Politico.eu.com | All Your Base Are Belong to Us, 4 Dec embargo

Moscow will forbid domestic companies from selling exporting Russian oil under any price cap, and is willing to ["]dial down["] production [delivered to the Price Cap Coalition] to compensate for the lost exports, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said repeated Sunday, according to Russian news agency TASS.

The comments come one day before an EU ["]embargo["] on seaborne Russian oil takes effect and just as EU countries agreed on a price cap of $60 per barrel for sales purchases of Russian oil sold to non-EU countries that EU-based [maritime service] companies, like shippers and insurers, would be allowed to participate [sic] in.
[...]

Basics of Refining and Optimization (2018); "M100" RU (URALS) actual run ~ ANS grade:ASCI price
arabnews | OPEC+ maintains status quo on output

just a day after the Group of Seven ["Price Cap Coalition"] nations decided to put a price cap on Russian[-orign oil and petroleum products]. The decision was made at the 34th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting, which was held virtually, on Dec. 4, 2022.  

Earlier in October, OPEC+ had agreed to cut output by 2 million barrels per day, which equals to about 2 percent of world demand, from November until the end of 2023.

[Hassan Balfakeih, the former chief oil demand analyst at OPEC Secretariat] added: "Given the growing uncertainty in the oil markets on both the supply and demand side, OPEC+'s decision to adopt a wait-and-see approach appears to be a very well-thought-out decision. Among these are the hazy price-cap policy for Russian oil, the global gloomy economic outlook, a rise in COVID-19 cases in China, and fluctuations in demand throughout the winter season in the western hemisphere."  

OPEC+'s key ministers will next meet on Feb. 1 for a monitoring committee while a full meeting is scheduled for June 3-4.

OPEC+ premium price floor

Basics of Refining and Optimization; Platts periodic table of oil: UR (m. sour); SiL, ESPO, SOKOL (l. sweet)
FUTURES a/o 4 Dec: OPEC basket $87, BRENT $85, WTI $79

Politico.eu.com | INCONTINENCE ALERT

On Monday, a ban on the import [FKA EU  embargo] of seaborne Russian crude oil comes into force. It's one of the EU's toughest sanctions yet, designed to drive down the fossil fuel revenues that Vladimir PUTIN  uses to finance [sic] his invasion of Ukraine.
[...]
Initial [spot, futures] markets reaction was muted on Monday, with ["benchmark"] Brent crude trading at around $87 [!] per barrel, only slightly up on Friday's prices and down some way from its recent high of $110 in June as signs of a global economic slowdown and continuing low demand in China due to COVID lockdowns < wipes tears > suppress The Oil® price.  

Where will The Oil® flow?

"The EU will import crude oil from ["]elsewhere["]," said Simone Tagliapietra, a senior fellow at the Bruegel [!] think tank. "Russia will likely < wipes tears > ramp up its ["discount"] exports of crude oil to [SE Asia, Africa,] China[,] and India, which will lessen demand for Middle Eastern oil [?!] and in turn Europe will get more [premium l. sweet, m. sour, hvy. sour] oil from the Middle East and ["]elsewhere["]. Market conditions should remain pretty similar. We should not notice."
[...]

archived How Russian oil flows to Europe in US Losing Unity In Ukraine War

This happened after the restriction of oil prices from the Russian Federation
< wipes tears >

COUNCIL [of the European Union] REGULATION (EU) 2022/2367

[...]
(3) On 6 October 2022, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2022/1909 (4), which introduced an exemption from the prohibition to provide maritime transport and the prohibition to provide technical assistance, brokering services[,] or financing or financial assistance, related to the maritime transport to third countries of crude oil or petroleum products which originate in or are exported from Russia, purchased at or below a pre-established price cap agreed by the Price Cap Coalition. That exemption is intended to mitigate adverse consequences on energy [sic] supply to third countries and reduce price surges driven by extraordinary market conditions, while limiting Russian oil revenues.

(4) On 3 December 2022 the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2022/2369, amending Decision 2014/512/CFSP. Decision (CFSP) 2022/2369 establishes the price cap, that is the price per barrel at or below which crude oil from Russia is exempt from the prohibition to provide maritime transport and the prohibition to provide technical assistance, brokering services or financing or financial assistance, related to the maritime transport to third countries.

(5) Decision (CFSP) 2022/2369 clarifies [sic] the existing prohibition on the trading and brokering of Russian crude oil and petroleum products and extends the price cap exemption when such goods are traded at or below the price cap.
[...]

The impertinence that this document articulates is a truly astounding, unscrupulous, and verbose repudiation of lofty European epistemology that has informed "four fundamental freedoms" and sovereign authority of representative democracy and has proscribed "illiberal" nation-states which are not parties of the TEU. Regardless of one's "view" from anywhere on the planet of "Russia's actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine." The situation: the "situation" therein exposes the crass constitution and "mechanisms" of action that have provoked enmity and deprivations the world over.

[...]
(11) Taking into account the current circumstances, which are challenging the competitiveness of EU shipping, as well as the fact that the shipping industry is a slowly recovering sector of the economy, the Commission intends to urgently adopt appropriate supportive measures, including by further developing existing instruments at the latest by 5 February 2023, aiming at preserving the credibility and strategic [sic] importance of the Union's shipping industry, maintaining and further enhancing the competitiveness of EU shipping, while protecting the interest of the competitive operation of ships which are flying the flags of Member States, as well as encouraging the re-flagging of ships to Member States' ship registers.
[...]

Do you have any control over how creepy you allow yourself to get? Evidently, no.

France's Mr. Privacy turns cybersnooper: cybersecurity corps, Qwant feat. "links" to Huawei and start-up Altrnativ feat. "ties" to authoritarian African governments (BJ, TD, CM, GA, CD, SN, CI) and mostly Sunni muslim Comoros islands (.KM)

archived TAO of beehive, ghost of Zero Days in Nord Stream Whodunnit UPDATE

Politico.eu.com | EU's latest sanctions take aim at Russia's 'industrial complex', 8 Dec
a collection of pay-to-view supplementary EC documents and a gratuitous summary of the purported 9th EC "package of sanctions" applied to all natural and incorporated persons who market commodities produced in Russian Federation territories.

Press statement by President von der Leyen on the ninth package of sanctions against Russia, 7 Dec

Russia continues to bring death and devastation to Ukraine. It is deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, seeking to paralyse the country at the beginning of the winter.

We stand by Ukraine and we are making Russia pay for its cruelty.

The eight packages of sanctions we introduced so far are already biting hard.

And today, we are stepping up the pressure on Russia, with a ninth package of sanctions.
[....four (4) restricted RF business activities...]
[5] We will also target the Russian propaganda machine by taking four additional channels off the air and all other distribution platforms.

And [6] we propose further economic measures against the Russian energy [sic] and mining sector, including a ban on new mining investments in Russia.

This package comes on top of the full EU import ban [FKA "embargo"] on Russian seaborne oil that came into force this week. As well as the global oil price cap agreed between the G7 ["Price Cap Coalition"].

The international cooperation against Russia's war has never been stronger.

We stand united and firm.

commission.europa.eu related docs
• ec.europa.eu "Statement by President von der Leyen on further measures to respond to the Russianinvasion of Ukraine"
• malta.representation.ec.europa.eu
• cyprus.representation.ec.europa.eu
• eeas.europa.eu
• ireland.representation.ec.europa.eu "We are stepping up our support for Ukraine: President von der Leyen"
archved Our sanctions don't affect, EU-US sanctions piled so high..., OK BOOMER 2019

Politico.eu.com | EU strikes deal with Hungary, reducing funding freeze [sic] to get Ukraine aid [sic] approved, 13 Dec EU debt subsidarity

[...]
EU countries agreed to lower the suspension to €6.3 billion.

wut

That said, the decision still means Hungary is poised to lose billions in expected funds at a time when [EU27] economy is teetering. And there's no guarantee it will be able to fulfill its pledge to adopt the 27 rule-of-law reforms needed to unblock the pandemic recovery money and to unfreeze regular EU funds transfer payments. Already, the country has struggled [unlike POLAND] to satisfy EU officials assessing its progress infringement penalties.
[...]
In recent days, officials had been scrambling to develop a plan B for disbursing financing the Ukraine funds "aid" without Hungary's approval -- crafting a proposal that required 26 countries to offer individual guarantees instead of an EU-backed [sic] guarantee. Such a move would have exposed unwelcome cracks in the EU's approach to Russia's war borrowing money to fund "performance-based" NextGenerationEU budgets.
[...]

RECALLING commission.europa.eu | The EU as a borrower - investor relations

The European Commission is empowered by the EU Treaties to borrow from the international capital markets on behalf of the European Union [FKA Single Market]. It is a well-established name in debt securities markets, with a strong track record of successful bond issuances over the past 40 years. These bond transactions are denominated exclusively in euro.

The European Commission's largest programme bond issue is the NextGenerationEU recovery instrument of up to around €800 billion in current prices - 5% of EU GDP. To finance this programme, the Commission is issuing securities on the international capital markets using its diversified funding strategy. About 30% of the funds for this programme budget will be raised through the issuance of NextGenerationEU green bonds....

presumably offset by €300B Global Gateway loans to the jungle
archived EU finance, International Guarantees for Ukraine, DICTION CORNER: *-Eng. guarantee, guarantor, and ...collateral

It appears that a couple of weeks ago, the supposed "anti-federalist" ECR Group took the floor to scold the EPP in the EP, again. Preposterous! except for this duly noted detail provided by wikiwtf: "Presently, the largest party in the group by number of MEPs is the Law and Justice (PiS) of Poland", cultivated by dearly departed euroskeptics.

Nothing new here : national ruling élites have a very strong vested interest in preventing the emergence of a real European political space. Transnational lists are a vital part of creating that space, and would render increasingly difficult the process of obfuscation (in collaboration with national media oligarchies) which makes the EU polity invisible and incomprehensible to the average potential voter.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}

I always wondered why they called it a crown. It's a purple hat with ornaments. Doesn't look anything like the crowns I knew from storybooks (and historical documents)

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}

Is Brussels' naïveté showing? 🤣

#WeAreNato #Blitzkrieg Biden's AmericaFirst!!

'Sapere aude'

martial law school scholarship cont'd.

A group of 90 Ukrainian judges will undergo training, provided by the UK, to carry out war crimes trials for Russian soldiers. The first group of judges attended sessions at a secret location in the region last week, and more will follow in the coming months, as part of a £2.5m < wipes tears > investment.

US, UK do. not. do. international law, m'k

The vast majority of war crimes trials are expected to be carried out in the country by Ukrainian judges. So far, 14 Russian soldiers have been convicted, with the first trial carried out in May. But a vast caseload of more than 43,000 reported crimes have already been registered.

Attorney General, Victoria Prentis:

"This is very important, obviously because justice is important, but also because I hope that those Russian soldiers and officers who are watching the Ukrainian prosecutions at the moment will realise that they must act in accordance with international law.

"These 90 judges will go back after some really [!] intensive training, able better to run those [Ukrainian] courts."

"Russia's 'Nuremberg'"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenk* and his wife Olena, who visited the UK this month, have been advocating for the establishment of a special [Ukrainian] tribunal for Ukraine, which they have compared to the Nuremberg trials, for the Russian leadership

rather than to Israel's special tribunal for Eichmann In Jerusalem.

The International Criminal Court [ICC] in The Hague has already opened an investigation into the Ukraine war—but the Zelensk*s say a special tribunal alongside it could prosecute < wipes tears > a wider range of crimes.

This has not been explicitly backed by the UK government, but Ms Prentis said all options are being considered, in discussions with the Ukrainian authorities.

euractiv | Casus belli, party to the
Lt Gen Robert Magowan, former head of the Royal Marines, wrote that 350 UK commandos, while on a mission to help evacuate the UK embassy in Kyiv in January and back in April to re-establish it, supported 'other discreet operations in a hugely sensitive environment and with a high level of political and military risk'....The information, therefore, appears credible. It would be difficult to claim that the text has been manipulated."
archived Boots-on-Ground "resumes", 5000 Poland army soldiers, BREAKING UK MOBILISATION

OpEd | Ukraine's constitutional court reform on brink of catastrophe - and Venice Commission is to blame
"we were astounded to see factual mistakes and very dubious conclusions reached by the experts of the Venice Commission in urgent opinion on draft law №7662 published on November 23. In particular, the Venice Commission suggested that the decisions of the AGE should not be binding for appointing authorities. In practice, this would allow the appointment to the Constitutional Court candidates of low integrity."
archived Anti-Corruption Center , "Anti-Corruption Reforms in Ukraine"

Politico | The shadow race is on to succeed Feinstein, 4 Dec attachment disorders

Sen. Dianne Feinstein[, 89] hasn't said if she intends to seek another term in 2024 -- but the competition to succeed the oldest member of Congress is escalating. [...] Three hopefuls have contacted former Sen. Barbara Boxer[, 82] to seek her advice, marking the incipient stages of a fierce fight between California Democrats for a seat that has not been open for a generation.
[...]

FIFTH WAVE is a void.

senate.ga.gov | Independent Contractor Agreement - United States DoorDash Dashers

...6. CONTRACTOR may use whatever payment method they choose to purchase items to be delivered to consumers, including but not limited to CONTRACTOR's personal credit or debit card, cash, or a prepaid card. CONTRACTOR may use, for CONTRACTOR's convenience, the prepaid card solely for purchasing items to be delivered to consumers. If CONTRACTOR chooses to use their personal credit or debit card or cash, CONTRACTOR shall invoice DOORDASH on a weekly basis and DOORDASH agrees to pay all invoices within 10 days of receipt....

S&P | Port of Los Angeles cargo throughput founders as US import market remains on downtrend

...Loaded imports dropped to 336,307 TEU, a drop of 28% on the year, while loaded exports came to 89,722 TEU, down 8.7%. Retreating cargo throughput, which began in earnest in August of this year, led to the lowest October volume since 2009, with volumes 22% below the five-year average. ... bearish importers diverting imports to US East/Gulf Coast gateways, an unusually early peak season in June and July of this year, and a drop-off in durable products purchasing as consumer appetite shifted away from goods. ...

seattletimes.com | Biden sees economy avoiding recession

At the White House, the president signed an emergency bill to avert a rail strike that he said could have caused 765,000 job losses in two weeks and plunged the country into a painful downturn....He suggested that the major recession risk was the freight rail strike, a problem the country avoided by having Congress impose an agreement that raises pay but fails to provide the additional paid sick leave that workers demanded....

Rasmus | US Railroad Workers 'Under the Thumb'
archived Sun Sep 12th, 2010, The Great Labor Uprising of 1877, Tue Jun 25th, 2019

DOD | Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2022, 26 Oct

The 2022 National Security Strategy identifies the People's Republic of China (PRC) as the only competitor with the intent and, increasingly, the capacity to reshape the international order. The Department of Defense (DoD) annual report on military and security developments involving the PRC charts the current course of the PRC's national, economic, and military strategy and offers Congress insight on the tenets of Beijing's ambitions and intentions. The PRC's strategy entails a determined effort to amass and harness all elements of its national power to place the PRC in a "leading position" in an enduring competition between systems. As expressed in the 2022 National Defense Strategy, the PRC presents the most consequential and systemic challenge to U.S. national security and the free and open international system. ...

archived Nuclear Posture Review Fact Sheet, US Extended Deterrence, National Defense Review

accountability, of sorts, finally

courthouswnews | Trump Organization guilty on all counts in criminal tax scheme, 6 Dec

Jurors began deliberations Monday and sided with the government after just 10 hours, entering convictions on all 17 counts.
[...]
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan set a sentencing date of Jan. 13, 2023, for Trump Payroll [?] and Trump Corp. [?], two corporate entities that exist under the same umbrella Trump uses to manage his golf courses, hotels and other ventures. Compared with the hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue that Trump netted in just the four years of his presidency [2005-2021], the financial stakes of Tuesday's verdict is negligible. The companies at most could face a fine of $1.62 million.
[...]
New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose own office filed a sprawling $250 million civil action against Trump and his business entities in September, commended the guilty verdicts. ....

archived NY v Donald J. Trump, et al., 222 pp Sep 2022

Sen. Patrick Leahy, actor in five Batman movies, has thoughts on the worst one

wut: "Former national security adviser John Bolton said on Monday he was considering a run for president 'to stop some of the things Trump has done to the party,' following the suggestion by his former boss on Saturday to allow 'termination' of the Constitution."

Wilderness therapy was supposed to help these 'troubled teens.' It traumatized them instead.

background
• energy.gov | Filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve: evolution from open market purchase (1977-1996) to royalty in-kind tax on domestic offshore producters (1998-2022)
• EIA | U.S Ending Stocks of Crude Oil in SPR, Oct 1977-Sep 2022, from 2M bbl to 416M bbl; max 726M, 2011; 2022 CYE 316M bbl
• 2006 SPR PROCEDURES FOR THE ACQUISITION OF CRUDE OILroyalty in-kind and exchange prix fixe contracts
• President Biden to Announce New Actions to Strengthen U.S. Energy Security, Encourage Production, and Bring Down Costs, 18 Oct

...The Administration is announcing its intent to use SPR repurchases to add to global crude oil demand at times when the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is at or below about $67 to $72 per barrel....

President Biden Announces Release from the SPR As Part of Ongoing Efforts to Lower Prices and Address Lack of Supply Around the World, 23 Nov

foreground
Biden adviser calls investor refusal to ramp up shale drilling 'un-American', 11 Dec

When the British weaponized winter...

بایدن: برجام مُرده.

در ویدئویی که به دستم رسیده، بایدن صریحاً می‌گوید به #برجام بازنمی‌گردد، ولی دولت آمریکا فعلاً اعلام نخواهد کرد.

این ویدئو که برای اولین بار منتشر می‌شود، حاشیه‌ی رویداد انتخاباتی ۴ نوامبر در کالیفرنیا را نشان می‌دهد.

با زیرنویس فارسی و انگلیسی#انقلاب۱۴۰۱ pic.twitter.com/OerHZav9Kb

— دامون مقصودی (@DamonMaghsoudi) December 20, 2022

"not my government"

wut: "... Thousands of people across Europe have been involved in efforts to alleviate the suffering of Ukrainian civilians since Russia launched an invasion of its neighbour on 24 February."

Can Khan start the investigation of war crimes in Afghanistan in a decade of war by diverting funds the ICC undoubtedly will receive from the US-UK for the Ukraine war!

'Sapere aude'

Haaretz | Al Jazeera Files Lawsuit Against Israel at International Criminal Court Over Abu Akleh Killing, 6 Dec

[...]
While it remains unclear which individuals will be prosecuted, officials in Jerusalem believe that Al Jazeera aims to ratchet up international pressure on Israel over Abu Akleh's killing, even if no Israeli leaders are ultimately charged.

Addressing a Knesset conference on Tuesday, outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid said that "nobody will investigate IDF soldiers, preach morality on warfare, and certainly not Al Jazeera."
[...]

aljazeera | Al Jazeera takes the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh to the ICC

[...]
'A wider pattern'
The request includes a dossier on a comprehensive six-month investigation by Al Jazeera that gathers all available eyewitness evidence and video footage, as well as new material on the killing of Abu Akleh.
[...]
'Hold killers accountable'
In 2021, the ICC decided it has jurisdiction over the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. Al Jazeera's submission requests the killing of Abu Akleh become part of this wider investigation.
[...]

aljazeera | Why is Al Jazeera taking killed journalist case to the ICC?

In a statement issued on Thursday, the network said it had formed an international coalition that consists of its legal team along with international experts, and is preparing a dossier on the killing of Abu Akleh for submission to the ICC prosecutor....Moreover, the Qatar-based network also announced it would ask the court to investigate the Israeli bombing "and total destruction" of Al Jazeera's office in Gaza in May 2021, during Israel's 11-day assault on Gaza.
[...]
In its statement on Thursday, the network said according to Article 8 of the ICC charter, "targeting war correspondents, or journalists working in war zones or occupied territories by killing or physically assaulting them, is a war crime".
[...]

ICC | Investigations | Situation® in the State of Palestine
"Focus: Crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court that are alleged to have been committed in the Situation® reference is made in the Referral of the Situation® to the Office of the Prosecutor...."

courthousenews | Cristina Fernández de Kirchner sentenced to 6 years in prison for corruption, 6 Dec "life ban from public office", and double jeopardy

The vice president has strongly questioned the validity of the case, stating that the charges were brought up in a previous case in Santa Cruz and that she couldn't be tried twice for the same fact. The Supreme Court rejected the argument in June, stating that the "double criminal prosecution is not compromised since, as the appellant herself maintains, she was not a party to the proceedings in the local court."

Paul Singer's revenge

• Congress impeaches Castillo
• Pedro Castillo orders congress dissolved, declares "gobierna de emergencia
• Council ministers resign
• Judiciary, Peru AF, Police, US Embassy denounce "extra-constitutional" action
• State atty files criminal complaint
• National Police arrest Castillo
• Dina Boluarte succeeds to President of the Republic of Peru
7 Dec 2022

Tajikistan: free u*ghur evacuation, immigration, deportation, extradition edition

eaurasia.net | The case against China at the ICC, 12 Aug

Rodney Dixon QC, lawyer for victims of Chinese repression in Xinjiang, speaks with Eurasianet about seeking justice at the International Criminal Court [ICC] and how [sovereignty of] Central Asian countries are vulnerable.
[...]
Rodney Dixon QC, a lawyer working on behalf of Uyghur exiles, is basing his argument on precedent established by the ICC in the late 2010s and related to the treatment of Rohingya [!] people who fled Myanmar for Bangladesh, a party to the Rome Statute.

Dixon's team has collected evidence from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan[,] and Uzbekistan. The recent leak of the Xinjiang Police Files - a cache of incriminating documents obtained in a hack of Chinese government databases - also helps the case, as does testimony from Ovalbek Turdakun, a Chinese-born ethnic Kyrgyz [wut] man who recently fled Kyrgyzstan, where he faced deportation to China.

Eurasianet spoke with Dixon by phone. This transcript has been edited for clarity.
[...]
EN: What are the precedents you are citing?
RD: The Myanmar-Bangladesh case is the key one we are relying upon. There, the Judges of the Court found that when an essential element of a crime occurs in ICC territory [sic], then the Court has jurisdiction over the whole crime. So in that case where persons were deported from Myanmar (a non-ICC State Party) into Bangladesh, which is signed up to the ICC, the Court held that it has jurisdiction. We are relying upon that precedent in our case.

EN: Could you walk us through how Tajikistan appears in your argument?
RD: So Tajikistan is an ICC State Party, which gives the Court jurisdiction. The evidence shows that Chinese officials and operatives are coming onto Tajikistan territory, which is ICC territory, and targeting, arresting, and deporting Uyghurs back into China.

So the crime [deportation] is beginning on ICC territory and continuing into China. The evidence shows that this is being ORCHESTRATED by Chinese officials. It also shows that officials from Tajikistan are informed of this and often directed by Chinese officials to take certain actions.

Our focus, however, our priority is the role that China and its officials are playing in TARGETING Uyghurs abroad, especially on ICC territory. We are asking the prosecution team to investigate Chinese officials. We must also be aware of what is happening in those countries, what Tajik and Kyrgyzstan officials are doing as well. But the focus is on Chinese officials given what happens in China when Uyghurs are brought back: they go to camps, they're
never heard from again[,] and we have no contact with them.
[...]
EN: As evidence you have said that the population of Uyghurs living in Tajikistan has fallen from 3,000 to about 100, mostly in 2016-2018 [18.03.19].

...The lengthy report said the government's efforts have curbed religious extremism but gave little evidence of what crimes had occurred. The far northwestern region is closed to outsiders, but former residents and activists abroad say mere expressions of Muslim identity are punished....

How do you collect those numbers and other evidence from Tajikistan?
RD: We have had investigators on the ground interviewing persons and gathering evidence and calculating those numbers. Those persons' identity is not public for security reasons. We've given that first-hand evidence gathered on the ground to the ICC.[...]

laprensalatina.com | Sweden's Supreme Court stops extradition of ["]journalist["] to Turkey, 19 Dec identity crisis

...Kenes is accused of participating in the failed coup attempt in Turkey in 2016 and of being one of the 54 journalists who allegedly have links to the group of Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in the United States.

"Several obstacles" stood in the way of carrying out the extradition, one of which is that the charges Kenes are facing are not incriminating in Sweden, according to the top court.....

Daily Sabah | Türkiye summons French ambassador over YPG/PKK propaganda, 26 Dec free speech

...Thousands of terrorist sympathizers gathered at the central Place de la Republique on Saturday and marched to the Boulevard du Temple chanting pro-PKK slogans and carrying posters of the terrorist group's so-called leaders....

archived Sweden Unites in War on Terror, Turkish 'coup' convicts freed

APsplainin how Biden aims to ["]narrow trust gap["] with US-Africa leaders summit, 11 Dec
LET US HELP YOU HELP US ALERT

In the lead-up to the three-day U.S-Africa Leaders Summit that begins Tuesday, Biden administration officials played down their increasing concern about the clout of China and Russia in Africa, which is home to more than 1.3 billion people. Instead, administration officials tried to put the focus on their efforts to improve cooperation with African leaders.
[...]
To that end, White House officials said that "major deliverables and initiatives" -- diplomatic speak for big announcements -- will be peppered throughout the meetings. The White House previewed one major summit announcement on Friday, saying that Biden would use the gathering to declare his support for adding the African Union as a permanent member of the Group of 20 [G20] nations.

archived The Bat Man: Kiss of Death

The administration has been disappointed that much of the continent has declined to follow the U.S. in condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but Biden is not expected to dwell on differences publicly.
[...]
"One of the unique aspects of this summit is the COLLATERAL DAMAGE that the Russian war has inflicted on Africa in terms of food supply and the diversion of development assistance to Ukraine. The OPPORTUNITY COSTS of the invasion [wut] have been very high in Africa," said John Stremlau, a visiting professor of international relations at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
[...]

archived World POWs COP27, World POWs G20 summit preppers, G7 concern trolls to starving Africans: Save the Date, SIDEBAR slava ukraini!

JCC | moar 'I have a dream' chart pr0n a/o 11 Dec

Not here, not anywhere: Zelensk* says Ukraine not to allow another famine, 26 Nov

This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensk* of Ukraine during the International Summit of the Grain from Ukraine initiative, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The head of state recalled that on the last Saturday of November, Ukraine commemorates the victims of the famines of 1921-1922, 1932-1933[,] and 1946-1947 is commemorated.... According to various estimates, from 4 to 8 million Ukrainians died during that artificial famine....

Crisis24 | Montenegro: Protests take place in Podgorica December 12, 10 Dec

A protest organized by the Democratic Front (DF) opposition coalition is set to take place in the capital Podgorica on Wednesday, December 12, over the arrest of an opposition member of parliament. Although it has not yet been confirmed, participants are expected to gather in front of the parliament building....

sarajevotimes | Chaos in front of the Parliament of Montenegro, Demonstrators announced that they will block all Cities (video), 12 Dec

Those gathered chanted "Treason, treason" and insulted Prime Minister Dritan Abazović and Minister Filip Adžić, and they previously said that the amendments to the Law on the President are intended to collapse the constitutional order, which, they say, they will not allow.

The Parliament of Montenegro adopted today for the second time amendments to the Law on the President. 41 MPs voted for the adoption of that act. With these changes, the Government can be elected without the consent of the President....

Reuters | Montenegrin police uses pepper spray to disperse anti-government protesters

Montenegrin police used pepper spray to disperse hundreds of protesters in the capital Podgorica who rallied against the adoption of law to limit [?] presidential powers and the ruling coalition's failure to appoint judges to the constitutional court.

Protesters, largely members of pro-Montenegrin organisations, who rallied under the slogan "We Are Many," pelted police in front of the parliament building with rocks and signal flares, and attempted to break through a police barrier, before they were pushed away. [...] Last month, pro-Montenegrin organisations and opposition parties started anti-government protests in Podgorica, demanding elections, the unblocking of the court[,] and the withdrawal of a law which curbs [?] power of Montenegro's long-time President Milo Djukanovic.
[...]

APsplainin Bolivia judge orders pre-trial detention for opposition head, 30 Dec trrrst

"I'll never give up on this fight for Bolivia's democracy," [Santa Cruz Gov. Luis Fernando] Camacho said during the virtual hearing that took place while he was held in a jail cell at a La Paz police station. "To the Bolivian people I say, we can't let them impose a dictatorship like in Venezuela and Cuba."
[...]
Camacho, leader of the opposition alliance Creemos ("We Believe"), was detained Wednesday on terrorism charges and taken to La Paz, a move that sparked protests that led to clashes with law enforcement and several public offices and cars being set on fire. A minister in President Luis Arce's administration also said his house was set on fire.

Allies of the right-wing opposition leader had characterized the detention as a "kidnapping," claims that prosecutors rejected.

Protesters also took to the streets celebrating Camacho's arrest, calling it a key step to get justice for the victims of the 2019 political unrest that led to the resignation of then-President Evo Morales.
[...]

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan

[...]
Q Thank you so much, Jake.  Thanks for talking about Africa with us.  First of all, as you know, a lot of African countries have held the line against condemning Russia. Has the U.S. communicated any possible consequences of maintaining that stance?  Does any of that $55 billion play into that?  What are the consequences if they continue to not choose a side in this?  And I have a follow-up.
JAKE SULLIVAN: Look, we're not -- we're not putting a gun to anyone's head.  We believe that the war in Ukraine is a matter of principle, and it's not an American principle. It's a principle we all signed up to in the United Nations Charter; it's a principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity.  So, we will make the case with passion and persistence to every country in the world that they should speak out against these flagrant violations of the U.N. Charter, but we're not imposing conditionality, from the point of view of this summit, on decisions that sovereign countries make in this regard.
[...]

archived spoiled the concept of China-US dialogue, post-Cold War era 'definitively over

South Africa and its partners in Africa will have to craft a strategy based on a few concise areas of convergence for African political, social, and economic actors and the possibility of increased engagement during the second half of his administration, especially now that the United States has presented a Sub-Saharan Africa strategy and a national security strategy that outlines priorities for the Biden administration.

Sub-Saharan Africa is critical to advancing our global priorities. ...This strategy reframes the region's importance to U.S. national security interests....The United States will seek to stem the recent tide of authoritarianism and military takeovers by working with allies and partners in the region to respond to democratic backsliding and human rights abuses, including through a targeted mix of positive inducements and punitive measures such as sanctions.

This is especially important given that much of the time of the Biden administration has been absorbed by pressing domestic and external challenges, including the ongoing rifts in the transatlantic partnership and deteriorating relations with China and Russia.[pp 25-26]

VOA | How Committed Is US to Africa? $55B Worth, White House Says, 12 Dec

[...]
But corruption watchdogs say these big-dollar commitments pale in comparison with the estimated $88 billion that leaks out of the continent annually in illicit financial flows -- through real estate purchases, offshore investments[,] or anonymous shell companies.
[...]

While the Biden administration embarks on a significant import substitution program to boost manufacturing, the impact of this on the already small numbers of African imports is a useful issue to consider. President Obama promised over '$67 billion in company investments in Africa and over $110 in annual peacekeeping support' in 2014. China has been a leading single country investor in Africa over the last 20 years. African agency in its own security was promised $110 million per anum but American agency in its own interests on the continent receive around $2 billion through AFRICOM. [p 39]

Heads of five regions of Southern Russia come under British sanctions | Caucasian Knot |

The UK expanded the sanctions list to include 22 more Russian citizens, including heads of 10 regions, the "Kommersant" reports.

The British Foreign Office announced new sanctions being imposed on officials "who encouraged and ensured the conscription of citizens" to participate in the special military operation in Ukraine. "Ten governors and regional heads have also been sanctioned. This includes the heads of Dagestan, Ingushetia and Kalmykia - some of Russia's poorest ethnic republics, from which a significant number of conscripts have been drawn," the British Foreign Office reports on its official website.

Those on the list will not be able to enter the UK, as well as have accounts or property in the UK.

'Sapere aude'

This is not the first mass death of seals in the Caspian Sea over the past ten years. The Ministry of Natural Resources of Dagestan indicated that this happened in 2012 and 2016. In the SKTU of the Federal Agency for Fishery , they said that in November 2020, 300 dead individuals were found, then the most likely cause of their death was also called a natural cause - the release of natural gas, which is typical for the Caspian basin.

'Sapere aude'

Wolf that killed von der Leyen's pony to be shot, 9 Dec allegory

"de-dollarization" oil to gas, upstream to downstream, "fuel switching"
• Saudi Arabia to invest in Russian petrochemicals plant, 7 Nov 2018
• Sabic invests in Russian methanol, 18 Oct 2019
• Drilling of China's designed deepest onshore gas well begins, 2 Feb 2022
• Two gas projects off China come on stream ahead of schedule, 1 Sep 2022
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on December 6, 2022

Reuters: Does the foreign ministry have any details on President Xi Jinping's trip to Saudi Arabia? 
Mao Ning: I have nothing to share at the moment.

arabnews | President Xi's 3-day visit aims to boost Saudi-Chinese diplomatic, trade ties, 6 Dec

Three summits will take place during his trip: the Saudi-Chinese Summit, the Riyadh Gulf-China Summit for Cooperation and Development, and the Riyadh Arab-China Summit for Cooperation and Development. The participants will include more than 30 leaders and officials from the two countries and international organizations, highlighting the importance of the gatherings and their high regional and international profile, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
[...]
More than 20 initial agreements between the two countries, worth more than SR110 billion ($29.3 billion), will be signed during the presidential visit, along with a strategic partnership deal, and a plan to harmonize the implementation of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 development and diversification project with China's Belt and Road Initiative [BRI], the agency said.
[...]
The two countries are preparing to launch the SABIC-Fujian Petrochemical Industrial Group, a joint venture worth an estimated SR22.5 billion, in which SABIC has a 51 percent stake, that includes a high-capacity plant for the production of petrochemical products.
[...]

archived ARAMCO diversification into petrochem assets, 2019 - KSA 2022 app for SCO membership

Politico.eu.com | G7 offered Viet Nam and Indonesia $15B [debt] to drop coal. They said 'maybe', 26 Oct re-print 8 Dec

The three deals have been under negotiation through much of 2022 and are being modeled on an earlier, $8.5 billion deal to shut down South Africa's coal industry, dubbed a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). It's hoped that at least two new partnerships might be unveiled during the COP27 U.N. climate talks, which start on November 6 in Egypt. Discussions with Viet Nam and Indonesia have advanced to the point where initial cash offers of around $5 billion and $10 billion, respectively
[...]
The donor lender group for the Viet Nam and Indonesia deals is the G7, Norway[,] and Denmark. New Zealand is also considering joining the Indonesia deal.

The [semi-]cash offers are combinations of public and private finance as well as technical assistance. But raising public funds for climate efforts abroad has become increasingly challenging even for the world's richest countries as inflation, rising energy costs[lolwut,] and the war in UKRAINE add to the strain on treasuries.
[...]
The donors lenders have told Indonesia they should aim for a 2030 peak in power sector emissions before heading to zero by 2050-2055. But Indonesia has objected to a proposed timeline for rolling out renewable energy and cutting coal subsidies, the EEAS said. Jakarta has also demanded more money to accelerate its retirement of coal plants. ...

archived World POWs COP27 reparations, IMF Debt-for-Climate Swaps
Daily Sabah | US, Russia BATTLE to sell arms to Vietnam at 1st Hanoi defense fair, 9 Dec

The event at an air base in the capital Hanoi attracted 174 exhibitors from 30 countries, including all large arms-making nations except China, as Viet Nam signaled its interest in diversifying military procurements and possibly starting exports of its own weapons.
[...]
Viet Nam and China have been locked in a long-running territorial dispute over archipelagos and energy hydrocarbon exploration in the South China Sea, with concerns it could one day lead to confrontation. China was invited to join the arms fair but declined the offer.

Viet Nam has had the option to buy U.S. weapons only in the past few years following Washington's gradual removal between 2014 and 2016 of an arms embargo on Viet Nam, which was one of the last vestiges of the Viet Nam ["conflict" with US allies]....

APsplainin France, Spain, Portugal to build hydrogen pipeline by 2030, 9 Dec

The pipeline is aimed at making the European Union's energy fuel supply more independent [!], a goal expedited by the Russian invasion of Ukraine last February that precipitated an energy fuel crisis.

The source of feedstock for hydrogen determines its 'colour' in popular discussion.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the pipeline, dubbed H2Med

A gas pipeline in disguise? Known unknowns about H2Med (08.12.22)
H2MED, formerly known as "BarMar," is a proposed undersea pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille to replace the shelved MidCat project that would have connected the Iberian Peninsula with France and, effectively, with the wider European Union. H2MED was announced as the centrepiece of France, Spain, and Portugal's so-called "Green Energy Corridor," the latest in a string of efforts to help Europe wean itself off Russian gas.
[...]
Who is behind H2MED project?

H2MED will connect two main European gas transmission system operators (TSOs), Enagas and GRTGaz, by transiting near two large LNG terminals--the Barcelona regasification terminal in Spain, and the Fos Cavaou regasification terminal near Marseille in France.

will be able to convey some 2 million metric tons of hydrogen to France annually -- 10% of the EU´s estimated hydrogen needs. The project is expected to cost 2.5 billion euros ($2.6 billion). The announcement came after a meeting between Sánchez, his French and Portuguese counterparts[,] and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the eastern Spanish city of Alicante.

"Today, the Iberian Peninsula is becoming a major European energy fuel gateway to the world," Von der Leyen said at a joint press briefing.
[...]

H2Med instead of Midcat: The first hydrogen (09.12.22)
Instead of the Midcat line across the Pyrenees favored by Spain and Germany, H2Med will run along the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea and be finished later.[...]The approximately 450-kilometer-long pipeline under the Mediterranean Sea, which will reach a depth of up to 2,600 meters, will bring the energy source [fuel] from the Iberian Peninsula to France.

But that is not the only technical challenge. Because there are still no pipelines from Marseille that can transport the hydrogen, which is intended to help replace Russian natural gas, to Germany.[...]In Germany and Spain it was hoped that natural gas could initially flow via Midcat or the new pipeline, which could be delivered with LNG tankers in the terminals in Spain and Portugal. In order to route green hydrogen from Portugal to Spain (and then on to France), a second pipeline, a good 250 kilometers long, will also be built from Celorico to Zamora.

Portugal, Spain[,] and France struck a broad deal on the plan in October. They hope to present it to the European Commission by Dec. 15 so it will be eligible for EU financing [!], which could represent as much as 50% of the cost.
[...]

IRENA | Hydrogen Overview

Hydrogen is produced on a commercial basis today - it is used as  a feedstock in the chemical industry and in produced by cracking refineries, as part of a mix of gases in steel production, and in heat and power generation. Global production stands at around 75 MtH2/yr as pure hydrogen and an additional 45 MtH2/yr as part of a mix of gases. This is equivalent to 3% of global final energy demand and similar to the annual energy consumption of Germany.

Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier < wipes tears > (not an energy source [fuel]). It can be produced from multiple feedstocks and can be used across virtually any application (see Figure 1. Green hydrogen production, conversion and end uses across the energy system). Renewable electricity can be converted to hydrogen via electrolysis, which can couple continuously increasing renewable energy with all the end uses that are more difficult to electrify. This coupling also allows electrolysers to provide flexibility to the grid, complementing alternatives such as batteries, demand response and vehicle-to-grid in smart electrification.

As at the end of 2021, almost 47% of the global hydrogen production is from natural gas, 27% from coal, 22% from oil (as a by-product ["feedstock"]) and only around 4% comes from electrolysis ["cracking" H₂O]. Electricity had a global average renewable share of about 33% in 2021, which means that only about 1% of global hydrogen output is produced with renewable energy. Electrolytic hydrogen from dedicated production remained limited to demonstration projects adding up to a total capacity 0.7 GW in 2021. In contrast, the 1.5°C Scenario would need 4-5 TW by 2050, requiring a faster rate of growth than that experienced by solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind to date.
[...]

archived green hydrogen "market case", Green Hydrogen Investment by Shell, UAE on global 'gray' list, Timmermans and Borrell explore Africa, 2022, Midcat 2014

Hungary, Romania to sign electricity deal with Azerbaijan, 12 Dec

The agreement involves a cable running beneath the Black Sea which would link Azerbaijan to Hungary via Georgia and Romania, according to Bertalan Havasi, press officer for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Havasi confirmed to The Associated Press that Orban intends to travel to Bucharest on Saturday to sign the deal.

Hungarian news agency MTI reported that Orban, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili[,] and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev would attend the signing event alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Hungary's foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, said in August that Azerbaijan would soon [3-4 year] produce "large quantities of green electricity," and that Hungary would sign onto the connector project since it requires the participation of two EU member nations to receive funding from the bloc....

CAPTION: In Urgench, men fish in the Shavat Canal. (photos by David Trilling)
eurasianet | Uzbekistan: Where the Amu Darya goes to die, 10 Nov

[...]
Water may appear abundant. But it is a precious and dwindling resource still taken for granted despite proximity to one of humanity's worst environmental disasters: the desiccation of the Aral Sea, once the world's fourth-largest lake. Ninety percent of the Aral has vanished since 1960. The sea used to moderate the climate, which is now hotter and drier; storms whip salt and chemicals into the air. Anemia, some cancers, and other health problems are more common.

While the sea is gone for good, the Amu Darya, one of two rivers that fed the Aral, is now dying too, stunting crops and impacting millions of people in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

Behaviors must change, international donors plead, lest profligacy multiplied by climate change make western Uzbekistan uninhabitable.
[...]

oilprice.com | China Sends Solar Equipment To Energy-Starved Uzbekistan, 25 Dec "classic Russian technique"

The Energy Ministry said in a government briefing last week that a consortium of Chinese companies bidding as GD Power-PowerChina had won a tender to build a 150-megawatt solar power plant in Namangan region, with companies from the United Arab Emirates [UAE, Madsar] and France[, Voltalia SA] securing rights to build solar plants in Bukhara and Khorezm regions respectively.

Oddly, after awarding the Chinese outfit the Namangan contract, the Energy Ministry said on December 16 that it was seeking to change the deal by reducing the price the grid will pay for electricity produced by the plant, which GD Power-PowerChina had fixed at 4.828 cents per kilowatt-hour.

That tariff is significantly higher than the 3.044 cents per kilowatt hour charged by Masdar and 2.888 cents per kilowatt-hour charged by the French company, Voltalia SA., whose projects GD Power-PowerChina had also submitted bids for.
[...]
In May, Uzbekistan's investment committee and China's Ministry of Commerce reached an agreement to build a series of small and medium-sized hydroelectric power facilities [!] worth a total of $2.7 billion.

Last year, Kursiv business media reported that separate Chinese companies had reached agreements with officials in the Fergana region for two solar farms worth more than $1 billion in total. The current status of those projects is unclear. But even where China is not building facilities, it is often involved elsewhere in the value chain.
[...]
These kinds of investments mark something of a role reversal [sic] in China's relationship with the Uzbek energy sector. Until this year, Uzbekistan had been a source of natural gas for China....

SCO (2001 NGO): CN, RU, IN, PK, KZ, KG, TJ, UZ, IR, AM*, AF*, AZ*, BY*, TR*, LK*, KH*, SA*,EG*
supra PipeChina cruising to the finish line
PS USD 0.218/kWh "renewable supply" here in sunny Bal'more and USD 1.323/thm NG excluding distribution, taxes, and fees per unit

themayor.eu | First-ever climate trial in Finland, and the government is the defendant, 29 Nov

Greenpeace and the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation have taken the Finnish government to court with the accusation that the authorities have shown criminal negligence by falling short of climate objectives.
[...]
The NGOs say that an unprecedented collapse in carbon removal by Finnish forests has removed the basis on which the country's climate policies are decided. Finland's forests are growing more slowly, and in 2021 more trees were felled than at any other time in the country's history.

According to the Finnish Climate Change Act, the government is legally obliged to work towards carbon neutrality by 2035, and its actions are evaluated in an annual climate report [Oct 2022]. The report acknowledged a collapse in Finnish forests' ability to absorb carbon dioxide but shied away from recommending additional measures to compensate for it.
[...]

eutoday | Finland facing up to €7 billion EU fine over deforestation, 26 Dec

Due to the clearing and drying of peatlands, Finland's land use sector has changed from being a carbon sink to a net [!] source of emissions. The change has been dubbed a "national emergency" by concerned experts and cast serious doubt on the country's aspirations to achieve climate neutrality by 2035.

According to a recent assessment by Finland's Natural Resource Institute, the Nordic country might be hit with a heavy fine of up to billions of euros if it fails to fulfill the EU's net [!] carbon sink objective.
[...]
Finland will need to pay monetary compensation depending on the exact extent of the carbon sink collapse. The amount ranges up to 160 million tons of carbon dioxide emitted that would otherwise have been trapped by Finnish forests. Based on that, the country might be charged up to 7 billion euros ($7.4 billion) if a net [!] decrease in atmospheric greenhouse emissions is not achieved. It was thought "highly unlikely" that there would be any need to provide compensation at all.
[...]
Seven out of ten Finns come from families that own land, and forestry accounts for about one-seventh of Finland's export earnings.

APsplainin Finland gets floating LNG terminal to replace Russian gas, 28 Dec

FSRU Exemplar, owned by the U.S. company Excelerate Energy Inc., will ensure future availability of gas in Finland, replacing supplies earlier imported from Russia, the state-owned Gasgrid Finland said, calling the move historic.
[...]
The vessel will reconvert LNG to gas which will then be fed into the Finnish network for distribution. The arrival of the Exemplar will also enable gas deliveries to the Baltic states -- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania -- and possibly also to Poland through the undersea Balticconnector pipeline between Finland and Estonia that runs near Inkoo.
[...]

archived What is a "carbon war"? in Modern Day Europe and Energy Poverty, Finland's windfall tax on energy firms, EU forestry regulation divides coalition IRENA country profile, CZ, AT, SK, DE, PL, possibly FI in Crisis as Discipline, NPI Systems Design 2022

Politico.com | DOJ pursues unusual case of ["energy"] shipping price-fixing and extortion, 6 Dec

The group, led by Carlos Favian Martinez, led a scheme to fix prices and illegally carve up [hydrocarbons] between competitors in the market for "[cargo] forwarding agency services," or the transporting of [hydrocarbons] from the U.S. through Mexico and on to ["third-countries"], according to the indictment. The defendants enforced their operation through a pattern of violence and extortion that included beatings and kidnappings...

DW space force double header

NASA Orion capsule to splashdown after trip around the moon, 11 Dec

The return of the capsule to Earth will wrap up the inaugural 25-day mission of the Artemis lunar program.
[...]
To retrieve the capsule, the USS Portland of the US Navy has been placed in the Pacific. The spacecraft will subsequently be offloaded from the ship a few days later in San Diego, California. NASA will be able to collect information from the spacecraft that is essential for upcoming missions.

The crew of the following mission, scheduled for 2024, will travel near the Moon but not make an actual landing there. The first spacecraft will touch down on the south pole of the Moon, which has water in the form of ice, during Artemis 3, which is slated for 2025.

Japanese company's moon mission takes off on SpaceX rocket, 11 Dec US, JP, CA, UAE investors

The launch took place in Cape Canaveral in the US state of Florida with various components from Canada, the UAE[,] and NASA being carried on the craft.

The Hakuto-R mission -- which means "white rabbit" in Japanese -- from the ispace company is expected to land on the moon in April 2023. It is the first time a private company will send a mission to the moon while also marking a first for Japanese space travel.

"Our first mission will lay the groundwork for UNLEASHING the moon's potential and transforming it into a robust and vibrant ECONOMIC SYSTEM," the startup's CEO, Takeshi Hakamada, said in a statement.

The company was one of the five finalists in Google's Lunar XPRIZE competition to achieve a moon landing by 2018, but its attempt never launched. The ispace-designed craft will take a longer journey to the moon than other missions as it attempts a low-energy alternative. NASA reached the moon in just five days

sci-fi allusions galore

Following the white rabbit
[...]
Although ispace has become the first private eNTitY to launch a moon landing mission, due to the duration of its flight, other attempts set to launch early next year may actually reach the moon first. Of note are landers built by Pittsburgh's Astrobotic Technology and Houston's Intuitive Machines....

Nov 2022 archived  Save the dates, Artemis I Mega Rocket Launches Orion to Moon stretch goals

press.un.org | General Assembly Adopts over 100 Texts of First, Sixth Committees Tackling Threats from Nuclear Weapons, International Security, Global Law, Transitional Justice, 7 Dec futility

[...]
Acting without a vote, the Assembly adopted draft resolution I, "Prevention of an arms race in outer space", by which it called on all States to contribute actively to the objective of the peaceful use of outer space and to the prevention of an arms race in outer space, and urged States conducting activities in that domain to keep the Conference on Disarmament informed of the progress of bilateral and multilateral negotiations on the matter.

It then adopted by draft resolution II, "Destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing" (document A/C.1/77/62), by a recorded vote of 155 in favour to 9 against (Belarus, Bolivia, Central African Republic, China, Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, Russian Federation, Syria) with 9 abstentions (India, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Madagascar, Pakistan, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Togo, Zimbabwe).  Among its terms, the Assembly called on all States not to conduct such tests and to continue discussions to develop further practical steps and contribute to legally binding instruments on the prevention of an arms race in outer space.

Next, the Assembly considered draft resolution III, "No first placement of weapons in outer space", retaining preambular paragraph 5 reaffirming that practical measures should be examined and taken in the search for agreements to prevent an arms race in outer space. It did so by a recorded vote of 114 in favour to 50 against [?!], with 3 abstentions (Côte d'Ivoire, Malawi, Switzerland).

By a recorded vote of 114 in favour to 48 against [?!], with 4 abstentions (Côte d'Ivoire, Eswatini, Malawi, Switzerland), it also retained preambular paragraph 9, welcoming the draft treaty introduced by China and the Russian Federation on the prevention of the placement of weapons in outer space and on the threat or use of force against outer space objects.
[...]

reference
nti.org | PAROS Treaty

Politico | 'America has achieved a tremendous scientific breakthrough', 13 Dec

to create a net increase in energy, a major breakthrough that could eventually lead to a new source of clean, inexpensive power, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Tuesday.
[...]
The achievement at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory came when 192 high-energy lasers converged on a diamond capsule containing a cylinder about the size of a peppercorn and filled with deuterium and tritium. The lasers entered either end of the cylinder and heated the contents to over 3 million degrees Celsius.
[...]

archived UK Fusion 2022, 2 min, 120M°C tokamak, fusion is gaining, 50 years in the future

How the AP estimated 10,300 new graves in occupied Mariupol, 22 Dec
cemetery war crimes update

Russia scrubs Mariupol's Ukrainian identity, builds on death, 22 Dec
"tearing down bombed-out buildings" war crime update

Qatar/Doha is not Russia/Sochi

Middle East Arab wealth replaces Red Square Communist oligarchs. NATO just needs to oust Russian speaking oligarchs from Ukraine/Kyiv. Complete the 2014 coup d'état under VP Joe Biden.

'Sapere aude'

Arab News | Outrage over Western media criticism of Qatari emir's bisht gesture at World Cup final, 19 Dec

ome Western media outlets and journalists expressed disdain after the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, accompanied by FIFA's president, Gianni Infantino, draped a bisht over the shoulders of Argentina captain Lionel Messi as he was about to lift the World Cup on Sunday following his team's victory over France in the final....

Qatar corruption and human rights abuse stories developing ...

Anyone surprised?
« La Cour a détruit en un jour le résultat d'années de travail » : stupeur dans la société civile après une décision judiciaire sur la transparence financière
La Cour de justice de l'Union européenne a jugé illégale la mise à disposition du public de registres des bénéficiaires effectifs des sociétés. Ces registres étaient pourtant devenus un outil majeur dans la lutte contre le crime financier.
Rarement une décision de la justice européenne aura suscité pareille incompréhension. Le 22 novembre, les quinze juges de Cour de justice de l'Union européenne (CJUE) ont déclaré illégal l'accès du grand public aux registres répertoriant les bénéficiaires effectifs, ou propriétaires réels, des sociétés. Cette mesure, instaurée par l'Union européenne (UE) en 2018, a représenté une avancée majeure en matière de transparence financière. L'arrêt de la CJUE a donc résonné comme un coup de massue pour beaucoup de spécialistes de la question.
==> Les conséquences de cette décision ne se sont pas fait attendre. En l'espace de quelques jours, plusieurs Etats européens ont fermé l'accès de leurs registres au public : les Pays-Bas, l'Irlande, Malte, Chypre, l'Allemagne, la Belgique, l'Autriche et le Luxembourg.
(from, under paywall)
https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2022/12/05/la-cour-a-detruit-en-un-jour-le-resultat-d-annees -de-travail-stupeur-dans-la-societe-civile-apres-une-decision-judiciaire-sur-la-transparence-financi ere_6153071_3234.html

After meeting with BlackRock's CEO, is Zelensky selling Ukraine to the highest bidder?, 2 Dec
"The [NYT] article touted the meeting as a discussion on "how to attract investment in the country's war-ravaged economy." According to a statement released by Zelensky's office, Fink provided "pro bono advice" on "setting up a reconstruction fund in support of the recovery of the Ukrainian economy" and this "fund" would accept money from both "public and private investors"...."

"Dear Mr. Bankman-Fried:
"I am writing to request your appearance...'

courthousenews | Wuthistits sentenced to nearly 13 years for Silicon Valley fraud, 8 Dec
archived Elizabeth Holmes sentenced 11 yrs

most ignorant litigious nation on planet REPORTS
courthousenews | NXIVM sex cult leader loses appeal, will be imprisoned for life
"Victims testified that they were brought into a sex-slavery pyramid scheme with self-help guru Keith Raniere at the top."
HBO MAX | The Vow premier 23 Aug 2020
archived NXIVM sippy cups

tabloid USAToday | 'I promised Arizonans something different': Sinema on registering as an independent
archived Politico.com dashboard dot control Democrats keep the Senate

enc. motion briefs, FTX hearing live stream 16 Dec.

No One Trusts the FTX Bankruptcy Case: [Bloomberg, Dow Jones, NYT of the Deal Book Yella Cakes] Intervene; Justice Department Trustee Demands Independent Examiner; SEC Orders Disclosures
oh
archived An economic interpretation of the Constitution of the United States.

Generation Z edition

CNN | Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX's founder, is arrested in the Bahamas, 13 Dec

The New York Yella Cake, citing a person familiar with [18 U.S. Code Chapter 96], reported that the charges against Bankman-Fried included wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy, and ["]money laundering["].

DICTION CORNER for adults
money laundering
archived My advice: always go for conspiracy to commit...

Generation Z edition

CNN | Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX's founder, is arrested in the Bahamas, 13 Dec

The New York Yella Cake, citing a person familiar with [18 U.S. Code Chapter 96], reported that the charges against Bankman-Fried included wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy, and ["]money laundering["].

DICTION CORNER for adults
money laundering
archived My advice: always go for conspiracy to commit...