Putin ‘temporarily’ nationalizes assets of foreign companies

The Russian president has signed a decree imposing temporary state control over foreign shares of food and beer manufacturing giants

Russia has temporarily nationalized the assets of two major food and beer manufacturers. All foreign shares of Danone Russia, which is controlled by its French parent company, and Baltika Breweries, controlled by the Danish Carlsberg Group, have been handed over to the Russian Federal Property Management Agency following a presidential decree.

Both foreign giants recently announced plans to sell their businesses in Russia. Over 83 million Danone Russia shares owned by Produits Laitiers Frais Est Europe were transferred under state control, the decree published on the official government website on Sunday said. The decision also covered almost 100% of shares within Baltika Breweries’ registered capital.

French food company Danone recently faced pressure from clients and activists to exit the Russian market amid the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. The company initially defended its decision to stay by saying it had a responsibility to “the people we feed, the farmers who provide us with milk, and the tens of thousands of people who depend on us.”

The company’s business in Russia included 13 factories, 7,200 employees, and amounted to 5% of its annual global sales of around €24 billion ($27 billion). In October 2022, Danone announced it was seeking to sell its business in Russia in a transaction that could result in a write-off of up to €1 billion, Western media reported.

https://www.rt.com/russia/579797-putin-foreign-companies/

Biden Administration Suspends Satellite Monitoring of Coca Crops in Colombia Right as Production Surges – Move Comes as Nation Reels With White House Cocaine Scandal

The never-ending coke issues of the Joe Biden family and administration from hell have produced another infamous chapter.

A mere few days after the Secret Service wrapped up a hasty unsuccessful probe over cocaine found in the West Wing of the White House, it now surfaces that the US has suspended satellite monitoring of Colombia coca leaf fields – a move that comes amid a historical spike in production.

The move has horrible optics, and it’s fuelling an ongoing unrest over the deeply unsatisfactory results of the Secret Service probe: no suspect identified, case closed.

New York Post editorial reads:

“The White House is the most secure place on the planet, crawling with feds and fitted to the doorstops with video and other surveillance tech all aimed at keeping the world’s most powerful man safe.

Yet we’re somehow supposed to believe the men and women charged with protecting the president can’t find out who dropped an 8-ball in the West Wing?”

The rushed, 11-day investigation with no interviews, that unearthed zero clues, no DNA and no suspects, began after a series of shifting accounts about where exactly the drugs were found.

“No wonder the rumor mill is already spinning up to lay this whole mess in Hunter Biden’s lap. There’s no evidence the drugs are his.

Yet given that America’s already seen a massive federal effort so far to protect the ne’er-do-well First Son — everything from hindering investigations of his alleged crimes to setting him up to skate via his pending sweetheart plea deal — people can be forgiven for wondering.”

So, right on top of that, come the news of the suspension of the satellite monitoring of coca leaf plantations. What a PR move – NOT!

Associated Press reported:

“The Biden administration has quietly ditched a key gauge used for decades to measure success in the war on drugs, suspending satellite monitoring of coca crops in Colombia as cocaine production surges in South America.

A State Department spokesperson said the move was ‘temporary’ but gave no timeframe for data collection to resume or explain why it was suspended in the first place. It was also unclear whether satellite surveys would continue in Peru and Bolivia, which together account for about half of coca production in the Andean region.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/07/coke-tales-biden-administration-suspends-satellite-monitoring-coca/

DeSantis Campaign Sheds Staff- Roughly a Dozen Staffers Fired

After less than two months on the campaign trail, and amidst efforts to assure donors that his campaign has not stalled, word comes presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis has fired roughly a dozen staffers, with more expected in the coming weeks.

The Gateway Pundit reported on DeSantis’ appearance on Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures in early July where Maria pressed the Governor on rumblings of “a failure to launch.”

“I’m wondering what’s going on with your campaign? There was a lot of optimism about you running for president earlier in the year, but here’s this weekend’s headline from the Politico playbook, “FAILURE TO LAUNCH — Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS’ campaign to topple DONALD TRUMP has stalled.”

Maria was asking the question on conservatives’ minds – What happened to Ron DeSantis? What happened to all the hype? Why the fizzle?

NBC News released a campaign memo allegedly from the Team DeSantis to his donors: DeSantis Campaign memo.

NBC reports:

“They never should have brought so many people on, the burn rate was way too high,” said one Republican source familiar with the campaign’s thought process. “People warned the campaign manager but she wanted to hear none of it.”

“DeSantis stock isn’t rising,” the donor added. “Twenty percent is not what people signed up for.”

*

“Yeah, there are people grumbling about it, no doubt,” one DeSantis donor said. “There is an overall sense, including with me, that he just has not ignited the way we thought he would.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/07/desantis-campaign-sheds-staff-roughly-dozen-staffers-fired/

Hersh Exposes The Real 'Quid Pro Quo' That Changed Erdogan's Mind About Sweden

At this point Sweden's accession into NATO is looking certain, after Erdogan's dramatic about-face following months of prior complaints about Sweden being soft on 'terrorists' (or rather, Kurdish groups and individuals which the Turkish state doesn't like).

Despite Stockholm making concession after concession for much of the past year, even beginning extraditions for wanted dissidents accused of crimes back to Turkey, it was never enough. And then came Quran-burning incidents outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, which intensified Ankara's rejection of the Scandinavian country's membership bid further.

But then, only in the last weeks, something big changed. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed this past Wednesday that his country's parliament is set to approved Sweden's NATO bid. But this will take some time given it will not be back in session until October.

Erdogan suddenly being on board with the Brussels consensus immediately gave fellow holdout country Hungary the nudge it needed, with Hungary now saying it too is ready to approve Sweden's NATO bid. Hungary's parliament is expected to begin formally taking up the matter in mid-September.

Erdogan's 180-turn was announced just before NATO's summit in Vilnius which ran this past week, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Ostensibly, Sweden's efforts at 'reform' under pressure by Turkey, which included passing new anti-terror laws, lifting an EU arms embargo on Turkey, and cooperating on extradition requests - are what changed Erdogan's mind. Many observers suspected something more to the story.

What was the real driving factor in the sudden Turkish "change of heart"? Legendary investigative journalist Seymour Hersh explains below based on his investigations [emphasis ZH]…

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/hersh-exposes-real-quid-pro-quo-changed-erdogans-mind-about-sweden

Every Foreign Company in China Accepts CCP as Business Partner: Rep. Gallagher

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is a partner of every foreign company doing business in China, a congressional committee warned on Thursday, as lawmakers and experts went to great lengths to explain how corporate environments in China are vastly different.

“There is no such thing as a ‘private company’ in China,” Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), said during his opening statement at a hearing focused on the risks to American companies operating in China.

Mr. Gallagher said that different Chinese laws, including the CCP’s recently updated anti-espionage law and data security law, have “codified” what has always been true, which is that “Beijing reserves the right to swipe any data, seize any assets, and filch any IP it wishes.”

The Wisconsin lawmaker also made reference to Beijing’s longstanding practice of embedding communist party branches or cells in companies, institutions, schools, and other entities, which allow CCP officials to keep tabs on business operations and access confidential information.

“China’s Military-Civil Fusion policy means any private company can be effectively turned into an arm of the PLA or communist intelligence apparatus,” Mr. Gallagher added, referring to the Chinese military’s official name, the People’s Liberation Army. The CCP’s policy, which involves intellectual property theft, requires the private sector to support the PLA in its technological advancement.

In other words, Mr. Gallagher said that “every foreign business that enters China takes on a sometimes silent, sometimes not-so-silent business partner: the Chinese Communist Party.”

In recent months, Beijing began putting pressure on foreign auditing, consulting, and due diligence firms, including raids on three U.S. firms: Bain & Co., Capvision, and Mintz Group. The raids, according to Mr. Gallagher, clearly show that the CCP “considers sunlight and accurate business information in the hands of foreign companies operating in the PRC [People’s Republic of China] to be threats to its continued rule.”

“It’s time for American corporate executives to take off the golden blindfolds and stare with clear eyes at the growing peril of doing business in China,” Mr. Gallagher said.

https://www.ntd.com/every-foreign-company-in-china-accepts-ccp-as-business-partner-rep-gallagher_931121.html

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Approves Transfer of Nuclear Submarines to Australia

The U.S. Foreign Relations Senate Committee has triggered the start of the process of attaining U.S. Congressional approval for the United States to temporarily give Australia two nuclear-powered submarines, alongside other measures to deepen further defense sharing with members of the pro-liberty AUKUS defence alliance.

In a bipartisan move on July 13, the committee authorized the transfer of two used Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the United States’ own fleet to Australia and training for Australians on developing “their own Australian submarine industrial base.” It also approves the sale of a third unspecified submarine to Australia. Currently, a new Virginia-class sub costs around $4.3 billion to build.

The bill—presented as an amendment in the State Authorization Act of 2023—effectively fast-tracks the transfer of secret U.S. military hardware to Australia and the UK over the next five years, which sees the AUKUS members prioritised in line just behind Taiwan and Ukraine.

https://www.ntd.com/senate-foreign-relations-committee-approves-transfer-of-nuclear-submarines-to-australia_931151.html

: @YouTube 🇺🇸 has removed the American Flag 🇺🇸 from the list of emoji's In the live chat. The only Flags you can use In a live stream are the Pride & Pedo Flags. If you do not think @YouTube

Is an enemy of the American people. You are still sleep. @gatewaypundit

@NationalFile

https://twitter.com/RyanMattaMedia/status/1680368402316001280

Yellen Says Funding Ukraine’s War Effort Is the Best Boost for Global Economy

Redoubling financial backing for Ukraine in its war with Russia is the “single best” way to aid the global economy, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday.

She added boosting emerging economies and tackling debt distress also have their role to play alongside sending billions in taxpayer dollars to Kyiv.

AFP reports Yellen used the sidelines of a G20 finance ministers’ summit in India to reveal she would “push back” on criticism there was a tradeoff between aid to Ukraine and developing nations.

“Ending this war is first and foremost a moral imperative,” she told reporters in Gandhinagar. “But it’s also the single best thing we can do for the global economy.”

Her comments on Ukraine aid came one week after former Vice President Mike Pence said during an appearance on Breitbart News Saturday that defending Ukraine is in the best interest of the U.S., even though it is not “our war.”

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/07/16/yellen-says-funding-ukraines-war-effort-is-the-best-boost-for-global-economy/

Trump: First Term ‘Mistake’ Was Some of the People I Picked for My Cabinet

Former President Donald Trump said on this week’s broadcast of “Sunday Morning Futures” that the only mistake he made during his time in office was some of the people he picked to serve in his cabinet.

Anchor Maria Bartiromo asked, “Is there is anything you could look back on in 16 that you think maybe you want to do differently?”

Trump said, “The mistake would be people. I mean, I wouldn’t have put a guy like Bill Barr, and he was weak and pathetic. I wouldn’t have put Jeff Sessions. And there are some people that I wouldn’t have put in. You know, most people were good, but I had some people, we had Esper. I didn’t like him. He was incompetent. I thought we had other people I didn’t like.”

Bartiromo asked, “Why did you put them in the job then?”

Trump said, “You put somebody in, and you think they are good.”

He added, “All of a sudden, I’m the president of the United States, and it’s like a different society. I was New York, and, you know, it was a different thing. So I didn’t know people. I became president. I’m riding down Pennsylvania Avenue with our first lady. I had 250 motorcycles. I had armies. I had everything. I said, do you believe it? We’re president. Take a look. This is wild, right? But I never was involved in that.”

Bartiromo said, “So you didn’t know what to expect.”

Trump said, “Well, I didn’t know the people. I know the people now better than anybody has ever known. The people I know, the good ones, the bad ones, the dumb ones, the smart ones.”

But Bartiromo said, “You didn’t drain the swamp like you said you would.”

Trump said, “I did,” he replied. “I fired Comey. I fired a lot of people. A lot of the people I had, I fired. I fired Comey very early. And, you know, there was a question as to whether or not you could. But I fired Comey. If I didn’t fire Comey, I don’t think I would have been able to serve out my term because that was a plot.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2023/07/16/trump-first-term-mistake-was-some-of-the-people-i-picked-for-my-cabinet/

New insights into genetic susceptibility of COVID-19: an ACE2 and TMPRSS2 polymorphism analysis

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32664879/

Top Climate Scientists Blow Whistle, Expose ‘Cover-Up’

Top climate scientists have blown the whistle to reveal that they were “ordered” to “cover up” the truth about the alleged “global warming” on Earth.

For the past six years, the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been diligently compiling an authoritative report on the full extent of man-made global warming.

And according to a leak, it apparently shows that global temperatures haven’t increased in 15 years.

The hundreds of esteemed scientists who worked on the report confirmed that 1998 is still the hottest year on record.

Ever since that time, temperatures have either generally remained the same or declined, blowing major holes in the government’s global warming narrative.

Politicians who obtained a leaked copy of the report are now trying to cover up the fact that, based on its findings, man-made climate change is a hoax.

And once the truth gets out, everything governments are doing to go “green” will also be exposed as nothing more than a power grab.

The Associated Press (AP) obtained leaked documents about the matter showing that the political establishment all across the Western world is freaking out about the report’s findings.

Some are even calling for portions of the report to be redacted or deleted so the truth remains hidden.

Were the world to find out that global warming and climate change are a hoax, it could lead to a massive revolt against the government for being “misleading” about the state of the planet.

German leaders are calling for the contradictory data to simply be deleted from the report while Hungary’s leaders worry the report’s release at all will provide ammunition for “climate deniers” to say we told you so.

Belgian leaders are objecting to the year 1998 being used as a starting year for the statistics due to it being the hottest year on record.

To make the data appear more the way they want it to, Belgian leaders want the data to start at the year 1999 or 2000 when temperatures were cooler.

Leaders in the United States have weighed in to urge the authors of the report to explain away what the data shows by using the “leading hypothesis” among climate scientists that the globe is still warming but that all the extra heat is being absorbed by the ocean.

Leaked United Nations report reveals the world's temperature hasn't risen for the last 15 years

https://newsaddicts.com/top-climate-scientists-blow-whistle-expose-cover-up/