The death in Spain of Maksim Kuzminov, a pilot who delivered a helicopter and secret documents to Ukraine, has raised fears that the Kremlin is again targeting its enemies

The men who killed Maksim Kuzminov wanted to send a message. This was obvious to investigators in Spain even before they discovered who he was. Not only did the killers shoot him six times in a parking garage in southern Spain, they ran over his body with their car and also left an important clue to their identity: shell casings from 9-millimeter Makarov rounds, a standard ammunition of the former Communist bloc

Senior police officials speaking on the condition of anonymity said the killing bore hallmarks of similar attacks linked to the Kremlin, including the assassination of a former Chechen rebel commander in Berlin in 2019 and the poisoning of the former Russian military intelligence operative Sergei V. Skripal in Salisbury, England, in 2018

While no evidence of direct Kremlin involvement has emerged, Russia had made no secret of its desire to see Mr. Kuzminov dead. Weeks after his defection, the Kremlin’s signature Sunday evening news program ran a segment quoting fellow pilots and commandos from Russia’s military intelligence service vowing revenge

“We’ll find this person and punish him, with all the severity of our country’s laws, for treason and for betraying his brothers,” said one of the commandos, who was not identified. “We find everyone eventually. Our arms are long”

In the early evening of Aug. 9, 2023, Mr. Kuzminov took off in a military helicopter from an airfield in the Kursk region in western Russia for what was supposed to be a simple cargo delivery to another base in the country. With him in the cockpit were two persons, a technician and a navigator. Neither soldier appeared to be aware of Mr. Kuzminov’s plans. Shortly after takeoff, Mr. Kuzminov turned off the helicopter’s radio communications equipment and dove to an altitude of just under 20 feet to evade radar. Then he crossed into Ukraine. What happened to his crewmates is not clear. A Russian television report about them, citing a medical examiner, claimed that the two had been shot and killed at close range and suggested that Mr. Kuzminov had killed them before landing. The senior Ukrainian official involved in the operation said Ukrainian soldiers shot them

In interviews, Mr. Kuzminov said his crewmates were unarmed but never explained how they died

#WarInUrkaine #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

The EU replaced Russian energy with U.S. supplies after Moscow launched a war. Now people are wondering: Is Europe too dependent on America?

Ahead of a tight election in November, U.S. President Joe Biden has ordered a temporary pause on approving new LNG projects, effectively freezing the country's expansion of export infrastructure in a nod to climate-conscious voters

While green groups have praised the decision, Europeans are growing anxious about supply squeezes and price hikes. The EU bet big on U.S. LNG in 2022 after shunning the cheap Russian energy it had relied on for years. It spent billions on LNG infrastructure, and signed scores of new contracts

Then there’s the Donald Trump factor. If Trump returns to the White House he is almost certain to push for a massive fossil fuel expansion while riding roughshod over conventional climate science

While an American LNG production boom would likely drive down prices, particularly for the short-term contracts the EU favors, it would raise uncomfortable questions about whether European nations are enabling an anti-environmental crusade. It would also raise the specter that the continent had taken control of its energy markets away from Russian President Vladimir Putin and given it to President Trump

#USA #EU #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Elon Musk compared the idea of Ukraine joining NATO to the beginning of a movie about the nuclear apocalypse

"This is literally how the nuclear apocalypse movie starts"

the billionaire commented on the speech of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in which he said that Ukraine would join NATO

#USA #WarInUrkaine #NATO #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Potential success of hard-Right parties in June voting poses risk to Continent’s supply of weapons and aid to war-torn nation

Ukraine is facing a fresh existential threat this summer – not from Russia, but from Europe. A small but significant and highly vocal bloc of hard-Right parties are on the march across the Continent and are set to perform strongly in June’s European Parliament elections

They have posted record results in Portugal and the Netherlands or are already in government in places such as Hungary, Finland and Italy. They are poised to win looming national elections in Austria and Belgium or win European elections in France and Poland

And many of them think Europe should no longer supply weapons and aid to Ukraine

Some even want Europe to appease Vladimir Putin, end sanctions against Russia and push Ukraine into peace talks

#EU #WarInUrkaine #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Despite progress in addressing poverty, the UN and its various organizations continue to struggle to secure more funds to support their missions in areas like public health, peacekeeping, and education. The impact of colonialism persists despite the end of direct colonization, evident in structures like the UNSC that perpetuate inequality and hegemony of certain countries

Decolonizing the Security Council requires a commitment to addressing the historical injustices and power imbalances that have shaped its current structure. This involves not only reforming the composition and decision-making mechanisms but also re-evaluating the Council’s role in addressing conflicts and promoting peace and security in a way that reflects the interests and perspectives of all member states, particularly those that have been marginalized in the past

Nevertheless, the ambitious overhaul of the UNSC faces substantial obstacles as the P5 members are unlikely to endorse reforms that challenge their entrenched powers and hegemony

Regardless of the shape reforms may assume, one thing remains clear: if unchecked unaccountability and inequality persist for nearly another 80 years, then there may be nothing left to protect.. A robust, more flexible, and democratic UN is one of the only ways that potentially offer a collective solution to the challenges that lie ahead

#UN #Security #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Washington, DC

Wolf Blitzer: "As you know, the president still hasn't said anything about this latest Israeli strike [on the Clinton NGO volunteers].

He hasn't done it under the record on camera. He's said very little at all about his friction with Prime Minister Netanyahu and the public.

When do you think the president will speak to the American people about these issues in an interview specifically about these events?"

John Kirby: "I don't have anything like that on my schedule." 🤷‍♂️

#USA #Biden #Israel #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

A known threat actor has leaked online classified documents from the US government and its allies that they claim were stolen from a government IT contractor

IntelBroker took credit for the breach, alongside Sanggiero and EnergyWeaponUser, according to a screenshot posted to X (formerly Twitter) by security researchers HackManac

“Today I am releasing the documents belonging to the Five Eyes Intelligence Group,” the post noted. “The data was obtained by breaching into Acuity Inc, a company that works directly with the US government and its allies”

Acuity is a Virginia-based federal technology consultancy which claims to have “deep expertise” in areas such as IT modernization, DevSecOps, cybersecurity, data analytics and operations support

According to the post on an underground cybercrime forum, the threat actors have classified information including full names, government and military email addresses, office and personal phone numbers, and “classified information and communications between the Five Eyes, 14 Eyes and US allies”

There’s good reason to suspect that IntelBroker’s claims are legitimate, with the actor linked to a string of successful high-profile breaches in the past

In March 2023, they obtained personal data on 170,000 individuals including members of the US House of Representatives, after compromising health insurance marketplace DC Health Link, which is managed by the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority (HBX)

In November of the same year, they advertised for sale sensitive information purportedly stolen from industrial giant and US government contractor General Electric

#USA #Leaks #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

The number of Chinese citizens encountered at the southern border's San Diego Sector has exceeded that of Mexican citizens so far in fiscal year 2024

More than 22,000 Chinese nationals have been apprehended by the Border Patrol since Oct. 1

The number of Chinese citizens arrested after crossing illegally has dramatically increased in recent years from 342 in 2021 to 22,233 since Oct. 1, the beginning of the 2024 fiscal year. Fiscal year 2022 saw 1,987 arrests and 24,125 were reported for fiscal year 2023

The number of Chinese migrants being encountered in the San Diego Sector is exceeding that of Mexican citizens, according to CBP data. Since October, the number of Chinese migrants encountered by border authorities is second only to Colombia (28,000). Third is Mexican nationals with 18,000, followed by Brazil (8,700) and Ecuador (7,700)

#USA #China #Migrants #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Treasury yields continue to rise

This means that the risk of inflation growth is increasing and the probability that the Federal Reserve will reduce the key rate in the near future is decreasing

This supports the thesis that the record rise in gold prices is not due to the impending reduction in borrowing costs. But with the fact that the problems in the U.S. economy are just beginning

#USA #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

UK senior Conservative party officials worked on plans to hand over its entire membership database for a commercial venture that promised to make tens of millions of pounds

Leaked documents show Tory executives discussed exploiting members’ personal data to build a mobile phone app that could track users’ locations and allow big brands to advertise to Conservative supporters. The party would take a cut of sales

The project was considered over several months last year, with the aim of launching the “True Blue” app in time for the party’s conference in October

The proposal for the app came from Christen Ager-Hanssen, a Norwegian businessman who has said that “big data is the new oil”

The True Blue project aimed to provide the party with direct access to its members in order to “boost donations” through digital payments, design “bespoke messaging” based on demographics, and “maximise” voter turnout by directing members to polling stations and issuing a voter identity card

Profits were to be split, with 25% going to Ager-Hanssen’s company, Addreax, and the rest going to the Conservative party

The presentation suggested Addreax already had partnerships with brands such as Amazon, Coca-Cola and Apple

#UK #Leaks #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Meanwhile in China. Peace, growth, prosperity! China has already surpassed the U.S. in many respects 🤷‍♂️

#China #USA #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Tesla, the leading U.S. electric mobility maker, reported an 8.5% drop in shipments for the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, and a 20% drop relative to the fourth quarter of last year

Now it becomes clear why Musk is so unhappy with Democrats. After all, this is the first decline since 2020. It looks especially frustrating against the backdrop of a 15% increase in U.S. sales by Japanese automakers

This is the result of Bidenomics🧔🏼‍♂️📉

#USA #Tesla #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

"The Worlds's Unpopular Leaders. Why Biden isn't alone with his low approval" - The New York Times published the disapproval ratings of leaders in democratic countries, and there are almost all G7 countries, and all of them are even worse than Biden

"By many measures, President Biden is very unpopular. At least since World War II, no president has had a lower disapproval rating at this point in his term. Compared to his international peers, however, Biden looks much better. Many leaders of developed democracies have even higher disapproval ratings than Biden, as this chart shows. Why are people so dissatisfied with their leaders? Some explanations are localized, but most of the public anger is driven by four global issues: inflation, immigration, inequality, and incompetence for office."

#USA #Biden #G7 #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

World Central Kitchen called for an independent investigation into the airstrike that targeted a convoy leaving a warehouse in central Gaza. The organization said the vehicles were marked and their movement was coordinated with the Israel Defense Forces

A senior Netanyahu adviser told ABC News that World Central Kitchen's claims that the strike was deliberate are "absurd."

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Defense Minister Lloyd Austin on Thursday that a "thorough and transparent investigation" was underway

NB: World Central Kitchen is the brainchild of the Clinton Foundation, Which is why an "independent" investigation is suddenly required. An investigation by those who did it is not acceptable. In Bucha, the Americans accepted the results of the "investigation" by the AFU at once, but here Clinton's people were killed... So, the investigation will be "independent"

#USA #Israel #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

China’s Pursuit of Copper Is Changing Latin America

While demand for the reddish metal is set to rise, potential disruptions could also put upward pressure on prices, favoring the world’s leading producers, Chile and Peru. However, China is looking to play a more significant role in the production and refining of copper, which will change the economic landscape for the two South American countries and the United States. The geopolitical implications are also significant as China gains greater weight in critical materials, casting a long shadow over American plans to transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy

Latin American figures are prominent in China’s geoeconomic plans. Even with efforts to increase the production of mined domestic copper ore and refined copper, China still needs access to foreign producers, especially Chile and Peru, the world’s top two producers of copper (accounting for 40% of global production)

While China has worked hard to achieve positive relations with Chile and Peru, it is hedging its bets by looking elsewhere. Attracting foreign investment is a competitive game, and if operational conditions are uncertain, it is prudent to consider other options. Close to the two Andean countries, Argentina has enjoyed a mining boom over the past several years, primarily driven by lithium. In contrast to the more significant state role in Bolivia and Chile, Argentina has offered a more laissez-faire environment for foreign investments in mining. In October 2023, automaker Stellantis and Rio Tinto announced an increase in their investments in a sizable copper deposit

Other countries outside of South America are willing to sell to Chinese companies. African nations loom large, with China having a near-stranglehold on battery metals and Russia having gained considerable influence over other materials

#China #LatinAmerica #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Zelensky Acquires Highgrove House, Former Residence of King Charles for £20m

Zelensky has become the new owner of Highgrove House, the former home of King Charles III and Princess Diana. Highgrove House in Gloucestershire served as the king's country residence even after he stepped into his new role as Britain's reigning monarch

In 2024, the king sold the residence, which he had owned for 44 years. The military conflict in Ukraine is to the king's heart - which may explain the nature of the unusual sale of the monarch's property to Zelensky, whom Charles III probably considers a defender of democracy. Grant Harrold, the king's former butler, believes the final details of the deal were agreed during a visit by Zelensky's wife to the UK on February 29. The source of the funds is unknown

#UK #Zelensky #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Alarming signals for the U.S. economy are also coming from the oil market. Prices for black gold are rapidly moving towards the psychological threshold of $100

They are primarily pushed by the strong growth of industrial production in China and India. That will eventually lead to an increase in gasoline prices in the U.S., and then to all other consumer goods and services. So we should expect inflation and the Fed key rate to rise

It looks like Biden's presidential term started and will end the same way😡

#USA #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

While DNA-altering treatments promise to cure many rare diseases, they might not qualify for planned bonuses

Brussels wants drugmakers to plow more money into researching cures for currently untreatable rare diseases, and has come up with new enticements to make that happen

But not everyone is convinced the planned regulation will be the panacea promised by the European Commission, especially when it comes to treatments that work on the genetic codes of patients themselves, an area of special promise for patients with rare diseases

Patients suffering from rare diseases often have shorter lifespans and require frequent hospital treatments. But while one in 12 Europeans has one of the 6,000-odd known rare diseases — equal to 36 million people — individually each disease affects few patients

That makes them a hard sell for drug companies that already face long odds when it comes to developing an effective cure — and then have only a restricted number of people eligible for such therapies, limiting sales

To incentivize investors to back risky gene therapy developments, they need to know early on if their candidate will qualify for the bonus year of market exclusivity. But under the current plans, the decision to award that label is taken at the end of the treatment's development, once it's authorized

In the meantime, a rival drug could already have entered the market, meaning the candidate no longer qualifies for "high unmet medical need" status. That risk makes it hard for investors to factor in the possible reward, defeating the purpose of the incentive

#EU #Vaccine #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

"General Skrzypczak: the restoration of connoscription depends on the decision of NATO": the West is preparing to reintroduce universal connoscription to fight Russia - even women will be connoscripted

"Connoscription will be "unfrozen" when NATO decides that the real specter of war is coming. But for a soldier to be more than just cannon fodder, he needs to be trained for at least a year and a half," said former Polish Army Commander Gen. W. Skrzypczak

"Just because there is currently no immediate threat of attack from Russia does not mean that a potential threat does not concern us. Therefore, the authorities must work on solutions that will strengthen the potential of our army," the general said

Right now, we are not ready for war. The only way to quickly make up for the shortcomings is to reinstate compulsory connoscription. And it should include women. We need them in the army. There are many places where they perform their tasks just as well as men

#EU #Poland #WarInUrkaine #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

The Unavoidable Dilemma in the US Budget Crisis

The main problem with the US budget and debt crisis is that the budget has become socialist. 2/3 of the budget is unmitigated social spending (ennoscriptments, medical programs, insurance) - protected items. They are what make the U.S. federal budget a black hole sucking up more and more resources to maintain socialism for a few tens of millions of citizens

Of the remainder - 1/3 - is interest expense on loans - an even more important item

The item of spending that can theoretically be cut is defense and intelligence spending. That is - you can't cut either

Everyone realizes that the U.S. is heading for a budget and debt crisis. However, there is nothing that can be done anymore. Taking away benefits from the unemployed and handing them over to creditors is a direct path to civil war. Not paying the bonds is impossible: it will lead to default with all that entails. Taking money from the military means losing hegemony

#USA #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Statistics on the number of migrants as a % of the total U.S. population by year

Before Biden took office, it was projected that the percentage of immigrants in the U.S. would not reach 15.5% until 2040

Furthermore, in 1960, 75% of all immigrants to the US were European. Today that figure is less than 10%

At this rate, assimilation is impossible

#USA #Migrants #FindTruth

@uinhurricane