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Bad Guys

IMF says productivity declining in most of EU

IMF FMI
© CC BY 2.0 / Bruno Sanchez-Andrade Nuño / IMF
The bloc's economy is set to recover but growth will be moderate, according to a top official

The EU economy is not growing as fast as it could be and productivity is a problem in every member country, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The director of the IMF's European Department, Alfred Kammer, shared its regional economic outlook for the bloc earlier this week.

Expected GDP growth rate in the EU is predicted to be only 1.1% this year and 1.6% in 2025, up from 0.6% a year earlier.

Commenting on the report, Kammer pointed to three factors holding the EU back.

Comment: Meanwhile, Russia goes from strength to strength
Russia's unemployment remains at record low

The level of joblessness has remained at 2.4% for a third month in a row, according to the president

The unemployment level in Russia remained at a record low of 2.4% for a third month in a row in August, president Vladimir Putin said on Monday at a government meeting on economic issues.

The head of state particularly noted that unemployment among youth (those under 25) has continued to decline rapidly.

"Now it is less than 9%, after having decreased by more than 1 percentage point over the year," Putin said, noting that last year it had stood at 11.6%.

The state statistics agency Rosstat said this month that the unemployment rate in Russia in August had remained at its all-time low level for the third month in a row. The historical minimum of 2.4% was reached in June 2024.

According to Rosstat,1.8 million people aged 15 and older were classified as unemployed as of August.

Talking about the Russian economy as a whole, the president said that it is continuing to grow. Russia's industrial growth over the first eight months of this year was 4.5%, he said; the manufacturing sector added 8.1%, while mechanical engineering grew by almost 20%.

At the same time, Putin noted some imbalances in the economy due to "external sanctions and our own structural limitations, including a shortage of personnel and technology, logistics." These factors are reflected, among other things, in the dynamics of consumer prices, he said.

The government was instructed to develop a supply-side economy, to help boost labor productivity, launch new investment projects and create modern jobs in all industries.

Putin said, citing forecasts, that by the end of the year, Russia's GDP will have grown by 3.9%, which is higher than the global average. The IMF expects global GDP growth to be at 3.2% this year, the Russian president pointed out.
Capitalists gonna capital. Short-sighted sanctions on Russia and individual Russians brought millions in ex-pat money home which was then invested in the country. They took one look at the seizure of Russian state assets and said, "That could be me next." And Russia benefits.


Cut

Los Angeles DA and Soros puppet George Gascón ousted by voters over failed criminal justice reform policies

Hochman
© KCAL NewsHochman defeated Gascón in the Los Angeles County district attorney election by a huge margin
Californians fed up with soaring crime have overwhelmingly voted to replace Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, the so-called godfather of progressive prosecutors.

Gascón — who immediately introduced sweeping criminal justice reforms when elected in 2020 — got less than 40% of the vote as he lost to Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor who campaigned against the controversial DA's "public safety failure" during his four years in office.

"The voters of Los Angeles County have spoken and have said enough is enough of D.A. Gascón's pro-criminal extreme policies; they look forward to a safer future," Hochman said in a statement early Wednesday.

"As D.A., I look forward to representing all of the people, whether they voted for me or not, since their safety will be my responsibility," he promised.

Comment: Previously:


Family

Californians overwhelmingly pass anti-crime Proposition 36 measure that Dem Gov. Gavin Newsom strongly opposed

prop 36
© AP
California voters approved by a massive margin a ballot measure to more harshly punish certain crimes — with the initiative garnering a whopping 70.6% support with nearly 7.6 million ballots counted.

The outcome of the state's Proposition 36 reflected a backlash to light penalties for shoplifting and drug-related crimes — and it passed despite opposition from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Prop 36 authorizes felony charges for possession of drugs including fentanyl and for thefts under $950 if the offender has two prior drug or theft convictions, according to the official summary of its provisions.

The nascent law creates a new category of crime called "treatment-mandated felony" that allows a person to have their drug conviction set aside if they complete rehab.

Sheriff

Arizona backs local law enforcement arrests of suspected illegal immigrants

borer wall arizona illegal migrants immigrants
© AP Photo/Matt York, FileProposition 314 makes it a state crime for people to illegally enter Arizona from Mexico outside official ports of entry.
GOP lawmakers say Proposition 314 is needed to secure border after failings of Biden administration

Voters in border state Arizona have approved Proposition 314, a measure that would allow local police to arrest migrants suspected of illegally entering the state amid concerns over border security.

Proposition 314 makes it a state crime for people to illegally enter Arizona from Mexico outside official ports of entry, permitting local and state law enforcement officers to arrest them and state judges to order their deportations. Those who enforce the law would be shielded from civil lawsuits.

Comment:


USA

How America became unburdened by what has been

Emil Nolde Zwei Schwimmer1914 painting
© CopyrightEmil Nolde Zwei Schwimmer ("Two swimmers")1914
We'll see many articles on Trump's clean sweep win in the days to come. Here's Andrew Korybko's interpretation of events:

Trump just beat Kamala despite the formidable odds that were against him. He survived two assassination attempts, withstood the government's lawfare, and is on track to secure the popular vote even though the legacy media was fully in support of his opponent. Speaking of her, she's infamous for repeating her phrase about America becoming "unburdened by what has been", which means moving past the Trump era. Ironically, the country just moved past her, and here's how it happened:

1. "It's The Economy, Stupid!"

Democrat consultant James Carville famously coined the abovementioned phrase in reference to the most important electoral issue for most Americans. It still rings true to this day since the majority of the country is worse off after four years of the Biden-Harris Administration than it was after Trump's first term. It doesn't matter what the reasons for that are since such developments strongly work against incumbents. Americans accordingly voted to bring back the golden economy that Trump ushered in.

Bell

Why I changed my mind on Trump

trump
Like many others, including J.D. Vance, I'm very much on record in warning about Donald Trump from 2015 onward, including articles and an entire book (which is still valuable) on the Rightist version of collectivism.

As we approach election day, my opinions have undergone a shift, particularly in the last three years watching as Biden/Harris marshalled a massive ruling class propaganda and compulsion machine to push everything I oppose the most: state consolidation, corporatism, censorship, inflationism, central planning and compulsory injections of experimental medical products.

It all seems surreal to me. I think back to what worried me the most about Trump: demagogic nationalism, nativistic protectionism, executive centralisation and the leadership cult. Features of his last term confirmed my worst fears, particularly his green lighting of lockdowns for Covid and disregard for religious and personal freedom in the period. He also has a terrible record on spending, mitigated in part by solid efforts toward deregulation and higher quality picks on the bench.

USA

Meta allows US military to use its AI

meta
© Jonathan Raa/Getty Images
Meta will permit US government agencies and contractors working for the needs of national security to use its AI models for military purposes, the tech giant announced on Monday. The move should help American open-source models to excel over those from China and elsewhere, the tech giant has said.

The move is a departure from the company's "acceptable use policy," which states that its artificial intelligence models are forbidden from being employed in "military, warfare, nuclear industries."

Meta is "pleased to confirm" that it will share its AI models, named Llama, with federal agencies and defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen, as well as defense-oriented tech firms such as Palantir and Anduril.

A Meta spokesman confirmed to the New York Times on Monday that the firm will also provide access to its AI models to the members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which besides the US includes Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.

Comment: Is this news or a nod to what is already standard practice?


Cross

American who worked for Russia in Donbass speaks exclusively to RT

Martindale
© RTMissionary Daniel Martindale
RT has spoken exclusively with a US citizen who spent months secretly collecting intelligence on the Ukrainian military in Donbass and handing it over to Russia.

Daniel Martindale, who was there as a missionary, revealed that before moving to Ukraine in February 2022, he had resided in a "small Polish village where there's a Protestant church, and I was working with children in summer camps, teaching them English, but of course with the whole Christian theme."

When asked what prompted him to move to the neighboring country, he said: "Probably the biggest motivation was my desire to be in Russia if and when World War III starts."

Martindale stayed in Ukraine for two years, spending most of his time in a village located not far from the front line in Donbass which has since been liberated by the Russian military.


No Entry

'Murderers!': Spanish royals leave flood-hit town after heckling by angry crowd

King Felipe VI of Spain n the region of Valencia, eastern Spain, November 3, 2024, in the aftermath of deadly floods.
© Manaure Quintero, AFPKing Felipe VI of Spain is heckled by angry residents throwing mud and objects during his visit to Paiporta, in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain, November 3, 2024, in the aftermath of deadly floods.
During a visit to flood-ravaged Paiporta near Valencia on Sunday, King Felipe VI and government officials faced angry survivors who hurled mud and shouted insults. Police intervened to control the crowd, which expressed outrage following the deaths of more than 200 people.


Furious locals pelted Spain's royals and premier on Sunday with mud and cries of "murderers!", forcing officials to cut short their visit to the town worst hit by the floods which have killed more than 200.

The angry crowd in the town of Paiporta focused most of its wrath on Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the head of the Valencia region, both of whom were whisked away by security.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were hit in the face and clothes with mud as they tried to calm the angry crowd, AFP journalists saw.

Comment: See also:


Cult

Creepy gov't-funded 'anti-hate' group run by a weird Egyptian man is now Germany's first official internet censor under the Digital Services Act

internet censorship
These Trusted Flaggers are charged with eradicating "hate speech" and "fake news" from social media; platforms that ignore their Trusted Flagging can be fined or face other serious sanctions.

Are you one of those schoolmarm hall-monitor types?

Do you have a screechy voice and do you enjoy looking down your nose at other people?

Do your favourite pastimes include complaining to the manager, telling teenagers not to say bad words and levelling self-superior moral disapproval at everything you don't like?

Well, then the European Union is just the place for you! Under our fantastic new Digital Services Act (DSA), you can engage in all these recreations, and what is more, you can do so in an official capacity, as a Trusted Flagger!

In places like the United States, censorship is a thing that the three-letter agencies and the major social media platforms have to hash out among themselves behind closed doors. Things are different here in Europe, where the DSA has imposed upon all of us a totally legal censorship regime for the purposes of cracking down on notionally "illegal" internet content. Any censorship regime of course requires censors, and that's where you, the aspiring Trusted Flagger, come in. This is your golden opportunity.