Name: RT News - February 26th 2023
Uploaded: 2023-02-26T19:37:18+00:00
Duration: 30 min 18 s
Description: Africa, Nigeria Elections : Ballot box theft and voter intimidation mire the presidential and parliamentary elections in Africa's largest nation, Nigeria. RT continues with special coverage. Karabo Le

1 year ago

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News Russia Russian Ukraine Africa Nigeria elections presidential Nord stream 2 sabotage Donbass

Africa, Nigeria Elections : Ballot box theft and voter intimidation mire the presidential and parliamentary elections in Africa's largest nation, Nigeria. RT continues with special coverage. Karabo Lethatlha reports.

Germany, Ramstein Airbase protests: Thousands of Germans went to the US airbase today to protest German citizens involvement in the proxy war against Russia. People from all over Europe also attended. The comments are simple - it's not our war, why are we involved? U.S. must stop the control it wields for whatever reasons, they are not of the citizens of Germany/Europe. Rachel Marsden was there in "little America" to report.
There were also protests in Amsterdam Holland, London Britain, Madrid Spain and Milan Italy protesting to stop the weapons to Ukraine (QS and we have every right - after all we are paying for them and they are just extending this conflict - we never got a vote on it, they take our money for their wars without asking permission) Rachel Marsden said there were comments made to her about the Nord Stream 2 sabotage.
No more weapons to Ukraine that's one of the messages, as crowds protest outside Ramstein Air Base in Germany following a weekend of multiple anti-war demonstrations across Europe.
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Donbass, Donetsk, Artyomovsk advance : Russian troops have taken control of Yagodnoye, just north of Artyomovsk. On Friday, Ukraine forces bombed a dam which flood houses, causing residents to flee their homes. *sensitive footage* Igor Zhdanov reports.
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The chief of CIA, William Burns, is "confident" China is to supply arms to Russia although he acknowledges that he knows of no evidence that shipments have been made. Beijing denies the allegations and points the finger back at USA saying they are the biggest arms supplier to Ukraine. (QS : all paid for with citizen's money which can never be repaid - Ukraine has been bankrupt for years - the Paris Club is guaranteeing external debt repayments (again the citizens will foot the bill) it's money laundering and we citizens are the ones being taken to the cleaners). Victor Gao reports.
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Pakistan: four people have been killed and fourteen more injured after a bomb blast emanating from a motorbike. More than 200 terrorists have been arrested this year. Hameedullah Khan reports from Islamabad.

Israel/Palestine, Cycle of violence: Two Israelis are killed in a drive-by shooting in the West Bank as Israeli and Palestinian authorities meet in Jordan for security talks. The IDF have sealed off the town. Palestinians are calling for the Aqaba summit to be cancelled. This year (since January) has left 65 Palestinians dead. 11 were killed in a raid last week in Nablus. Nikki, Amir Oren and Daoud Kuttab report.
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Russia, (end of the) Winter Wonderland. Maslenitsa: Steve Sweeney was there in Moscow and loving every minute it would seem, he reports. Maslenitsa is from the word maslo (масло) and it means butter in Russian and pancakes are served all week. A symbolic fort is set ablaze (a couple of years back one went out of control if I remember rightly) https://orthochristian.com/45041.html
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Below via RT website --- - -- A) --- Defence minister explains conditions for Russian advances in Ukraine
B) --- Pres, Putin reveals Moscow’s main issue with US
B1) --- Putin speaks on partnership with Africa
Latest Africa Now) --- "Double standards of war | Africa Now with Paula Slier"
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1) --- US inflation continues to rise
1a) --- US Fed warns of more rate hikes
2) --- China reveals plans to counter Musk’s ‘Starlink’
3) --- Ukraine’s neighbor speaks out on NATO membership
4) --- Protesters gather outside major American airbase in EU
4a) --- Thousands rally for peace in Italy
5) --- US markets are now in 'death zone' – Morgan Stanley
5a) --- US no longer attracts world’s rich – study
6) --- UK urged to ‘take command’ of food production
7) --- Dozens dead after migrant shipwreck off Italy
Feature) --- The ‘Great Game’ in Asia: A new struggle between China, the US and India is unfolding in Nepal *** Feature ***
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26 Feb, 2023 14:26

A) --- Defense minister explains conditions for Russian advances in Ukraine

A widening of the military operation depends on the weaponry Kiev gets from the West, Sergey Shoigu has said

Russia’s defense minister has outlined the conditions for a widening of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine, explaining that potential advances are directly tied to Western arms deliveries to Kiev.

“It depends on the weaponry that will be supplied,” Sergey Shoigu said in a brief remark to the TV program ‘Moscow. Kremlin. Putin.’

The minister appeared to be speaking on the sidelines of President Vladimir Putin’s address to the Federal Assembly, the country’s main legislative body, earlier this week.

“One thing must be clear to everyone,” Putin said during the event. “The longer the range of the Western systems that arrive in Ukraine, the further we will be forced to push the threat away from our borders. It’s obvious.”

Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, citing the need to protect the people of Donbass republics and Kiev’s failure to implement the 2014-15 Minsk agreements. Ukraine, as well as its supporters in the West, consider the offensive to be completely unprovoked.

Russia has repeatedly urged Western states to stop “pumping” Ukraine with weapons, maintaining that the continuous flow of arms will only prolong the conflict rather than change its ultimate outcome. Kiev, for its part, has repeatedly demanded more and longer-range weaponry from its Western backers, insisting that such systems are needed to push Russian troops out of the territories Ukraine claims as its own.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572090-defense-minister-ukraine-weaponry/
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26 Feb, 2023 10:55

B) --- Pres, Putin reveals Moscow’s main issue with US

The Russian president said his country is opposed to the emergence of a unipolar world that revolves around Washington’s interests

Moscow is striving to create a multipolar world rather than one that is centered around the US, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. In an interview with Rossiya-1 TV channel on Sunday, he argued that Washington was trying to mold the world exclusively to fit its own agenda.

Putin suggested that America’s “satellite states” are also well aware of these “egoistic” intentions. However, for the time being, they have chosen to turn a blind eye to this due to “various reasons connected first and foremost with huge dependence in the economic sphere and defense,” the Russian leader said.

Some of Washington’s allies also see confrontation with Russia as a unifying cause, eclipsing any differences between them and the US, he added.

As an example, Putin cited the US government’s efforts to attract European businesses to American soil, as well as a submarine deal last summer, which saw Canberra abruptly exit a contract with a French manufacturer in favor of a US competitor. That incident was humiliating for Paris, the president said.

Putin emphasized that Moscow “cannot and will not behave like this.”

In the end, such a stance – the fight for a multipolar world, for respect for each and everyone in the international arena, for taking into account everyone’s interests – I don’t have the slightest doubt, will prevail.

Putin also claimed that Western elites will only be satisfied and prepared to “admit us into the so-called family of civilized nations” if Russia disintegrates into several independent states. In such a scenario, he said, the West would “place [the resulting countries] under its control.” He added that the disintegration of Russia in such circumstances would call into question the existence of the Russian people in its current form.

Commenting on his decision earlier this week to suspend Russia’s participation in the New START Treaty – the last remaining nuclear accord between Moscow and Washington – Putin argued that the move was required to safeguard Russia’s security as well as its “strategic stability.”

According to the Russian president, he opted for this course of action in light of a more aggressive NATO, which “has announced as its prime goal” Russia’s strategic defeat.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572085-putin-russia-us-multipolar-world/
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18 Feb, 2023 11:16

B1) --- Putin speaks on partnership with Africa

Russia and African nations are united in their desire for a fair, multipolar world, the Russian president says

President Vladimir Putin has hailed the growing partnership between Russia and Africa, saying he hopes to further boost cooperation with the continent.

In an address to the African Union (AU) summit, published on the Kremlin website on Saturday, Putin praised the AU as an “authoritative international structure,” playing a vital role in settling local conflicts, assuring stability, and strengthening ties between African nations.

“For Russia, African states have always been and remain important and reliable partners. We are united by the desire to build a just and multipolar world order, based on true equality and rule of international law, free from any form of discrimination, forceful dictatorship and sanctions pressure,” the Russian leader told the gathering, now underway in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.

Putin also reiterated his invitation to African leaders to attend the second Russia-Africa Summit, scheduled to take place in St Petersburg this July.

The first such forum, held in Sochi in 2019, “created good conditions for intensifying our traditionally friendly relations, both on the bilateral level and on a multilateral basis,” he said. The event in St Petersburg should allow the sides to set new goals in expanding their cooperation further in various areas, the president added.

“I look forward to continued constructive joint work for the benefit of our countries and peoples, in the interests of ensuring peaceful and prosperous development of the African continent,” Putin wrote.

Relations between Russia and Africa have become closer during the conflict in Ukraine, as many nations on the continent have resisted Western pressure to condemn and sanction Moscow.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has made two African tours in less than a year, visiting Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda and the Republic of the Congo in summer, and traveling to South Africa, Angola, Eswatini and Eritrea a few weeks ago.
https://www.rt.com/africa/571697-putin-africa-multipolar-cooperation/
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Latest Africa Now) --- "Double standards of war | Africa Now with Paula Slier"

https://rumble.com/v2b0cmm-double-standards-of-war-africa-now-with-paula-slier.html?mref=6zof&mc=dgip3&ep=2
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25 Feb, 2023 13:16

1) --- US inflation continues to rise

Consumer prices increased by 5.4% year-on-year in January, official data shows

Consumer prices in the US rose by 0.6% month-on-month in January following a 0.2% increase in December, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Friday. On an annual basis, prices increased by 5.4%, up from a 5.3% increase in December.

Meanwhile, the personal consumption expenditures price index – the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure – rose by 5.4% compared to a year earlier. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, was up 4.7% year-on-year.

January’s price readings exceeded forecasters’ expectations, slashing hopes that the Fed may choose to stop its rate-hike campaign. Since last March, the regulator has introduced eight key interest-rate rises in a bid to rein in prices.

Federal Reserve officials this week suggested that persistently high inflation stems from a complex mix of circumstances and is unlikely to decelerate in the short term.

“The inflationary forces impinging on the US economy at present represent a complex mixture of temporary and more long-lasting elements that defy simple, parsimonious explanation,” Governor Philip Jefferson said in remarks for a panel, as quoted by Bloomberg.

“The ongoing imbalance between the supply and demand for labor, combined with the large share of labor costs in the services sector, suggests that high inflation may come down only slowly.”
https://www.rt.com/business/572055-us-inflation-continues-rise/
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23 Feb, 2023 09:45

1a) --- US Fed warns of more rate hikes

The February meeting minutes show that officials are still concerned with inflation despite the recent slowing

Federal Reserve officials this week suggested that persistently high inflation stems from a complex mix of circumstances and is unlikely to decelerate in the short term.

26 Feb, 2023 15:43

2) --- China reveals plans to counter Musk’s ‘Starlink’

Beijing has expressed national-security concerns related to the SpaceX network

Chinese researchers are preparing to launch close to 13,000 satellites into a low-earth orbit, in a move which would dwarf – and potentially monitor – Elon Musk’s SpaceX ‘Starlink’ network, which first launched in 2019 and provides satellite internet access to 50 countries.

The project, which is codenamed ‘GW’ and is being led by associate professor Xu Can of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Space Engineering University in Beijing, will see 12,992 satellites operated by the China Satellite Network Group Co launched into orbit, and is designed to improve communications efficiency.

The launch schedule remains unknown but the team led by Xu said that they plan to deploy them “before the completion of Starlink.” They added that this would “ensure that our country has a place in low orbit and prevent the Starlink constellation from excessively pre-empting low-orbit resources.”

The projected number of ‘GW’ satellites would surpass Starlink’s current total of around 3,500. SpaceX plans to have 12,000 devices in its constellation of satellites by 2027, with that figure eventually rising to 42,000.

Xu’s team elaborated that they would place their satellites into “orbits where the Starlink constellation has not yet reached” and that they would “gain opportunities and advantages at other orbital altitudes, and even suppress Starlink.”

The ‘GW’ network could also be equipped with technology to provide “long-term surveillance of Starlink satellites,” the team of researchers added.

Xu and his team also suggested that the Chinese government could form an anti-Starlink coalition with various other governments which would “demand that SpaceX publish the precise orbiting data of Starlink satellites.”

Chinese military figures have previously expressed concern at the national security implications posed by SpaceX’s satellites, and called for the development of “hard kill” technology “to destroy the constellation’s operating system” should it be necessary.

China’s efforts to counter Starlink come amid growing concerns about the potential military applications of the global satellite network. The technology has been used to bolster communications by Ukrainian military forces throughout its conflict with Russia – though SpaceX took steps earlier this month to restrict its use in controlling military drones in the country.
https://www.rt.com/news/572102-china-spacex-musk-starlink/
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26 Feb, 2023 15:01

3) --- Ukraine’s neighbor speaks out on NATO membership

Moldova must be able to protect itself, but not by joining the US-led military bloc, its parliamentary speaker says

The possibility of joining NATO isn’t being considered by Moldovan officials, the speaker of the country’s parliament Igor Grosu has said. President Maia Sandu had previously hinted that the country could become “part of a larger alliance” to guarantee its security.

“If we speak frankly about whether we want this, whether the issue of Moldova’s membership in NATO is being raised, then I’ll say that there’s no such issue,” Grosu told Prime broadcaster on Saturday.

The speaker, who represents the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity, said his clarification was intended “to refute all speculation and all hysteria” surrounding the matter in the country.

Moldova will remain “neutral,” but it must still pay extra attention to its security due to the ongoing conflict in neighboring Ukraine, he added. The emphasis should be put on protecting the country’s airspace, according to Grosu.

When asked about the possibility of Moldova becoming a NATO member in an interview with Politico last month, President Sandu said “there is a serious discussion… about our capacity to defend ourselves, whether we can do it ourselves, or whether we should be part of a larger alliance.” If the country ever decides to give up its neutrality, “this should happen through a democratic process,” she added.

On Saturday, there were protests in the capital Chisinau against the increasingly militant rhetoric of Sandu’s government, which, according to the demonstrators, could result in Moldova being dragged into the conflict in Ukraine. Activists carried banners reading “The Moldovans want peace” and “Stop scaring the people.”

Moldova – a country of 2.6 million people located between Ukraine and Romania – has been making a lot of headlines recently. Earlier this month, Sandu claimed that Russia was planning to orchestrate a coup in the country in response to its pro-Western policies.

Chisinau has also called for 1,100 Russian peacekeepers to be withdrawn from the breakaway region of Transnistria, where they’ve been monitoring a ceasefire between Moldova and local forces since 1992.

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov advised the Moldovan authorities against “falling into anti-Russian hysteria,” pointing out that such statements were harming bilateral relations between Moscow and Chisinau.

On Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned the US, NATO and Kiev authorities against any “provocations” aimed at the Russian peacekeepers in the area. The message followed a report by the Russian military that a significant number of Ukrainian troops, hardware and artillery was amassed on the border with Transnistria.
https://www.rt.com/russia/572093-moldova-nato-ukraine-grosu/
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26 Feb, 2023 16:24

4) --- Protesters gather outside major American airbase in EU

Demonstrators descended on the Ramstein military installation in Germany, calling for an end to arms deliveries to Ukraine

Several hundred people gathered on Sunday outside Ramstein US airbase in southwestern Germany to demand an end to weapons shipments to Ukraine. The military site is where Western officials have regularly held meetings over the past year to coordinate their aid to Kiev.

The demonstrators also called for a cessation of hostilities and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

They chanted slogans and beat drums, with an assortment of banners seen during a live stream of the event on YouTube, including the Russian and Soviet flags.

The placards called for the Americans to “go home,” and also featured slogans including “Freedom to Julian Assange” and “Stop the weapons deliveries.”
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https://twitter.com/TwoFace36620002/status/1629842416885813249
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When the rally organizers notified the local authorities several days before the event, they said they expected it to kick off at midday and conclude around 5:30pm, with around 2,000 attending.

Ramstein air base has repeatedly made headlines since Russia launched its military campaign against Ukraine a year ago. It’s where the US-led Ukraine Defence Contact Group has held its meetings aimed at shoring up the Ukrainian military. The last such gathering took place on January 20.

On Saturday, tens of thousands of demonstrators turned up in central Berlin for the ‘Uprising for Peace’ protest organized by prominent Left Party politician Sahra Wagenknecht and author Alice Schwarzer.

They, too, denounced Western arms deliveries to Kiev and called for peace negotiations between the warring sides.

Earlier this month, approximately 10,000 people took to the streets of Munich for a similarly themed rally just outside of the Bayerische Hof Hotel, where world leaders convened for the Munich Security Conference. Further military support for Ukraine was among the topics high on their agenda.

Among the speakers addressing the crowd was former Christian Democratic MP Juergen Todenhoefer, who argued that “we have to serve peace and not the Americans.”

Much like the latest event outside Ramstein air base on Sunday, the demonstrators in Munich also called for American troops to leave Germany.
watch on Rumble https://rumble.com/v2b01g0-rally-against-arm-deliveries-to-ukraine-at-ramstein-air-base.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=4
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26 Feb, 2023 14:25

4a) --- Thousands rally for peace in Italy

Demonstrators in the cities of Genoa and Milan are demanding an end to weapons supplies to Kiev

Several thousand people turned up for peace demonstrations in the Italian cities of Genoa and Milan on Saturday. Union members and left-wing activists claimed, among other things, that authorities in Rome have breached national law by sending weapons to Ukraine.

The rally in Genoa drew nearly 4,000 participants from across the country as well as from Switzerland and France, local media reported.

Organized by the Collective Autonomous Port Workers (CALP) group with the support of the Italian communist party, the protest took place under the slogan “Lower weapons, raise wages.”

CALP’s Riccardo Rudino was cited in the media as saying that the “conflict in Ukraine did not begin last year” but rather “in 2014, with the massacre of the Russian-speaking population in Donbass.”

The demonstrators filed through the port of Genoa, demanding an end to the use of the facility for arms shipments destined for Ukraine.

CALP spokesperson Jose Nivoi accused the Italian government of violating law 185 of 1990, which “imposed a ban on the import, export and transit of weapons from Italy to states at war.”

The group’s representatives also described how they had been networking with like-minded “associations and activists in various European cities.”

The procession went off without serious incidents, marred only by a few acts of vandalism at the hands of anarchists, who smeared and damaged several vehicles and broke windows in a bank.

A protest was also held on Saturday in Milan. Ruptly video news agency filmed several hundred people chanting slogans and waving flags, including those of Russia and the Donetsk People’s Republic.

The demonstrations in Italy coincided with one in the German capital, Berlin. There, tens of thousands of people heeded the call of prominent Left Party politician Sahra Wagenknecht and author Alice Schwarzer.

Named the ‘Uprising for Peace,’ the protest called for peace talks to end hostilities in Ukraine. The participants also urged the German government to stop shipping weapons to Kiev.

Addressing her supporters, Wagenknecht criticized Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government for allegedly trying to “ruin Russia,” and described Saturday’s protest as the start of a new peace movement in Germany.
https://www.rt.com/news/572091-italy-peace-rally-ukraine-russia/
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26 Feb, 2023 12:51

5) --- US markets are now in 'death zone' – Morgan Stanley

The bank’s chief analyst expects the benchmark S&P 500 to slump sharply

US stocks have soared to unsustainable highs and could crash 26% within months, Morgan Stanley's top strategist has warned.

In an analyst note the bank's chief US equity strategist, Mike Wilson, said that the current level of stock valuations could be compared to the “death zone,” a term in mountaineering describing an altitude so high that climbers do not have enough oxygen to breathe.

“Many fatalities in high-altitude mountaineering have been caused by the death zone, either directly through loss of vital functions, or indirectly by wrong decisions made under stress or physical weakening that lead to accidents,” Wilson wrote.

“This is a perfect analogy for where equity investors find themselves today, and quite frankly, where they've been many times over the past decade,” he added.

The metaphor indicates the excessive levels that stock prices have climbed to since the start of this year. Wilson suggested the S&P 500 could tumble to 3,000 points within months, down about 26% from current levels, saying that “it’s time to head back to base camp before the next guide down in earnings.”

The grim forecast follows what many analysts have called the worst year for the stock market since the 2008 financial crisis. All three indexes tumbled in 2022 with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ending the year down 8.8% while the S&P 500 sank 19.4% and the Nasdaq Composite plunged 33.1%.

“The bear market rally that began in October from reasonable prices and low expectations has morphed into a speculative frenzy based on a Fed pause/pivot that isn't coming,” Wilson’s latest note said.

The strategist has repeatedly warned that the market rally won’t last as he expects inflation to prove stickier than many other economists forecast, forcing the US Federal Reserve to hike rates in order to bring soaring prices under control.
https://www.rt.com/business/571923-us-stocks-crash-coming/
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19 Feb, 2023 05:15

5a) --- US no longer attracts world’s rich – study

Inflows of high-net-worth individuals dropped dramatically last year, according to Henley & Partners

America is no longer as tempting a place of residence for the world’s wealthy as it was before the Covid-19 pandemic, a newly released Wealth Report by London-based immigration consultancy Henley & Partners has found.

According to the report, inflows of high-net-worth individuals to the country dropped more than 80% last year compared with pre-pandemic levels. The figure fell to just 1,500 millionaires in 2022, from up to 10,800 between 2013 and 2019. The report states that “the country is losing its luster among migrating millionaires" and "the ‘American Dream’ is now on life-support.”

The report also noted that the countries where the newcomers originate have changed. While previously the majority of applicants for investment migration programs were from “developing nations who had weak passports, with limited visa-free access and low economic mobility,” most of the current newcomers are now from developed countries.

According to analysts, the rich are a bellwether for the health of an economy due to their ability to move around the globe freely, and this provides “an early warning signal into future country trends.” The firm’s data shows that back in 2014 the US had the largest net inflows of individuals whose wealth amounts to $1 million or more. However, in 2022 the country occupied only the 6th place in this rating, falling behind the UAE, Australia, Singapore, Canada and Switzerland.

“People are still coming, but there’s been a big increase in people who are leaving,” Andrew Amoils, head of research at New World Wealth, which assisted in compiling the report, stated.

The report noted that a greater number of wealthy Americans have been moving abroad, “seeking greener pastures abroad at an unprecedented rate,” with some explaining their choice as due to concern over taxes or security. The firm also noted a shift within the country, with smaller cities gaining popularity among wealthy residents, while megapolises like Chicago and New York are seeing large outflows of millionaires.

Despite those trends, the US remains the biggest wealth market worth $65 trillion, with 770 billionaires, 9,630 people worth $100 million or more and 5.3 million high-net-worth individuals, Henley & Partners notes. It is followed by China with $21.7 trillion in private wealth.
https://www.rt.com/business/571560-us-losing-status-wealth-hub/
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Nassim Taleb, best known for his bestseller “Black Swan,” has advised market players to brace for drastic changes worldwide, due to rising interest rates.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV, aired on 31st January 2022, he said that over the past 15 years, investors have grown used to near-zero interest rates, introduced to drag Western economies out of the 2008 financial crisis. This triggered a number of asset bubbles, with assets trading much higher than their true value. Taleb estimates these at more than half a trillion dollars, calling them “illusionary wealth,” with market valuations out of proportion to companies’ cash flow.

“What do zero interest rates bring? Tumors. All these years, assets were inflating like crazy. It’s like a tumor, I think it’s the best explanation, because you’re happy with the growth, but it’s uncontrolled growth, and then ‘boom’,” Taleb said, explaining that “tumors” include everything from Bitcoin to soaring real estate prices.
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26 Feb, 2023 13:13

6) --- UK urged to ‘take command’ of food production (QS I query the comments of Tom Bradshaw and believe it's all been engineered - first off consider the Dutch Farmers; second - Britain had 12 days of hot weather, not all together either; the first was for three days in June, the second for three days in July, and the third for six days in August and they didn't affect the whole of Britain either, mostly the south east - anyway... the post is below. British citizens need to take control of their lives and get rid of the mess who cause the problems, is more to the point)

A British farming union says Brexit, geopolitical tensions, the energy crisis and climate change are weighing on local growers

The UK government needs to “take command” of local food production, the deputy president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) said on Saturday, warning that an ongoing shortage of fruit and vegetables across the country could be just the “tip of the iceberg.”

According to Tom Bradshaw, the deficit of some fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes and cucumbers, has been caused by volatility arising from geopolitical events, and climate change, which is putting intense pressure on supply chains.

“What we saw last summer with 40°C heat is climate change in action,” Bradshaw told Times Radio, adding that the weather had exacerbated a supply-chain crisis triggered by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Bradshaw also said geopolitical tensions have driven up inflation, particularly energy inflation, to unprecedented levels, leaving UK farmers struggling to meet energy costs.

Moreover, Britain has been facing the additional challenge of “repositioning” itself with trading partners since the 2016 Brexit referendum, the union chief said.

He noted that the country’s exit from EU structures, in which it had favorable trade relations, has inevitably inflicted damage on its own cross-border trade.

“It’s really interesting that before Brexit we didn’t used to source anything, or very little, from Morocco but we’ve been forced to go further afield and now these climatic shocks becoming more prevalent have had a real impact on the food available on our shelves today,” Bradshaw concluded.
https://www.rt.com/business/572086-uk-farming-vegetables-shortage-brexit/
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26 Feb, 2023 12:55

7) --- Dozens dead after migrant shipwreck off Italy

The boat is thought to have been carrying people from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan

The bodies of more than 40 migrants have been found washed up on a beach in southern Italy after a vessel which was believed to be carrying in excess of 100 people broke apart off the coast on Sunday in rough weather.

Initial reports say the bodies of 43 migrants – believed to be from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan – were found on the shore at Steccato di Cutro in the southern Italian province of Crotone, in Calabria. Further bodies were seen to be still in the water, while Italian media are reporting that as many as 70 people remain unaccounted for and around 80 have been rescued.

Rescue attempts have been complicated by emergency services not having reliable information regarding the number of migrants on the vessel, but the death toll will “certainly” rise, according to the ANSA news agency – with a months-old baby being reported among the dead.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has expressed her “deep sorrow for the many human lives cut short by human traffickers” following the incident, while also asking people not to “speculate” as to the number of people who lost their lives.

She added that it was “inhuman [for traffickers] to exchange the lives of men, women and children” for money under the pretense of a safe journey for migrants to Europe.

Mayor of Cutro Antonio Ceraso added that the area had never before encountered an incident as tragic as this. “In the past there had been landings,” he said. “But never such a tragedy.”

Further updates are expected from Italian authorities on Sunday as a large search-and-rescue operation continues.

In addition to the firefighters and the coast guard, border police were also involved in the rescue operation, as were divers and aquatic rescuers. The origin of the ship remains unclear, but migrants arriving in southern Italy often depart from either Türkiye or Egypt.

Italy and Spain are popular destinations for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe. Estimates suggest that in excess of 100,000 migrants arrived in Italy in 2022, with these people predominantly coming from Egypt, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Syria and Afghanistan.
https://www.rt.com/news/572088-italy-migrant-ship-deaths/
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26 Feb, 2023 17:04

Feature) --- The ‘Great Game’ in Asia: A new struggle between China, the US and India is unfolding in Nepal *** Feature ***

Will Nepal succumb to the US charm offensive and incur China’s wrath, as India loses the plot?

Washington is bending over backwards to lure the newly-formed Communist coalition government of Nepal, which came to power at the end of December, away from its two biggest neighbors — India and China. Both nations are locked in a “Great Game” over the tiny Himalayan nation, which has become collateral in this diplomatic game of football, where the US is trying to make inroads as a third power.

US officials’ scramble
At the beginning of this year, Nepalese diplomats had a lot of work to do. US Undersecretary for State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland visited Kathmandu on January 29-30, with Samantha Power, administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), following a week later, from February 7 to 9.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Afreen Akhter arrived in Kathmandu on February 13, in what was purportedly a “low-key affair”.

Nepalese officials have indicated that the US National Security Council’s Senior Director for South Asia, Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher, is also expected to visit Kathmandu.

Most recently, Nepal’s government barred a visit by CIA Director William J Burns because “the timing of the trip was not seen as so conducive”. He was to fly in from Sri Lanka on February 15 for an 18-hour stay in Kathmandu, however the government stated that permission for the visit had to be withheld in light of the upcoming presidential election on March 9.

Each of the US officials has their work cut out as they try to ascertain the political mood in Kathmandu. Washington's actions will definitely have an impact on the confrontation between Beijing and New Delhi, which is unfolding in the Himalayas.

Nepal sails away from India
Nepal, one of 46 least developed countries (LDCs) in the world, has often leveraged its geo-strategic importance to calibrate its “equidistant” foreign policy as a buffer state sandwiched between the Asian superpowers. Kathmandu has enjoyed historic ties with New Delhi – as the only erstwhile Hindu kingdom in the world – based on the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship.

However New Delhi’s bilateral ties with Kathamdu have worsened over long-standing border disputes and accusations of “Big Brother bullying tactics.”

Nepal is pivoting away from India. Bilateral ties experienced a new chill shortly after the country was devastated by a horrific earthquake in 2015, which claimed over 9,000 lives.

The standoff started after New Delhi imposed a “punishing” four-month economic blockade, which came into effect a few months after the earthquake. The restrictions followed protests against the country’s new constitution by the Madhesis, who are ethnically and socially close to Indians across the border.

Their primary grievances were discrimination and lack of acceptance by the Nepalese state, which has alwaysbeen a preserve of upper-caste Hindus. It was thought that the people of the hills looked down upon those from the Terai, or the southern plains of the country. The Madhesis, who comprise about 30% of Nepal’s estimated 30 million people, cited certain citizenship measures that they felt would disproportionately affect them because of cross-border marriages with India.

India’s Nepal policy has largely been seen through the Madhesi prism. But such a myopic neighborhood strategy has often led to escalating tensions between lowlanders and highlanders, who have migrated there in the past decades.

In a diplomatic tit-for-tat, Kathmandu ratcheted up tensions by publishing a new map that exacerbated the contentious border disputes in 2020. Kathmandu effectively claimed Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh, which is part of India’s hill state of Uttarakhand, as part of its sovereign territory. New Delhi took umbrage, dubbing the map “artificial and unacceptable.”

This aggravation proved to be even more painful for India in the context of triangular relations, where China has emerged as the elephant in the room.

China ‘checkmates’ India
China, Nepal’s northern neighbor, is cashing in on India’s weakening grip over Kathmandu. Beijing has been raining cash on Nepal for massive infrastructure development in the mountainous nation, tackling bothinaccessible terrain and an economy which is heavily dependent on remittances and tourism.

Beijing has been suggesting to Kathmandu that the Himalayas may not be a barrier for rail-based trade with the rest of Asia or Europe, or even maritime trade through the South China Sea. The landlocked country is now actively considering alternatives to India’s sea ports such as Kolkata and Visakhapatnam, eyeing instead China’s sea and dry ports such Tianjin, Shenzhen, Lianyungang, and Zhanjiang Lanzhou, Lhasa, and Xigatse, respectively, which will be more accessible once road and rail links are established under Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

India needs to deepen trade facilitation for Nepal to keep the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) relevant as a maritime sub-regional grouping.

But that policy move has hit a roadblock, because Beijing has always considered Nepal as the soft underbelly of southern Tibet and has been consistently looking to ramp up its trade engagement with Kathmandu.

Data shows that China in 1995 accounted for a negligible 0.7% of Kathmandu’s trade and the remaining 99.03% was with India. Almost three decades on, the corresponding figure shows that Nepal’s trade with India has fallen to around 64%.

China has become the new India for Nepal.

In 2019, China accounted for around 40% of new foreign direct investments (FDIs) in Nepal, against India’s 30%.

Besides, from the mid-1990s, the Chinese Communist Party has been pledging $11.65 million per year to Nepal under an economic and technical cooperation program to implement infrastructure development projects.

But now Beijing is generously loosening its purse strings for massive infrastructure projects in the country, estimated to amount to $15 billion.

An impoverished Nepal has no option but to curry favor with China, even at the risk of becoming another Sri Lanka.

Nepal, a ‘flawed’ democracy
The nation is in the throes of a massive exodus of its youth bulge due to lack of economic opportunities. GDP is around $30 billion and has further dwindled since the Covid-19 pandemic, amid heightened political instability since the abolition of the monarchy in 2008.

On average, 3,000 young people leave the country daily either on work or student visas, and most are unlikely to return.

Remittances of over $9 billion and around 25% of GDP, and tourism at over $2 billion and an estimated 7% of GDP, are the major revenue sources, besides foreign aid, which tops $2 billion annually.

Nepal’s tryst with a “flawed” democracy began in 1990. Following a popular uprising the country became a constitutional monarchy.

There have been 28 prime ministers since 1990 and several of them, including Girija Prasad Koirala, Surya Bahadur Thapa, Deuba and now Prachanda (real name Pushpa Kamal Dahal), have occupied the office multiple times in a game of musical chairs. None have completed the five-year term since 1990.

Significantly, New Delhi was caught out by Prachanda becoming PM for a third time, having backed his opponent Deuba to assume office for a record sixth time, after his Nepali Congress party emerged as the largest after federal elections last year.

Can New Delhi fix its oversight?
India is trying to address its Nepal oversight while China appears to be winning hands down in a new “Great Game.”

Earlier this month, India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra and and Nepal’s Prime Minister Pachandra discussed a raft of bilateral issues, including energy, trade and connectivity in Kathmandu.

Kwatra, who had served as Indian envoy to Nepal, is familiar with the country’s fickle political landscape. He held wide-ranging talks with a cross-section of Nepal’s politicians from various parties during his two-day visit that concluded on Tuesday.

The meetings were held close on the heels of high-level US delegation visits to Nepal.

The US gaze
Nepal is also key to the US putting a spanner in the works of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

During her recent visit to Nepal, Victoria Nuland was entrusted with political and diplomatic engagement while Samantha Power emphasized economic cooperation and partnership in key areas, where Kathmandu is in dire need of assistance

Afreen Akhter’s trip laid out the contours of troubled regional issues, where India and China are at odds over Beijing’s occupation of Tibet in 1959 and its bid to make Kathmandu dance to its tune.

The US wants to emerge as a force to reckon with, having looked at Nepal primarily through the prism of aid. However, Washington is shifting gears and trying to win over Kathmandu, which has been showing a more pronounced pro-Beijing tilt, and could further embrace China under Prachanda’s dyed-in-the-wool Communist ideology.

Nuland announced that Washington would invest more than $1 billion in clean energy, electrification, and small businesses led by women and under-represented communities in Nepal over the next five years. Power, too, highlighted US largesse, such as a $58.5-million grant to strengthen “inclusive democracy and support civil society organizations” and extended an invitation from US President Joe Biden to participate in the Summit for Democracy in March.

The visits assume significance because they directly impact US-Nepal relations, including the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a $500-million grant for infrastructure development, which was endorsed by Kathmandu last year amid intense debate. Subsequent ratification by Nepal’s parliament also upset China.

Initially, Prachanda, then a key Opposition figure, appeared to be in two minds over the MCC, but later backed the initiative.

US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu had turned up the heat on Kathmandu ahead of the ratification, even threatening to ‘revisit’ bilateral ties, if Nepal reneged on ratifying the MCC, which the Washington sees as its move to counter Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The US is even more keen to woo Nepal after Kathmandu rejected the State Partnership Program (SPP), an exchange program between the US National Guard and foreign militaries.

Amid a changing world order, Kathmandu is a critical jigsaw piece in Washington’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, which has raised China’s hackles.

The high-level US visits to Nepal have become routine. However, China is apprehensive that a proactive Washington could be a part of a strategy to destabilize Asia’s biggest economy.

Interestingly, Deuba was the last Nepalese prime minister to visit the US ,in 2002. However, despite Prachanda’s anticipated trip to Washington, his first official foreign visit will be to India, expected after the election of Nepal’s new president and vice-president on March 9 and 19, respectively.

Fresh turmoil in Nepal’s politics
In a clear “breach of understanding,” Prachanda ditched coalition partner the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN (UML)) over its choice of presidential candidate. In a meeting presided over by former prime minister KP Oli, the CPN (UML) decided to back party vice-chairman Subhas Nembang in the upcoming poll.

However, Nepal’s eight political parties, including Prachanda’s Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-MC), back Ram Chandra Poudel for the country's top job. Poudel, 78, is favourite to succeed incumbent Bidya Devi Bhandari as the next president because of the overwhelming support he is likely to receive from across the eight parties, the majority of which are backed by New Delhi and eschew Beijing.

However Prachanda’s U-turn over the backing of the presidential candidate may lead to the CPN (UML) withdrawing support from the federal government and the ruling coalition after the election.

Prachanda, with a deft touch of opportunist politics that has been his hallmark throughout a chequered career, had agreed to restore the NC-led electoral alliance including the CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist), Socialist Party of Nepal and other fringe parties. Such a coalition would be connected with New Delhi gaining a temporary edge in decision-making as Beijing plots its next move to play kingmaker, while the US haplessly watches from the sidelines.

What should Kathmandu do?
Can Nepal strike a balance between India and China? Or should it choose a bear hug with the US and incur China’s wrath while maintaining cordial ties with India, which is still a lifeline for most of its trade and transit?

US Ambassador to Nepal, Dean R Thompson, laid out a possible roadmap for Kathmandu’s foreign policy last month and rejected allegations of US interference in Nepal’s internal affairs.

Thompson, who assumed tenure last October, said, “Nepal should be able to make its own (foreign policy) decisions,” stressing that “the country’s location has made it geopolitically important.”

However, he rejected claims that the various political and financial projects are a preamble for the arrival of American troops in Nepal.

The envoy also claimed that Washington did not view Kathmandu through New Delhi’s lens, to keep Beijing at bay.

But the diplomatic assertions must be borne out by how Prachanda has been trying to strike a diplomatic balancing act amid a dwindling state exchequer, political instability and popular disenchantment with “opportunist” politicians.

For the moment, it appears to be advantageous to India. But in the unfolding ‘Great Game,’ China is likely to have the last word as Washington tries to decode the rough and tumble of Nepali politics, where alliances have lost their relevance and cast doubt over a nation’s integrity and test of character.

Thus, the current state of affairs has been created by rank opportunism by a motley crew of wily politicians with an insatiable hunger to cling to power.

By Joydeep Sen Gupta, Asia Editor
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https://www.rt.com/india/572095-great-game-in-asia/
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