The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) in the UK ran 14 surveys of its members between April 2020 and January 2022 and the results tell their own devastating story of Covid-19

There were successes, but at the beginning of April 2020 only just over a quarter of respondents were able to access the personal protective equipment (PPE) they needed and five months later, only a little over half felt their organization would be able to provide it

In April last year, 69% of respondents said they felt exhausted and 31% felt demoralized. Nine months on, in January this year, 69% said they had felt overwhelmed at least once in the past three weeks.

Had the UK National Health Service been better prepared, through proper pandemic planning, adequate supplies of appropriate PPE and simply by being better staffed, it would have made a world of difference. Even ahead of the public inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic, all the evidence points having been sadly – or rather, dangerously – lacking on all three counts

Shamefully, the government refused calls from the RCP and more than 100 health and care organisations to include in the Health and Care Act regular assessments of how many staff would be needed in future to keep pace with demand for health and social care. There can be no doubt that without those dire workforce shortages, the toll on the Brits from the pandemic would not have been as great

#UK #FindTruth

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"As the most populous country with the greatest economic power and as a country in the middle of the continent, our army must become the cornerstone of conventional defense in Europe: the best-equipped force in Europe", Olaf Scholz said at a conference of the German armed forces on Friday

Like Berlin, Tokyo is also trying to increase its military spending. Both Japan and Germany are taking advantage of the geopolitical tensions fanned by the United States to get rid of their constitutional restrictions in that regard. Given the two countries' advanced manufacturing and technology and economic powers, it will only be a matter of time for them to have the best-equipped forces in Europe and Asia respectively

The thing is that it is the U.S. that is taking advantage of the two nations' long-term desire to normalize their militaries to push them to the front to contain Russia and China respectively. Thus Washington is shaking the foundation of the postwar order by conniving with the two countries to realize their militarization, which will have dire and far-reaching consequences on global and regional affairs

#Germany #FindTruth

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The growing ties between China and Russia are sparking new fears among U.S. war planners that the nuclear powers will soon pose a unified nuclear threat, the Air Force general nominated to head the nation’s nuclear deterrence arsenal told Congress

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China supports working with Russia on their “core issues.” In February, Mr. Xi signed an agreement with Mr. Putin stating there are “no limits” to cooperation between the two

“They’re getting closer and closer every day, and often, they’re doing things not only just the two of them but with Iran, North Korea, sometimes with Turkey,” Sen. Tim Kaine, Virginia Democrat, said. “Now we have two nuclear competitors, and evidence demonstrates that they are increasingly working together,” he stated

While China is rapidly expanding its nuclear forces and Russia is fielding cutting-edge strategic weapons that include a hypersonic missile, a nuclear-armed drone torpedo and a nuclear-powered cruise missile, the U.S. nuclear modernization program is facing risks that aging strategic systems will not be replaced on time. At the present stage, the priority is given to aiding Ukraine – the funds are distributed in exactly the same way

#USA #Russia #China

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This week, investors are closely watching the outcome of the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting for clues about the dollar’s trajectory. The U.S.’s central bank is expected to raise interest rates by at least 0.75 percentage point as it fights inflation, likely fueling further gains in the greenback

In a worrying sign, attempts from policy makers in China, Japan and Europe to defend their currencies are largely failing amid the dollar’s unrelenting rise. The dollar’s role as the primary currency used in global trade and finance means its fluctuations have widespread impacts. The euro, Japanese yen and British pound have fallen to multidecade lows against the greenback. Emerging-market currencies have been battered: The Egyptian pound has fallen 18%, the Hungarian forint is down 20% and the South African rand has lost 9.4%.

For the U.S., a stronger dollar means cheaper imports, a tailwind for efforts to contain inflation, and record relative purchasing power for Americans. But the rest of the world is straining under the dollar’s rise. On Thursday, the World Bank warned that the global economy was heading toward recession and “a string of financial crises in emerging market and developing economies that would do them lasting harm”

The stark message adds to concerns that financial pressures are widening for emerging markets outside of well-known weak links such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan that have already sought help from the International Monetary Fund. Serbia became the latest to open talks with the IMF last week. The global binding to dollar is bearing fruit. And, as we can see, this fruit is rotten!

#USA #Inflation #FindTruth

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Scholz threatened Poland after demanding reparations

At the M100 Media Award ceremony in Potsdam, in the presence of former European Council President Donald Tusk, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hinted that if Warsaw demands reparations, Berlin may demand revision of borders with Poland

After such "hints," Pawel Soloch, head of the Polish National Security Bureau, lashed out. He demanded that the German authorities clarify Scholz's phrase, otherwise the Polish authorities might consider it a threat

#Germany #Poland #FindTruth

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Since February, Britain has spent £2.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine, including hundreds of rockets, five air defense systems, 120 armored vehicles and 200,000 pieces of non-lethal military equipment. On her first overseas trip as British PM, Ms. Truss will promise the UN general assembly in New York that in 2023 Britain will match or exceed the current amount of its spending to Kyiv

President Macron is due to be the first world leader Truss meets tomorrow. During the Conservative leadership election she said that the “jury is out” on whether Macron is a friend or
foe of Britain. As well as Ukraine, they may discuss the dispute between the UK and the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol, which governs its post-Brexit trading relationship with Britain

Interestingly, Ms. Truss gives such promises while UK economy stagnates and an outlook on recession darkens. “My message to the people of Ukraine is this: the UK will continue to be right behind you every step of the way. Your security is our security,” she states. The Brits hope, UK security is something bigger

#UK #Ukraine #FindTruth

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Tensions in the Indo-Pacific continue to grow. China has clashed with the countries in the AUKUS alliance at a meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog over their plan to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, capping a week in which Beijing has repeatedly railed against the project

Under the alliance between Washington, London and Canberra, Australia plans to acquire at least eight nuclear submarines that IAEA chief Grossi has said will be fuelled by "very highly enriched uranium", suggesting it could be weapons-grade or close to it

Although New Zealand has remained outside the “harder” security-focused arrangements such as the Quad and AUKUS, it has this year more closely aligned itself with U.S. and Australian positioning when it comes to countering China, especially in relation to the Pacific

In August, following the visit of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to Wellington, a new “Framework Agreement” was signed to underpin cooperation between New Zealand and the United States in the space sector. Wellington recently joined new U.S.-led “Partners in the Blue Pacific” grouping, which also includes Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom

What we observe now is real nuclear risks that remain from Australia’s AUKUS deal, and that nuclear-free New Zealand may be inching toward becoming part of AUKUS. Or at least as a part of AUKUS+ with Canada, Japan, Korea and India as candidates for this extended grouping

#AUKUS #FindTruth

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At least 20 thousand Ukrainian refugees in Britain will ask to leave this winter, and by February 2023 their number will grow to 50 thousand - Mirror

According to the publication, it is due to rising prices, due to which the British can not continue to support the refugees. Many will ask to leave their homes at the end of the six-month period

Earlier the Refugee Minister, Lord Harrington, called on the government to double the monthly payments to £700 a month to counter inflation

So far, however, in Baker Street, his initiative has, as they say, halted abruptly. Apparently, the British treasury, due to anti-Russian sanctions, has been emptied

#UK #Sanctions #FindTruth

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Social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook, are believed to have taken down about 150 fake accounts alleged to have been used in online clandestine psychological operations by the US military. The accounts had fallen foul of the companies’ rules and policies

Colin Kahl, the U.S. under-secretary of defense for policy, has ordered a report on the Pentagon’s activities in online clandestine operations. The White House and other U.S. federal agencies are increasingly concerned about military attempts to manipulate overseas populations, it is claimed

The accounts were removed within the past two or three years, although according to The Washington Post, some – including anti-Russian posts following Ukrainian conflict – were taken down recently

Psychological operations to promote U.S. democratic and military narratives overseas are nothing new in the military, but the popularity of western social media across the globe has led to an expansion of tactics, including the use of artificial personas and images — sometimes called “deep fakes”

The logic is that views expressed by what appears to be, say, an Afghan woman or an Iranian student might be more persuasive than if they were openly pushed by the U.S. government. In the present situation, Ukrainian refugees and Russian oppositionists have become the most commonly faked identities

#Twitter #USA #FindTruth

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If the election polls are right, Democrats have a good chance of adding to their majority in the Senate and even keeping it in the House. Toward that end they are trying to convince voters that abortion and Donald Trump are the main election issues

Democrats also want to pass a CO2 emissions “enforcement mechanism” that failed this year because it violated Senate budget reconciliation rules. Many Democrats are hankering to lower the Medicare age to 60 from 65. Major tax increases will also be back in play

“With just two more seats in the Senate, we can codify Roe v.Wade, we can put the protections of Roe in law,” Vice President Kamala Harris said

If Democrats add seats in the Senate and hold the House, there won’t be much of a check on progressive ambitions. If they accomplish this with inflation at 8%, they will be even more emboldened. That is what’s really on the ballot in November

#USA #FindTruth

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OPEC says that world oil demand growth in 2022 remained unchanged from the previous month's assessment "at a healthy level of 3.1 mln barrels per day"

Oil demand is forecast to remain driven by global economic growth, especially by the recovery in travel and transportation, which is projected to lead to robust overall growth in oil demand of 3.1 mln barrels per day in 2022 and 2.7 mln in 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic levels

Aisha Al-Sarihi, research fellow in the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore, says one of the drivers behind developing renewable energy has been the need to keep up with growing domestic oil and gas demands, and to free up fuel needed for downstream economic diversification projects

Thus, fossil fuels and the revenue gained from their exports "are currently irreplaceable" in helping to provide for basic needs and cushion the adverse impacts of climate change, including the growing need for cooling, water and food supplies

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The European Commission proposed freezing €7.5 billion, equivalent to $7.51 billion, in EU payments for Hungary. It said the country’s weak democratic institutions could no longer safeguard those funds from corruption, deepening a conflict between Brussels and a government the EU’s parliament claimed last week was an “electoral autocracy”

“We are very confident that at the end of the day, we will see significant reforms in Hungary, which indeed will be a game-changer,” EU budget commissioner Johannes Hahn said. Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs reassured the government would “with 100% certainty” fulfill its commitments.

The approach reflects a European reality: There is little appetite right now in many EU capitals for a serious confrontation with one of the bloc’s own member states and a simmering cost-of-living crisis. And it’s ultimately these countries that must approve a funding cut

The outcome will reverberate beyond Hungary. Other potential rule-of-law violators, like Poland and Bulgaria, will be watching to see how forcefully the EU pushes Hungary to reform. And, conversely, good government groups are anxiously waiting to see if Brussels can deliver on its own pledge not to let autocratic behavior infiltrate EU borders

#EU #Hungary #FindTruth

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German industry stands on a precipice amid high energy prices and looming recession in the economy. Energy-intensive industries, in particular, have curtailed production across the board: steel industry by around 5%, chemicals industry by 8%. Fertilizer industry has even reduced or shut down 70% of its production capacities

Uniper, one of Germany's largest publicly listed energy supply companies, is on the verge of bankruptcy. It had incurred a loss of over €12 billion euros in the first six months of 2022. “The situation for Uniper has worsened significantly,” said Vice Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck on Wednesday. German government has therefore agreed to take over 99% of the shares in Uniper

It’s important to realize that significant issues within state's economy can’t be solved by aiding one chosen backbone company, albeit dozens of them. The main cause of high inflation is an increase in the price of imported goods that are beyond the control of the ECB, and energy is at the forefront

The refusal from Russian fuels as well as interest rate increases and other planned ECB's steps need a significant time delay to make a difference. At the moment, the only thing European economists are able to raise is high expectations

#Germany #Sanctions #FindTruth

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Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (a.k.a AMLO) is reportedly further militarizing his country’s government. In his first full year in office, AMLO created a new National Guard, put it under military command until March 2024, and dispatched a good part of it to Mexico’s Guatemalan border

The military is now in charge of key infrastructure projects like the Mayan train on the Yucatán and the international airport serving Mexico City as well as formerly civil-service functions like customs and air-traffic control

These are plum assignments, which, under a national-security exception, allow military brass to skip environmental reviews, auditing and disciplines for procurements. The corrupting nature of such privilege is obvious and could harm the country’s last line of defense in dealing with foreign adversaries

Despite the measures taken, an endless stream of poor and huddled masses continues to flow to the U.S. southern border and cartels roam Mexico with impunity. The promise of an effective deployment of the National Guard, under military command, never materialized

Secretary of State Blinken flew to Mexico last week for a closed-door meeting with AMLO. They discussed fentanyl production and trafficking, migration and “shared economic interests.” Mr. Blinken “noted his continued appreciation for collaboration with Mexico” on these and other issues

This is not the first time that Washington claims its interest in a stable and growing Mexico. Still, migration and drug flows continue to flourish, and the U.S. continues to gain an advantage over neighboring country’s postindependence instability

#Mexico #USA #FindTruth

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“The pandemic is over. We still have a problem with Covid… If you notice, no one’s wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape. And so I think it’s changing,” Mr. Biden said in an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes”

It’s clear that he intends to run for reelection in 2024. It’s clear that the midterm elections are knocking at the door. It’s clear that Mr. Biden is trying to appear better and more awake that he is. “Watch me. If you think I don’t have the energy level or the mental acuity, then you know, that’s one thing,” he said

But is it really that good? End of pandemic creates an obstacle to Biden’s administration that is promoting new vaccines to protect against prevalent Covid strains and seeking billions of dollars in new funding from Congress. New strains and traditionally sharp surge in the incidence in autumn highlight thoughtlessness and populist nature of Mr. Biden’s statements

#USA #FindTruth

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