10/15/22

Permalink Is Palestine on the Brink of a Full-scale Revolt?

Despite the Israeli brutality – indeed, because of it – Palestinians have risen up in defense of their existence on their land, with as much fearlessness and determination as every previous generation | Events in the occupied West Bank over the past week indicate that the Palestinian liberation struggle, and Israel’s efforts to repress it with with brutal violence, have entered a new phase. In this looming scenario, the formerly extremist fringe settlers see themselves represented at the top levels of Israeli government, emboldened and beyond the restraint of the army. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority is proving increasingly ineffective at quelling armed resistance and teetering on what some Israeli analysts fear is the verge of collapse. The PA exists to serve as an enforcement arm of the Israeli occupation and its presence would not be missed by many Palestinians except for those who are currently on its payroll. But in a situation of complete Israeli impunity, and only empty gestures by international parties towards a nonexistent peace process, the grim statistic of more than 100 Palestinians killed in the West Bank so far this year foretells the even worse violence likely to come.


Permalink Líz Truss Continues To Be The Bad Prime Minister Everyone Had Expected Her To Be

In late September I stated that Liz Truss is the bad prime minister everyone expected her to be. The chaos her chancellor's mini budget caused continues to endanger pension funds. To recap:

As soon as the deceased queen was buried Truss went to work. Chancellor Kwarteng announced a 'mini-budget' that will lower taxes for people with high incomes while increasing the deficit to cover the promised energy cost subsidies:    [...]  As soon as the 'mini budget' was announced the British pound sterling tanked. This not only against the overvalued U.S. dollar but also compared to the rather weak Euro.  Interest rates on British government bonds (Gilts) increased sharply.  After two days the British central bank, the Bank of England, had to intervene to prevent a Lehman like crisis that would have killed many British pension funds. The bank, which had just increased its interest rate to tighten money supply, reverted to quantitative easing by buying gilts in the open market. This will further increase the already runaway inflation.

On October 3 Truss had to trash her plans to lower taxes for rich individuals:

In a major U-turn, Prime Minister Liz Truss said Monday that the proposal to scrap the 45 percent rate for people earning more than 150,000 pounds ($168,000) had become a “distraction.”  Reacting to the news of the reversal, the pound rebounded Monday morning against the U.S. dollar, returning to where it was before the government’s tax-and-borrowing plan sent it plunging.


Permalink EU Opens Probe Into Vaccine Deals

The European Union prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the bloc’s procurement of billions of Covid-19 vaccine doses, amid allegations of corruption and secret backroom dealings from several members of the EU parliament | EU officials announced the probe in a brief statement on Friday, confirming an “ongoing investigation into the acquisition of Covid-19 vaccines in the European Union.” They added that the case follows “extremely high public interest” around the issue, though declined to share any other details.

While prosecutors were tight-lipped about the exact nature of the probe, the announcement follows allegations from MEPs that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen conducted vaccine negotiations with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla in secret. Despite requests from journalists, lawmakers and an EU watchdog, von der Leyen’s office has failed to produce personal text messages sent to Bourla during talks for nearly 2 billion vaccine doses, prompting accusations of corruption.

European Prosecutor Investigating COVID-19 Vaccines (The Epoch Times)


Permalink Putin Says No Need for Massive New Strikes on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday there was no need for massive new strikes on Ukraine and that Russia was not looking to destroy the country | Putin told a news conference at the end of a summit in Kazakhstan that his call-up of Russian reservists would be over within two weeks and there were no plans for a further mobilization.  He also repeated the Kremlin position that Russia was willing to hold talks, although he said they would require international mediation if Ukraine was prepared to take part.  Taken together, Putin’s comments appeared to suggest a slight softening of his tone as the war nears the end of its eighth month.

Wall Street Opens Higher After Putin Says No Plans for Further Troop Mobilization (The Epoch Times)


Permalink Putin Warns NATO Against ‘global Catastrophe’

Western leaders hopefully have “enough intelligence” to avoid a direct military confrontation with Russia, Vladimir Putin said | Putting NATO troops into direct contact with the Russian army would be a foolish step that could lead to “global catastrophe,” Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday, following the Central Asia-Russia summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.  Asked whether NATO might send troops into Ukraine if the country was close to defeat in its conflict with Russia, Putin said this would be a 💬 “dangerous step that could lead to a global catastrophe.”  “I hope that those who speak about this will have enough intelligence to prevent such a dangerous step from happening.”

The Russian leader also said it was necessary to understand what one means by the word “defeat” in the context of the Ukraine crisis: 💬 “Everyone can understand this differently,” he said, explaining that some may already see the fact that Crimea voted to become part of Russia in 2014 as a defeat for Ukraine. “We need to understand what is meant [by defeat],” he added. [Take notice of the subtlety here. Understand what he's not saying, but is saying nevertheless. -Ed.]

The West has funneled tens of billions of dollars in financial and military assistance to Ukraine since the conflict began in February, with the US in particular vowing to back Kiev for “as long as it takes” to defeat Moscow’s troops.  At the same time, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly said that the US-led bloc is “not a party to the conflict” in Ukraine. He admitted this week, however, that a Russian victory would be regarded as a “defeat” for the whole Western alliance and acknowledged that NATO had been providing “unprecedented support” to Kiev to avoid such a scenario.  Stoltenberg's comments amounted to “an open confirmation of NATO’s participation in the war,” former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.


Permalink Which Countries Train Ukrainian Soldiers?

Since Russia started its special military operation in Ukraine, the West has not only imposed a series of unprecedented sanctions on Moscow but also provided military and technical assistance to Kiev | Although countries which have sanctioned Russia have repeatedly stated that they have no intention to send troops to Ukraine and become a part to the conflict, their contribution to what they describe as Ukraine's defense cannot be left unnoticed.  They send their instructors to Ukraine and also assist Ukrainian soldiers in travelling to other countries to undergo military training.  Check out Sputnik's infographic to find out which countries exactly are providing training to the Ukrainian army.


Permalink Putin Says Germany Putting NATO Before It’s Own People

Berlin has made a mistake by placing its obligations to NATO above the interests of the German people, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Now business people, the country’s economy and its citizens are paying for this choice, he told journalists on Friday.

💬 “Apparently, some kind of allied obligations have been placed to the forefront” by Germany “within the framework of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance,” Putin said at a press conference after the Central Asia-Russia summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. “Is it right or wrong? I believe that it’s a mistake, and business, the economy, and the citizens of the Federal Republic [of Germany] are paying for this mistake, because it has negative economic consequences for the eurozone in general and for the Federal Republic in particular,” Putin pointed out.

He was answering a question about Berlin’s role in the Ukraine conflict, where it has been among key backers of Kiev. According to the Russian leader, German authorities “should decide for themselves what is more important: the fulfillment of some allied obligations as they see them, or ensuring the interests of their own people, their national interests.” (VIDEO)


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