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Russia, China and India to hold massive "Vostok" war games in two weeks
Chinese troops will travel to Russia to take part in war games along with India, Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan and other largely anti-Western countries, China's defense ministry said on Wednesday, adding redundantly that China's participation in the joint exercises is "unrelated to the current international and regional situation." Last month, Moscow announced plans to hold "Vostok" (East) exercises from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5, even as it wages war in Ukraine. It said at the time that some foreign forces would participate, without naming them. It turns out that the "foreign forces" account for just under half of the world's population. China's defence ministry said its participation in the exercises was part of an ongoing bilateral annual cooperation agreement with Russia, Reuters reported. The statement said: "The aim is to deepen practical and friendly cooperation with the armies of participating countries, enhance the level of strategic collaboration among the participating parties,...
https://www.sott.net/article/471147-Russia-China-and-India-to-hold-massive-Vostok-war-games-in-two-weeks

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China flash floods: 16 dead and 36 missing in Qinghai province
Sudden rainstorm triggers landslide and diverts river resulting in floods Sixteen people are dead and 36 others missing after a flash flood hit Qinghai province in western China amid the ongoing torrential rains, according to Chinese media reports. Heavy and sudden downpours in Datong Hui and Tu Autonomous County of Qinghai province started late on Wednesday, causing flooding in the mountains and triggering landslides, according to China's state broadcaster CCTV. The flash floods affected an area with more than 6,000 people and over 1,500 houses, CCTV said.
https://www.sott.net/article/471148-China-flash-floods-16-dead-and-36-missing-in-Qinghai-province

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New Zealand weather: Evacuations as heavy rain, flooding hits West Coast, South Island - over foot of rain in 24 hours (UPDATE)
A state of emergency has been declared in Nelson as residents have been told to evacuate their homes immediately after the Maitai River breached its banks. Some 223 homes in Nelson have already been evacuated. Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese said the river, which runs through the city and out to Tasman Bay, breached its banks as heavy rain continues to sweep across the South Island. Flood waters are encroaching on the city centre, a video from the Collingwood St bridge shows, while search and rescue teams are now looking for people who need help in the flooded streets and suburbs.
https://www.sott.net/article/471108-New-Zealand-weather-Evacuations-as-heavy-rain-flooding-hits-West-Coast-South-Island-over-foot-of-rain-in-24-hours-UPDATE

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New Zealand weather: Evacuations as heavy rain, flooding and landslips hit - over a foot of rain in 24 hours (UPDATE)
A state of emergency has been declared in Nelson as residents have been told to evacuate their homes immediately after the Maitai River breached its banks. Some 223 homes in Nelson have already been evacuated. Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese said the river, which runs through the city and out to Tasman Bay, breached its banks as heavy rain continues to sweep across the South Island. Flood waters are encroaching on the city centre, a video from the Collingwood St bridge shows, while search and rescue teams are now looking for people who need help in the flooded streets and suburbs.
https://www.sott.net/article/471108-New-Zealand-weather-Evacuations-as-heavy-rain-flooding-and-landslips-hit-over-a-foot-of-rain-in-24-hours-UPDATE

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Summer flash flooding hits London
Torrential downpours are battering the UK capital today, leaving many places flooded and forcing several tube stations to close. As thunderstorms batter the country's dry landscape with heavy rain, London is suffering flash floods..
https://www.sott.net/article/471149-Summer-flash-flooding-hits-London

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CDC quietly removes 'claim' that spike protein doesn't 'last long' in the body after COVID vaccine
This is what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had to say about the mRNA vaccines last summer (July 2021):
https://www.sott.net/article/471150-CDC-quietly-removes-claim-that-spike-protein-doesnt-last-long-in-the-body-after-COVID-vaccine

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Finnish PM responds to drug allegations after wild party videos leaked
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin has denied taking drugs after videos of a night out, in which a number of revelers could reportedly be heard discussing cocaine, were leaked online. The controversy has prompted some politicians to call for the young leader to take a drug test. "I am upset that these videos have become public. It was about me having a night out with friends. Partying - even in a boisterous way - dancing and singing," Marin told the media on Thursday morning. She denied any wrongdoing, but lamented the violation of her privacy. The party took place at a private residence several weeks ago, she said, and expected her off-duty time to remain confidential. Marin confirmed that the party that night later continued at two bars in Helsinki.
https://www.sott.net/article/471151-Finnish-PM-responds-to-drug-allegations-after-wild-party-videos-leaked

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Huge complex of 500 standing stones found in Spain
Madrid (AFP) - A huge megalithic complex of more than 500 standing stones has been discovered in southern Spain which could be one of the largest in Europe, archaeologists told AFP Thursday. The stones were discovered on a plot of land in Huelva, a province which flanks the southernmost part of Spain's border with Portugal, near the Guadiana River. Spanning some 600 hectares (1,500 acres), the land had been earmarked for an avocado planation. But before granting the permit, the regional authorities requested a survey in light of the site's possible archaeological significance -- and revealed the presence of the stones. "This is the biggest and most diverse collection of standing stones grouped together in the Iberian peninsula," said Jose Antonio Linares, a researcher at Huelva University and one of the project's three directors. It is likely that the oldest standing stones at the La Torre-La Janera site were erected during the second half of the sixth or fifth millennium BC, he...
https://www.sott.net/article/471152-Huge-complex-of-500-standing-stones-found-in-Spain

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China ramps up gold buying, doubles imports from Switzerland
China shipped in more than 80 tons of gold from Switzerland last month, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing data from the Swiss Federal Customs Administration. The volume is reportedly more than double the June total, and eight times more than in May. The surge in gold imports to a five-year high indicates that Chinese demand for the precious metal is picking up, after a lull due to Covid lockdowns in the country's major cities. "The market's still not great, but it's definitely a lot better than it was in April," Nikos Kavalis, managing director at Metals Focus consultancy, explained to Bloomberg.
https://www.sott.net/article/471153-China-ramps-up-gold-buying-doubles-imports-from-Switzerland

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Ya think? CDC admits to botched Covid-19 response
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has acknowledged flaws in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic and announced plans to restructure the agency, to rehabilitate its public image and better respond to future public health crises. "For 75 years, CDC and public health have been preparing for COVID-19, and in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations," CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Wednesday. "As a long-time admirer of this agency and a champion for public health, I want us all to do better." Comment: "Not reliably meeting expectations" is a gross understatement of what the CDC did. How about "ruined people's lives, businesses, and created a national epidemic of mental health issues" just for a start? The overhaul announcement follows an internal review that found the CDC's "rigid, compartmentalized bureaucracy" undermined its response to Covid-19 and slowed its data analysis and releases of public advisories. When pandemic...
https://www.sott.net/article/471154-Ya-think-CDC-admits-to-botched-Covid-19-response

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What's behind the surge in America's youth crime?
A disturbing trend is on the rise in the US, where violent crimes are being perpetrated by some of the youngest members of society. But given the political divisiveness that has fractured the nation, pinning down blame for this phenomenon is no easy task. Philadelphia is popularly known as the 'City of Brotherly Love' but murder statistics tell a different tale. In the school year of 2020-2021, 753 public school students in this Pennsylvania city of 1.5 million people were shot by their fellow classmates. Police statistics show that through mid-November, 31 fatal shooting victims were under the age of 18 - more than in all of 2020 and triple that number from 2015. At the same time, 30 people under the age of 18 have been arrested for homicides in 2021 - six times the figure of 2019. Heartbreaking as it is to see children become the victims of violent crime, equally unsettling is the sheer barbarity of the offenses they themselves are accused of committing.
https://www.sott.net/article/471155-Whats-behind-the-surge-in-Americas-youth-crime

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Chinese ambassador to UK warns that Western interference in Taiwan could result in war
The Chinese envoy to the United Kingdom has warned that British and American interference on Taiwan could result in a war, claiming that Beijing's ties with London are now at a crossroads over the island. In a Guardian op-ed on Tuesday, Chinese ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang offered his government's stance on the territorial feud, while declaring that Taiwan had become a "touchstone issue" for China, the US and the UK alike. "Over the years, the US has been playing the 'Taiwan card' to contain China by approving arms sales to the island, upgrading its relations with the authorities there and hollowing out the one-China principle," the envoy wrote, referring to a policy that discourages foreign states from forming diplomatic relations with Taipei, which has long been self-governed. 'Taiwan independence' means war and will lead to a dead end. Opposing and defeating such attempts is meant to avoid war and safeguard peace and stability in the region.
https://www.sott.net/article/471156-Chinese-ambassador-to-UK-warns-that-Western-interference-in-Taiwan-could-result-in-war

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BEST OF THE WEB: Putin says West trying to contain formation of multipolar world by activating old conflicts
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the West is trying to contain the formation of a multipolar world by activating old conflicts to preserve its hegemony. Speaking at the 2022 Moscow Conference on International Security, Putin said the Western countries are striving to hold the countries and peoples in chains of the neocolonial order. "Their (Western) hegemony means stagnation for the whole world, for the whole civilization, (it means) obscurantism, the abolition of culture, and neoliberal totalitarianism," he said. In an attempt to preserve their domination, the US and its allies rudely interfere in the internal affairs of the countries, organize coups, civil wars, provocations, use blackmail, and pressure to subdue states to its will, Putin added. "In these conditions, we have decided to conduct a special military operation in Ukraine in full compliance with the UN Charter.
https://www.sott.net/article/471157-Putin-says-West-trying-to-contain-formation-of-multipolar-world-by-activating-old-conflicts

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Is the US Congress a 'sponsor of terrorism'?
Aleksandr Darchiyev, Director of the North America Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said in an interview with TASS a few days ago that declaring Russia a "state sponsor of terrorism" would mean "Washington crossing the point of no return with the most serious collateral damage to bilateral relations". Recall that the US Senate recently passed a resolution calling on the State Department to recognise Russia as a "state sponsor of terrorism" because of "the events in Chechnya and military operations in Georgia, Syria and Ukraine". This initiative is also supported by the US House of Representatives. However, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the US administration believes that including Russia on the list of "countries that sponsor terrorism" will not have a real effect. Blinken also said that the measures already taken against Russia are almost equivalent to measures against any other "state sponsor of terrorism". Therefore, they say, we are talking about...
https://www.sott.net/article/471158-Is-the-US-Congress-a-sponsor-of-terrorism

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Myanmar will import Russian oil, military says
Military-ruled Myanmar plans to import Russian gasoline and fuel oil to ease supply concerns and rising prices, a junta spokesperson said, the latest developing country to do so amid a global energy crisis. The Southeast Asian country has maintained friendly ties with Russia, even as both remain under a raft of sanctions from Western countries - Myanmar for a military coup that overthrew an elected government last year, and Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, which it calls a "special military operation". Russia is seeking new customers for its energy in the region as its biggest export destination, Europe, will impose an embargo on Russian oil in phases later this year.
https://www.sott.net/article/471159-Myanmar-will-import-Russian-oil-military-says

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Atlantic hurricane season starting earlier - study
Although this season has been rather quiet so far, a study released Tuesday shows that the first storms of the Atlantic hurricane season have been firing up about five days earlier per decade since 1979. Traditionally, the start of the hurricane season is June 1. The study also found that the first named storm to make U.S. landfall has been trending earlier, by about two days per decade since 1900. This trend toward earlier onset is likely linked to climate-change-driven warming in the western Atlantic Ocean in spring, the study said, which has also shown an increasing trend during the same period. Comment: 'Likely linked', that's because even with the multi billions they have ploughed into global warming research they still can't definitively prove it, which is because the whole premise is erroneous: Ozone hole above Antarctica is one of the largest ever, it's still growing, and may be linked to the COOLING stratosphere
https://www.sott.net/article/471160-Atlantic-hurricane-season-starting-earlier-study

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War Propaganda About Ukraine Starting to Wear Thin
More and More Are Seeing Through the Lies As Amnesty International confirms the inconvenient truths, which many independent journalists and political observers already knew, about the Ukrainian army's behavior in Donbass, it's worth examining how manipulating the truth has become — not only an everyday occurrence but a central element of the West's proxy war in Ukraine. An increasing number of mainstream journalists, commentators and ordinary individuals who had rushed to "Stand with Ukraine " are finding the inconvenient truths about the Zelensky regime and its Army harder and harder to ignore.
https://www.sott.net/article/471161-War-Propaganda-About-Ukraine-Starting-to-Wear-Thin

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Groupthink in the administrative state: Bad training leads to bad decisions
Those who routinely read these substack essays and our social media posts know that Jill and I have been on a journey of discovery, a root cause analysis approach, trying to make sense of the horrid public policy decision making that has resulted in the COVIDcrisis. Key milestones along the way have included recognizing the role of the trusted news initiative (see here and here), the rise and global penetration of advocacy journalism, developing a deeper understanding of the role of the World Economic Forum/Great Reset and its young leader training/indoctrination program, the process of Mass formation or Mass Psychosis (the psychological basis of totalitarianism), widespread regulatory and other forms of government capture, the role of the administrative state, exploitation of the "crisis" by central banks and massive investment funds, the weaponization of infectious disease fearporn as both a media business model and a political tool, "Nudge" technology and governmental behavior...
https://www.sott.net/article/471162-Groupthink-in-the-administrative-state-Bad-training-leads-to-bad-decisions

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The Parable of Johnny and Petey, and the Partial Death Instinct
Our tale begins in medias res and ends in nihilo. Johnny watches as the ashes of his arch-nemesis Jimmy's home rise up to the heavens, the flames casting little Petey's form in stark silhouette as he blows out the match. The screams of the family, now barely audible, are quenched in the roar of the consuming fire. "But Petey, this isn't what I thought you meant!" "But Johnny, I said the rich could burn in hell, and you agreed." Johnny holds the stool steady as little Petey adjusts the noose around Father Johnson's neck. The makeshift gallows they've constructed under Mrs. Montgomery's giant oak tree is sturdy. It will bear the weight of the neighborhood priest. "But Petey, this isn't what I thought you meant." "But Johnny, I said God is a tyrant and his priests corrupt, and you agreed." Johnny holds the gun, his arms outstretched and trembling. Tied to the chairs across from him are his parents. A hand placed on his shoulder gives gentle encouragement. Little Petey is standing...
https://www.sott.net/article/471163-The-Parable-of-Johnny-and-Petey-and-the-Partial-Death-Instinct

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Most people infected with Omicron weren't even aware they had it
A majority of people who were infected with the Omicron variant didn't even realise they had COVID-19, according to a new study from Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in the U.S. Sky News has the story - but be warned. The journalist who's written this up thinks the finding is a reason we should be particularly worried about Omicron. After all, if people don't know they've got it, they won't take steps to stop themselves infecting others. I would have thought the more obvious take is that if more than half of people infected with Omicron don't know they've got it, we really shouldn't be that worried about it. More here. The lack of public awareness about being infected means that people can't take steps to prevent themselves transmitting the virus further, which is a major stumbling block for addressing new waves of the pandemic. "More than one in every two people who were infected with Omicron didn't know they had it," said Dr. Susan Cheng, a corresponding author of the study which is...
https://www.sott.net/article/471164-Most-people-infected-with-Omicron-werent-even-aware-they-had-it

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FLASHBACK: The Peculiar Math That Could Underlie the Laws of Nature
New findings are fueling an old suspicion that fundamental particles and forces spring from strange eight-part numbers called "octonions." In 2014, a graduate student at the University of Waterloo, Canada, named Cohl Furey rented a car and drove six hours south to Pennsylvania State University, eager to talk to a physics professor there named Murat Günaydin. Furey had figured out how to build on a finding of Günaydin's from 40 years earlier — a largely forgotten result that supported a powerful suspicion about fundamental physics and its relationship to pure math. The suspicion, harbored by many physicists and mathematicians over the decades but rarely actively pursued, is that the peculiar panoply of forces and particles that comprise reality spring logically from the properties of eight-dimensional numbers called "octonions." As numbers go, the familiar real numbers — those found on the number line, like 1, π and -83.777 — just get things started. Real numbers can be paired up in...
https://www.sott.net/article/471165-The-Peculiar-Math-That-Could-Underlie-the-Laws-of-Nature