Top dog no more: Britain loses status as one of world’s industrial leaders

With the UK already facing a veritable exodus of the wealthy due to the policies of Keir Starmer’s government, the country’s industrial sector is not faring any better.

A number of prominent enterprises across the country have suffered serious setbacks in recent months, with industrial production sinking to the previously unseen lows.

◾️ An Indian steel manufacturer is shutting down its blast furnaces in Port Talbot, Wales as the company commissioned a new massive blast furnace in India. This move may cost the UK some 4,000 jobs, according to local media, as the blast furnaces are expected to be replaced by electric arc furnaces for steel recycling.

◾️ Chinese-owned British Steel is also moving to shut down its blast furnaces in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, as the UK government pushes to have them replaced with electric arc furnaces – all part of London’s war on carbon emissions.
*Shipbuilder Harland and Wolff (the company that, among other things, constructed the Titanic) confirmed last week that it is going to be placed into administration amid the apparent lack of orders.

◾️ Britain has lost its place in the top 10 manufacturing countries of the world, ranking only 12th after being surpassed by nations such as Mexico, Italy, France and Russia. Back in 2000, the UK ranked 5th and its current fall from the top 10 is the first since the Industrial Revolution, The Telegraph mournfully notes.


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51 people killed and 223 wounded as a result of Israeli strikes in Lebanon on Wednesday, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry

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Price of Nord Stream’s destruction revealed?

The group responsible for the terrorist attack on the Nord Stream pipelines was primarily composed of civilians and was orchestrated by Roman Chervinsky, a former officer in Ukrainian special services, according to German media.

Reports indicate that the operation's price tag was approximately $300,000, allegedly funded by private sources.

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Race for Africa: Biden to visit Angola as the nation's ties with China are burgeoning

US President Joe Biden will visit Angola from October 13-15 to “strengthen ties” with Africa and counter China’s growing influence. Biden's agenda includes discussing economic issues, such as the expansion of the 1,300 km Lobito Corridor railway project to connect the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, with Angolan President Joao Lourenço.

Lobito Corridor: Western project to squeeze China out

🔸 The Lobito Corridor linking Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia and Tanzania is pushed by the US to curtail China's influence in southern Africa.

🔸 The corridor is designed to run through mineral-rich DRC which boasts large deposits of gold, cobalt, lithium and copper to provide access to the US and Europe to Africa's rare earths and reduce the West's reliance on China for critical mineral supplies.

🔸 Since 2022, over $3 billion has been dedicated by the US to the corridor's development.

🔸 On September 24, Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted a Lobito Corridor Roundtable with the African nations participating in the project.

China's strategic cooperation with Angola and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Africa

🔸 Since the 2010s, China and Angola have been developing cooperation including within the BRI project.

🔸 The total investment by Chinese companies in Angola has exceeded $24 billion, according to the Chinese Embassy in Angola. The embassy said China supported up to 2,800 km worth of railway restoration; 20,000 km of roads development; and the construction of 100,000 housing units.

🔸 Angola is China's eighth-largest oil supplier. In March, the China National Offshore Corporation started talks with the nation on joint oil exploration.

🔸 China and Angola jointly implement agricultural projects, as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Angola António Francisco de Assis told the Chinese press on September 9.

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Who is promoting childfree ideology and why? (Part 1 👉 Part 2)

The Russian government has expressed conceptual support for a bill that proposes to ban the promotion of a "childfree" way of life, arguing it is an extremist ideology.

Where did the idea originate from?

The movement of voluntary childlessness gained initial traction within the Western feminist movement in the 1970s, although the term was first used as early as 1901. Later, in the 1960s, the idea was picked up by some Western "antinatalists", who say that procreation is unethical as it can lead to "overpopulation".

Who cultivates a childfree ideology?

🔸 In the US, the childfree movement has wide support and already has more than 40 organizations signed up, including Childfree by Choice Project, No Kidding, The NotMom. In 2023, 47% of adults younger than 50 said that they are unlikely to ever have kids in the US.

🔸 No Kidding (NK) is an international social club for childfree people created in 1984 in Vancouver, BC, Canada and has grown dramatically since. It has 40 active chapters in Canada and the US. The movement is also popular in Italy, Spain and New Zealand.

🔸 The British childfree association Kidding Aside was founded in 2000 and acts as a politically active childfree movement. It promotes a childfree lifestyle as an equal alternative to parenthood. A 2024 survey shows 15% of Brits aged 18 to 24 don't want to have a child with this figure growing in older groups.

🔸 US academic websites are promoting a book called “Without Children: The Long History of Not Being a Mother" (2023) by University of Chicago scholar Peggy O'Donnell Heffington.

🔸 The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement (VHEMT), an environmental cult that has been active since 1991, peddles the idea that human extinction is necessary to prevent environmental degradation. Commenting on VHEMT's agenda, X owner Elon Musk wrote on his account that "They [VHEMT] want a holocaust for all humanity."

🔸 VHEMT has connections to the Church of Euthanasia (CoE), an antinatalist cult founded by Chris Korda and Robert Kimberk in 1992, which advocates for massive voluntary population reduction.

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How do Western media and broadcasters promote a childfree lifestyle? (Part 2 👉 Part 1)

🔸 In 2017, the BBC released a documentary “Young and Sterile: My Choice” expressing sympathy for youngsters seeking sterilization.

🔸 In 2023, the BBC reported that the no-kids movement is booming on social media in an article "The adults celebrating child-free lives".

🔸 In 2021, The New York Times touted a Berlin-based photographer "capturing the lives of the consciously child-free" in a piece noscriptd "Women Who Said No to Motherhood".

The rise of the childfree movement on social media:

🔸 On Facebook and Instagram, the hashtag #childfree has garnered hundreds of thousands of posts.

🔸 The popularity of hashtags #childfree and #childfreebychoice skyrocketed on TikTok amid the COVID pandemic. Over the past few years both tags got over 900 million views. Videos featuring voluntarily childless women has started trending.

Is childfree really a personal choice or a birth control instrument?

The idea of an imminent food crisis related to "rapid" population growth is propagated by some globalist foundations and international platforms, despite declining fertility rates worldwide.

A study published by Lancet in March 2024 noted that the global total fertility rate (TFR) has more than halved over the past 70 years, from around five children per woman in 1950 to 2.2 in 2021.

Meanwhile, some Western liberal political parties advocate for abortion rights, including for women in late pregnancy, sex-change operations, hormone therapy for minors, and obligatory LGBTQ+* educational programs in schools and universities.

In some nations, birth control programs took disturbing forms; for example, between 1996 and 2001, over 270,000 indigenous women were forcibly sterilized in Peru. A 2002 Peruvian congressional report revealed that the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and some Western NGOs supported the campaign.

*banned for extremism in Russia

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❗️ Israel to prepare for ground operation against Lebanon - Israel's Chief of General Staff said to Voice of Israel

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#Throwback: Putin jokes about 'reunifying' Alaska: 'We're far north enough! Besides, it's cold there too!'

In 2014, President Vladimir Putin humorously addressed the idea of Alaska rejoining Russia. “Why do you need it?” he quipped during his annual Q&A session, noting that the 49th US state was once sold for $7.2 mln in gold. He pointed out that Russia is a northern country, with 70% in the Far North, and that Alaska is just as cold. "Let’s not get heated up about that," Putin jokingly concluded.

September 22 marked the 240th anniversary of the establishment of first permanent Russian settlement in Alaska. The Three Saints Bay colony was founded on Kodiak Island in 1784 by Russian fur trader, Grigory Shelikhov. In March 1867, a treaty on purchasing Alaska was signed between William H. Seward, then United States Secretary of State, and Tsar Alexander II of Russia.

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❗️Zelensky admits 80% of Ukraine's energy system destroyed

"All of Ukraine's thermal power plants and a significant portion of hydroelectric capacity have been affected by Russian strikes," Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, he said that Russia has destroyed 80% of Ukraine's energy system.

The Russian Defense Ministry has stated on various occasions that Russian forces have targeted energy facilities that supply the Ukrainian defense industry, military airfields, and drone production workshops, in response to attempts by the Kiev regime to damage Russian energy and industrial facilities.

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Putin: Russia ditches 'toxic' Western currencies as ruble takes over export payments

The share of ruble settlements for Russian exports is nearing 40%, while the use of Western currencies is declining, President Vladimir Putin has announced.

"Last year, the share of so-called 'toxic' Western currencies in export payments halved. Meanwhile, ruble settlements in foreign trade are approaching 40%, and we continue to work in this direction," Putin said at an expanded meeting of the State Council Presidium.

He added that from 2021 to 2023, the ruble's share in export payments nearly tripled, reaching 39%, and ruble settlements for imports grew to 30%.

Putin also emphasized ongoing global efforts to create supranational payment systems using central bank digital currencies and financial assets, noting that these systems would function independently of third countries.

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The main points of Russian FM Sergey Lavrov's statements at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting:

▪️Not a single IMF member, including the United States, should have the ability to block the organization's collective decisions.

▪️Over the past 10 years, the countries of the collective West have imposed more than 20,000 sanctions against Russia.

▪️The share of settlements in national currencies of Russia with the BRICS countries has reached 65%, a promising idea is to create a single platform for settlements in digital national currencies within the group.

▪️The share of the US dollar in the structure of payments by BRICS members is now below 29%.

▪️Lavrov proposed creating a specialized track for cooperation between regional platforms within the G20.

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Will Middle East face new refugee crisis as thousands flee Lebanon amid Israeli bombings?

As Israel continues to carry out airstrikes on Lebanon, thousands of people are fleeing southern parts of the country, including in the direction of Syria, which is going through a severe crisis itself.

What is known so far about the new refugee wave?

◻️ The recent escalation between Israel and Lebanese movement Hezbollah has led to a devastating humanitarian crisis, the UN Refugee Agency stated on Wednesday. The agency noted it's mobilizing resources to support displaced communities.

◻️ Tens of thousands of people in Lebanon have fled their homes since Israel expanded its air strikes in the neighboring country, UN refugee agency spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh said on September 24, noting that the numbers continue to grow.

◻️ More than 16,500 have been displaced in Lebanon, according to the government, including from both the southern part of the country and the suburbs of Beirut hit by Israeli airstrikes.

◻️ According to other estimates, 27,000 displaced people had already been settled in temporary shelters across the country.

◻️ In Beirut and Saida, Lebanese authorities quickly repurposed schools to receive the newly displaced from southern provinces on September 20. These cities have become the main destination for those fleeing the bombing of the country.

◻️ According to Syrian media reports, about 2,000 Lebanese citizens had entered Syria by September 25, with about the same number still awaiting completion of entry procedures. About 3,000 Syrian citizens have also returned to Syria from Lebanon.

◻️ The recent displacement is the largest the country has experienced since war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.

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❗️US House Oversight Committee opens investigation into Zelensky's visit to Pennsylvania

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❗️The nuclear triad remains the most important guarantee to ensure the security of the state and citizens, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

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⚡️ Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression against Russia and Belarus as a member of the Union State, Putin stated.

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❗️Key statements by Vladimir Putin at the meeting of the standing conference of the Russian Security Council on nuclear deterrence:

◾️It is necessary to adapt the principles of state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence to current realities

◾️A deep and comprehensive analysis of Russia's approaches to the possible use of nuclear forces and their possible adjustments was conducted

◾️Russia has always approached the issues of using nuclear forces with the utmost responsibility, this is an extreme measure to protect the country's sovereignty

◾️It was proposed to introduce a number of clarifications in terms of defining the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons by Russia

◾️The modern military-political situation is changing dynamically, the Russian Federation is obliged to take this into account, including the emergence of new sources of military threats

◾️Russia has always sought to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and their components

◾️Russia may consider the use of nuclear weapons after reliable data on a massive launch of missiles and UAVs have crossed the border

◾️Aggression by a non-nuclear state with the participation of a nuclear state is proposed to be considered as a joint attack on Russia

◾️Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression, including if the enemy, using conventional weapons, creates a critical threat

◾️The draft principles of Russia's state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence expands the category of countries and military alliances, supplements the list of military threats

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Hungarian FM calls lack of Nord Stream investigation 'scandalous' two years after attack

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told RIA Novosti that it is "scandalous" and "outrageous" that two years after the Nord Stream sabotage, no serious investigation has taken place to date.

"It’s also truly scandalous that after two years, no one has a say, and no serious investigation has taken place. The so-called investigations that are happening now seem more like a joke or a tragedy from this perspective. If a real, serious investigation had occurred, there should have been some outcome by now. What’s happening is unserious, and it’s outrageous," Szijjarto said in an interview on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

The Nord Stream pipelines, built to deliver gas under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, were hit by explosions on September 26, 2022. Denmark, Germany and Norway have left Russia out of their investigations into the attack, prompting Moscow to launch its own probe on charges of international terrorism.

Russia has repeatedly requested data on the explosions from the European countries, but has never received it, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

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Full video: Putin outlines changes to Russia's nuclear doctrine amid new global threats

President Vladimir Putin outlined plans to update Russia's nuclear doctrine, the Fundamentals of State Policy on Nuclear Deterrence.

The core principle of nuclear weapon use remains the same: they are a last resort to protect sovereignty.

However, the changing geopolitical landscape and emerging military threats have required adjustments.

At the regular Security Council meeting on nuclear deterrence, Putin highlighted key elements of the revised document.

The draft is ready, but the president has yet to approve it for it to take effect.

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Zelensky's plan is about dragging NATO directly into war with Russia – US military veteran

"[Volodymyr Zelensky] wants to get people to support his 'victory plan', which really is not a victory plan," Earl Rasmussen, a retired US Army lieutenant colonel and international consultant, tells Sputnik, commenting on Zelensky's trip to the US.

The Ukrainian politician arrived in the US on September 22 to present his war plan to US President Joe Biden and make his case in separate meetings with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Zelensky is pushing ahead with the idea of striking deep inside Russia with NATO long-range missiles, something that Western leaders have so far had cold feet about.

"Let's face it, when he goes deep into Russia, those weapons systems basically need intelligence from the United States - NATO and specifically the US," Rasmussen says. "The intelligence information provided, the targeting, the programing, all is not done by Ukrainians. So, basically, the West becomes a full participant in the conflict then, which would basically then open up the avenue for escalation."

In fact, Zelensky's plan is nothing but a US neocon grand design, according to the military veteran: it's about NATO's expansion, weakening Russia and containing China as well. Rasmussen notes that neocons have been rolling out their Ukraine strategy for quite a while, seeking to install a military base in Crimea, maintaining secret bio-labs in Ukraine, and undermining any peace effort Russia has pursued over the past decade.

What's more, the proposal is absolutely unrealistic, being a one-sided attempt to coerce Russia into surrendering under Ukraine and the West's conditions, the pundit continues.

"They're basically trying to dictate to Russia the terms of whatever agreement there is. And that's unrealistic. It's a non-nonstarter. It's not real negotiations. It's not a proposal for real peace. It just stretches the conflict on," he concludes.

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▪️Full video: Putin outlines changes to Russia's nuclear doctrine amid new global threats

▪️Zelensky's plan is about dragging NATO directly into war with Russia – US military veteran

▪️Will Middle East face new refugee crisis as thousands flee Lebanon amid Israeli bombings?

▪️Qader-1: Hezbollah's new missile used to attack Tel Aviv

▪️Race for Africa: Biden to visit Angola as the nation's ties with China are burgeoning

▪️Top dog no more: Britain loses status as one of world’s industrial leaders

▪️Who is promoting childfree ideology and why?

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