< wipes tears >

Not by accident ...

• Geoffrey Pyatt, US Ambassador to Ukraine
• Geoffrey Pyatt, US Ambassador to Greece

'Sapere aude'

ekathimerini | Greece's crucial role on NATO's southern flank, PhD defense

[...]
In startling contrast to some comments made in the public discourse about the alleged indifference of the USA toward the Mediterranean due to its pivot to Asia and the war in Ukraine, the superpower has not abandoned the basin. It is exercising leadership to prevent crises and diplomatically mediating between countries to solve their differences. This is how the Israeli-Lebanese maritime accord of October 2022 was inked.

uh oh

In the same spirit, the US is seeking to strengthen NATO's cohesion on the southern flank by bringing Greece and Turkey closer. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Vilnius and agreed to restart bilateral collaboration at the highest level. Of course, this does not mean that < wipes tears > diachronic problems will be solved. More importantly, Turkey still believes in its exceptionalism in the international sphere, while it does not refrain from threatening both Greece and the Republic of Cyprus.
[...]

sputnik | US to Supply 'Significant Military Equipment' Soon - Greece's PM Mitsotakis, 14 July

"I mean not only the approval of the delivery of F-35 fighter jets, which is very important, but also the possibility of getting surplus military equipment, significant surplus equipment that will be given to us for free [?!]. That is what the US is doing and has every reason to do it to a greater extent for a good ally like Greece," Mitsotakis said in an interview with Greek broadcaster while expressing hope that F-35s would be delivered in 2028.
[...]
In 2019 and 2021, [Trumpy-Biden] Washington and [Mitsotakis] Athens amended the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement, which allowed the US to establish new military bases on the territory of Greece and expanded the term of the agreement from one to five years. Until 2019, the US had only one military base in Greece but now has nine. The US was granted access to the port of Alexandroupolis in the north of the country, which is used for the delivery of military equipment to Eastern Europe and Ukraine. Mitsotakis then said that the amended agreement made Greece Washington's main partner in the region.

Greece is implementing 19 arms procurement programs worth 11.5 billion euros ($12.9 billion). Among them are the purchase of 24 French-made Rafale fighter aircraft, Belharra-class frigates and the modernization of 83 F-16 Block 52+ and 52+ Advanced fighters to the Viper variant -- the most advanced variant of F-16. The Greek air force already received two F-16 Viper fighters in September 2022. Moreover, Athens is planning to purchase [?!] over 20 F-35 fifth-generation fighters.
[...]

archived southbound Flying Fortresses and Nuclear Threat, Rejecting Fortress Europe in Neocon Years and NATO Expansion of 2008, service hubs set up in Slovakia and Romania

Not everybody can have all of the raw material supply chain

Misery for Sunak, glee for Davey, mostly joy for Starmer - our panel on the byelection results

No expectation management lessens the political shock of two historic losses in the deepest thickets of Torydom. Labour won Selby and Ainsty with a 24% swing, a seat 237th on their target list. Liberal Democrats demolished the Tories in Somerton and Frome.

As the Commons closes for the summer, Tory MPs with erstwhile rock-solid seats creep away to calculate their futures - a lost seat, thankless years on the opposition benches or run away now. There's no one else to blame for the abominable leaders they chose and the atrocious policies they voted through.

Even the rightwing press couldn't use the Tories' Uxbridge and South Ruislip survival to disguise the disaster. The cause of Labour's loss is particular: London mayor Sadiq Khan's expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez), in which polluting cars are charged £12.50 a day to enter.

To repeat - Selby and Ainsty: largest numerical majority overturned by Labour in post-war history

— Ben Walker (@BNHWalker) July 21, 2023

Extraordinary win for Labour in Selby. First time they have ever overturned a 20k Tory majority in any election I think.

Tactical voting in byelections spells bad news for Tories | The Guardian - Editorial |

'Sapere aude'

Two previous occasions (1972 and 1997) saw a byelection in Uxbridge in which Labour was thought likely to romp home easily, only for the Conservatives to hold on. In both cases Labour won the next general election anyway. Just putting this marker down

— David Boothroyd (@220_d_92_20) July 20, 2023

'Sapere aude'

😊

Women 'quite clearly' can have a penis, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey says [_link]

— LBC (@LBC) May 23, 2023

I'm all for science AND evolution.

'Sapere aude'

Politico.eu.com Axel Springer | Kyiv not in NATO after Russia war would be 'suicidal,' Ukraine foreign minister says

[...]
"After the war ends, it will be suicidal for Europe not to accept Ukraine into NATO because it will mean that the option of ... war will remain open," [FM Dmytro] Kuleba told Axel Springer, POLITICO's parent company, in an interview on Friday in Kyiv.

"The only way to shut the door for the Russian aggression against Europe and Euro Atlantic space as a whole is to take Ukraine in NATO, because Russia will not dare to repeat this experience again," Kuleba said
[...]
Kuleba in the interview pushed back on Germany and others advocating against such a commitment, warning against an outcome similar to the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, when Berlin and Paris rejected NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia.

"Do not repeat the mistake Chancellor Merkel made in Bucharest in 2008 when she fiercely opposed any progress towards Ukraine's NATO membership," he said. ..."It's all just blah blah blah," Kuleba said.

24 MEPs urge European Parliament to stop using Google Ads management "over reports the [EP payments] could be used to fuel [EU]'s propaganda" among Russian viewers

...The letter was sent to the [president] of the EU Parliament, Roberta Metsola, on Wednesday (5 July) following a report from Adalytics suggesting that Google violated its own standards and misled advertisers, picked up by The Wall Street Journal last week.

Google Violated Its Standards in Ad Deals, Research Finds (27.06.23)
...The firm [Adalytic] accused the company of placing ads in small, muted, automatically-played videos off to the side of a page's main content, on sites that don't meet Google's standards for monetization, among other ["Video Ad Safety"] violations....

"About 80% of Google's video advertisements placed by Google Video Partners on third-party sites are displayed on deceptive websites, including state-owned Russian propaganda websites and websites promoting terrorism," reads the [MEP] letter, seen by EURACTIV.

Our Video Ad Safety Promise is that certain types of content can't be monetized for ads on YouTube and Google video partners: we'll automatically apply exclusions to prevent your ads from showing on the most controversial content, such as terrorist acts, nudity, and recent sensitive events.

The content exclusion settings described below--inventory types, content types, and digital content labels--are meant to give you additional control and help you exclude types of content that, while in compliance with our policies, may not fit your brand or business. While content exclusions are done to the best of our ability, we can't guarantee that all related content will be excluded.

The Russian website Pravda was reported among those where Google's YouTube system delivered < squint > [EU] ads. Even though the amount of money spent by the EU institutions [on broadcast AI] is unclear, MEPs argue that EU money cannot be used to finance dictators, companies with dubious reputations, and terrorists.

"substantially transformed" ontology
Oncological right to be forgotten remains an unresolved issue in the EU

...only seven EU countries recognise the 'right to be forgotten' for former cancer patients. Cancer survivors therefore continue to experience difficulties in accessing financial services like insurance or mortgages, years after successfully completing treatment.
[...]
"There are more people living around the world now with cancer than ever before. So that has its own challenges", Conor O'Leary, general manager of Purple House Cancer Support, an Irish NGO that works on cancer support and psycho-oncology [?!] services, told EURACTIV. ...

Macron mulls social media shutdowns to contain civil disorder

mediazona | ["]Desert["] after the flood. The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant and its unprecedented impact on Ukraine's environment, Dnieper (Dnipro) artificial and "natural riverbad"

The full ramifications of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant's (HPP) destruction can only be fully understood once the waters have completely receded. The catastrophe's scale is unparalleled, making it particularly challenging to assess the environmental damage. But even at this stage, environmentalists are certain that the disaster will cause irreversible changes in the ecosystems of Ukraine's southern regions and the Black Sea. Access to clean water is already a challenge in the disaster areas, with the threat of infections spreading. Many animals have died, and agricultural fields may become unfit for cultivation.
[...]
For decades, the Kakhovka Reservoir, established between 1955 and 1958, has been a depository for heavy metals, oil products, and radionuclides. These pollutants were discarded by enterprises located in Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and Kamianske. The contamination of the water in this reservoir had been a matter of concern for environmentalists long before the war. Now, a plume, heavy with silt stirred up from the depths of the Kakhovka reservoir, remnants of washed-away settlements, and layers of soil, was swept along the river towards Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey.

"This silt had been lying there for decades and no one was bothered by it. Already on June 6, the space imagery showed a plume--the river bed looked like a dark red stripe. With each successive day, the water became muddier and muddier. Such large-scale pollution had never happened before--within a week the wastes accumulated over 70 years had been dragged into the sea, something that previously had not been there at all. It is impossible to figure out how much polluting waste got into the environment and where exactly. This is why our aim is to understand the problem, not to quantify it," says [environmentalist surname] Vasylyuk.
[...]
The reservoir was home to at least 43 species of fish, 20 of which were commercially significant, with annual catches of up to 2,600 tonnes. According to UNCG [Ukraine National Conservation Group], it could take up to ten years to restore the fish stocks, as the habitat and all spawning grounds have been destroyed. The regional administration reported a pestilence due to the rapid drop in water levels in the stock [sic]—authorities warned that eating the dead fish was dangerous due to the risk of botulism. They urged residents to drink only bottled water, as the Dnipro contains toxic substances and infectious agents--from the same cemeteries and burial grounds washed away by water flows.
[...]

Russian casualties in Ukraine. Mediazona count, updated a/o 30 June

Mediazona, working with BBC News Russian service and a team of volunteers, continues to collect data about the casualties sustained by the Russian military in Ukraine. These numbers do not represent the actual death toll since we can only review publicly available reports including social media posts by relatives, reports in local media, and statements by the local authorities.

The real death toll is much higher. Besides, the number of soldiers missing in action or captured is not known....

southfront | Russian assault operations on Dnieper River (VIDEO), 7 July

The Dnieper River is one of strategically important battlefields of the war in Ukraine. While the warring sides are shelling enemy positions with artillery and aviation, [UAF, AFU] reconnaissance and sabotage groups on speed boats continue local assault operations mainly in the area of the islands located in the estuary.
[...]
The video shows that some Russian servicemen are forced to use old fishing boats to perform military operations on the Dnieper River. While the Armed Forces of Ukraine are equipped by NATO countries with the advanced military equipment necessary for crossing the ["desert"] river, the Russian military suffers from insufficient supplies of advanced military boats. The video shared by Ukrainian sources has provoked a public scandal which is likely to force the Russian military command to pay more attention to the problem.

kmu.gov.ua | Ukraine's delegation to the negotiations on accession to Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership appointed, 1 May 2023

The First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko was appointed as the Head of the delegation and Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine - Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka as the Deputy Head of the delegation. The delegation also included representatives of the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, the State Customs Service and the Office of the President of Ukraine.

"The Ministry of Economy expects to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership [TPP?] Agreement in early 2024. At the same time, there is a prospect of joining the Agreement this year. This will give Ukraine the opportunity to liberalise non-tariff restrictions on trade in goods and services with countries in the region, as well as open access to new markets. In addition, it will allow us to expand access to foreign direct investment. In particular, the main investors in the economies of the [defunct] rans-Pacific Partnership countries are the United States, the United Kingdom, and the EU," said Yuliia [alias] Sviridenko, commenting on the President's order.

In his turn, Taras Kachka, Trade Representative of Ukraine, noted that negotiations would start after [?] the UK's final decision on joining the agreement. In particular, it is the first European country to join this transcontinental agreement in the near future.

ominous

"I hope that the United Kingdom will soon join, and we will have a priority to become part of this agreement, which brings together our partners from the Pacific region, including Australia, New Zealand, Peru, Canada, and other countries," said Taras Kachka.

CP-TPP (2018 FTA): AU, BN, CA, CL (2022), JP, MY (2022), MX, NZ, PE (2021), SG, VN, UK (2023), CN*, CN-tw*, EC*, UY*, TH*, CR*, PH*, KR*

* observer, dialogue, or applicant status

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) was signed in 2018. As of 2022, eight [!] countries have ratified the Agreement: Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, Singapore, and Vietnam. The Trans-Pacific Partnership [TPP] countries mainly export electronics, machinery, cars, and mineral fuels.

In addition to boosting trade with Latin America, Ukraine is seeking to open new business opportunities with Asian countries. Ukraine already exports grain to Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Ukraine is also interested in attracting foreign investment in the processing industry to diversify its exports with value-added products. Expanding business ties and comprehensive international support is also important in terms of countering russian aggression.
[...]

japannews | (Update 1) Ukraine Submits Request to Join CPTPP Trade Pact, 7 July G7 syndicated MSM boilerplate

Ukraine has submitted a request to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP); a trade pact among 11 [!] countries, including Japan, Canada, and Australia; economic revitalization minister Shigeyuki Goto said Friday.

Speaking at a press conference following a Cabinet meeting on the day, Goto, who heads Japan's CPTPP efforts, said, "We need to discern whether Ukraine can fully meet the high level required to join the TPP."

If Ukraine's bid is successful, it will be the second time for a European country to join CPTPP after Britain, which inked an agreement in March [2023] and is set to join officially on July 16.

A ministerial-level meeting of the CPTPP is scheduled to take place in New Zealand on July 15-16, and attention will be focused on whether Ukraine's potential membership will be an agenda issue. The pact came into force in 2018. China, Taiwan, Uruguay, Ecuador, and Costa Rica have also applied to join.

reuters | Ukraine asks to join CPTPP trade pact, 7 July ditto

...The CPTPP includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam, with Britain becoming the 12th member state. China, Taiwan, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Uruguay all also have requests pending to join.

Japan's economy minister, Shigeyuki Goto, told a regular press conference that Japan, as a CPTPP member, "must carefully assess whether Ukraine fully meets the high level of the agreement" in terms of market access and rules.

archived WORLD POWs perfidious albatross

White House Press Briefing (07.07.23)
[...]
Q [@00:13:37]: Hey, thanks, Jake. To follow up on the cluster munitions. Last year in March, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations—she described those munitions as, quote, "exceptionally lethal weaponry, which has no place on the battlefield." So how do you square those comments with this decision? And secondly, has Ukraine provided you with any assurances or guarantees, in terms of their use in civilian areas, that they won't use them within a certain radius of civilian areas, for example?
SULLIVAN: So, Ukraine has provided written assurances that it is going to use these in a very careful way that is aimed at minimizing any risk to civilians.

And, by the way, Ukraine—the democratically elected government of Ukraine has every incentive to minimize risk to civilians because it's their citizens. It's Ukrainians who they are trying to protect and defend. This is not Ukraine taking these and going and using them in the Middle East or in Southeast Asia or in some faraway land. They're using them on their territory to defend their territory.
[...]

dailysabah | Ukraine deserves NATO membership: Erdoğan in meeting with Zelensk*, 7 July

"Ukraine deserves to be a member of NATO," Erdoğan told reporters, adding that Türkiye has made the "most intense efforts" to end the Russia-Ukraine war through negotiations on the basis of international law. Erdoğan continued by saying that Türkiye will provide the necessary support to rebuild Ukraine.
[...]
"We listened to Mr. President from the Ukrainian side regarding the exchange of prisoners, and we are also in discussions with the Russian side," he said. He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin may visit Türkiye next month to discuss these issues.

Ankara was hailed for its mediation of the conflict that broke out last year, striving to keep its ties intact with both sides. The efforts took a big stride in September 2022 when the two sides exchanged 200 prisoners of war, in Ankara. President Erdoğan had broken the news in the United States where he was attending the United Nations General Assembly.

Among the exchanged prisoners of war were members of Ukraine's famed Azov battalion, including its commander and his deputy.
[...]

Ukraine returns home five defenders of Azovstal following talks with Türkiye (08.07.23)
[...]
The soldiers were in Türkiye after being released from Russian captivity. President Volodymyr Zelensk* met the defenders at the Istanbul airport and congratulated them on their return.

"I congratulate you! You are our heroes. I am very glad of your return to your homeland. Glory to Ukraine!" he said.

On the plane, Zelensk* talked with the defenders of Azovstal and thanked them for their courage and resilience. Zelensk* said earlier that he was returning from Türkiye with Azovstal defenders who had been there since September 2022.

dailysabah | Kyiv's drones hit Moscow, Crimea as Russia strikes Ukraine's south

[...]
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said there were no casualties when the drones struck two nonresidential buildings. The Defense Ministry claimed that the military jammed both attacking drones, forcing them to crash.

Russian media reported that one of the drones fell on the Komsomolsky highway near Moscow's center, close to the main Defense Ministry building. Another drone hit an office building in southern Moscow, gutting its upper floors.

Ukrainian authorities didn't immediately claim responsibility for the strike, which was the second drone attack on the Russian capital this month....
[...]
Russia renews strikes
Russian forces, meanwhile, struck port infrastructure on the Danube River in southern Ukraine with exploding drones early Monday, injuring four workers and destroying a grain hangar and storage for other cargo, the Ukrainian military said. It said that Ukrainian forces downed three of the attacking drones.
[...]

schmiegel | Berlin and Warsaw are fighting for the Leopard workshop, zloty and euro solidarity

[...]
[MOD  Boris Pistorius] was even able to estimate the approximate cost of the so-called repair hub at around 150 million euros.
[...]
Initially, the two German tank manufacturers Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) were to set up a joint venture. According to the plan, a joint tank workshop would then be set up at the Polish sites in Gliwice and Poznań together with the state-owned Polish armory PGZ. The federal government would have assumed the costs for the repair of the leopards.

In industry circles, however, it is said that the project has so far been slowed down by Poland. The Polish company PGZ, for example, presented very idiosyncratic ideas for the costs of working on the tanks, insiders spoke of "moon prices". For example, PGZ wants to charge more than 100,000 euros for the so-called "initial diagnosis" of the tanks. In Germany, only about 12,000 euros are usual for this diagnosis. In addition, PGZ does not want to assume any warranty for the repairs, which is also completely unusual.
[...]

archived cost of doing business > no SLA

lexpress | Nuclear: the undermining of Germany against France, existential ENTSOgate

[...]
"The obsession of the Germans for thirty years has been the disintegration of EDF. They have succeeded," [former CEO Henri Proglio] declared last December during his hearing conducted as part of the parliamentary inquiry into the loss of [Rosatom board] independence. In a recent dossier, L'Express also recounted the efforts made by our neighbor at European level to exclude nuclear power from any financial support mechanism. But with foundations like Heinrich Böll, who benefits from an address in Paris, the work of undermining is also carried out on French soil underlines the School of Economic Warfare.

...Political foundations resort to multiple and sometimes questionable influence strategies, while draping themselves in morality. Through the production of oriented content and the organization of meetings, these foundations alter civil society's perception of certain strategic subjects, in order to steer socio-political elites and ultimately influence policies in their favor.

With the aim of weakening the French industry and economy in general as well as to secure its own hegemony in these fields at European level, Germany destabilizes the French nuclear industry by blocking European institutions, exerting constant pressure on European politics, and practicing cognitive encirclement on French territory....

archived There will be no new nuclear power plants in the West

aljazeera | NATO extends Stoltenberg's mandate in move welcomed by Ukraine
msn reuters | Biden welcomes NATO decision to extend leader Stoltenberg's term

ifw-kiel.de Ukraine Support Tracker, 24 Jan 2022-15 Jan 2023 cumulative "donations" to Ukraine

oaklandinstitute | War and Theft: The Takeover of Ukraine's Agricultural Land, 21 Feb, 33 pp

The war in Ukraine has been at the center stage of foreign policy and media reports since February 2022. Little attention, however, has been given to a major issue, which is at the core of the conflict—who controls the agricultural land in the country known as the "breadbasket of Europe?" This report addresses this gap—identifying the interests controlling Ukraine's agricultural land and presenting an analysis of the dynamics at play around land tenure in the country. This includes the highly controversial land reform that took place in 2021 as part of the structural adjustment program initiated under the auspices of Western financial institutions, after the installation of a pro-European Union (EU) government following the Maidan Revolution in 2014.
[...]
The report identifies many prominent investors, including Vanguard Group, Kopernik Global Investors, BNP Asset Management Holding, Goldman Sachs-owned NN Investment Partners Holdings, and Norges Bank Investment Management, which manages Norway's sovereign wealth fund. A number of large US pension funds, foundations, and university endowments are also invested in Ukrainian land through NCH Capital—a US-based private equity fund, which is the fifth largest landholder in the country. Most of these firms are substantially indebted to Western financial institutions, in particular the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) - the private sector arm of the World Bank. Together, these institutions have been major lenders to Ukrainian agribusinesses, with close to US$1.7 billion lent to just six of Ukraine's largest landholding firms in recent years. Other key lenders are a mix of mainly European and North American financial institutions, both public and private. Not only does this debt gives creditors financial stakes in the operation of the agribusinesses, but also confers a significant level of leverage over them. This was evidenced by the debt restructuring of UkrLandFarming, one of Ukraine's largest landholders, which involved creditors including the Export-Import agencies of the US, Canada, and Denmark...

Kiel | The Ukraine Support Tracker: Which countries help Ukraine and how?, Working Paper No. 2218, 6 July

...A main aim of our database is to quantify the scale of aid to Ukraine and to make the support comparable across countries and time. We trace commitments by 41 donors, including all G7 and EU member countries (31), plus Australia, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, India, China and Taiwan (9). In addition, we trace commitments by the European Union institutions meaning the EU Commission and EU Council, but also via the European Peace Facility (EPF) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). For each of these donors, we quantify support flows in millions of Euros, accounting for both financial and inkind transfers. To do so, we set up a comprehensive "consensus" database that brings together information from official government sources, existing lists of Ukraine aid, and media reports. We mainly focus on bilateral (government-to-government) commitments transferred to Ukraine. This means that not all types of support are covered. In particular, in our baseline figures, we do not add the costs of helping refugees having fled Ukraine, e.g. by Poland, but we do show results in supplementary figures.2 Furthermore, we do not count private donations or those by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), mainly because reliable information across countries is not available. We do track aid by international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the World Bank, but report these results separately, as discussed below.
[...]
In total, we trace over €143 billion in government-to government commitments3 from January 24, 2022, until January 15, 2023. The United States (US) is by far the largest bilateral supporter of Ukraine having committed €73.18 billion, more than 50% of total commitments in our database. EU country governments committed a total of €19.9 billion bilaterally, plus €29.92 billion through the EU Commission and Council, €3.1 billion via the European Peace Facility and €2 billion through the EIB. This brings total EU commitments to €54.92 billion. It is remarkable that the US alone has committed considerably more than all EU countries combined, in whose immediate neighborhood the war is raging. Financial aid by multilateral organizations like the IMF, World Bank, UN and the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) add up to €13.27 billion. These are reported in a separate sheet in our database and are not included in the headline figures we report (see Section 2.4).4 ...

bloomberg | Ukraine Plea to Keep Grain Moving Clashes With Shippers' Reality, 18 July

Ukraine is calling on other nations to help facilitate shipments from three of its deep-sea ports, which were covered by the agreement.

The US said shipping escorts are not an option, and insurance broker Marsh on Tuesday suspended its program for grain exports from Ukraine, underscoring the challenges ahead.
"No sane owners will call there uninsured," said Vasilis Mouyis, joint managing director of Greece-based Doric Shipbrokers SA, which had previously had sent vessels through the shipping passage. Without the protection of the safe corridor "the Ukraine trade is dead."
[...]
Appeal to Turkey
Ukraine has asked the United Nations and Turkey—which brokered the deal almost a year ago —whether they will continue to back it.

"The main task for Ukraine now is to get the support of Turkey," said Dmitry Skornyakov, chief executive officer of HarvEast Holding.

osw.waw.pl | Ukraine's largest oligarch enters the agricultural market (12.06.11)
A new holding group has been created in Ukraine; HarvEast will trade on the agriculture and food market. Its creation on 7 June was announced by System Capital Management (SCM), the largest corporation in Ukraine, owned by Ukraine's richest man Rinat Akhmetov and Smart Holding's Vadim Novinsky (Akhmetov's partner, and himself one of the wealthiest businessmen in Ukraine)....

He suggested that military [naval] escorts from Turkey could be used for ships entering and leaving Ukraine's ports.
[...]

arcive AGRI-Ukraine

ecb.europa.eu | Monetary policy decisions

The Governing Council is determined to ensure that inflation returns to its 2% medium-term target in a timely manner. It therefore today decided to raise the three key ECB interest rates by 25 basis points. [...] The Governing Council also decided to set the remuneration of minimum reserves at 0%.
[...]
The Governing Council decided to raise the three key ECB interest rates by 25 basis points. Accordingly, the interest rate on the main refinancing operations and the interest rates on the marginal lending facility and the deposit facility will be increased to 4.25%, 4.50% and 3.75% respectively, with effect from 2 August 2023....

Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, Luis de Guindos [!], Vice-President of the ECB, press Q&A

[Q:] Does the absence of guidance for September mean the Governing Council is equally open to another hike, to a pause or even to the conclusion that rates have already reached their peak? That would be the first. And the second one - I am wondering how much of your decision on lowering the remuneration of minimum reserves was driven by concerns over central bank losses.....

reuters | Credit Suisse inquiry will keep files secret for 50 years, 15 July
A parliamentary investigation has triggered concern
reuters | Swiss investor group lawsuit to seek compensation over UBS-Credit Suisse deal, 17 July
"Due to the large number of inquiries, the Swiss Association for the Protection of Investors (SASV) has decided to coordinate a lawsuit under Art. 105 of the Merger Act"
archived Sun Mar 19th 2023, de Guindos album

yahoo! reuters | Countries repatriating gold in wake of sanctions against Russia, 9 July

[...]
Over 85% of the 85 sovereign wealth funds and 57 central banks that took part in the annual Invesco Global Sovereign Asset Management Study believe that inflation will now be higher in the coming decade than in the last.

Gold and emerging market bonds are seen as good bets in that environment, but last year's freezing of almost half of Russia's $640 billion of gold and forex reserves by the West in response to the invasion of Ukraine also appears to have triggered a shift.

The survey showed a "substantial share" of central banks were concerned by the precedent that had been set. Almost 60% of respondents said it had made gold more attractive, while 68% were keeping reserves at home compared to 50% in 2020.

One central bank, quoted anonymously, said: "We did have it (gold) held in London... but now we've transferred it back to own country to hold as a safe haven asset and to keep it safe."
[...]

revolving door racketeering talent search concludes...in academic farce

Commission rebuffs calls to retract US antitrust hire

The European Commission said there are no grounds to reverse the choice of a U.S. professor for a SENSITIVE ["anti-coercion"] competition post after four European Parliament groups called for the job pick to be retracted.

Renew Europe, the European People's Party [EPP], Socialists and Democrats [SD], and Greens [360°] sent a letter to Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on Friday, expressing "dismay" over the appointment of Fiona Scott Morton as chief competition [read: sanctions] economist this week. It is the first time a non-EU person has held such a senior Commission post.
[...]
French ministers have also criticized the choice after some Commission officials complained that they weren't consulted in advance about [PhD, MBA] Scott Morton's appointment and that there was also no internal debate on potential conflicts of interest. There's even a French online petition opposing the nomination. Scott Morton has previously worked for < wipes tears > Big Tech [scofflaws] including Microsoft and Apple.

Commission spokesperson Arianna Podestà said Wednesday that the Commission had opened the vacancy to non-EU candidates to net "the widest possible pool of candidates" [BUT] only received "a limited number of applications."

Scott Morton was "the best choice in terms of her qualifications and of her performance in the recruitment process," Podestà said.
[...]

archived Now Hiring

reference
Prof. Fiona Scott Morton Named Chief Economist of EU's Directorate-General for Competition
IANAL informant for DOJ enforcement fail

reuters | G20 bloc fails to reach agreement on cutting fossil fuels
"We had a complete agreement on 22 out of 29 paragraphs, and seven paragraphs constitute the Chair summary," Indian Power Minister R.K. Singh said.

archive EU makes 'final offer' on climate disaster compensation fund
Timmermans (COP27 18.11.22)

Sections urging developed countries to deliver on the goal of jointly mobilising $100 billion per year for climate action [loss and damage] in developing economies from 1992 2020 2022-2025, and description of the war in Ukraine, also eluded consensus.

supra OPEC, Saudi Arabia defends oil cuts with Russia (05.07.23)

Fossil fuel use became a lightning rod in day-long discussions, but officials failed to reach consensus over curbing "unabated" use and argued over the language to describe the pathway to cut emissions, two sources familiar with the matter said.
[...]
Major fossil fuel producers Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, South Africa, and Indonesia are all known to oppose the goal of tripling renewable energy capacity this decade.

reference
G20 Energy Ministers' Meeting | Outcome Document and Chair's Summary, 22 July

[...]
27.    [1] [2] The war in Ukraine has further adversely impacted the global economy. There was a discussion on the issue. We reiterated our national positions as expressed in other fora, including the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, which, in Resolution No. ES-11/1 dated 2 March 2022, as adopted by majority vote (141 votes for, 5 against, 35 abstentions, 12 absent) deplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and demands its complete and unconditional withdrawal from the territory of Ukraine. Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy – constraining growth, increasing inflation, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity, and elevating financial stability risks. There were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions. Recognizing that the G20 is not the forum to resolve security issues, we acknowledge that security issues can have significant consequences for the global economy.
[...]
---
¹ Russia recognizes the status of this document as Chair's Summary in particular due to inclusion of Paragraph 27, in addition to paragraphs 21-26. Russia agrees with rest of the text. Russia has expressed its distinct view on the situation in Ukraine, geopolitical tensions, and sanctions during the meeting.
² China stated that G20 is not the right platform to address security issues and opposed the inclusion of the geopolitical related content.

RT | Debt-ridden Sri Lanka seals key deals with India, 21 July

India and Sri Lanka have agreed to boost air and maritime connectivity, and will explore the feasibility of a petroleum pipeline and land bridge. These were among the key deals reached in the areas of trade, energy, tourism and fintech during a visit to New Delhi by Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is marking his first year in office.

archived SIDEBAR Sri Lanka, Wickremesinghe, Hag Watch Int' Powerball in Imran Khan, Debt, IMF Vassal to America

[...]
They also decided to fast-track work to connect electricity grids and establish an energy and industry hub in Sri Lanka's Trincomalee district, where the closest port to India's Chennai is located. The project could be seen as competing with China, which also has major geostrategic interests in Sri Lanka as part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
[...]

timesof india | India's ambitious power plan for the neighbourhood, 21 July

reuters | Obscure traders ship half Russia's oil exports to India, China after sanctions

... The network marks a major departure from the handful of well-established oil majors such as BP and Shell and top trading houses including Vitol, Glencore, Trafigura, and Gunvor that handled Russian crude and oil products for decades. There is no suggestion the trades break sanctions, although they may make it difficult for sanctions enforcement agencies in Europe and the United States to track Russian oil transactions and prices.
[...]

oh

In July, a U.S. Treasury official said sanctions were designed to keep Russian oil in the market, dampening prices for consumers while limiting oil revenues Moscow uses to finance the war in Ukraine.

"We recognise that (sanctions on Russia are) going to change the shape and structure of the Russian oil markets," the official told reporters. The official also said Washington was unconcerned that sanctions were resulting in more trades in currencies other than the dollar—after a rise in the use of yuan and UAE dirham to settle Russian oil transactions as Moscow finds itself shut out from international banks [SWIFT].

< wipes tears >

July Fed meeting preview: Can the Fed hike rates and keep avoiding a recession?

The decision is expected to come even after investors and consumers celebrated an inflation win in June: Prices rose 3 percent from this time last year, the slowest increase since August 2021. It marks major progress from the highs of last summer when inflation soared three times faster. Adding to the positive news, annual price pressures when excluding food and energy -- "core" inflation -- slowed by the fastest pace since the Fed began raising interest rates.

The Fed, however, has had to lift interest rates to the highest since 2007 so far to do it -- and after July's likely increase, the upper bound of the Fed's benchmark rate will soar to the highest level since 2001. One more rate hike is even on the table after that.

'Sapere aude'

July Fed meeting preview: Can the Fed hike rates and keep avoiding a recession?

The decision is expected to come even after investors and consumers celebrated an inflation win in June: Prices rose 3 percent from this time last year, the slowest increase since August 2021. It marks major progress from the highs of last summer when inflation soared three times faster. Adding to the positive news, annual price pressures when excluding food and energy -- "core" inflation -- slowed by the fastest pace since the Fed began raising interest rates.

The Fed, however, has had to lift interest rates to the highest since 2007 so far to do it -- and after July's likely increase, the upper bound of the Fed's benchmark rate will soar to the highest level since 2001. One more rate hike is even on the table after that.

'Sapere aude'

ECB Is Doubling Down on Rate Hikes Just as a Recession Bites | Dec. 2022 |

• While pace of rate increases slows, Lagarde vows more to come
  
• Aggressive action getting riskier as euro zone faces recession

'Sapere aude'

Don't forget bad boy in the Caspian basin -- Azerbaijan. Military ally of Israel for springboard into the Islamic Republic of Iran ... also natural ally of Turkey to squash the Armenians if they dare to rise from the genocide over 100 years ago. High officials from Brussels HQ (EU) knock at the door with a empty can for some oil.

'Sapere aude'

New Delhi Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, 4 July

[...]
Based on the proximity of assessments of the current regional and international agenda, the Member States confirm their commitment to formation of a more representative, democratic, just and multipolar world order based on the universally recognized principles of international law, multilateralism, equal, joint, indivisible, comprehensive and sustainable security, cultural and civilizational diversity, mutually beneficial and equal cooperation of states with a central coordinating role of the UN.

The Member States reaffirm that the SCO is not directed against other states and international organizations and is open to broad cooperation with them in accordance with the goals and principles of the UN Charter, SCO Charter, and international law, based on consideration of mutual interests and common approaches to solving regional and global problems.
[...]
The Member States consider Central Asia to be the core of SCO and support the efforts of the countries of the region to ensure prosperity and peace, sustainable development and the formation of a space of good-neighbourliness, trust and friendship.
[...]

That's quite a task list!
• implementing SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure(RATS)
• regulating sovereign threats in the information space
• countering trafficking of illicit drugs and their precursors
• observing the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
• promoting Conference on Disarmament
• verifying the Convention on Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction (BTWC, CWC, OPCW)
• ratifying  Protocol on Security Assurances to the Agreement on a Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia
• fulfilling  the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan on the Iranian (JCPOA)
• rehabilitating Afghanistan
• improving the World Trade Organization (WTO)
• increasing the share of national currencies in mutual settlements
• implementing the SCO Economic Development Strategy 2030
• cooperatng in the field of environmental protection
• transfering the 2024 presidency of the SCO to the Republic of Kazakhstan

ohchr | High Commissioner for Human Rights Tells Urgent Debate of the Human Rights Council that Speech and Inflammatory Acts against Muslims and Others Are Offensive..., 11 July

... The High Commissioner [Volker Türk] said that it was clear to him that speech and inflammatory acts against Muslims; Islamophobia; anti-Semitism; and actions and speech that targeted Christians - or minority groups such as Ahmadis, Baháʼís or Yazidis - were manifestations of utter disrespect. They were offensive, irresponsible and wrong. Advocacy of hatred that constituted incitement to violence, discrimination and hostility should be prohibited in every State.
[...]
Ms. Ghanea [Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, speaking on behalf of the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures] said that restrictions of freedom of expression needed to respect the three-part test set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: they must be legal, strictly necessary, and proportionate to achieve a legitimate objective set out in international human rights law. All States should exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and punish acts of violence against persons belonging to religious minorities and to detect signs of intolerance that may lead to discrimination based on religion or belief....

thewire.in | India Votes in Favour of UNHRC Resolution Against 'Religious Hatred' After Sweden Quran Burning, 12 July

Pakistan, on behalf of the OIC, had presented the draft resolution which condemned "recurring acts of public burning of the Holy Koran in some European and other countries". The draft resolution L.23 was orally revised once tabled. It is titled 'Countering religious hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence'....

European states vote against Quran burning UN resolution, 12 July

... 28 of the Council's 47 members approved it, including China, Ukraine, and most African countries. There were seven abstentions and twelve states votes against, including France, Germany, the UK, and the USA. ...28 of the Council's 47 members approved it, including China, Ukraine, and most African countries. There were seven abstentions and 12 states votes against, including France, Germany, the UK, and the USA....

media.un | Consideration of Draft Resolution (Cont'd), Urgent Debate on Public Acts of Religious Hatred, 12 July, A/V 00:25:32, translator enabled

Vote on Draft Resolution A/HRC/49/L.23 - Urgent debate to "discuss the alarming rise in premeditated and public acts of religious hatred as manifested by recurrent desecration of the Holy Quran in some European and other countries"

SPEAKERS:
Costa Rica, Ms. Shara Duncan Villalobos
Mexico, Ms. Francisca E. Méndez Escobar
China, Mr. Chen Xu
Argentina, Mr. Federico Villegas
Paraguay, Mr. Marcelo Eliseo Scappini Ricciardi
Chile, Ms. Claudia Fuentes Julio
Mr. Václav Bálek, President of the Human Rights Council (Adoption)
Pakistan, Mr. Khalil ur Rahman Hashmi
United States of America, Ms. Michèle Taylor

xinhua: Network should not be new battlefield for engaging in digital iron curtain, says Wang Yi

Wang, also director of the Office of the CPC Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, made the remarks while attending the 13th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security in Johannesburg, South Africa, which began Monday [24-26 July].

BRICS meeting kicks off, making preparations for leaders' summit

[...]
The two-day meeting, held under the theme of "Cybersecurity is increasingly becoming a challenge for developing countries," is being attended by Minister in the Presidency of South Africa Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Chief Adviser of the Presidency of Brazil Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval of India, and representatives of Belarus [!], Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Burundi [!], the United Arab Emirates [!], Kazakhstan [!], Cuba [!], and other countries.

All participating parties said that with the rapid development of information and communication technology [ICT], the importance of maintaining cyber security has become increasingly prominent.

The international community should strengthen and regulate the use of information and communication technologies, jointly combat cybercrime, promote digital connectivity, narrow the digital divide, strengthen international cooperation in technological innovation, and promote the economic and social development of all countries, they noted.

They said the global network governance system should be reformed and improved to increase the representation and voice of developing countries. BRICS countries and the "Friends of BRICS" should work together to address traditional and non-traditional security challenges such as cyber security, create a mutually beneficial, inclusive and secure international environment, achieve common security and development, and promote global peace and prosperity.

I see; joining 4G-6G terrestrial and satellite telecom networks and blockchain data structures.
GT | China-Russia joint drills wrap up in Sea of Japan, to be followed by joint naval, air patrols in Pacific Ocean, 24 July

...In the four days of intense joint military exercises, the naval and air forces from both countries completed multiple training objectives including sea-air integrated escort and deterrence expulsion, as they switched between joint formations and combat groups and practiced live fire surface-to-air shooting with ship-borne weapons systems, according to the press release....

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on July 24, 2023

Dragon TV: According to reports, on July 20, CIA Director William Burns while attending the Aspen Security Forum said that progress has been made in rebuilding the US spy networks in China and they are working hard to build a very strong human intelligence capability to complement what they can acquire through other methods. What's China's comment?
Mao Ning: We've noted the reports. This is rather concerning. The US on the one hand keeps spreading disinformation on so-called "Chinese spying and cyber attacks", and on the other hand tells the public about its large-scale intelligence activities targeting China. This in itself is quite revealing. China will take all measures necessary to safeguard national security.

< wipes tears >
msn CBS | Biden names CIA Director William Burns to his cabinet, 21 July

De-risking China, taking high risk stakes with Modi invite on Bastille Day ...

L'#Inde est un pays ami. Mais Narendra Modi son premier ministre est d'extrême droite et violemment hostile aux musulmans dans son pays. Il n'est pas le bienvenue au #14Juillet, fête de la liberté égalité fraternité qu'il méprise.

— Jean-Luc Mélenchon (@JLMelenchon) June 14, 2023

Modi's Bastille Day visit stirs controversy in France | DW News |

It's good to have rights one can trample on, that's true freedom in a democracy ... best  example is the current body of nine, called the US Supreme Body trampling on women's rights. If one didn't have Roe vs. Wade, how could one abolish those rights?

'Sapere aude'

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to be the guest of honor at France's traditional Bastille Day parade

The head of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Jean-Louis Bourlanges, however, dismissed concerns about India's democratic backsliding when asked about the invitation to Modi in the French parliament last month.

"India is certainly an imperfect democracy. But it's a democracy that's an absolute model if you compare it to Russia or to China or to many countries in Africa," he said.

Some, however, think France should tread a fine line in calling out rights violations by allies like India while continuing to work with it.

"Of course, you can't conflate India and China when it comes to human rights abuses," Balveer Arora, former rector and pro-vice-chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, told DW.

"The big difference is that liberties don't exist at all in China. Here in India, they exist and are being trampled upon," he said. "That's the tragedy and why countries like France should care."

Ukraine war casts shadow on EU-India relations | May 2022 |

'Sapere aude'

France riots: Why the streets are burning again | Middle East Eye |

History of public anger on racial divide in society -

France sees wave of protests amid Islamophobia, police bill | March 22, 2021 |

Turkish president blames France's colonial past for the nationwide unrest, linking it to Islamophobia ...

Turkey's Erdogan blames France riots on 'institutional racism' [_link]

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) July 3, 2023

• Met police found to be institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic | The Guardian - March 21, 2023 |
• Germany has officially dismantled a company of the German army's elite Special Commando Forces (KSK) after several far-right incidents
• More African students decry racism at Ukrainian borders | Al Jazeera - March 2, 2022 |
  [Our moral values fighting for our freedom]

'Sapere aude'

To join or not to join ...

'A strong gesture': French delivery of SCALP missiles to Ukraine

The French army's SCALP missile stocks are estimated at 400 or fewer, depending on the source. Their unit price is €850,000, according to the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI). The number of missiles delivered to Ukraine has not been specified.

Battle for the Falklands, French's one off "succes" of the Exocet missile. Follow-up a stream of new orders ... in addition the counter-measures Dutch supplier HSA offered Goalkeeper CIWS. [later Thales]

'Sapere aude'

wsj | Saudi Arabia to Host Ukraine Peace Talks as Part of Western Effort to Woo Global South, 29 July

as Europe and Washington intensify efforts to consolidate international support for Ukraine's peace demands.

Kyiv Security Compact International Guarantees for Ukraine: Recommendations  delivered 13 Sep 2022
10-point Peace Plan addressed to the G20 Summit, 15 Nov 2022

According to diplomats involved in the discussion, the meeting would bring senior officials from up to 30 countries to Jeddah on Aug 5 and 6. It comes amid a growing battle between the Kremlin and Ukraine's Western backers to win support from major developing countries, many of which have been neutral over the Ukraine war.

G7 Leaders' Statement on Ukraine on 19 May 2023
We reiterate our call on third parties to immediately cease providing material support to Russia's aggression OR face severe costs. We will reinforce our coordination to prevent and respond to third parties supplying weapons to Russia and continue to take actions against third country actors who materially support Russia's war.

The meeting follows on from a gathering of senior officials in Copenhagen in late June, attended by Brazil [BR], India [IN], Turkey [TR], and South Africa [ZA]. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan dialed into the meeting. Ukraine and several major European countries also participated.

archive June 2023 price cap mania invitational

For the Jeddah meeting, Saudi Arabia [SA] and Ukraine have invited 30 countries, including Indonesia, Egypt [EG], Mexico [MX], Chile [CL], and Zambia [ZM]. It is not yet clear how many will attend, although the countries who took part in the Copenhagen talks are expected to do so again.

The UK, South Africa, Poland [PL], and the EU are among those who have confirmed attendance. For now, Sullivan is expected to attend, according to a person familiar with the planning. There was no immediate comment from the [US] National Security Council.
[...]

"China sat out the Copenhagen meeting."

archive 11th G7 sanctions package

At the Copenhagen meeting, there was a large gap in views between Ukraine and most of the attending developing countries, according to people involved. Ukrainian officials pushed participants to back President Zelensk*'s existing 10-point peace ["demands"], which calls for the return of all occupied territory and demands that Russian troops exit Ukraine before peace talks can start.

The developing country group made it clear they were open to discussing shared principles but wouldn't sign onto Ukraine's plan.
[...]

Seems reasonable to me. "Ukraine's plan" is for Ukraine's benefit alone in point of fact, per G7 enforced sanctions packages "against Russia" and restraint of "third country" trade.

19 Nov 2022 ECOWAS

Macron accuses Russia of 'predatory' influence in Africa

2023
Svenja Schulze presents "Shifting Sands: Fostering Stability in the Sahel"
Blinken praised Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum
Macron lays out 'new era' for France's reduced presence in Africa
Germany takes over presidency of Sahel Alliance, July 10

The 18-member Sahel Alliance was founded by Germany, France, and the European Union in 2017 to assist Burkina-Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger -- collectively known as the G5 Sahel Group -- in their struggle against poverty and terrorism.

Schulze's comments come at a time when there is great concern in the region over whether a power vacuum will be created when UN MINUSMA peacekeeping troops leave Mali by the end of the year at the insistence of that country's military leadership.

Mali left the French-speaking G5 Sahel Group -- formed in 2014 [Opération Barkhane] in part to defend against the growing threat posed by Islamist groups -- last year after its government was taken over in a military coup. It has since forced the departure of all French troops from its country and now wants the UN out as well.

w/e 29 July 2023
lemonde | « Le projet visant à renverser Mohamed Bazoum existe depuis longtemps au sein de l'armée », 28 July

Ce coup d'Etat intervient au moment du deuxième sommet Russie-Afrique. Pensez-vous que Moscou soit derrière ce putsch?
Non, je ne le pense pas.

lemonde | Coup d'etat in Niger: the French embassy targeted by demonstrators, ECOWAS demands a return to order within a week, 30 July

Thousands of supporters of the putschist soldiers demonstrated on Sunday, July 30, in front of the French embassy in Niger, in Niamey, where some tried to break in, before being dispersed by tear gas canisters, according to AFP.

aftershock | Macron threatens tough response to infringement of French interests, thread

Uranium mined in Niger. Uranium in Mali, but logistics and traders in Niger. There will be uranium for Paris, but the price tag will be global. And it hurts a lot

ghananewsagency | CAR holds referendum to extend term limits (classic Kazakstan technique)

Faustin-Archange Touadéra was elected president in 2016 and was re-elected in 2020. The landlocked country has rich diamond and gold deposits.

Touadéra's government is seen as close to Moscow. The Russian ambassador to the country Alexander Bikantov,has said there are at least 1,890 Russian miliary advisors in the country, with Touadéra' "interested in increasing the number." The former French colony, which gained independence in 1960, has been unstable since a 2013 [Opération Sangaris] rebellion that ousted Francois Bozize, president at the time.

politico.eu.com | Niger coup sparks concerns about French, EU uranium dependency, 31 July

In 2021, Niger was the EU's top uranium supplier, followed by Kazakhstan and Russia, according to the Supply Agency of the European Atomic Energy Community.

almayadeen | Niger puts an end to uranium and gold export to France

Currently, uranium production in Niger occurs mostly through a French majority-owned company called Orano which owns 63.4% of Société des Mines de l'Aïr (SOMAÏR). The remaining 36.66% of this is owned by Niger's Société du Patrimoine des Mines du Niger, known as Sopamin.

lesahel.org | A la Présidence de la République : Le Président du CNSP rencontre les Chefs traditionnels, les leaders religieux, et les opérateurs économiques

Elon just 'X'd you 😆

And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 23, 2023

'Sapere aude'

rings a bell.
OpEd | China is in default on a trillion dollars in debt to US bondholders. Will the US force repayment?

[...]
Some history is in order. Before 1949, the government of [China, temporarily occupied by Kuomintang nationalists d/b/a] the Republic of China (ROC) issued a LARGE VOLUME of long-term sovereign gold-denominated bonds, secured by Chinese tax revenues, to [US American] private investors and governments for the < wipes tears> construction of infrastructure and financing of governmental activities [in civil war]. Put simply, the China "self-governing" Taiwan we know today would not have been possible absent these

two fundamental challenges in the China theater. The first challenge was political. Despite facing a common foe in Japan, Chinese society was polarized. Some Chinese were supporters of the Nationalist Kuomintang government; some supported one of the numerous former warlords nominally loyal to the Nationalists; and some supported the Communists, who were engaged in a guerrilla war against the military and political forces of the Nationalists.
[...]
Regardless of these handicaps, the United States and Nationalist China succeeded in forging a coalition that withstood the tests of time. Indeed, Chinese leader Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, the Allied Supreme Commander, China Theater, accepted, though reluctantly, U.S. Army generals as his chiefs of staff. This command relationship also endured differences in national war aims and cultures, as well as personalities, until the end of the [US-JP] war.

[...]
In 1938, during its conflict with Japan [against the Communist Party of China], the ROC defaulted on its sovereign debt. After the military victory of the communists, the ROC [the Allied Supreme Commander] fled to Taiwan Formosa. The People's Republic of China [PRC] was eventually recognized internationally as the [sole] government of China. Under well-established international law [of war reparations], the "successor government" doctrine holds that the [victors of China's civil war], led by the Chinese Communist Party, is responsible for repayment of the [defeated China Defense Supplies, Inc. and Chinese Supply Commission agents of the US government d/b/a the ROC] defaulted bonds.

...Finally, the U.S. continues to work for a resolution with Taiwan of the issue of debts arising from World War II-era loans extended to China.

A private group of [US] American citizens holds a LARGE QUANTITY of these gold-denominated ["confederate" notes]. This citizen-led group, the American Bondholders Foundation (ABF), serves as trustee with power of attorney for some 20,000 bondholders, whose bonds [issued by ROC] are valued at well more than $1 trillion.
[...]

Richmond County, VA dailyjournal | Russia's and China's debt to America, origin story

5 July trifecta

South Africa deputy president's security officers face assault charges over highway incident
archived Welcome to Poland
Armed mobs rampage through villages and push remote Indian region to the brink of civil war
archived an autocratic-leaning Hindu nationalist
China dismisses criticism of top diplomat's comments appearing to push for race-based alliance

"Americans take all visitors from China, South Korea and Japan as Asians. They cannot tell the differences and it's the same in Europe," said Wang Yi, a former foreign minister who now heads the ruling Communist Party's foreign affairs commission. "No matter how yellow you dye your hair, or how sharp you make your nose, you'll never turn into a European or American, you'll never turn into a Westerner."

He's not wrong.
archived "asia hate" dilemma, anti-Asian sentiment, "Stabbed in the back", Viet Thanh Nguyen, Europe welcomes Ukrainian refugees, anyone who passes for Chinese, Gangnam Style, Europeanisation, anti-asian weekend in the Mail

Second Life of APPL-MSFT "window" patent wrassling, wrapped in LinkedIn-hiQ copy right, and tied with a low-yield Waymo-Uber settlement.

Twitter threatens Meta with lawsuit over rival ["]Threads["] app

"Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights, and demands Meta take immediate steps to stop using any Twitter trade secrets or highly confidential information," according to the letter....

Politico.eu.com squawking | Why Europeans don't have ["]Threads["] yet

New EU competition rules are what's holding Meta's new Twitter rival back.

wut

Malingering RFK, Jr class action complaint against named agencies' and officers' censorship
5 July 5th Cir. district ct preliminary injunction

Mission to stop Sen. Joe Manchin "No Labels" presidential bid hits the Hill, 9 July

5th Cir. Appeals court temporarily blocks district ct. order preliminary injunction, 14 July

RFK Jr. condemned over false claims that COVID-19 was "ethnically targeted", 18 July

archived June

• The Don Cheeto (R)
  
• Nikki Two-Tones (R)
  
• Vivek WHO? (R)
  
• Perry WUT? (R)
  
• not that Scott, the other one (R)
  
• Asa (R)
  
• Dakato Doug Tech (R)
  
• Miami, Suarez (R)
  
• Texass Hurd (R)
  
• Marianne (D)
  
• RFK, Jr (D)
  
• Rt Rev Dr Cornel West (G)

Tears in my eyes as I briefly watched the crazies occupying the White House during the Trump years ... could only compare it to the mob running his personal empire. Damn ... running the World like a madman .... small correction ... by a madman.

The man who made Trump President of America

Trump disavows Steve Bannon: "When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind"

Here is the president's statement in full: 

"Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my presidency. When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind. Steve was a staffer who worked for me after I had already won the nomination by defeating seventeen candidates, often described as the most talented field ever assembled in the Republican Party.

Now that he is on his own, Steve is learning that winning isn't as easy as I make it look. Steve had very little to do with our historic victory, which was delivered by the forgotten men and women of this country. Yet Steve had everything to do with the loss of a Senate seat in Alabama held for more than thirty years by Republicans. Steve doesn't represent my base--he's only in it for himself. 

Steve pretends to be at war with the media, which he calls the opposition party, yet he spent his time at the White House leaking false information to the media to make himself seem far more important than he was. It is the only thing he does well. Steve was rarely in a one-on-one meeting with me and only pretends to have had influence to fool a few people with no access and no clue, whom he helped write phony books. 

We have many great Republican members of Congress and candidates who are very supportive of the Make America Great Again agenda. Like me, they love the United States of America and are helping to finally take our country back and build it up, rather than simply seeking to burn it all down."

In the diaries ... Steve Bannon

Book Wolff Interview of Bannon

Steve Bannon fulfilled the same role as Karl Rove under George W. Bush ... or Grigori Rasputin to the Royal Court  of the tsar. Poison all around.

... all in the same league.

'Sapere aude'

UN chief urges ["]maritime nations["] to chart course for net zero shipping emissions by 2050, 3 July international admiralty lanes

The head of the United Nations called Monday for maritime nations to agree on a course for the shipping industry to reduce its climate-harming emissions to net zero by the middle of the century at the latest.

The appeal by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres came at the start of a meeting of the International Maritime Organization [IMO] in London that's seen as key for helping achieve the international goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit).
[...]

"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves / Britons never will be slaves."

The IMO's current target is for the shipping industry to cut its emissions by at least half from 2008 to 2050. Guterres said the new targets should include all greenhouse gas emissions caused by the industry and backed the idea of introducing a carbon price for shipping. Campaigners have suggested that funds generated from a levy on emissions could be used to help poor nations tackle climate change

Paris climate summit New Global Financial Pact Summit ends without a deal on global tax on shipping (23.06.23)
"leaving climate NGOs and activists lamenting the lack of ambitious responses to fight climate change and the world's inequalities brought forward at the meeting"

though the industry wants the money to go toward the development of clean [navy? cement? metallurgy? boring? mining? hydrogen? gas? coal?] technologies.

archived Save the Date: 22-23 June, UK FIRES stretch goals 2020-2029, 2030-2049: All shipping declines to zero, World POWs COP27 loss and damage reports from maritime Egypt

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on July 3, 2023

[...]
Reuters: According to a Financial Times report

Beijing distributed the note to developing countries as they prepared for a critical meeting at the UN's International Maritime Organization [IMO] in July, according to four people present at IMO discussions. The lobbying effort comes days after France rallied 22 allies behind a shipping emissions levy.

China warned that "an overly ambitious emission reduction target will seriously impede the sustainable development of international shipping, significantly increase the cost of the supply chain, and will adversely impede the recovery of the global economy", according to a document seen by the Financial Times.

The note also criticised wealthy nations for setting "unrealistic" goals with "significant" financial costs. It said a shipping emissions tax was "a disguised way by developed countries to improve their own market competitiveness".

China sent a diplomatic note to a number of developing countries to ask them to not support a motion to introduce a levy on shipping with regard to emissions that is apparently being proposed. I was wondering can you confirm that China did indeed share such a diplomatic note with other nations and what was the content of this note? 
Wang Wenbin: As a member state of the IMO and Category A member of the IMO Council, China highly values and actively supports IMO's efforts to address climate change. China believes that in carrying out relevant work, the IMO should follow the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, take into consideration different national conditions, accommodate the legitimate concerns of developing countries, and promote the formulation of a fair and practical greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction strategy and relevant measures for the international shipping industry.

chinadialogue | EU carbon tax puts a price on shipping emissions (03.02.23)
... The EU plan will include shipping emissions in the bloc's ETS from 2023. When the measure comes into force, shipowners, regardless of the flag they fly, will have to buy carbon allowances to cover all emissions during voyages in the EU and half of those generated by international voyages that start or finish at an EU port. In 2023, companies chartering large vessels will be required to purchase allowances for 20% of their emissions from ships that call at EU ports, ratcheting up to 100% by 2026....

chinadialogueocean | Critical year ahead for shipping emissions regulator (06.03.23)
...Out of 175 member states, 10 countries at [IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee] MEPC79 opposed increasing the IMO's current level of ambition. These were the "BRICS" countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa - plus Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Indonesia, Turkey, and the UAE (a position which may get more uncomfortable for the UAE this year as host of the COP28 UN climate talks)....

In relevant work, China has always maintained cooperation and coordination with other member states in an active and constructive manner. For example, we have worked for the adoption of the IMO's initial strategy to reduce GHG emissions from international shipping that is based on China's proposal [?], taken a lead in working out important measures and technical documents concerning emissions reductions, participated in and carried out IMO GHG studies, and played a guiding role and served as a bridge in multiple critical processes including at the meeting this time. All this has won widespread recognition by member states.  

Going forward, China will continue to actively offer its wisdom and ideas under the IMO framework, and work with all member states to contribute to the global response to climate change and the sustainable development of the international shipping industry.
Follow-up: Could you confirm did China send such a diplomatic note to other nations or not?
Wang Wenbin: I have answered this question just now and have nothing to add.

smaartcompany | China urges developing countries to oppose 'unrealistic' freight tax, 3 July

[...]
Poor countries are not united in opposition. The Marshall Islands [!], which are particularly vulnerable to sea level rise as a result of climate change, has called for an emissions tax of USD 100 per tonne. Albon Ishoda, the country's ambassador to the International Maritime Organization, has expressed concerns that the level of "polarization is becoming unhelpful," with some in the discussions not living up to their national commitments on decarbonization.
[...]
The diplomatic note mirrors comments by [PRC] Prime Minister Li Qiang, who argued at a World Economic Forum [WEF] event last week: "It is not fair for developing countries to abide by the standards of developed countries. Developed countries should shoulder more responsibilities in facing the climate challenge."

At a [New Global Financial Pact] summit in Paris the same week, France and other rich nations called on the International Maritime Organization [IMO] to set targets that would align shipping with international ambitions to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. The EU is already planning to impose a financial cost on shipping pollution by bringing the sector into an emissions trading scheme [ETS].

China's warnings about the effects of such measures were met with a response last week by the World Bank [WB], a lender IMF loan originator to developing countries. He argued in a blog that allowing wider use of any emissions tax revenues would support poor countries that have little opportunity to invest directly in shipping.

ndr.de | Wind power expansion: Municipalities can decide for themselves, 7 July Schleswig-Holstein

A change in the Federal Building Act makes this possible. The law was attached to the existing plans to accelerate the construction of liquid gas terminals and was on the agenda of the Bundestag and Bundesrat on Friday (July 7). The decision was made on Friday morning. The traffic light coalition wants to accelerate the expansion of renewable energies in Germany.
[...]
plans disputed
The plans are controversial in Schleswig-Holstein. Criticism comes from the black-green coalition, among others. "One would have thought that the sensitivity for careful legislation had increased since Wednesday at the latest since the Federal Constitutional Court's urgent decision on the Building Energy Act," criticized the Federal Council representative for the state, Sandra Gerken (CDU).
[...]

courthousenews | California lands zero-emissions vehicle deal with US truck manufacturers, 6 July

The agreement between the California Air Resources Board [CARB] and the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association [EMA], as well as with its commercial engine and vehicle members

• Trucks and buses • Farm, construction, and industrial equipment • Marine vessels • Locomotives • Lawn, garden and utility equipment • Electric generators

Our members also manufacture medium and heavy-duty trucks with  gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) over 10,000 pounds.

and Ford Motor Company, has the companies committing to help California reach its goal of 100% clean [light-duty] truck sales by 2036.
[...]
According to the governor's office, the move will significantly cut pollution, as fossil fuels are the largest source of air pollution. This past April, California became the first jurisdiction in the world to state it would end the sale of traditional [internal] combustion [engine] trucks by 2036. This is part of the state's goal to reach 100% zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty trucks by 2045.
[...]
Concerning the cost of the new vehicles, [CARB spokesperson Dave] Clegern said manufacturers have been prepping for years to work within the new standards, and that "at this point many of the components of zero-emissions trucks are approaching price parity with fossil fuel engines."
[...]

handelsblatt | Koalition streicht Stromsteuer-Hilfen für die Industrie, 5 July

Finanzminister Lindner spart mit dem Wegfall der Strom-Subvention 1,7 Milliarden Euro ein. Die Unternehmen sind schockiert und üben scharfe Kritik.

Der Unmut in den betroffenen Branchen ist groß. Von dem Spitzenausgleich profitieren Unternehmen aus energieintensiven Branchen. Sie bekommen bis zu 90 Prozent der Energie- und Stromsteuer erstattet. Der Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie (BDI) übte heftige Kritik an der Entscheidung: ,,Die Abschaffung des Spitzenausgleichs bedeutet eine Verzehnfachung der Stromsteuerlast für fast 9000 Unternehmen.
[...]

tfi | Le gouvernement lance un "bonus réparation" pour les vêtements et les chaussures, 11 July

• Après l'électroménager, le gouvernement va lancer en octobre un "bonus réparation" pour les biens textiles.
• Les consommateurs pourront faire rapiécer leurs vêtements ou chaussures plutôt que d'en racheter des neufs.

Les Français jettent 700.000 tonnes de vêtements chaque année. Une hérésie pour la secrétaire d'État chargée de l'Écologie, Bérangère Couillard, qui précise que les deux tiers "finissent dans des décharges". Pour inciter les clients à faire rapiécer leurs vêtements ou leurs chaussures plutôt que d'en racheter des neufs, elle a indiqué ce mardi qu'un bonus à la "réparation" des biens textiles doit être mis en place "à partir d'octobre".
[...]

politico | Kerry vows cooperation, not concessions, in climate talks with China, 13 July
"Get over it."

27 July Spy Balloon UPDATE: Canadian wildfires have caused astonishing global damage

The Canadian wildfires that started in May have brought severe impact to Canada and even the North American region. The latest data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre shows that, as of Wednesday, a total of 4,774 fires have occurred nationwide in Canada, with cumulative burned areas of more than 121,000 square kilometers. This data has far exceeded the country's historical record of 76,000 square kilometers burned in 1989, surpassing the land area of South Korea, and is 7.5 times the cumulative disaster areas of wildfires in China from 2000 to 2021.
[...]
In addition to endangering the lives and property of local residents, the ecological damage and the emission of greenhouse gases caused by the wildfires have had an immeasurable impact on the human living environment. Recently, Chinese scientists used scientific methods to assess it and concluded that, as of Wednesday, the carbon dioxide emissions from Canadian wildfires have reached approximately 1 billion tons.

archived Are the Canadian Fires Under Control?

Senate puts NASA on notice over Mars mission

Senate appropriators are offering just $300 million in funding for fiscal 2024 for the Mars mission -- less than a third of the $949 million budget request from NASA. Appropriators also say they have deep doubts about whether NASA can complete the mission, known as Mars Sample Return (MSR).
[...]
It further said it would rescind the $300 million allocated for the mission if the agency cannot guarantee that overall cost will not exceed $5.3 billion. NASA estimates that the mission's development costs, which were originally $4.4 billion, have soared to more than $9 billion.
[...]
NASA has been working with the European Space Agency to develop the MSR mission. As part of this plan, NASA will build a Sample Retriever Lander that is slated to launch in 2028, although the Senate as well as some within the agency doubt this is a viable launch date.

As NASA has been working on developing the technology needed for the mission, costs have ballooned. First estimates indicated the cost of this mission would be around $4 billion, but according to the committee's report, the space agency has already spent more than $1 billion. The subcommittee also flagged that the planned 2028 launch date is very aggressive and likely to slip, increasing cost overruns.
[...]
If NASA cannot guarantee it can complete the mission for this amount, the Mars program faces cancellation, and the Senate will transfer the $300 million to other missions, with the bulk of it going to the Artemis lunar program. That mission aims to return astronauts to the surface of the moon and establish a small space station in orbit around the moon.

archived September 2022 omen, Artemis: NASA's Orion and ESA's Service Module, Artemis 1 mission launch dates, sci-fi allusions galore

Tritium in nature

Tritium has radioactivity and decays to helium-3, a stable isotope of helium, by emitting beta rays (electrons) . It takes about 12.3 years ("half-life") that tritium decreases to half amount.

Tritium is produced in nature by nuclear reactions between neutrons in cosmic radiation and nitrogen or oxygen in atmosphere. The amount of tritium produced by these processes is estimated to be 200g per year. 99% of tritium exists in nature in the form of tritiated water (HTO), like water vapor, rain and sea. So it circulates together with light water (H20) around our environment.

Japan is poised to release nuclear wastewater into the Pacific. How worried should we be?

Related reading ...
'Very impressive' marine life enters North America on debris from Japanese tsunami

'Sapere aude'

hankyoreh | Less than half of Japan supports plan to dump radioactive Fukushima water, 4 July poll smoke

[...]
The Japan News Network reported Monday that 45% of 1,207 respondents in a telephone poll over the weekend were in favor of discharging the water into the ocean, 5 points higher than those opposed (40%).
While supporters of the planned discharge outnumbered opponents, they still make up fewer than half of the Japanese surveyed in the poll, carried out on the eve of the water's release. That's certain to put more pressure on the Cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

nope

Admittedly, results of polls about the discharge vary with the polling organization. In a March poll by the Japanese newspaper the Asahi Shimbun, approval (51%) outweighed opposition (41%) by 10 points.

A poll by the Yomiuri Shimbun in May showed approval at 60%, double opposition (30%).
[...]

Japanese claim on Chinese nuclear plant waste dismissed

China has denied claims by the Japanese government that Chinese nuclear power plants have been releasing effluent containing higher levels of tritium, a radioactive isotope, than the nuclear-contaminated wastewater Japan plans to discharge into the ocean.

The rebuttal from China's National Nuclear Safety Administration came on Wednesday in response to a report in The Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's largest-circulation newspaper, which quoted a document from the Japanese government.

The newspaper reported late last month that tritium levels in wastewater released annually from nuclear power plants in China were 6.5 fold higher than the amount scheduled to be released from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

[...]

Wastewater generated during normal operations at nuclear power plants only contains a few fission nuclides. If these are treated with the best available techniques that strictly comply with internationally accepted standards and are then discharged in an organized manner, they will contain far less nuclear pollutants than what is permissible, the administration continued.

The world should be vigilant about the attempts being made to confuse the public with such claims to get away with misconduct, it said.

As Japan prepares to release Fukushima wastewater, anxiety grows across South Korea | NPR - June 27, 2023 |

'Sapere aude'

G7 endorses Japan's Fukushima water discharge plans | Greenpeace - April 16, 2023 |

Sapporo, Japan - The nations of the G7 have chosen politics over science and the protection of the marine environment with their decision today to support the Japanese government's plans to discharge Fukushima radioactive waste water into the Pacific Ocean. 

The 1.3 million cubic meters/tons of radioactive waste water at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, currently in tanks, is scheduled to be discharged into the Pacific Ocean this year. Nations in the Asia Pacific region, led by the Pacific Island Forum, have strongly voiced their opposition to the plans. Some of the world's leading oceanographic institutes and marine scientists have criticised the weakness of the scientific justification applied by TEPCO, the owner of the nuclear plant, warned against using the Pacific Ocean as a dumping ground for radioactive contaminated water, and called for alternatives to discharge to be applied.

"The Japanese government is desperate for international endorsement for its Pacific Ocean radioactive water dump plans. It has failed to protect its own citizens, including the vulnerable fishing communities of Fukushima, as well as nations across the wider Asia Pacific region. The aftermath of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima is still strongly felt, and the Japanese government has failed to fully investigate the effects of discharging multiple radionuclides on marine life. The government is obligated under international law to conduct a comprehensive environmental impact assessment, including the impact of transboundary marine pollution, but has failed to do so. Its plans are a violation of the UN Convention Law of the Sea.

The marine environment is under extreme pressure from climate change, overfishing and resource extraction. Yet, the G7 thinks it's acceptable to endorse plans to deliberately dump nuclear waste into the ocean. Politics inside the G7 at Sapporo just trumped science, environmental protection, and international law," said Shaun Burnie, Senior Nuclear Specialist at Greenpeace East Asia.

'Sapere aude'

A Multiple-Choice Civics Exam would be _.
A. Too long
B. Too difficult
C. Too complicated
D. All of the above

What use is a virus killer if you don't have a spelling checker? 🤣

Sensitive US military info exposed in accidental emails to Mali

For years, a misspelling of ".MIL" in the suffix of military email addresses as ".ML" -- the country domain for Mali -- unintentionally led to a "typo leak," according to The Financial Times, which first reported the story. As a result, everything from diplomatic documents, tax returns, passwords and travel details of top officers has been exposed, the outlet noted.

'Sapere aude'

Daizen Maeda as a stab in the dark, don't ask me why.I do miss the blond hair 😄

'Sapere aude'

Feds drop campaign contributions charge against Sam Bankman-Fried, 27 July
"Separately on Wednesday, prosecutors asked a judge to jail Bankman-Fried claiming he engaged in witness tampering by giving a New York Times reporter the personal writings of his ex-girlfriend Caroline Ellison -- who is slated to be a key witness against him at trial."