https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1637051525670264834?s=20
https://twitter.com/thevivafrei/status/1636867810331619328?s=20
Who thinks this info was released to get conservatives in panic and fear, and distracted; what did or will we miss that Bidan is doing? He had to take the SVB bailout and Nationalization of the banks off headline news along with Comer’s revelations of millions wired to the family. What Bidan is not prepared for the 100s of more money wires from Ukraine and corrupt Baltic Nations. But is there anything the law can do to him while in office.
An impeachment will be a show trial because all the dems were bought off by him! What is the outcome of this? Can Joe etc ever be prosecuted! BTW we haven’t heard a peep from the DOJ AG that has been investigating Hunter’s laptop since 2020 or 2021, odd there’s no leaks on that, only Trump.
I think when the complete of Joe and Bidan family comes out in 2024, Joe drops dead in office and conservatives get blamed for his death, because he was harassed for non crimes. Then its written in history by democrats, “the best president ever” was so stressed from the harassment he had a heart attack. Thats how they roll!
https://twitter.com/RepMTG/status/1637076244708614144?s=20
18 Mar, 2023 13:04
Putin arrives in Crimea for reunification anniversary
The Russian leader visited an art school and a children’s center in Sevastopol
President Vladimir Putin arrived in Crimea on Saturday to mark theninth anniversaryof the peninsula’s reunification with Russia.
The head of state toured a children's arts school and also visited ‘Korsun,’ a branch of the renowned international children’s center Artek, which dates back to the Soviet era. Putin also took a look at how the construction of the Tauric Chersonesos historical and archaeological park is proceeding.
Chersonesos was an ancient Greek colony which was founded about 2,500 years ago and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Sevastopol, said the city authorities were poised to open the art school on Saturday, and “everything was ready for a videoconference” with the president.
However, Putin came there in person, the governor said. “Because on such a historic day, the president is always with Sevastopol and the people of Sevastopol,” he added.
Razvozhayev went on to say that the idea of the archaeological park, which was suggested by Bishop Tikhon (Shevkunov) of the Russian Orthodox Church and supported by Putin, “is being implemented at an incredible pace thanks to military builders.”
The Crimean peninsula overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in a public referendum after a Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014. On March 18 that year, Putin signed the law on Crimea’s ascension to Russia. Neither Western countries, nor Ukraine recognized the move, with Kiev on numerous occasions vowing to take the peninsula back.
https://www.rt.com/russia/573191-putin-arrives-crimea-reunification-anniversary/
18 Mar, 2023 14:24
Ukrainian troops using 19th-сentury arms to defend key city – The Telegraph
With modern weapons and ammo in short supply, Kiev’s forces are reportedly dusting off old Maxim guns
Ukrainian forces defending the Donbass town of Artyomovsk, also known as Bakhmut, are relying on Victorian-era Maxim guns, the Telegraph reported on Friday. Despite receiving tens of billions of dollars worth of US and NATO aid, Kiev is reportedly struggling with shortages of arms and ammunition.
“I have seen Maxim machine guns in stationary positions many times,” a Ukrainian soldier told the British newspaper. “Despite their age, it is a rather formidable weapon. The main thing is not to forget to add some water.”
Invented by Hiram Stevens Maxim in 1884, the Maxim gun was the first fully automatic machine gun in the world. Firing a still-respectable 600 rounds per minute, the gun relies on a heavy water jacket around its barrel to prevent overheating. Sitting on iron wheels and weighing around 30 kilos before adding water or ammunition belts, it takes a crew of four people to operate.
Maxims were used by British colonial forces in Africa and by Imperial Russian forces in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. It was already considered obsolete by the First World War, with British forces using the lighter Vickers machine gun in its stead.
Sitting in Ukrainian armories since the country was a part of the Russian Empire, Maxims have been used on the frontline in Donbass since last year. While Ukrainian troops told the Telegraph that the Maxim is “a fairly effective weapon in capable hands,” some of Kiev’s servicemen have complained that they haven’t received newer gear.
“The Russians have artillery, armored vehicles, and their forces are five to six times greater than ours,” a sergeant near Severodonetsk told Radio France Internationale last July. “We only had machine guns and RPGs from 1986. A Degtyarov machine gun from 1943. And the Maxim machine gun from 1933.”
The US alone has sent Ukraine more than $37 billion worth of weapons and ammunition since Russia’s military operation began last February. With Western stockpiles dwindling, however, American advisers are instructing Ukrainian forces to conserve their ammo if they hope to mount a counteroffensive this spring.
Western military officials have also advised Zelensky against hanging on to Artyomovsk, which is nearly encircled by Russian forces at present. Kiev keeps casualty figures under wraps, but US officials believe that “upwards of 100,000 Ukrainian forces” have died since last February, with “many of these losses” taking place in the city, according to a Politico report earlier this week.
Although US officials have written off Artyomovsk as strategically insignificant, it is a vital logistics hub for the Ukrainian military. Control of the town would clear a path for Russian forces to push on towards Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, which sit along the last in a series of fortified lines built by Ukraine since the onset of its conflict with the Donetsk People’s Republic in 2014.
https://www.rt.com/russia/573194-ukraine-bakhmut-maxim-gun/
18 Mar, 2023 14:17
US ready to sanction Chinese airlines on Russia flights – NYT
American carriers are losing as much as $2 billion annually in market share to competitors not forced to avoid Russian airspace
The US Transportation Department is considering a ban on the use of Russian airspace for Chinese airlines that fly passengers to the US, three officials from the administration of President Joe Biden told the New York Times on Friday. An order that would impose on Chinese competitors the same restrictions on using Russian airspace faced by US airlines was reportedly presented to members of the national security team and others last Monday.
The proposal is the result oflobbying by US air carriers, who have lost as much as $2 billion annuallyin market share to foreign competitors not subject to the US’ ban on flying over Russian territory, according to industry trade group Airlines for America. A spokeswoman for the group confirmed it wants the Biden administration to “take action to ensure that foreign carriers overflying Russia do not depart, land or transit through US airports.”
Airlines such as China Eastern, Emirates and Air India, whose home countries are not involved in the Ukraine conflict, have enjoyed a boom in business, since they can fly the shortest route from one destination to another without the need to circumvent Russia’s vast territory.
American carriers, on the other hand, have had to run long-haul flights with dozens of seats empty in the hope of making the plane light enough that it won’t require refueling on the increasingly circuitous routes required to avoid no-go zones, airline sources told the Times. Even then, an extra stop is often required for personnel reasons. Barred from the most direct routes to Asia, US carriers have had to shelve plans to offer direct service to more than a dozen hotspots such as Tokyo, Seoul, and Mumbai, abandoning those routes to competitors.
Airlines for America has sought to convince passengers who balk at spending the extra several hundred dollars and hours in the air that flying over Russia is actually dangerous, pointing to the downing of MH17 over Ukraine in 2014 and the arrest of US women’s basketball star Brittney Griner at a Moscow airport last year. However, the Dutch team tasked with finding proof of Russia’s culpability in the MH17 incident suspended its investigation last month, having been unable to produce conclusive evidence, while many “safe” countries impose much more severe penalties – up to and including execution by firing squad – on foreigners caught with illegal drugs.
Russia closed its airspace to US airlines last March after Washington imposed its own ban on Russian aircraft flying over US territory
https://www.rt.com/news/573196-us-arlines-russian-airspace-chinese/
18 Mar, 2023 14:02
Dozens of US banks at risk of repeating SVB collapse – study
Many other lenders are also sitting on unrealized losses caused by the rapid rise in interest rates
Nearly200 American banksare facing risks similar to what led to the implosion and bankruptcy of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), according to a paper posted this week to the Social Science Research Network. SVB, a major US lender focused on the tech and startup sectors, was shut down by regulators last week after massive deposit outflows.
In the study, four economists from prominent US universities estimated how much market value the assets held by US banks have lost due to the recent interest rate hikes.
“From March 07, 2022, to March 6, 2023, the federal funds rate rose sharply from 0.08% to 4.57%, and this increase was accompanied by quantitative tightening. As a result, long-dated assets similar to those held on bank balance sheets experienced significant value declines during the same period,” they wrote.
Although higher interest rates can benefit banks by allowing them to lend at a higher rate, many US banks have parked a significant portion of their excess cash in US Treasuries. This was done when interest rates were at near-zero levels. The value of these bonds has now greatly decreased due to the rate hikes – investors can simply purchase newly issued bonds that offer a higher interest rate. The decline in the banks’ portfolios is unrealized, meaning the value of the securities has declined but the loss is still only ‘on paper’.
The problem arises when customers request their deposits back and banks are forced to sell their securities – at a significant loss – in order to pay depositors back. In extreme cases, this can lead to a bank becoming insolvent, or as happened with Silicon Valley Bank, the loss of confidence this circumstance engenders can trigger a bank run.
The report’s authors looked into how much of US lenders’ funding comes from uninsured deposits: the greater the share, the more susceptible a bank is to a run. For instance, at SVB, where 92.5% of deposits were uninsured, the deposit outflow caused the bank to collapse in a span of only two days. The authors of the study calculated that 186 American banks do not have enough assets to pay all customers if even half of uninsured depositors decide to withdraw their money.
“Our calculations suggest these banks are certainly at a potential risk of a run, absent other government intervention or recapitalization… Overall, these calculations suggest that recent declines in bank asset values very significantly increased the fragility of the US banking system to uninsured depositor runs,” the economists concluded, noting that the number of banks at risk could be “significantly” larger if “uninsured deposit withdrawals cause even small fire sales.”
SVB’s failure sent ripples across the entire US banking industry and caused the closure of another lender, Signature Bank. Many other financial institutions have seen their stocks plunge, with the six largest Wall Street banks losing around $165 billion in market capitalization, or some 13% of their combined value. Earlier this week, the ratings agency Moody’s downgraded its outlook for the US banking system from 'stable' to 'negative', citing the “rapidly deteriorating operating environment.”
https://www.rt.com/business/573181-us-banks-risk-svb-collapse/
18 Mar, 2023 12:31
China fines Big Four accounting firm
The authorities claimed Deloitte’s audit of one of the country’s largest bad-debt managers was marred by negligence
China’s Finance Ministry has imposed an unprecedented fine of 212 million yuan ($30.8 million) on Deloitte, one of the global accounting giants comprising the ‘Big Four,’ for negligence in its audit of bad-debt manager China Huarong, the ministry said in a statement on its website on Friday. Bad-debt managers are asset management firms that are tasked with buying distressed loans from banks.
According to the financial authorities, several inspections, staff interviews, and a paperwork review revealed that Deloitte had failed to detect the condition of Huarong’s underlying assets and objectively assess its businesses operations from 2014 to 2019, while Huarong concealed the fact that it experienced a number of internal and risk control failures at the time.
“During the period when it offered auditing services [to Huarong], [Deloitte] did not maintain [a] professional skeptical attitude, did not effectively conduct essential auditing procedures, did not obtain sufficient and adequate auditing evidence and had severe auditing flaws,” the statement read.
Apart from the fine, Beijing halted operations at Deloitte’s Beijing branch for three months and suspended the licenses of two certified Deloitte accountants. Meanwhile, Huarong, one of the country’s largest bad-debt managers, and its seven subsidiaries were fined 100,000 yuan each over internal governance and risk control failures, as well as “severely distorted” accounting data.
Deloitte said in a statement on Friday that it respected the ministry’s action, but it did not either admit or deny its culpability.
“To be clear, there is no suggestion by the [ministry] that either Deloitte Hua Yong, its Beijing branch, or any of its people have done anything unethical. We respect and accept the [ministry’s] penalty decision. We regret that, in this matter, the [ministry] considers certain aspects of our work fell below the required auditing standards,” the firm said.
According to a Bloomberg report, Beijing has recently startedurging state-owned companies to stop using the Big Four for auditsand turn instead to domestic accounting firms in a push to ensure the country’s data security and lower its reliance on foreign firms.
https://www.rt.com/business/573179-china-fines-big-four-firm/
The real story is “The Big Four” found serious monetary instability and state owned banks are about to fail, just like the US. So China censors them and wants business to use Chinese corrupted and controlled auditors.