Global military spending hits ‘all-time high’ of $2.4 trillion: SIPRI report – Breaking Defense
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https://breakingdefense.com/2024/04/global-military-spending-hits-all-time-high-of-2-4-trillion-sipri-report/
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The US remains the world’s largest defense spender, outlaying $916 billion last year, a 2.3 percent annual increase, ahead of China in second place, which spent an estimated $296 billion, a 6 percent increase over the same period.

Biden Calls for 44.6% Capital Gains Tax Rate, Highest Capital Gains Tax Since Its Creation in 1922 – Americans for Tax Reform
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https://www.atr.org/biden-calls-for-44-6-capital-gains-tax-rate-highest-capital-gains-tax-since-its-creation-in-1922/
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And don’t forget to add the state capital gains tax: the Biden combined federal-state rate would exceed 50% in many states President Biden has formally proposed the highest top capital gains tax in over 100 years. Here is a direct quote from the Biden 2025 budget proposal: “Together, the proposals would increase the top marginal […]

Niemcy będą budować na Ukrainie sektor przetwórstwa rolnego. Co z Polakami?
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https://www.cenyrolnicze.pl/wiadomosci/wiesci-rolnicze/pozostale-wiesci-rolnicze/34830-niemcy-beda-budowac-na-ukrainie-sektor-przetworstwa-rolnego-co-z-polakami
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– Ukraina zapewniła niemieckim przedsiębiorstwom możliwości inwestycyjne w kluczowych sektorach krajowej gospodarki – informuje Ministerstwo Gospodarki Ukrainy. W dziedzinie przetwórstwa rolnego zaprezentowano ponad 80 projektów na łączną kwotę ponad 2,9 miliarda dolarów.

Niemcy kupują dwie polskie firmy budujące sieci energetyczne
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https://legaartis.pl/blog/2024/04/20/niemcy-kupuja-dwie-polskie-firmy-budujace-sieci-energetyczne/
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Niemiecki fundusz inwestycyjny Mutares zawarł umowę na przejęcie spółek Eltel Networks Energetyka SA i Eltel Networks Engineering SA od Eltel AB, wiodących

Hołownia: Nie wykonam postanowienia Trybunału Konstytucyjnego Julii Przyłębskiej
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https://dorzeczy.pl/kraj/578871/holownia-nie-wykonam-postanowienia-tk-julii-przylebskiej.html
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Nie wykonam postanowienia Julii Przyłębskiej. Wniosek ws. Trybunału Stanu dla Adama Glapińskiego będzie procedowany – powiedział marszałek Sejmu Szymon Hołownia.

https://therightscoop.com/biden-introduces-the-american-climate-corps-says-they-are-hiring-over-2000-people/

Russian court orders seizure of JPMorgan Chase funds in VTB lawsuit
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https://ktwb.com/2024/04/24/russian-court-orders-seizure-of-jpmorgan-chase-funds-in-vtb-lawsuit/
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MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian court has ordered the seizure of funds in JPMorgan Chase bank accounts in Russia, court filings showed on Wednesday, in a lawsuit filed by state-owned bank VTB as it seeks to regain funds blocked abroad. JP Morgan Chase…

Why Indonesia Is China’s New Best Friend in Southeast Asia
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https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-04-21/indonesia-is-china-s-new-best-friend-in-southeast-asia?leadSource=uverify%20wall&embedded-checkout=true
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Beijing is courting Jakarta with promises of investments. Meanwhile, the US is losing sway the longer it dithers over Gaza.

AMLO llama a que América del Norte se una como la UE: “Debemos integrarnos”
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https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2024/04/22/amlo-llama-a-que-america-del-norte-se-una-como-la-ue-debemos-integrarnos/
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El presidente mexicano sugirió la creación de una comunidad con Estados Unidos siguiendo el modelo de la Unión Europea

Kijów chce ściągnąć mężczyzn do obrony kraju. Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz: Polska może pomóc
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https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/kraj/kijow-chce-sciagnac-mezczyzn-do-kraju-szef-mon-zapowiada-pomoc/fxzhgqb
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Szef MON Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz wyraził zrozumienie dla działań ukraińskich władz, które starają się ściągnąć do Ukrainy jak najwięcej mężczyzn w wieku poborowym. Dodał, że Polska jest gotowa pomóc Ukrainie w sprawie powrotu tych, którzy są objęci obowiązkiem służby wojskowej. – Nie dziwię się ukraińskim władzom, że zrobią wszystko, aby posyłać żołnierzy na front. Potrzeby są ogromne – powiedział.

Vietnam set to issue digital IDs for service access, plans to include foreigners | Biometric Update
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https://www.biometricupdate.com/202404/vietnam-set-to-issue-digital-ids-for-service-access-plans-to-include-foreigners
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Vietnam is set to issue digital ID cards for people to use in interactions with public agencies, complementing the VNeID mobile app.

Unrealized Gains Tax is an Economic Fallacy
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https://www.aier.org/article/unrealized-gains-tax-is-an-economic-fallacy/
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“Taxing unrealized capital gains from property, stocks, and other assets is a bad idea. It undermines economic growth, stifles innovation, and infringes on personal liberty.” ~Vance Ginn

Iran’s nuclear activity ‘raises eyebrows’ at IAEA – DW – 04/23/2024
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https://www.dw.com/en/irans-nuclear-activity-raises-eyebrows-at-iaea/a-68893952
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Iran’s enrichment of uranium and a lack of access to international monitors is fueling suspicions about its nuclear activities. The International Atomic Energy Agency said its committed to promoting dialogue with Tehran.

We are not going anywhere – the head of Tik Tok on the US decision to block Tik Tok if the company is not sold to American owners

“The Constitution is on our side and we expect to win,” Shaw Tzu Chiu said.

https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/u-s-takes-aim-at-chinese-banks-aiding-russia-war-effort-fcf76dcc?st=2hbnx4gcsgzpgve&reflink=article_copyURL_share

George Gammon (see his RebelCapitalist YouTube channel) has recently done an experiment traveling in Argentina trying to use only gold, BTC and silver. To the surprise of many (me included), he was able to sell gold only by taking a ~50% haircut, BTC was accepted by tech bros only. Silver worked just fine, but it’s heavy, so bring sufficient quantities of SLV ain’t practical. So gold and BTC is a storage of value, but not a medium of exchange (liquidity sucks) at least in Argentina. USD ($100 bills) was the preferred money.

AI can predict political orientations from blank faces – and researchers fear ‘serious’ privacy challenges
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ai-can-predict-political-orientations-blank-faces-researchers-fear-serious-privacy-challenges
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Researchers are warning about privacy concerns after a study found that AI facial recognition technology is able to predict people’s political orientations from images of blank faces.

Does the Decline of U.S. Power Matter For the Middle East?
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https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/03/19/does-decline-of-u.s.-power-matter-for-middle-east-pub-78645
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As priorities diverge and the United States is dragged into peripheral battles, the deterioration of its Middle East alliance system can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed in a briefing Tuesday that Russia’s Air Defense Forces would be getting additional S-500 air and missile defense systems in two modifications. Here’s what we know about these fearsome weapons.

????The S-500 Prometey (lit. ‘Prometheus’ – as in the ancient Greek god of fire) is a road-mobile air and missile defense system developed by Russian weapon manufacturer Almaz-Antey.

????The system has a range of up to 600 km, and the ability to detect targets at up to 800 km away.

????The S-500 can simultaneously target up to 10 ballistic supersonic targets flying at speeds up to 7 km/s.

????It can also attack targets flying at hypersonic speeds (up to Mach 10, or 12,348 km per hour).

????The S-500’s range is sufficient to disable enemy missiles, spacecraft, and orbital weapons platforms in space at low-Earth orbits.

????The system’s interceptor missiles maneuver in flight, and feature independent onboard radar components enabling them to engage in kinetic attacks.

????The S-500 can be incorporated into a single air and missile defense network alongside the S-400, S-300VM4, S-350 Vityaz and other platforms.

????Along with launchers, the S-500 comes with command post vehicle, target acquisition and battle management radar, reloader vehicles, and an array of optional radar, air and missile defense control systems, depending on mission.

????The missile system comes with 77N6-N and 77N6-N1 interceptors for missile defense and anti-satellite/spacecraft purposes, and 40N6M anti-aircraft missiles.

Venezuela Hires Rothschild as Adviser on Defaulted Debt Pile
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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-23/venezuela-hires-rothschild-as-adviser-on-defaulted-debt-pile
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Venezuela’s government has hired Rothschild & Co. as a financial adviser to provide an overview of its foreign debt obligations, according to people familiar with the matter.

Saudi Aramco is going to invest over 10 billion yuan to purchase a 10% equity stake in Chinese company Hengli Petrochemical. This is another collaboration after Saudi Aramco and Rongsheng Petrochemical, Dongfang Shenghong, and Baosteel, indicating the interest of Middle Eastern.

North Korea officials visit Iran in a rare public trip
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https://m.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/north-korea-officials-visit-iran-in-a-rare-public-trip-798381#798381
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North Korea and Iran have long been suspected of cooperating on ballistic missile programs, possibly exchanging technical expertise and components that went into their manufacture.

Why Indonesia Is China’s New Best Friend in Southeast Asia
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https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-04-21/indonesia-is-china-s-new-best-friend-in-southeast-asia
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Beijing is courting Jakarta with promises of investments. Meanwhile, the US is losing sway the longer it dithers over Gaza.

America’s fight to save handwriting from extinction
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13273363/handwriting-extinction-IQs-begin-fall.html
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Handwriting is less prevalent than it once was, with a third of Americans reporting that they haven’t written a personal letter or note in more than five years. Experts warn that history could be lost.

Ukraiński minister rolnictwa podejrzany o bezprawne przejmowanie państwowych gruntów – Rynki wschodnie
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https://www.farmer.pl/fakty/ukrainski-minister-rolnictwa-podejrzany-o-bezprawne-przejmowanie-panstwowych-gruntow,145092.html
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Obecny minister polityki agrarnej i żywnościowej Ukrainy  Mykoła Solsky jest podejrzany o zagarnięcie państwowych gruntów i próbę przejęcia kolejnych działek – potwierdziły ukraińskie służby.

Germany, Poland and France: Recasting a Green Weimar Triangle
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https://www.euractiv.com/section/central-europe/opinion/germany-poland-and-france-recasting-a-green-weimar-triangle/
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Służby chcą wiedzieć, kto z kim pisze. Minister domaga się zmian w ustawie
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https://serwisy.gazetaprawna.pl/nowe-technologie/artykuly/9493819,sluzby-chca-wiedziec-kto-z-kim-pisze-minister-domaga-sie-zmian-w-ust.html
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Kiedy nowa władza była w opozycji, krytykowała PiS za inwigilację. Dziś służby chcą mieć dostęp do informacji, kto z kim rozmawia przez e-maile i szyfrowane komunikatory.

Rząd szykuje zmiany dla kierowców. Seniorom się upiekło, młodzi trafią pod lupę
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https://moto.pl/MotoPL/7,88389,30908934,wazne-zmiany-dla-kierowcow-seniorom-sie-upieklo-ale-mlodzi.html
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Rząd szykuje rozporządzenie dotyczące polskich kierowców. Wprowadzi ono wiele zmian, które dotyczą osób w każdym wieku. Czekają nas obowiązkowe i droższe badania psychologiczne oraz różne zakazy. Wszystko w imię bezpieczeństwa.

https://www.unz.com/mwhitney/trump-sold-out-his-base-to-shovel-95-billion-to-ukraine-and-israel/

Wild scenes from spring break gathering along Savannah beach
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13334391/Orange-Crush-Tybee-Island-Savannah-Georgia-party-spring-rbeak-video.html
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Video from this year’s Orange Crush event showed the moment a vicious fight broke out on the Savannah beach’s boardwalk. Other video revealed how much litter had been left on the shore.