Sunday, October 30, 2022

Russia - Ukraine War Maps -- October 30, 2022 (Click on Images to Enlarge)

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Tweets On The Russia - Ukraine War

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Tweets Of The Day

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Lula Defeats Bolsonaro To Become Brazil’s President

 

WNU Editor: It was close. From the AP .... With 98.8% of the votes tallied, da Silva had 50.8% and Bolsonaro 49.2%, and the election authority said da Silva’s victory was a mathematical certainty (link here). 

The count can be viewed here (link here).  

This breaking news story will be updated later this evening.

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Elon Musk Deletes Conspiratorial Tweet To Hillary Clinton Suggesting Paul Pelosi's Attacker Was Gay Prostitute

  (Click on Image to Enlarge)

WNU editor: That did not last too long .... Elon Musk DELETES conspiratorial tweet to Hillary Clinton suggesting Paul Pelosi's attacker was gay prostitute: Fake news site behind story once claimed Hillary died and was replaced by body double in 2016 (Daily Mail).

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Taiwan Needs US Weapons

In this photo released by the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen watches soldiers operate equipment during a visit to a naval station on Penghu, an archipelago of several dozen islands off Taiwan's western coast on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. (Taiwan Ministry of National Defense via AP)  

StraitArrowNews: Taiwan can’t fend off China without US weapons 

Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States sent hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of weaponry to the Ukrainians. Things like Javelin anti-tank missiles and HIMARS rockets. Now, as China seems poised to launch an invasion of Taiwan, some are concerned that the U.S. might not have enough weapons to help the self-governing island defend itself. 

Defending Taiwan is a vastly different undertaking from U.S. efforts with Ukraine. Unlike in Ukraine, where Russia could assemble troops along the border before invading, the Chinese would have to cross 100 miles of open ocean to launch an assault. There hasn’t been an amphibious assault on such a scale since the Korean War. 

Preventing the Chinese from establishing a beachhead would be critical to defending the island. If the Chinese succeeded in establishing a footing and is able to transport troops and weapons to the island, the battle is probably over.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Fortunately for Taiwan the Chinese military have a 100 mile ocean that they must cross to launch an assault. But the Chinese will succeed if the firepower is not there to stop them. Bottom line. The Taiwanese need weapons if they have any hope to persevere.

The same can be said about the Russia - Ukraine war. If Ukraine was not receiving US military aid, the military would have collapsed a long time ago, and the Zelensky government would have been forced to agree to peace terms dictated by Moscow.

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It Is Elon Musk's Twitter Now

From Instapundit .... “Grab the popcorn, baby! It’s on! Maybe a questionable decision this early in his tenure as Chief Twit, but we’re here for the show, and we couldn’t write a better opening episode. This tweet would have gotten flagged for disinformation or taken down by Twitter in the before times. Now it’s out there in all its glory for people to read, debate, criticize, and all the other things that should happen in a free society where ideas are discussed with words INSTEAD of resorting to violence. It’s a new day!” 

Wow!!!! 

If this Santa Monica article is true (link here), it completely changes the narrative behind the Pelosi assault story. This tweet by Elon Musk perfectly illustrates why the political establishment is freaking out over Elon Musk' ownership of Twitter.

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Is Washington's Chip Ban Against China A De Facto Declaration Of War?

 

Asia Times: US chip ban de facto declaration of war on China?  

America’s latest chip war sanctions risk wider conflict in physical and economic spheres.  

The United States has gambled big in its latest across-the-board sanctions on Chinese companies in the semiconductor industry, believing it can kneecap China and retain its global dominance. 

From the slogans of globalization and “free trade” of the neoliberal 1990s, Washington has reverted to the technology-denial regimes that the US and its allies followed during the Cold War. While it might work in the short run to slow down Chinese advances, the cost to the US semiconductor industry of losing China – its biggest market – will have significant consequences in the long run. 

In the process, the semiconductor industries of Taiwan and South Korea and equipment manufacturers in Japan and the European Union are likely to become collateral damage. It reminds us again of what former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger once said: “It may be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend is fatal.”  

Read more ....  

Update #1: Why Biden's Block on Chips to China Is a Big Deal (The Atlantic)  

Update #2: The US Declares Chip-War on China (PRIO)  

WNU Editor: This is why the US ban on advanced microchips will impact China severely .... Will The U.S. Ban On Chip Development In China Send China Into The Dark Ages? (October 22). And the US is planning even more curbs and bans .... Semiconductor export curbs hitting China to be followed by biotech and AI restrictions: US official (SCMP). 

From Beijing's perspective this is only feeding their belief that the US wants to isolate China and to limit its military/economic growth .... US needs immediate action to bring China relations back to the track of sound development (Global Times). 

And while the recent China Congress did not say it bluntly, if you read between the lines there is a realization that they must prepare for a military conflict .... Analysis: Xi's new generals offer cohesion over possible Taiwan plans (Reuters).

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Prominent Haitian Politician Shot Dead As Violent Gangs And Political Turmoil Push The Country To The ‘Edge Of Collapse’

 

CNN: Haitian politician shot dead, as violent gangs and political turmoil push country to the ‘edge of collapse’ 

A Haitian politician has been shot dead outside his home, authorities have said, as international concerns intensify over the gang violence, political turmoil and humanitarian crises that have seized control of the country. 

Eric Jean Baptiste was killed on Friday night outside his home in the capital Port-au-Prince, local police told CNN.

He was the leader of the Rally of Progressive National Democrats Party (RNDP), a minor political party in Haiti, and launched a longshot presidential bid in 2016. A security guard was also killed in the attack, the police spokesperson said. Baptiste survived an earlier attempt on his life in 2018, escaping with a bullet wound. 

Read more ....  

Update #1: High-profile Haitian politician killed in apparent gang attack, reports say (Reuters)  

Update #2: Haitian political leader Eric Jean Baptiste fatally shot (AP)  

WNU Editor: I personally visited Haiti about 20 years ago to work with a friend of mine who is a Canadian-Haitian and who wanted to provide computer networks to the government and NGOs. It failed. 

Truth be told the gangs have always been in control .... Haitian ambassador warns criminal gangs may overrun country (The Guardian). And sending international troops is certainly not going to solve the problem .... As U.N. mulls sending troops to Haiti, a gang's rise shows how hard that would be (Reuters).

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U.S. LNG Cannot Replace The Russian Natural Gas That Europe Has Lost

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker in the Sea of Japan near Nakhodka, Russia. Vladimir Serebryanskiy/Dreamstime  

OilPrice.com: U.S. LNG Cannot Replace The Russian Natural Gas That Europe Has Lost 

* Europe has relied on U.S. LNG imports to offset the loss of Russian gas, with nearly 70% of U.S. LNG exports heading to Europe in September. 

* In the long term, Europe will have to find other sources of natural gas as its inventories are likely to drain over the upcoming winter. 

* Ultimately, Europe will have to reduce demand for natural gas going forward as there is very little available supply left. 

Europe cannot rely solely on imports of U.S. LNG to offset the pipeline gas supply it will have lost from Russia when it starts rebuilding inventories after the end of this winter, according to BloombergNEF. 

So far this year, American LNG has been crucial in meeting demand in Europe, which is scrambling for gas supply and willing to pay up for spot deliveries, outbidding most of Asia.

The United States is shipping record volumes of LNG to Europe to help EU allies and nearly 70% of all American LNG exports were headed to Europe in September, according to Refinitiv Eikon data cited by Reuters.  

Read more ....  

Update: Europe Can’t Rely on US Gas to Plug Growing Shortfall Next Year (Bloomberg)  

WNU Editor: I am sure the EU is going to be able to get the natural gas that it needs this winter. But it is not going to be cheap, nor reliable. And the bigger problem will be next year, since Russian gas will no longer be available to fill up their reserves unless purchased through middle-men like Turkey or China at exoborant prices. 

And that is the crux of the problem. 

Europe's industrial base is dependent on having access to cheap natural gas. No more now.

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