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

Ruble and Rupee

by Cat Wed Mar 2nd, 2022 at 07:21:38 PM EST

For my fine neandertal and denisovan allele-bearing cousins across EU27 from whom the EC has disconnected RT broadcasting, I present Afshin Rattansi, host of "Going Underground." Today's interview, "India's Balancing Act Between China, Washington, and Moscow", features Brahma Chelani, professor emeritus of New Dehli's Center for Strategic Policy, explores reasons why the world's "biggest democracy", currently personified by Modi, has failed thus far to support NATO--or failed to ostracize Russia.

Below, in case any of the EC's digital directives enforced by your local government thwarts onward passport of domesticated Google communications, I have transcribe the gist of Chelani's lesson plan.

CHELANI: Russia and the United States are both close friends of India, so India has to walk a diplomatic tightrope. It has to do a balancing act which will become increasingly given the fact what we're seeing is the advent of a new cold war that's going to seriously compund India's strategic challenges [and] also affect its close defense ties with Moscow. For example, given the financial sanctions that the that the west is imposing on Russia, how will India pay for the weapons it buys from Russia? This is just one of many things. India is also investing in Russian oil and gas sector. It plans to invest in the Russian far east. How will these plans fractify [sic] given these mounting sanctions against Russia? ...
RATTANSI: Complicating it? Or speeding up the adoption by India of alternative methods of financing as opposed to, say, the Brussels-based SWIFT system and others. Now, India can use new methods of financing often discussed at BRICS meetings, Shanghai Cooperation Organization [SCO], non-aligned movement meetings--so many uh transnational uh meetings that have occurred over the past what?--50 years? 70 year?--since World War II?
CHELANI: You're absolutely right, and I think, by weaponizing the SWIFT system or weaponizing an energy pipeline and by cutting Russia off from western-led institutions the U.S. is actually undermining those institutions, because countries will be forced to choose alternatives or develop alternatives. So Russia and India, for example, will have to trade in ruble and rupee as they did during the soviet times.
[...]
India's in the unique position of having two nuclear-armed adversaries, China and Pakistan, that are actually close alliance, so to say, strategic triangle in which India's spirit against China and Pakistan, and given that stark reality and given the fact that treks increasingly has come under the Chinese shadow, India has to be very cautious in relying on BRICS as an institution. The BRICS has its value, but BRICS is certainly not a credible alternative to other international institutions. India is very much invested in BRICS, but it'll be wrong to exaggerate the importance of BRICS. The fact is that a country like India, given its security predicament, has to deal with the realities that it faces.
RATTANSI: What do you expect the US and NATO to do to India because of its lack of support, arguably, for the civilians dying in the streets of Ukraine?
CHELANI: Well, has the American president spoken even a word on the Chinese border aggression against India? Has any western head of government supported India in the current military crisis that in their conference due to Chinese aggression? The answer is, no. So why should India be out on a limb supporting the western stance against Russia?

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Ruble and Rupee | 175 comments (175 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
Message (4.00 / 2)
"This video is not available in your country"

Underground - Internet Archive

A few days ago ...

Top US banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley, shed 3-4.5 per cent at the start of trading. That was a heavier fall than the broader market, with the S&P 500 down 2.6 per cent.

European banks are most exposed to Russia, especially in France, Italy and Spain, far outstripping US banks' exposure, data from the Bank for International Settlements shows.

I lost RT reception by satellite to Europe, however can watch channels beaming to the Middle East. 😉 There are plenty of alternate sources of independent news from the skies. 😅

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 3rd, 2022 at 12:37:55 PM EST
Re: Message (none / 0)
Wow, I hadn't noticed it was gone  😅

In other news from Russia, my friend's mother reports that there is no food left in the shops in Nizhny Novgorod. What's that about?

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

by eurogreen on Thu Mar 3rd, 2022 at 03:20:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Message (none / 1)
A thought nags me: I expected this tech divide in the flow of information between Europe and NoVa, US but not precise circumstance. I'll need a Balmer minute to mine the plaque in me brain net to locate the eurotrib context of that post...

before or after I scoffed at GOOG defense offered Vestager, that it was technically impossible to discriminate between, or "ring fence," Schrems violations?

In the meantime, repeating banking "truths" about SWIFT, INSTEX, SFPS, and CIPS is appropriate here to dispel sanctimonious footing of IMF's founders in yet another global, post-war, post-colonial realignment.

in re: TBTF "systemically significant" and EXPOSED financial institutions, observe an amusing change in tempo by Wall Street "insiders"

25 Feb, Here's Why the Russian Sanctions Are a Dud: Big Foreign Banks from the U.S., France, Austria and Italy Are Operating in a "Routine Manner" in Russia

Noticeably missing from President Biden's press conference yesterday on expanded sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine was any mention of how the U.S. and its allies were going to deal with the big foreign global banks that conduct banking business for thousands of Russian corporations and millions of Russian individuals. Biden only mentioned sanctions on Russian banks....
28 Feb, Moscow Stock Exchange Can't Open as Russian Stock Prices Collapse on Foreign Exchanges
Putin started an unprovoked war in Ukraine and now finds himself losing a serious financial battle at home....
by Cat on Thu Mar 3rd, 2022 at 03:26:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Message (none / 1)
Nevermind.

Report: Russia-backed RT America to cease production

The deal is done. US gov can't even bear RT to C&P US press.

by Cat on Thu Mar 3rd, 2022 at 11:30:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Message (4.00 / 2)
I am no big fan of the EU decision to ban RT and Sputnik in Europe. Yes, they are Putin's regime propaganda outlets, we know that. They are always pushing the most divisive issues that serves most the Kremlin's political objectives. They are even able to push two opposite messages for Russian domestic audiences (get vaccinated!) and for European audiences (antivax!).

But their audience is marginal: those who know they are propaganda and fake news outlets, well, already know that. Those who lap them up are already gone beyond the looking glass (RT France has always a favorite of the CT and Qanon crowd).

Suppressing them is not going to change much to the information warfare, especially when you consider how impressively efficient the Ukrainian operation (and how crap the Russian one) has been since the beginning of the invasion (was it ten days ago?.

At worst, it may push additional folks to seek them out on the net (Streisand effect).

But the major issue is that it gives a perfect justification to the Kremlin to suppress European media like DW, France24 and the BBC from Russia, so no victory at all, VdL virtuous feelgood proposal not withstanding. Ala in all, not a good idea, methinks.

by Bernard (bernard) on Fri Mar 4th, 2022 at 07:35:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Message (none / 1)
That, and the chilling effect of closing down outlets (or at least readers access to them) for essentially writing the wrong stories.

This is government censorship, and I didn't even know the EU Commission had censor powers. Was there a recent law passed to hand them that, or did they just grab those powers?

by fjallstrom on Mon Mar 7th, 2022 at 09:38:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Message (none / 1)
I don't think the Commission has any such powers; and I don't think the Commission has enacted any such law: that would be the different EU countries governments in the European Council.

To wit:

(EU institutions are not well understood, as Cat would write)

by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Mar 7th, 2022 at 10:07:38 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Message (none / 1)
Thanks.

As far as I read the article the tweet linked, it is the Council that makes a decision to sanction, on a proposal from the Commission.

And if it is limited to sanction foreign entities, I assume that if somebody in EU would do a "Today in RT" web page and just quote liberally fron rt.com (which they reach through a VPN), they could presumably not be sanctioned as they are a EU domestic entity. Put ads on it and you have a commercial enterprise. Might trip over copyright legislation though.

by fjallstrom on Mon Mar 7th, 2022 at 10:53:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Message (none / 0)
Yep, that's pretty much my understanding of the decision and implementation processes in the EU. The Commission does the grunt work. The final word belongs to the Council, composed of each of our respective country elected government( Macro for France, Scholz for Germany, Draghi for Italy and so on).
by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Mar 7th, 2022 at 06:37:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Message (none / 1)
On any given day, any hour of the day, GOOG counts < 300 (N.A.) viewers watching RT America LIVE YouTube channel. As Oui pointed out (above) RT sat transmission is dead to NL. Yet here you are. Did you attempt to connect to the RT link posted in the header of this diary? Were you successful? Did you listen to either 30-minute "Going Underground" interview?
Europe to Ban Russian State-Run Media Companies Sputnik, RT, 27 Feb
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday the measures, part of a broader package of sanctions, were needed to stop the state from spreading "their lies to justify Putin's war and to sow division in our union."
[...]
RT has a large online audience, meaning that bans on conventional broadcast television may not cut off its reach. It has 4.6 million subscribers on YouTube and 7.4 million followers on Facebook.

By contrast, when its U.K. audience data were being collected in 2017 it was getting just 3,400 viewers at any given point, according to Ofcom, Britain's independent media regulator.

European outlets now face retaliation from the Kremlin. RT was forced off the air in Germany earlier in February and Russia swiftly closed state-supported broadcaster Deutsche Welle's Moscow bureau and revoked its employees' accreditations. Russia also expelled a British Broadcasting Co. reporter in August.

RT, Sputnik Content Officially Banned Across European Union, 2 Mar 2022
Russian-backed media RT and Sputnik are officially banned in the European Union as of today, as the bloc hardens its stance against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The restrictions prohibit broadcasting content from the two television channels and their subsidiaries, downloading their apps and sharing their output on social media platforms, according to documents published by the European Commission today.

"In order to justify and support its aggression of Ukraine, the Russian Federation has engaged in continuous and concerted propaganda actions targeted at EU and neighboring civil society members, gravely distorting and manipulating facts," the Commission wrote.

State-controlled media "are essential and instrumental in bringing forward and supporting the aggression against Ukraine and for the destabilization of its neighboring countries," according to the Commission. "It is necessary to urgently suspend the activities of such media outlets in the EU, until the aggression to Ukraine is put to an end."
[...]
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday the measures, part of a broader package of sanctions, were needed to stop the state from spreading "their lies to justify Putin's war and to sow division in our union."

by Cat on Mon Mar 7th, 2022 at 12:32:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Message (none / 0)
No, I didn't. I'm generally not watching RT or Sputnik, but it doesn't mean I cannot disagree with a decision that I think is poorly thought out and will have little effect on the perceptions of the conflict here in Europe (short version: the Ukrainians have won the narrative battle).
by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Mar 7th, 2022 at 06:52:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]
"No, I didn't" (none / 0)
means to me is you are not even curious as to the scale of international agreement ("truth") presented to you; that apparently, you were unaware of EC actions devolving EU27 "sovereignty"; that you have limited understanding of "the narrative" and the scope of information broadcast beyond EU27 to the rest of the world, notwithstanding collapse of the Four Pillars under your feet; and, ironically, ESCOBAR's perception  of indifference within France to political disagreement beyond France is not stereotype. Being otherwise pre-occupied transliterating K(yi)(ie)v to the roman alphabet, you might have dismissed this 'clearly defensive' offensive observation.
ESCOBAR: The problem is, and I see it as a much more perverse problem compared to the US, where most people  are de-politicized and they live, of course, all of us who lived in the US know about the steady 24/7 diet of trash that they are, you know, regurgitating every day. But even in Europe and among so-called progressive, deep thinking, and politicized populations in places like Germany, France, Italy, most of the masses are also falling for it. This is the real. I've been discussing this with friends in Germany, in Italy. In France it's impossible. I don't even try to have a conversation in France, because the French are blocked, completely blocked. But in Italy, in Germany, for instance, analysts there are of course outside of the mainstream. Academics, they are marginalized. They are absolutely apalled. Apalled especially in Germany, because ah--the other day we were trying to laugh about it--we came to the conclusion that Putin, the Germans owe something to Putin. In historical terms it's quite impressive. Putin managed to get the Germans to get off their World War II culpability complex. Now, they can openly embrace Nazis again. So the de-natzification company launched by Putin in Ukraine, the first, serious, practical consequence there, sitting right in front of us is the re-nazification of Germany
[...]
And then we get to the very serious aspect of the whole circus, kabuki or performance, which is the criminalization of descent mixed with russophobia and mixed with racism. They are all, of course. So the racism against arabs and chinese which was very profound, now merge into russophobia, and they're making direct comparisons to both that are detrimental to slavs and to arabs. They say, for instance, like, now it's a mantra in the US. Oh, I don't know, Ukraine is a civilizaed country. They are blond, blue eyes, like us. They are not those piece of nah nah nah places that we invaded before, you know, Iraq, Libya, these things. And this is being said openly all across the US, west media, and some in Europe. I have seen already instances in France and Germany are reproducing the same thing.

MEDHURST: It's mask off.
ESCOBAR: Exactly. There's a sort of inate russophobia in many places in Europe. In the case of France it's something extremely subtle. But I was discussing with some french analysts the other day--okay, people we can still have a conversation with--an one of them told me something extraordinary: So of course we never got rid of Napoleon. So they are still jealous and angry with Russia, because Napoleon was obviously two-hundred years ago vanquished not by General Winter but by Russians. So this is the french aspect to it. Obviously, Germans and Russians, we all know the precedents especially the latest one sevety-five. But in the case of Italy, for instance, you see the owner [ECB], literally, of Draghi-stan going to the senate in Rome and basically issuing a declaration of war against Italy. Consider that relations between Italy and Russia have always been friendly at least for the past seventy-five years and during all of the gestation of the European Union.

by Cat on Mon Mar 7th, 2022 at 07:44:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "No, I didn't" (none / 0)
Of course, I'm curious.

Not necessarily of what you think is interesting to me, though, but occasionally: Earlier today I read an interesting tidbit of information posted by you, which I rated 4. But I feel under no obligation to read each and every piece you post, especially when it's kilometer sized.

As to what Mr Escobar perceives or not of what is possible or not in France, I don't really care, TBH.

by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Mar 7th, 2022 at 09:02:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "No, I didn't" (none / 0)
well, I watched several minutes of that Escobar clip : the "Putin is a military genius, he's winning the war" stuff -- and it's visible that he's a blithering ninny. I didn't get to the stuff about French people and their complex about the Russians. It's pretty funny. It bears no relation at all to reality.

He's a genius. He knows what "the French" think about Russians, even though he admits he has difficulty finding any French people willing to talk to him. He knows that "the Germans" are grateful to Putin because they are allowed to be nazis again (everyone knows that they were always secretly nazis, all of them)

He's clearly the greatest thinker of our time.

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

by eurogreen on Mon Mar 7th, 2022 at 09:03:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Whataboutism 101 (none / 1)
Well, has the American president spoken even a word on the Chinese border aggression against India?

How many cities did the Chinese take?

They should shoot videos of the bare-handed combats and soldiers plunging over Himalayan precipices. That could build the international profile of this highly-comparable "border conflict".

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

by eurogreen on Thu Mar 3rd, 2022 at 03:16:58 PM EST
Re: Whataboutism? (none / 0)
Challenge your vocabulary, please, to express more precisely your objection(s) to Chelani's description of international relations between so-called superpowers and  disputed "security interests" of the government of India, which comprises, yes, multi-ethnic polities unlike any in Europe.
by Cat on Thu Mar 3rd, 2022 at 03:38:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Whataboutism? (4.00 / 3)
I hate to conflate Russia's war crimes with India, China or another Asian nation.

The oppression, discrimination and murder of Muslims in  India under Modi is hard to describe. Kashmir has been horrendous, but in some districts more than heartbreaking.

Sometimes India hits the Western media headlines, srtuctly for economic deals, arms contracts or in 2021 the production of Covid-19 vaccines.

Pakistan, India and China are in a high risk gambit with nuclear arms.

Re: Dutch/German Urenco theft of blueprints centrifuges, AQ Khan, Pakistan, CIA eyes closed. Pakistan was in the influence sphere of America in the 1980s. Quid pro quo.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 3rd, 2022 at 04:23:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
"just a messaging system" RECAP (none / 1)
Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications
upstream, downstream transactions, and "Origins and Development of SWIFT, 1973-2009" (marking intrabank credit collapse AKA Panic of '08)

Russia Set for Currency Crisis as EU, US Limit Access to SWIFT, Freeze CBR Assets
FX speculators unleashed to "attack" RU currency value in... AE markets; merits a Krugman bon mot against EURO, for USD

collected FX specifications
Stocks decline amid Russia's invasion, sanctions escalation
conflating AE and EME foreign exchange demand

US Treasury Prohibits Transactions With Russia's Central Bank, Wealth Fund & Finance Ministry
text of US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) theft

Understanding domestic and int'l intrabank payment networks
summary of EME bi-lateral FX, central bank capital controls with live URL links to RU and CN authorities

de nile is not only a river in Africa
divest? How?
barriers to small and institutional shareholders ritual sacrifices to late, modern western civilization (anathema)

by Cat on Thu Mar 3rd, 2022 at 04:19:26 PM EST
in re: axiology, value systems at NATO frontiers (none / 1)
eurotrib's Chris Cook Library
of Credit, Currency, and Other Animals
by Cat on Thu Mar 3rd, 2022 at 04:31:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "just a messaging system" RECAP (none / 1)
Counter Currents | USA Must Avoid Misuse of Its 'Exorbitant Privilege' of Dollar Domination, 4 Mar
...The special position of dollar as reserve currency confers certain very important trade, financial and political advantages to the USA. In a widely discussed paper titled `An Existential Threat to the US Dollar' the authors Daniel Tenengauzer, John Vellis and Geoff Yu ( BNY-MECCON--Aerial View Magazine, September 2020) say, " The status of the USD allows the US, as its issuer, to run huge international deficits in its own currency, and has allowed international liabilities to be paid off at a lower rate of interest than the US receives in income from abroad." Clearly it is a huge advantage to clear international payments in its own currency. As such the USA authorities would like this arrangement to continue for as long as possible.

However this excessive power should not be used in arbitrary ways and to inflict undue and high costs on others, as in the case of imposing sweeping sanctions. In the case if Iraq, which had been earlier devastated by an invasion led by the USA, these sanctions are reported to have led to around half a million deaths. This was followed by a second invasion as well. ...

archived "They [mRNA] will represent 60% or 70% of the market. The other guys will die"
by Cat on Fri Mar 4th, 2022 at 06:07:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "just a message (none / 1)
Things you should know about the new Pfizer documents

Pfizer claimed repeatedly in their documents to the FDA that their vaccine would "prevent" COVID-19.

Pfizer knew the injection's adverse effects would increase with more injections of continuing boosters.

Pfizer knew their injections did not stay at the injection site.

Pfizer knew that the vaccinated group reported far more systemic adverse events than the placebo group.

Pfizer knew that the efficacy of the vaccine waned very quickly over time; by as much as 50% in as little as 1 month after the second dose. How come we weren't warned about that???

Pfizer defended VAERS (because they didn't want extra reporting cost burdens).

There are six individuals that signed up for two different clinical trials at two different sites which is really odd.

Pfizer knew vaccinated individuals could still catch COVID-19 and test positive.

There are 1,448 pages comprising 9,704 individual subjects who were excluded from the trials. There isn't enough detail to know why.

Pfizer paid $2,875,842.00 for their application to the FDA. This is more of a point of information for now.

It is troubling that Pfizer redacts information that is not proprietary that would be very helpful in assessing the data such as the number of doses administered in the ADVERSE EVENTS OF SPECIAL INTEREST" (AESI) document (aka the 5.3.6 document).

Pfizer only tests you for COVID if you have at least one symptom. If the vaccine suppresses symptoms (which it apparently does), then it will falsely appear as if the vaccine reduces the number of COVID cases.

How could anaphylaxis not show up in the Phase 3 trial on any of the 44,000 patients, yet show up as a major safety concern in the post-marketing document?!?

~~

Kirsch understands statistics and probabilities, and questions in his article, how could anaphylaxis be completely missing from the Pfizer Phase 3 report, when it's identified as an "important identified risk" in the rest of the report? Not one instance reported, and this defies all logic. As he says:
Anaphylaxis not seen in the trial at all; only seen post-marketing. That's impossible.
So the books are cooked. And this is why Pfizer sued (and lost) to be given 75 years to release these reports. And this is what was presented to FDA for emergency approval. And countless people are still digging through it to make sense of it, yet FDA parsed it all and gave the authorization in record time.

by Tom2 on Fri Mar 11th, 2022 at 11:00:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]
crawling along the grapevine (none / 1)
I noted last week that FDA released the first (court ordered) 55K page tranche of Pfizer docs to plaintiff, phmpt.org. Predictably, the "war effort" here and over there--orchestrated by the Biden admin, US Congress, and MSM agitprop--has buried this victory for FOIA. Which is discovery, pure and simple prerequisite fact finding in both legal and scientific domains of "truth".

As far as I can tell, information gleaned by marginal correspondents (blogs, vlogs, trade rags) as yet is limited to a small set of material for publicity and strategic purposes of principal adversaries and their "stakeholders". Predictably, again, agents deeply invested in professional sinecure* and federal subsidy of pharma industry R&D immediately mounted a PR campaigns to undermine latent skepticism of public health apparatus to FIGHT COVID, but the intelligence of their own peers who successfully litigated FDA's embargo. Below, an unscientific survey of knowledge and crisis management tactics forthcoming--

Endpoints News, FDA begins court-mandated release of thousands of pages on Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine review, 2 Mar
- select phmpt documentary evidence

FDA News, FDA Starts Releasing Thousands of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Documents, 4 Mar
- $1,695.00 subscription only

MedPage Today, Court-ordered release runs risk of "cherry picking and taking things out of context", 7 Mar
- PhD, JD, a "regulatory strategy" imprimature

SEARCH TERM phmpt
archived "grave danger" moot court

* cf. Zigmunt Bauman's topical literature

by Cat on Fri Mar 11th, 2022 at 03:15:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]
"just a message", low-brow edition (none / 0)
9 Mar

"single-spaced" < wipes tears > I'll resist the temptation to post yet again Congressional Research Service (CRS) rolling, "single-spaced" compilation, "Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2022"

by Cat on Fri Mar 11th, 2022 at 03:27:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "just a message, middle-earth edition (none / 0)
9 Mar

Now, pardon me, while I wait < checks watch > hmm 36 months for this torious drama to conclude in US courts PLUS another hmmm 4 years before disbursement of class action settlement.

by Cat on Fri Mar 11th, 2022 at 05:04:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: "just a messaging system" UPDATE (none / 1)
Politico-APsplainin | Mastercard, Visa suspend operations in Russia after invasion, 5 Mar
press release
Arab News | Mastercard, Visa suspend operations in Russia after invasion, 5 Mar, PR+
The twin suspensions were announced within 16 minutes of each other, and they followed a private video call earlier in the day between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and US lawmakers. During that conversation, Zelenskyy "asked us to turn off MasterCard and Visa for Russia," Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democrat from California [US Congressional Ukraine Caucus], tweeted. "I agree," he added, before Mastercard and Visa made their announcements.
[...]
The moves by Mastercard and Visa could make real differences to their bottom lines. Russia accounted for 4 percent of all of Visa's net revenue in its last fiscal year, including money made from domestic and cross-border activities. Ukraine accounted for about 1 percent, Visa said in a filing with US securities regulators this week.

Mastercard said in its own filing that about 4 percent of its net revenues during 2021 came from business conducted within, into and out of Russia. Another roughly 2 percent was related to Ukraine.

RFI Global | Mir cards expected to benefit in Russia-Ukraine crisis, 5 Mar
Nikhil Reddy, payments senior analyst at GlobalData, says: "This will have a significant impact on the Russian card payments market resulting in reduced e-commerce and POS [point-of-sale] transactions. Even digital payment solutions like Apple Pay and Google Pay have barred cardholders of the sanction hit Russian banks from using their services."

While major economies have isolated Russia, China has kept its door open, encouraging Russia to use its payment system called Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) for international trade as a substitute for SWIFT, by connecting it with Russia's payment system - the System for Transfer of Financial Messages (SPFS).
[...]
As a result, he says Russia is strategically promoting the adoption of Mir via government mandates. It has passed mandates requiring public sector employees receiving state funds and welfare benefits to migrate to Mir payment cards. A similar mandate was imposed on pensioners, making pensions accessible only through Mir bank cards.

Some Russian bank customers have been cut off from Apple Pay and Google Pay, 26 Feb 2022
Amazon rows back on threat to stop accepting UK-issued Visa cards, 17 Jan 2022
Russia's Mir cards now accepted as customer payment method with DDF, 17 Oct 2021
archived Apple Maps, Amazon/Google: Big Tech Fueling State Violence
by Cat on Sun Mar 6th, 2022 at 10:00:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Ruble and Rupee (none / 1)
India Times | 17,000 Indians left Ukraine so far; 'leave Kharkiv' advisory issued based on Russian inputs: MEA, 2 Mar
The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday said that nearly 17,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine's border since the first travel advisory was issued by the Indian Embassy in Kyiv and as many as 15 flights were scheduled over the next 24 hours. Regarding today's advisories to Indian nationals, he said that India has been in communication with the Russian side regarding the safe passage of our nationals from Kharkiv and other nearby cities.
Al Jazeers | Tears, anger at airport as Indian students return from Ukraine, 3 Mar
Yadav was among nearly 200 Indian students who had just landed in New Delhi from Poland on Wednesday after trying for days to escape the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began last Thursday, forcing nearly 20,000 Indian students to flee the former Soviet nation.

"The Ukraine military was only letting the Ukrainians and Europeans across the border," Chahat told Al Jazeera as she held a bouquet of red flowers handed to those returning from Ukraine by Indian authorities at the airport. "But I don't know why Indians were being stopped and pushed back," the young student said, alleging many Indians were beaten by the Ukrainian forces as they tried to cross the border.

South Front | The Ukraine War and the "Good" Refugee
In the history of accepting refugees, countries have shown more than an erratic streak.  Universal human characteristics have often been overlooked in favour of the particular: race, cultural habits, religion.  Even immigration nations, such as the United States and Australia, have had their xenophobic twists and turns on the issue of who to accept, be they victims of pogroms, war crimes, genocide, or famine. ...
DHS grants temporary immigration status to all Ukrainians in the US, 4 Mar
archived Fri Feb 25th, 2022
by Cat on Fri Mar 4th, 2022 at 05:41:38 AM EST
Re: Ruble and Rupee (none / 1)
Al Jazeera | Putin, Modi discuss plight of Indian students trapped in Ukraine, 3 Mar
During their video call on Wednesday, Putin said he had ordered Russian soldiers "to ensure the safe exit of Indian nationals from the armed conflict zone and their return to their homeland," according to a Kremlin statement.
[...]
India denies students taken ["]hostage["]
Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry on Wednesday said the Ukrainian authorities were holding a group of Indian students by force.
[...]
India's foreign ministry said it was in constant touch with Indian nationals in Ukraine, reports added.

"We have not received reports of any hostage situation regarding any student. We have requested support of the Ukrainian authorities in arranging special trains for taking out students from Kharkiv and neighbouring areas to the western part of the country," India's foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
[...]
India abstains from UNGA vote
Also on Wednesday [2 Mar], India abstained from voting at a landmark United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) which overwhelmingly adopted a resolution asking Russia to "immediately" withdraw from Ukraine.

Russia, Ukraine & US Sanctions target India, 4 Mar, running time 02:18:47
CRISTOFOROU: Alright. India, this is a big game changer India holds that goes to this system. We've talked about the Quad, which seems like it's fizzled out. And it seems the Quad didn't give India the respect that it deserves. Is this India's moment? I mean, is India now going to be a great power? I mean it is a great power, but it didn't seem that it was a the same level as China or the US. Is the moment, when India says, we are, we're breaking from this current system, and we're going to move to this new system? How do you see things? Because we've got news that the US is thinking about sanctioning India. They're saying, it's not related to this stuff. They're saying, it's related to weapons sales. But it is related to the fact that India has not voted the Biden White House had hoped they would vote. Is this India's moment? This is really, really big news [...] What are your thoughts?
MERCOURIS: I think, this could very well be India's big momment. It would be the moment, when India establishes itself as a great power, because what the Indians are saying is, Look, our foreign policy's not made for us in Washington. We make our own foreign policy. We take the decisions. You are not going to dictate to us. And if the United States goes down the route to sanction India, well, all I can say is, that is an act of pure, unadulterated folly. Now, I've been reading. I should say, I'm not hugely well-informed about India's domestic politics but I've been reading those Indian sites that are accessible to me and which, you know, India media and they've been either even-handed or basically, sympathetic to the Russians. I think that India has a foreign policy which is it's own foreign policy. It has a very close, historic relationship with Russia. [BWAH!] The two countries get on. They have a difficult relationship with China, but I think, the Indians don't feel that they want to get into an issue with China simply because the United States has issues with China. ...
archived Vinay Lal, Indo-Pacific: The Quad reduced to a Triad in Will the EU-27 Survive the Biden Years?,  Quad To Meet China Triad Challenge in China's Sphere of Influence
by Cat on Fri Mar 4th, 2022 at 04:45:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Ruble and Rupee (none / 0)
by Cat on Fri Mar 4th, 2022 at 09:49:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Ruble and Rupee (none / 0)
VIJAY PRASHAD | Ukraine: A Conflict Soaked in Contradictions and New Patterns in War and Media
White Wars
[...]
Worst War?
[...]
War Stenography
[...]
Calculations of War
[...]
Is there room in our imaginations to try to understand what Matveev is saying?
by Cat on Fri Mar 4th, 2022 at 10:27:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Ruble and Rupee (none / 1)
Tabloid India | Russia-Ukraine War Day 10 Highlights: After Brief Ceasefire, Russia Announces Resuming Fighting In Mariupol And Volnovakha, 5 Mar
, fighting intensified in southern Ukraine as Kherson became the first city to fall into Russian hands as shelling continued in Mariupol, Chernihiv and Kharkiv. Heavy fighting is continuing on the outskirts of a strategic port city on the Azov Sea, Mariupol. The Russian military says it controls Kherson, and local Ukrainian officials have confirmed Russian forces have taken over local government headquarters in the Black Sea port of 2.8 lakh people. Also Read - Russia-Ukraine War: Why NATO Has Not Deployed Troops In Ukraine - Explained
Interfax | Russian Foreign Ministry says ready to help evacuate Chinese citizens from conflict zones in Ukraine
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko met with Chinese Ambassador in Moscow Zhang Hanhui on Saturday.

"The parties exchanged opinions on the situation around Ukraine. The Russian side expressed its gratitude to Chinese partners for their balanced stance on the events in this country," the Foreign Ministry said on its website.

"We reaffirmed our readiness to extend comprehensive support regarding the evacuation of Chinese citizens who are currently in zones of fighting in the territory of Ukraine," it said.

The sides also underscored the high efficiency of foreign policy interaction between Russia and China, the ministry said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the day before that there are currently more than 7,500 foreign citizens in Ukrainian cities, including 121 Chinese citizens in the city of Sumy.

by Cat on Sat Mar 5th, 2022 at 08:57:27 PM EST
wut Ruble and Rupee? (none / 0)

transcription to come (TK-as we usta say in de print bidness)

by Cat on Sat Mar 5th, 2022 at 09:01:48 PM EST
Re: wut Ruble and Rupee? (none / 1)
RATTANSI: ...It's also seventy-six years to the day that UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill made his made his famous "Iron Curtain" speech to the USA in which he warned against the spread of soviet communism. Now, let's go straight to Washington D.C. to speak to the USA's former-UN ambassador and President Donald Trump's national security advisor, John Bolton, for this very special edition of "Going Underground." Ambassador, thanks so much for comming back on. So Joe Biden ended his "State of the Union" [speech] with the words, "Get him", in the style of previous uh officials against Osama bin Laden, perhaps. He's spending the weeekend at Camp David. If you were still national security , what would you be telling Joe Biden to do?
BOLTON: I'd be saying that until the Russian energy sector has effectively collapsed, Putin has no [dis]incentive to to give up his ongoing offensive in Ukraine, and, honestly, with oil prices what they are, even if Russia has to sell at a discount [?!], it's still making money off this war [incentive], and there's every reason to think he'll continue until he achieves whatever his objectives in Ukraine are. You know, the failure here is not that we're not imposing sanctions on Putin. The failure is, we failed to deter him, and the cost [disincentive] of that failure is now being borne by the Ukrainian people, and it will be borne by Russians and, by the way, it will be borne by Europeans and Americans, too, as the price of oil goes up. So being content with a long, dragged out process is not in our interest.
RATTANSI: So, from your point of view, this war is being financed [sic] in effect by Europeans buying Russian energy resources that supply forty per cent of the market?
BOLTON: Right. I mean, right now as the war is progress, oil and gas are still being transmitted [sic] through pipelines all across Europe, and Russia is being reimbursed [sic] for them despite sanctions that take some Russian banks out of the SWIFT system, two of the three top Russian banks are still receiving payments, because they're energy-related. The United States is still importing oil from Russia, really pretty incredible. In the meantime, the Russian military which has had its problems in Ukraine is grinding down opposition. K[ie][yy]v and Kharkiv and the Ukrainians have defended themselves heroically, but the correlation of forces [!], as we used to say in soviet days, is very against them, and time will not be on their side.
[...]
What we're concerned about in Europe is the security and safety of the United States. Since 1945, we believe that a secure Europe is in America's best interest, but, frankly, what goes on in Europe beyond that is really not something that most Americans care about, because they don't really care about these kinds of things in other parts of the world. We would like to be safe and secure, and that means making sure the Europeans don't lapse [!] into yet another [!] world war like the first two hot wars and much of the cold war fought in Europe as well.
[...]
RATTANSI: ... the United States has been funding Ukraine for, well, since 2014, since the coup. I mean, you can see that there are two sides being given on this story. One side is, Russia is trying to end the brutal puscht regime from 2014, financed by the United States [IMF] in the heart of Europe, so it can no longer kill people there, 14,000 dead.
BOLTON: Well, that's the hall of mirror's view of what happened in Ukraine in 2914, and, unfortunately, it's the Ukrainian people who are paying for that misperception.
RATTANSI: So what is the price that Biden name checked at the state of the union [speech]. He said, Putin must pay a price. What is that price that maybe Jake Sullivan and Anthony Blinken want to charge Putin?
BOLTON: Well, I don't think they know.... I think what Putin is counting on, and he may be right, is whenever this ends ...he's counting on European memories to be short and for these sanctions to disappear. And based on the history we've seen, I'm not counting on European resolve to keep these sanctions in place.
[...]
RATTANSI: Back to what you were saying about sanctions: You do expect sanctions to lapse very swiftly? After a completion of military operations as seen from Moscow and a mission-accomplished statement from Putin in the Kremlin?
BOLTON: Look, my prediction...I don't think, Putin wants all of Ukraine under Russian control. I think he wants the eastern and southern parts of the country. He wants wants contol of the north coast of the Black Sea. I think, if he had his druthers, he'd set up a Vichy France kind of governement in the rest of Ukraine ...
by Cat on Sun Mar 6th, 2022 at 11:50:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]
wut Ruble and Rupee? (none / 1)
RATTANSI: When you mention imperial power, then is it the case--and we've talked to Russians here and challenged them who [have] been so critical of US foreign policy in Libya, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan--that Russia is just doing what the United States did, supported by you? And there are parallels here of US interference in countries since 9/11?
BOLTON: Great. Let's take it one by one, but let's start a little earlier than 9/11. The US has invaded Iraq twice. The first time because Iraq invaded Kuwait, and in order to restore sovereight to Kuwait, we went into Iraq and basically destroyed its army. Now, in retrospect, we probably should have done more, but that's the kind of situation in which the US has historically fought--not because we want territory for ourselves, not because we seek economic advantage, but because one of our friends or allies has been invaded by somebody else. That's what's happening in Ukraine today. The difference between Russian actions and US is just about as clear as it could be. Your line of argument is like the old saying that here you've got an old lady near the path of a bus that's out of control ....

RATTANSI: I'm not sure I quite get the parallel of that one. Okay, but I mean, you know ...Dpes that mean that you would have supported this kind of military action or Singer missiles and so on being sent after the referendum --that obviously was not accepted by NATO nations--in Criemea, recognizing that Crimea was part of Russia?
BOLTON: Look, what we wanted to do in Crimea was work with the government of Ukraine which was not in a position to engage in any military activity in Crimea after it was annexed, but through, you know, diplomatic measures to get the Russians to reverse this something that we said in 1945 was never going to happen in Europe again, which is international borders being changed by by military force. Yet that's exactly what Russia did. It did it in Ukraine. It did it in Crimea, rather. It did it Donbass, and it's doing it again now.
[...]
RATTANSI: What about this phase, "peacekeepers": Can you understand, I mean, obviusly the UN secretary General says this is a violation of international law, something that has been raised with previous Russian actions. Can you se how Moscow would see it as "wait a minute! We sent peackeepers to proker peace in Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We ended the war in Syria. We sought a ceasefire in Georgia and sorted all that out and quieted down the Georgian war. Wherever we go, all we do is bring peace.
BOLTON: Yeah, it looks pretty ugly, when it happens though. That involved fragmenting Yugoslavia Georgia and splitting off two provinces to pretend they were independent coutries. It means a Russian a Russian troop presence in Korea Georgia and as well as Iraq Azerbaijan and Kurdistan Armenia that freeze the conflicts there like their Russian troops still in Moldova and the so-called Transnistria republic [Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic] which I'd love to see someday. It must be about ten feet wide....
[...]
RATTANSI:  How soon do you expect China to move on Taiwan as you so long predicted? I've got a statement here from China's foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunyung: Tawain indeed is not Ukraine. Taiwan has always been an inseparable part ...
BOLTON: [SNICKER]
RATTANSI: of China's territory. This is an irrefutable ...
BOLTON: [LAUGHTER]
RATTANSI: ... historical and legal fact.
BOLTON: [ROLLING LAUGHTER] Well, it seems to me that's a pretty clear statement, they're [China? Taiwan? China and Taiwan?] getting ready. I think, they're watching the US and NATO's response in Ukraine very carefully. If it continues to prove as ineffective, tragically as it has been so far, I think China will draw the appropriate conclusions.
RATTANSI: Do you think, the US can pare China away from Russia? You must have noticed that some of the countries receiving lots of infrastructural investment [FDI] from China--Venezuela, Cuba--they abstained on the UN General Assembly [resolution]. I know, the UN General Assembly thing was um quite theatrical. The US has never respected the UN General Assembly resolutions in the past, but what did you make of some peculiar abstentions from countries you'd think would vote with Moscow?
BOLTON: I think, what it shows is, that in this on-top between Russia and China that Russia is very much the junior partner. This is the exact reverse of cold war days. I think, it's something Russia's leadership hasn't considered adequately. I've tried to explain that growing closer to China, growing further away from Europe and the United States inevitably means subjugation for Russia at some level at some point....
RATTANSI: Why couldn't they bring the United States closer to China? Would you surely help the American people?
BOLTON: I think, China has made it pretty clear they have hegemonic ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. It's why they have managed to give life to the asian Quad--India, Japan, Australia, and the United States. It's why the countries of the Indo-Pacific very much want to see more evidence of a strong American presence in the region. It's why the Australians have asked for nuclear-powered submarines, and we've now created a mechanism along with the United Kingdom to do this. I think, people in Asia and the Indo-Pacific, generally, are waking up to China's aspirations, and they're going to take steps to prevent it from happening.
RATTANSI: What about the American people? Why is this a consistent theme--that it [China] must be about the Indo-Pacific? You know 40 million can't eat tonight in your country without food stamps. Why can't an alliance between Washington and Beijing be created out of the mess that is happening right now in the EU?
BOLTON: Because we're a free people and like being that way....
alrighty then, EU27. I listened and watched so you didn't have to, if you could.
by Cat on Sun Mar 6th, 2022 at 01:49:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
BOLTON MOUSTACHE of understanding (none / 0)

cue Moldova means business Sat Mar 5th, 2022 - Mon Mar 7th, 2022, Mon Feb 28th, 2022 "tactical observations
by Cat on Fri Mar 11th, 2022 at 04:32:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Ruble and Yuan (none / 1)
RATTANSI: And on the sanctions, finaly: Do you expect them to finish quickly? Or do you think that the Ukraine conflic spells the end of the dollar as an international currency because of the swiftness ...arguably, emphatically it's at the end of the dollar-based system as huge numbers of countries now sanctioned by the United States get closer and closer together to different ways of transferring money. Obviously, there are big cryptocurrency exchanges no on Wall Street and other methods which are not regulated by the Federal Reserve.
BOLTON: You know, I think, actually the dollar proving how important it is, how important it continues to be, and I don't see any huge demand to trade in Chinese yuan or Russian rubles. As far as cryptocurrency goes, look, if you want to buy black tulip bulbs, be my guest.
by Cat on Sun Mar 6th, 2022 at 01:49:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Ruble and Yuan (none / 0)
China Daily | Drawing 2022 blueprint in one line, 5 Mar
Premier Li Keqiang delivered a government work report on behalf of the State Council at the opening meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress. The report consists of what the Chinese government accomplished in 2021 and what it plans to achieve in 2022.
China Daily | Xi urges joint support for talks, 9 Mar
"President Xi Jinping attends a video summit from Beijing on Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron (left) and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz."
by Cat on Wed Mar 9th, 2022 at 10:59:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Ruble and Yuan (none / 0)
A total of 100 billion yuan from the unemployment insurance fund will be used to support enterprises in maintaining stable payrolls and providing training programs.

Well, that's certainly something that Xi and Macron can see eye to eye on : the idea of welfare for enterprises as the primary shield against unemployment (as opposed to actual payments to the unemployed). That's what kept the French economy ticking over the Covid period, so I imagine he will carry it over to cover the effects of the war in Europe.

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

by eurogreen on Thu Mar 10th, 2022 at 09:17:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]
archived (none / 1)
Sat Mar 13th, 2021, 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and Long-Range Objectives for 2030 (EN)

illustrated

Let me know if you want an acronym key

by Cat on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 08:08:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Ruble and Yuan (none / 0)
Saudi Aramco Agrees to Build Massive Refinery in China
Aramco said it would work with China's North Huajin Chemical Industries Group Corporation and Panjin Xincheng Industrial Group to build a massive integrated refinery and petrochemical complex in Panjin, Liaoning Province. The facility will be able to produce 300,000 barrels of oil per day and will have a 1.5 million metric ton-per-year ethylene cracker and a 1.3 million metric ton-per-year paraxylene unit.
jobs saved and created
Announcement of the deal follows two related developments. On February 4, Russian state-owned gas firm Rosneft signed a 10-year agreement with China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) to ship 100 million metric tons, or 200,821 barrels per day of oil to refineries in northwestern China.
[...}
"In accordance with the agreement of Rosneft and CNPC, there are prospects of interaction worked out concerning a set of areas of low carbon development, particularly in reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, including methane, technologies of energy efficiency, as well as CO2 capture and storage (CCS)," Rosneft said.
< wipes tears >
by Cat on Fri Mar 11th, 2022 at 04:24:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Ruble and Yuan (none / 0)
Finally Bretton Woods III and the introduction of the petro-yuan by Saudi Arabia and  China ...

Saudi Arabia Considers Accepting Yuan Instead of Dollars for Chinese Oil Sales | WSJ |

Talks between Riyadh and Beijing have accelerated as the Saudi unhappiness grows with Washington

Will Joe Biden end up with Maduro oil and Khamenei gas?

Earlier moves at high rich stakes ...

Petro-yuan will rise to challenge Petro-dollar | CGTN - Nov 5, 2017 |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 06:11:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: wut Ruble and Rupee? (none / 0)
Cette vidéo n'est pas disponible dans votre pays

Give us a clue. Who is Rattansi, what channel?

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

by eurogreen on Sun Mar 6th, 2022 at 07:13:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: wut Ruble and Rupee? (none / 1)
WaPoo | Bolton says Trump might have pulled the U.S. out of NATO if he had been reelected, 4 Mar
Bolton, in an interview with Post opinions editor at large Michael Duffy, said the former president came close to pulling the United States out of NATO in 2018, a claim he originally made in a memoir published in 2020. In his book, Bolton wrote that he had to convince Trump not to quit NATO in the middle of a 2018 summit.

On Friday, Bolton, who served as a top Trump adviser from 2018 to 2019, offered more details on their conversations that day, saying he "had my heart in my throat at that NATO meeting."

"I didn't know what the president would do," Bolton said. "He called me up to his seat seconds before he gave the speech. And I said, look, go right up to the line, but don't go over it. I sat back down. I had no idea what he'd do."
[...]
"In a second Trump term, I think he may well have withdrawn from NATO," Bolton said. "And I think [Russian President Vladimir] Putin was waiting for that."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday responded to Bolton's comments, saying they highlighted "another reason the American people are grateful -- the majority of the American people -- that President Biden has not taken a page out of his predecessor's playbook as it relates to global engagement and global leadership, because certainly we could be in a different place. I mean, there's no question that the strength and unity of NATO has been a powerful force in this moment," Psaki added.

by Cat on Tue Mar 8th, 2022 at 02:18:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Debate on Indian TV (none / 1)

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sun Mar 6th, 2022 at 04:47:01 PM EST
Re: Debate on Indian TV (none / 0)
Is there a TL;DR;? I don't feel like watching almost two hours worth of video debate.
by Bernard (bernard) on Sun Mar 6th, 2022 at 06:23:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Debate on Indian TV (4.00 / 2)
I don't know of one. But it's much more fun than the western equivalent.
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sun Mar 6th, 2022 at 06:28:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Ruble parity watch (none / 0)
RUB:TRY, 1:0.11 a/o 7 Mar 2022

1 ruble buys 0.11 lira

by Cat on Tue Mar 8th, 2022 at 12:07:43 AM EST
Re: Ruble parity watch (none / 0)
And one Turkish lira will buy you 0.063 euros.
So one rouble will buy you 0.684 CENTIMES of a euro.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Tue Mar 8th, 2022 at 08:27:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Why pay retail? (none / 1)
parity watch
INR:RUB, 1:1.29
(This FX pair is what US is calling a "discount" price/bbl)
INR:USD, 1:0.01
(by comparison to IN buying USD to pay for USD-denominated crude anywhere)

Pakistan Today | 'Think twice before buying Russian oil', US warns India

The remarks come after an official in New Delhi was quoted as saying his country would be "happy" to take the offer, RT The Times of India reported.
But with [USD-denominated] oil prices up 40% so far this year, the government is looking at increasing this if it can help reduce its rising energy bill.

"Russia is offering oil and other commodities at a heavy discount. We will be happy to take that. We have some issues like tanker, insurance cover and oil blends to be resolved. Once we have that we will take the discount offer," one of the Indian government officials said.
[...]
Work was ongoing to set up a rupee-rouble trade mechanism [bi-lateral FX peg|float reference] to be used to pay for oil and other goods, the official said.

When asked about reports that India was about to accept Moscow's offer to buy cheaper crude, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said nations should be cognisant of their role in history when they deal with Russia following its attack on Ukraine.
by Cat on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 08:35:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Ruble parity watch (none / 0)
VOLdeMore BULLETIN published a brief interview with former India's Minister of Finance (1990-1991, 1998 - 2002) and External Affairs (2002 - May 2004) Yashwant Sinha (scorpio). Sinha joined political group Trinamool Congress this year.

VOLdeMore: And do you back the idea of a rupee-rouble trading mechanism be set up to settle payments between India and Russia, with China's yuan as a reference currency?

Yashwant Sinha: Yes, I do believe that we can carry our trade in our own currencies. But I don't think that the yuan should be made a reference currency. Any such arrangement should be done based on just the rupee and rouble.

< checks watch >
goldbugs v fiat arbitrageurs story developing ...
by Cat on Fri Mar 18th, 2022 at 11:57:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Ruble and Rupee (add: Senegal) (none / 0)
Guerre en Ukraine : Dakar proteste auprès de Kiev et l'appelle à cesser de recruter au Sénégal
Trente-six personnes auraient été enrôlées dans la guerre contre l'armée russe, suite à une publication sur la page Facebook de l'ambassade d'Ukraine au Sénégal.
https:/tinyurl.com/3vr8r8ws (Le Monde)
https:/tinyurl.com/y9hxb2kr (RFI)

About 4 years ago, an Egyptian friend told me that his son had found a summer job in an orphanage in Ukraine and that it would be perfect for him to better his English (it was apparently US sponsored). I told him I thought it was rather about recruiting mercenaries (the son in question is the athletic type, was studying engineering and desperate to get a visa to the West to complete his studies). In the end he did not go and I am happy I helped in this. Of course he had no previous experience of working with children (I doubt there were any).

by Tom2 on Tue Mar 8th, 2022 at 01:42:20 PM EST
Re: Ruble and Rupee (add: Senegal) (none / 0)
heh. Nobody wants a piece of CFA franc. Not even ECOWAS.
by Cat on Fri Mar 18th, 2022 at 12:02:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
long memory among long COVID and ... (none / 1)
(boomer lead poisoning) injuries,

a Committee for the Republic convened to no avail, 2 Mar 2022--

Prof. John Mearsheimer, political scientist, University of Chicago
Ray McGovern, former C.I.A. head of Russia desk
Jack Matlock, last US ambassador to the Soviet Union
Ted Postol,  MIT professor of technology and international security
Susan Eisenhower, grand-daughter of General Dwight D. Eisenhower

by Cat on Wed Mar 9th, 2022 at 05:24:45 PM EST
Re: (none / 1)
Imagine in the EU a program were this kind of experts would be invited to discuss freely. Unfortunately, freedom of speech in the higher spheres has been 404 for quite a while now.
by Tom2 on Wed Mar 9th, 2022 at 06:59:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: (none / 1)
Excellent overview by Bhadhrakumar
https:/www.indianpunchline.com/zelensky-rubbishes-bidens-war-on-russia
by Tom2 on Wed Mar 9th, 2022 at 07:34:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Zelensk-* (none / 0)
Heh. His Zoom Doom-scripted meetings for cash and volunteers have flown so fast and furious, I assumed, he was teasing, so didn't dare mention. Frankly, I'll stick with that until I see his signature on a "guarantee".

And even then ...

by Cat on Wed Mar 9th, 2022 at 08:06:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
And if I were Maduro ... (none / 1)
I wouldn't sign a ding-dong thing until Guido's windfall was transferred to the PBOC, physical bullion was delivered from London to Puerto Cabello, and I'd counted every mf bar.
by Cat on Wed Mar 9th, 2022 at 08:12:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Ruble, Rupee, and Goldbugs (none / 0)
MSN Axios Insider | Russia's $132 billion in gold reserves could face US sanctions as new legislation seeks to choke off potential lifeline, report says
The legislation would apply restrictions on American entities making gold transactions with Russia's central bank holdings.

The senators backing the bill -- who include Independent Angus King, Republicans John Cornyn and Bill Hagerty, and Democrat Maggie Hassan -- aim to include the sanction on Russian gold in the omnibus spending package 2,241 pp CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT OF 2022 that lawmakers hope to pass by Friday, Axios said.

by Cat on Wed Mar 9th, 2022 at 10:16:57 PM EST
Re: Ruble and Rupee (none / 1)
Today -100: Of the unity of imperial foreign policy, rebellions, and ratifications
Because British Secretary of State for India Edwin Montagu allowed the publication of that call by the Government of India for revision of the Treaty of Sèvres, he has been forced out. Something about collective cabinet responsibility.
[NY Yella Cake print, fit to] Mr. Montagu in his communication to the Premier [Lloyd Georg] says that "after our conversation this morning" he felt it his duty to resign. He explains that when he recived on Saturday an urgent request from the Indian Government for permission to publish its telegram containing its views on Turkish peace, he felt it his duty to accept the responsibility by sanctioning publication. He did not the expect that an early meeting of the Cabinet would be held and did not see in the Indian Government's communication much if anything which had not been said by that Goverment and on its behalf again and again ever since the peace conference.
"I did not conceive it possible," he says, "that there should be anyquestion that they would not be allowed to state their views upon a question which so vitally affected the peace of India, nor did I think that it was possible or right to prevent them informing the people whom they governed of the views they felt it their duty to put forward on their behalf.
[...]
Rebuked by Lloyd George.
Lloyd George in his reply regrets it is necessary for him to advise the King to accept Mr. Montagu's resignation.
[...]
After declaring that the British Government has afforded the Indian Mohhammedans ever possible opportunity of urgint their views, the Premier proceeds: "If the Governments of the Empire wer all to claim the liberty of publishing individual declarations on matters which vitally affect the relations of the whole Empire with foreign powers the unity of our foreign policy would be broken at once and the very existence of the Empire jeopardized."
He says he never considered suppressing the Indians' views or preventing them informing the Indian people of the views the government puts forward in their name. Lloyd George, on the other hand, insists that the unity of the Empire's foreign policy can only be maintained by the various colonies shutting the fuck up.
Peace Treaty of Sèvres, 10 August, 1920 (never adopted, superseded by the Treaty of Lausanne)
Section I, Articles 1 - 260
THE BRITISH EMPIRE, FRANCE, ITALY AND JAPAN,
These Powers being described in the present Treaty as the Principal Allied Powers;
ARMENIA, BELGIUM, GREECE, THE HEDJAZ, POLAND, PORTUGAL, ROUMANIA, THE SERB-CROAT-SLOVENE STATE AND CZECHO-SLOVAKIA, These Powers constituting, with the Principal Powers mentioned above, the Allied Powers, of the one part;
AND TURKEY, of the other part;
Section II, Annex II, and Articles 261 - 433
ANNEX I: THE OTTOMAN PRE-WAR PUBLIC DEBT. (NOVEMBER 5, 1914)
PART IX. ECONOMIC CLAUSES.
SECTION I. COMMERCIAL RELATIONS.
SECTION II. TREATIES.
SECTION III. INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY.
SECTION IV. PROPERTY, RIGHTS AND INTERESTS.
SECTION V. CONTRACTS, PRESCRIPTIONS, JUDGMENTS.
ANNEX [... details, details, details ...]
by Cat on Thu Mar 10th, 2022 at 04:51:44 PM EST
Friday News Dump (none / 1)
YouTube finally pulled the plug on RT America streaming;
and Washington bans dollar supply to Russia. No joke.

WH | Joint Statement by the G7 Announcing Further Economic Costs on Russia
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

OFAC is also issuing guidance, in line with today's G7 leaders statement, to guard against potential attempts to use virtual currency to evade U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia. All of these actions complement a new Executive Order issued today by President Biden that imposes new import and export restrictions on Russia, including the export of U.S. banknotes to Russia.
Interesting demo of how the Fed can default US bond payments to any creditor, because international norms.
by Cat on Sat Mar 12th, 2022 at 06:33:10 AM EST
Re: Friday News Dump (none / 0)
OT: what do y'think of Novavax? Protein vaccine, same as Hep B of ill reputation (for MS). Was it the technology that caused the problem or something else in it?
by Tom2 on Sat Mar 12th, 2022 at 02:28:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
No data, no endorsement (4.00 / 2)
My understanding to date is, Novavax completed Phase 0-IV clinical trials, unlike some other candidates, before applying for EAU/licensing and despite substantial barriers to distribution created by MIC authorities. Novavax Inc COVID-19 vaccine availability and nominal coverage is  comparatively limited by design. It obtained license for Nuvaxvid in EU on or about 21 Dec 2021 after licensing production of Covashield and Covovax brand names in India, mid 3Q2021. By then, Israel R(0) data had damaged "market leader" Pfizer mRNA reputation. Still have no clue what Novavax coverage is in S America.

eurotrib archive Novavax

Hep B, Hep A, Hep C, Hib, HPV, etc.
I'm not aware of any Hep B:MS incidence correlations. AFAIK, I've never taken that vaccine or tested pos, as child or adult. As indicated previously, I'm more disturbed by general incoherence in basic research and clinical treatment of MS symptoms.

I for one don't have objections to  conventional, conjugate "tech" and am not "anti-vax". Granted, I've had no reason based on adverse vaccine experiences to be suspicious. But I have discriminated (as adult and for my child) between FDA warnings, purported beneficial use, and statutory schedules. So I read both Pfizer, Moderna, J&J FDA applications before EUAs and was distinctly unimpressed by Pfizer's trial design [cockroach alert]. As The state limited J&J availability--even at "mass vaccination" sites--I deliberately ignored HHS eligibility "guidance," waited 5 mo until 2nd choice (Moderna) was offered by appointment at my primary care office. Extended family members (age 16-53) represent combinations of mRNA + J&J dosages, Feb 2021-Jan2022. 9 mo later--specifically because of "passport" hysteria gripping westworld--I decided to take a Moderna "booster", simply to update compliance bona fides. But I've no intention to do so again, as probability of multi-dose vaccine injury is not well understood and I truly do not want to complicate MS prognosis.  

by Cat on Sat Mar 12th, 2022 at 05:31:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: No data, no endorsement (none / 0)
Thanks. From what I read it has been tested only for the earliest strains. Anyway here it is not allowed to mix and match it. Reserved to the unvaxed.
Figures climbing again in UK, DE, NL (last month were the winter holidays, lots of full low cost planes went to areas were the omicron waves was just starting)
by Tom2 on Sat Mar 12th, 2022 at 08:50:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I don't know where "here" is, but. (none / 1)
anglophone press reported otherwise.
archived Wed Jan 19th, 2022

And that's why I insisted on verifying terms and conditions for the bottle label of my last dose.

by Cat on Sat Mar 12th, 2022 at 10:14:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]
also, "stockpile" dump BEFORE omicron (4.00 / 2)
Americans are 'mixing and matching' Covid vaccines over concerns about the delta variant, 26 July
• Some Americans say they are finding ways to get additional doses of the Covid vaccines, with some even going as far as receiving the extra shots from different companies.
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel received Moderna's shot in June after getting AstraZeneca's in April.
• Italy is also allowing those under the age of 60 who received a first dose of AstraZeneca's vaccine to get a different shot when they get their second dose.
• South Korea said last month it would allow some 760,000 people to get different jabs because of shipment delays there.
by Cat on Sun Mar 13th, 2022 at 06:32:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Monday Morning hangovers (none / 0)
BLOOMBERG | Options Traders Who Correctly Bet Against Russia Can't Cash Out
• Brokerage clients can't unwind positions with market frozen
• Clearinghouse ["just a messaging system"!] leaving it to firms to handle some requests
oh

firms? which firms? Just one "favored nation" brokerage! with proven ABBACUS experience.

Could this firm be managing your currency swaps, too?
IF so, consider yerself a savvy infestor. IF not, Take the L, bro!

by Cat on Mon Mar 14th, 2022 at 07:10:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (none / 0)
As Germany tells Poland, don't send any more Ukrainians we're full up:
"Poland's Deputy Interior Minister, Pavel Shefernaker, told news channel TVN24 on Monday that Warsaw has been asked to stop sending Ukrainian refugees by train to Germany, as Berlin struggles to cope with the influx of people fleeing conflict."
I see on the Transavia website (on smartphone but not on computer) that "they offer discounts to Ukrainian people."
"They can't walk to Germany, let them take planes," would say Marie-Antoinette Nuland.
This has certainly nothing to do with the fact planes are half empty as are restaurants and cafés (and the most expensive, i.e. those targeting only the super-rich, are totally empty).
by Tom2 on Mon Mar 14th, 2022 at 08:35:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (none / 0)
Have you got a source for this little gem?
by Katrin on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 06:10:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (none / 0)
Strangely enough Shefernaker did not bring any result on Google but searching for Germany Poland refugees got a source

https:/www.poandpo.com/news/germany-asks-poland-to-suspend-transportation-of-ukrainian-refugees

by Tom2 on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 09:02:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (4.00 / 3)
So you have it from a Russian disinformation site and didn't make it up yourself. I see. Well, it is of course total bullocks, but that won't surprise anyone here anyway.
by Katrin on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 09:11:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (4.00 / 3)
Hi Katrin. Long time no see.
You've just met our new Putinversteher.
by Bernard (bernard) on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 09:32:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (4.00 / 3)
Hi Bernard. The place seems to be in an awful state. Anti-vaxxer nonsense, Putin's propaganda lies, diaries so boring that only the author replies to... Small wonder there are so few people around. Pity.
by Katrin on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 10:21:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Batter-up Charlie Brown (none / 0)



'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 06:56:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Batter-up Charlie Brown (none / 0)
You really need a substack! Why work for free and avertise for a website where all you get are insults and bullying?

I wonder how censoring the enemy's media (as if they had a big follow up...) helps people actually know the enemy's pisition. But apparently they don't care (even Le Canard enchaîné is applauding to the extinction of Russian media).

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202203/1254976.shtml

by Tom2 on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 09:44:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (4.00 / 3)
Reinforcements would be appreciated :) To keep up a bit of back-pressure to slow the flow of bullshit

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 01:40:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (4.00 / 3)
The place is indeed in an awful state. Oui has always denounced the evils of US policies and their European plus ME support, big businesses, three-letter agencies, etc...

So far, so good, but he went so deep down the rabbit hole that he's been printing all the Putin regime talking points for months: Ukraine is the aggressor, doing a genocide in Donbas, running biological weapons labs, the Azov militia and neo-nazis running the country, etc...

He's also been putting up diaries and comments by the kilometer, as if quantity does compensate for quality (it doesn't), where he often was, as you noted, the only commenter - that is, before he was joined last January by one of his fans who wanted to have "a sane [] discussion on covid".

As we're now watching the third week of a war of aggression carried out by a ruthless and cynical dictator based on a historical lie, some here have seen nothing but US imperialism and are scared, not by Putin, but by Blinken. Sad, truly.

by Bernard (bernard) on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 06:31:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (none / 0)
https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/plus237506761/Sahra-Wagenknecht-Weder-Sanktionen-noch-Waffen lieferungen-stoppen-diesen-Horror.html

It is not by sending more weapons and untrained students that you will stop the war.

by Tom2 on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 06:55:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (none / 1)
Sending weapons to Ukraine, for some years now, is precisely what has prevented Ukraine from becoming a Russian colony in 3 days.

And Ukrainians don't want to merely "stop the war", they want Russian invaders to go home.

by Bernard (bernard) on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 07:23:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 0)
Needless to lecture me on the "old days" ... proud to wear UID #40 here @ET and UID #430 @BT .... nominated by both communities for the Sandy Koufax Award ... days of Jerome, Whataboutbob, Sirocco, ask, Londonbear, heathlander, shergald and many others. I am sure I haven't changed, perhaps from a centrist to a bit more to the left and progressive. The concept of America, democracy, corruption, and military enforcement of "moral values" surely mutated. Truly horrific.

'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 17th, 2022 at 03:07:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 1)
I'm not trying to lecture you: I know this is a futile endeavor.

You haven't only changed a bit more to the left and progressive: your detestation of the American system, corruption, military enforcement and all, has led you to justify the imperialist wars of aggression of a murderous dictator.

I know that many of your diaries over the years have been motivated by your generosity and your truly genuine horror of the abuses of the US system and their relays in Europe and elsewhere.

Just because Putin strongly opposes the USofA doesn't mean we have to side with his fascist rhetoric and relay his talking points.

I'm truly saddened by what your writings have turned into.

by Bernard (bernard) on Thu Mar 17th, 2022 at 08:48:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 1)
The European Union was founded on the principles to prevent war. The war in the Ukraine was needless and should have been prevented ... leaders lacking courage and a Joe Biden, responsible for the coup d'etat of Feb. 2014, set the goal to finish the task no matter at what cost. The EU-27 has lost its innocence and Europe will be worse for it.

In no way do I condone war of choice, nor the dictatorial regime Putin build in Russia.

I always hope other writers step up to the plate and contribute by posting diaries. My pen hasn't dried up, however aim to post much less in coming days/weeks.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 17th, 2022 at 10:10:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 1)
If i may insist, substack is free both the writer and the reader (although there are paying options). It includes commenting and layout possibilities. Why wait? Dont let us without your uniquely deep historical perspective.
by Tom2 on Fri Mar 18th, 2022 at 03:40:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 0)
Thx, much appreciated.

One of my weaknesses is loyalty ... I have been blogging since the presidential campaign of 2004 ... I started at big bad Daily Kos and moved with Martin Longman to BooMan Tribune early 2005. With the pie wars of spring 2005 at Markos Moulitsas Zúniga's dKos a surge of lady writers left the site and joined BooMan Tribune.

We set up a series of Welcome Wagons for newbies to get acquainted and introduce themselves. This build a great community spirit. By June 2005 the 5000th member was welcomed and the site blossomed with a truly great diversity of excellent writers. Intens and great time for many years, surviving  wars, and presidential elections. The community shared grief and joy.

Martin's political wisdom grew into a professional site now called Progress Pond ... link on top still under "BooMan Tribune" 😀 An original author writing on BT was Emptywheel.

Early in 2005 an European forum was started by Jerome a Paris. Excellent reading with a variety of sec topics for readers on this side of the Atlantic. Gradually the mix of writers based in America ebbed away and ET got its own identity. I wear UID #40 proudly.

My writing at dKos was under the handle "creve coeur", the location I happily lived for ten years and finished my college education in engineering doing fundamental research. From the earliest beginnings of blogging, readers have always shown appreciation for my thorough research of the topics. Heritage and French legend of Creve Coeur, Missouri.

I was honored to be banned by the dKos police vigilantes, banned but restored in my rights shortly thereafter 😂 ... within six months is was banned again for writing about The Netherlands, but an American living in Amsterdam disagreed with my version of state affairs and I was banned definitely. I wear it as a badge of honor.

I left BT when the RussiaGate followers starting troll rating all my posts without any arguments. McCarthyism returned to so-called progressive blogs. Censoring dissent.

A lovely memory of my labor @BooMan was the unmasking of Anna Chapman within a few hours when she became a member of the blog. 🤣

Anna Chapman calling on Booman Tribune

Link from my diary here @ET ...

DECEPTION: The Untold Story of East-West Espionage Today

A follow-up ...

The Big Spy Swap: The U.S.-Russia Secret Agent Exchange 10 Years Ago | RFERL - Ju,y 8, 2020 |

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri Mar 18th, 2022 at 08:19:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 0)
More...

Former BooMan Blogger Proposes Marriage to Spy Snowden | Jul 5, 2013 |

Russian Spy Who Loved Booman Given Top Kremlin Honour | Oct 18, 2010 |

Anna, Russian Spy Denied Entry by Booman | Jul 1, 2010 |

In present job ..

Russian spy Anna Chapman praises the 'wave of patriotism and faith in our country' amid Ukraine invasion while hawking her clothing range 'created out of love for my country'

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri Mar 18th, 2022 at 08:37:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 1)
The European Union was founded on the principles to prevent war. The war in the Ukraine was needless and should have been prevented

Indeed. It is a shame that the European Union has never, until these past couple of weeks, given itself the means to have any serious influence in defence matters.

If you recall, Putin was crystal clear from the start, that he wanted to negotiate with Biden and nobody else : the master of Nato.

So, hypothetically, they might have negotiated. Given that Putin's non-negotiable conditions included the disarming of the front-line NATO states, that would have needed a formal decision by all of the NATO member governments. The hypothesis that the USA decides everything in NATO would have been tested, and found to be false, because there is not the slightest chance that the front-line states would have accepted to disarm.

So from that point of view, no, the war could not have been prevented, and Putin knew it perfectly.

His only miscalculation was thinking that he could win the war he had already decided to launch, and that this would give him a strategic advantage. Instead, he has plunged Russia into decades of torment (Ukraine will recover much quicker)

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

by eurogreen on Fri Mar 18th, 2022 at 11:24:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 1)
Given that Putin's non-negotiable conditions included the disarming of the front-line NATO states

As I remember it, it was limited to nuclear weapons outside the home territory, and the Bush era missile bases in Poland and Rumania. Is this what you are refering to or were the demands more extensive than I remember? I tried finding it, but search enigines are so crappified.

by fjallstrom on Thu Mar 24th, 2022 at 01:53:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Draft proposals for negotiation Russia-US (none / 0)
Russia's draft agreements with NATO and the United States: Intended for rejection? | Brookings Institution - Dec 21, 2021 | ... with additional links.

'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 24th, 2022 at 02:18:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Draft proposals for negotiation Russia-US (none / 1)
Thanks.

From there the link to the Russian foreign ministry is blocked from here (can probably go around with a VPN, but annoying).

ABC reports:

The Russian draft treaties call for NATO to remove any troops or weapons from countries that joined the alliance after 1997, meaning most of Eastern Europe, including Poland, the Baltic states and Balkan countries. It also calls for the U.S. and Russia to refrain from deploying troops in areas where they could be perceived as a threat to each countries' national security, and a ban on sending their aircraft and warships into areas where they could strike each other's territory. The treaty would also ban the deployment of intermediate-range missiles in Europe.

The limits on NATO in Eastern Europe are seen as a non-starter by most experts. Most analysts in Moscow believe the Kremlin itself is aware that the proposals are unrealistic. Some said that rather than real goals, they may represent an opening gambit aimed at winning some concessions.  

Bolded the part eurogreen referenced. That does sound like disarmament, and would probably have been vetoed.

by fjallstrom on Thu Mar 24th, 2022 at 03:39:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Draft proposals for negotiation Russia-US (none / 1)
Agreement on measures to ensure the security of The Russian Federation and member States of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation - Dec 17, 2021 |

'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 24th, 2022 at 04:33:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (4.00 / 3)
Thanks for these and also for the additional details on your involvement in the early days of ET (my own UID is in triple digits).

You have of course noticed that the site is a pale shadow of its former self; only a handful of us are commenting and posting diaries. Others have moved to, probably, [anti-]social networks like FB or Twitter.

Those who occasionally come back are horrified, not by the lack of content, but by the sheer deluge of pro-Putin regime talking points or outright propaganda, and not in small quantity.

You mentioned you do not "condone war of choice, nor the dictatorial regime Putin build in Russia".

Really? Pretty much everything you've been writing about Ukraine over the past months is echoing the  talking points of that very same dictatorial regime you claim not to condone.

You mentioned once that you read a lot (good) and that you have a lot of time for blogging - given your age, I suppose. Well, I don't: I'm not retired and I have a day job. I'm hanging out here during the evening or WE.

I like debating here on ET and I'm OK with the gnome duties (Newsroom, Open Thread & all).

The trouble is: you are putting so much content, lengthy comments in large quantities, that you are, literally crowding out the other commenters, putting dozen of comments while other think carefully before posting (I know I do).

Your diaries and your comments, on the other hand are lengthy, unstructured ramblings, a quick cut-and-past job, putting on the same level some serious journalistic work and some comment from "a dude on the Internet", an article from today next to another one from years ago,... This is literally diluting any message or opinion you wanted to convey. It's often difficult to notice where your diary ends and where your comments begin; that's how confused it is.

I had to search all over the place to find this statement where it turns out you don't condone wars of "choice" (invading a neighboring country is a choice, right?) and that Putin is a dictatorial regime.

Because again: you literally drowning out other commenters. I'll freely admit: I resent that.

Your prolific, yet hardly structured or at times intelligible fire-hose is also repelling those you came back and wanted a serious discussion: I resent that too.

You wrote this three days ago: My pen hasn't dried up, however aim to post much less in coming days/weeks.

Frankly, what you claim and what you write are - again - two different things. We've hardly seen any change from your usual one-diary-a-day-if-not-two pattern.

You claim to be attached to Eurotrib? Then, do us a favor and practice what you claimed. Your diaries and comments were certainly not the main cause for ET's decline, but given the present state it doesn't take much to kill it for good.

by Bernard (bernard) on Sun Mar 20th, 2022 at 09:23:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 0)
At the time I was blogging at dKos as "creve coeur" in September 2004, the number of diaries written by the hour were excessive. The life span of a recommended diary was a matter of hours, and with high recommendations perhaps a day.

Martin Longman started BooMan Tribune with a extra top diary section for international writers. That was nice, although these also were listed in the general top diary section. This led to some criticism. Next to Frank Schnittger and myself, there were quite a few global writers on the sites with weekly contributions. Jerome, ask, Londonbear, Mattes, Sirocco, heathlander, Hurria, shergald, and a few from Germany and Australia.

As time went by, many moved on and quite likely social media was attractive to some. In the end both Frank and myself stayed on @BooMan. Having seen a number of flame wars on domestic American politics, the division on the site started as the election cycle of 2016 came to a close. Nearer the election date, the DNC group demanded blinded loyalty to the cause of HRC. Be with us or be damned. Personally I had wished for Bernie Sanders to be the nominee for the Democrats, it was not to be.

As soon as HRC lost the election to a misogynist and extreme rightwing fool Trump all hell broke loose. After her derogatory remarks about a basket of deplorables, her campaign and numbers started a backslide that gained speed after the remarks by FBI head Comey. The Hillary fans thought it time to attack community bloggers who had not "fully" supported her and were in the corner of Sanders. The intelligence community did a last attempt to unseat Trump by the whole RussiaGate episode and impeachments which did further damage to American politics and fueled the Red-Blue states divide.

Impeachment was not going to happen. So America went after Putin ... he did it.

In 2017-18 European Tribune was a desolate place. A recommended diary stayed up until expiration date. Most of the time the column did not reached 8 diaries, but often just six. Do I overcrowd (?) or is there lacklustre appetite to write an article. A number of times I suggested as such ... step up to the plate in baseball terms.

No surprise there is deep rooted division in an approach to contain Russia or try to get Russia closer to the European culture and tied to the EU and global economy. The Neocons of US foreign policy have chosen for the last two decades to destroy the regime of the Kremlin.

I saw no response to a number of suggestions, so I willingly lowered the number of comments about the War on Ukraine and wrote an article about the crucial role of Turkey and the Middle East. A breaking news item about former MP Ian Austin was the second article. I sense the criticism is more about my dissenting view than the number of diaries in recent months.

After the years of Brexit to keep the newspaper columns filled, Europe was confronted with the Covid-19 pandemic and kept all of us on edge. Tolerance level has decreased and patience is short. In the chaos of today, there is a power grab by the military and intelligence. The UK is out of the EU and the EU-27 is further weakened by division Old and New. Both Putin and Trump/Biden exploit this division. The AUKUS incident of cutting submarine ties with France in preference to GB was an early indication. After demonizing the Kremlin and Russia to full extent, all eyes will focus on China. The US has a long list of using crippling economic sanctions to put pressure on a nation and harm its people. Germany sees very harsh economic years ahead, the motor of the EU is sputtering.

The confrontation happening today will have a profound change on global politics for the next decades. An immense historical event that should be commented on and not result in closing shop. The ultimate form of censorship.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 06:14:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 0)
Indeed, it would seem that they cannot refute the facts. When i came here after you advertised for ET elsewhere (frankly i wonder why) there was a diary on alcohol in Ireland that stayed top of column for weeks if not months.
Some truths are hard to hear.
http://www.pascalboniface.com/2022/02/18/lemprise-la-france-sous-influence-4-questions-a-marc-endewe ld/
by Tom2 on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 08:10:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 0)
That is an interesting link, Tom2. Do you want to discuss the economic vassalisation of France under Macron? I'm up for it. Probably we shoud do it in a new thread?

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 12:51:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 1)
 
Do I overcrowd (?)

Yes.

Next question :

I saw no response to a number of suggestions, so I willingly lowered the number of comments about the War on Ukraine and wrote an article about the crucial role of Turkey and the Middle East.

No, you posted YET ANOTHER diary about the Ukraine war.

I sense the criticism is more about my dissenting view than the number of diaries in recent months.

From my experience in recent weeks, I would say that your refusal to respond or to engage in discussion of your views is the probleme; but maybe that's just me?

It's true that most people don't bother to respond to you, because they can see that it's fruitless.

Here's a proposition, Oui : I believe you are in good faith in saying you don't want to kill the site. SO : When you post a diary, spend a bit of time discussing things with the people who respond to it.

Don't post another diary until the discussion runs out.

If nobody responds to your diary, don't post another one.

Deal?

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

by eurogreen on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 11:41:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 0)
I think I understand the cause of the misunderstanding. Oui or me are not using the internet as a social media but as an archive. People who know the quality of some diaries at Eurotrib will check for some information by searching for "eurotrib" "[researched object]" on Google.
So for me at least, the fact that the diaries are "dumped" are not meant to start a conversation but precisely to create an archive where relevant material is grouped thematically.
Hope that helps.
by Tom2 on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 12:12:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 1)
wow, so this is specifically about propagating specific views to a wider audience by profiting from the perception of high-quality diaries on Eurotrib?

I have already raised the problem of reputational damage resulting from the bulk of the content being not representative of the views of most of the site's participants. But several people have already raised the quality-control issue, which is a far more serious one. Oui's diaries are simply not up to the standard of a Eurotrib diary.

It's also possible that Tom2 is having some mischeivous fun with us. We'd better let Oui answer for herself.

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

by eurogreen on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 01:00:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 1)
"propagating specific views"
how on earth is quoting official documents identical to propagating views?
by Tom2 on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 01:15:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 0)
.. I fail to see why obliging people to take position in a conflict that is not theirs, and where they don't fight nor have they relatives fighting, would be some sort of evident 'moral'.
On the other side, a large majority of the world states are since 3 weeks watching the EU and the US with incredulity. Basically, it was demonstrated 3 weeks ago by American economists themselves that a war between Russia and Nato/Ukraine/whatever would provoke a world famine. What do you suggest? Any military expert will tell you that the power balance is from day one in favour of Russia. You don't engage your forces when you know you are going to lose.
Unless of course you have a recession and you need a smoke screen. This is as old as humanity and most people are not fool.
by Tom2 on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 01:22:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 1)
Any military expert will tell you that the power balance is from day one in favour of Russia.

Any military expert expected Putin to take Kiev and decapitate the Ukrainian regime within a week, tops.

So much for military experts.

You don't engage your forces when you know you are going to lose.

It's a shame Putin didn't realise that.

But if you're talking about a forthcoming war between NATO and Russia, forget it. Nobody here is advocating it, and nobody among NATO governments either.

With respect to world famine (and especially famine in the Middle East) the key is for the Russian troops to go home before the planting season.

And if any military expert suggests that Russia would "win" a war with NATO, can you provide a link?

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

by eurogreen on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 01:47:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 0)
Well, again. When you have no gas to put in your military trucks and places, that your people are freezing because the heating is off, and you are busy bombing the Red Square, who is supposed to be working and keeping the energy and critical resources production and circulation in place?
by Tom2 on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 01:56:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 1)
If you could outline your scenario, we could conceivably discuss it, if there were any interest. Who is bombing the Red Square in your fantasy world? Currently all the bombs are falling in Ukraine, as I suspect you know.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 02:12:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 0)
You are talking of a war between to of the richest countries in the world (in terms of their underground), and between some of the richest oligarchs in the world (both sides even have extra Israeli passports in case they need additional off-shore business which is perfectly integrated to the intl markets).
The EU is just offering itself as a champ de bataille for a long war between the US and China. If you think it has any chance to benefit from the war, you are delusional.
by Tom2 on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 02:18:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 1)
Actually from my point of view, it's more a question of the right to self-determination and freedom from invasion and the slaughter of civilians. If that is too simple for you, I'm sorry.

I am on record on the internet as having opposed the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, by the way. This is the most clearcut example of one nation invading the other that I can think of since those two. It is not only war in Europe that bothers me.

richest countries in the world (in terms of their underground)

Yes, I've read that the depth of the Kiev metro system is saving lots of lives.

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

by eurogreen on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 02:32:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 0)
Following on "propagating specific views", the algorithm of Google makes it that a normal user won't find eurotrib on top. So either you already know it, and you type "eurotrib" or you don't. In addition to that, depending on the second keyword term, you might not find the most obscure diaries but rather any title that includes the term; if a country that will result in a lot of results. So I would say that this is unnecessary paranoia from you.
by Tom2 on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 02:14:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (4.00 / 2)
I'm just pointing out that if Oui's strategy is as you describe, then it amounts to parasitic piggybacking and there is a good argument for deleting her diaries.

Dumps of material which is not intended for discussion is not the vocation of this site. Substack or whatever would indeed be better, as you have suggested.

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

by eurogreen on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 02:19:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 0)
"her" diaries?? he already answered you on that.
on top of everything, this is misoginy.

you are right on one point: Oui should have a substack

by Tom2 on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 02:24:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning Beat (none / 0)
Then I shall apologise to him. Honest mistake, and I fail to see in what respect it is misogynistic.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 02:34:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (none / 1)
AFICT, this story originated with an outfit billed, Pledge Times, specifically, the Polish TV channel TVN24 source and the statement
"Last night I spoke with the German Interior Ministry, where we were asked to suspend special trains that go to Germany, because there is already a bottleneck situation there," he said in an interview with a journalist.
attributed to Deputy Interior Minister of Poland Pavel Shefernaker.

TVN24's synopsis of the interview, "Ukraine, refugees in Poland. "Deputy Minister Paweł Szefernaker: I agree with President Rafał Trzaskowski", does not include that remark, or detail, but broadly describes Szefernaker's interests in EU27 co-ordinating Ukrainians' resettlement...elsewhere. Coincidentally, DW affirms accommodation "bottlenecks", Ukrainian refugees: Can Berlin cope with the influx?, conspicuously developing around central train and bus stations.

Berlin's authorities have asked that responsibility for the incoming refugees be better shared among other German states too. They have even asked for help from the German army. A lot of Germans are also volunteering to help deal with the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe here.
Perhaps German media could corroborate or deny Interior's policy and regulation?
by Cat on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 10:20:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (4.00 / 2)
"Perhaps German media could corroborate or deny Interior's policy and regulation? "

It is quite easy: Travel of Ukrainians is by no means restricted, in the contrary. Poland has been asked to enable more train connections to Germany, and especially: trains not only to Berlin. These additional lines are now being established. Presently more and more of the refugee trains are going to Hannover Laatzen, and from there people can travel on. It is hardly a secret.

by Katrin on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 10:29:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (4.00 / 4)
Moin Katrin...

the bahnhofsmission in greater downtown Bremen greets the Refugees arriving at the train station. regular small buses take the families to the conference hall where they are initially housed.

there are also private buses which take the families to the medical center where doctors treat them, and most also wish to be vaccinated. several kids have already been taken to the hospital as their condition was too poor.

there are already wounded being treated here as well, even though we're on the other side of Deutschland from Berlin, which i find amazing. as of a few hours ago the trains continued to run.

i am not pleased when the white people's name for a native drum is used as a signal. i felt lucky i was never educated enough to learn to read, though i did have a Gene Krupa set of Slingerland Radio Kings.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 10:57:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (4.00 / 2)
Moin Crazy Horse,
that sounds remarkalby orderly and efficient. Here in Hamburg there are very long queues for the registration process. Emergency accomodation is overrun although new places are added every day (We have said that it must be in clace BEFORE 2015, but hey, it would cost some money). Many of the refugees are staying in private homes with relatives or strangers. Still, to access funds and medical services the registration is necessary. At present I am concerned about a lady who is staying in a private home with someone, and how is seriously ill, needing hospital care. It is out of the question to take her to the queue at the registration centre, and without that she is not entitled to free care. I am sure there are thousands of refugees with worries like that, and I am very furious about the bad preparations made for them.
by Katrin on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 11:11:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (none / 1)
There's probably exception cases everywhere, because the cause is such a horrible situation. Though it's reportedly so much worse in Mariupol (obviously).

with 450 refugees as of yesterday, Bremen doesn't have a flood yet. Because our vaccination centers were so well established and efficient, and the demand is decreasing since we're already over 90%, they converted some of the largest facility to being a medical center for them.

I know there are many people, especially russian speakers, volunteering.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 09:01:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (4.00 / 2)
Hi Katrin
Does that mean that if she turns up at the hospital without having her papers in order, she will be denied care? Surely the paperwork can follow later?

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 01:34:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (none / 1)
Oh, she will receive care. Likely even for free, because Ukrainian refugeees are entitled to that. The moment she is registered the hospital knows they will get paid by the state. Otherwise the "paperwork" will be a fat bill for private patients. It is entirely possible that this will get sorted out eventually, but it is not certain, because normally people without public health care insurance have to get the necessary document in advance. Our health care is simple for workers, for people getting benefits, but deliberately complicated for people outside these categories.
by Katrin on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 04:09:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (none / 1)
Hi Katrin!
Refugees are showing up in Sweden too, though probably at a slower rate than in Germany. To decrease pressure on migration offices a simplifed online form has been set up for those who are not in need of as much help, in order to prioritise those in most need fo help.
by fjallstrom on Thu Mar 24th, 2022 at 02:51:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (4.00 / 2)
There is full information on all of this on the homepage of the DB. Is it too much to expect a journalist to look at this?
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 09:50:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (4.00 / 3)
for the record, DB states one can use their Ukraine Passport to travel to Berlin, Munich, Dresden or Nuremberg. If a Ukrainian wishes to go to another city anytime , they need to get a ticket, but it's without cost.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin
by Crazy Horse on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 10:25:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (4.00 / 3)
PS. i forgot to put in the sarcasm emoji when i wrote:  "the trains are still running."

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin
by Crazy Horse on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 10:27:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (none / 0)
Yes, but are the trains running on time? </sarcasm>
by Bernard (bernard) on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 06:51:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Monday Morning hangovers (none / 0)
Of course not. Random example: the night train fron Wroclow to Berlin will  be an hour late, due to passport controls.
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 08:09:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Saturday Morning hangovers (none / 1)
APsplain Polish the bottlneck: Priceless paper: Refugees get IDs for new lives in Poland
Refugees started queuing by Warsaw's National Stadium overnight to get the coveted PESEL identity cards that will allow them to work, live, go to school and get medical care or social benefits for the next 18 months. Still, by mid-morning, many were told to come back another day, the demand was too high even though Polish authorities had simplified the process.
[...]
Poland has so far taken in more than 2 million refugees from Ukraine -- the bulk of more than 3.3 million people that the U.N. says have fled since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Hundreds of thousands more have also streamed into Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova and Romania.

Most of the refugees fleeing Ukraine have been women and children, because men aged 18 to 60 are forbidden from leaving the country and have stayed to fight.

Polish authorities said more than 123,000 refugees have been given the ID numbers -- including more than 1,000 each day in Warsaw -- since the program was launched Wednesday [16 Mar].

~1.8M to go!
parity watch
UAH (hryvni):PLN (zloty), 1:0.14
PLN:EUR, 1:0.21
PLN:USD, 1:0.23
Refugees can receive one-time benefit of 300 zlotys (USD 70) per person and a monthly benefit for each child under 18 of 500 zlotys (USD 117). Those who find jobs will have to pay taxes on their earnings just like Poles.
[...]
Many of the refugees from Ukraine have since moved on to other countries in Europe, mostly to stay with friends and family. Some, however, have chosen to go back home even as the end of the conflict is nowhere in sight.

Among them was 41-year-old Viktoria, who was waiting Saturday with her teenage daughter Alisa to board a train back to Zhitomyr in central Ukraine.

"For the last five days it has been quiet," said Viktoria. "Our local authorities are good. They prepared everything for us there so we can go back to work, have normal life and children can have online education."

Alisa said she is not afraid to return and wants to reunite with the rest of the family who are still in Ukraine.

"My relatives are there," she said.


by Cat on Sat Mar 19th, 2022 at 05:13:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Sunday morning hangovers (none / 0)
https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article237648761/Ukraine-Vertriebene-Enorme-Probleme-bei-Reg istrierung-der-Fluechtlinge-in-Deutschland.html
by Tom2 on Sun Mar 20th, 2022 at 08:13:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Berlin at its limit (none / 1)
Ukrainian refugees: Can Berlin cope with the influx?

It's the same for thousands more Ukrainians. Every day, some 15,000 arrive in Berlin. For almost all of those who travel via Poland, Berlin is their first stop in Germany. Here at the German capital's central train station and at the main bus station in the west of the city, is where all the buses and trains from the border arrive.

It's proving to be a serious challenge for the city. Berlin's mayor, Franziska Giffey, believes the city-state is nearing its limits, as to what it can do for the refugees. Some of the Ukrainians are now being accommodated in halls usually used for trade fairs, she said. That just shows "we are at the limits of our capacities."

Berlin's authorities have asked that responsibility for the incoming refugees be better shared among other German states too. They have even asked for help from the German army. A lot of Germans are also volunteering to help deal with the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe here.



'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 09:51:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Berlin at its limit (none / 0)

Crowds line train stations in Germany and Poland to welcome Ukrainian refugees into their homes

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 09:51:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Berlin at its limit (4.00 / 3)
Thank you for providing links showing that the travel of Ukrainian refugees to Germany is by no means restricted. I am sure, though, that everyone here was already aware of that. When I was a regular here, ET contributors were well read and disinformation was not tolerated.

After Berlin (for obvious geographical reasons) other large cities are "at their limit" = showing how bad preparations for an influx of refugees were. There are now calls to distribute the Ukrainian refugees evenly over the country in the same way as asylum claimants. This is legally impossible, because Ukrainians are a different category residence permit-wise. Asylum claimantss are not´free to choose their place of residence, but the Ukrainians are.

by Katrin on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 10:15:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Berlin at its limit (none / 1)
The "European dream" for the coloured (no matter if their fathers and grandfathers helped their bit in WW1 and WW2).

Integration by giving half your salary of cleaning-staff to an intermediate agency (who often has headquarters in the USA, when profitable enough).
Just follow the name: "diversey.nl" !

by Tom2 on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 06:59:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Tuesday Morning MARGIN CALL (none / 1)
/reddit early warning "meme" system: "Bloomberg Terminal.. you okay?" (17 hrs ago)

SEC | Division of Trading and Markets, 14 Mar

• Broker-dealers should collect margin from counterparties to the fullest extent possible in accordance with any applicable regulatory and contractual requirements.
• Concentrated positions of prime brokerage counterparties pose particular concerns. Staff urges broker-dealers to seek sufficient information to determine counterparties' aggregate positions in any markets that may experience liquidity concerns and work with the counterparties to mitigate risk.
• Staff urges broker-dealers to stress test positions with the proper severity in light of current events and potential market movements, and act to manage the risk of the positions, particularly those that are concentrated, appropriately.
• Staff urges broker-dealers to monitor risk management limits, calibrated to the financial resources of the broker-dealer, closely intraday and escalate any breaches promptly to senior management.
supra No joke
by Cat on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 03:19:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Tuesday Morning hangovers (none / 1)
See me entering college 1981? no? Didn't think so.

ill-conceived chart title w/e 19 Mar 2022, 15 Mar, feat. 2 mo NBER cyclical "recession" call of '21
The expectation is for the Fed to embark on a faster cycle of interest rate increases than it did after the ["]Great Financial Crisis["]. With the pace of price increases spiking over the last year, markets are now pricing a decent likelihood [a scientific term?] of between six to eight interest rate increases this year (which would be a total increase of between 1.50% or 2.00%).
wut
by Cat on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 04:21:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Ruble and Rupee (none / 1)
Good talk, as the millenials said before "mic drop" entered the room.
Iran's view of Russia's Ukraine invasion explained & Western double standards over conflict (E1119), A/V (EN)
On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi of the University of Tehran. He discusses ongoing negotiations with the US to restart the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) and the impact of American sanctions on Tehran. He also talks about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, why Iran opposes the invasion, and the consequences for US hegemony and the unipolar world order. Finally, we speak to Richard Falk, professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University and the former UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories. He discusses the international reaction against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, double standards and hypocrisy over the lack of action against the US and its NATO allies regarding multiple wars in the Middle East, contrasting reactions from the US and NATO over the plight of Ukrainians versus the plight of Syrians and Palestinians, and much more.
yes, I am not going to transcibe it. Because, yanno, tl;dr.
by Cat on Sun Mar 13th, 2022 at 06:25:13 PM EST
Re: Ruble, Rupee, and Yuan (none / 1)
Saudi Arabia reportedly considering accepting yuan instead of dollar for oil sales, 15 Mar
just a messaging system
USD - Chinese [CNH] Futures
The CNH [RMB] is recognized by the IMF as a reserve currency. The contract prices Chinese Yuan as per international monetary convention allowing trading long after onshore [AE] markets have closed. ...
EME supra "Saudi Aramco Agrees to Build Massive Refinery in China"
by Cat on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 12:37:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Ruble and Rupee (none / 1)
< checks watch >

Naked Capitalism | India Is Mulling Rupee-Ruble Payments System for Trade with Russia
as the tide rolls out WK 3 and Jake Sullivan laces up his gloves for another helping of "What have you done for us lately?"

by Cat on Mon Mar 14th, 2022 at 05:08:35 PM EST
Re: Ruble and Rupee (none / 1)
I see that crypto currencies are on the rise again today after months of free fall. Not a surprise. So people will buy the biggest energy-vampire and make their energy bills rise by themselves? The final vicious circle?
by Tom2 on Mon Mar 14th, 2022 at 06:19:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Ruble and Rupee (4.00 / 2)
Talking about energy and heating... from the Guardian:

Some of the poorest people in the UK will "simply starve or freeze", as a result of rocketing energy prices, consumer expert Martin Lewis has warned, as he urged Rishi Sunak to take action in his spring statement.

Lewis said energy bills for an average household, already set to rise to £1,971 in April, could hit £3,000 in October, when the regulator Ofgem next sets the price cap. "That's my conservative guess: not the worst case," he said...

"When you start to have absolute poverty... then I think you have to get to the point where you have to question what the impact on wider society is, because you know that extreme poverty causes civil unrest," he said...

The chancellor announced a package of measures last month to soften the blow of surging energy costs, including a £150 council tax rebate for homes in bands A to D, and a £200 discount on bills in October, which will be repaid with higher bills in future years.

Sunak is holding the line against making that scheme more generous when he gives his spring statement on 23 March. Lewis - who has been critical of the £200 rebate, which he calls a "loan-not-loan" - urged him to go further, given the renewed increase in prices since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which will feed into the October energy price cap....

Lewis... argued that the chancellor's first priority must be "those people who will simply starve or freeze because of this. And that is not exaggeration".

by Tom2 on Mon Mar 14th, 2022 at 06:21:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Cooperation is not well understood. (none / 1)
So yeah. That "conversation" ended as badly could be predicted.

Ned Price | State Department Warns China of Consequences If it Aids Russia, 14 Mar A/V (EN)

I'm not confirming anything from here. What I will say is we are watching very closely the extent to which the PRC or any other country for that matter provides any form of support, whether that's material support, whether that's economic support, whether that's financial support, to Russia. Any such support from anywhere in the world would be of great concern to us. [...] We will not allow any country to compensate [?!] Russia for its losses.
Global Times | Exclusive: China captures powerful US NSA cyberspy tool, 14 Mar
Through technical analysis, the center believes that the "NOPEN" Trojan horse is characterized by complex technology, comprehensive functions and strong concealment, which can fit a variety of processor architectures and operating systems. It can also collaborate with other cyber weapons and is a typical tool used for cyber espionage.

The report came after the NSA was exposed to have been launching cyberattacks against 47 countries and regions for a decade, with Chinese government departments, high-tech companies and military-related institutes among the key targets. Under the surveillance of the NSA, the privacy and sensitive information of hundreds of millions of people around the world were exposed, like "running around naked."

China will not seek to ease tensions with the US by damaging China-Russia relations, 14 Mar A/V (Mandarin, EN subtitles)
by Cat on Mon Mar 14th, 2022 at 07:58:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Cooperation is not well understood. (none / 1)
DW | US and China hold high level talks about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, 14 Mar
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi,for an "intense" seven-hour conversation on Monday to discuss reports that Russia has asked Beijing for arms to support its invasion of Ukraine, US officials said.
[...]
Tough economic sanctions against Beijing appeared unlikely, however, as China is the biggest exporter in the world, the European Union's largest trading partner and the foremost supplier of goods to the United States "largest trading partner".
Chinese graphite dominance threatens electric car ambitions, 14 Mar 2022
... The rolling power blackouts as well as the suspension of graphite production in winter [PANDEMIC!] further squeezed global graphite supply, already struggling to keep up with strong demand for lithium-ion batteries as global electric vehicle TSLA sales went through the roof.
... As a result, the mineral, which has often been overlooked when it comes to battery materials, has added to the troubles of battery and car manufacturers, who have been scouring the planet to secure supplies of other battery constituents like ["blood"] lithium, nickel and cobalt [from DCR]. ...
For their part, Chinese officials dismissed the reports in the Financial Times ["lie factory"] that Russia has requested weapons as "disinformation."
by Cat on Mon Mar 14th, 2022 at 11:02:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Cooperation is not well understood. (none / 1)
Politico | China insists it's 'not a party' to Russia's war with Ukraine, 14 Mar
China is not a party to the [Ukraine] crisis," Wang reportedly told his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares, over the phone, according to Xinhua, China's state press agency. "Some forces have kept smearing China on the Ukraine issue ... and fabricated all sorts of disinformation."
"read outs", 15 Mar
Xinua (a) | Senior Chinese official elaborates on China's position on Ukraine situation
Xinua (b) | Senior Chinese diplomat meets U.S. national security advisor
[...]

Wang's remarks came after U.S. officials told multiple news outlets, including POLITICO, on Sunday about the Russian request, and as China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi also spoke with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Rome for seven hours on Monday, according to a senior U.S. official.
[...]
The U.S. assertion that Russia has ["]reached out["] to China for military assistance also renewed suspicion among officials in the European Union about Beijing's role in the Ukraine crisis. Diplomats said national EU foreign ministers are "bound" to discuss it during a Council meeting next week. "Diplomats are planning to discuss it on the EU level," a senior diplomat said. "Ukraine has to be the main subject in the April 1 EU-China summit."

by Cat on Mon Mar 14th, 2022 at 11:35:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Cooperation is not well understood. (none / 0)
I am not sure this has been posted here. The guy stinks highly but at least what he says should be double checked.
https:/greatmountainpublishing.com/2022/03/07/detailed-proof-of-the-breathtaking-graft-and-corrupti on-of-joe-biden

What did it take to go from 2020 prosecution of the Burisma case to weaponizing Zelenski?
The Panama papers?
https://www.occrp.org/en/the-pandora-papers/pandora-papers-reveal-offshore-holdings-of-ukrainian-pre sident-and-his-inner-circle

by Tom2 on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 10:16:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Stinky people (none / 0)
  1. That page is 404. Doesn't matter. Seminal link between Biden and corruption was recorded for posterity by the Council on Foreign Relations, Jan 2018;
  2. ICYMI: Les Crises | Plan du dossier 'UkraineGate' - Des faits qui dérangent (EN, RU) is riveting; and
  3. Luke Harding may be the last muck-raker to pass through occrp's WC.
by Cat on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 09:47:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Stinky people BULLETIN (4.00 / 2)
christ Greenwald SPEAKS OUT! (from exile in Brasil)
The NYT Now Admits the Biden Laptop -- Falsely Called "Russian Disinformation" -- is Authentic
("Tens of thousands of paid subscribers")
archived John Pym Memorial Remonstration Prayer, puritan John Pym's public house PR campaign
by Cat on Thu Mar 17th, 2022 at 05:15:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Cooperation is not well understood. (none / 1)
High stakes and corruption .... Presidential campaigns 2016 and 2020 ... Democrats playing the Russophobia card had the backing of Poroshenko ... Trump and Republicans tried all to smear Hunter and Joe Biden ... the site you linked is just as legit as Fox News ... zero evidence ... Democrats tried to impeach Trump ... all a lot of bull and kabuki theater. Pretty complicated ...

Hunter Biden Partner Secured Millions for Fund from Businessman with Reputed Organized Crime Ties | OCCRP |

They uncovered kickback payments from Burisma of $3.4 million dollars to the Morgan Stanley account of Rosemon Seneca Bohai LLC, a company controlled by Hunter Biden. That was only part of the payments made to Hunter Biden who was the conduit and front-man for Joe Biden.

One notable piece of evidence was that Ukrainian investigators caught representatives of the Burisma Oil Company, a company where Hunter Biden sits on the board of directors, paying a $6 million bribe to the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Burea (NABU) to get the NABU to shut down the investigation into political graft and corruption by the Ukrainian government that benefitted Burisma. That payment to the NABU was only part of a total bribe of $50 million.

Obama administration would pull $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees, sending the former Soviet republic toward insolvency, if it didn't immediately fire Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin

Key players:

  • Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov
  • Return of Dmitro Firtash with Plan for the Modernisation of Ukraine

    • Related reading ....

    Ukraine Caught Between East and West, Red and Blue

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 10:59:27 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Jp who? (none / 0)
    https:/wallstreetonparade.com/2022/03/5-count-felon-jpmorgan-is-at-the-center-of-a-new-multi-billio n-dollar-trading-scandal
    by Tom2 on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 05:43:27 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    more "read outs" (none / 0)
    China Daily | Senior Chinese, US officials hold talks in Rome, 15 Mar
    By press time, few details were known about the meeting, but the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the key issue is to implement the important consensus reached by the Chinese and US heads of state at their virtual summit in November [2021].
    US Americans: wut summit?
    The Taiwan question has been the most sensitive in the China-US relationship. The Foreign Ministry expressed strong opposition to the US on Monday for its adoption of a fiscal omnibus bill--the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 [ H.R. 2471]--which carries a Taiwan-related provision.
    east asia and the pacific
    Sec. 7043.
    (a) Burma.-- [??!]
    [...]
    (c) Indo-Pacific Strategy and the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018.--
    [...]
    (3) Restriction on uses of funds.--None of the funds appropriated by this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs may be made available for any project or activity that directly supports or promotes--
    (A) the Belt and Road Initiative or any dual-use infrastructure projects of the People's Republic of China; and
    (B) the use of technology, including biotechnology, digital, telecommunications, and cyber, developed by the People's Republic of China unless the Secretary of State, in consultation with the USAID Administrator and the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, determines that such use does not adversely impact the national security of the United States.
    (4) Maps.--None of the funds made available by this Act should be used to create, procure, or display any map that inaccurately depicts the territory and social and economic system of Taiwan and the islands or island groups administered by Taiwan authorities.
    The US' move grossly interferes in China's domestic affairs in an attempt to engage in political manipulation by using the so-called issue of the Taiwan map to create "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan", said Zhao, the ministry spokesman, on Monday.

    Global Times | US fails to trap China over Ukraine at Yang-Sullivan meeting, 15 Mar 2022
    Some Chinese experts believe that the Rome meeting was an occasion for the senior Chinese official to straightforwardly lay out the country's consistent position on the Ukraine issue, when the US-led West continued to pressure China to "pick a side."
    (China: Ima tell youse this much. We are not on the side of bullshit.
    Not only has the US failed to understand the essence of the China-Russia relationship, it also maliciously connected the Ukraine crisis with the Taiwan question, despite the different nature of the two issues, some experts said, noting that with the strategic composure, China has not fallen into this trap.

    Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on March 15, 2022. AFP is hard of hearing.
    ... What the US should do is to deeply reflect its role in the evolving situation of the Ukraine crisis, and do more things that can help to ease the situation. ...
    by Cat on Tue Mar 15th, 2022 at 09:27:50 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    SIDEBAR post-omicron "read out" (none / 1)
    France24 | China reports more than 5,000 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, an ALL-TIME HIGH, 15 Mar
    China reported 5,280 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, more than double the previous day's tally and the highest daily count since the start of the pandemic

    The northeastern province of Jilin was worst hit, accounting for more than 3,000 cases, according to the National Health Commission.
    On March 14, 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps on the Chinese mainland reported 3,602 new cases of confirmed infections (95 imported cases, 20 in Guangdong province, 17 in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, 12 in Shanghai municipality, 12 in Zhejiang province, 9 in Beijing municipality, 9 in Shandong province, 6 in Fujian province, 4 in Sichuan province, 3 in Tianjin municipality, 1 in Liaoning province, 1 in Jilin province and 1 in Hubei province, including 20 confirmed cases converting from asymptomatic cases, 10 in Zhejiang, 3 in Guangdong, 3 in Sichuan, 2 in Tianjin, 1 in Beijing and 1 in Guangxi; 3,507 indigenous cases, 3,076 in Jilin including 2,601 in Jilin city, 460 in Changchun, 10 in Yanbian Korean autonomous prefecture and 5 in Siping, 106 in Shandong including 48 in Qingdao, 19 in Binzhou, 12 in Zibo, 10 in Weihai, 7 in Weifang, 7 in Dezhou, 2 in Rizhao and 1 in Yantai, 53 in Shaanxi province including 40 in Baoji, 6 in Xi'an, 4 in Hanzhong, 2 in Tongchuan and 1 in Xianyang, 51 in Tianjin including 26 in Wuqing district, 7 in Binhai New Area, 4 in Hexi district, 4 in Nankai district, 3 in Hongqiao district, 3 in Xiqing district, 2 in Jinnan district and 2 in Baodi district, 48 in Guangdong including 39 in Shenzhen and 9 in Dongguan, 33 in Fujian including 31 in Quanzhou and 2 in Xiamen, 31 in Zhejiang including 16 in Jiaxing, 14 in Quzhou and 1 in Jinhua, 24 in Liaoning including 9 in Dalian, 8 in Yingkou, 6 in Shenyang and 1 in Fuxin, 20 in Jiangsu province including 15 in Changzhou, 3 in Lianyungang and 2 in Suzhou, 13 in Hebei province including 5 in Langfang, 4 in Handan and 4 in Cangzhou, 10 in Chongqing municipality including 7 in Shapingba district, 1 in Yubei district, 1 in Banan district and 1 in Yongchuan district, 9 in Shanghai including 3 in Minhang district, 2 in Huangpu district, 1 in Xuhui district, 1 in Hongkou district, 1 in Pudong New Area and 1 in Songjiang district, 7 in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, 7 in Gansu province including 4 in Lanzhou New Area, 2 in Lanzhou and 1 in Baiyin, 6 in Beijing including 2 in Dongcheng district, 2 in Chaoyang district, 1 in Xicheng district and 1 in Haidian district, 4 in Qinzhou, Guangxi, 4 in Yunnan province including 3 in Dehong Dai and Jingpo autonomous prefecture and 1 in Honghe Hani and Yi autonomous prefecture, 2 in Zunyi, Guizhou province, 1 in Ma'anshan, Anhui province, 1 in Yongcheng, Henan province and 1 in Changsha, Hunan province, including 73 confirmed cases converting from asymptomatic cases, 43 in Shandong, 19 in Jilin province, 8 in Tianjin, 2 in Gansu and 1 in Jiangsu), 2 new cases of suspected infections (both were imported cases in Shanghai), and no deaths. 149 patients were released from hospital after being cured. 7,251 people who had had close contact with infected patients were freed from medical observation. Serious cases remained the same.
    [...]
    As of 24:00 on March 14, 284,856 confirmed infections had been reported in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan province: 263,411 in Hong Kong (4,279 had died and 28,318 had been cured and discharged from hospital), 82 in Macao (79 had been cured and discharged from hospital) and 21,363 in Taiwan (853 had died and 13,742 had been cured and discharged from hospital).  
    Since the coronavirus first emerged in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019, China had successfully suppressed large-scale outbreaks through its strict "zero-Covid" strategy, which involved hard lockdowns that confined huge sections of the population to their homes. But Tuesday was the sixth day in a row that more than 1,000 new cases were recorded in the world's second-biggest economy.
    by Cat on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 01:29:45 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: SIDEBAR post-omicron "read out" (none / 1)
    Yle | Coronavirus latest: 4,300 new cases, 20 deaths on Thursday; Post-Covid normality in sight but mask use still reccomended
    The Finnish health authority THL has confirmed 4,295 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday [17 Mar]. The agency also added 20 new fatalities to the total toll which now stands at 2,783 since the beginning of the pandemic.
    unprecedented. inconceivable.
    by Cat on Thu Mar 17th, 2022 at 05:38:49 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Cooperation is not well understood. (none / 1)
    The Hill | Biden to speak with Xi Jinping on Friday, 17 Mar
    "This is part of our ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the United States and the PRC," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Thursday, referring to the People's Republic of China. "The two Leaders will discuss managing the competition between our two countries as well as Russia's war against Ukraine and other issues of mutual concern."
    HOLD THE PHONE ...
    by Cat on Thu Mar 17th, 2022 at 07:57:02 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Short Squeeze That Broke the Nickel Market (none / 1)
    The 18 Minutes of Trading Chaos on March 8 in London Metal Exchange That Broke the Nickel Market ...

    LME to Reopen Nickel Market March 16 After Xiang Short Squeeze

    Xiang Guangda, whose large short position roiled the market last week, has secured a standstill agreement to avoid further margin calls, reducing the risk that the squeeze is repeated when the market reopens. In a notice to members on Monday evening, the LME said that bank support for Xiang's Tsingshan Group Holding Co. "could suggest that the potential for further disorderly conditions may be mitigated."

    The restart of trading -- scheduled for 8 a.m. London time on March 16 -- will cap one of the most dramatic weeks in metals-market history that has plunged the entire industry into chaos, briefly brought a handful of brokerages to the brink of failure, and raised existential questions about the future and role of the LME itself.



    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Wed Mar 16th, 2022 at 06:44:38 AM EST
    APsplainin Rupee and Yen (none / 1)
    Japan to invest $42B in India to strengthen economic ties, 19 Mar, FDI
    over the next five years in a deal that is expected to boost bilateral trade.

    Kishida met his counterpart, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi during his maiden visit to India since assuming office. The two leaders held talks ranging from economy to security cooperation.
    [...]
    India says ties with Japan are key to stability in the region. The two nations, along with the United States and Australia, are members of the Indo-Pacific alliance known as "the Quad" that is countering China's rising influence in Asia. India is the only Quad member that has not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
    [...]
    The bilateral trade between India and Japan for 2019-20 crossed $11.87 billion, according to government data. India's exports from Japan amounted to $3.94 billion while India's imports from Japan stood at $7.93 billion.

    In September, the Quad leaders announced Japan would work with India on a $100 million investment in COVID-19 vaccines [!] and treatment drugs.

    HANKYOREH | S. Korea drops to No. 2 spot in Chinese import market due to Taiwanese semiconductors, 16 Mar
    Compared to other countries' market share in China's import market, South Korea's decline was relatively fast. Korea's share fell by 1 percentage point from 9.8% between 2012 and 2016 to 8.8% between 2017 and 2021. During the same period, the shares of six ASEAN countries -- Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines -- and Taiwan rose 2.5 points and 0.8 points, respectively. The US figures, like Korea's, fell by 1 point. Japan and Germany fell 0.5 and 0.3 points, respectively, while France rose by 0.1 points and the UK's figures remained unchanged.
    [...]
    In 2020, the US blacklisted SMIC, the largest semiconductor foundry in China, and effectively restricted the export of semiconductor technology and equipment by domestic companies to China.
    Is Yoon's earlier than expected call with Australian PM his first bid at joining Quad?, 17 Mar
    archived post-Edo
    by Cat on Sat Mar 19th, 2022 at 05:34:26 PM EST
    Re: APsplainin Rupee and Yen (none / 0)
    https:/asiatimes.com/2022/03/khan-duels-with-eu-on-russia-ukraine-neutrality
    "Islamabad irked by Western pressure to condemn Russia's invasion as perceptions mount Pakistan is firmly in Russia-China camp"
    by Tom2 on Sun Mar 20th, 2022 at 07:35:15 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    parity watch - Pakistan Rupee (none / 0)
    PKR:SAR, !:0.02
    PKR:RMB, 1:0.03
    PKR:HKD, 1:0.04

    PKR:USD, 1:0.005
    PKR:EUR, 1:0.005
    PKR:GBP, 1:0.004
    PKR:JPY, 1:0.65
    PKR:CFA franc, 1:3.28

    PKR:TYR, 1:0.08
    PKR:ZAR, 1:0.08
    PKR:TWD, 1:0.15
    PKR:INR, 1:0.42
    PKR:RUB, 1:0.57
    PKR:KRW, 1:6.70

    m'k. The pairs illustrate "onshore" (AE) demand for Pakistani commodity trade a/o 21 Mar. I don't "offshore" (EME) demand for PKR. I also don't know if there's ever been a period when Pakistan was not shut out of global "growth" mediated by IMF risk-rated "bi-lateral trade" denominated by imperial reserves. Khan's political dilemma has less to do with Ukraine than prior investment in BRI infrastructure, which undermines the EU's belated "Global Gateway" charm-offensive--a topic which attracted little eurotrib interest from OMICRON fifth wave west of the Rhine. Construction at Gwadar Port since 2016 has drawn sporadic, occasionally violent opposition by factions, distressed by "structural adjustment" to the local economy and military police stationed to guard it.

    Economically, Pakistan and Russia signed an agreement for the Pakistan Stream Gas pipeline from Karachi to Kasur, and reached a price accord in December 2016, but progress on the project has been slow. Pakistan has also granted Russia access to the Gwadar Port, which is under development with Chinese capital.

    Be that as it is, parliamentary drama in Pakistan, ostensibly related to a "corruption crusade" within its  ranks as well as the ISI, has been brewing longer than 3 years--IOW, since US invade Aghanistan only to find OBL in PK. Such is the grist of "Red Zone Files" compiled by sundry political groups that reiterate government incompetance or defiance troubling western nationalists which have imposed sanctions on PK since 1990. Khan's last trip to Moscow further embarassed some MPS. How many will dissolve Khan's "populist" mandate in order to elect an replacement acceptable to western trade remains to be seen: a confidence vote eerily similar to any one performance by UK House of Commons over the prior decade.

    by Cat on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 02:09:20 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: parity watch - Pakistan Rupee (none / 0)
    The substack call applies to you too. It would be a nice place to have real discussions.
    by Tom2 on Mon Mar 21st, 2022 at 02:25:45 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Thank you for this compliment, but no, (none / 0)
    thank you.

    I will see how this "community" plays out.

    I did mention, one of my hobbies is (web)blog ethnography and why. In this capacity--longitudinal study of communication customs which I developed in grad school--I have noted in situ the predictive power of certain phases in proprietary maintenance of, or "pathways" to, dialogue (primarily *-EN) among website patrons which either strengthen correspondents' cohesion or signify imminent collapse. I have intimately observed four such localized collapses, spanning 2 - 6 years, since 2003. eurotrib is, however, the website (ICT exchange, URL) which I have studied for the longest period, 13 years, including a 5 year interruption of my own active participation with this cohort.

    by Cat on Tue Mar 22nd, 2022 at 02:54:14 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: APsplainin Rupee and Yen (none / 0)
    APsplainin Zelensk-* telethon UPDATE!, 23 Mar
    Zelenskyy praised Japan for becoming the first Asian country to sanction Russia and asked Tokyo to go even further. He said trade with Russia should be banned and that foreign companies should withdraw from the Ukrainian market in order to prevent their investments from flowing into Russia.
    fail
    During his approximately 10-minute speech, Zelenskyy, appearing in his now trademark olive-colored top, also criticized Russian attacks on Chernobyl, currently entombed after the 1986 explosion, saying Russia turned a nearby nuclear waste storage site into a battlefield. Imagine, he said, how long it will take to clean up the situation there when the war is over.
    archived Wed Apr 7th, 2021, Mon Dec 30th, 2019, Fukushima at Eight
    Zelenskyy, speaking through an interpreter who translated his Ukrainian into Japanese, also raised an alarm about the possibility of Russia's use of nuclear and chemical weapons.
    USC Shoah Foundation | "Rape of Nanjing"
    The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders | How Many Chemical Weapons did Japanese Army Use During the War?
    by Cat on Wed Mar 23rd, 2022 at 05:31:32 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    World POWs - "secondary sanctions" watch (none / 1)
    CNN | Russia's invasion of Ukraine has foreign investors fleeing Taiwan. Here's why, 23 Mar
    In the three weeks following the invasion, foreign investors dumped shares worth about 480 billion Taiwanese dollars ($16.9 billion), according to Alex Huang, director at Mega International Investment Services, a Taipei-based firm.
    [...]
    Taiwan had been gaining traction as a foreign investment destination in recent years, with strategists often bundling it together with India, China and South Korea in ["]a group of economies["] known as the "TICKS."
    [...]
    Shares on the Taiwan Stock Exchange were little changed between late February [24] and March 17, according to data provider Refinitiv. Huang said that was because several government-backed Taiwanese banksrecently went on a buying spree , helping mitigate the loss. He said that investors based in Taiwan weren't suffering the same loss of confidence, in part because many believed the two situations ["Ukraine and Taiwan" country risks] were dissimilar, and because of a consensus that the United States would step in to help defend the island in the event of a serious attack.
    crisis management
    In a report to clients, [Morningstar equity analyst Phelix Lee] said that investors had two concerns: fears of a Chinese invasion, and anxiety over the supply of raw materials, including neon.
    [...]
    Taiwan's currency [USD:TWD, 1:28.68] has also suffered. It has gone from serving as a "regional safe haven to geopolitical risk proxy" in recent weeks, according to Bank of America. "Geopolitical uncertainties over Taiwan are the biggest drivers of portfolio outflows," analysts there wrote in a note to clients earlier this month. They said that the Taiwanese dollar was "beginning to lag after a stellar year in 2021," after being hit by "a sharp increase in risk aversion" following the Russian invasion.
    by Cat on Fri Mar 25th, 2022 at 10:34:38 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    SIDEBAR - 2021 trade balance (none / 1)
    Taiwan exports break records, show almost 30% growth in 2021
    In 2021, China and Hong Kong were the largest buyers of Taiwan's goods, accounting for a total US$188.91 billion, up 24.8 percent from a year earlier, the MOF said.

    The other major markets were the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc (US$70.25 billion, up 32 percent), the United States (US$65.70 billion, up 30.0 percent), Europe (US$38.49 billion, up 36.8 percent) and Japan (US$29.21 billion, up 24.8 percent).

    by Cat on Fri Mar 25th, 2022 at 10:50:13 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    World POWs - "secondary sanctions" bloc (none / 0)
    Politico | Biden's summit with Southeast Asian leaders ["indefinitely"] postponed, 25 Mar
    President Joe Biden will instead meet on Tuesday [29 Mar] with Singapore's prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, to discuss both U.S. interests in the Indo-Pacific region, such as supply chains and maritime security, as well as the bloody conflict in Ukraine.
    [...]
    "It seems that the event is experiencing scheduling turbulence, with more than one of the key ASEAN members unable to move or cancel pre-existing commitments on dates that the USA has proposed," said Kurt Tong, a partner at The Asia Group. "It is challenging given the long ten-member ASEAN roster and that organization's strong desire for inclusiveness."
    ASEAN means business: Brunei (.BN, BND), Cambodia (.KH, KHR), Indonesia (.ID, IDR), Lao DPR (.LA, LAK), Malaysia (.MY, MYR), Myanmar (.MM, MMK), Philippines (.PH, PHP), Singapore (.SG, SGD), Thailand (.TH, THB), Viet Nam (.VN, VND)
    by Cat on Sat Mar 26th, 2022 at 07:23:45 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Ruble and Rupee - INCONTINENCE ALERT (none / 0)
    by Cat on Wed Mar 23rd, 2022 at 05:10:30 PM EST
    You Want Oil and Gas? Pay in Rubles Now (none / 1)

    Putin orders to supply gas to unfriendly countries for rubles only

    Russia will continue supplying gas to other countries in accordance with volumes and prices stipulated in earlier concluded contracts, the head of state stressed

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Wed Mar 23rd, 2022 at 10:31:08 PM EST
    Re: You Want Oil and Gas? Pay in Rubles Now (none / 0)
    CNBC -- Russian gas accounts for some 40% of Europe's total consumption and EU gas imports from Russia have fluctuated between 200 million to 800 million euros ($880 million) a day so far this year.

    The possibility a change of currency could throw that trade into disarray sent some European and British wholesale gas prices up around 15-20% on Wednesday.

    The Russian ruble briefly leapt to a three-week high past 95 against the dollar before settling close to 100 after the shock announcement.



    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Wed Mar 23rd, 2022 at 10:31:54 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    archived<a hr (none / 1)
    Thu Mar 10th, 2022
    CBR "external debt repayments" and "unfriendly countries
    Sat Mar 12th, 2022
    "export of U.S. banknotes to Russia" + "Interesting demo of how the Fed can default US bond payments to any creditor, because international norms"

    "just a messaging system" for slow learners
    Putin instructed to convert gas contracts with unfriendly countries into rubles, 23 Mar

    "Both the US and the EU have, in principle, defaulted on their obligations to Russia. And now everyone in the world knows that obligations in dollars and euros may not be fulfilled ...
    by Cat on Wed Mar 23rd, 2022 at 11:25:30 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    archived (none / 0)
    Mon Mar 7th, 2022
    BLOOMBERG | Russia's New Bond Rules Split Creditors Based on Sanctions
    by Cat on Wed Mar 23rd, 2022 at 11:39:51 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Russia's Mir Payment System Expands (none / 1)
    Russia, Iran discuss recognition of Mir cards, bypassing SWIFT

    Iran's Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali says Tehran and Moscow are discussing the possibility of recognizing cards using Russian Mir payment system.

    "The issue is on the agenda, which we are discussing with our Russian colleagues," Jalali said at a press conference on Thursday.

    Mir is a Russian payment system for electronic fund transfers established by the Central Bank of Russia under a law adopted on May 1 2017.

    The system is operated by the Russian National Card Payment System (NSPK), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Central Bank of Russia.

    Over 50 percent of Russians are said to have at least one Mir bank card, and more than 25 percent of Russian financial transactions are carried out using this system.

    Jalali further noted that Russia and Iran are also working to unify financial messaging systems that bypass the SWIFT interbank payment system.



    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 24th, 2022 at 04:40:39 PM EST
    Re: Russia's Mir Payment System Expands (none / 1)


    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 24th, 2022 at 04:41:09 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Yen Loses Ground (none / 1)


    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Thu Mar 24th, 2022 at 05:41:10 PM EST
    ubn warned: Ruble and Rupee (none / 1)
    VOldeMoRE BULLETIN: "India Okays Russian Firms' Investments in Debt Securities Activating Rupee-Ruble Transactions", commercial paper
    Sources said that the rules regarding External Commercial Borrowings have been relaxed for the Russian entities to invest in bonds issued by Indian firms.
    [...]
    Indian firms have raised $31.18 billion in the financial year 2022 against the backdrop of a stable currency and the availability of more affordable funds in the overseas market during the economic crisis.
    "Russian capital may provide relief to firms seeking cheaper capital [EME banks] for their businesses as the US Fed tapering, and high energy prices may slow down fundraising from the West," sources told [VOldeMoRE].
    [...]
    "As of now, there is nothing to indicate that India might be barred from buying Russian commodities or facilitating Rupee-Rouble trade," Aditya Pareek, a Research Analyst with Bengaluru-based Takshashila Institutions, reckoned.
    The earnings on the investments would be transferred to the Russian entities in rubles through a decades-old account which has existed with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

    This will also reduce the negative impact of rupee devaluation on the cost of borrowings as a strong dollar makes overseas [AE banks] fundraising costlier.
    On Thursday, Russia's Trade Representation in India said that a rupee-ruble channel of payments is already operating.

    EME CBs yield domestication story developing ...
    On Thursday, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said in parliament that "there is no question of linking the Ukraine situation to issues of trade". However, Aditya Pareek also advised India to remain cautious as the Biden administration may continue to impose additional sanctions in the days to come.
    "The implicit threat of secondary US sanctions will remain no matter how craftily India might try to navigate the situation, and this applies to letting Russian entities invest in bonds of Indian companies," Pareek added.
    supra parity watch - INR:RUB, INR:USD
    archived EU-US sanctions piled so high ...
    by Cat on Fri Mar 25th, 2022 at 01:43:48 PM EST
    [INCONTINENCE ALERT] (none / 1)
    Having flouted ancient and contemporary European opposition to "anti-democratic" precepts--personalty of arbitrary and capricious rule (absolute monarchy), supplanted lèse-majesté with arbitrary and capricious constitutional litigation, and dismissed fail-safe, affirmative defenses of private contract and tort disputes (force majeure)--by summarily criminalizing import/export of RUB anywhere in the world, G7 executives now assert that payments of public and private obligations with RUSSIAN legal tender violates unexecutable (void) contract terms, Because®

    EU Leaders Call Putin's Rubles-For-Gas Plan Breach Of Contract

    G7 counterparties declared exchange value of RUB worthless and "humilating"?

    m'k.

    by Cat on Fri Mar 25th, 2022 at 06:04:28 PM EST
    Re: [INCONTINENCE ALERT] (none / 1)
    😂

    Russia Could Sell Gas for Bitcoin, Says Energy Committee Chief | Crypto Briefing |

    "We've been offering China to switch to transacting in national currencies, such as the Ruble and the Renminbi, for a while now. With Turkey, that would be the Lira and Ruble. Currency sets can be different; it's a common practice. If it would be necessary to trade with Bitcoin, we'd do it."


    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Fri Mar 25th, 2022 at 06:36:39 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Ruble and Rupee (none / 1)
    Duly Noted "outflank" mania
    NY Post | Russia proposes bitcoin payment for oil shipments to 'friendly' countries, 28 Mar
    Pavel Zavalny, chair of the Russian State Duma's committee on energy, named China and Turkey as two such "friendly" countries because they are "not involved in the sanctions pressure" against Russia. The ruble's value has collapsed in response to the sanctions, which included the ejection of Russian banks from the SWIFT international payments system.

    "We have been proposing to China for a long time to switch to settlements in national currencies for rubles and yuan," Zavalny said at a press conference on Thursday. "With Turkey, it will be lira and rubles."

    "You can also trade bitcoins," he added.

    parity watch BTC:USD, 1:47K
    archived The Government approves the list of unfriendly countries and territories, 7 Mar
    by Cat on Mon Mar 28th, 2022 at 04:06:54 PM EST
    Re: Ruble Sales Event (none / 1)
    REUTERS | Russian cenbank to restart buying gold from banks, will pay fixed price from March 28, 25 Mar
    The Russian central bank will restart buying gold from banks and will pay a fixed price of 5,000 roubles ($52) per gramme between March 28 and June 30, the bank said on Friday.
    Sell now or be priced out forever! Operators are standing by!
    by Cat on Mon Mar 28th, 2022 at 10:43:27 PM EST
    Re: Ruble Sales Event - infomercial (none / 1)
    supra  Chris Cook Library, reference, goldbugs v fiat arbitrageurs
    < checks watch >
    "real reserves of raw materials, land, food, gold ..." and gosh darn it, fossil fuels
    by Cat on Mon Mar 28th, 2022 at 11:08:35 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    parity watch (none / 1)

    mid-market AE print a/o 09:00 EDT; EME pair vals unknown.
    So yeah. The financial crash NATO had planned for RU has not occured as expected; 30-day the petro-dollar sanctions "messaging system" is failing. "Fact Checker" Glen editors probably should not permit freelance writers to link FX values to week-old syndicated news articles. Isolating the anglosphere from ROW is a recipe for failures of "leadership", forthcoming.
    by Cat on Thu Mar 31st, 2022 at 01:41:13 PM EST
    Note to posterity: (none / 1)
    "It's hard to see the business case for Putin's war."

    Who's war?
    Which business model?
    Who profits?

    by Cat on Thu Mar 31st, 2022 at 01:48:27 PM EST
    Re: Note to posterity: (none / 0)
    Well, I have still to see any evidence that it's anything other than Putin's war of choice.

    I was actually being ironic, because the Cheney gang were very clear about the Iraq invasion being profitable for the USA.

    And I can't see that Putin had a coherent vision for making money out of Ukraine; I think his decision to go to war was about the grandeur of Russia and his historic posterity, and that he was aware that it would cost Russia dearly in economic terms; but I'm pretty sure that the economic cost alone would have dissuaded him, if he had had better advice.

    As for "who profits"... I would guess that the economies of the EU and Turkey will get a big boost out of post-war reconstruction, as long as Ukraine gets a debt jubilee first.  

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

    by eurogreen on Sun Apr 3rd, 2022 at 07:13:32 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    "just a messaging system" - RUB:INR (none / 1)
    DETV.us | India-Russia SWIFT alternative nearing completion , 31 Mar
    Moscow and New Delhi want to have worked out a system that will act as an alternative to the western SWIFT payment system. This reports the Economic Times[.IndiaTimes].
    As per the letter, Sberbank and its subsidiaries can interact and transact with any financial institutions except US and UK entities, and branches of foreign institutions "specifically located" within these two countries.

    "Such sanctions imposed do not restrict in any type, account opening and account management and serving the clients from the Indian credit institutions," Moscow said in the letter, adding that the list of sanctions imposed by other states that apply to the Sberbank Group mirror those by the US, UK and EU.

    A rupee-rouble trade mechanism could be established soon, said A Sakthivel, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO). According to Sakthivel, the Indian government is working on a proposal to allow four to five state-owned Indian banks to be engaged in such trade. There have been consultations among the central bank governor, the finance minister and banks in this regard, he said.

    The system should be up and running within a week and will make bilateral trade much easier.
    [...]
    The new payment system is expected to be installed at both the headquarters of the Reserve Bank of India, which acts as India's central bank, and Vneshekonombank. It should be up and running within a week and be able to provide "seamless transfer of import or export documents for transactions in rupees and rubles".

    According to the publication, officials from Russia's central bank will meet with their counterparts at India's central bank in early April to create a regulatory framework designed to support bilateral trade and banking operations despite global sanctions against Moscow.
    [...]
    At the beginning of March, the EU separated seven banks from the SWIFT system. Affected are VTB, Otkritije, Bank Rossiya, Novikombank, Promswjazbank, Sovkombank and the state-owned Vneshekonombank.

    Politico | Treasury hits Russia with new sanctions targeting evasion networks, tech, 31 Mar
    and expanded its ability to level penalties on the aerospace, marine, and electronics sectors.
    [...]
    Daniel Tannebaum, the global head of ["]sanctions at management["] consulting firm Oliver Wyman, said it's not immediately clear how hard the latest sanctions will hit Russian companies, but the impact won't be swift.
    US Treasury | Treasury Targets Sanctions Evasion Networks and Russian Technology Companies Enabling Putin's War, 31 Mar, "tentacular phenomenon" of panic
    by Cat on Thu Mar 31st, 2022 at 09:38:49 PM EST
    "just a messaging system" - petrodollar (none / 1)
    Sputnik | US to Release 1 Million Barrels of Oil a Day From Strategic Reserves Over Next Six Months, 31 Mar
    The White House announced on Thursday it would begin releasing 1 million barrels of oil per day from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the largest such release in US history. The release will last for the next six months, totaling roughly 182 million barrels of oil. The reserve's capacity is 727 million barrels, according to the US Department of Energy, spread out in storage facilities across the United States.
    White House | Remarks by President Biden on Actions to Lower Gas Prices at the Pump for American Families*, 31 Mar
    ...Look, the action I'm calling for will make a real difference over time.  But the truth is it takes months, not days, for companies to increase production. That's why the next part of my plan is so important.

    Today, I'm authorizing the release of 1 million barrels per day for the next six months -- over 180 million barrels -- for the Strategic -- from the -- from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

    This is a wartime bridge to increase oil supply until production ramps up later this year.  And it is by far the largest release from our national reserve in our history. It will provide a historic amount of supply for a historic amount of time -- a six-month bridge to the fall. ...

    yahoo!Finance CNN | Russian oil tankers have vanished from tracking systems. Someone is buying that crude and we don't know who, "dark" activity
    Dark activity is seen by the U.S. government as a deceptive shipping practice used to evade sanctions. ["]International regulation["] requires ships to always keep their transponders switched on, and the U.S. Treasury Department said in a [US] sanctions advisory note to the maritime industry, energy and metals sectors in May 2020, that any automatic identification system "manipulation and disruption may indicate potential illicit or sanctionable activities."
    [...]
    Energy research firm Rystad Energy estimated that 1.2 million to 1.5 million barrels per day of Russian crude oil exports vanished in the five weeks since the war against Ukraine began.

    The destination of the remaining crude exports from Russia is "increasingly unknown," Rystad Energy wrote in a report this week, estimating in total around 4.5 million barrels of oil have mysteriously gone missing.

    [Yet] Analysts say that refineries in China and India are buying up some of the Russian oil products. According to CNBC, there has been a "significant uptick" in Russian oil deliveries to New Delhi, and China is also being lured by the oil traded at a deep discount [sic].

    "international community
    The countries in yellow have sanctioned Russia. The countries in gray have not sanctioned Russia.

    * mentions proposed amdt to "Bipartisan Infrastructure Law": $3.2B available "to provide up to $6,500 direct [grant] for working-class families to be able to weatherize their homes," possibly solar or heat pump installtion. bwahaaha

    by Cat on Fri Apr 1st, 2022 at 01:34:39 PM EST
    Re: Ruble and Rupee (none / 1)

    < wipes tears >

    by Cat on Fri Apr 1st, 2022 at 09:16:30 PM EST
    reference (none / 0)
    ERM II - the EU's Exchange Rate Mechanism, EUR:non euro-area countries FX pairs
    by Cat on Mon Apr 4th, 2022 at 01:25:31 AM EST
    Ruble and Rupee | 175 comments (175 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)


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