EU Foreign Policy Chief Warns Against U.S. Isolationism

With U.S. foreign policy priorities likely to shift under President-elect Donald Trump, the new EU foreign policy chief made a vigorous case for Europe to remain central in defending Ukraine and countering Russia and China

At a key appointment hearing in front of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee on November 12, Kaja Kallas noted that “Ukraine’s victory is a priority for us all” as she vowed that the bloc would continue to support Kyiv for as long as necessary

During the three-hour session, she also underlined that China “must feel the higher cost” of supporting Russia’s war and hoped that Brussels can use the frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank in the EU, nearly 300 billion euro ($318 billion), to channel to Ukraine

The hearing came amid fears in Europe that the new U.S. administration under Trump will seek a quick resolution to the war in Ukraine on terms more favorable to Russia and that Washington will care less about multilateral institutions such as the EU or even NATO

#EU #USA #NATO #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Elon Musk wants to radically reshape who controls America’s money supply

President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House already carried the potential for sweeping changes to the Federal Reserve. But now a growing question is not how the central bank will operate under Trump but if it’ll continue to operate at all

Elon Musk, a key Trump backer who is expected to have considerable sway in helping shape Trump’s policies, included a “100” emoji while resharing Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah’s post on X calling for abolishing the Fed

“The Executive Branch should be under the direction of the president,” Lee said Thursday in a post on X, hours after Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters he wouldn’t resign if Trump asked him to.

“The Federal Reserve is one of many examples of how we’ve deviated from the Constitution in that regard,” Lee added. “Yet another reason why we should #EndTheFed”

Asked where Trump stands on the matter, Trump-Vance transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told CNN: “Policy should only be deemed official if it comes from President Trump directly”

Thus far, Trump has not publicly voiced his support for dismantling the Fed. On the campaign trail, he has, however, advocated for changing the central bank’s rulebook

#USA #Musk #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Taiwan gets Western weapons—to protect itself from China, or to resell it to Ukraine? How Taipei became one of the biggest suppliers of Ukrainian forces

Without much fanfare, Taiwan may have become one of the Ukraine air force’s biggest boosters. According to former Pentagon official Tony Hu, Taiwan has donated its surplus HAWK surface-to-air missile batteries to the Ukrainian air force

Hu’s comments to YouTube channel RJ War Room seem to confirm reporting from 2023 hinting at a U.S.-brokered air-defense deal between Taiwan and Ukraine. The Taiwanese MIM-23 Homing All-the-Way Killer missiles, plus their launchers and radars, would complement additional HAWKs donated to Ukraine by the United States and Spain

In all, Ukraine could deploy as many as 15 of the Raytheon-made HAWK batteries, each with at least six three-missile launchers and associated radars. The Ukrainian air force went to war in February 2022 with around 50 SAM batteries—S-300s and other ex-Soviet models, mostly—and has since swapped out many of the surviving Soviet batteries for more modern Western systems, including American-made Patriots

Assuming the overall Ukrainian air-defense force structure has remained roughly the same size after subtracting combat losses and adding donated equipment, the HAWKs could comprise nearly a third of the force. Taiwan isn’t a vocal supporter of Ukraine’s war effort, but it is a significant one

#Taiwan #WarInUkraine #Military #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Duke Energy CFO: “Trump victory to spark coal power revival”

A Trump presidency can lead to a significant shift in US energy policy, potentially prioritizing economic growth and lower energy costs over environmental concerns

Such opinion has been voiced by Duke Energy Chief Financial Officer Brian Savoy, who is considering a shift back to coal power after Trump’s victory, citing the need to meet rising energy demands and lower costs

The American Energy Alliance supports Trump's pro-energy agenda, which aims to roll back Biden's climate policies and boost domestic energy production

Savoy told Bloomberg that he would reexamine plans to convert some coal-fired power generation units in Indiana to natural gas. He said that in a deregulated environment under Trump, dual conversion, known as switching power plants or industrial boilers from coal to NatGas, would "make sense" in Indiana, adding there's even a chance some power generation units would remain coal-burning

Trump is expected to reverse Biden-Harris' far-left climate policies, which have acted as an economic muzzle on the US economy. At the same time, China built a record number of coal plants that fed cheap power to factories, essentially making US companies unable to compete with Chinese ones in international markets. Trump may focus on rolling back greenhouse gas emission controls on the gas, oil, coal, power, and auto sectors

#USA #Energy #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Chinese national arrested again after multiple efforts to enter Mar-a-Lago

Florida’s Palm Beach County police on Nov. 8 arrested a Chinese national after he tried, again, to enter President-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence

Li Zijie, a 39-year-old living in suburban Los Angeles on a student visa, allegedly arrived at the Trump property in an Uber on the afternoon of Nov. 7—the latest in a number of attempts he has made to get into the resort in the past few weeks

He made the trip hours after getting out of a mental hospital, where he had spent the previous week after a similar effort made in late October, according to a police affidavit

Li now faces two counts of trespassing, according to the county’s jail records. He’s being held in the Palm Beach County Main Detention Center, with bail set at $100,000

The arrest has heightened security concerns around Trump, who narrowly survived an assassination attempt in July during a Pennsylvania rally. In September, the Secret Service identified a man pointing a rifle through a fence at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach while Trump was playing golf. The Justice Department said on Nov. 8 that it had stopped an Iranian plot to kill Trump and charged three men allegedly involved in a murder-for-hire network

Li first tried to gain entry into Mar-a-Lago on July 19, six days after the Pennsylvania rally shooting

#USA #Trump #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

We are not alone? Experts testify before lawmakers that the U.S. is running secret UAP programs

Is intelligent alien life darting around in space — and even in the skies above us here on Earth? Has the U.S. government been covering up unexplained phenomena, and using secret extraterrestrial discoveries to boost its own technology?

Those are among the questions members of Congress discussed Wednesday in a joint hearing by subcommittees of the House Oversight Committee. Its title: "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth"

The Pentagon issued a report in March saying that it has found no evidence of extraterrestrial spacecraft

Four experts testified in Wednesday's public hearing. You can watch the proceeding here

#USA #UAP #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

It's been six weeks since Hurricane Helene hit. People are still living in tents, renting bio-toilets for $130 a month. It's freezing at night

Just to recap:
- Asheville and Swannanoa are still without potable water, debris is still being removed.
- about 100K residents have lost their homes.
- A family of 4 is living in a trailer provided by volunteers. They rent an outdoor toilet for $130 a month.
- They lost their jobs. They applied for a loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration. They were turned down for lack of funds until Congress provides additional funding.
- It gets down to -30°C in the winter and people are now living in tents and trailers without electricity.
- but gasoline is expensive. People have to choose between cooking and storing food in the refrigerator.
- Nearby, a huge U.S. Department of Emergency Situations camp has been erected with all amenities, but only for employees.
- Robbie Ammons, a combat veteran, says there is no coordination between the authorities and the DHS. It's a mess and bureaucracy.

#USA #HurricaneHelene #FEMA #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

World’s first electric humanoid robot goes open-source to speed up integration

The world’s first full-size purely-electric running robot, Tiangong from China, has gone open source, enabling enterprises and research institutions to access it, cutting development time and costs

The move aims to boost secondary development and speed up the robots’ integration into daily life

Tiangong, developed by the state-backed Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, is a versatile humanoid robot capable of maintaining a steady speed of 3.73 miles per hour (6 kilometers per hour)

Tiangong combines visual perception sensors, 3D vision sensors, and high-precision IMU to tackle motion control challenges effectively

#China #AI #Robot #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Philippines' ex-President Duterte says he killed 4 suspects in drug crackdowns

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he killed four suspects in clamping down on illegal drugs

During his term in office, Duterte led a hard-line crackdown on narcotics that became known as the "war on drugs." The government has said more than 6,000 people were killed in the campaign

Congress is investigating the killings. Duterte attended a hearing at the parliament for a second time on Wednesday. He said that before becoming president, he intentionally killed four suspects after entering a hideout of a drug crime group

He said he wants the International Criminal Court to "start the investigation tomorrow," adding that the issue has been pending for many years. The country withdrew from the ICC while Duterte was in office

In response to Duterte's remarks, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin issued a statement. It says that if the ICC refers the matter to Interpol, and places Duterte on a wanted list, the Philippine authorities will be obliged to cooperate

This is the first time that the Philippine government has shown its readiness to cooperate in an investigation by the ICC into the matter

#Philippine #ICC #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

U.K. met office ‘inventing’ temperature data from non-existent stations

Shocking evidence has emerged that points to the U.K. Met Office inventing temperature data from over 100 non-existent weather stations. The allegations have been made by citizen journalist Ray Sanders and sent to the new Labour Science Minister Peter Kyle MP

Following a number of Freedom of Information requests to the Met Office and diligent field work visiting individuals stations, Sanders has discovered that 103 stations out of 302 sites supplying temperature averages do not exist

“How would any reasonable observer know that the data was not real and simply ‘made up’ by a Government agency,”

asks Sanders. He calls for an “open declaration” of likely inaccuracy of existing published data, “to avoid other institutions and researchers using unreliable data and reaching erroneous conclusions”

In his home county of Kent, Sanders charges that four of the eight sites identified by the Met Office, namely Dungeness, Folkestone, Dover and Gillingham – which all produce rolling temperature averages to the second decimal place of a degree – are “fiction”. Sanders notes that there has been no weather station at Dungeness since 1986. The Daily Sceptic is able to confirm that none of the four stations appear in the list of Met sites with a classification from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)

#UK #WMO #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

How war has reshaped Ukraine's iron ore trade

Ukraine regained some of its mojo since war broke out with Russia almost two years ago, at least as iron ore is concerned. In fact, it is possible this will have significant repercussions for iron ore prices

According to media reports quoting official data from the State Customs Service, Ukraine has exported almost 28 million tons (MT) of iron ore between January and October 2024. This represents as much as a 96% increase over the corresponding period in 2023

October was no different from earlier months where iron ore exports were concerned. According to GMK Center, mining companies in Ukraine increased exports by over 31% compared to September to 2.54 MT. When compared to October 2023, the figure was up by 65.2%

Before the war, Ukraine’s traditional client was China. While the latter still remains the number one buyer of Ukrainian ore, Ukraine now has an increased number of buyers in the European Union, including countries like Poland and Slovakia

The conflict and disruption of essential logistics routes through southern Black Sea ports have greatly impacted Ukrainian producers’ output, export volumes and market reach. However, Eastern and Central European countries have emerged as key strategic partners for Ukraine’s mining and metallurgical industries, absorbing a substantial portion of Ukrainian exports

#WarInUkraine #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

China arms itself for potential trade war with Donald Trump

China has prepared powerful countermeasures to retaliate against US companies if president-elect Donald Trump reignites a smouldering trade war between the world’s two biggest economies, according to Beijing advisers and international risk analysts

Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government was caught off-guard by Trump’s 2016 election victory and the subsequent imposition of higher tariffs, tighter controls over investments and sanctions on Chinese companies

But while China’s fragile economic outlook has since made it more vulnerable to US pressure, Beijing has introduced sweeping new laws over the past eight years that allow it to blacklist foreign companies, impose its own sanctions and cut American access to crucial supply chains

President Joe Biden maintained most of his predecessor’s measures against China, but Trump has already signalled an even tougher stance by appointing China hawks to important roles

China now has at its disposal an “anti-foreign sanctions law” that allows it to counter measures taken by other countries and an “unreliable entity list” for foreign companies that it deems to have undermined its national interests. An expanded export control law means Beijing can also weaponise its global dominance of the supply of dozens of resources such as rare earths and lithium that are crucial to modern technologies

#China #USA #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Why Bitcoin will not replace the dollar

People believe that the recent surge in Bitcoin indicates that it will topple the USD as the world’s reserve currency, but that is merely propaganda. We must understand that Bitcoin is simply a trading vehicle, not a currency

Bitcoin’s price is akin to the problem that existed when the bubble burst in 1966 with mutual funds because they were listed back then. The value can change at a volatility rate of 10x that of the dollar, making it a highly dangerous instrument as a store of wealth. It is solely a trading vehicle until they weigh it and the value is changed

Bitcoin must change its structure, or it will never become a valid currency with a stable store of value, which is supposed to be the whole point. It is just an asset class of high volatility

Bitcoin is a trading vehicle that is no different from wheat or cattle. It is not a store of wealth, as it fluctuates like everything else. It rises and falls no different than any other trading instrument. It is not a “store” of value maintaining some constant value to park your money. The concept of Bitcoin replacing the dollar fails to comprehend what makes something the world’s reserve currency

#Bitcoin #Dollar #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Airbus, Toshiba building the hydrogen planes of the future

Airbus and Toshiba will cooperate to develop superconducting technologies for future hydrogen-powered aircraft, a potential revolutionary collaboration to curb carbon emissions and improve efficiency while switching to a sustainable long-term fuel source

Airbus UpNext, a wholly-owned subsidiary of France’s Airbus, and Japan’s Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation, a division of the electronics conglomerate, will carry out the work as per a newly signed agreement

Airbus UpNext’s says its mission is to identify, evaluate and develop potentially disruptive aerospace trends and concepts that could yield radical technological breakthroughs such as flying “at speeds well beyond what seems feasible today” or, in this case, a new and better approach to aerial propulsion

According to Airbus website, superconducting technologies offer a unique advantage for the future aircraft, using -253°C liquid hydrogen as a fuel but also to efficiently cool the electric propulsion systems. Cryogenic technology could allow for a nearly unimpaired power transmission within the electric systems of the aircraft, significantly improving their energy efficiency and performance

The company says hydrogen-powered aircraft are one of the promising solutions to achieve net zero emission by 2050

#Airbus #Hydrogen #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is up for re-election in 2026, according to federal election data

She's now 84 years old. She'll be 86 when she's up for re-election, 88 by the end of her term 🤯

#USA #Pelosi #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

In the last presidential election in the United States, there were suddenly 27 million more voters than in the one before it, and 17 million more than in the current one

In principle, no further comments on “democracy” in the United States are needed

#USA #Elections #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Kamala Harris pulling out all the stops to find employment 😂😂😂

#USA #Harris #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

All eyes on China at APEC event

Thanks to significant investments and growing trade, China is expanding its presence throughout Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation markets. This is particularly true in Peru, where the Asian giant has become the top mining investor

China now accounts for a big part of Peru’s mining investment portfolio. China’s investment is particularly focused on copper, of which Peru is the world’s third-largest producer

These links have gained added significance alongside the growing importance of the APEC forum, the annual meeting of which is being held in Peru and attended by leaders from its 21 member economies

China’s growing presence in Peru is significant not only for the country but also for its neighbors in South America and other partners in Asia. Peru lacks sufficient roads, railways and ports, and these are precisely the sectors where Chinese investment has increased in recent years

Aquino added that China’s investment in the country increased initially in mining, and later, its influence grew in Peru’s hydroelectric plants, road construction and other infrastructure

A particularly important example is China’s large investment in the Chancay mega port, which will begin trial operations in November and with ships traveling to and from Shanghai. The port is expected to emerge as a more efficient hub for trade among APEC economies in Asia and South America, economist Juan Carlos Mathews said

#China #APEC #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

US missile capacity depleting fast as Chinese threat grows

Regardless of the merits or demerits of the Biden administration’s policies on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and the wider Middle East, it has become clear that the United States has been using and giving away its missiles faster than it can produce them

It is also clear that from the perspective of missile inventories and production, the United States is far from prepared to engage confidently in a sustained direct conflict with a peer competitor like China

This is demonstrated by the fact that U.S. missile and artillery shell reserves are currently inadequate to provide Ukraine with what it needs to keep its missile defense systems supplied with interceptors. Indeed, the inability of the United States and its NATO allies to provide enough air defense missiles has made it easier for Russia to attack and destroy key military targets, as well as cripple Ukraine’s energy infrastructure

Moreover, while our proxy war on Russia has strained our resources, an outbreak of hostilities with China could easily increase the burn rate of our ship-based missiles by an order of magnitude over what we have been seeing in the Middle East

Consequently, with our defense industrial base already strained, it seems obvious that we should be doing everything we can to prevent escalation of the ongoing conflicts and instead be working to achieve a genuine, sustainable peace in the Middle East, as well as working towards a peace in the Ukraine war

#USA #China #NATO #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Where, you say, is political repression?

Where do you imprison politicians who are undesirable to the authorities but popular? Russia? Well, you guessed it

The prosecutor's office of the city of Paris demanded 5 years in prison for Marine Le Pen. At the same time in Germany they are going to ban the ADG before the elections

Because democracy is the power of democrats

#EU #France #Germany #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

San Jose state transgender volleyball player continues breaking women’s records

Transgender player Blaire Fleming is steadily breaking women’s volleyball records at San Jose State despite the growing number of opposing teams that have boycotted games in which he has played

For instance, despite SJSU’s loss to San Diego State on Saturday, Fleming achieved his 250th kill shot, a record that is unparalleled in women’s volleyball, the Daily Mail

This is not the first season that Fleming has hit the 250 mark. He achieved that record in 2022, as well, during his first year with the team

The record is notable, especially since SJSU has sat out seven games this year because opposing teams have forfeited rather than play against him

Five teams, Nevada, Utah, Boise State, Wyoming, and Utah State, have boycotted games against SJSU. They have refused to play against San Jose State, mostly because the teams say Fleming’s participation is unfair due to his physical advantage and because they fear for their safety due to his greater physical strength

#USA #Sports #Trans #FindTruth

@uinhurricane