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The US has been over-stretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress foreign companies,” she continued. “We firmly oppose those wrong actions. The US government should respect the principles of market economy and fair competition.”...

RT — Question More (Russian state-sponsored media)
China identifies roots of US crackdown on TikTok

~ Today's Water Cooler ~

The emergence of “New Economic Order” would transform the way logistics and transport in global market is being carried out. The North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) member countries must contribute effectively for the overall development of corridor i.e., the improvement of inland waterways, security of container and general cargo terminals in Caspian ports, the modernization of border crossing points and the construction of logistics hubs and roadside service facilities, writes Muhammad Athar Javed, founder, CEO of Pakistan House, especially for the 12th Valdai Club Middle East conference.

Maybe economic warfare is not all that it was cracked up to be. Or maybe not. Blowback from it is rocking the NATO alliance as NATO countries buckle economically. The only NATO country profiting from the crisis is the US and other NATO countries view this as at their expense, although, being vassal states, they can only whine about it.

On February 20, the United Nations Security Council approved a statement, described in the media as a ‘watered-down’ version of an earlier draft resolution which would have demanded that Israel “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory.” The intrigues that led to the scrapping of what was meant to be […]

The post ‘Truth, No Matter What’: Why Watering Down Palestinian Reality is a Crime appeared first on MintPress News.

“Hundreds of newspapers across the country will stop running the ‘Dilbert’ comic strip after its creator said on a YouTube livestream that Black people were ‘a hate group’ and that white people should ‘just get the hell away’ from them.”
— New York Times

At Soldier of Fortune magazine, the only periodical devoted to private mercenaries and the private mercenary lifestyle, we’re no stranger to controversy.

In its forty-eight-year history, SOF has been on the receiving end of numerous lawsuits, most of which stemmed from our steadfast commitment to printing thinly veiled murder-for-hire advertisements between DIY pipe bomb instructions written by paranoid schizophrenics.

However, these challenges only strengthened our resolve, and against all common sense, we vow to continue pushing the boundaries of paramilitary pseudo-journalism for the criminally insane.

Dear Leader, that’s who Following up on Tom’s post below with the Florida diners who all chose Trump for the nomination, Politico finally asks, “what about the Always Trumpers?“ Chris Sununu, the New Hampshire governor and potential presidential candidate who once joked that former President Donald Trump is “fucking crazy,” backpedaled and pledged recently to support Trump if he’s the nominee in 2024. Nikki Haley, offered a similar chance to distance herself from the former president, insisted she doesn’t “focus” on him. Vivek Ramaswamy, the anti-woke entrepreneur and most recent entrant into the race, went so far as to say he’s “not running against President Trump” at all. He is, of course. Every candidate in the emerging GOP field will be. That they can’t quite acknowledge as much underscores one of the defining features of this very early primary and, more generally, GOP politics over the last six years: Trump’s base remains rigid, and even his critics believe it may be fatal to annoy them.

Australia is transitioning from our old colonial master to a self-selected new colonial master. We have those with power nostalgic for the glories of imperial Britain. Many more ‘Austral-Americans’, however, are starry-eyed at the thought of the mastery of the USA. The America of which they wish to make us the 51st state existed largely Continue reading »

Despite celebrating 12 months of surviving the Russian onslaught, promises of more money and military equipment (including tanks) from the West, and a chorus of support for the courage and resilience of the people, the war appears almost over for Ukraine. There are four reasons for thinking this. First, as the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal explains, public Continue reading »

With excess corporate profits accounting for 69% of additional inflation beyond the RBA’s target, current anti-inflation policy blames the victims of inflation, while ignoring its perpetrators. Workers in Australia have suffered considerable economic losses as a result of accelerating inflation since the onset of the COVID pandemic. Reaching a year-over-year rate of 7.8% by end-2022, Continue reading »

The AUKUS submarine fetish has colonised the minds of the Labor ministers and ejected practical commonsense. It’s too late now. There’s nought to be done but to stand by and witness Australia’s slide into vassalage. The near unanimity of the political class over AUKUS has obviated the need for a mature public debate. Australia’s AUKUS Continue reading »

In what many hope will be the final chapter of the seemingly never-ending Brexit story, British prime minister Rishi Sunak announced on Monday the Westminster Framework, a political agreement in principle with the European Union to resolve their differences over the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP), that part of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement designed to avoid Continue reading »

Savaro Ltd, a shell company reportedly operated by Ukrainian businesspeople, has been found responsible for the damages caused to over 200 victims. First published in THE CRADLE February 24, 2023 UK-registered company Savaro Ltd has been found liable by London’s High Court of Justice for the Beirut Port blast that killed over 200 people on August 4, Continue reading »

The path toward acquiring nuclear weapons could jeopardise Korea’s survival, endanger its prosperity, and damage its prestige in the international community. After President Yoon Suk-yeol broached the possibility of South Korea developing its own nuclear weapons in January, discussion of that possibility has been picking up steam. According to the results of a poll of Continue reading »

Anti-abortion groups orchestrated their legal challenge to wind up before far-right Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk.

The post The Shadow Medical Community Behind the Attempt to Ban Medication Abortion appeared first on The Intercept.

This kid was born, luckily without inheriting my giant nose.

In my last post I was attempting to compare to those blips of unreality …

His writing became Ellroyian—telegraphic, fast-paced, and intellectually cynical.

Even among white Floridians From some site called The Big Lead: Fox & Friends‘ Brian Kilmeade was tasked this morning with visiting a Florida eatery to ask people about this country and hopefully to snag some complimentary flapjacks. On the Republican side, these patrons’ governor, Ron DeSantis, has emerged as a trendy pick to unseat Donald Trump and earn the nomination. And yet Kilmeade struggled mightily to find one of them who supported DeSantis. Hell, even the person wearing a shirt with his name on it seemed to be on the fence in terms of her support. That seems … not great. Even the dulcet tones of Smashmouth’s “All-Star” will do little to blunt the warning bells going off at DeSantis HQ. Of course, as Kilmeade alluded to, that decision is way, way down the road and it sounds like a lot of people need a break from talking about the election, especially after they are asked to talk about the election. Definitely not a cult. Cue Jethro Tull. Our Father high in heaven, smile down upon your sonWho is busy with his money games – his women and his gunOh Jesus save me

An effort to rationalize Presidential and by extension other politicians' minimizing interaction with the press.