The man who could steer the United States' security policy under a Kamala Harris presidency speaks four European languages, wrote his thesis on Charles de Gaulle and even translated a book by the notoriously irascible former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Remarks by Vice President Harris at the Munich Security Conference (19.02.22)

[...]
In June 2012, Gordon even took then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to see a UEFA Euro championship semi-finals in a bar filled with Germans, after a dinner in St. Petersburg with [Jake] Sullivan and then-U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul.

Remarks by Vice President Harris at the Munich Security Conference (18.02.23)

[...]
For the European Union, the stakes of the U.S. election in November are especially high as war rages in Ukraine. A victory of the Donald Trump/JD Vance ticket would likely lead to a more isolationist policy in Washington—a prospect described as a "disaster" by a senior EU official.

Remarks by Vice President Harris at the Munich Security Conference | Munich, Germany (16.02.24)

[...]
From 2013 to 2015, Gordon served as special assistant to then-President Barack Obama and White House coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf Region during Syria's civil war and the rise of the Islamic State group (IS). According to people who've worked with him, Gordon remained the Europeans' main point person in Washington on one of the most daunting issues at the time: How to deal with IS. To this day, he's in regular contact with the European Commission.

Many of the positions she allocates will be given fancy titles, like Executive Vice-President—or exotic topics like demography. But beware the spin: those crafty honorifics may just serve to disguise a non-job.

The current deputy, Mircea Geoană, who has held the position since 2019, is expected to step down to run in the Romanian presidential election in November, NATO officials told POLITICO.

The talk at NATO headquarters centers around two female [!] ex-officials from North Macedonia and Bulgaria, two Balkan countries once subsumed under Soviet control until the end of the Cold War.

"The post may well go to an Eastern European woman [!]," former NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu told POLITICO. "Not least because of the public push to appoint one [OF THESE] as secretary-general instead of Rutte."
[...]
The pro-West [North Macedonian former Defense Minister Radmila] Šekerinska is currently a vice president of the Europe-wide Party of European Socialists. In an interview following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she they rejected Russia's claim that NATO's eastward expansion was a "sinister Western plan."

[...]
The state government is pursuing the goal of integrating the living in the country, Ukrainian refugees in the best possible way in the labour market. Nevertheless, it was basically "the understandable interest of Ukraine, people for the Defense against Russia to recruit and, therefore, stop, return to your home country".

The Original to this post "Hesse refused to Ukrainian conscripts replacement passports" comes from the daily mirror.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game developers help purchase 100 cargo vans for Ukrainian border guards
"The vehicles will strengthen border guard units in the combat zone, Ukrinform reports, referring to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine."

Finance Ministry attracts over $93B in budget support from int'l partners since invasion
"since February 2022"

Both presidential candidates in U.S. should have plan for Ukraine's victory - Yermak
who spoke in an interview with European Pravda [A/V].

US expert: Ukrainian military will train all Western armies after war is ove, 9 Aug
"Malcolm Nance, an American intelligence and counterterrorism expert < wipes tears >, is convinced that after the war, the Ukrainian military will be able to train Western armies. He expressed this opinion in an interview with Ukrinform.

reuters | Fitch cuts Ukraine's rating to 'Restricted Default', 13 Aug junk bond update

citing the expiry of the grace period for its 2026 Euro[denominated]bond payment.
[...]
Fitch maintained Ukraine's local-currency (LC) debt rating of "CCC-" over its expectation that LC debt will be excluded from a restructuring deal with external commercial creditors. Ratings agency S&P Global had also cut Ukraine's rating to "selective" default on Aug 2. Fitch usually does not assign outlooks to countries with a rating of "CCC+" or below.

cover stories
freepressjournal.in | What Is 'BHISHM Cube'?
disinfogator | Ex-diplomat on Modi's Ukraine visit
"Former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal has stressed that the prime minister's arrival in Kiev does not signal a departure from a 'neutral' strategy"

official 'show flow'
mea.gov.in | Prime Minister's meeting with the President of Ukraine

An ICC spokesperson told the BBC that Mongolian officials "have the obligation" to abide by ICC regulations, but clarified that this did not necessarily mean an arrest had to take place.
[...]
Dr Fadi el-Abdallah, a spokesperson for the ICC, told the BBC on Friday that court States Parties—including Mongolia—"have the obligation to cooperate in accordance with the Chapter IX of the Rome Statute", the agreement which set up the court.

The agreement says in some circumstances, states may be exempted from the obligation to carry out an arrest where they would be forced to "breach a treaty obligation" with another state or where it would violate "diplomatic immunity of a person or property of a third state".
[...]
The ICC has no powers to arrest suspects, and can only exercise jurisdiction within its member countries. Ukraine's foreign ministry said it hoped Mongolia was "aware of the fact that Vladimir Putin is a war criminal" and called on the country's authorities to arrest the Russian leader and hand him over to prosecutors at The Hague, the seat of the ICC in the Netherlands.

Note: This article has been updated following clarifications corrections from the ICC.

Media freedom and pluralism are particular worries in 2024. "Journalists' working conditions and the lack of independence of public service media governance in several countries remain issues of concern," the commission writes.
[...]
In the future, the commission wants to tie the rule of law more closely to what all 27 EU countries covet most: money. It aims to build a "closer link" between the recommendations of the report and funding from the EU budget. This echoes comments by its freshly re-elected president Ursula von der Leyen's last week.

Through TikTok Lite, users over 18 years old can earn points under a so-called "Reward Program", while performing certain tasks on the app, such as watching videos, liking content, following creators or inviting friends to join. These points can be exchanged for rewards, such as Amazon vouchers, gift cards via PayPal or TikTok's coins currency. The company voluntarily suspended the rollout of the TikTok Lite app, awaiting the outcome of the probe.

European Commission is moving ahead with 'AI Factories', 2 Aug "EuroHPC stack"

[...]
"The available brain time of young Europeans is not a currency for social media—and it never will be. We have obtained the permanent withdrawal of TikTok Lite Rewards programme, which could have had very < wipes tears > addictive consequences," Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for Internal Market, said in a statement. A spokesperson for TikTok told Euronews that the company is "pleased to have reached an amicable resolution."

CrowdTangle, acquired by Meta (formerly Facebook) in 2016, allows people to see what stories are spreading most quickly on the platform. It has since been used to identify sources of disinformation across the world, such as fake news around the 2020 US election and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a blogpost last November by Nick Clegg [!], Meta's president of global affairs, the company announced plans to shut the tool down the web crawler, while giving researchers enough time to complete current projects and if eligible, to get up to speed with its new research tools, Meta Content Library and API.

We've teamed up with the [cdc.gov]Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) in a first-of-its-kind partnership to allow researchers to analyze data in ICPSR's secure Virtual Data Enclave.

Meta Content Library and API are designed to give researchers access to publicly accessible content across Facebook and Instagram, the company said.
[...]
Earlier this month, US lawmakers sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg asking the company to delay the out phasing by another six months, as reported by Axios.  The lawmakers said the tech giant has a responsibility to be transparent about the content shared on its platforms ahead of < wipes tears > the US election in November.

Sen. RISCH @1:51:00: Thank you for that recognition, and I agree this is a huge bipartisan victory really for congress. I think, probably most Americans don't have a full appreciation for how important the Pacific region is as far as our competition with China is concerned. China is incredibly active as you know there. So I'm glad to have been a part of that, we'll continue that. Two quick things— I was happy to hear your assessment of where the Europeans are as far as their view of China. It's been evolving. Unfortunately, I found that when I drafted the REPO bill, the first fight I had was with our own administration and finally brought them along kicking and screaming, but when the Europeans pushed back really hard—I had real trouble with the Germans—but they reversed their position on that, much  to the credit of the Belgians who came up with some really outside the box ideas about how to handle this. I can't tell you how appreciative we are that—I've explained to them on a number of occasions—so we need to continue to nurture that, I think, we're on the right track there, and I think, it's a really good thing to do.

ChatGPT | Chinese electric vehicles face possible extra EU tariff hit (08.08.24)
Broken down by manufacturer, Chinese EV automakers held 12.4 percent market share in June, up from 10.4 percent a year earlier. The duties—currently only in the form of [Euroclear?] bank guarantees—are already in place and the Commission will ask EU countries to vote on cementing them into place for five years in October. It will then also decide whether these duties apply retroactively from March 7 or from July 5—the date the duties went into effect. There is even a scenario where the charges are only collected from late October, the Commission said. European carmakers are also moving into EVs, but with offerings that are more expensive and often less technologically innovative than those made by Chinese companies.

A new report released Tuesday [6 Aug] by Zeta Global, an artificial intelligence-powered marketing cloud < wipes tears >, suggests the job market is softening but the overall economy appears strong.

Zeta Global monitors the anonymized < wipes tears > online behaviors of 240 million Americans. Perhaps among the trillions of data points analyzed by the company's AI system, prospective employees are lamenting the challenges of landing a job.

frbsf | Recent Spike in Immigration and Easing Labor Markets (15.07.24)
Recent data released by the CBO suggest an unusually high level of net international migration. The source of the recent increase is a higher flow of undocumented migrants and foreign nationals who overstay their visas. The strong migration flow has eased regional labor market tightness, as measured by the vacancy-to-unemployment (V-U) ratio. Given the delays in migrants transitioning to the labor force and updated estimates pointing to a continuing strong inflow of migrants, further declines in the V-U ratio are likely in 2024.

The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for May was revised down by 2,000, from +218,000 to +216,000, and the change for June was revised down by 27,000, from +206,000 to +179,000. With these revisions, employment in May and June combined is 29,000 lower than previously reported. (Monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates and from the recalculation of seasonal factors.)

archive L-R. abenomics, suganomics, kishidanomics

He added he will depart from his faction while he serves as premier, with sources close to him saying the group's leadership position will be vacant for the time being.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday he would step down next month, succumbing to public disaffection over political scandals and rising living costs that marred his three-year term, and setting off a scramble to replace him.

stlouisfed | Total CPI-U expenditure MoM Apr 1955-May 2024 (USD), bls | substitution adjustments inclusive

(4) Includes a small number of persons who work part time on their primary job and full time on their secondary job(s), not shown separately.

Treasury is aware of Russian efforts to facilitate sanctions evasion by opening new overseas branches and subsidiaries of Russian financial institutions. Foreign regulators and financial institutions should be cautious about any dealings with overseas branches or subsidiaries of Russian financial institutions, including efforts to open new branches or subsidiaries of Russian financial institutions that are not themselves sanctioned. Treasury has a range of tools available to respond to the establishment of new evasion channels.
[...]
Consistent with commitments made by President Biden and G7 leaders, Treasury continues to target transnational networks that supply Russia with military materiel and sensitive dual-use goods like those included in the multilateral Common High Priority List, jointly developed by the United States, European Union, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Treasury is also targeting multiple networks that facilitate or enable illicit financial schemes and sanctions evasion on behalf of Russian revenue generators and oligarchs. Many of today's designations were enabled or informed by extensive coordination with Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Today's action targets almost a dozen distinct networks, designating more than 100 individuals and entities across 16 jurisdictions, including the People's Republic of China, Switzerland, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates.

The specific registry of land operations, in the the same period from Thursday to Friday las, 29 terrorist and their supporters were arrested in the areas of Torodi and Komba Bangou.

Supply of Niger during the crisis: Mobilization of the FDS to secure the corridor Lome-Kay-Dori-Niamey, 29 July
This first layout made by the authorities of Niger and Bukina Faso to secure the trade between two countries laid the foundations of a new military co-operation welcomed by the locals.

"Among those arrested criminals are injured survivors of the attack Tassia", says one. In the aftermath, "to Tamou a terrorist lookout has been neutralized in a wood as it cuts close to the barracks of the SDS [Forces of Defence and Security]", adds the CICO [Center for Integrated Operations Co-ordination].

Le Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, de la Coopération Régionale et des Burkinabè de l'Extérieur a pris connaissance avec indignation, de la publication d'une vidéo de propagande de l'armée ukrainienne

Helmer | The battle of Tin Zaouten, 30 July, illustrated

diffusée sur la page Facebook de l'Ambassade d'Ukraine à Dakar apportant un soutien sans équivoque aux groupes terroristes auteurs de l'attaque lâche et barbare perpétrée entre les 25 et 27 juillet 2024 à Tinzawatène [Tin Zaoutine | Zaouten] dans le Nord Mali, contre les Forces Armées Maliennes (FAMa).

Dans ledit communiqué, le Ministère sénégalais en charge des affaires étrangères a déclaré avoir été surpris par la diffusion d'une vidéo de propagande de l'armée ukrainienne, accompagnée d'un commentaire de l'Ambassadeur d'Ukraine. Ce commentaire apportait un soutien sans équivoque à l'attaque terroriste menée entre le 25 et le 27 juillet 2024 dans le nord du Mali par des rebelles Touaregs et des membres du Groupe de soutien à l'islam et aux musulmans (JNIM) contre les Forces Armées Maliennes (FAMA), entraînant des pertes humaines.

Mali said it had learned "with deep shock of the subversive remarks." It said [GUR spokesperson Andriy] Yusov had "admitted Ukraine's involvement in a cowardly, treacherous, and barbaric attack by armed terrorist groups that resulted in the death of members of the Malian Defence and Security Forces."

"The actions taken by the Ukrainian authorities violate the sovereignty of Mali, go beyond the scope of foreign interference, which is already condemnable in itself, and constitute a clear aggression [in] Mali and support for international terrorism," the Malian government said. It also cited comments by Ukraine's ambassador to Senegal, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, and Liberia.

archive U R DOIN IT RONG, Ukrainian embassies in Africa

U.S. President Joe Biden will convene his national security team on Monday to discuss the Middle East crisis and the expectation that Iran [?!] will launch a strike on Israel
[...]
For the first time, the prime minister and his security officials discussed a possible preemptive strike should the opportunity present itself, and that advanced intelligence on the Iranian strike plan, would be available as it was in April. However, the possibility of such a strike depends on whether the intelligence would support it and be available to both Israel and the United States.

Jerusalem would require its own intelligence on the issue to match up with US intelligence on the matter, the report said, and even if it did match, it may still choose to avoid going down the route of a preemptive strike. Like Israel, the US was said on Sunday to be unsure what an attack by Iran could look like, as it believes Tehran has yet to come to a final decision and is unlikely to have finished coordinating with its proxies.
[...]
In addition to a US-led international coalition that has been taking shape in recent days to thwart any attacks, officials were said to believe that another advantage Israel has in its arsenal, which it did not have when Iran previously attacked on April 13, is < wipes tears > foreknowledge.
[...]
Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi visited Iran on Sunday with a plea for the region to be able to live in "peace, security and stability," without further escalation. At a press conference in Tehran alongside his Iranian counterpart, Safadi said that the purpose of his visit was to "consult on the serious escalation in the region and to engage in a frank and clear discussion about overcoming the differences between the two countries with honesty and transparency."

Commenting on a Kuwaiti newspaper's claim about the visit of the American delegation to Iran, Kanani stated, "This piece of news is not worth rejecting and is baseless." Regarding sending a message to the Israeli regime through Egypt, he added, "We do not need to send a message to a regime whose identity we do not recognize."

"She doesn't really have a background in defense or foreign policy, so she's really dependent on [her advisers] where she has to take part," [Jim Townsend, a former Pentagon and NATO official] said. "The important part is—I don't think she jumps into defense or foreign policy issues very often."

washingtontimes | Kamala Harris hails 'Samosa Caucus' at luncheon with PM Modi of India (23.06.23)

Nevertheless, her record as a senator and vice president—which was thrown into the spotlight on Sunday when Biden dropped out of the race and named her as his pick—offers a window into how a Harris administration could approach top geopolitical challenges differently and how her inner circle would seek to complement her < wipes tears > deficiencies .

The leaders of the student protests, the chiefs of the country's three divisions of the military, and civil society members, as well as some business leaders held the meeting with the president for more than five hours late on Tuesday to decide on the head of the interim administration.
[...]
On Tuesday, some senior positions in the military were reshuffled. The student protesters said they would not allow any military-backed government.
[...]
As the country waited for a new government to emerge, a key student leader said protesters wanted Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus to head an interim government. Yunus—who is currently in Paris for the Olympics—called Hasina's resignation the country's "second liberation day." He could not immediately be reached for comment, but a key organizer of the protests, Nahid Islam, said [protest organizer Nhid] Yunus had agreed.
[...]
Hasina, 76, was elected to a fourth consecutive term in January polls that were boycotted by her main opponents. Thousands of opposition members were jailed before the voting, and the U.S. and the U.K. denounced the result as not credible, though the government defended it.

[Deposed PM Sheikh] Hasina landed at a military airfield near New Delhi on Monday after leaving Dhaka and met Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval [!], the Indian Express newspaper reported. It said Hasina was taken to a safe house and planned to travel to the United Kingdom. Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar [!] confirmed her presence in the country but did not indicate whether she intends to stay.

Ukraine F-16 destroyed during Russian attack, BBC told

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky officially confirmed on Tuesday the US-made F-16s were being deployed to shoot down Russian drones and missiles.

This week, he asked allies to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to hit targets further into Russia.

Dutch Chief of Defence Gen Onno Eichelsheim confirmed the Netherlands will provide Ukraine with 24 of the jets, in addition to more weapons.

There will be no restrictions on their usage apart from complying with humanitarian law, he told a conference in Washington on Wednesday - meaning Kyiv could launch deeper strikes into Russian territory.

Around 65 F-16s have been pledged by Nato countries since US President Joe Biden first authorised willing European allies to send them to Ukraine in August 2023.

Ukraine's F-16s work alongside a limited number of Western-supplied surface-to-air missile systems such as Patriot and Nasams which are already on the ground.

They also help defend against Russian glide bombs - dumb munitions fitted with pop-out wing kits and guidance modules to deliver precision strike stand-off capabilities, similar to the JDAM munitions from the United States.

The destruction of the aircraft is a blow to President Zelensky, who said he will deliver a "victory plan" to US President Joe Biden next month.

Депутат Верховной Рады Марьяна Безуглая утверждает, что Украина потеряла первый F-16 из-за атаки по нему украинского же комплекса ПВО Patriot.

«Событие произошло во время одной из самых мощных воздушных атак россиян 26 августа. Война есть война, такие эпизоды возможны», -...

— SOTA (@sotaproject) August 29, 2024

Translation:
Verkhovna Rada deputy Maryana Bezuglaya claims that Ukraine lost its first F-16 due to an attack on it by the Ukrainian Patriot air defense system.

"The event occurred during one of the most powerful air attacks by the Russians on August 26. War is war, such episodes are possible,"

'Sapere aude'

There's a reason they don't let Kamala speak off the cuff or give interviews - she's rambly, incoherent, gaffe-prone. Remember how poorly she did in the 2020 primaries? She's not a likeable candidate.
pic.twitter.com/I6BYTLTMwF

— captive dreamer (@CosmistRussian) August 2, 2024

whitehouse.gov | Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan , 1 Aug | video 51 min.

whitehouse.gov | Remarks by President Biden and Vice President Harris Upon Return of Americans Detained in Russia, 1 Aug Joint Base Andrews, MD

In an election cycle filled with a constant game of who can say the dumbest shit you've ever heard in your life this one takes the cake. I literally spit out my coffee and wasnt even drinking any. How is this not AI? #pelosi #mtrushmore. pic.twitter.com/wgbbRDPms9

— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) August 4, 2024

The Aug. 27-29 trip will be [Biden National Securrity Advisor] Sullivan's fifth meeting [?] with his direct counterpart [?], [member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Minister of Foreign Affairs] Wang Yi, since Wang reprised his role as China's top diplomat last year.

ft | Jake Sullivan to make first China visit as US national security adviser
They last met in Bangkok in January, two months after President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held a [APEC] summit in San Francisco [2023].

Sullivan's trip will also be the first visit [?] from a national security adviser to mainland China since < wipes tears > the Obama administration when [Obama NSA advisor] Susan Rice traveled to Beijing for similar engagements with her Chinese counterparts.
[...]

On August 23, 2024, Mao Ning, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presided over a regular press conference.
AFP: Harris accepted the nomination of the Democratic presidential candidate of the United States on Thursday. What is the comment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this?
Mao Ning: The election is an internal matter of the United States. I will not comment.

While China insists that the U.S. election is a domestic issue in which it won't interfere, U.S. officials have warned that China is trying to undermine the U.S. election through misinformation and disinformation, cyberattacks and other digital mischief.

FILED UNDER: CHINA, JOE BIDEN, SUSAN RICE, FOREIGN AFFAIRS, JAKE SULLIVAN,

fail. ChatGPT v.2 "counterpart" Updated: 08/23/2024 01:17 PM EDT

and will conclude Monday evening, the deadline for Democratic delegates to return their ballots. The roll call is on an accelerated timeline to ensure state ballot deadlines are met. The party is holding its actual convention later this month, in Chicago.

Harris will announce her running mate within days, and her campaign has already announced the new ticket will hold rallies in swing states, beginning Tuesday.

Trump said the debate would be held on Sept. 4 in Pennsylvania, although the location of the event has not yet been determined. The former president also noted that an ABC News debate previously scheduled [10 Sep] against President Biden before he suspended his re-election campaign had been canceled, citing his lawsuit against that network and one of its hosts, George Stephanopoulos [!].

disinfogator.ru possibly illicit "AI training"

[...]
The debate rules will be similar to the rules of the June 27 CNN debate against Biden, who Trump wrote "has been treaed horribly by his Party." But unlike the CNN debate [in Atlanta, GA], which did not have an audience, the Fox News debate will have spectators.

Harris' BLACK RALLY in Atlanta, 30 July: ChatGPT review | YouTube review

[...]
Trump previously said he would not debate Harris because she was not the party's official candidate after Biden dropped out of the race. But on Friday, the vice president secured enough delegates to officially become the party's nominee.

Former President Donald Trump has agreed to an offer from Fox News to hold a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on Sept. 4, he said in a post on Truth Social late on Friday.
[...]

C-SPAN, First 2020 Presidential Debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, 29 Sep A/V (EN) 2 hrs inna PANDEMIC

Trump has skipped debates before and didn't partake in any of of the 2024 Republican presidential primary debates.

nbcnews | Trump says he would 'absolutely' debate Harris, but he's 'not thrilled' with ABC (23.07.24)

Meanwhile, Trump and Harris have kicked off an ad war targeting each other in key battleground states, with Harris launching a $50 million three-week ad blitz ahead of the Democratic National Convention while Trump has reserved $12 million worth of air time across Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin, according to AdImpact. No immediate details about the potential debate have been released.

euronews | Tens of thousands protest in Belgrade against proposed lithium mining: "Pres. Aleksandar Vučić said he was tipped off by Russian intelligence services that a 'mass unrest and a coup' were being prepared Saturday by unspecified Western powers that wish to oust him from power. The large crowd chanted: 'There Will Be No Mining' and 'Treason, Treason.'"

sputnik | Serbian Police Lift Blockade From Rail Stations Amid Lithium Protests (11.08.24)
Up to 27,000 people rallied in Belgrade late on Saturday. Protesters marched through the blocked central streets, barricaded the bridge on the Budapest-Thessaloniki international highway and disrupted operations of the central railway station and the New Belgrade station in the city's business district. "The Interior Ministry acted within the laws of the Republic of Serbia and its duties to ensure unrestricted railway communications," Interior Minister Ivica Dacic was quoted as saying.

Global oil demand increased by 870 kb/d in 2Q24, with a contraction in China limiting gains. Demand is set to rise by less than 1 mb/d in both 2024 and 2025. This is largely unchanged from last month's Report and far slower than last year's 2.1 mb/d growth as [rela]tively lacklustre macroeconomic drivers come to the fore....

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was informed that on 9 August 2024, TEPCO found a water leakage at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Unit 2, involving an estimated 25 tons of water from the spent fuel cooling system pump room and the heat exchanger room. [...] As precautionary measure, TEPCO stopped the spent fuel primary cooling pump in order to investigate the cause and evaluated the temperature level at the pool. TEPCO confirmed that the temperature is within normal range and not above around 46 degrees Celsius. [...] The leaked water was accumulated in the first basement floor as stagnant water. The level of water was lower than the sub-drain water level around the building, which means the leaked water remained inside the building. TEPCO will treat the leaked water through its water treatment facilities.

The nuclear safety situation at Ukraine's Zaporizh* Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is deteriorating following a drone strike that hit the road around the plant site perimeter today, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.[...] Also this week, IAEA teams maintaining the Agency's continued presence at the Khmelnytskyy, Rivne, and South Ukraine NPPs, as well as at the Chornobyl site, reported frequent air raid alarms and drone attacks.

thehill | OpenAI people warn people might become emotionally reliant on its ChatGPT voice mode (08.08.24)
In a report Thursday, OpenAI people released information on the safety < wipes tears> work the company eNtITY conducted on ChatGPT, its popular computer program, and its new recorded voice(s) that sound(s) human. OpenAI people first began rolling out GPT-4o to paid customers last week, CNN first reported. The company said the risks of NEW! TO THE WORLD COMPETITIVE anthropomorphization, attributing human-like behaviors to nonhuman eNtITieS, is heightened by the tool's audio capabilities, because it can have more humanlike interactions. 232 ms

reference
nist.gov, Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework: Generative Artificial
Intelligence Profile (RFM), July 2024 64 pp
"This publication is available free of charge"

Jacob's Ladder (1990)

Bauman, Z., Mortality, Immortality, and Other Life Strategies (1992) 216 pp

The Sixth Sense (1999)

file in pervasive antisocial behaviors and dissociative personality disorders/first world/hOLYmAryMUTteraGOTT

The data analytics company will deploy its products, including the Gotham software—which assists in locating targets on battlefields—on Microsoft's Azure Government and Azure Government Secret [data servers]. Palantir will "be the first industry partner to deploy Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service in classified environments," CTO Shyam Sankar said in a statement.
[...]
Co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, a significant portion of Palantir's revenue comes from government clients, with the U.S. government accounting for more than 40% of Palantir's total revenue in the June quarter. The company's early financial backers included CIA's venture arm, In-Q-Tel. Palantir and Microsoft will run bootcamps to promote their new services for defense and intelligence communities.

The defense and intelligence units in the US will be able to access Microsoft's large language models (LLMs) via Azure OpenAI Service within Palantir's [computer] Platforms within Microsoft's government and classified cloud environments. Palantir is set to deploy its suite of products—Foundry, Gotham, Apollo, and [Azure Information Protection] AIP—in Microsoft Azure Government and in the Azure Government Secret (DoD Impact Level 6) and Top Secret [data servers].
[...]

source secondfront

Earlier this year, Palantir agreed to a 'strategic partnership' with the Israel Defense Ministry [!] to supply technology to support the war in Gaza. As of July 25, [2024] the Palestinian death toll in Gaza had exceeded 39,000. In the UK, NHS and healthcare workers blockaded the entrance of NHS England's headquarters on April 3, demanding that the service end ties with Palantir, calling it a 'genocide enabler.' The company holds several large contracts with the UK health service. [...] The company was awarded an $800m contract to deliver a comprehensive combat intelligence hardware and software suite for the US Army in 2019.

iaea.org | What Is Food Fraud, and How Can Nuclear Science Detect It? (18.08.24)
Food fraud can be defined as any intentional action, taken to deceive customers about the quality and content of the food products for financial gain. The selling of fake food around the world has become a highly lucrative illegal activity. While estimating the global impact is hard because it is designed to avoid detection, some experts are assessing that it could represent 40 billion dollars a year. It is important for consumers to be sure that the quality and safety of food they buy is guaranteed. Many people prefer goods from certain brands due to their reputation for good quality. Some may even be ready to pay premium prices for their characteristics and ingredients. This attracts fraudsters, who try to turn a profit by replacing high quality ingredients with cheaper ones and pocketing the price difference.

On Wednesday [7 Aug], NASA announced another delay in bringing home Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams during a news conference, with the agency saying it's now looking more closely at an alternative plan utilizing SpaceX's Crew-9 mission. If tests in the coming weeks suggest that making the trip home on [Boeing] Starliner proves too risky, Steve Stich, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager, said Wilmore and Williams would have no choice but to hop on Crew-9's return flight in February 2025.

U.S. Space Command seeks to expand international collaboration by inviting Germany, France and New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender. Olympic Defender, a U.S.-led initiative to jointly strengthen defenses and deter hostility, already includes England, Australia and Canada.

spacecom.mil | USSPACECOM releases first formal order to execute multinational space operations (21.05.20)

[...]
As the combatant command responsible for military operations in outer space, U.S. Space Command is closely tracking military moves by China and Russia.

spacecom.mil | USSPACECOM hosted international military leaders for a multilateral meeting about Operation Olympic Defender (18.04.24)

[...]
2027 Deadline
U.S. Space Command is focused on maximizing combat readiness by 2027.
"All of us at U.S. Space Command are laser-focused on improving all of our existing forces and capabilities, so that we can stitch them together seamlessly when called upon," [Gen. Stephen] Whiting said. "Our commercial industry will deliver innovative state-of-the-art capabilities," Whiting said. "We have to modernize our legacy systems, ensure they all work together seamlessly and deliver new capabilities by 2027 to counter the threats that we now see."

U.S. Space Command also intends to draw on commercial space technology.

SpaceX has completed its investigation into what caused an engine failure during a Falcon 9 launch on July 11th.
[...]
The company's website says that SpaceX is targeting July 27th at 12:21AM ET for the next Falcon 9 launch carrying 23 [?] Starlink satellites from NASA's Kennedy Space Center with additional launch window opportunities available later in the day and on July 28th.

The rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and got all 21 [?] Starlink internet satellites to orbit. But the first-stage booster fell over in a fireball moments after landing on an ocean platform, the first such accident in years. It was the 23rd time [!] this particular booster had launched, a recycling record for SpaceX.
[...]
Besides the private spaceflight awaiting lift off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, SpaceX is due to launch a pair of astronauts for NASA late next month. Two seats will be set aside for the two astronauts who launched in June aboard Boeing's new Starliner capsule, deemed unsafe by NASA for their return.

It's unclear how long the investigation will take, but the Washington Post notes that SpaceX restarted missions after roughly a fortnight [UK-Eng. ALERT] following the last investigation into a Falcon 9 rocket engine failure [11 July].

More interesting to me in this ERA of "multi-polar" democracies are, opportunities taken by WADA to discredit USADA supremacy. This tempest has been brewing several Olympiads but has yet to boil over the conspicuous absence of an increasing number of otherwise qualified athletes from "nations of concern".

Reports also indicate that Japanese authorities have also excluded Russian and Belarusian ambassadors from the invitations.

23 July, Japan announced it would impose sanctions for the first time on four Israeli settlers for their involvement in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

A Florida man was sentenced to two years in prison Wednesday for threatening to kill Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and his children, federal prosecutors announced.
[...]
The House Ethics Committee conducted a two-year investigation into Fang's alleged ties to Swalwell following reports Fang worked on Swalwell's campaign and targeted new politicians in California. Swalwell confirmed to the FBI he was targeted by a Chinese intelligence operative but emphasized he immediately cooperated with law enforcement and was never accused of wrongdoing. Some of Swalwell's political opponents used the unsubstantiated rumors to attack him, which later cost him his seat on the House Intelligence Committee.

Swalwell has faced various threats in recent years, including in 2022, when one of his staffers received a call from a man who said he was coming to Swalwell's congressional office to kill him. In another instance last year, Swalwell claimed a former NFL player threatened him with execution on social media.

meaww | What was Kamala Harris and Tim Walz's interview all about? (15.08.24)
Even though Harris hasn't held a formal news conference or in-person interview in the first 25 days of her presidential campaign, she and Walz have published bits of their interviews to build excitement for the ticket. Although numerous comments on the video attacked it for being phony and disgusting, the footage garnered about two million views on X in a single day.

cbsnews | Protest group fights permit restrictions during Chicago's DNC (15.08.24)
An emergency status hearing with U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood on the protest permit issue was held over the phone Thursday. The hearing ended without a resolution--and the city has been given until noon Friday to respond to the protesters' demands. "This is not an issue of safety or security—it's a content-based decision," said Hatem Abudayyeh, co-founder of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, "and a content-based decision is illegal, to say, 'We don't want you to speak because of what you are saying. We don't want you to speak because you're going to be talking about the liberation of Palestine."

GovernmentGPT, a law enforcement tech startup and [Axon] competitor, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona claiming that Axon's body cameras have potential for Chinese espionage risks because its devices use chips from the Chinese company Quectel. The suit filed July 29 includes an emergency motion  [...] Officers in at least six other police agencies across Illinois use Axon's Body 4 camera. A spokesperson for the Republican staff on the China committee argued that the Biden administration should add Chinese "internet of things" chip makers to its Black List to prevent them from being placed in U.S. critical infrastructure.

Dutch player's shushing was most disrespectful thing I've ever experienced, says Germany goalkeeper

The goalkeeper of Germany's men's hockey team has branded the behaviour of a Dutch player who 'shushed' him after losing the Olympic final the "most disrespectful thing I've ever experienced in sport".

In one of the ugliest scenes at the Paris Olympics, Duco Telgenkamp taunted Jean-Paul Danneberg by placing his finger to his lips after scoring the decisive penalty that sealed Dutch Olympic glory. The striker also brushed the German keeper's helmet before wheeling away in celebration with his team-mates.

His actions sparked a furious post-match scuffle as pushing and shoving broke out between the teams before officials separated them after Dutch player Floris Middendorp grabbed Germany's Niklas Wellen by the neck.

Olympia 2024 - Niederländischer Hockeyspieler rechtfertigt provokation gegen Dannebrog: "zum Glück hand Ich ihn erwischt"

Die provokativen Gesten des Niederländers Duco Telgenkamp - sie sorgten nach dem olympischen Hockey-Finale nicht nur für eine Rudelbildung, sondern auch für mächtig Gesprächsstoff. Das deutsche Team um Keeper Jean-Paul Danneberg und Goalgetter Niklas Wellen war außer sich, die Fans pfiffen Telgenkamp gnadenlos aus. Dieser zeigte sich hinterher reumütig, konnte die Genugtuung aber nicht verbergen.

Checks watch. 142 days remaining.

euronews | Have the Olympics alienated [sic] the general public [?!] from breakdancing?
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From the Australian b-girl with the meme-worthy "kangaroo" dance move to the silver-medal-winning Lithuanian in a durag [sic], breaking's Olympic debut had a few moments that raised questions from viewers about whether the essence of the hip-hop art form was captured at the Paris Games. Gunn has a PhD in cultural studies, and her LinkedIn [!] page notes she is "interested in the cultural politics [lolwut] of break[danc]ing." Many black viewers, in particular, called out Lithuania's silver medalist b-girl Dominika Banevič, aka "Nicka", for donning a durag* during each of her battles [sic]. Durags*, once worn by enslaved [US American] Africans to tie up their hair for work [FALSE], are still worn by [US American] black people. They became a fashionable symbol [?] of black pride in the 1960s and 1970s [lolwut] and, in the 1990s and early 2000s, a popular element of hip-hop style. Others feared the sub[-altern] culture being co-opted by [recording label A&R] officials, commercialised, and put through a rigid judging structure [the magical 0.1 point margin], when the spirit of break[dancing]ing has been rooted in local communities [That's so ghetto!], centred around street battles ["gang banging"], cyphers [cheats], and block parties [lolwut]. Hip-hop was born as a youth culture within black and brown [lolwut] communities [urban "housing projects"] in the Bronx as a way to escape [?!] strife and socio-economic struggles [lolwut] and make a statement of empowerment [lolwut] at a time when they were labelled as lost, lawless ["predators"] by New York politicians [Koch? Clinton? Giuliani? Bloomberg?].

tabloid USA | Breaking made history in Paris. We'll probably never see it at Olympics again, 11  Aug garden-variety social experiment

The International Olympic Committee added "breaking," more commonly known [WHERE?] as "breakdancing," to the sports program in Paris, because president Thomas Bach and his colleauges thought it would attract the younger, social-media savvy viewers that they were seeking. It also fit in with local organizers broader goal of a more "urban" Olympic Games. But even from the start, breaking was viewed [BY WHOM?] as more of a novelty than a new sport with staying power.

Tennesee Anti-Paternity Fraud Law FTW