>>16802961

Reposting from yesterday:

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/trump:-us-aid-to-kiev-wont-change-anything-russia-has-more-s

Trump: US aid to Kiev won't change anything, Russia has more strength

Former President Donald Trump slammed Washington's generous hand-over of cash and weapons to Ukraine: The US, according to Trump, has too many problems of its own to hand money and weapons to Ukraine for its conflict with Russia, insisting that if anything it's Europe that should be providing more help to Kiev given that they're more affected by the situation.

Trump, speaking at the Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, recalled how, when he was president, he pushed NATO members part of the EU to increase their defense spending to 2% of their GDP. The US was “taken advantage of by Europe" back then, and now the same thing is happening over Ukraine, he asserted.

“We’ve so far given more than $60 billion to Ukraine. Well, the European countries, who are obviously far more affected than us, have given a tiny fraction of that number,” he noted.

If he were still in office, he “could’ve gone over there [to Europe] and said: ‘Listen, you’re going to put up the same money or more money than us.’ And they would’ve done it gladly,” Trump claimed.

“But we just give money out. And we have $35 trillion in debt. We have all of these problems,” he said, referring to the record-breaking inflation rates in the US.

Trump even doubted whether the massive levels of US aid to Ukraine would change the situation: “Now, it’s much tougher to solve,” he said about the crisis. “Russia has 35 times the fire power. And they’re looking to obliterate the weapons as we send them in. A lot of bad things are happening."

Trump further said that the US, during his term, had "no problem" with Russia, China or North Korea, and “nobody even talked about” Ukraine.

But, with 2 years under Joe Biden, the US “has gone from the strongest that it has ever been… to perhaps the weakest, especially when you include recognition and respect from all around the world. We’re not respected any longer by anybody."

“Two years ago we were energy independent… Now we are a beggar nation, with Biden down on his knees pleading for energy from all over the globe; going to Venezuela, Saudi Arabia. Going to countries all over the world, asking for help,” he added.

>> Potus said twice 35, mostly that Russian fire power. Also he took oath on good old Abe's Bible, right?

>>16803180

>>16803161

>>16803157

>>16802990

>>16802997

>>16803060

>>16803141

>>16803146

Also from yesterday = more 22s.

THE DAY around the corner?

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/taiwan-conducts-drills-in-the-event-of-a-war

Taiwan conducts drills in "the event of a war"

Roads have been emptied and people were ordered to stay indoors in parts of Taiwan, including Taipei, for an air-raid exercise in case of a Chinese "attack."

Sirens for street evacuation drills were sounded at 1:30 PM when towns and cities were shut down across northern Taiwan for 30 minutes.

"It is necessary to make preparations in the event of a war," Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je said in a speech after supervising the Wan An drills - Wan An means 'everlasting peace.'

In Taipei, police ushered cars and other vehicles to move to the side of the road, whereas pedestrians were told to seek shelter. On the other hand, shops and restaurants pulled down their shutters, turning off lights to avoid getting targeted at night.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the island has raised its alert level. For the past two years, Taiwan has been meaning to carry out street evacuation drills, but they were constantly canceled due to Covid-19. The evacuation drill will be conducted next week.

>> The sky is going to fall on our heads.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/economics/us-treasury:-just-because-the-gdp-is-negative-does-not-mean

US Treasury: Just because the GDP is negative, does not mean recession

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has denied that the US economy is in recession, saying instead that the nation is experiencing a "necessary and appropriate" slowdown.

Yellen, in an NBC News interview on Sunday, defended Biden's economic policies, claiming that just because the US GDP report is negative, it does not mean the world's largest economy is in recession.

The report, which may confirm that the economy is actually shrinking, is set to be released on Thursday.

Yellen then acknowledged that two straight quarters of economic contraction is typically viewed as a recession - however, she sought to redefine the phenomenon: “We could see that happen, and that will be closely watched, but I do want to emphasize: What a recession really means is a broad-based contraction in the economy,” she told host Chuck Todd. “Even if that number is negative, we are not in a recession now. I would warn that we should be not characterizing that as a recession.”

Yellen was previously chair of the US Federal Reserve Bank until Trump took office, who refused to appoint her for a second term in 2017. She argued that because of strong job growth and other favorable data points, the economy is not in a broad-based decline.

Todd, in response, argued that unemployment claims are rising and business activity is slowing down, which may be signs of a coming recession.

“This is not an economy that’s in recession, but we’re in a period of transition in which growth is slowing, and that’s necessary and appropriate,” Yellen said. “We need to be growing at a steady and sustainable pace, so there is a slowdown, and businesses can see that. And that’s appropriate, given that people now have jobs and we have a strong labor market.”

The Treasury Secretary, at least, expressed that inflation is “way too high,” and that it's at its highest rate in over 4 decades. In parallel, she expressed confidence in the abilities of the Federal Reserve and Biden's abilities to bring the prices under control.

“I’m not saying that we will definitely avoid a recession, but I think there’s a path that keeps the labor market strong and brings inflation down,” she said.

Yellen, furthermore, remarked that the war in Ukraine can push oil prices even higher than they are now, saying that she's working with US allies to cap the prices that Russia has paid for oil. But, when the next round of sanctions from the EU comes into effect in December, Moscow could take some of its supplies off the market.

“But I don’t think that’s a recession,” she insisted. “A recession is broad-based weakness in the economy. We’re not seeing that now, and I absolutely don’t think that’s necessary.”

Last month, the US Treasury Secretary confessed on CNN that she failed to predict how long high inflation would plague US citizens and consumers. Yellen, in 2021, had stated that inflation posed the US a minor risk.

"As I mentioned, there have been unanticipated and large shocks to the economy that have boosted energy and food prices and supply bottlenecks that have affected our economy badly that I at the time didn't fully understand, but we recognize that now," said the official.

Yellen was not the only one to consider inflation as a transitory side effect of the economy returning to normal in the post-pandemic world. There are several White house officials that adhered to this argument by pointing to disruptions of supply chains and demand exceeding supply to explain the causes of inflation, which in their perspective, would go back to normal once these issues are resolved.

>>16803305

yup! makes you wonder what's in there.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/economics/eu-states-intend-to-ask-for-exemptions-from-plans-to-reduce

EU states intend to ask for exemptions from plans to reduce gas demand

European Union member states are planning to demand exemptions from the European Commission's proposal to ration natural gas and cut demand by 15% during the next eight months, The Financial Times reported on Sunday.

The EU Commission on Wednesday proposed new coordinated measures to reduce gas demand in EU member states, including the introduction of initially voluntary goals to reduce gas demand by 15% between August 1 and March 31, 2023, which amount to a whopping 45 billion cubic meters of gas.

EU member states, according to a draft document, said binding targets should be set based on the extent of dependence each country has on Russian supplies and the volumes of gas already delivered to storage facilities.

Additionally, the document cited by the news outlet said the member states believed that those able to supply others with gas should be allowed to cut demand by less than 15%, while also calling for several industries considered critical to the EU common market to be exempted from the requirements.

"Member states should be free to choose the appropriate measures to reach the demand reduction," the draft document read, as per FT.

The draft exemptions require that no less than five EU member states sign a request to the European Commission that makes the guidance mandatory, while the majority of member states will have to support this requirement.

The European Commission's proposal is aimed at mitigating the damages caused by the sanctions on Russia's energy sector, which left the European economies high and dry after preventing them from acquiring gas from Moscow. The bloc has already approved seven packages of sanctions against Moscow, including a gradual phase-out of Russian oil in the wake of the Ukraine war.

Western sanctions have resulted in disruptions of supply chains and a spike in energy prices worldwide. Russia's Gazprom has been forced to significantly reduce its Nord Stream 1 gas supplies due to delays in maintenance work on turbines.

Moscow had repeatedly warned that further maintenance delays could result in a complete shutdown of gas flows via the pipeline network.

Fears that a sudden shortfall of Russian gas may bring Europe's largest economy to its knees drove the German government to pass laws mandating that all of the country's gas reservoirs be 90% full by November.

Germany has already decided to phase out Russian oil and coal as part of Western sanctions against Moscow. However, getting independence from Russian gas will take longer – and will not be cheap, as the Ukraine conflict and following sanctions drive up energy prices.

The European Union plans to reduce its reliance on Russian oil and gas by two-thirds this year, starting with a reduction in demand for Russian gas of two-thirds this year. According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the region "cannot rely on a supplier that blatantly threatens us."

>> keklicious!

>>16803332

>>16803347

Leb and then Syria. So the rumors were true!

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/for-nablus-palestine-action-storms-an-israeli-elbit-factory

For Nablus, Palestine Action storms an Israeli Elbit factory

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) brutally raided Nablus on Sunday using stun grenades, live bullets and guided missiles, killing two Palestinians and injuring nine others.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that martyrs Aboud Sobah, 29, and Muhammad Al-Azizi, 22, have died after sustaining critical injuries as a result of the Israeli incursion.

The IOF also surrounded a house in the area and fired a number of guided missiles at it.

In order to deliver a message to the Israeli occupation that its violence will go not unchecked, members of Palestine Action descended on “Israel's” Elbit Systems' Shenstone factory, striking the site's exterior and throwing red paint at it.

In a press release on its website, Palestine Action confirmed that its “activists took action today seeking to dismantle an industry built on occupation, dispossession, and warfare across the globe”.

Tested on Palestinians

The components that make up Elbit's military drones, including the Hermes 450 and 900, are manufactured on-site at the Shenstone factory and used extensively in surveillance and aggressions on Palestinians, most notably in the blockaded Gaza strip.

Elbit also manufactures the Watchkeeper drone, which is based on the Hermes 450 and is supplied to the British military, border force, and other governmental agencies. At home, the Watchkeeper is used to police British citizens and monitor migrants attempting to cross the English Channel.

The arms company's clientele is global; its military goods are sold and used for everything from mass repression to aerial and maritime surveillance.

The Hermes 450/900 drones have been a fixture in Gaza for many years. They are a constant presence in the skies, distinguished by their distinct buzzing, and the threat of bombing is always present. According to Elbit, the drones are "battle-tested" in occupied Palestine - that is, they are tested on captive Palestinian populations before being sold to militaries around the world.

It is also worth noting that Elbit drones are sold in large quantities to “Israel” (Elbit drones account for 85 percent of the Israeli drone fleet) and used to keep entire populations living in fear, under constant siege.

Palestine Action noted in its press release that “91% of children in Gaza are suffering from PTSD”.

“Today’s action has been taken in their name, with a promise of resistance until victory – an end to Britain’s complicity, and a Palestine free from the horrors of occupation and state terror, “it added.

A Palestine Action spokesperson has also stressed that “Elbit drones are made in Britain, tested on Palestine then sold back to the British military, amongst others. The British military holds deep ties with Elbit – Britain is an accomplice in an international industry built on occupation, one where technology is suited not to meet human needs, but to further repression and terror. We can only cut these ties with direct action taken by the masses – ordinary people, willing to make sacrifices in order to end our collective complicity.”

>>16803380

too many 12s today as well.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-uk-working-on-defense-against-russian-chinese-hypersonic

US, UK working on defense against Russian, Chinese hypersonic missiles

Arms manufacturing companies from the United States and the United Kingdom have been working together to create defense systems that would be able to counter Russian and Chinese hypersonic missiles, The Telegraph reported on Sunday.

Though the project is only "in its infancy" in the United States, British company Cohort, in particular, has been developing technologies to destroy projectiles moving five times faster than the speed of sound, Andy Tomis, the head of the firm, told the media outlet.

"Being able to develop convincing countermeasures against them is a really important step forward. It's a real challenge. There's no doubt about that," the British newspaper quoted Tomis as saying.

US weapons manufacturer Raytheon Missiles and Defense is planning on prioritizing the tracking of missiles from space via satellites, the company's chief, Wes Kremer, told The Telegraph.

Kremer went on to explain that the weak point of any missile is its heat dissipation system, given the relative ease it requires to be damaged.

However, defense against hypersonic weapons is only "in its infancy" in the United States, with only one project under development in the meantime, the Raytheon chief was quoted as saying, meaning it could be a while before Washington possesses such capabilities.

The United States, in light of mounting concerns that China and Russia have had more success manufacturing and developing their own homemade hypersonic weapons, announced last week that Washington recently successfully launched two Lockheed Martin hypersonic missiles.

The Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) booster was successfully tested on Tuesday off the coast of California, the US Air Force said.

The latest time period has seen the US conduct successful hypersonic weapons tests in a change from its usual failures, raising questions about cost and increasing concerns that Washington has been failing in what is now dubbed a superpower arms race.

Lockheed Martin handed over its first operational Multiple Rocket Launch System (MLRS) to the US Army, the company announced just a day ago in a press release.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/zaporozhye-status-referendum-to-take-place-in-1st-half-of-se

Zaporozhye status referendum to take place in 1st half of September

According to preliminary information provided to Sputnik by Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the military-civil administration of Zaporozhye, a referendum on the status of the region may be held in the first half of September.

"Everything is heading towards the fact that the referendum will take place in the first half of September. I will not name the exact date yet. Electoral commissions are formed," Rogov said.

The official also said that referendums on the union of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions with Russia might be held on the same day.

Rogov previously requested on Sunday the permanent deployment of Russian troops in the region as to ensure its security against attempts of external aggression.

"We want our region to have [Russian] military bases on a permanent basis," Rogov said.

He told Sputnik that a detailed discussion on the issue could be held after a referendum on joining Russia is held in Zaporozhye.

It is noteworthy that the head of the administration of the Zaporozhye Region, Yevgeny Balitsky, signed a decree on Saturday announcing the start of preparations for a referendum on joining Russia and the creation of an election commission.

Kherson and most of Zaporozhye are under control by Russian forces, particularly after Donetsk and Lugansk's respective governments requested help from Russia as they were under intensive offensives by Ukrainian troops.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/germanys-claim-of-protecting-european-unity—analysis

Germany's claim of 'protecting European unity' - Analysis

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Sunday that "the war President Vladimir Putin is waging against Ukraine is also a war against the unity of Europe."

"We must not let ourselves be divided, we must not let the great work of a united Europe that we have begun so promisingly be destroyed," he said in a speech.

"This war is not just about the territory of Ukraine, it is about the double shared foundation of our values and our order of peace," he said.

According to the German President, defending these "values" also entails preparedness to "accept significant disadvantages."

"Are we ready for that? We are all facing this question – today and in the days, weeks, and months to come," Steinmeier said.

"Russia is not only questioning the borders, it is not only occupying the territories of an independent and sovereign neighboring state, it is even challenging the statehood of Ukraine," he added.

Evaluating Steinmeier's claims

Europe's actions against Russia have come to hurt Europe more than Russia - the comprehensive sanctions against Moscow have set Europe on a search-for-gas frenzy to no avail, but Germany takes the cake in the disaster that is coming for it.

It is enough that experts are raising concerns that Russian gas is irreplaceable - the rhetoric in Berlin only seems to give off a macho silhouette, with consistent condemnation and embargoes against Russia in the media - however, the reality only seems to tell the opposite. Germany is costing itself years of a relationship build-up with Russia, only to bring itself to the brink of recession.

The fact that 50% of German civilians believe that sanctions harm them more than they harm Russia, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's striking statement that "sanctions had no effect on Russia, whereas Europe lost 4 governments," paint a very different reality than the one Steinmeier is attempting to describe.

The strongest economy in Europe is bound to collapse. If the cornerstone of western European unity is on its way to a slow, painful economic downfall, what has been left for Europe's weaker economies?

Last week, reports arose that large-scale German factories - such as ThyssenKrupp, BASF, and SKW Stickstoffwerke Piesteritz - are weighing decreasing production or even shutting down amid the gas crisis in the country.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions by the West, gas supplies to Europe have tightened and fuel costs have increased six-fold, leaving countries scrambling to refill storage and look for other supply channels.

Orban, whose country is part of the EU, recently remarked, "Initially, I thought we had only shot ourselves in the foot, but now it is clear that the European economy has shot itself in the lungs, and it is gasping for air."

The Hungarian PM said European leaders should rethink their strategy, due to the widespread damage caused to the European economy.

"The sanctions do not help Ukraine, however, they are bad for the European economy and if it goes on like this, they will kill off the European economy," he said. "What we see right now is unbearable."

"The moment of truth must come in Brussels when leaders admit they have made a miscalculation, that the sanctions policy was based on wrong assumptions and it must be changed."

>>16803508

They have the Watch. Tick tock watch? Any clock fags around?

>>16803522

what's Qpost 226? Second time mentioned today.

>>16803523

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/myanmar-executes-two-opposition-leaders

Myanmar executes two opposition leaders

Myanmar's military authorities have executed two opposition leaders, including former National League for Democracy lawmaker Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, and democracy activist Ko Jimmy, according to Irrawaddy, an opposition news portal on Monday.

On Friday, both opposition activists, in addition to two other people were sentenced to death. They were only allowed to meet their families via video conference, while authorities denied that executions will be carried out hastily.

The two were sentenced to death in January over charges of being masterminds and participating in armed subversion and activities under the Counterterrorism Law, according to Irrawaddy. The outlet revealed that the sentences were put into execution over the weekend at Insein Prison, Yangon.

Ko Jimmy, 53, was a member of the 1988 student uprising against the military authorities and spent 20 years in prison under previous military administrations on charges related to anti-government activism. After the junta grabbed power in early 2021, Ko Jimmy was arrested for calling for resistance against the junta on social media.

Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, 41, was a lawmaker who represented the former ruling National League for Democracy party from 2012 to 2021, and was charged with terrorism and organizing illegally armed anti-government insurgencies.

UN Special Rapporteur, on human rights in Myanmar condemned the execution, urging the international community to ensure a quick response to the deteriorating human rights situation in the country.

>>16803571

Notable

Christmas in July

>>16803583

>>16803580

That's WHITE wine.

>>16803590