[JasonCrissBowk] The UN pushed back against rumors this week that UN aid money was being processed through banks controlled by the Taliban ...Arabic for students... -Haqqani regime. The UN mission in Afghanistan has long been the target of charges of mismanagement of money, and corruption in its own ranks and in its relations with corrupt Afghans. The latest charge by Afghans is that the $40,000,000 in cash that has been arriving quite regularly for many months is ending up in the terror regime’s hands and not reaching those in dire need. It does not help the UN’s case that when the Taliban-Haqqani controlled bank shows photos of pallets of cash every time it arrives and claims it has access to the money.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Petr Akopov
[RIA] In the war with Russia, the West has no forgotten fronts - everywhere you need to be on the alert. Work is underway on all continents - and Africa occupies a special place among them.
Not because there are 54 countries and their votes are important for obtaining a majority in the UN voting on resolutions condemning "aggressive Russia." These are all trifles, although the fact that last March the majority of African countries refused to vote together with the West, for some reason, was surprising for the "golden billion." But the point is not in symbolic resolutions, but in an absolutely concrete struggle for the future world order.
In which today's Africa (in terms of population rapidly catching up with China and India ) will no longer be just an object of foreign manipulations, but will also try to seriously defend its own interests. Therefore, it is so important who will become a strategic partner for Africa in the coming decades - the West or the East: the USA and Europeor China and Russia. There is, of course, a third force in the struggle for Africa - the Islamic world (which includes a large part of the Black Continent), but he himself is increasingly leaning from the West to the East.
It is not surprising that the upcoming joint Russian-Chinese-South African naval exercises off the coast of South Africa in a month are causing great displeasure in the West. After all, if, as South African Defense Minister Tandi Modise recently stated, the Americans "threaten Africa because of everything that smells of Russia," then what can we say about Russian warships at the southern tip of the continent.
Joint exercises were already held in 2019, and all three countries are members of the BRICS, but the West seems to be discovering a new reality for itself for the first time: the non-Western world is increasingly not only establishing multilateral ties in various fields, but is also building a parallel architecture of a new world order.
In trade, transport corridors, the financial system, arms trade and defense, raw materials, information security - and the initiators of the process are Russia and China. Moreover, despite the interconnectedness of their economies with the Western one, Moscow and Beijing have long since embarked on a course to reduce the dependence of their relations with the third world on global, that is, Anglo-Saxon, rules and mechanisms. And after the West tried to cut Russia out of the world economy, and threatened China with grave consequences if it followed Russia's path, the process of separating the East from the West accelerated.
Africa, which at the same time needs huge help and is the last region with unlimited potential for growth (demographic and economic), and therefore appears as a welcome ally for everyone, sees in the showdown between West and East a chance to strengthen its own weight and gain true independence. But at the same time, it would be wrong to reduce the entire African position simply to the desire to benefit from "courtship", that is, to accept investments from both sides.
After all, most African countries (if you do not take North Africa with its separate history) already have more than sixty years of independence experience - and it showed how and with whom one can deal. Despite the insolvency of a significant part of African states, the processes of formation of national elites are still going on there - and there is also an understanding of the need for integration.
Both regional and continental (within the African Union) integration has, of course, its side effects - this process can turn into the creation of a new form of neo-colonial control by the West (for example, through the EU-African Union). Financial, personnel, ideological and other forms of Western control have been preserved almost everywhere in Africa, and all attempts to build independent African integration have always been very severely suppressed (as was the case, for example, with Muammar Gaddafi , who was almost overthrown by the discontent of the West his pan-African integration efforts).
However, most African countries understand that alone they will remain puppets of external forces, and by joining forces they will get a chance for both internal development and global play.
Russia offers Africa not only economic projects, but just help in gaining real independence from Western control. That is why in France they are so dissatisfied with the penetration of the Russian PMC "Wagner" into Francophone Africa - first into the Central African Republic, then into Mali and Burkina Faso . If the local elites see that with the help of Russians (primarily instructors) it is possible not only to restore order in the country (by pinning down all sorts of separatist and rebel groups), but also to get rid of dependence on Paris, this will seriously undermine French influence in West and Central Africa.
But Russia can help not only in preparing the army and supplying weapons, but also in training personnel, building infrastructure projects, exploration and development of natural resources - many African countries remember all this from the 60s, from the time of the first Soviet campaign in Africa.
In addition, there is China (the main trading partner and creditor, with huge investments and large infrastructure projects on the continent), and the Persian Gulf monarchies (with gigantic financial opportunities). That is, with the right combination of relations with non-Western players, Africa can really "leave the West" and move forward along the path of gaining subjectivity.
This is well understood in the West as well, and they are trying to use the Ukrainian situation to put pressure on Africa. They accuse Russia of threatening the world order, of rising prices for raw materials and food - calling on the countries of the Black Continent to join Western sanctions in order to "stop the aggressor." Last week, two European - German and French - foreign ministers flew to Addis Ababa , where the headquarters of the African Union is located: Annalena Burbock and Catherine Colonna . The ladies convinced the hosts that "the African Union and Europe must stick together" because it is necessary to "stand shoulder to shoulder" against Putin, because the AU and the EU have common values, and "Europe and Africa are neighbors not only geographically,
With arguments about common values with Europe, Africans can agree only in the sense that British, French and German museums are really full of African values taken away in the course of colonial plunder. And, of course, African countries are not going to join the sanctions - moreover, Western pressure only strengthens their understanding of the importance of relations with Russia. Just during the trip of Burbock and Colonna to Ethiopia , it was announced that the second Russia-Africa summit would be held at the end of July in St. Petersburg . The first, held in Sochi in the fall of 2019 , was a major step towards Russia's return to Africa, and the second will demonstrate the desire of the Black Continent for a new, post-Western world order.
#4
In addition, there is China (the main trading partner and creditor, with huge investments and large infrastructure projects on the continent)...
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desart.[d] Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
#9
The Soviets tried this once; its Patrice Lamumba University was a home to many an African radical. Result? No change. China in the 'sixties tried it with development funds for Africa and education in China. Result? Failed economic policy, and failed education policy as it seems that the Chinese don't cotton to Africans.
Here at Rantburg we’ve been watching new oil and natural gas discoveries coming on line over the past year, and even more getting ready to go on line in the next few years, which will continue reducing the impact of both Russia and the major OPEC producers… and even the impact of President Biden choking off American production.
[BlackBullMarket] Russian President Vladimir Putin's use of energy as a weapon of financial war is increasingly backfiring, threatening the core of Russia's beleaguered economy and curtailing its geopolitical influence.
Western sanctions, falling prices for Russian fossil fuels and strategic miscalculations are hurting the country's oil-and-gas industry while the war in Ukraine is poised to stretch into a second year. Ultimately, the strain will erode Moscow's status as an energy superpower, according to analysts and former energy officials and executives.
Russia hoped cutting off natural gas would cause Europe to freeze and weaken its support for Kyiv, officials on the continent say. Warm weather and ample supplies from other producers have derailed that effort so far, sending energy prices down to prewar levels.
The Russian oil industry, meanwhile, is having trouble adapting to a European Union embargo and a U.S.-led price cap on its crude. A Kremlin threat to cut supplies in response failed to boost prices and hasn't materialized, showing Russia's weakened hand.
Russia has diverted much of the oil that went to Europe, but in doing so it has replaced an array of buyers with two big importers: China and India. Refiners there command low prices, in part because delivering farther afield raises shipping rates.
With gas, Russia needs to build huge pipelines eastward to sell all the fuel that used to head to Europe. That would take years. And in the long run, lost access to technology and Western know-how will likely undermine production potential as Soviet-era oil-and-gas fields dwindle.
All these issues will potentially be magnified when a fresh round of sanctions goes into effect next month.
[IsraelHayom] Ankara proudly enables Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw, and its military and financial endeavors, with Lions of Islam enjoying the privilege of Ottoman Turkish citizenship — and the ability to travel internationally and evade sanctions — to plot attacks against Israel.
President Isaac Herzog last week accepted the credentials of Ankara's new ambassador to Israel, Sakir Özkan Torunlar. The Ottoman Turkish diplomat, who served as consul general in Jerusalem (and "ambassador" to the Paleostinian Authority) between 2010 and 2013, assumed the position four years after President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than there are in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really most important... withdrew The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
Continued on Page 49
[Bee] The White House is on edge this morning after investigators revealed a fourth stash of classified documents from Biden's tenure as Vice President was found deep in his colon.
"This morning a routine colonoscopy revealed hundreds, possibly thousands of partially chewed top-secret documents crammed in the President's digestive tract," said White House physician Kevin O'Connor. "It seems many of them were eaten, while hundreds of others were inserted rectally by an unknown party or Biden himself. We have handed over all partially-digested documents to the Special Counsel in charge of the investigation. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I need a shower."
Officials are at this point unclear whether the documents were ingested on purpose or swallowed inadvertently, as sources say President Biden has always had a folksy, endearing habit of putting random things in his mouth and swallowing them.
At publishing time, doctors had confirmed the colonoscopy also turned up another hard drive linked to Hunter Biden.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2023 07:58 ||
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[ORFonline] The growing presence of anti-Pakistain terror groups has prompted Pakistain to adopt a hard stance.
Pakistain’s military is contemplating a new offensive against Tehrik-e-Taliban ...Arabic for students... Pakistain (TTP) and its associated factions. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held two rounds of the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting with senior civilian and military leaders to devise a strategy against the terrorist organization. The official statement from the NSC meeting stated that "Pakistain’s security is uncompromisable, and the full writ of the state will be maintained on every inch of Pakistain’s territory." A military offensive against TTP may further strain Pakistain’s already struggling economy and exacerbate tensions with the Afghan Taliban.
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Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/22/2023 00:00 ||
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[18 views]
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#1
Any rationale American would have had serious problems penning a statement of support for Pakistans effort to combat terrorism. That’s why we have a State Department.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/22/2023 11:31 Comments ||
Top||
[LeoHohmann] A set of international codes are used by the medical industry for billing purposes under Medicare-Medicaid and the private insurance companies, but it’s not just about billing.
These codes are part of the International Classification of Disease (ICD) system set forth by the United Nations World Health Organization and they’re about to get far more invasive.
This system was originally created after World War II for the purpose of tracking the diagnosis of major diseases within a population. But over the years, there have been 11 major revisions, and with each revision the data being collected on each individual has become more precise and all-inclusive.
More than 1.6 million clinical situations can now be coded, according to the WHO website.
And it’s also become more coercive, to the point where it’s become impossible for doctors to get reimbursed by insurance companies if they don’t upload all the requested data points.
According to an April 2016 article in the American Journal of Neuroradiology, "Across the years, it has become an integral part of the payment infrastructure of the U.S. healthcare system along with the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding system for medical procedures."
The ICD system really grew into an electronic data-mining beast with the passage by Congress of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in 2012.
So many bad things trace back to that.
The digitization of healthcare records was fully implemented with the upgrade to ICD-10 after two congressional delays in 2016.
Since then, there has literally been a numeric code created for almost any diagnosis you can think of, and some you would never think of (Search "crazy ICD-10 codes" and you will see what I’m talking about).
Fast forward now to April 2022. This is when the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) announced a new code that anyone who is awake and aware of the growing medical tyranny should be concerned about. After some delays, the new code was rolled out in October 2022 and became available to nearly every medical clinic and hospital in January 2023.
What is this new code? It’s Code Number Z28.310. This is the code for a very peculiar "diagnosis" since it’s not a diagnosis at all, but an invasion of privacy and likely to be used against many people in the future. This is the code your doctor will log into the computer system that is accessed by government and private health insurers informing them of your Covid vaccine status. More at the link.
“A lot of people with schizophrenia are paranoid of shots and different treatments, so his doctors were attributing him (as unvaxxed) on that basis,” the doctor said.
So it doesn’t take too much of an imagination to see how this system could be abused.
What about if you continually refuse your doctor-recommended vaccines? Could you end up being diagnosed with mental illness? The doctor I spoke with agreed that this is not far-fetched. And once you get diagnosed with a mental disorder, you can lose many of your constitutional rights. You essentially become a second-class citizen.
[IsraelTimes] Energy-rich Azerbaijan, chafing at Iranian threats, set to open embassy in Tel Aviv, with Israel seeing chance to expand relations with others in region as well.
In November, Azerbaijan’s parliament approved a plan to open an embassy in Israel, a milestone in the flourishing bilateral relationship. Weeks later, Baku named its deputy education minister as the country’s first ambassador to Israel. "The sky is the limit," for the two countries’ ties, crowed Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Fariz Rzayev upon landing at Ben-Gurion International Airport in late December. And on Tuesday, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov hosted a diplomatic delegation led by Foreign Ministry Political Director Aliza Bin Noun, which included Israel’s ambassadors in the region.
The diplomatic upgrade is one of many fruits of a new push by Jerusalem to bolster and expand ties with countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus, Israeli officials say. Sandwiched between Iran, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
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Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/22/2023 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...Arabic for 
[IsraelHayom] Ankara proudly enables 
[Bee] The White House is on edge this morning after investigators revealed a fourth stash of classified documents from Biden's tenure as Vice President was found deep in his colon.
Pakistain’s military is contemplating a new offensive against Tehrik-e-
