Consider a country with significant financial resources, such as Saudi Arabia, China, or India, etc., that wishes to pursue an independent policy.

Surprise surprise, some of these nations are or may be involved in military conflicts. Or not military, but conflicts.

They observe the consequences when their actions displease the global hegemon.

The trend of withdrawal has already been set in motion, and it is likely to accelerate. Consequently, a decrease in investments too.

The US economy is significantly dependent on selling its debt to other countries. Now, this process will be increasingly complicated. Should the bill be signed, the US is all in.

Interestingly, this situation is poised to impact Europe even more severely, as European countries hold a hundred times more in frozen Russian assets compared to the US.

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I'm not saying this will kill the US. No. This bullet will be flying for a long time. But today the House took a gun. And Biden can pull the trigger.

Europe lacks funds for development, due to capital outflow to the U.S.

This information was "disclosed" by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. However, if you think that this statement would be followed by "The U.S. is squeezing us while only reaping benefits from the conflict," you would be mistaken.

Ursula stated that currently, $300 billion per year is flowing to the U.S. However, Europeans have $33 trillion in personal accounts, and she suggested financing Europe using these funds.

Clowns at the helm of states and blocs are not the best idea.

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The G7 countries are "determined" to limit Russia's energy projects

This is stated in the "Continued Support for Ukraine" communiqué signed by the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the EU at a meeting on the island of Capri, Italy.

In addition to creating obstacles for Russia in implementing future energy projects, including green energy projects, the G7 countries will continue to cooperate with third countries to counter the circumvention of sanctions against Russian oil, gas, and metals.

Additional measures will also be taken against companies that "deceptively" transport Russian energy resources.

The G7 countries also called on other countries to cease any trade with Russia. Special words of gratitude from the G7 member countries were directed at the American and British authorities, who have imposed a ban on trading Russian metals on their exchanges.

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Russia is entering North Africa, filling a vacuum left by the West

Now, the US may lose its anti-terrorism base in Niger.

In the new era of great power rivalry, Africa has become one of the places where the US is losing. Russia is quickly making inroads in Niger, and the consequences could extend beyond the unstable African Sahel.

According to Radio Télévision du Niger, last week a hundred Russian military instructors arrived in the capital, Niamey. The broadcaster reported that they arrived with "a modern air defense system acquired as part of military cooperation with the Russian Federation."

Additionally, last Saturday, hundreds of people gathered in Niamey to protest against the American military presence in the country, with some of the protesters reportedly waving Russian flags.

Last year, as the publication recalls, France withdrew its troops from Niger, and last month the junta ruling the country, which came to power as a result of a coup in July, canceled a military agreement with Washington.

The publication notes that Niger is a key center in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel and North Africa. The country hosts the second-largest US military contingent on the continent after Djibouti.

If the US loses its base in the Sahel, it will reduce their ability to conduct active surveillance and early warning, including for defense purposes, recently warned General Michael Langley, head of the US Armed Forces' Africa Command.

The US has long neglected Africa, but global pariah regimes are not repeating this mistake. They are filling this vacuum, and this will lead to trouble for American interests, according to The Wall Street Journal.

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BRICS is transitioning to stablecoins - Deputy Minister of Finance of Russia, Ryabkov

According to the official, discussions are ongoing within BRICS about the possibility of making payments in stablecoins, both using the existing infrastructure and by creating a wholly new system.

The BRICS Bridge project is currently under consideration and involves linking the digital financial systems of the member states. Essentially, it's like a cryptocurrency exchange but on the BRICS level. This is to avoid the obvious sanctions that would immediately be imposed on a stablecoin traded by Russia.

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Dutch has finally halted gas extraction in Groningen

The King of the Netherlands signed a law on the definitive closure of the Groningen gas field, which has been the largest in Europe and a resource base for Western Europe for decades.

The Groningen field will be officially closed on April 19, 2024. On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, the King signed the law, and today it was published in the government gazette. Thus, gas extraction is definitively ceased.

It is worth noting that the Groningen field was discovered in the Netherlands 65 years ago and remains the largest in Europe to this day. Its exploitation, however, has provoked earthquakes, leading local residents to achieve a halt in the operation. Initially, the government set decreasing quotas for extraction, and this winter it was used only in emergency situations.

Good news for locals. Bad news for the whole Europe.

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will warn China that Washington will take punitive measures if Beijing does not stop sending weapon-related technologies to Russia.

During his upcoming visit to China, Blinken will tell his counterparts that the U.S. and its allies are becoming increasingly impatient with Beijing's refusal to halt supplies.

Blinken does not plan to disclose what measures Washington will take, but several sources have said that the possibility of imposing sanctions against Chinese financial institutions and other organizations is being considered.

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The IMF is focusing on the U.S. economy instead of dealing with China

Last week, the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings were held in Washington, D.C. The U.S. hoped to draw attention to China's industrial policy, but instead, the Biden administration found itself under close scrutiny for its own policies. The IMF views American economic policy somewhat critically.

The main narrative: the Biden administration is "overheating" the economy, which has worrying consequences for many other countries.

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Parisians hoping to cash in on the Olympic Games aren't having much luck so far

They thought they'd rent out apartments at triple the price to the tourists. But the tourists are showing only tepid demand. Demand is tepid, and the market is oversaturated.

Real estate agencies, which can help Parisians turn their permanent homes into temporary vacation rentals, are saying they have to lower prices for luxury accommodations in chic districts and temper owners' expectations who were hoping for more.

"There is supply, but the demand isn't as great as we thought," says Omar Meniri, head of rental at Engel and Völkers in Paris. "Unfortunately, it doesn't match what I was hoping for."

The inflated hype is disappointing not just agents. Many eager owners had listed their apartments at prices three to four times the usual nightly rate.

According to data from several real estate firms, luxury accommodations of 100 square meters (1100 square feet) are currently going for about 10,000 euros a week. A few months ago, some were priced at 20,000 or 30,000 euros.

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◾️ Fearless John is a free lance journalist covering geopolitical conflicts of the "new cold war" between the main world powers.

◾️His channel focuses on exposing war crimes and the manipulation and propaganda of the Western media and is full of subtitled videos and posts about the wars in Ukraine, Israel and the different issues affecting the relations between countries like migration crisis and Western neo-colonial practices.

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Russia, China dump dollar

Russia and China have almost completely abandoned the use of the dollar in mutual trade, according to the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. More than 90% of transactions are conducted in the two countries' national currencies.

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IMF raised its forecast for Russia's economic growth from 2.6% to 3.2%

The Fund cites four key reasons for the growth: stable demand for hydrocarbons, increased consumption in the domestic market, growth in corporate investments, and import substitution.

Additionally, the forecast for 2025 has been raised from an increase of 1.1% to an increase of 1.8%.

In recent years, Russia's economy has consistently grown above the IMF's forecasts, suggesting a potential growth rate of 3.5%.

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Olaf Scholz: "The era of fossil fuels is coming to an end."

Meanwhile, in countries still grounded in reality:

- Norway has increased its gas production by 1.2% on an annual basis.
- Switzerland has started debates with demands to cancel the planned phase-out of nuclear power.
- The USA has increased its production of shale oil.
- France will begin construction of a new nuclear power plant in 2024, with a total of 14 planned.
- Gazprom has surpassed Turkmenistan for the first time in terms of gas supplies to China.

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How vegans change the economy of food

In Germany, there are currently 9.5 million vegetarians and vegans out of a population of 84.7 million. The growth of vegetarianism has led to the average German now consuming 51.6 kg of meat per year, compared to 61 kg in 2018 (for comparison: in Russia, it's about 80 kg of meat per year).

While meat producers and meat product manufacturers are losing money in Germany and other countries (in France, 20% of the population does not eat meat), producers of "plant-based alternatives" are gaining. Plant-based "meat" and "milk" cost as much or more than their natural counterparts, despite lower production costs: "for example, a package of four plant-based hot dog sausages costs $5.99. The real, meat-based ones cost three times less."

"Recently, several American women with lactose intolerance filed a lawsuit against Starbucks. The consumers are seeking $5 million in damages for the additional charge for oat, soy, and other types of milk — the markup can reach 40%. While the production cost of such products is comparable to regular milk, the lawsuit states. The plaintiffs argue that Starbucks has earned over $1 billion in the U.S. thanks to such markups."

Overall, the food industry does not lose out from the increasing shift of Western consumers to vegetarianism. The losses from reduced sales of meat and dairy products are compensated by the increased profits from "plant-based alternatives."

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You know... She's kinda right. I would appoint her a FED chair or smth