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The Hurricane spins around hotspots of tension and conflict. Feel free to suggest your stories, opinions and ideas: UIHEN@protonmail.com
Who is Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO shot dead in Manhattan?
Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot to death Wednesday outside the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan, where the company was hosting an investor day
Thompson, 50, was named CEO of UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealth Group's insurance arm, in April 2021. He first joined UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and had previously served as CEO of the company's government programs, including Medicare and retiree coverage, and community and state programs providing Medicaid and other types of coverage to millions of individuals
In his most recent role as CEO of UnitedHealthcare, he was responsible for leading growth across the company's global, employer, individual, specialty and government benefits businesses, according to a 2021 company statement announcing his appointment
For a top executive at a $562 billion company that affects how millions of Americans get health care, Thompson kept a relatively low profile. At an investor meeting last year, he outlined UnitedHealth's shift to "value-based care," paying doctors and other caregivers to keep patients healthy, rather than focusing on treating them when they get sick
"Health care should be easier for people," Thompson said at the time. "We are cognizant of the challenges. But navigating a future through value-based care unlocks a situation where the … family doesn't have to make the decisions on their own."
#USA #UnitedHealth #FindTruth
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Bitcoin hits $100,000 in highly anticipated crypto milestone
On Wednesday night in New York, the dreams of crypto’s permabulls became reality: Bitcoin hit $100,000
A monthlong rally has seen the largest and oldest cryptocurrency alternately approach — and then repeatedly shy away from — that most sought-after of round numbers
Spurring the moves: the digital-asset industry’s chest-thumping optimism that US President-elect Donald Trump would halt the tough government scrutiny that prevailed during his predecessor’s administration and instead pursue policies and regulators friendly to the digital-asset industry
Events on Wednesday provided concrete support for that enthusiasm, with Trump’s nomination of the pro-crypto Paul Atkins to replace Gary Gensler at the US Securities and Exchange Commission
#Economy #Bitcoin #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
French government collapses after no-confidence vote, what's next?
Michel Barnier's minority government collapsed Wednesday evening after parties on the left and right pushed through a no-confidence vote over a controversial budget proposal
For the first time since 1962, France's already-fragile government has collapsed after a no-confidence vote in the country's lower house of parliament
Michel Barnier's minority government was ousted by the vote supported by parties on the left and right after he pushed a controversial social security component of his budget through parliament without support. France's parliament is deeply divided, and with no fresh elections permitted until July 2025, the chances of they key EU member state achieving a stable government look slim
For now, Barnier will remain in a caretaker position until president Macron appoints a new PM based on a new coalition. This could take days, weeks or even a couple of months.
Two scenarios are likely and a third one possible. First, Macron could try to cobble together a new majority to support his centrist MPs and his political agenda
Second scenario is a new left-leaning majority government
The third scenario – possible but trickier – would see Macron re-appoint the fallen Barnier under the proviso he change the budget bill to appease the opposition and avoid another no confidence vote
#France #Macron #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Senegal and Chad just the French military packing — a lesson for the U.S.
In late November, both Senegal and Chad moved to profoundly alter their longstanding relationships with the French military
Senegalese President Diomaye Bassirou Faye, evoking the 80th anniversary of the massacre by French soldiers of Senegalese troops, told Le Monde that “soon there will be no more French soldiers in Senegal.”
Chad’s government announced that it was withdrawing from a 2019 defense cooperation agreement with France. “It is time for Chad to affirm its full and complete sovereignty, and to redefine its strategic partnerships according to its national priorities, the statement read.”
Since 2020, major political changes have swept the Sahel. Coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger toppled presidents who had been seen by large numbers of Sahelians as inept and corrupt. All three of the overthrown presidents, meanwhile, had been largely deferential to France
For the United States, the impact of these changes has been less dramatic than for France. As elsewhere in Africa, Washington benefits from not having France’s colonial baggage, and also from not having been the main face of counterterrorism in the Sahel during the past decade
At the same time, Washington easily risks being perceived as an imperialist power, or even just as an imperious one – U.S. diplomats’ bearing was apparently one factor in the breakdown of negotiations with Niger in 2023
The U.S. could even find that the current wave of “sovereignty talk” in Africa can be an asset to U.S. Africa policy, opening paths for the U.S. to move from the lopsided, counterterrorism-driven “partnerships” of yesteryear to a more robust engagement with the continent
#Senegal #Chad #France #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
How mass deportation will disrupt America's food supply chain
The centerpiece of President-elect Donald Trump's immigration policy—his proposal to deport millions of undocumented immigrants—could badly disrupt the country's food supply and raise grocery costs, given the share of farmworkers and food workers who are undocumented. That possibility is a reminder of how urgently the U.S. needs to reform its agricultural visas and related pathways
Immigrants make up a disproportionate share of the country's food production work force, including through the H-2A program, which provides visas for temporary agricultural workers. Though 17% of civilian workers from 2017 to 2021 were immigrants, per the Migration Policy Institute, 28% of agricultural workers, 25% of food production workers, 22% of grocery and farm product wholesalers, and 31% of crop production workers were foreign-born. Over one-third of meat processing workers and commercial bakery workers were immigrants
#USA #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Massive fine for town for not celebrating LGBT Pride month
'An Orwellian sounding group if there ever was one believes that LGBT people have the human right to a whole month celebrating their sex lives, and if a tiny town doesn't agree they have to pay a fine to an LGBT rights group and extort their mayor to pay half'
A town has been ordered by a human rights court to pay an LGBT activist group $10,000, including $5,000 from the mayor's personal bank account, for not celebrating the alternative lifestyle choices being promoted
The LGBT members of Borderland Pride had told the city to proclaim June 2020 as "Pride Month" and fly a rainbow flag for a week
The town council and mayor did not, however, take up the campaign
So the organization complained to the Ontario Human Rights Council that members were injured by the town's lack of cooperation
#Canada #LGBT #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
NATO chief warns Trump 'bad' Ukraine peace deal is a dire threat to US, Europe
NATO's new secretary-general is trying to talk tough ahead of Donald Trump taking office. Surely he knows Brussels is in for a rough ride, given that during the first Trump administration the president ripped NATO member states for not paying their fair share in defense spending, while relying on Washington to shoulder the burden
Mark Rutte has warned Trump in a Financial Times interview that if Ukraine is pressured into a bad peace deal which is favorable to Moscow, then the United States and Europe would face a dire threat from Iran, China, and North Korea
All of these states have deepened their relations with Russia throughout the course of the nearly three-year long war in Ukraine. North Korea and Russia in particular even signed a defense pact last summer, resulting in some 10,000 North Korean soldiers being deployed to support the Russian side. All are also coordinating on circumventing US-led sanctions
Clearly the NATO chief tried to persuade Trump to essentially keep up the same muscular stance on Moscow as the Biden administration. It seems he tried to present the same 'domino' effect argument which hearkens back to the Cold War - which goes something like if 'X enemy is not stopped here, then Y enemy will also feel emboldened and seek military conquest' etc
#USA #NATO #WarInUkraine #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
UK is paying £1 billion to waste a record amount of wind power
It’s set to be a record year for wind power in the UK, at least in terms of how much goes to waste
Burgeoning capacity and blustery weather should have driven huge growth in output in 2024. But the grid can’t cope, forcing the operator to pay wind farms to turn off, a cost ultimately borne by consumers. It’s a situation that puts at risk plans to decarbonize the network by 2030 and makes it harder to cut bills
Crucial to the net zero grid target is a massive build-out of renewable power, particularly from wind. Britain has boosted its offshore fleet by 50% in the past five years and is set to double it in the next five, BloombergNEF data show
But the grid hasn’t expanded at the same pace. As a result, the operator is increasingly paying wind farms, particularly those in Scotland, not to run. So far this year, the UK has spent more than £1 billion ($1.3 billion) in “congestion costs” to turn off plants that can’t deliver electricity because of grid constraints, and switch on others
“The outdated rules of our energy system mean vast amounts of cheap green power go to waste,” said Clem Cowton, director of external affairs at supplier Octopus Energy Group. “It’s absurd that Britain pays Scottish wind farms to turn off when it’s windy, while simultaneously paying gas-power stations in the south to turn on.”
#UK #Energy #Econimy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Will Elon Musk give Nigel Farage $100m to make him PM?
The Tesla boss, who used his immense fortune to help Donald Trump’s campaign, is turning his attention to Britain
Labour and Tory supporters will hope this is fake news
Elon Musk has already declared war on Sir Keir Starmer and last week suggested that Nigel Farage’s Reform party would form the next government
Leading businessmen and Conservative Party officials believe there is a credible prospect that Musk is preparing to give $100 million to Farage as a “f*** you Starmer payment” with a view to transforming British politics
Such a move could obliterate the Conservative Party as the main challenger to Labour before Kemi Badenoch, the new leader of the opposition, has made her mark
It would also open the door to near-limitless anti-government advertisements from Reform
If the donation materialises, it is likely to be made through the British branch of Musk’s social media company X, which would enable him to get round rules preventing foreign donations to a political party
#UK #Musk #Farage #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
European Parliament votes against outdoor smoking ban
The European Parliament has broken ranks with the European Commission on a far-reaching clampdown on smoking
In a vote on November 28, a strict resolution recommending smoke-free environments was defeated by 378 votes, with 152 in favour, and 26 abstentions
Together, the European People’s Party (EPP), Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Renew Europe, and the Greens/EFA put the EC’s plan to Parliament
A ban on electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products as proposed by the EC would mean they would be banned everywhere where people cannot smoke. The body also wanted to extend this to outdoor areas, including terraces, public transport stations, balconies and private cars
The EC’s stated goal was to lower the number of cancer fatalities and safeguard people from passive smoking. It reasoned that certain areas where children spent a lot of time should be smoke-free
By 2040, the body wants to reduce the proportion of smokers in the population to below 5%
#EU #EC #Health #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Belgian sex workers granted maternity pay, pensions
Belgium has given sex workers full employment rights, including sick leave, maternity pay and pensions
They can now work as employees and build up social rights with an official employment contract
Many countries have decriminalised sex work but granting them full employment rights goes further
“We could never have imagined reaching this milestone so soon,” Daan Bauwens of Utsopi, the Belgian advocacy group for sex workers, said of the move, passed by lawmakers in May but which took official effect on December 1
Under the bill, Belgium considers sex work the same as any other form of employment
Employers are now required to obtain authorisation and meet background requirements, such as having no prior convictions for sexual assault, human trafficking or fraud. They are also required to ensure their premises are clean, sanitary and equipped with a panic button and are prohibited from dismissing an employee who refuses a client
#Belgium #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Bill Clinton spills the tea on scandals, regrets, in new memoir, and it’s quite a treat
Former President Bill Clinton, in his upcoming memoir, discusses the personal toll that his wife Hillary Clinton’s loss in the 2016 presidential election took on him
The memoir, entitled "Citizen – My Life After The White House," covers everything from Hillary’s defeat to Jeffrey Epstein to Monica Lewinsky
“I couldn’t sleep for two years after the election. I was so angry, I wasn’t fit to be around,” Clinton wrote, reflecting on how the aftermath of the 2016 election affected him
#USA #Clinton #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Cartels demand higher border crossing fees
Drug cartels and other human trafficking groups have begun demanding higher fees for illegals seeking to be smuggled across the border in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory
Illegals at an alleged “charity” shelter in Sonora, Mexico told a Mexican newspaper that the smuggling fee has doubled in recent weeks, with Trump’s victory and impending return to office being given as a major reason. The previous fees of $5,000 have risen to at least $10,000, as illegals from all around the world, including Africa, Asia, and Central America, try desperately to sneak into the country before Trump returns to office
The smugglers have also increased their fees for additional services, such as using vehicles to cross private property, with these fees increasing from $15,000 to $20,000
Fees have also risen dramatically for certain illegals based on how far they have traveled to try to enter the United States illegally. Chinese illegals are paying as much as $55,000 per person to attempt being smuggled into the U.S. In fiscal year 2023, at least 24,000 illegals from China were apprehended trying to cross the southern border
#USA #Trump #Cartels #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Hunter Baiden's pardon is constitutional but almost unprecedented
It applies not only to currently pending convictions, but to all possible crimes from 2014 through 2024
In essence, of course, this is an unconscionable action on Joe Biden's part.
And not just because Biden promised not to do it because “no one is above the law.” The pardon covers every possible federal offense in a 10-year term. And it's the first “exit pardon” to be signed by the president. “Son first, then we'll see,” is what Biden did. And Biden also stated that the son was wrongfully accused. Here are these homeopathic and vegetarian accusations -- even those are unfair. But even that's not all
The wording that Joe Biden used in pardoning his son is almost exactly the same as that used against Richard Nixon by Gerald Ford. That's where that “committed or may have committed during such and such a period” thing was right there
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.'s executive order pardoning Hunter Biden for all federal crimes and misdemeanors that he “committed or may have committed, or in which he participated or may have participated during the period from January 1, 2014, to and including December 1, 2024.” That is, from the time of the coup d'état in Kyiv to the present moment. Very characteristic. So, the Bidens' legacy in Ukraine and around the world is very strong
The decree also states, “I believe in the justice system, but as I have struggled with this, I also believe that gross politics influenced THIS process and led to a miscarriage of justice.”
Recall, Hunter Biden was only accused of irregularities in filling out the form required for a gun permit and failing to pay taxes in one individual case
All those corruption schemes, for which (and not for all of them either) Hunter's accomplice Devon Archer was sentenced, were carefully avoided by the liberal DOJ. And yet the charges are unfair? If Biden had simply, without explanation, or with a “kindred blood, can't help it” explanation, pardoned his son, it just wouldn't have been entirely fair, though technically legal.
But by declaring a miscarriage of justice, he is acting unconscionably and further politicizing the U.S. judicial system
The broad language of the pardon also shows that the intentions of the new Trump administration are taken seriously in the liberal camp. They are waiting for payback for the reprisals and prosecutions unleashed against Trumpists in recent years and realize that Cash and Pam have a lot to hang on to
One more thing. There's talk all around again about “some kind of agreement” (between Trump and Biden). No, this is exactly that, a unilateral and desperate move
#USA #Biden #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
European Federation of Journalists, representing 295,000 members, leaves X
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Europe’s largest organization representing journalists, has announced that it will cease posting on Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, starting January 20, 2025. The decision comes as Donald J. Trump is set to be inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States, a development the EFJ views as a significant threat to democracy and media freedom
The EFJ, alongside other major European media outlets and journalist organizations, has voiced strong criticism of X under Musk’s ownership, citing its transformation into what they describe as a platform for disinformation and propaganda
“Elon Musk’s X has become the preferred vector for conspiracy theories, racism, far-right ideas, and misogynistic rhetoric,” said EFJ President Maja Sever. “We cannot continue to participate in feeding the social network of a man who proclaims the death of the media and therefore of journalists”
#EU #Musk #EFJ #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has arrived in Uruguay, to sign the EU-MERCOSUR free trade agreement
The agreement is strongly desired by Germany who wants cheap grains and other agricultural products but it is hotly contested by France who legitimately fears its farmers will be outcompeted by those in Latin America
The signing of the deal has the potential cause the worst and biggest farmers protests Europe has seen, bigger than the ones caused by unfair competition from Ukraine
It will also cause the latest crisis which will rock the EU to its core, will likely result in the overthrow of French president, Emmanuel Macron, for failing to prevent the signing of the deal, will serve to consolidate anti-EU beliefs in France and elsewhere in Europe
Every EU member state with a significant portion of their population working in agriculture, like Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Romania will see euroscepticism rise in popularity and will result in mass civil unrest and protests against national governments and the EU as a whole
This free trade agreement has the potential to become the worst mistake the EU has made in its history and can very well lead to the fall of the union as a whole, as countries will become more incentivised to adopt nationalist policies rather than obey EU regulations
#EU #MERCOSUR #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
The British state is blind. Britain has forgotten how to use bureaucracy
The UK is facing a crisis of analytical systems. The Economist notes that Britain's bureaucracy is so bad that think tanks can no longer measure accurately. Ministries and departments do not control their own figures, the state apparatus is tedious
The UK government and the country's think tanks have systematically made mistakes in their migration analysis. This has led to a discrepancy in the figures of 200,000,000 people in 2023
The Ministry of Justice has stopped monitoring data on criminals. Since March, it has been impossible to track the fate of convictions as the Ministry of Justice simply does not publish the data
When the Department for Work and Pensions published a new household income survey in the spring, it missed about £40 billion ($51 billion) of benefit income, which is about 1.5% of GDP or 13% of all welfare spending. The same goes for the rise in child poverty. Labor MPs want this line to be lower. However, they have no idea where it was originally and where it is now
The situation in the NHS has worsened. The government has given patients the right to opt out of having their medical data used for research and planning, making it difficult to improve the NHS, since the ability to opt out was introduced, almost 4 million patients have done so
The Ministry of Justice is no longer in control of data on criminals. Since March, it has been impossible to track the fate of convictions as the Ministry of Justice simply does not publish the data
#UK #Crisis #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Tucker Carlson returns to Russia, warns “We are closer to nuclear war than ever”
Tucker Carlson has returned to Moscow to interview Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as the outgoing Biden administration pushes the US ever closer to a hot war with Russia
“In the week since we left Russia, Moscow, where we are now in February, after interviewing Vladimir Putin, we’ve watched from the United States as the Biden administration has driven the US ever closer to a nuclear conflict with Russia, the country that possesses the world’s largest nuclear arsenal,” Carlson announced
He continued, “It has accelerated ever since, and it’s reached its apogee so far in the weeks after Trump’s election. He’s now the President-elect. In that time, just a few weeks ago, the Biden Administration, American military personnel launched missiles into mainland Russia and killed at least a dozen Russian soldiers.”
“So we are, unbeknownst to most Americans, in a hot war with Russia, an undeclared war, a war you did not vote for and that most Americans don’t want, but that is ongoing,” Carlson urged
“And because of that war because of the fact that the US military is killing Russians in Russia right now, we are closer to nuclear war than at any time in history, far closer than we were during the Cuban Missile crisis,” Carlson warned, adding “That would mean the elimination of Russia, the United States, and most of the rest of the world.”
Full Interview:
(0:00) Is the US at War With Russia?
(12:56) Russia’s Message to the West Through Hypersonic Weapons
(17:47) Is There Conversation Happening Between Russia and the US?
(23:18) How Many Have Died in the Ukraine/Russia War?
(28:21) What Would It Take To End the War?
(36:11) What Happened to Alexei Navalny?
(39:45) Boris Johnson Wants the War to Continue
(45:43) Sanctions on Russia
(56:31) The Chinese/Russian Alliance
(1:02:18) Who Is Making Foreign Policy Decisions in the US?
(1:05:05) Biden Pushes the US Toward Nuclear War Before Trump Takes Office
(1:08:52) What’s Happening in Syria?
(1:13:08) Lavrov’s Thoughts on Trump
#USA #Russia #Carlson #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Could Biden pardon have an unexpected economic impact?
One reason the United States is the world’s largest economy and the investment capital of the planet is the government’s reputation for being the beacon for the rule of law. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has repeatedly stressed to the press that America’s fundamental principles and judicial process mean there is little competition for the greenback as no other major economy can emulate the Land of the Free
“The dollar plays the role it does in the world financial system for very good reasons that no other country is able to replicate, including China,” Yellen said in a 2023 hearing in front of the House Financial Services Committee. “We have deep liquid open financial markets, strong rule of law, and an absence of capital controls that no country is able to replicate.”
While other nations, like China and Russia, attempt to dethrone the king dollar, their totalitarian tendencies have diminished their appeal to global financial markets. The irony is, however, that in recent years, confidence in Washington has weakened
When Fitch Ratings downgraded the US government’s long-term ratings in August 2023, analysts attributed the surprise announcement to the “erosion of governance.”
In the short term, will the Biden pardon result in adverse economic effects? No. In the long term, will the political fallout cause global investors to rethink the US economy? This question is one to ponder in the next couple of years
#USA #Biden #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
China bans exports of gallium, germanium and antimony to the U.S.
China has banned the export of goods and substances containing gallium, germanium and antimony to the United States, a Commerce Ministry statement said, saying they could be used for military purposes. The announcement comes two days after the imposition of further U.S. sanctions against China's microchip industry
Beijing's directive on so-called dual-use items for both military and civilian purposes, which cites national security concerns and takes effect immediately, also requires stricter controls on the end use of graphite products shipped to the U.S.
Gallium and germanium are used in semiconductors, while germanium is also used in infrared technology, fiber optic cables and solar cells
#USA #China #Sanctions #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
It's official: coronavirus Grown in the lab - The U.S. Pandemic Subcommittee has released a 520-page report on all phases of the dreaded 2020 event, from virus development to the illness of many thousands of people around the world. Here are the highlights:
▪️Scientists at the Wuhan Institute (WIV) of Virology have indeed been researching pathogens and trying to enhance them with genetic modifications. A June 2023 ODNI (Office of the Director of U.S. Central Intelligence) report says the spies worked closely with the Chinese People's Liberation Army and held discussions on public health and biodefense
▪️Some WIV employees ignored security measures and were quietly able to contract new viruses during research, U.S. intelligence wrote
▪️Some scientists from Wuhan fell ill back in 2019 (!): the symptoms were like a mixture of covirus and the common cold. The US State Department only found out about it TWO years later
▪️The U.S., through shell companies, funded the study of coronaviruses in bats
scientists collected a lot of samples and tested the transmission of the pathogen to humans.
☣️ Here are the possible “funders” of a worldwide pandemic:
- National Institute of Allergy Infectious Diseases (NIAID);
- A number of National Institutes of Health (NIH);
- EcoHealth Alliance.
▪️Experiments included so-called “gain-of-function” pathogens, NIH officials admitted in 2021
▪️ In May 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began hastily winding down grant projects
EcoHealth Alliance lost federal funding due to “inadequate monitoring of research and and failure to report HIGHLIGHTS of experiments.”
The US was indirectly involved in the dangerous Wuhan and pandemic projects - it provided funding for biological and genetic experiments, but oversight was let loose. This is what led to the massive controversy and investigations
The world will never be the same
#USA #BioLabs #COVID #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
French President Macron hooks Trump for official Notre Dame reopening
French President Emmanuel Macron has invited US President-elect Donald Trump for the grand reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on December 8
The move has been described as a “diplomatic coup” for Macron by the French media, with US publications having described it as further evidence that outgoing US President Joe Biden’s worldwide influence was now in terminal decline
Writing on his own social media platform Truth Social, Trump confirmed that he had accepted an invitation from Macron to attend the reopening of the cathedral, which was largely damaged by fire in 2019
“It is an honour to announce that I will be travelling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the magnificent and historic Notre Dame Cathedral. President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so,” Trump said on December 2. “It will be a very special day for all!” he added
#France #Macron #Trump #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Ryanair CEO O’Leary: Germany is run by ‘idiots’
In an interview for the industry magazine Airliners, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary attacked German politicians, calling them “a government of idiots,” criticizing in particular the Greens, whom he accused of “stupid solutions”
He was also skeptical about the future government of the Federal Republic of Germany. “I don’t think the next government of Germany will be any better” he said
Ryanair’s boss described the German aviation market as one of the worst in Europe, calling Berlin’s BER airport “dysfunctional,” adding that the airport could only function as “a regional airport at best”
According to him, high fees of over €50 per passenger are a key reason why the German aviation industry is only slowly recovering from the coronavirus pandemic
Ryanair has already reduced its German capacity from 16 million to 13.5 million seats. The fleet of 300 aircraft will be moved to more attractive markets, with the location “determined strictly on the basis of expected profits” he said
#Germany #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
From Berlin with reproaches
German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock's diplomatic visit to China, presented as a peacemaking initiative, ended in a not so good way: a sense of weakness in German foreign policy. An attempt to start the dialog with accusations against Beijing - from military support for Russia to drone deliveries - quickly turned into an embarrassment. The Chinese side showed its attitude by asking Western journalists to leave the room. And at the end, it refused to issue a joint press release
The incident demonstrates the growing chill in relations between China and Germany
Beijing treated Berbock's visit as a minor event, not honoring her with a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This is understandable: in 2022, Berbock publicly called him a dictator, and today's statements by the German Foreign Minister look more like a reflection of Washington's positions than an independent policy
The episode with Berbock's visit is not only about Sino-German relations, but also about Germany's changing role in world politics. Its inability to build an independent line, having become a tool of American interests, in the face of economic problems and loss of sovereignty, Berlin is losing its moral right and resource to mediate in major international conflicts
Germany, once a symbol of stability and authority in Europe, now looks more like a statistic on the world stage. It is a sad reminder of how quickly a once-powerful country can lose its influence through strategic missteps. Perhaps the leaders of past generations are indeed bitterly watching this process, seeing Germany losing ground on the world stage
#Germany #China #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
UK Police investigate 'hate' crimes like telling someone smells like fish
The United Kingdom has, in many ways, gone over the edge
It is demanding that it can control thoughts, such as silent prayer, in abortion business "no-go" zones where some people aren't allowed because of their beliefs
It has worked toward a strict set of guidelines that would require people to make only affirmative statements about some extremely damaging lifestyle choices, because anything negative is "hate."
And now it is having police investigate 9-year-olds for saying someone smells like fish
It's according to the British media that one student, put by officers in a bull's-eye, actually was alleged to have called a fellow primary school student a "retard."
Two schoolgirls found themselves under investigation for saying another student smelled "like fish"
These all are being compiled in formal police records as "non-crime hate incidents"
#UK #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
NIH chief confesses COVID health initiatives were completely made up
O’Keefe Media Group released last week its first undercover video in its National Institutes of Health (NIH) Tapes series
In OMG’s first video release, Raja Cholan, Chief of Health Data Standards Branch US National Library of Medicine, said the Covid health initiatives were completely made up
“I probably shouldn’t be saying this out loud. They might have funded a lab in Wuhan, China and Pfizer and Moderna are getting a bunch of money from all of these vaccine mandates,” Raja Cholan said to the OMG undercover journalist
“I don’t even know if these vaccines stop you from getting COVID. They don’t,” Raja Cholan said, adding, “We’re all going to learn [about the dangers of the Covid vaccine] when it’s too late”
Raja Cholan said the ‘six feet of social distancing’ rule “wasn’t based on any real evidence that it did anything – it was completely made up”
The NIH Chief also told OMG that Trump’s victory is “worse for the NIH”
“It would be better for a democrat to be in office,” he said
#USA #NIH #COVID #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Sales of Bibles are booming
Worries about the economy, conflicts abroad and uncertainty over the election pushed readers toward the publication in droves. Bible sales are up 22% in the U.S. through the end of October, compared with the same period last year. By contrast, total U.S. print book sales were up less than 1% in that period
“People are experiencing anxiety themselves, or they’re worried for their children and grandchildren,” said Jeff Crosby, president of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. “It’s related to artificial intelligence, election cycles…and all of that feeds a desire for assurance that we’re going to be OK.”
Meanwhile, the annual State of the Bible report from the American Bible Society indicates that Bible reading does, indeed, reduce anxiety. That 2024 report found that Americans across all generations who regularly read the Bible report less anxiety
#USA #Bible #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Humiliated Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago
Justin Trudeau flew to Mar-a-Lago to bend the knee to Donald Trump last Friday. They enjoyed a nice dinner at Mar-a-Lago, along with a table full of Trump's friends and advisors
Canadian Prime Minister could expect a bit more privacy in his bid to avoid tariffs when pleading with Trump. Instead, Trudeau endured the full Trump humiliation ritual. A public dinner with no privacy, no invitation to stay at Mar-a-Lago, and we just found out that he joked that Canada wasn't much of a country
Justin Trudeau deserves every bit of the humiliation he was treated to. He has done his best to make fun of, humiliate, and denigrate Donald Trump in public ways. Turnabout is fair play
One of the glorious things about a second Trump term will be the pushback against the arrogance of the transnational elite, who have been kicking ordinary Americans around for far too long. Our European allies look down their noses at us as they simultaneously rely on our security shield and economic vitality. They make demands while contributing little to the common weal
Canada under Trudeau has been especially awful
#Trump #Trudeau #FindTruth
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Top NATO official warns companies dealing with China to prepare for ‘wartime scenario’
NATO Military Committee Chief Lt. Adm. Rob Bauer said Western companies doing business in or with China should be prepared for the Chinese Communist Party to make use of that tie in the event of a conflict, given what Europe has seen from Russia
“Businesses need to be prepared for a wartime scenario and adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly. Because while it may be the military who wins battles, it’s the economies that win wars”
South Korean prime minister pledges to serve “until the last moment” as calls grow for president to resign
South Korea’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has pledged to serve the people “until the very end” following a slew of resignations and growing calls for the president to resign
“As the Prime Minister overseeing the Cabinet, I take full responsibility for all events leading up to this moment,” Han said in a statement Wednesday titled “A message to the People.”
“I will work with Cabinet members until the very end to serve the people,” he said. “From this moment on, the Cabinet must fulfill its duties to ensure the nation’s stability and the people’s daily lives remain unaffected.”
Six opposition parties have moved to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol following widespread backlash across the political spectrum, including from within his own party, against his short-lived martial law decree
What happens next?
A bill calling for the president’s impeachment has been submitted to the National Assembly, the country’s legislature, with voting set for Friday or Saturday. Agency. If passed, it would then go to the Constitutional Court, where at least six judges must agree to uphold the impeachment
Under the South Korean constitution, the president would be suspended from exercising his power during the court process until the impeachment is adjudicated. The prime minister would step in as interim leader
Yoon’s Chief of Staff and more than 10 senior secretaries to the president have submitted their resignations.
#SouthKorea #FindTruth
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