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Quenelle - Golden

Slovakia elects pro-Russia Pellegrini as president, joins outspoken PM Fico

slovakia  Peter Pellegrini
Parliament Speaker Peter Pellegrini wins second round of presidential election, cementing the grip of pro-Russian PM Robert Fico.
Slovak nationalist-left government candidate Peter Pellegrini has won the country's presidential election, cementing the grip of pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico over the country.

Pellegrini had 53.26 percent of the vote, versus 46.73 percent for pro-Western opposition candidate Ivan Korcok, results from 99.66 percent of voting districts showed on Saturday.

Fico, who took power for the fourth time last October, has turned the country's foreign policy to more pro-Russian views and initiated reforms of criminal law and the media, raising concerns over weakening the rule of law.

Comment: Regarding the election, Mike Shedlock writes:
Decline of the EU Center

The EU is increasingly fragmented over Ukraine, agricultural policy, and energy policy. There is no chance that the EU increases its push towards EVs.

The European parliament elections are in June and the centrists rate to take some huge losses, especially in France, but all across Europe.

The EU is increasingly dysfunctional. Rules make it near impossible to implement any major changes on the Euro, trade policy, and fiscal policy rules, areas that require unanimity to make changes.

In areas where countries can decide individual actions such as support for Ukraine, Slovokia now firmly joins Germany and Hungary in a pro-Russia stance.


Hungarian Leader Victor Orban Congratulates Pellengrini


Macron is increasingly isolated in France for wanting to stand up to Putin. That will hurt him the parliamentary elections.

European Council President Calls on Europe to Switch to a War Economy

On March 21, I reported European Council President Calls on Europe to Switch to a War
As a way to create jobs, EC President Charles Michel promotes a war economy. Where that would lead is obvious.

Solidarity With Ukraine

Solidarity with Ukraine is drying up everywhere. Support is "so deep" that in the EU it died over wheat. Seriously. It's not just Poland. Farmers across the EU are hopping mad over Ukrainian wheat and corn.
Fortunately, Michel's call is going nowhere for two reasons.

The first is support for Ukraine is waning. The second and more important is fiscal rules would prevent it.

And it's impossible to change the fiscal rules.

Expect a Financial Crisis in Europe With France at the Epicenter

The EU never enforced its Growth and Stability Pact or Maastricht Treaty rules. The crisis is coming to a head with France and Italy in the spotlight. The first casualty will be Green policy.

For discussion, please see Expect a Financial Crisis in Europe With France at the Epicenter

Ukraine Won't Win the War, It's Time for a New Strategy

On March 16, I noted Ukraine Won't Win the War, It's Time for a New Strategy
Support for Ukraine is waning in the US and has totally dried up in Germany. French president Emmanuel Macron is making a symbolic last stand but it's more likely to backfire than help Ukraine.
In Germany, SPD, the lead party in the ruling coalition, openly supports a partition of Ukraine.

In the US, Biden is making a big push for Ukraine with no stated goals or endgame.

It will be interesting to see what concoction Speaker Mike Johnson come up with, but more money will do nothing but prolong the war.

Why is this our battle anyway when Europe increasingly does not give a damn? Don't we have enough problems here on our own border?
Further background regarding Slovakia:


President-elect of Slovakia Pellegrini:

My idea is peace and an end to the killings. I clearly state that I am a politician who will never allow a Slovak soldier to go to fight in Ukraine. Therefore, I think that we did not scare people, but on the contrary. I actually assured every mother and every father in Slovakia that their son would not go to fight in Ukraine. Let's see what's happening in the world.

The President of Poland said that war is just around the corner and he does not know in what year this will affect his country. In Sweden, leaflets are distributed describing how to survive in the event of an invasion and military conflict. In Germany, the head of the Ministry of Defense says that children need to be taught the rules of behavior during war and somehow protected.

So from this point of view, it is not yet clear how this conflict will end. I am very glad that I joined the circle of politicians. Obviously, there are many opinions, but I will say it bluntly, as I have said more than once. I would rather listen to the words of the Pope than, in this case, the President of France Emmanuel Macron. Although I know him, we are at odds.





Wall Street

Bribes for votes: Biden unveils plan to wipe out student loan debt for millions more Americans

Joe Biden, Student loans, student aid, studentaid.gov
© Alex Wong/Getty Images
President Joe Biden unveiled a new plan Monday to relieve the student loan debt of millions more Americans nearly a year after the Supreme Court struck down previous efforts.

Biden's administration outlined its latest plan to forgive the student loan debt of more than four million Americans, wipe at least $5,000 in debt for more than 10 million borrowers and fully eliminate accrued interest for 23 million borrowers, according to a White House press release. The Supreme Court previously blocked the Biden administration's plan in June 2023 to grant student loan forgiveness to nearly 40 million Americans using executive power in a 6-3 decision.

"While Republican elected officials try every which way to block millions of their own constituents from receiving student debt cancellation, President Biden has vowed to use every tool available to cancel student debt for as many borrowers as possible, as quickly as possible," the White House said in a press release, likely referring to the Supreme Court's June 2023 decision.

Comment: The real point of this move is to astroturf Biden's rigged victory in November. Make it seem like a lot of people had legitimate reasons for coming out in support of Biden in unprecedented numbers so as to allay suspicion and avoid an uprising by the disenfranchised. Everything else is deception.


Dollars

Tyranny by the numbers: The government wants your money any way it can get it

Census Questionnaire
© agovernmentofwolves.com
The government wants your money.

It will beg, steal or borrow if necessary, but it wants your money any way it can get it.

This is what comes of those $1.2 trillion spending bills: someone's got to foot the bill for the government's fiscal insanity, and that "someone" is the U.S. taxpayer.

The government's schemes to swindle, cheat, scam, and generally defraud taxpayers of their hard-earned dollars have run the gamut from wasteful pork barrel legislation, cronyism and graft to asset forfeiture, costly stimulus packages, and a national security complex that continues to undermine our freedoms while failing to making us any safer.

Americans have also been made to pay through the nose for the government's endless wars, subsidization of foreign nations, military empire, welfare state, roads to nowhere, bloated workforce, secret agencies, fusion centers, private prisons, biometric databases, invasive technologies, arsenal of weapons, and every other budgetary line item that is contributing to the fast-growing wealth of the corporate elite at the expense of those who are barely making ends meet — that is, we the taxpayers.

According to the number crunchers with the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, in order to spend money it doesn't have on programs it can't afford, the government is borrowing roughly $6 billion a day.

Basically, the U.S. government is funding its existence with a credit card.

Let's talk numbers, shall we?

Star of David

Nicaragua brings Germany to ICJ for facilitating Gaza genocide with $353 million arm sales, Berlin denies involvement

Nicaragua   Germany  ICJ
© Mouneb Taim/AAOverview of the courtroom during the second day of hearings at the the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case brought by Nicaragua against Germany. German legal team tells court 98 percent of arms exports to Israel since October 7 were general equipment like vests, helmets and binoculars.
Germany has denied accusations that it was aiding genocide in Gaza by selling Israel arms in a case at the top UN court brought by Nicaragua - a case that reflects a mounting legal action in support of Palestinians.

Tania von Uslar-Gleichen, legal adviser for the German Foreign Ministry, told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday that Nicaragua's case was rushed, based on flimsy evidence and should be thrown out for lack of jurisdiction.

Arms exports were scrutinised for adherence to international law, she said.

"Germany is doing its utmost to live up to its responsibility vis-a-vis both the Israeli and the Palestinian people," she added, with Germany the largest individual donor of humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

Comment: Whilst other nations may be not be supplying the bulk to the genociders, they are still complicit: UK judges, intelligence experts call for immediate halt to Israeli arms sales, 'may render UK complicit in genocide'




Bullseye

'Sacrilege': China says US actions over Gaza ceasefire undermine UN Security Council

china united nations Dai Bin
China's permanent representative to the UN, Dai Bin
The statements and actions of the United States do not correspond to the status of a permanent member of the UN Security Council, since they undermine confidence in this organization. This statement was made by China's permanent representative to the UN, Dai Bin.

The Chinese representative criticized the latest US statements; the day before, US Permanent Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield called the UN Security Council resolution regarding the Israeli ceasefire in the Gaza Strip "non-binding". The document was adopted on March 25 by all members of the UN Security Council, except the United States, which "abstained." According to Dai Bin, the American statements undermine the authority of the UN Security Council.

Comment: The difference between China and US rhetoric is that China practises diplomacy, and so when it does criticise the US, one can be more confident that it has good reason to, and that it has also exhausted all other diplomatic channels. This is becoming much more apparent as time passes, and the US further abuses its geopolitical position:


Star of David

Türkiye launches trade war on Israel

Gaza solidarity protest
© Chris McGrath/Getty ImagesA Gaza solidarity protest in Istanbul, Turkey
The Turkish government has imposed export restrictions on Israel covering 54 product categories, in response to the Gaza war, the Trade Ministry announced on Tuesday.

Ankara has been one of the fiercest critics of Israel since the conflict with Hamas broke out in October. Protests have been held in Istanbul in recent days demanding a trade ban. Ankara's decision also follows the Israeli government's refusal to allow Turkish aid drops into Gaza.

According to Turkish Trade Ministry, the items on the export embargo list - which takes immediate effect - include aluminum, copper, steel, construction materials, machinery, and various chemical products. Türkiye had already stopped sending Israel any goods that could be used for military purposes, the ministry noted.

The restrictions will remain in place until Israel declares a ceasefire in Gaza and allows "the unhindered flow of sufficient humanitarian aid" into the area, the document adds. Israel has been accused by the UN and human rights groups of obstructing the deliveries of aid into Gaza.

Bullseye

Zelensky's peace plan 'divorced from reality' - Lavrov

lavrov
© Sputnik/Russian Foreign Ministry
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's peace plan to end the conflict with Moscow is unrealistic and cannot serve as the basis for any future talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has argued. Speaking on Tuesday alongside his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, Lavrov said Beijing and Moscow agree that any negotiations must take into account Russia's security concerns.

First presented in the autumn of 2022, Zelensky's ten-point peace formula calls for a complete and unconditional withdrawal of Russian forces from all territories within Ukraine's 1991 borders. The plan also envisages the creation of an international tribunal for Russian military commanders and the political leadership, as well as reparations.

The Kremlin has signaled its readiness to engage in peace negotiations with Ukraine, but only if Kiev and its Western backers accept the "reality on the ground."

Monkey Wrench

China dismisses Washington's threat of 'consequences'

Mao Ning
© Johannes Neudecker/picture alliance via Getty ImagesChinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning
Beijing has dismissed a warning from Washington to Chinese companies that allegedly support the Russian military amid its conflict with Ukraine. China will resolutely protect its interests from "foreign interference," the Foreign Ministry has said in response.

Over the weekend, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen threatened Chinese firms with "significant consequences" if they "provide material support for Russia's war against Ukraine."

Yellen's warning came as anonymous US officials told Bloomberg that Chinese companies were supplying microelectronics and machine tools to Russia to produce tanks, as well as optics and propellants for use in missiles.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning responded to Yellen's statement during a press conference on Monday.

Target

Hunter Biden-linked Ukrainian company used for terror attacks in Russia - Moscow

Hunter
© Saul Loeb/AFPHunter Biden
Multiple entities, including Burisma Holdings, have been involved in funding terrorism, Russian investigators are claiming...

Criminal probes into the financing of terrorist activities in Russia and abroad have been launched against several private companies, the country's Investigative Committee announced on Tuesday. The list of suspects includes the Ukrainian industrial conglomerate Burisma Holdings, linked to a corruption scandal surrounding the Biden family that has been dragging on for years.

The criminal investigation stems from a complaint filed by a group of Russian MPs and public figures in the aftermath of the deadly Crocus City Hall attack outside Moscow last month. The original complaint identified the US and its allies as allegedly organizing a string of attacks on Russian soil.

Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said:
"So far, investigators have established that the funds, flowing through commercial organizations, including the oil and gas conglomerate Burisma Holdings, operating in Ukraine, have been used in recent years to carry out terrorist attacks in Russia. Terrorist activities have also reached beyond the country, aimed at the elimination of prominent political and public figures, as well as causing economic damage.

"Committee's specialists have been working in cooperation with other intelligence services and financial intelligence, checking sources of income and further movement of funds in the amount of several million US dollars, and examining the potential involvement of 'specific individuals' from among government officials, people with civic and commercial organizations of Western countries."

Comment: The Bidens cannot remain untouchable forever...or can they?

Update: More from the same source:
9 Apr, 2024 22:51
Ukrainian Burisma company 'vehicle to launder taxpayer money' - lawyer to RT

The oil and gas firm was named by the Russian Investigative Committee among organizations potentially used to finance terrorism

The Russian Investigative Committee on Tuesday said it launched a criminal probe into the financing of terrorism, naming the Ukrainian industrial conglomerate Burisma among the suspects.

RT spoke about the unfolding scandal to Arnaud Develay, an international human rights advocate and the author of a book covering ties between the Ukrainian company and the family of US President Joe Biden.

"This is something that the Russian Investigative Committee is going to have to determine to be sure, but this is nothing new," Develay stated, describing the Ukrainian company as a "vehicle to launder taxpayers' money."

The investigators have already "established that the funds, flowing through commercial organizations, including the oil and gas conglomerate Burisma Holdings, operating in Ukraine, have been used in recent years to carry out terrorist attacks in Russia" and beyond.

Should the allegation prove to be true, the West will try its best to swipe the whole affair under the rug, as well as to derail any attempts to bring it before international bodies, Develay believes.

"They would try to fight tooth and nail to basically deny it," he said, adding that an attempt to establish a UN-backed tribunal to handle the affair is bound to get vetoed by the "Big Three" - the US, the UK and France.

"This is something that is going to have to be handled a different way," he warned.

Develay's work, titled 'Foreign Entanglements: Ukraine, Biden & the Fractured American Political Consensus' [Amazon link inserted.] is set for public release on Wednesday.



Footprints

More German troops arrive near Russian border

group military
© Bundeswehr/Marco DorowThe Panzerbrigade 45 advance team
Germany has sent an advance military team to Lithuania as part of plans for a full-strength armor brigade permanently stationed in the Baltic state, which borders Russia. Moscow has described the mission as a threat that requires "special measures" in response.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was among those to see off 21 military service members and civilian employees who departed on Monday from Berlin to Vilnius. The minister praised the Bundeswehr deployment as "a clear signal of solidarity" with Germany's fellow NATO member.

The Lithuanian Brigade, or Panzerbrigade 45, is set to include some 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian employees by the time it becomes fully operational in 2027. It will be hosted at the Rudninkai training ground in the southeast of the country as well as near the town of Rukla. Some German troops will be located just 20km from the border with Belarus, a key Russian ally. Lithuania also borders the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

Comment: Proceeding according to plan: