombs in the Pacific islands?
Apr 2022: Solomon Islands receive radiation measuring instruments from IAEA
"This was a place where international leaders gathered to say that the work with Solomon Islanders, at the time of World War II, was decisive in victory, in ensuring freedom and democracy. And so I really felt sorry for the prime minister because I think he missed an important opportunity," she added.
by Cat on Thu Aug 11th, 2022 at 11:05:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare's government wants to delay election due to Pacific Games | ABC News AU |

The Prime Minister's office said in July that Solomon Islands did not have the resources to host the Pacific Games and hold an election in 2023.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare's government has said it wants to extend parliament until after it hosts the Pacific Games in November 2023, for which China has donated a stadium and other sporting venues that are being built by Chinese companies.

Australia will be the second largest contributor to the games, after Pacific Minister Pat Conroy announced in Solomon Islands that Australia would contribute almost $17 million towards the landmark event.

Solomon Islands PM's election delay push a `power grab' linked to China pact, opposition leader alleges | The Guardian |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Thu Aug 11th, 2022 at 11:27:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Cat on Fri Aug 12th, 2022 at 11:36:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]
US Embassy in Egypt | G7 Foreign Ministers' Statement on Preserving Peace and Stability Across the Taiwan Strait, 3 Aug 2022 Ten (10)? heads of the G7 legations
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....

by Cat on Sat Aug 6th, 2022 at 11:26:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]
nope

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.
none
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.

13 Aug Al Jazeera | Taliban disperses Afghan women's march for 'work and freedom' (Kabul) media
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.
Winter is coming. Keep hope alive.
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."
by Cat on Sat Aug 13th, 2022 at 03:41:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Dawn | Who contributed to PTI's prohibited funds?, 2 Aug PTI indicted
In a case that dragged on for more than seven years, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruled on Tuesday that the PTI had indeed received funding from prohibited sources.

The ECP has concluded that the PTI "knowingly received and accepted" donations from 351 foreign companies and 34 foreign nationals via two limited liability companies (LLCs) based in the US, in violation of Pakistani law, as well as from various other prohibited sources in Canada, the United Kingdom and other countries.

Here's a list of prohibited funding sources listed in the ECP judgement.

uh oh
Dawn | ECP's damning judgement of Capt. Khan! KHAN!!, 3 Aug
ARE we witnessing the fall of Icarus, the figure from Greek mythology who flew too close to the sun and perished?
[...]
Now the PTI must wait to see how the federal government takes the matter forward, while it does all it can to appeal to the court of public opinion. It is difficult to predict how this pitch will play, given that in Pakistan the game isn't always played by the rules.
by Cat on Wed Aug 3rd, 2022 at 11:10:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
All Jaeera | Part of damaged Beirut port silos collapses after weeks-long fire, 4 Aug
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.



archived corn destined for Lebanon 2022, "They Killed Us From the Inside" 2021,  ammonium nitrate stored at the port 2021, the Pearl of the Middle East 2020
by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 08:53:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Ukriform | Zelensky: There must be effective global security architecture, 3 Aug reform NATO transcript
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!

Interfax.au | Global security architecture must ensure non-use of terror by one state against another - Zelensky, 4 Aug
"Zelensky said this fragility can only be protected by joint action around the world."
Amnesty Int'l | Ukrainian fighting tactics endanger civilians, 4 Aug
by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 09:10:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Daily Beast | Russia Accused of Blowing up POW Camp Killing 50+ to Cover Up Their War Crimes, 29 July alleged attack with HIMARS rockets

Eva Bartlett, Canadian independent journalist, 5 Aug
"Ukraine Bombed A Donetsk Hotel Full of Journalists", 4 Aug

Politico | Amnesty International's Ukraine head quits after report slamming Kyiv's war tactics, 6 Aug cockroach alert

Oksana Pokalchuk, head of Amnesty International Ukraine, said in a [Meta] Facebook post late Friday that the report "became a tool of Russian propaganda." Pokalchuk said she decided to leave due to disagreement on values [?!] with the leadership of Amnesty International.
[...]
Pokalchuk said that Amnesty International's office in Ukraine consistently asked for the report to take into account the position < wipes tears > of the country's Defense Ministry. However, when the group eventually reached out to the ministry, Ukrainian officials were given very little time to respond, she said. Amnesty said on Thursday that it contacted the Defense Ministry on July 29.
< wipes tears >
"As a result, unwittingly [co-conspirators?], the organization created material that sounded like support for Russian narratives," Pokalchuk wrote. "Seeking to protect civilians, this research instead became a tool of Russian propaganda."
South Front | Russia sends data to UN proving Kiev attacked detention center, 5 Aug
"We have called on the UN to immediately give an objective assessment of what happened", Polyanskiy said on his social media." (UNSC presidency, Aug 2022)

archived Patrick Lancaster, ICRC Avozstal, OPCW Syria, HRW Libya, Mueller USA in 18 USC 2,371,2349,2028A

by Cat on Sat Aug 6th, 2022 at 11:14:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Express
ENERGY-INTENSIVE industries face having to slow or shut down entirely due to soaring energy costs and the Government was warned even prior to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Russia, sources claim.
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sat Aug 27th, 2022 at 08:03:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Aug 1st, 2022 at 06:37:37 PM EST
S&P Global, Platts to begin publishing global I-RECs renewable electricity assessments
Commodity: Electric Power, Energy Transition
Region: Asia, Americas, EMEA

The I-RECs assessments will reflect spot deliveries of certificates, representing a minimum 1 GWh, for prior year and current year vintages, rolling to the next vintages at the start of each calendar year. For example, the vintages reflected in the assessment will be 2021 and 2022 until Dec.l 31, 2022, and will roll into 2022 and 2023 on Jan. 1, 2023.
Assessments will be published for the following technologies and units of measures suited for each region:

• Brazil, assessments will be published in BRL/MWh, USD/MWh and EUR/MWh at a 4:30 pm Sao Paulo Brazil/3:30 pm Houston close for wind, hydro, solar and biomass technologies.
• Turkey, assessments will be in EUR/MWh [?!] and USD/MWh at a 4:30 pm London close for wind, hydro, solar and biomass technologies.
• India, the I-RECs assessments will be in INR/MWh, USD/MWh and EUR/MWh at a 5:30 pm India/1200 GMT timestamp for hydro.

reference
The International REC Standard Foundation
"empowering purchasers" reserve currencies
What is an I-REC?

Currently, most national EACs schemes are voluntary. For example, the schemes used in the European internal market. Mandated EAC schemes are often referred to as "compliance" markets. [...]  EAC compliance markets are seen in some US States, where they are the tool for meeting a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). EAC schemes can differ based on their legal footing, but the underlying principles of their operation - the issuance, trade, and cancellation of certificates that allow end-users to claim the use of a given unit of energy - are the same.

A visual presentation of how RECs function can be found in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

by Cat on Wed Aug 3rd, 2022 at 06:26:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]
euractiv | Berlin reduces heat pump subsidies amid modest sales number growth, 17 Aug
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.

H.R.5376 - Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 signed by Biden
omnibus appropriations bill feat. discount pharma prices, corp tax reforms, IRS budget, rebates or tax credits* for HH and corp fuel efficiency retrofit, EV purchase, etc estimated to "reduce U.S. gross domestic product by 0.1% within its first decade and increase GDP by 0.3% in 2050" and "inflation by around 0.1 percentage points" by 2030. The act specifically prohibits combination of fed-funded incentives qualified and administered by "State energy offices", and the most generous subsidies are reserved for new SFR construction and multi-family property "heater switches"--from gas to electric or PV.

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.

by Cat on Wed Aug 17th, 2022 at 05:02:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
yahoo! | Why there's a 'high bar' for new EV tax credits, according to a Biden economic adviser, 18 Aug
critics -- including some carmakers -- have criticized the administration for limitations placed, saying it's likely to slow down the adoption of EVs and leave drivers with few options.

"Certainly, it sets a high bar that that tax credit is eligible for batteries and vehicles that are produced in the United States or in North America or countries that we have free trade agreements with," Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council, told Yahoo Finance Live (video above). "We think that that's an appropriate bar because what we want across time is to provide a strong incentive for us to have secure supply chains in those areas."
[...]
Specifically, the new law restricts the full tax credit to EVs with battery material sourced from the U.S. or free-trade partners, starting in 2024. Any minerals or components sourced from "foreign entities of concern" including China would not qualify for the [MAX] $7,500 credit. Final assembly of the vehicle would also need to take place in North America. Adding to the restrictions, the law only applies to vehicles with a manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) below $55,000 for cars and below $80,000 for trucks and SUVs....

by Cat on Thu Aug 18th, 2022 at 06:58:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

In a recent interview with Yahoo Finance Live, Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker called the restrictions counterproductive, arguing that the limitations would actually "slow the adoption of EVs."

"It's going to offer less choice to the consumers," he said. "I'll be surprised if there's even 10 vehicles in the US that will qualify for the full amount."

An analysis by the Congressional Budget Office estimated the $85 million set aside for new EV credits in the 2023 fiscal years would only translate to 11,000 new vehicles sold under the $7,500 credit. That pales in comparison to roughly 630,000 EVs sold in 2021 just in the U.S.

by Cat on Thu Aug 18th, 2022 at 07:01:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Blue/Border/Free State Maryland
waiting on distribution of $6B of unobligated CARES fed funds (d/b/a state "surplus") FY July 2022/23

[Maglev] Hogan touts transportation aid during his tenure, but counties say it still lags, 18 Aug

The president of the Maryland Association of Counties [MACo] said Thursday that a "significant increase" in state transportation aid represents a good start but more is still needed. ... the underlying formula governing that aid is lower than where it was before cuts were made more than a decade ago.
OLD state formula: 30% of total fed funds distributed to 24 county governments; NEW! state formula: 19.8%
Three decades ago, 23 counties would split roughly [75%] of the [federal DOT] aid. The final 25% would go to Baltimore city, which has no state roads.
Interstate 170, "Highway to Nowhere"
[Maglev] Hogan [gov-R], in an unusual opening day conference address, used his time to take one more victory lap for his two terms. Eight years ago, [Maglev] Hogan stood in front of the same group and vowed to restore lost state aid for local transportation projects.

"We prioritized funding for local transportation projects. The previous administration cut highway user [interstate toll] revenues by 90%. I promised you eight years ago if I was elected, we'd try to do something about that," said Hogan.

mass transit: purple line, red line, "Greater Baltimore" express bus system, $10B, 300 mph maglev "mega project"
That funding was slashed by as much as 96 percent under [Martin] O'Malley [gov-D] and the state [Reagan-Dem] legislature to help offset budget shortfalls deficit.
by Cat on Sun Aug 21st, 2022 at 09:10:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
It's a little bit dry at my place...

by Bernard (bernard) on Fri Aug 5th, 2022 at 09:16:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Marine Link | Three new ships with ["]grain["] leave Ukraine under landmark deal, 5 Aug
The Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, which groups Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and U.N. personnel, said two ships were setting off from Chornomorsk and one from Odesa.
[...]
The Turkish Defense Ministry said on Twitter the Panama-flagged Navistar, carrying 33,000 tonnes of corn and going from Ukraine to Ireland, departed from Odesa Port. The ship will be inspected by the Joint Coordination Centre to the north of Istanbul. The second ship, the Maltese-flagged Rojen, carrying 13,000 tonnes of corn [!] departed from Chornomorsk port bound for Britain. The Joint Inspection Team was monitoring it.

The [third,] Turkish-flagged ship Polarnet set off from Chornomorsk for the Turkish Black Sea port of Karasu [TR].

MSN AFP | Ship accused of carrying stolen Ukranian ["]grain["] leaves Lebanon, 4 Aug
and was later reported by authorities in Damascus to have arrived at the Syrian port of Tartus to unload its cargo. ... The Sierra Leone-registered Razoni set sail from Odessa for Lebanon on Monday with 26,000 tonnes of maize ["die Korn"] under an accord brokered by Turkey and the United Nations that seeks to release millions of tonnes of trapped Ukrainian produce to world markets.
archived I-see-it-everywhere, flour, barley

Hag Watch Int'l "in violent agreement"
USAID Administrator and UN Ambassador on Global Food Security, 20 July US Foreign Relations Committee A/V (EN), feat. Samantha Power and Linda Thomas-Greenfield, respectively, and David Beasely, exec. director of World Food Program; running time 01:59:58

SEN. CARDIN [@0 0:43:45]: Let me interrupt for a moment, because I'm pleased that you're visiting the sites that need attention, that need to understand the causes, and need to know the tools that are available to help, my concern is that we have our so-called allied countries that are part of our alliance in our support for Ukraine, I don't know, necessarily see them recognizing the same degree that food is being used as a weapon of war. So my concern is, do we have a strategy to engage our supportive countries to be more paticipatory in dealing with the challengs we have and recognizing this is a PUTIN strategy and therefore needs as we provide weapons to defend Ukraine, as we provide direct support, we also need to be providing help in regards to the problems Russia's creating with food insecurity.
POWER: May I give a few examples maybe, Linda? So first uh I, again, I think, we're all in violent agreement uh that the response needs to be more multilateralized, that those who are lagging need to step up uh. It's something that Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield is working every day in New York, that Secretary Blinken is working around the world. I will say, Senator, of the European countries, again, they have opened their doors to the refugees. That is not without cost. European Commission President van der Leyen has just also announced more than six billion dollars [sic] toward reconstruction. So they are also thinking ahead. And if I could answer your question a slightly different way, but in paralell to Linda's comments, I think, one of the answers to your questions is, comes down, the word 'resilience.' And what we're doing, what USAID on the ground, thanks to the infusion of resources from you but also our pre-exising programs which were headed in this direction anyway, is building Ukraine's capacity not to be dependent, for example, on everything from the Russian export market [?] to Russia's actions in the Black Sea. We are now uh to ensure they have the barges to use the rivers, to be able to modernize their rail lines so they can connect to Europe. This isn't to say that we anticipate there being a Black Sea crisis every year for the rest of time. This war has to end. PUTIN has to end it; but it does mean that diversification is really important. In Africa it's the same issue. Linda knows well from all her time there, the dependence that so many countries have, for example on Russian fertilizer. It's the number one fertilizer producer, exporter in the world, and that is not a reliable source of fertilizers ...
by Cat on Sat Aug 6th, 2022 at 04:37:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Perhaps Samantha could revisit the Libya adventure, jast as the Iraq War was a violation of International law and abuse of the declaration to abide by UN Charter on sovereignty of nations. The spread of Al Qaeda terror followed by the jihadists of the Islamic State across MENA States and Western Africa. Mali suffered the brunt with neighboring nations, Nigeria included. The Justice done by killing Ayman al-Zawahiri<will not change the presence in multiple locations of AQ related terror havens. <p>

Key word | R2P |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sat Aug 6th, 2022 at 06:26:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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

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.

whitehouse.gov | FACT SHEET: U.S. STRATEGY TOWARD SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, 8 Aug bottom line
[...]
• Pursuing public-private partnerships to sustainably develop and secure the critical minerals that will supply clean energy technologies
archived DR Congo expels UN peacekeeping mission [MONUSCO] spokesman after protests, Marcon calls Russia 'one of the last imperial colonial powers', H.R.7311 - Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act, Mali, CEDEAO and UMEOA
by Cat on Fri Aug 12th, 2022 at 05:33:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
From today's diary -- New Age Baerbock's Transatlantik Moment

A stronger transatlantic relationship for the stability of the Middle East and North Africa Biden and Draghi Atlantic Council June 2022.

A new transatlantic relationship for the Middle East and North Africa

Through this initiative, the US is empowering North African nations to decide with whom and when they cooperate on issues. Yael Lempert made clear that regional stability is in the best interest of nations across the globe, and that the US will continue to have a newly defined presence in North Africa that highlights the region's human potential.

According to Lempert, the US has also been at the forefront of enacting a sustainable political vision in the MENA.

Indeed the US has deployed Special Forces for over two decades across the African continent with as much success as advisors across SE Asia to stop fallen dominoes of Communist expansion.

Key words NATO expansion Southern Front by means of Spain (Morocco) and Italy (Libya) | mercenaries for the White House | France ousted in role (Algeria)

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri Aug 12th, 2022 at 07:08:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Fri Aug 12th, 2022 at 07:17:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Guests: Einar Tangen, current affairs commentator
Hannah Ryder, founder and CEO of Development Reimagined
Wang Jin, professor at Northwest University of China

8 Aug
US State | Vital Partners, Shared Priorities: The Biden Administration's Sub-Saharan Africa Strategy
monologue
US State | Remarks at the Opening of the U.S.-South African Strategic Dialogue, opening remarks
FM PANDOR: Long time no see
SEC BLINKEN: floods in Durban and in Kentucky
US State | Secretary Antony J. Blinken and South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor at a Joint Press Availability, Q&A
SEC BLINKEN: repercussions of Russia's war in Ukraine
FM PANDOR: I'm glad that Secretary Blinken has confirmed that America is not asking us to choose

by Cat on Fri Aug 12th, 2022 at 10:11:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
For Blinken numbers count?

And, as you've heard, by 2050, one in four people on the planet we share will be African. They will shape the destiny not only of this continent but of the world.

Should be easy to copy/paste this speech for Antony's visit to Beijing soon. 😂

Key Projections The World in 2050 | PMC - 2017 |

  • Six of the seven largest economies in the world are projected to be emerging economies in 2050 led by China (1st), India (2nd) and Indonesia (4th)

  • The US could be down to third place in the global GDP rankings while the EU27's share of world GDP could fall below 10% by 2050

  • UK could be down to 10th place by 2050, France out of the top 10 and Italy out of the top 20 as they are overtaken by faster growing emerging economies like Mexico, Turkey and Vietnam respectively
  • Of the G7 countries only the US (3rd) is projected to remain in top 7!

    Russia was 6th and would remain 6th, larger than any other European state. The Biden Blitzkrieg to force a war on the European continent is like throwing a wrench in well organized logistics of global economies. Doing it on its own merits won't cut it. The US needs more territory. Russia knows what it is defending to survive economically. Brussels and the EU-27 will be a footnote in history. Japan drops down to 8th followed by Germany 9th and quite optimistic a post-Brexit UK at 10th.

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Sat Aug 13th, 2022 at 06:50:28 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    By 2050 the BRICS bloc of nations would be China 1st, India 2nd, Brazil 5th, Russia 6th plus South Africa. Both Turkey and Iran may have decided to be aligned with this economic bloc. Meet the new G7 🙃 ... Indonesia (4th) would be a big prize.

    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Sat Aug 13th, 2022 at 07:05:17 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    BRICS (2009 FTA): CN, RU, BR, IN, ZA; AR*, DZ*, EG*, ID, IR, CM*, ML*, SN*, TH*, UZ*, FJ*, ET*, KZ*

    * observer, dialogue, or applicant member

    APEC (1989 FTA): CN, CN-hk, CN-tw, RU, ID, SG, VN, TH, PH, MX, PE, CL, BN, PG, MY, KR; US, AU, JP, NZ, CA
    ASEAN (1967 FTA): BN, KH, ID, LA, MY, MM, PH, SG, TH, VN

    by Cat on Sat Aug 13th, 2022 at 05:39:50 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    2 Feb, Drilling of China's designed deepest onshore gas well begins
    Drilling of the "Dabei-401" well, designed to be China's deepest onshore gas well, has started on Tuesday in the country's northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The Tarim Oilfield said it is expected to drill 110 ultra-deep wells this year, while it drilled 23 wells with a depth of over 8,000 meters in 2021....Tarim Basin is a major petroliferous basin in China, producing one-sixth of the country's total production of natural gas.
    12 Aug, Chinese Oil Giants Sinopec And PetroChina To Delist From NYSE
    Apart from Sinopec and PetroChina, the other firms that had notified the NYSE of their intentions to delist were China Life Insurance and Aluminium Corporation of China (Chalco).

    PetroChina said in its release that it had notified the NYSE today of its decision and would file with the SEC on or about August 29 a form to delist its ADSs from the NYSE.

    American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") from the NYSE  [...2000 HKSE/23.5% NYSE, 2005 HKSE, 2007 SSE] As of 9 August 2022, the issued and outstanding ADSs represented approximately 3.93% of the total [diluted] H Shares and approximately 0.45% of the total share capital of the Company.
    Among the many business reasons for seeking delisting of its ADSs, PetroChina cited "the considerable administrative burden for performing the disclosure obligations as necessary for maintaining the listing of the ADSs on the NYSE as a result of the differences in the regulatory rules of multiple listing venues." ...
    14 Aug China drills one of world's deepest oil deposits - Tarim Basin, Xinjiang A.R.
    China's largest oil refiner Sinopec has reportedly extracted crude oil and natural gas from a newly drilled oil reserve with wells around 8,000 meters deep.... 244 tons of crude oil and 970,000 cubic meters of natural gas per day. ... The Shunbei oil and gas field has 41 ultra-deep drilling wells, and is one of the world's deepest onshore commercial oil and gas fields, according to Sinopec.
    15 Aug, Wall Street on Parade sez, China Moves to Delist Five State-Owned Companies from the New York Stock Exchange
    For the past two decades, China has been stonewalling U.S. regulators over access to the work papers of auditors of publicly traded companies that are based in China but listed on U.S. stock exchanges. China takes the position that these audit work papers hold state secrets and it prohibits audit firms from releasing the documents directly to U.S. regulators, effectively FLOUTING U.S. accounting law FASB guidance. This UNTENABLE situation finally forced the hand of Congress to take a stand in December of 2020....
    Courthouse News to most ignorant, litigious investors on planet: PULL THE OTHER ONE, LADDY!

    archived 9 Aug book promo, Thu Jul 28th, 2022

    by Cat on Tue Aug 16th, 2022 at 11:46:20 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Politico.eu.com | UN says forced labor takes place in Xinjiang, Tibet, 18 Aug
    Forced labor has taken place in the Xinjiang region of China, the U.N.'s top expert on slavery concluded in a new report which has riled Beijing.

    It is "reasonable to conclude that forced labour among Uyghur, Kazakh and other ethnic minorities in sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing" took place in the western region, where China has been accused of human rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslim minority, and a "genocide" by the [U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo].

    In stinging remarks, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery Tomoya Obokata added that some aspects of China's Xinjiang policy could even amount to "enslavement as a crime against humanity."

    archived CIA Report: Xinjiang Problem, 22-28 May 2022 1,660,001 km2 fly-over

    Global Times | Non-jury trial for national security case to ensure a fair trial: HK Department of Justice, 17 Aug

    The AFP first reported that dozens of suspects including some who were involved in organizing and planning the so-called "35-plus" political strategy in 2020 would see a non-jury trial as the case involves foreign elements. Citing the relevant documents, the AFP also said the reason of departing from the tradition of jury trial is for the personal safety of jurors and their family members, and a risk of perverting the course of justice if the trial is conducted with a jury.
    [...]
    The Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance, which incorporated many of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provisions, does not provide for a right to be tried by jury in Hong Kong, so a trial by jury is not a protected right or fundamental right or constitutional right in Hong Kong, Lawrence Ma, barrister and chairman of the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
    reference
    International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 8(3), exceptions; Article 9, omissions
    National Security Law of the People's Republic of China (2015)
    The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2021)
    The Lawyers & Jurists Foundation, "SOLICITORS VS BARRISTERS"
    by Cat on Thu Aug 18th, 2022 at 05:16:29 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    DW | How has Hong Kong weaponized its judiciary to target dissent?, 24 Aug
    Two high-profile national security cases in Hong Kong will proceed without juries, according to the media in the former British colony, with some analysts interpreting this as another signal of failing judicial independence.
    plea deals
    [HKSAR Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China co-ordinator] Kwong [Chung-Ching] said some defendants might choose to plead guilty to receive shorter jail sentences, but they might also think that arguing in court would not make a difference for the outcome.

    "Since they have been remanded for more than a year, it makes more sense to just get out of jail as soon as possible," she said.

    English law: bail bonds, recognisance or remand, possibly flight risk and electronic monitoring
    "The threshold for granting bail is so hard to achieve now,"she added. It's very problematic to see that we are relieved when someone received bail, because it should be a norm that most defendants should receive bail as long as they don't have a high risk of hindering case development."

    reference
    How to Germany | German Law and the German Legal System

    There is no such thing as a jury trial in Germany and judges take on a more active role in court proceedings. Court procedures [folowing civil or criminal arraignment?] are otherwise similar to a < wipes tears >jury trial  in the USA [minus 12 + 5 alternates]. Under German law the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
    Quora | Why does the German legal system not allow trial by jury?
    "The court and legal system in Germany is very much different from what you know in the US."
    Bernhard Schmeilzl, Esq. | WHERE IS MY JURY?
    Litigating in a German court of law could not be any more different from what USA litigation lawyers or English barristers are used to. First, under German civil procedure rules, there is no jury, only a professional judge (usually only one, sometimes three or five). That's the ["]guy["] you need to persuade in order to win your case.
    < wipes tears >
    What else is different?

    Well, quite a lot. For starters, there is no pre-trial discovery: actually, there is no discovery at all. There are no depositions and, normally, also no written witness statements. ...

    Herzog, "Philosophical and social view of the jury : could it have a renaissance in Germany?" (2001) "lay" participation
    II. The Philosophical Foundation : Hegel´s Philosophy of Rights (1821)
    [...]
    III. Academic and Political Criticism: Impracticability and Inefficiency of Jury Trials

    by Cat on Thu Aug 25th, 2022 at 03:36:18 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Readovka | "Kommersant": the Federal Penitentiary Service said that Russian pre-trial detention centers are 96% full, 25 Aug Red state, Blue state NORM!
    The department said that as of August 1, 2022, 114,172 people were kept in Russian detention centers , despite the fact that they are designed for 118,495 . The Federal Penitentiary Service concluded that the filling limit was not exceeded .
    [...]
    Aleksey Dobrynin , Managing Partner at Pen & Paper Bar Association, pointed to the overcrowding in prisons in St. Petersburg and the region since last year, and noted that judges continue to impose detention as the main punishment , despite the instruction of the Supreme Court to choose more lenient measures of restraint for light crimes. At the same time, the heads of institutions cannot but accept new prisoners, and the problem is solved by "compacting" the cells, adding new beds.

    This problem was felt most strongly in the Rostov region - there are 5 detention centers in the region, designed for a total of 3.6 thousand people, but in May of this year, the head of the local PMC, Igor Omelchenko , reported that the limits in each of them were exceeded by 100-300 prisoners....

    by Cat on Fri Aug 26th, 2022 at 03:33:33 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    APaplainin just us
    At $249 per day, prison stays leave ex-inmates deep in debt, 29 Aug "pay-to-stay"
    Pay-to-stay laws were put into place in many areas during the [Reagan-Biden] tough-on-crime era of the 1980s and '90s, said Brittany Friedman, an assistant professor of sociology at University of Southern California who is leading a study of the practice.
    by Cat on Mon Aug 29th, 2022 at 05:42:07 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    OHCHR Assessment of human rights concerns in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China, 31 Aug, 48 pp
    3. In light of the breadth and gravity of the allegations, and the nature of information received, OHCHR has sought access to XUAR [Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region] to verify claims since 2018.7 In parallel, and further to its global mandate under General Assembly resolution 48/141 and within existing resources, OHCHR has continued to monitor the situation and assess the allegations, including by reviewing and critically analysing publicly available official documentation, as well as research material, satellite imagery and other open-source information, examining their origin, credibility, weight and reliability in line with standard OHCHR methodology. Throughout OHCHR's review, particular attention was given to official Government documentation and information, including laws, policies, statistical data, court decisions, and official statements and White Papers made public by the Government, as well as a number of other documents that are in the public domain and which OHCHR has assessed as highly likely to be authentic based on strong indicia of official character.8 OHCHR has also closely studied information presented by the Government, including in the context of its reviews before the UN human rights treaty bodies and in response to UN Special Procedures communications, 9 and examined material submitted to it by academic and other institutions inside China.10. ....
    Always. read. the footnotes.
    a strongly worded letter
    Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Other International Organizations in Switzerland, 31 Aug in re: No.GJ/56/2022
    by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 05:54:28 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Bloomberg | Xi and Putin to Attend G-20 Summit in Indonesia, Jokowi [ID, G20 President Joko Widodo] Says, 19 Aug invitations
    Putin and Jokowi discussed preparations for the G-20 summit in Bali in a phone call Thursday, the Kremlin said in a statement that didn't mention whether the Russian leader will attend. Putin's attendance could also bring him face to face with Volodymyr Zelensk* for the first time since Russia's invasion because the Ukrainian president is also ["]slated["] to be in Bali.[...]
    "Indonesia wants to be friends with everyone," [Widodo] said. "We don't have problems with any country. Each country will have their own approach. Each leader has their own approach. But what's needed by Indonesia is investment, technology that will change our society."
    archived Mass Rapid Transit, CAMPAIGN 2019, five containers of trash, ban on cattle exports
    Sputnik | Indonesia Not Supporting US Initiative on [racketeering], Ambassador [Jose Tavares] Says
    "Indonesia will never support initiatives that are not in line with its own national interests. Indonesia has always conducted active free foreign policy that is only in line with its national interests," the diplomat said.
    Reuters | UK PM candidate Sunak: Russia's Putin should be barred from G20
    Truss's campaign, asked for her position,referred to comments she made in July when she said it would be important to confront Putin in front of allies like India and Indonesia. "I would go there, and I would call Putin out," she told a televised debate on July 25.
    UK and Indonesia announce new Joint Economic and Trade Committee, Apr 2021
    Netherlands Becomes Indonesia's Third-Largest Investment Partner in Q2, July 2021
    by Cat on Fri Aug 19th, 2022 at 03:25:33 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Xinhua | China begins shipment of high-speed trains to Indonesia, 21 Aug
    A high-speed electric passenger train and an inspection train, customized for the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway in Indonesia, left the port of Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province on Sunday.
    [...]
    The first trains will arrive in Jakarta by the end of August, and the delivery of the remainder will be completed in batches by the beginning of 2023, according to the company. ...With a total length of 142 kilometers, the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway connects Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, and Bandung, a famous tourist city in Indonesia.
    by Cat on Wed Aug 24th, 2022 at 10:49:16 PM EST
    [ Parent ]

    Captial News | "US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman [BWAH!] says the delegation will also discuss shared goals- health, security, and economic prosperity during the meeting."

    Africa-press | Raila meets visiting Senator Chris Coons

    Senator Coons, who is leading a  congressional delegation of [anonymous] US Senate and House Representatives, commended President Kenyatta for ensuring peace and stability prevailed during the election period.

    [President-elect William] Ruto on the other hand said the talks touched on the just concluded elections in the country and areas of cooperation between Kenya and the United States.

    VOA | US Congressional Delegation in Kenya Amid Election CRISIS(template)
    ... Coons, a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and his delegation have already visited Cape Verde [sic] and Mozambique and are expected to visit Rwanda, where the Congo tensions and human rights should be on the agenda following Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Kigali [and South Africa] last week....
    yahoo! AP | US senator urges Kenyan president to aid PEACEFUL transition
    ... After meeting with Kenyatta, Odinga, and Ruto, Coons told the AP "I was encouraged that in all three meetings we heard a commitment to a call for calm and tranquility, to respect the legal processes established in the 2010 constitution." He said the conversations were about the rule of law, the importance of free and fair elections and peaceful transitions.

    "Obviously, the United States has had a very difficult experience with these issues for the past few years," Coons said, referring to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol as former President Donald Trump tried to remain in power. "I said in all three meetings we have things to learn from Kenya." ...

    Kenyans | US Senator Christopher Coons' History in Kenya, 2018
    In a [1984] college paper article, the [imminent] senator wrote the source of his conversion from Republican to Democrat was his [semester abroad in] Kenya. His rivals [of the Ethiopian-American persuasion] used the article to claim that Coons had confessed the Kenyan trip converted him into a Marxist.
    < wipes tears >
    by Cat on Thu Aug 18th, 2022 at 06:27:14 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Cat on Thu Aug 18th, 2022 at 08:32:27 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on August 17, 2022
    Xinhua News Agency: The Foreign Ministry today put out an announcement about the upcoming Coordinators' Meeting on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the 8th Ministerial Conference of FOCAC. Could you shed some light on China's expectations for this meeting? ...
    fanabc | DPM And FM Demeke: China-Africa Partnership Benefits The Global Community, 18 Aug
    [Ethiopia] Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister [Demeke Mekonnen] stated that without increased trade and FDI, our efforts to mobilize more finance, create decent jobs, boost exports, build manufacturing capacity, and transfer technology would suffer....
    GT | Wang Yi's attendance of follow-up meeting of FOCAC signals steady progress of ties, 18 Aug
    The foundation of China-Africa cooperation is solid and well fostered over many decades and Africa has been the destination of the Chinese foreign minister's first foreign visit in a year for 32 consecutive years. [...] Trade between China and Africa reached an all-time high in 2021 of $254 billion, from about $10 billion in 2000, according to Xinhua News Agency....
    Joint Statement of the Coordinators' Meeting on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), 19 Aug
    CN, SG, DZ, CD, EG, ET, LY, ZA, AU55
    Recalling the Dakar Declaration, the China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035, the Declaration on China-Africa Cooperation on Combating Climate Change, and the Dakar Action Plan (2022-2024) adopted at the ministerial conference...
    archived 3rd FOCAC 2018
    by Cat on Fri Aug 19th, 2022 at 12:06:29 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    I'm dead, as the Z-ppl say.
    (not those Z-ppl, the other ones)
    South Korea signs US$2.25 billion deal with Russian nuclear energy company, 25 Aug
    Nation has contract with Russian state-run firm to provide components and construct turbine < reckless eyeballin' > building for Egypt's first nuclear power plant ...
    archived Rosatom starts building Egypt's first nuclear power reactor, 22 July
    by Cat on Sat Aug 27th, 2022 at 12:25:21 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Want to disinvest from Russian gas ... EU's  transition to the other green energy by declaration in Brussels.

    Hungary approves construction of two Russian-built nuclear reactors

    The 2014 deal to build two 1,200MW reactors in Paks, 60 miles (100km) south of Budapest, will more than double the plant's capacity.

    Built with Soviet-era technology in the 1980s during Hungary's communist period, the plant is the country's only nuclear facility and provides about 40% of its electricity needs.

    NATO and the EU-27 beyond sanctions ...

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Sat Aug 27th, 2022 at 01:12:44 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    albawaba | 'Was There an Algerian Nation Before 'French Colonization' Macron Asks?, 3 Oct 2021

    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".

    Al Jazeera | France's Macron in Algeria: Frosty ties, bitter history, 25 Aug
    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. ...

    OPEC (1960 FTA): IR, IQ, KW, NG, SA, VZ, LY, AE, DZ, AO, GQ, CG, GA; + OM*, s-SS*, SS*, BN*, RU*, MX*, AZ*, KZ*, MY*, BH*, EC*, ID*, QA*

    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

    by Cat on Tue Aug 30th, 2022 at 12:40:56 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    OGV | Norway's unexpected energy crisis, 10 Aug
    The most striking demonstration of the problems is the gaping price discrepancy between northern and central Norway -- with close to half of the country's hydropower production -- and southern Norway, with all the export cables.

    Electricity in the three southern areas of Norway will cost between €263/MWh and €327/MWh on Wednesday, but in the north and centre of the country they will be just over €1/MWh, according to the day-ahead prices from power market Nord Pool.

    The pattern has lasted long enough that some businesses are voting with their feet: Kryptovault, a Norwegian bitcoin miner, is moving its activities from the south to above the Arctic Circle to slash its power bill.

    The main reason for the 160-fold difference in prices is a lack of transmission capacity between the north and south. ...

    by Cat on Wed Aug 10th, 2022 at 11:47:06 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    hmm, yes, well, now that a number of ancient reactor permit extensions are in place, G7 "carbon-neutral" resource prospecting is accelerating, and approved Fukushima waste water disposal slithered past IPEF "guard rails", the Mainichi reports anudder Kishidanomic innovation.

    Japanese nuclear research agency to export domestically 'useless' uranium ore [and ion-exchange resin], 20 Aug 125 mt

    This effectively means that the Japanese government-funded research and development agency will be taking nuclear-related materials that have no use in Japan and discarding them overseas.
    [...]
    As a general rule, nuclear waste must be disposed of at the location where it was created, meaning that taking it outside Japan could violate international regulations. Under such circumstances, the idea of commissioning another party to refine The Materials emerged.

    The JAEA signed a 170-million-yen (roughly $1.24 million) contract with a subsidiary of Tokyo-based trading house Sojitz Corp. in December 2021 to handle projects including shipment of The Materials overseas. The transportation is scheduled to be completed by February 2023. A U.S. company is seen as a likely candidate for the work, but no agreement has been finalized.
    [...]
    Hiroaki Koide, who served as an associate professor at the former Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute (now the university's Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science), said, "Having collected uranium ore only to find there is no way to use it is a typical example of the overly optimistic attitude from those in charge of nuclear power administration. The authorities go ahead with projects based on optimistic forecasts, and once the projects fail, they pour in taxpayers' money to deal with them." He continued, "If there is no use for the uranium ore, that means it's garbage, and officials should follow the rule that nuclear waste must be processed where it is created."

    PBP (2022 NGO): US, UK, NZ, JP, EU
    IPEF (2022 NGO): US, AU, JP, IN, NZ, KR, ID*, BN*, MY*, PH*, SG*, TH*, VN*
    PIC Forum (1971 NGO): Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Tokelau, Vanuatu, AU

    Japan's plutonium stockpile climbs to 46.1 tons in 2020, first rise in 3 years

    Plutonium is extracted from spent nuclear fuel generated at nuclear plants, for the purpose of recycling. However, the international community has expressed concerns over Japan's large plutonium stockpile, saying it could be converted into nuclear weapons.
    [...]
    Plutonium is mixed with uranium to produce mixed oxide (MOX) fuel for use at nuclear power plants. However, none of the nuclear plants in Japan used MOX fuel in 2020. As a result, the domestic stockpile remained at the same level as the previous year, at roughly 8.9 tons. ...
    QUAD (2007 mil): US, AU, JP, IN (2021), KR* (2022)
    supra fweedom and fiefdom opportunities
    by Cat on Sat Aug 20th, 2022 at 10:08:20 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Toyota truck arm Hino halts more shipments in [emissions] data fraud scandal
    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 [!].

    Hello, VW!
    "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.

    Next week: Yoon pardons Ogiso. Biden offers Kishida $431M inflation reduction aid.
    by Cat on Mon Aug 22nd, 2022 at 10:34:58 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Aug 1st, 2022 at 06:37:51 PM EST
    Senior Defense Official and Senior Military Official Hold a Background Briefing, 29 July
    anonymous contributors to Shaespearian Russian War of Aggression "transcript"
    Named free press in order of appearance: NBC, CBS, ABC, NPR, Reuters, Fox News, CNN, USNI (US Naval Institute), Bloomberg, Air Force Magazine, VOA, Politico
    SENIOR MILITARY OFFICIAL:...So anyways, we'll see where this goes but I would just tell you, as you approach this in your reporting, you know, we'll find the right side of this but I wouldn't believe it's the Russians right away.

    Q: Sure. And an unrelated question, because I don't think this is just a Ukraine briefing. I know you can't talk about what Speaker Pelosi may or may not do but can you say, or I think you can say. but has there been any military -- U.S. military assets, either ships or aircraft, moved near Taiwan in recent days?...

    archived Facts About Smith-Mundt Modernization
    by Cat on Wed Aug 3rd, 2022 at 12:50:11 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Reuters | U.S. to resupply Saudi and UAE missile defense systems, 2 Aug USD *flation buster
    ... 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....

    by Cat on Wed Aug 3rd, 2022 at 07:02:07 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    ICRC | ICRC registers hundreds of prisoners of war from Azovstal plant, 19 May boilerplate
    The ICRC maintains a confidential dialogue with the parties to the conflict on their obligations under international humanitarian law
    vOLdeMoRT | Russia accuses Ukraine of mistreating POWs, 4 Aug
    ... 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.
    yahoo! Independent | 'Sickening' video appears to show Russian soldier castrating Ukrainian prisoner of war, 29 July
    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.
    The Hill | Zelensky says he wants to talk about Russian invasion with China's Xi directly, 4 Aug
    by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 12:58:20 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Politico.eu.com | China's top 5 wolf warrior diplomats sinking their fangs into Europe
    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.
    Newsweek | Steven Seagal Video Pushes Russia Claim HIMARS Killed Ukraine PoWs
    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.
    by Cat on Thu Aug 11th, 2022 at 12:51:47 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    APsplainin | Russia struggles to replenish its troops in Ukraine, 10 Aug
    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.
    NBC | Every branch of the military is struggling to make its 2022 recruiting goals, 29 June
    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.
    US Navy | Future Sailors, Prior-Service Members Eligible for Bonuses and Loan Repayment up to $115,000, 6 Aug
    by Cat on Thu Aug 11th, 2022 at 01:10:37 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Politico | Biden administration to ask Congress to approve $1.1B arms sale to Taiwan, 29 Aug
    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.
    The Defense Post | ,  30 Aug
    "In response, Taiwan has beefed up its defense preparedness, proposing to raise next year's defense budget by 13 percent to $415.1 billion Taiwan New dollars [TWD] ($13.7 billion)."

    CSIS | The "Christmas Tree" Problem

    by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 12:45:07 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Times of Israel | Using only skin cells, Israeli lab makes synthetic mouse embryos with beating hearts, 1 Aug
    In peer-reviewed breakthrough, embryos grown from stem cells; diverse group of scientists says method may one day be used to ethically [?] grow cells for replacement human organs
    by Cat on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 01:12:28 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Bernard (bernard) on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 05:52:42 PM EST
    [ Parent ]

    Morning Consult | GLOBAL LEADER APPROVAL RATINGS
    n = 500-45K, August 3 - 9, 2022; methodology: abnormal
    by Cat on Sat Aug 13th, 2022 at 09:39:46 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    A bit of history in pictures. 104, scrap book, of which Siberian Khanty, Solomon Islands 1943, Satchmo, and May 1968 without De Gaulle
    by Cat on Mon Aug 15th, 2022 at 12:18:20 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    ORF | The Cabinet System in India, 15 Aug
    On 15 August 1947 when India became independent, Jawaharlal Nehru became Prime Minister of the country, with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as Deputy Prime Minister and 12 other members forming the Cabinet. Thus, as India celebrates the 75th year of its independence, one can see how far its cabinet system has also matured.
    [...]
    Cabinet government in India, thus, presents a fascinating picture of an evolving institution that was nurtured by the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru since the days of the interim government in September 1946. It was retained after independence and debated intensely by Nehru and Patel during its functioning in the post-partition and independence days. They were also supported by the chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution, Dr B.R. Ambedkar.  Thus, this Westminster institutional arrangement that evolved in the United Kingdom (UK) since the 18th century through its history of an unwritten ever-evolving Constitution was transposed with a rare zeal in post-independent India. It has acquired its own character and style of decision-making given India's evolving party system and emerging nature of political leadership. It is significant that the debate on the prime ministerial form of government, which started in the UK in the 1960s and evolved over two centuries, began in India in the mid-1950s and intensified since 1970. The era of the coalition government, without much strengthening of the cabinet government, weakened this debate. The Narendra Modi government is decidedly prime ministerial, pushing the cabinet government once again into the shadows.
    BoJo Parliament | Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, current version a/o 28 Apr
    Changes to legislation, retrieved 17 Aug
    There are outstanding changes not yet made by the legislation.gov.uk editorial team to Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. Those changes will be listed when you open the content using the Table of Contents below. Any changes that have already been made by the team appear in the content and are referenced with annotations
    The controversial Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill Passes Second Reading, 17 Mar
    by Cat on Wed Aug 17th, 2022 at 07:17:25 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    ICYMI, ironically
    Discovery of bacterial antibiotic capable of destroying tubercle bacillus
    Biologists from the US and Japan have found that bacteria of the species Photorhabdus noenieputensis produce protein molecules that can destroy different strains of tubercle bacillus that are resistant to existing drugs. This compound has been named evibactin, the scientists write in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.

    Tuberculosis, along with cancer, ischemia, stroke and heart attack, is one of the main causes of death in the population. This disease occurs when mycobacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, better known as Koch's bacillus, enters the lungs....

    Hello, hypoxia!
    Prior to the introduction of the first drugs and vaccines for tuberculosis at the beginning of the last century, millions of people died from the disease every year. In recent years, physicians have recorded the emergence of [antibiotic] resistance in [Mycobacterium tuberculosis] sticks to the action of isoniazid and other drugs for tuberculosis. This forces scientists to look for new ways to fight infection.
    Created a nanocatalyst to turn plastic waste into fuel
    Scientists have developed nanoparticles based on cerium and ruthenium, which actively interact with polymer molecules inside plastic particles. They break them down into simple hydrocarbons [hydrogen feedstock]. This catalyst can be used to turn plastic waste into fuel. The work was published in the journal ACS Catalysis. The results were announced on Monday by the press service of the American Chemical Society (ACS)....
    by Cat on Mon Aug 22nd, 2022 at 07:44:47 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Aug 1st, 2022 at 06:38:03 PM EST
    NY Yella Cake -100:  August 3, 1922
    The Italian Fascists are threatening to move 14,000 squadristi into Rome with "solid arguments" against the general strike which the Communists called in protest of previous Fascist violence. Someone shoots at the mayor's car. Companies whose workers are among the strikers are politely requested by the Fascists to fire them and replace them with... Fascists.
    Aug 1 -100: Yella Cake readers got first peak at Mussolini-brand nationalism pulling Facta's and Victor Emmanuel III's strings (according to 21st century "American experience" of WWII authorities).
    by Cat on Wed Aug 3rd, 2022 at 03:26:02 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    4 August 2020:

    2020 Beirut explosion

    On 4 August 2020, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the Port of Beirut in the capital city of Lebanon exploded and detonated, causing at least 218 deaths, 7,000 injuries, and US$15 billion in property damage, and leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless. A cargo of 2,750 tonnes of the substance (equivalent to around 1.1 kilotons of TNT) had been stored in a warehouse without proper safety measures for the previous six years after having been confiscated by the Lebanese authorities from the abandoned ship MV Rhosus.
    by Bernard (bernard) on Thu Aug 4th, 2022 at 05:50:53 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    ASEAN 55th anniversary, 1967 - 2022

    Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
    by Cat on Tue Aug 9th, 2022 at 12:35:02 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Bernard (bernard) on Tue Aug 16th, 2022 at 02:49:10 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    for cooking and a bottle of wine for sipping, iirc
    by Cat on Wed Aug 17th, 2022 at 12:05:00 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Bernard (bernard) on Sat Aug 20th, 2022 at 09:01:37 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Onion style?

    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'

    by Oui (Oui) on Sat Aug 20th, 2022 at 10:29:49 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Kishida scraps trip to Africa, Middle East after testing positive
    Kishida received his fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot on Aug. 12.
    oh? What's the "live with it" productivity positivity rate of JAPAN this month? South Korea? Taiwan?
    by Cat on Mon Aug 22nd, 2022 at 07:53:24 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Aug 1st, 2022 at 06:38:15 PM EST
    FDA Monkeypox Response last update 8 Aug 2022
    The FDA approved JYNNEOS Vaccine in 2019, for the prevention of smallpox and monkeypox disease in adults 18 years of age and older determined to be at high risk for smallpox or monkeypox infection....
    archived Wed Dec 4th, 2019
    by Cat on Wed Aug 10th, 2022 at 01:31:19 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    The daily mash
    SCIENTISTS have discovered the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by their continuous election of Conservative governments.

    The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, which took place 66 million years ago, has been blamed on an asteroid but was actually caused by between 12 and 15 years of Tory government.

    by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Tue Aug 30th, 2022 at 11:31:57 AM EST
    [ Parent ]


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