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Best of the Web: Ukraine's army is running out of men, and time - UK Telegraph

Robert Clark
The Telegraph
Tue, 22 Aug 2023 18:39 UTC
5 guys
© unknownUkraine’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade fighters perform a fireside fascist salute in a video announcing their re-formation.
The war in Ukraine is now one of attrition, fought on terms that increasingly favour Moscow. Kyiv has dealt admirably with shortages of Western equipment so far, but a shortage of manpower - which it is already having to confront - may prove fatal.

Broadly speaking, Kyiv's highly anticipated counter-offensive has gathered much-needed momentum in recent weeks, with hard-fought gains around the strategically important village of Robotyne.


Comment: Losing thousands of men for a village or 2, which it's likely to lose back to Russia in a few weeks time, is not a 'gain'; more so because that's exactly Russia's goal: to reduce the number of troops in the Kiev-junta's Nazi-aligned military.


If this falls, the road to the Azov sea will be in sight. If Ukrainian forces can reach the coast, they will split the land-bridge connecting Russia with Crimea, potentially routing Moscow's troops.

Ukraine's forces, however, are not just fighting massed defences and artillery fire. They are also fighting against time. Having first penetrated the formidable Russian minefields four weeks ago, Kyiv is desperate to exploit its early successes before mounting casualties and autumn rains destroy its fighting capability.

Comment: It seems that, increasingly, the West is preparing to admit defeat in its Ukrainian-proxy war against Russia: US & Ukraine 'at odds' over counteroffensive tactics reports WSJ, top EU general admits Russia 'clearly superior to Ukraine'

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Bullseye

In trade wars, the US uses the same economic weapons against foe and friend alike - Fomenko

Timur Fomenko
RT
Fri, 25 Aug 2023 01:38 UTC
tokyo heat wave june 2022
© David Mareuil / Anadolu Agency / Getty ImagesWashington wants Beijing to repeat the fate of Tokyo, whose economic stagnation was triggered by a pact with America
With China's ongoing economic slowdown, one of the predictions for its fate voiced recently is that it could suffer from "Japanification."

The term refers to the recent history of Japan, which has experienced relative economic stagnation since the 1990s, with its current GDP continuing to be below what it was in 1995. This episode is often referred to as Japan's 'lost decade'. Although the country recovered in the first decade of the 2000s, its economy slumped again amid the chaos of the Fukushima nuclear disaster and has never truly recovered since. The reasons identified for this poor performance include high levels of public debt, an asset price bubble, and low inflation.

It is inevitable that given China's current difficulties, its situation is now being compared to Japan's. But there is more to it than that, because the beginning of Japan's decline was not just a product of poor economic policies but also of geopolitics. Similar to how the US now sees China, Tokyo was once viewed as a competitor to be crushed before it could overtake the US in economic size, and with the 1985 Plaza Accord - designed to artificially weaken the US dollar against other currencies, including the yen, to reduce the US trade deficit - America did just that. Japan has since gone from being an 'economy of the future' to one of stagnation, and now the US hopes to curtail China's rise in a similar, albeit more adversarial way.

Comment: Japan is much more than just an economic vassal:

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Magic Wand

German officials believe Ukraine destroyed Nord Stream - media


RT
Fri, 25 Aug 2023 19:13 UTC
Nord Stream II
© Swedish Coast GuardSwedish Coast Guard's image of Nord Stream II terroristattack, seen Sept. 28, 2022. Nothing ties Russia to the explosions, two major German news outlets have reported.

German investigators probing the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines are increasingly convinced that the perpetrators in question are linked to Ukraine, Der Spiegel and state broadcaster ZDF reported on Friday.

Those familiar with the probe "consider the clues [pointing to] Ukraine to be particularly convincing," the ZDF broadcaster said, adding that "there is no reliable evidence" that would suggest Russia was responsible.

Law enforcement agencies are still largely focused on the 'Andromeda' sailing yacht. Western media has previously reported that the vessel was chartered by the alleged saboteurs, who used it to plant explosives on the undersea pipelines. Traces of these explosives were reportedly found in the cabin of the yacht.

Comment: Ukraine was not capable of pulling off such an attack, as its recent feeble terrorist attacks against Russia attest. The most reasonable conclusion, both in terms of capabilities and motive, is that the US - in collusion with its allies/vassals - was responsible. Are these officials throwing Ukraine under the bus because they're losing the West's proxy war against Russia?

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Blue Planet

The multi-polar world is here: The BRICS expansion in 4 charts

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Sun, 27 Aug 2023 19:51 UTC
Brics expansion new members 2023
© PEP ForumThe multipolar order is taking shape – and BRICS would comprise over half global population, 60% of global gas and 45% of global oil reserves.
BRICS is an association of five major countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Distinguished by their emerging economies, the group has sought to improve diplomatic coordination, reform global financial institutions, and ultimately serve as a counterbalance to Western hegemony.

On Aug. 24, 2023, BRICS announced that it would formally accept six new members at the start of 2024: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In this graphic, Visual Capitalist's Marcus Lu and Bhabna Banerjee provide a data-driven overview of how the BRICS expansion will grow the group's influence and reach.

Comment: Obsevers such as Alexander Mercouris and Alex Mercouris have noted that the countries committing to the BRICS organization realize that it may be their only path forward to preserve their collective sovereignties. In that vein, China and India understand the need to solve their differences in furthering that aim.



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Snakes in Suits

Nothing to see here: Biden staffers met with Special Counsel Jack Smith's aides two months before Trump indictment

Jon Levine
New York Post
Sun, 27 Aug 2023 19:12 UTC
trump special counsel jack smith
© Eduardo Munoz Alvarez; Robin van Lonkhuijsen/Pool/AFP via Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump and Special Counsel Jack Smith (inset)
The White House counsel's office met with a top aide to Special Counsel Jack Smith just weeks before he brought charges against former President Trump for allegedly mishandling classified documents — raising serious concerns about coordinated legal efforts aimed at President Biden's likely opponent in 2024.

Jay Bratt, who joined the special counsel team in November 2022, shortly after it was formed, took a meeting in the White House on March 31, 2023, with Caroline Saba, deputy chief of staff for the White House counsel's office, White House visitor logs show.

They were joined in the 10 a.m. meeting by Danielle Ray, an FBI agent in the Washington field office.

Nine weeks later, Trump was indicted by Smith's office on June 8, 2023.

Comment:

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Arrow Up

Best of the Web: Forget CPI: Inflation in necessities has skyrocketed since 2020

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Thu, 24 Aug 2023 06:20 UTC
boulder up
© unknown
When mainstream economists and politicians cite "improvements" to the inflation problem in the US in recent months, what they are commonly referencing are changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). However, the CPI is not a measure of total inflation, rather, it is a median snapshot of prices at a particular point and time. True inflation is cumulative - A 10% increase one year and a 5% increase the next year is not a win, it means that you are now paying 15% more on average for everything you buy in the span of only two years.

When CPI falls this does not mean that prices on goods and services are going down, it only indicates that prices are rising slower than they were the month or the year before.

Another misconception about CPI is that it measures the inflation rate accurately for regular consumers on common purchases. In reality, the CPI represents mean average price rate increase for a vast basket of goods; over 94,000 items and services with over 200 separate categories. Most of these items and services you will never use or rarely purchase in the span of a year. In other words, inflation declines in uncommon goods can dilute the numbers, making it seem like inflation is dropping while prices on daily necessities continue to spike.

The CPI is weighted according to consumer spending patterns, which is where the calculations can be "adjusted" to a certain extent in an arbitrary manner. Then there is outright government manipulation through various means. As we witnessed recently with the Biden Administration's claims that "Bidenomics" has defeated the inflation threat, what these reports don't mention is that Biden has been dumping US strategic oil reserves on the market for the past year. And since energy prices effect the inflation of so many other categories, Biden has artificially manipulated the CPI down using one key resource.
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Dollars

Fired Ukrainian prosecutor Shokin: Joe and Hunter Biden took bribes - were behind his ousting: 'Isn't that corruption alone?'

Kelly Laco
Daily Mail
Fri, 25 Aug 2023 18:19 UTC
VikSho
© UNIANFormer Ukraine Prosecutor-General Viktor Shokin
Former Ukranian Prosecutor-General Viktor Shokin is accusing Joe and Hunter Biden of 'corruption' - saying they accepted large money 'bribes' from Burisma and were behind his firing.

Shokin, who was ousted as Ukraine's top prosecutor in 2016, made the accusations during excerpts of an upcoming explosive interview airing on Fox News. At the time of his firing, he was investigating oil company Burisma Holdings for corruption - when Hunter was serving on the firm's board.

In the interview, Shokin says:
"I do not want to deal in unproven facts. But my firm personal conviction is that yes, this was the case. They were being bribed...The fact that Joe Biden gave away $1 billion in U.S. money in exchange for my dismissal - my firing - isn't that alone a case of corruption?"
The full interview aired Saturday evening at 8 pm ET with Brian Kilmeade.
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Target

Here we go with the fake 14th Amendment challenge

M. Dowling
Independent Sentinel
Fri, 25 Aug 2023 00:00 UTC
Trump and We
© unknownFormer US President Donald Trump
A Florida lawyer is challenging former President Trump's ability to run for president in 2024 under the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment, citing the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

Lawrence Caplan, a tax attorney in Palm Beach County, filed the challenge in federal court Thursday, pointing to a clause in the amendment that says those who "have engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the government cannot hold office, The Hill reports. He wrote in the filing:
"The bottom line here is that President Trump both engaged in an insurrection and also gave aid and comfort to other individuals who were engaging in such actions, within the clear meaning of those terms as defined in Section Three of the 14th Amendment. Assuming that the public record to date is accurate, and we have no evidence to the contrary, Trump is no longer eligible to seek the office of the President of the United States, or of any other state of the Union."
This is a frivolous lawsuit, but expect many more of them.

If you can stand it, listen to these dishonest gasbags:

Comment: The 14th Amendment guarantees citizen rights and equal protection under the law...which includes former presidents. Period.

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Airplane

Bodies and flight recorders recovered from plane crash believed to have killed Wagner rebel chief Yevgeny Prigozhin

Reilly Sullivan
Sky News
Sat, 26 Aug 2023 01:14 UTC
flowers pic
© Pelagiya Tihonova/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesTribute to Mr. Prigozhin in Moscow
The Russian government has announced the recovery of 10 bodies and flight recorders from the scene of a plane crash presumed to have killed rebel Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

According to an alleged passenger list from Russian aviation agency Rosaviatsia, Mr Prigozhin was traveling on the Embraer Legacy 600 jet with his Chief Lieutenant Dmitry Utkin, as well as five other passengers and three crew members.

The business jet crashed on Wednesday afternoon in Russia Tver's region soon after departing from Moscow, leaving the Wagner military army effectively leaderless.

A second plane linked to Mr Prigozhin was also believed to be travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg at the time however it turned back after the jet crash and landed safely.

Comment: See also:

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Wolf

Ex-Ukrainian chief prosecutor Shokin: Biden 'took bribes'


RT
Sun, 27 Aug 2023 18:26 UTC
ShokinBidenLutsenko
© Global Look Press/ZUMAPRESS/REUTERS/Sergii Kharchenko/Mike Blake/Nazar FurykViktor Shokin • Joe Biden • Yuriy Lutsenko
The US president was lobbied to stop an investigation into the energy company Burisma, where his son Hunter was a top executive, Viktor Shokin has said

Former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin has claimed that Joe Biden, while serving as US vice president, received a bribe from a Ukrainian energy company in exchange for helping to get him fired in 2016.

In an interview with Fox News released on Friday, Shokin said that Biden pressured then-Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko to fire him over his investigation into Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company on whose board Hunter Biden, the incumbent US president's son, served at the time.

Comment: How it goes in a snake pit:



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