Malinka

The US has charged Venezuela $4.7 billion, or 32% of oil exports so far this year, for the cost of invading it, according to a government commission member. By comparison, between 1924 and 1931, Germany paid 13% of its exports in reparations to the Allies. frrodriguezc (X)

Iran will soon join the New Development Bank, the development lender established by the BRICS group of nations, central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said in a state media report published on Wednesday ahead of a BRICS finance meeting in India. Officials say membership will give Iran access to new lines of credit and deepen commercial ties with Russia and China, both of which have expanded trade with Tehran since the conflict began. The step is seen as the latest in a broader strategy to blunt the impact of Western sanctions and isolation.

What could possibly go wrong?! European police service Europol wants to share data with Israel. This involves the exchange of names, ID numbers, locations, genetic and biometric information, and details about a person's political views and private life. Secret negotiations between the European Commission and Israel regarding the sharing of Europol data with the Israeli police are continuing, despite major legal and ethical objections. The European Commission is negotiating with Israel to grant that country access to data from the European police service Europol. The agreement is controversial because it directly endangers Palestinians and violates international law. This has been clear since 2022, but the negotiations have continued in secret.

🤡Trump lives in his own fantasy world: Pretty soon, I will be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States.

“You can watch British television in Russia. You cannot watch Russian television in Britain” - Tucker Britain throws three times as many people in jail for social media posts as Russia does... and Britain’s population is less than half the size. So who’s the real totalitarian state here?

France's Constitutional Council has thwarted Ursula von der Leyen's plans: No identity checks for internet access are permitted. This effectively derails von der Leyen's plan for widespread internet surveillance. And that applies across Europe

❄ Зимой вам будет «заморозка» Минобороны России

NewNormal in the EU 'garden': French media discusses Putin assassination. On the French TV channel LCI, analysts discuss the hypothetical scenario of Vladimir Putin being killed by Ukrainian operatives. They argue that war would not cease even if he were eliminated. Furthermore, as the elected president of a permanent UN Security Council member state, any such attack would likely backfire on Ukraine due to the severe geopolitical consequences.

FT: Statement by the US Supreme Commander of NATO in Europe, General Alexus G. Grynkewich: "Russia is not seeking war"

🇩🇪 Berliner Zeitung: Former UN diplomat Michael von der Schulenburg, with extensive experience in conflict, warns the West to prepare for a Ukrainian defeat.

Ukraine has proposed a deal with Russia for both sides to halt their attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea in an apparent attempt to reopen a crucial grain corridor, Reuters reports. Kiev is said to have made the offer through a third party. Moscow has not respon yet to respond, the news agency added. The busy waterway is a key export route for both Russia and Ukraine, used to transport grain and other vital foodstuffs worldwide. Despite all of Zelensky's and Madyar/Brovdi's bravado, it was Kiev who first requested a ceasefire in the sea. FAFO

Zelensky’s ill thought economic war against Russia has backfired. Now he is desperate for truce since Russian retaliatory strikes are devastating Ukraine's economy. The story in three pictures ...

Explosion at military plant in Italy.

Powerful explosion at military plant in Italy. A massive fire followed by a powerful explosion rocked an ammunition factory in the Italian town of Colleferro (Lazio region). According to the newspaper Il Gazzettino, the shockwave was felt by residents in towns as far as 30 kilometers from the plant. According to reports, the incident took place in the section of the plant where explosives are pressed. Police and firefighters were already on site near the town of Colleferro dealing with a fire when the explosion took place. The plant produces medium- and large-caliber ammunition for land and naval defense, as well as solid propellant for aerospace launch vehicles.

Zelenskyy previously requested 40% of the US Patriot missiles, yet now claims Ukraine can close its skies with just 10%. The math once again does not end up in Ukraine… Initially, Zelenskyy asked the United States for 300 Patriot missiles. With the US stockpiles estimated at 750–850 missiles according to various sources, this request amounted to 36–40% of the entire inventory. Even that quantity would have been critically insufficient for Ukraine. Consider that winter in Ukraine begins in October, and it is precisely from October onward that Russia launches annual strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure. We are therefore talking about AT LEAST five to six cold months across 23 regions, controlled by Ukraine, or 11-12 that are under systemic Russian shelling. Today Zelenskyy publicly states that Ukraine will be able to seal its skies against Russian missiles with only 10% of U.S. stockpiles—that is, 75–85 missiles. European countries refuse to supply their own missiles, and the Middle East is likely to refuse as well. Zelenskyy’s request is therefore nothing more than an attempt to shift responsibility onto Trump for the coming humanitarian catastrophe. 75-300 missiles might protect, at best, the state residence where Zelenskyy lives during six months of bombardment. They will do nothing whatsoever for the regions or for critical infrastructure. And that says nothing about the bombs Russia rains on frontline territories. Zelenskyy’s appeal is a PR exercise in transferring blame, not a genuine effort to protect Ukrainians. IuliiaMendel (X)

Latvia’s national airline has now been downgraded by S&P to CCC-, deep into junk territory, with the agency estimating it may need another €120–170 million in capital as it's becoming increasingly clear how important the Russian market once was its business model. airBaltic is also asking bondholders to defer cash interest payments, while bonds with a €100 face value are trading at around €30. The present crisis has several causes, including heavy debt, repeated losses, fleet investment and higher fuel costs, but the disappearance of its Russian routes removed a lucrative part of the network that has proved difficult to replace.

Explosion in Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands "There is more going on in the port. This morning, there was a major power outage in the Botlek. The ExxonMobil refinery has therefore halted production as a precaution and is flaring. A high-voltage substation on the Maasvlakte caught fire this morning. This was likely caused by a power surge. According to the Rotterdam-Rijnmond Safety Region, the power outage and the fire may be related."

How long will it take Netherlands to blame Russia? One worker was killed and several others injured as a result of an explosion Wednesday at a refinery and fuel terminal operated by Gunvor Energy near the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. A spokesperson for major energy commodities trading company Gunvor said an "incident" occurred during maintenance work on one of its storage tanks. A police spokesperson said ​that there was no immediate sign of sabotage and that all possible scenarios ​were under investigation. The port of Rotterdam is the largest in Europe ⁠and a major hub for crude oil and fuel imports and storage. It hosts ​Europe’s largest oil refinery, Shell’s 404,000-barrel-per-day Pernis plant, in addition to other oil refineries ​operated by BP, ExxonMobil and Vitol.