https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-occupation-calls-on-dual-citizens-to-leave-russia-im

Israeli occupation calls on dual citizens to leave Russia immediately

Israeli media said that "the Israeli army called on its soldiers and officers, who hold Russian citizenship and are in Russia, to immediately leave and return to 'Israel.'"

"The Israeli army fears that its soldiers and officers, who hold Russian citizenship, will be recruited in Russia, in implementation of the partial mobilization decision."

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on September 21 a partial mobilization in Russia, stressing that this decision aims to protect Russia, its sovereignty, and its safety.

Following the President's announcement, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that 300,000 reservists will be called to serve in the Ukrainian war.

Putin reiterated prior assertions that Western countries were to blame for initiating a proxy war with Russia in his television address, saying the West "wants to destroy our country" and is attempting to "convert Ukraine's people into military fodder."

He said “mobilization events” would begin without providing further details, aside from saying that he had ordered an increase in funding to boost Russia’s weapons production.

Partial mobilization puts Russia on a stronger war footing. However, partial mobilization may require Russian companies and citizens to contribute more to the war effort.

>>17614302

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/technology/meta-in-hot-water-amid-dropping-stocks-as-users-flee-sales-p

Meta in hot water amid dropping stocks, as users flee, sales plunge

Meta Platforms Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the first major budget cut since the founding of the social media platform Facebook in 2004, in a campaign of reshuffling teams and reducing staff for the first time ever, which leads to an end to the rapid growth of the company.

During a weekly Q&A session with employees, Zuckerberg stated that Meta will eventually be smaller in 2023 as opposed to this year, as he intends to halt recruitment, cut down on expenses and realign priorities, according to a person who attended the session.

Meta's reduction of budgets, per a revision by Bloomberg, indicates that vacant positions left by departing employees would not be filled and those who are not "succeeding" may be let go, with the CEO adding, “I had hoped the economy would have more clearly stabilized by now… But from what we're seeing it doesn't yet seem like it has, so we want to plan somewhat conservatively.”

The package of reorganizing also included the postponing of providing full-time jobs to summer interns because “we want to make sure we're not adding people to teams where we don't expect to have roles next year,” Zuckerberg explained.

The recent moves prove Meta’s strongest admission that advertising revenue growth is slowing amid the race for users' attention, at a time when the company’s advertising that targets consumer attention has lost part of its touch due to new privacy restrictions from Apple Inc. concerning tracking iPhone users.

As TikTok lures users away from Meta's Instagram, Zuckerberg is making an expensive bet on the company's immersive virtual reality future which would eventually become people's main communicating field, the metaverse, a project he admitted will cost a loss for many years.

Meta's current internal priorities include Reels, competing against TikTok, and the metaverse. Meta had more than 83,500 employees as of June 30 and added 5,700 new hires in the second quarter. During its first quarter, Meta said annual expenses would be roughly $3 billion lower as opposed to initial expectations, trimming an estimated range that had been as high as $95 billion. “For the first 18 years of the company, we basically grew quickly basically every year, and then more recently our revenue has been flat to slightly down for the first time,” Zuckerberg told his staff.

Meta stock went down 3.7% from Wednesday’s close, as its shares overall have fallen 60% this year. A Meta spokesperson has declined to comment.

Other companies dependent on advertising also faced the brunt of the economic crisis, such as Twitter Inc. which stopped hiring in May and asked employees to watch their expenses and reduce travel while Alphabet Inc.’s Google said it would slow hiring during the back half of the year. Snap Inc. diminished 20% of its workforce in August.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/economics/wall-street-sees-worst-month-of-stocks-since-2020

Wall Street sees worst month of stocks since 2020

Wall Street this September witnessed the worst month since March 2020 for S&P 500, which measures the value of the stocks of around 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the US. The benchmark index ended with a 9.3% loss as its third straight losing quarter and now its lowest level since November 2020.

Fear of a possible recession is one of the main driving forces behind the financial market's continued struggle amid skyrocketing interest rates expected to overcome the high inflation that has swept the world. Just last Thursday, citing Federal Reserve data, CNBC reported that the steady decline in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) that commenced at the beginning of this year annihilated over $9 trillion in investors’ wealth and is expected to continue - already possibly reaching the mark of $10 trillion.

Quincy Krosby, chief equity strategist for LPL Financial, said, “Quite frankly, if it’s a deep recession you’re going to have to see more of a sell-off… this is what the market is trying to navigate now.”

Vice Chair Lael Brainard was the latest Fed official on Friday to insist it won’t pull back on rates, with plans to hold them at high levels for a while, posing a grave risk of going too far and causing a downturn.

The S&P 500 fell 54.85 points, or 1.5%, to close at 3,585.62 Friday, posting a weekly loss in six out of the last seven weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 500.10 points, or 1.7%, to 28,725.51, and the Nasdaq decreased 161.89 points, or 1.5%, to 10,575.62. The tech-heavy index sank 10.5% in September and is so far this year down 32.4%. Smaller firms such as The Russell 2000 ended September down 9.7%.

“At this point, it’s not a matter of if we’ll have a recession, but what type of recession it will be,” said a portfolio manager at Thornburg Investment Management, Sean Sun. Higher interest rates impact negatively the main factors that set prices for stocks, with other determiners being the slowing economy and those spilling from corporate profits.

Carnival, the cruise ship operator dropped 23.3% as the biggest decline among S&P 500 stocks, as rivals Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Group slid 18% and 13.2%, respectively. Nike also went down 12.8%, its worst day in more than 20 years, after price slashes needed to clear suddenly overstuffed warehouses. Its global revenue rose only 4%, instead of the 10% it would have if currency values also maintained their rate. Looking at the third quarter, however, Netflix was among the best performers, going up 34.6% although it's still down 60.9% for the year.

According to a report on Friday, a measure of consumer sentiment showed expectations for future inflation decreasing in September which is critical for the Fed because expectations for higher inflation can produce a self-reinforcing cycle.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 3.81% from 3.79% late Thursday. The two-year yield, which more closely tracks expectations for Fed action, rose to 4.23% from 4.19%. The rise of the US dollar against other currencies continues to spread fear and stress of a potential crash in the global market.

Other stock markets around the world, such as the bond markets of the UK government, face tensions that could make inflation worse, but bond markets stabilized a little after the Bank of England vowed to buy the necessary government bonds needed to bring yields back down.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/51-of-brits-say-uk-pm-liz-truss-should-resign—reports

51% of Brits say UK PM Liz Truss should resign - reports

A survey conducted by British research and data analytics firm YouGov reveals on Friday that half of the British population thinks that newly elected Prime Minister Liz Truss should resign. The results are attributed to some serious mistakes that Truss has committed since her assuming the position less than four weeks ago. Her recent announcement of a mini-budget to help alleviate surging costs of living also infuriated Britons due to its meager potential to redress the economy.

Since former PM Boris Johnson had left office following a slew of scandals, expectations were set too high for Truss who can barely deal with important issues like inflation and the high costs of living. Prior to her victory over finance minister Rishi Sunak, Truss had promised to “deliver a bold plan to cut taxes and grow our economy" amid predictions of a recession in the UK.

Last week, Truss and finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng unveiled their tax-slashing plans and used them to propose radical tax cuts without suggesting how they would be paid for. Brits expressed outrage at the idea that bankers will be allowed to put a hold on bonuses and company owners delay dividends until the new tax year, once the rate decreases.

As the package is expected to dramatically increase government borrowing, it also happens to lack a cost analysis forecast from the country's fiscal watchdog, the Office of Budget Responsibility. This, combined with the pound's recent sharp drop against the dollar, caused tremendous turmoil in the financial markets, with the pound dropping to its lowest ever level against the dollar.

With fears building up over the possibility of the UK pension fund collapsing, the Bank of England made a prompt intervention to stabilize the situation. Opposition politicians, independent analysts, and even some Tory lawmakers have assailed the plans as reckless and counter-productive.

Since unveiling the mini-budget, Truss remained quiet for a whole week until emerging Thursday to circulate on various platforms and regional television interviews in defense of her plan - an indeed disastrous attempt as she struggled to justify the viability of the package.

The 4,918 participants surveyed in the poll conducted on Friday reveal that only three percent think the mini-budget had the right ideas and only a quarter of them think she should remain in office, while more than half also thought Kwarteng should resign.

On another note, market research and consulting firm Ipsos found in their own survey that half of the people expect Labour leader Keir Starmer to become prime minister, up from 38 percent in May. The poll also revealed that 18 percent think Truss was performing well in her PM responsibilities.

>>17614407

Not all will be scare event, some of it will be true. Some, not all. Yes, it is necessary to wake them the normies.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/nato-rebuffs-zelensky-accession-request-only-to-send-arms

NATO rebuffs Zelensky accession request, only to send arms

On Friday, NATO condemned the recent incorporation of four former Ukrainian regions and warned Russia of "severe consequences" in the event of what he speculated to be its future usage of nuclear weapons against Kiev.

"This land grab is illegal and illegitimate. NATO allies do not and will not recognize any of this territory as part of Russia," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the accession of the former Ukrainian territories liberated by the Russian, as well as the LPR and DPR forces, at a grand ceremony in the Kremlin, in a move completely rejected by the West and UN.

In response to Volodymyr Zelensky's announcement that an application for accelerated membership in the alliance was being proposed, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg acknowledged the bloc's "unchanged" stance on each country's right to choose its own path and on the "open door" policy, but he emphasized that NATO would focus its efforts on aiding Kiev in self-defense.

Stoltenberg stressed that NATO would continue supporting Kiev with an aim to "liberate" the Moscow-held regions as Ukraine pledges a retaliation.

As for Russia, it considers the incorporated territories now as a part of the country and would use its full arsenal to protect it.

Stoltenberg said the alliance had not seen any "changes in nuclear posture" of Russia after Putin's threats.

"We are vigilant, we are sharing information, and we have conveyed very clearly to Russia that there will be severe consequences if they use nuclear forces against Ukraine," Stoltenberg said.

NATO did not take part in the war in Ukraine as it feared unleashing a confrontation with Russia that could spiral into nuclear war. Instead, the NATO allies have sent billions of dollars worth of weapons to Kiev.

Following President Putin's declaration, Ukraine declared it was formally applying to join NATO.

NATO chief remained non-committal on the bid, saying, "Our focus now is on providing immediate support to Ukraine to help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian brutal invasion."

Despite Kiev's application, few prospects of Ukraine joining NATO in the foreseeable future appear while it is in conflict with its neighbor.

Membership in the alliance would mean Kiev was covered by NATO's Article 5 mutual defense clause which means an attack on one of the members is an attack on all.

Stoltenberg also touched on the Nord Stream leaks running from Russia to Europe, saying these are "attacks" and calling for an international probe to assess the damage caused to the pipelines.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/burkina-faso-military-government-overthrown:-army-captain

Burkina Faso military government overthrown: Army captain

Burkinabe army Captain Ibrahim Traore announced Friday that he led a coup against military leader Paul-Henri Damiba and dissolved the government and suspended Burkina Faso's constitution and transitional charter.

Traore said a group of officers took the decision to topple Damiba over his inability to deal with the growing terror attacks in the country.

The borders are currently closed indefinitely and all political and civil society activities have been suspended, Traore added.

This is the country's second military coup in eight months, with Damiba only assuming power in January after outsing former President Rock Kabore via a coup of his own in light of growing frustration over the state of the country's security.

Witness statements confirm hearing shots on Friday around Burkina Faso's presidential palace and the headquarters of its military junta currently in power, as troops blocked Ouagadougou's streets and state television broadcasting was cut, AFP reported earlier in the day.

The attacks have been affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group even after Damiba earlier this month dismissed his defense minister and assumed the position himself. Only one new minister has been introduced into the transitional government, Colonel-Major Silas Keita, who is assigned to be responsible for national defense and was promoted to brigadier general.

On September 28, a convoy carrying supplies was attacked in the town of Djibo, leaving 11 soldiers killed and around 50 civilians missing. More than 40% of the African nation, previously a French colony, is not under government control as most of the Sahel, including Niger and Mali, is suffering from the outcomes of the insurgency, which is beginning to spill over into the Ivory Coast and Togo.

Mali witnessed a large presence of French forces for nearly a decade, but French President Emmanuel Macron decided to withdraw his troops and the Malian military took over. The last French troops from Barkhane departed last month.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/nicaragua-bans-us-envoy-cuts-diplomatic-ties-with-the-nether

Nicaragua bans US envoy, cuts diplomatic ties with the Netherlands

President Daniel Ortega banned US envoy Hugo Rodrigues on Friday from entering Nicaragua on account of his "interfering" behavior. Although Nicaragua already stated that any such visit would be barred in July, the US Senate still confirmed Rodriguez's appointment on Thursday.

"The government of Nicaragua, in use of its powers and in exercise of its national sovereignty, immediately withdraws the approval granted to the candidate Hugo Rodriguez," the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry said in a statement in July, following Hugo Rodriguez's nomination by US President Joe Biden in May as the next US Ambassador in Nicaragua, succeeding Kevin Sullivan.

According to Vice President Rosario Murillo, who is also Ortega's wife, Rodriguez would "will not under any circumstances be admitted into our Nicaragua," adding, "Let that be clear to the imperialists," as she read a statement from the foreign office.

Nicaragua said it decided to withdraw its approval of Rodriguez because of "disrespectful" comments he made in a hearing before the Senate, whereby Rodriguez labeled the Central American country as a "pariah state in the region" and branded Ortega's government a "dictatorship".

"I would support using all economic and diplomatic tools to bring about a change in direction in Nicaragua," he told the Senate, suggesting removing Nicaragua from the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA).

Later in the day, Ortega took into consideration severing ties with the Netherlands after accusing them of harboring "interventionist" policies and after finding out from his Foreign Minister Denis Moncada that a long-promised hospital will no longer be funded.

Taking a jab at the Dutch ambassador for Central America, Christine Pirenne, he said: "Those who come to disrespect our people, our homeland, they should not appear again in Nicaragua. And we do not want relations with that interventionist government", adding: "The ambassador came to speak to Nicaraguans as if Nicaragua is a Dutch colony".

Although the severance of ties is not formal, The Netherlands closed its offices in Managua in 2013 and currently holds all its Central American diplomatic work from Costa Rica. According to local media and diplomatic sources, European Union ambassador Bettina Muscheidt was requested to leave Nicaragua by the government on Wednesday without any given reason.

Also on Wednesday, Ortega branded the Catholic Church a "perfect dictatorship," reflecting ongoing tensions between his government and the religious institution over 2018 protests that Ortega has accused the church of backing.

Just last Saturday, Nicaragua withdrew the signal of the news channel CNN en Español in the country, with VP Murillo explaining that the country's authorities found the content broadcasted by CNN en Español to be incompatible with the national sovereignty guaranteed by the constitution.