Stingy Europeans

WASHINGTON, DC – Western allies have created a critical funding gap for Ukraine’s defense, potentially leaving Kyiv without billions in needed aid for the first half of 2026, according to economic analysts speaking on Thursday at the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank.

Dr. Anders Åslund, a senior fellow at the Stockholm Free World Forum, characterized the financial shortfall as “a big financial gap right now, which is completely unacceptable.”

He pointed out that the US has “stopped all assistance to Ukraine” since January, and the European Council “just failed” to approve future funding packages.

“It’s now up to Europe to provide the $100 billion or so in foreign assistance to Ukraine that is needed to keep Ukraine going,” Åslund stated, confirming the immense scale of required support.

Long-war strategy and Russia’s war economy under strain

The analysts suggested that Russia’s strategic goal has shifted from achieving a rapid military victory to sustaining a protracted war of attrition that Vladimir Putin can maintain politically.

Åslund argued that ending the conflict would pose domestic challenges to Putin from returning veterans, stating: “My big argument is that for Putin, it’s better with a bad war than a good peace.”

He dismissed Moscow’s talk of a ceasefire as “just empty talk,” asserting that Putin’s ultimate aim remains to see Ukraine “wiped out from the map.”

The country’s civil war is triggering a wave of brutal reprisals, human rights groups say (WSJ)

Population growth and ethnic cleansing: El Fasher: the ultimate check Malthus failed to imagine 

According to news reports. at least 1500 people, including 460 babies in a birth clinic, have been murdered in El Fasher in North Darfur. Sudan. A clear cut case of genocide by the prevalently Arab RSF militia -- the former Janjaweed -- killing the non-Arab population,

The reason: rapid past population growth strongly increased the number of people claiming a livelihood on a land of limited capacity to sustain human existence. The bloodbath in the birth clinic of El Fasher shows that the RSF is applying the lectures of Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1834) who argued that population grows geometrically while food supply grows arithmetically, leading to a cycle of misery, famine, and disease that can only be averted by moral restraint like delaying marriage and limiting family size.  Since moral restraint and limiting family size appear unknown in Darfur, the population grew indeed geometrically while food supply == due to misery, civil strife and general lack of progress -- failed to keep up or grow at all. Malthus identified "checks" that could keep population in balance with the food supply, including so-called positive checks: misery, famine, war, and disease. However, he failed to imagine the ultimate check: mass murder.

Africa continues to be in the grips of massive demographic growth. El Fasher is only an extreme example of problems affecting most of the continent between Egypt, Madagascar, Angola and Congo. Unless the world acts, more horror is likely to come.

Europe should be able to defend itself -- but how?

Why shouldn't Europeans be able to take charge of their own defense? EU governments must now decide on a change of course This can be achieved if EU governments now decide on a change of course.

France must increase its aid to Ukraine massively, instead of engaging in symbolic politics, as must Spain and Italy. These three large countries still lag far behind the Netherlands, and the gap with Germany is even wider.

This alone shows what is wrong with Europe's security policy, which is the result of uncoordinated preferences of heads of government. At the same time, however, Germany must also accommodate the highly indebted southern Europeans – France, Spain, and Italy – and finance the necessary rearmament through joint debt. Otherwise, the investments will be impossible to finance.

And all countries must refrain from going it alone nationally—in other words, new weapons systems must only be produced jointly. Until recently, this was all just wishful thinking.

Trump's sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil: a heavy blow or another ruse by Krasnov?

Russia prepares for war with Nato, Norway says

Putin is amassing nuclear weapons and attack submarines in the Arctic Circle as his country prepares for war with NATO, Norway has said. 

Norway's Defence Minister Tore Sandvik claimed his country had found Russia had been increasing its military presence in the Arctic, particularly in the Kola peninsula. 

The politician also said Vladimir Putin had been attempting to take over the Arctic region where its fleet is based to block shipping routes to Nato allies if war broke out. 

'Russia is building up on the Kola peninsula... where one of the largest arsenals of nuclear warheads in the world is located,' Mr Sandvik told The Telegraph,

Trump's im Bau befindlicher Ballsaal im Weissen Haus, dem Ballsaal im Winterpalast in St. Petersburg nachempfunden 

Thom Hartmann -- Daily Kos

US: Remaining a superpower despite itself

In its response to the 2008 financial crisis, Washington rescued the financial sector but not its victims, worsening inequality and generating public disillusionment. And in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite having some of the most esteemed public health institutions in the world, the U.S. government bungled its response, further feeding suspicion and undermining public trust. Despite its repeated missteps, the United States remains a global superpower. But it is relying on the luxury of its inherited privilege: like a spoiled child, the United States can afford to make epic mistakes without suffering the devastating consequences that other countries would face if they acted similarly.

Foreign Affairs

Ferngesteuerte Roboter in Japan

Japanische Convenience-Stores stellen Roboter ein, die von Mitarbeitern auf den Philippinen bedient werden. Philippinische Tele-Operatoren
steuern die Roboter in japanischen Convenience-Stores aus der Ferne und trainieren die KI, wobei sie von einer Zunahme der Arbeitsplätze im Bereich Automatisierung profitieren. Philippinische Arbeitnehmer werden
weniger bezahlt als ihre Kollegen in Industrieländern und befürchten ausserdem, dass sie ihre Arbeitsplätze durch Automatisierung verlieren könnten.

Die KI-Roboter wurden vom Tokioter Start-up Telexistence entwickelt und laufen
auf Plattformen von Nvidia und Microsoft. Die Roboter werden rund um die Uhr in Manila von Mitarbeitern von Astro Robotics, einem Start-up für Roboterarbeitskräfte, ferngesteuert überwacht. Japan leidet aufgrund seiner
alternden Bevölkerung an Arbeitskräftemangel und mag keine Einwanderung.

White House new style

At a press briefing, the well known Huffington Post (Huffpost) asked a question about the forthcoming Putin/Trump meeting:

HuffPost asked the White House: Who picked Budapest? 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded minutes later with: “Your mom did.”White House Communications Director Steven Cheung after a minute added the far more succinct: “Your mom.”After HuffPost asked Leavitt if she thought her response was funny, she replied:“It’s funny to me that you actually consider yourself a journal [sic]. You are a far left hack who nobody takes seriously, including your colleagues in the media, they just don’t tell you that to your face. Stop texting me your disingenuous, biased, and bullshit questions.”

Russia: the black widows in search of a soldier

The subject began to emerge last spring, mainly in the tabloid press and, above all, through “Z” bloggers. The very famous and influential Anastasia Kachevarova, for example, warned that, according to her, “honey trap gangs” were operating in the regions of Ukraine under Russian control. Groups of women were hunting for the ideal target for quick marriages that weren't really based on love: volunteer fighters under contract and therefore eligible for generous death benefits.These sums now amount to just over 5 million rubles, or €55,000 at the current exchange rate, for a death, and 3.5 million rubles, or nearly €40,000, for insurance. And again, this is only what the Russian state promises. Often, the regions also contribute, and sometimes even certain companies. Finally, there is also the possibility of receiving a widow's pension if the deceased combatant was the sole breadwinner of the couple.

Heavy Russian losses 

As many as 250,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine, with over 950,000 total Russian casualties, according to an estimate in June by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a US-based think tank.

Nearly 14,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the Pokrovsk area alone since late August, according to Ukraine’s military command. CNN cannot verify battlefield figures.

In the face of these losses, the Russian defense ministry appears to be changing the way it recruits additional personnel. In recent weeks, Russian regions have begun paring back the generous sign-on bonuses used to attract recruits.

The Kremlin has traditionally relied on financial incentives to attract volunteers and avoid another mobilization, but the practice “is likely hitting diminishing returns, which may compel the Kremlin to adopt an alternative approach,” according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank.

“Russia may begin to mobilize members of Russia’s active reserve on a rolling basis to sustain its combat operations in Ukraine,” according to ISW.

Krasnov back in full force

The discussion about delivery of American long range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine had sown doubts about President Donald Trump's role as a tool in the hands of Vladimir V. Putin. Would Trump dare to challenge Putin with the Tomahawks? Yesterday, confirmation came that Trump is still the old Krasnov; wax in the hands of Putin. No Tomahawks, Putin happy. Ukraine? Forget it...

With his latest comments Trump edged back in the direction of pressing Ukraine to give up on retaking land it has lost to Russia. He urged both sides to “stop the war immediately” and implied that Moscow keep territory it’s taken from Kyiv.

In fact, the meeting between Trump and Zelensky ended with another setback for Ukraine: no Tomahawks, no commitments from the US. Instead, the White House made new demands on Kiev. Trump is said to have repeated Putin's demands
“It was pretty nasty,” said one of the insiders. Trump's message to Zelensky, in view of the continuing Russian bombardments, was: “Your country will freeze to death and your country will be destroyed if Ukraine does not sign an agreement with Russia.”

 Don't Americans realize what is going on?  Krasnov remaining obedient disciple of Vladimir V. Putin. 

--ed

 Ukraine cannot win its war with Russia and should negotiate peace terms with the Kremlin, according to Britain’s most senior army officer. Field Marshal Lord Richards said Kyiv will not be able to drive Vladimir Putin’s soldiers out of Ukraine without the help of Nato forces – who won’t get involved on the ground. Lord Richards, who was promoted to the UK military’s most senior “five-star” rank earlier this year and led Nato forces during their troop surge in Afghanistan, said Ukraine’s allies have failed Kyiv. “What we have done in the case of Ukraine is encourage Ukraine to fight, but not given them the means to win,” the former chief of the defence staff told The Independent’s podcast World of Trouble.

 It looked, for a moment, as if Donald Trump had finally taken a clear side in the war between Russia and Ukraine: with hints that he might be ready to provide Tomahawk missiles, and a vaunted White House meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, some observers thought he was on the brink of rowing in behind Ukraine in a decisive way.

Then he got on the phone with Vladimir Putin, and agreed to a face-to-face meeting within the next two weeks. And, after the White House meeting on Friday, Trump downplayed the idea that the missiles would be provided. Later reports suggested that the meeting was a “shouting match” in which Trump echoed Russian talking points and added: “If [Putin] wants it, he will destroy you.”

Werden China &Russland Taiwan & Nato gleichzeitig angreifen?

Im Interview mit dem britischen Magazin „The Economist“ weist Rutte auf das wachsende chinesische Militär und die bestehende Unterstützung Russlands durch chinesische Bauteile für Waffen hin. „Wenn China eines Tages Taiwan angreifen will, ist es meine absolute Überzeugung, dass das kein Krieg mit nur einer Front wird“, sagt Rutte China werde „wahrscheinlich vorher den Juniorpartner, den berühmten Papiertiger in Moskau anrufen, und ihn bitten, irgendwo in Nato-Gebiet hier in Europa anzugreifen“, sagt Rutte weiter. Die Nato müsse darauf vorbereitet sein und die europäisch-atlantischen sowie indopazifischen Räume darum beide im Blick behalten, anstatt getrennt voneinander zu betrachten. 

Frontline report

Russia blew up an ammonia pipeline to poison Ukrainian defenders. Russian commanders hoped the toxic cloud would clear a path for a massive assault column to reach trapped soldiers near Pokrovsk.

The Russians deployed six tanks, over 40 armored vehicles, and hundreds of troops. Instead, Ukrainian drone operators turned the advance into a massacre, destroying over 60 vehicles and killing more than 100 troops in a matter of hours.

By nightfall, the road to Volodymyrivka had become another "road of death" littered with burning wrecks, and the trapped Russian forces remained cut off.

Fleeing America

Mark Bray, an American historian threatened with death for his work on anti-fascism, goes into exile in Europe
The Rutgers University professor moved urgently to Spain with his family after being targeted by far-right circles, including the organization Turning Point USA, co-founded by ultra-conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, who was murdered on September 10.

Madagascar: a feud among the Merina or the specter of civil war?

There will be a civil war between the Coastal people and the Merina. Well, well! Does that mean that the Malagasy have enough “courage” (?) to launch themselves into a stupid civil war? But not enough balls to get rid of their current oppressors themselves? That's a high opinion of the specific characteristics of the Malagasy!

The Merina believe themselves to be “more educated and want to show their superiority.” This is a risky generalization that is common among the pseudo-intellectuals (I prefer the term “shock intellectuals”) of Madagascar. Whether in the bush of Anivontany or in the remote corners of Anindrantany, the brave inhabitants couldn't care less about this kind of stupid credo.

Madagascar: “France exfiltrated President Rajoelina because he is French” Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina was reportedly flown out of the country by French military aircraft on Sunday, October 12, according to RFI. According to Wilfrid Bertile, former secretary-general of the Indian Ocean Commission, this French intervention comes as no surprise.

“I’ve never smoked or used drugs, so I don’t know what chemical addiction feels like, but I feel like I’m addicted to TikTok,” said Freilich, whose daily watch time on the app increased by more than 50 percent last year. “There are times when I know I should stop scrolling and get work done or go to sleep, but it’s so hard to stop, knowing the next swipe might bring me to a truly interesting video.”

That’s how TikTok draws people in, with an algorithm that serves up an endless stream of hyper-personalized content to users such as Freilich.

But TikTok is massive, fragmented and opaque: Millions of Americans — a third of U.S. adults — are pulled into a nearly infinite variety of niche corners by a recommendation system that we don’t know much about.

 Trump administration hides report on toxic forever chemical

Scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency completed a report on the toxicity of a “forever chemical” called PFNA, which is in the drinking water systems serving some 26 million people. The assessment found that PFNA interferes with human development by causing lower birth weights and, based on animal evidence, likely causes damage to the liver and to male reproductive systems, including reductions in testosterone levels, sperm production and the size of reproductive organs.The final report was ready in mid-April, according to an internal document reviewed by ProPublica, but the Trump administration has yet to release it.

PFAS INVESTIGATION: From land to beets, sugar giant Cristal Union caught in the cycle of eternal pollution.  From beet fields to factories, PFAS have found their way into Cristal Union's production chain and are affecting products intended for animal consumption. This contamination could be linked to the use of pesticides.

Als Konsequenz aus den Untersuchungsergebnissen fordert Greenpeace ein umfassendes PFAS-Verbot. "Die deutschen Behörden müssen Speisefische, Muscheln und Krabben viel stärker als bisher auf PFAS untersuchen", sagte Julios Kontchou, Ökotoxikologe bei Greenpeace. Einige der Stoffe könnten sich im Körper anreichern, wodurch die gesundheitliche Belastung mit der Zeit steige. Auch das Umweltbundesamt bestätigte auf SWR-Anfrage, in eigenen Untersuchungen PFAS-Belastungen in Fischen nachgewiesen zu haben - teils über den Grenzwerten.

NDR.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine -- a wake-up call for Taiwan