While the US Dollar Tramples the Euro, Pound and Yen, Russia’s Ruble Skyrockets Against the Greenback

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While the U.S. dollar has soared in value against a basket of worldwide fiat currencies, Russia’s ruble climbed 4.5% against the greenback this week. During the first week of September, Russia told the press China would pay for natural gas with rubles and yuan. Moreover, Switzerland’s imports of Russian gold reached a high not seen since April 2020. . .

This week the U.S. Dollar Currency Index (DXY) skyrocketed to new heights leaving a great number of fiat currencies worldwide badly bruised. For instance, two days ago, the European Union’s euro tapped a 20-year low against the U.S. dollar dropping to $0.973 on Friday.

Presently, the euro is even lower at $0.9690, and it is down 2.82% against the greenback during the past 30 days. 30-day statistics indicate the yen is down 4.72%, the sterling pound shed 8.17%, and the Canadian dollar lost 4.78%. The Chinese yuan breached a 7:1 exchange rate against the U.S. dollar for the first time in two years.

However, Russia’s native fiat currency the ruble has been more resilient this year, and it started to see gains a month after the start of the Ukraine-Russia war. Toward the end of June, Russia’s ruble tapped a seven-year high against the U.S. dollar, and at the time economists said “don’t ignore the [ruble’s] exchange rate.”

This Friday, while America’s native fiat currency climbed to new heights against various currencies worldwide, the ruble climbed 4.5% against the USD. The ruble managed to do this while the DXY breached a 20-year high following the Federal Reserve’s recent rate hike. The rising ruble follows Russian president Vladimir Putin explaining earlier this week that he vows to use “all means available” to win the war with Ukraine. (Read more from “While the US Dollar Tramples the Euro, Pound and Yen, Russia’s Ruble Skyrockets Against the Greenback” HERE)

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Elon Musk Announces He’s Activating Starlink Internet in Iran Amid Protests

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Elon Musk announced he is activating Starlink satellite internet service in Iran after the nation cut off communications during recent protests.

Musk made the news public on Friday following a policy change by the Treasury Department earlier the same day, allowing companies to provide online services to Iran after the government’s crackdown. . .

Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo also noted that the new move by the U.S. government would increase options for internet communications for the Iranian people.

“As courageous Iranians take to the streets to protest the death of Mahsa Amini, the United States is redoubling its support for the free flow of information to the Iranian people,” Adeyemo said in a statement to Reuters. (Read more from “Elon Musk Announces He’s Activating Starlink Internet in Iran Amid Protests” HERE)

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Putin Shows His Cards: Ukraine’s Zelensky Says Nuclear War ‘Could Be a Reality’

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Sunday nuclear war “could be a reality” as Russia ramps up increasingly ominous saber-rattling threats.

“He wants to scare the whole world,” Zelensky said of Russian President Vladimir Putin during an interview on CBS’ “Face The Nation.”

“Look, maybe yesterday it was bluff. Now, it could be a reality,” he said of a possible nuclear strike seven months into the war — accusing the Kremlin of “nuclear blackmail.”

“He targeted and occupied our nuclear power plant and the city of Enerhodar. This nuclear station has six blocks. And… he continues his blackmail related to us exporting electricity to Europe.” . . .

“I don’t think he’s bluffing,” he said. “I think the world is deterring it and containing this threat. We need to keep putting pressure on him and not allow him to continue.” (Read more from “Putin Shows His Cards: Ukraine’s Zelensky Says Nuclear War ‘Could Be a Reality'” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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Vladimir Putin’s Guru Says ‘Nuclear Apocalypse Likely’ if Russia Faces Ukraine Defeat

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[One of President Putin’s closest advisers, Alexander] Dugin tweeted: “A very important decision has been taken and, it seems, not easily made. All our – unbearable, outrageous – sacrifices are not in vain. The state and the people are on the same side of the barricades.”

Dugin, who lost his daughter, Darya Dugina, 29, last month in a car bomb attack [sources in Ukraine and the United States have tried to blame Putin for the murder of Dugin’s daughter], tried to rally Russians to get behind Putin and the war effort.

He said: “After all, we are fighting on the side of God and heaven, on the side of earth and soul. That is why our native blood is donated, flowing directly from Russian hearts.”

While he said that the Ukraine conflict was turning into a world war he said that there were only three outcomes.

Looking at the possibility of defeat for Russia, he said: “It would mean not only the end of the regime, but the end of everything and everyone. It is essentially a scenario for the end of Russia, Finis Rossiae. If our retreat begins, everything will fall, for both external and internal causes.”

His second outcome was the “nuclear apocalypse”.

Dugin wrote: “The second scenario is a nuclear apocalypse. It is possible that Moscow, which is beginning to lose seriously, will decide to use nuclear weapons.

“Likely? Yes, probably. Is anyone in Russia considering this possibility? Undoubtedly. Russia could resort to nuclear weapons in other situations, since for Russia, both state and people, losing a war would mean total annihilation, and not just a severe but still tolerable defeat, which could be overcome, the nuclear scenario cannot be discarded.

“The West clearly underestimates this probability, considering it a bluff.”

Then his final outcome was for a Russian victory which would see the building of a “religious and spiritual” empire and the end of Western society.

He said: “The third scenario is the most important. In Russia, a revolution is taking place from above. Putin, who has already broken with the West, turns this total and irreversible rupture into an ideology, a course, a strategy and the sole guideline of existence.

“All compromises are abolished, Russia is openly becoming a people’s empire with a marked religious and social ethos. Liberalism and Westernism are banned.

“The state and the people regroup and the special military operation is transformed into a popular holy war. To be or not to be. That moment has arrived”. (Read more from “Vladimir Putin’s Guru Says ‘Nuclear Apocalypse Likely’ if Russia Faces Ukraine Defeat” HERE)

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Putin Confidant’s Son Pranked, Caught Trying to Get Out of Military Service in Ukraine

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The son of a top Kremlin aide was duped by a Russian rabble-rouser into revealing that he would “obviously not” serve if drafted into Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

Nikolay Peskov, the 32-year-old son of longtime Kremlin flack and Putin confidant Dmitry Peskov, refused the call of duty when he was prank-called by the hosts of Russian YouTube channel Popular Politics, according to Russian independent news site Insider.

Dmitry Nizovtsev, pretending to be a Russian recruitment officer, told Peskov he’d been drafted and needed to show up at a medical examination the next day.

“Obviously not,” the younger Peskov exclaimed.

“You must understand, if you know that I am Mr. Peskov, how wrong it is for me to be there,” he continued. “In short, I will deal with it on another level.” (Read more from “Putin Confidant’s Son Pranked, Caught Trying to Get Out of Military Service in Ukraine” HERE)

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Canada Reportedly Set to Lift Vaccine Requirements for Travelers at Border

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Canada will reportedly lift its vaccine mandate for travelers entering the country at the border starting in October.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that “an official familiar with the matter” said this week that Canada will drop the vaccine requirement for foriegn nationals. Currently, unvaccinated travelers who are allowed to enter the country undergo mandatory arrival tests and a 14-day quarantine.

The official who spoke on the condition of anonymity reportedly said that Prime Minister Justine Trudeau needs to give “final sign off” on the new policy. In addition, the government will likely drop random COVID-19 testing at airports.

AP noted that unvaccinated professional athletes have not been allowed to cross the border into Canada since the mandate took effect. The outlet spoke to an infectious disease specialist, who said the mandate should have been lifted “a long time ago.” (Read more from “Canada Reportedly Set to Lift Vaccine Requirements for Travelers at Border” HERE)

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Putin Bluster Is All Bluff — He’s Losing at Home and in Ukraine

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Make no mistake: Vladimir Putin is losing the war in Ukraine. The menacing speech, broadcasted mysteriously on Wednesday morning instead of the originally scheduled Tuesday night, might be the closest the Russian dictator will ever get to admitting defeat before his hold begins to crumble.

The address had several audiences. For one, it aimed to deter the West from supporting Ukraine by raising the specter of nuclear escalation in defense of annexed territories that will soon become part of the “Motherland.” At home, Putin tried to keep hardline nationalist critics of the conduct of Russia’s military operation at bay by showing that the Kremlin is doubling down on its efforts in the Donbas — while also scrupulously seeking to avoid alienating wider swathes of Russia’s population by pursuing only a “partial” mobilization. . .

If the special military operation was going according to plan, as the Russian officialdom was assuring Russians until today, why has it suddenly become “necessary to support the proposal of the Defense Ministry and the General Staff” to mobilize?

Mobilizing the wider population carries political risks, which is why the Kremlin hesitated until now and why only around 300,000 men will be called to serve, according to the government. Already on Wednesday night, Russian cities saw sizeable protests — at least as measured by standards of a country where public expressions of discontent with the war may land one in jail for 10 or more years. Meanwhile, prices of one-way tickets out of Russia skyrocketed (until 18- to 34-year-old men were banned from leaving the country) and “how to break an arm at home” became a top search term on Russian search engines.

Militarily, calling on the reservists is a desperate move, though congruent with reports of extraordinarily high attrition that Russia is suffering in Ukraine. Normally, months of specialized training would be needed for reservists to fight effectively. Even then, an army needs weapons, equipment, and supplies — all of which are in short supply in Russia. Inevitably, thousands of the undertrained, undermotivated, and undersupplied reservists are bound to die tragic deaths at their first contact with Ukraine’s experienced and well-equipped fighting force — a fact that is a matter of indifference to Putin and his circle, as long as the elite’s children remain exempt from service. (Read more from “Putin Bluster Is All Bluff — He’s Losing at Home and in Ukraine” HERE)

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Two Americans Captured Fighting for Ukraine Dodge Russian Firing Squad

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Two U.S. veterans from Alabama branded “soldiers of fortune” by Moscow after being captured fighting for Ukraine have been spared their date with a firing squad after a Saudi-brokered prisoner swap.

Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, who were captured in June while defending Kharkiv, were at the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia after being freed in the exchange, a representative of their families told Reuters Wednesday.

“We are thrilled to announce that Alex and Andy are free,” the representative said in a statement. “We deeply appreciate everyone’s prayers and especially the close communication and support of our elected officials, Ukrainian Ambassador Markarova, and our members of the US embassies in Ukraine and Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Department of State.”

The swap was part of a deal that also included five British nationals, one Moroccan, one Swede, and one Croatian. It was mediated by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi foreign ministry said. Ukrainian officials released an unknown number of Russian captives as their part of the deal.

Drueke and Huynh were the first known U.S. citizens to be captured by Russian forces. Huynh’s fiancé, Joy Black, told Reuters at the time the men signed up to fight after seeing television footage of the Russian invasion, which began February 24. (Read more from “Two Americans Captured Fighting for Ukraine Dodge Russian Firing Squad” HERE)

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Chinese Biotech Firm With Deep Links to China’s Military and Its COVID-19 Program Just Bought Land in Florida for a Massive Research Complex

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In July 2022, a Chinese biological research company, JOINN Laboratories, bought 1,400 acres of rural farmland in Morriston, Florida, primarily for a non-human primate (monkey) breeding and quarantine facility.

Current law prohibits the construction of such a facility on that property, but JOINN Laboratories is filing a re-zoning request with the State of Florida.

What is not widely known is JOINN Laboratories’ close connections to China’s People’s Liberation Army and what is arguably its biowarfare program.

The Founder of JOINN and Chair of the Board of Directors is Yuxia Feng, a military physician and graduate of the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in Beijing.

The Co-Founder of JOINN and the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, Conglin Zuo, appears to have also worked at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in its Institute of Biotechnology.

JOINN’s Chief of Pathology and Toxicology, Hemei Wang, came from the Institute Of Pharmacology And Toxicology, Academy Of Military Medical Sciences.

The most significant of JOINN’s connections to the People’s Liberation Army is Shusheng Geng, Chief Executive Officer of JOINN’s Biologics Company, who was also employed at the Institute of Pharmacology And Toxicology, Academy Of Military Medical Sciences.

Shusheng Geng has been a research collaborator with high-level People’s Liberation Army scientists, who are considered key contributors to China’s biowarfare program, Cheng-Feng Qin, Yusen Zhou and Shibo Jiang.

A recent article noted that buyers from the People’s Republic of China purchased $6.1 billion of U.S. real estate last year.

China has been steadily acquiring strategic real estate in the United States, such as 300 acres in Grand Forks, North Dakota, 16 miles from the U.S. Air Force’s Air Combat Command base, and a 130,000-acre ranch near Laughlin Air Force Base, purchased by a former member of China’s People’s Liberation Army.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told Fox News in June that it was a “huge problem” that Chinese companies were stepping in to purchase farmland in his state.

He said, “I think the problem is these companies have ties to the CCP [Chinese Communist Party], and it’s not always apparent on the face of whatever a company is doing.”

Well, it is not just the Chinese Communist Party that is connected to these land purchases, but China’s People’s Liberation Army.

And whatever those Chinese companies are doing with that land, you can be sure that it is not good for America.

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Lawrence Sellin, Ph.D. is retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel and a veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq. He had a civilian career in international business and medical research. Dr. Sellin is the author of Restoring the Republic: Arguments for a Second American Revolution. His email address is [email protected].

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China Now Owns Large Section of Land Near Pearl Harbor – Another Effort to Disrupt U.S. Response to China Offensive?

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Is China Conducting Intelligence Operations As A Prelude For An Attack On Pearl Harbor?

Starting in 2015, a Chinese real estate development company called China Oceanwide Holdings began buying land on Oahu in the Hawaii Islands just ten miles west of the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor.

The stated intent of the land purchases was to build a luxury hotel and homes, but nothing was ever built, even though China Oceanwide had accumulated land worth over 500 million dollars in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor.

A July, 2022 article in The Federalist noted that buyers from the People’s Republic of China purchased $6.1 billion in real estate last year, many of those purchases have been of farmland or ranchland near U.S. military bases.

Telecommunications equipment from China’s Huawei positioned near U.S. military installations could disrupt vital military communication systems.

China has been steadily acquiring strategic real estate in the United States, such as 300 acres in Grand Forks, North Dakota, 16 miles from the U.S. Air Force’s Air Combat Command base, and a 130,000-acre ranch near Laughlin Air Force Base, purchased by a former member of China’s People’s Liberation Army.

If the above information about the Chinese intelligence agent in Hawaii proves accurate, U.S. intelligence agencies are either unaware of it or deliberately ignoring the information, perhaps because of the Biden family’s close connections with China’s state security apparatus.

In either case, U.S. national security is being undermined.

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Lawrence Sellin, Ph.D. is retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel and a veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq. He had a civilian career in international business and medical research. Dr. Sellin is the author of Restoring the Republic: Arguments for a Second American Revolution. His email address is [email protected].

Photo credit: Flickr

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