🇺🇳🗳❗️ — The CEO of BlackRock, Larry Fink, has been appointed as the World Economic Forum's interim co-chairman, alongside André Hoffmann, chairman of Vice-chairman, Hoffmann-La Roche

It happens 1 day after the WEF cleared its founder, Klaus Schwab, of corruption charges

In Statement, the WEF said:

We are honored to take on this leadership role on an interim basis at a pivotal time for the World Economic Forum. As the organization moves into a new chapter, we look ahead with clarity, purpose, and confidence in the Forum’s enduring mission.

The world is more fragmented and complex than ever, but the need for a platform that brings together business, government, and civil society has never been greater. We believe the Forum can serve as a unique catalyst for cooperation, one that fosters trust, identifies shared goals, and turns dialogue into action.

We remain optimistic. The Forum has an opportunity to help drive international collaboration in a way that not only generates prosperity but distributes it more broadly. This renewed vision can promote open markets and national priorities side by side, while advancing the interests of workers and stakeholders globally.

We look forward to helping shape a more resilient and prosperous future, and to reinventing and strengthening the Forum as an indispensable institution for public-private cooperation.

Larry Fink

André Hoffmann

Interim Co-Chairs, World Economic Forum

🔗 Link
https://archive.is/uGnbi

🇬🇪🤝🇺🇦🇺🇸🇪🇺 — A Pro-Ukraine protests was seen in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia during the Russia-US negotiations in Alaska

Waving Georgian, Ukrainian, European Union and US flags, georgians marched on their capital in support of Ukraine as US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about the ongoing war in Ukraine

A large amount of Georgian people, despite its isolationist government, are fond of Ukrainian cause given its own experiences in the past with Russian Federation

https://news.1rj.ru/str/georgia_man/5320

🇧🇴🪨🗳 — Andrónico Rodríguez, presidential candidate for the ruling party in Bolivia, was pelted with stones by a crowd as he was on his way to cast his vote.

🇨🇳🇮🇷 Scoop: Signs picked up by Western intelligence have raised alarm in Jerusalem that China may be preparing to assist Iran in reacquiring and expanding its surface-to-surface ballistic missile program.

📝 Arnaud Bertrand: There are indeed more and more reports that China may be undergoing a pretty major shift and is now getting more serious in supplying "friendly countries" with serious defense systems.

Heck China itself said so, with the defense ministry recently saying that "China is willing to share military equipment achievements with friendly countries", which is a pretty clear statement.

Apparently they've reportedly already supplied Iran with advanced HQ-9B air defence batteries last month to protect itself against future Israeli attacks. And maybe now surface-to-surface ballistic missiles

This may signal that China is now starting to play a game it always tried to avoid. The Iran attacks may have convinced them that given the current context, when push comes to shove, countries need to know their partners can offer credible deterrence against military aggression.

And it seems to be credible indeed, given Israel's "alarm" at the news

🔗 Arnaud Bertrand

🇺🇦🇷🇺 "The avoidable Russian breakthrough laid bare Ukraine’s persistent military vulnerabilities that have long obstructed its ability to advance: lack of manpower, lack of ammunition — and at times, lack of coordination and motivation among exhausted soldiers who are often expected to hold trenches for a month or more without rotations...

'The fact we lost territory so fast, so rapidly, is because we are not adjusting to Russian tactics,' said Capt. Artem Kulachevich, 40, a drone commander in the 82nd Brigade. The Russian troops who launched the surprise assault this week were unskilled, he said, but they got past more experienced Ukrainian soldiers whose reconnaissance teams failed to detect them in tree lines...

Volodymyr, 49, a battalion commander, said his brigade has tried to hold this key part of the front line by maintaining it as “a kill zone” that protects infantry by killing the foot soldiers before they reach Ukrainian positions.

But his most urgent need, he said, is people, and as he waits for recruits, Russia is staging new offensives...

Vitalii, 46, a unit commander in the battalion, said he was hit last week by a Russian drone but had the shrapnel removed and returned to the fight because he feared abandoning his troops. His men are holding the line south of Pokrovsk, which pushed Russia to find weaknesses elsewhere. The fight has left his soldiers exhausted and in desperate need of reinforcements they just don’t have.

'We lack people,' he said, but the brigade still manages to kill about 30 Russian troops per day. If Ukraine cedes that land, he said, Russia will use the people and resources from the occupied land 'to fight against Ukraine.'

Retreat, he added, is not an option."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/08/15/ukraine-donbas-fighting-russia-summit-trump/

https://archive.is/RHRB0

🔗 Rob Lee

🇨🇳🦟🦠 — On August 16, in Xiashan District of Zhanjiang, Guangdong, the local branch of the Chinese Communist Party ordered the deployment of the People's Militia for mosquito eradication and disinfection operations.

Since the start of the month, China is seeing a massive wave of chikungunya spread in its most wet regions, with dozens of nations, specially EU, Japan and US, as well the WHO issuing warnings after the Asian country registered +7000 cases in 1 week

🔗 李老师不是你老师 (@whyyoutouzhele)

🇨🇳🦟🦠 — On August 15, in Foshan, Guangdong, due to the Chinese Government using mosquito nets for the sewer system, the entire market was flooded after the daily rain in Foshan, resulting in heavy losses.

🔗 李老师不是你老师 (@whyyoutouzhele)

🇮🇷💧📉❗️ — Iran's Water Resource Management Company says the twelve most important dams for drinking water and agriculture have less than 10% of their water storage.

Three dams have dropped to 0%.

Kaveh Madani, an Iranian expert on water management, referred to the damage as "irreversible" and not a crisis but "a state of failure."

https://fxtwitter.com/FaytuksNetwork/status/1957064145192268015