Israel’s War on Cash Is About to Get More Drastic

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Starting Monday, it will be a criminal offense in Israel to pay more than the equivalent of $1,700 in cash to a business or $4,360 in cash to individual, as the government intensifies its ongoing war on tangible money.

It’s a war that began in earnest with the 2018 passage of the Law for the Reduction in the Use of Cash. Israeli businesses and individuals began facing limits on cash transactions in January 2019. However, on Aug 1, those limits are being slashed nearly in half.

“We want the public to reduce the use of cash money,” Tamar Bracha, who’s responsible for carrying out the law for Israel’s Tax Authority, told The Media Line.

“The goal is to reduce cash fluidity in the market, mainly because crime organizations tend to rely on cash. By limiting the use of it, criminal activity is much harder to carry out.”

Israel also limits the extent to which cash is used in transactions involving multiple payment methods. If the total transaction value is more than the above thresholds, cash may only be used for 10% of the purchase. Car purchases are given a higher, 50,000 NIS (New Israeli Shekels) limit — about $14,700. (Read more from “Israel’s War on Cash Is About to Get More Drastic” HERE)

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Country Prepares for Looming Energy Crisis by Shutting off Warm Water, Limiting Heat, and Switching Off Lighting

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Some of Germany’s biggest cities are preparing for an energy crunch this winter by shutting off warm water, limiting heat, and switching off lighting.

The German city of Hanover is attempting to reduce its energy consumption by 15%.

Between Oct. 1 and March 31, Hanover’s municipal buildings will not be allowed to be heated to a temperature over 68F. The city has banned the use of mobile air conditioning units and fan heaters.

The citizens of Hanover will be forced to take cold showers at city-run facilities. The German city will cut off hot water in public buildings, swimming pools, and gyms.

“The situation is unpredictable. Every kilowatt hour counts, and protecting critical infrastructure has to be a priority,” said Hanover Mayor Belit Onay – who is part of the Green party. “We are facing hard times due to the Russian aggression on Ukraine. And as we see that there’s a looming gas shortage, this is a major challenge for municipalities.” (Read more from “Country Prepares for Looming Energy Crisis by Shutting off Warm Water, Limiting Heat, and Switching Off Lighting” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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US Strike Takes Out Al Qaeda Mastermind

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Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has been killed in a CIA drone strike in Afghanistan, U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday, the biggest blow to the militant group since its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011.

One of the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said a drone strike was carried out by the CIA in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday.

In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that a strike took place and strongly condemned it, calling it a violation of “international principles.” (Read more from “US Strike Takes Out Al Qaeda Mastermind” HERE)

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Putin Admits ‘No Winners’ in Nuclear War as UN Warns of Risks of ‘Misunderstanding’

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that a nuclear war “should never” be launched — as the head of the United Nations warned that the strongman’s Ukraine war is “one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away” from putting the world in danger of nuclear annihilation.

Putin’s comments came in a letter to participants at a UN conference to reaffirm the nuclear non-proliferation treaty that began Monday.

“We proceed from the fact that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and it should never be unleashed, and we stand for equal and indivisible security for all members of the world community,” the Russian leader said.

The remarks were a sharp departure from the Kremlin’s constant reminders of its nuclear capability during the past five months of the war in Ukraine.

As Putin invaded Ukraine in February, he warned that interference from Western nations would bring “consequences you have never seen” — widely interpreted to be a nuclear threat. (Read more from “Putin Admits ‘No Winners’ in Nuclear War as UN Warns of Risks of ‘Misunderstanding'” HERE)

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Chinese Propagandist: Beijing Should Shoot Down Nancy Pelosi’s Plane to Taiwan

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Hu Xijin, former editor of China’s state-run Global Times and a top Communist propagandist, took his increasingly belligerent rhetoric against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) rumored visit to Taiwan to its ultimate conclusion on Friday by advising the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to simply shoot Pelosi’s plane down, along with her U.S. Air Force escorts.

“If U.S. fighter jets escort Pelosi’s plane into Taiwan, it is [an] invasion,” Hu argued.

“The PLA has the right to forcibly dispel Pelosi’s plane and the U.S. fighter jets, including firing warning shots and making tactical movement of obstruction. If ineffective, then shoot them down,” he said.

Hu’s outburst was prompted by reports that Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, reportedly planned for April but postponed after she contracted the Wuhan coronavirus, could take place this weekend. Pelosi previously discussed traveling to Taiwan sometime in August, but a firm date had not been set. Neither she nor her office have confirmed any planned travel to Taiwan.

Pelosi departs today with a group of other U.S. lawmakers on an Asia tour that will include announced stops in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore. A stopover in Taiwan had not been confirmed at the time of this writing. (Read more from “Chinese Propagandist: Beijing Should Shoot Down Nancy Pelosi’s Plane to Taiwan” HERE)

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Ukraine’s Zelensky, Wife Pose for Vogue While Their Country Is Invaded

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By Breitbart. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife, First Lady Olena Zelenska, posed for a special digital cover for Vogue magazine while their country continues to be invaded by Russia.

Zelensky and Zelenska were photographed by famed American photographer Annie Leibovitz for the Vogue digital cover which has been promoted across the fashion magazine’s social media platforms.

The cover, featuring Zelenska, reads “Portrait of Bravery: Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska” on the steps of the presidential office compound in Kyiv, Ukraine. Zelensky, who posed alongside his wife, can be seen chatting with Leibovitz in a behind-the-scenes video posted by Vogue.

While Zelensky and Zelenska pose for Vogue, American taxpayers have footed the bill for tens of billions of dollars in foreign aid to Ukraine even as inflation and skyrocketing gas prices cripple working and middle class American families and the United States heads toward a recession.

In one portion of his interview with Vogue, Zelensky shrugged off the crushing economic realities facing American taxpayers as they help fund his country’s war with Russia — plunging the U.S. further into inflationary pressures.

(Read more from “Ukraine’s Zelensky, Wife Pose for Vogue While Their Country Is Invaded” HERE)

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Zelensky Responds to Americans Unhappy With Spending to Support Ukraine

By Newsweek. Ukraine’s President Volodymr Zelensky said that Americans balking at the cost of U.S. support for Kyiv’s fight against Russian aggression should keep in mind “we are fighting for absolutely communal values.”

In an interview with journalist and broadcaster Piers Morgan, Zelensky was asked whether he was worried that Americans might be concerned at the amount Washington was spending in its military support for Kyiv’s forces. . .

But Zelensky said the war that Washington was helping Kyiv fight was “still the war against those values that are professed in the United States and in Europe.”

“As long as we are resisting it, the integrity of the United States will continue, therefore we are giving our lives for your values and the joint security of the world,” he told the New York Post. (Read more from “Zelensky Responds to Americans Unhappy With Spending to Support Ukraine” HERE)

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Experts: Putin Might Be Saving Aerial Firepower for Attack on NATO

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NATO released a report Wednesday suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin might be saving his aerial firepower amid the war in Ukraine for a potential attack on NATO nations.

The NATO Defense College’s brief, “Russia’s military after Ukraine: down but not out,” outlines Russia’s resources amid losses in its current “special military operation” in Ukraine.

“Russia has not utilized its full military potential in the attack against Ukraine,” the analysis read. “It did not order general mobilization. Maintaining the ability to engage, if needed, in operations against NATO may explain some of the characteristics and ‘surprises’ of the Russian war against Ukraine, for example the limited use of airpower, gradual deployment of older and less precise weapon systems, or what appear to be subdued attacks in cyberspace.

“The official Russian narrative is almost always defensive, but the essence of Moscow’s approach is to change the status quo. In this context, an attack against a NATO country remains a possibility.”

Military experts have long warned that Putin’s designs on Ukraine might extend to other former Soviet Union nations, including those that have already been given defense assurances through NATO. (Read more from “Experts: Putin Might Be Saving Aerial Firepower for Attack on NATO” HERE)

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Who Is the ‘Merchant of Death’ Arms Dealer Biden Offered Russia in Prisoner Swap?

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Stashed away in a federal penitentiary deep in the bowels of Illinois sits a notorious Russian arms dealer named Viktor Bout, a man the Biden administration is rumored to be eyeing as a bargaining chip to procure the release of two American prisoners.

Bout has gone by many names over the years, such as the “Merchant of Death” and “Sanctions Buster” — titles he earned for his alleged ruthless and savvy arms dealing from Eastern Europe into Africa and the Middle East following the collapse of the Soviet Union. His black market exploits inspired the Nicolas Cage flick Lord of War and ultimately led to his arrest in 2008 for conspiring to kill Americans.

“All that remains is for the U.S. government to have the courage to admit the obvious — get what we can for Viktor Bout,” Bout’s lawyer Steve Zissou said, per the Washington Post. “The alternative should be obvious — no Americans will be exchanged unless Viktor Bout is sent home along with them.”

The Kremlin has long called for Bout’s release since he was first detained by authorities in Thailand back in 2008 upon the request of the United States. And now, there are two U.S. nationals being held in Russia, Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner, whom the Biden administration has been keen to set free.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters Wednesday that the U.S. offered a “significant proposal” for their release — a proposition CNN reported to be Bout’s release in a prisoner swap, as had long been rumored. (Read more from “Who Is the ‘Merchant of Death’ Arms Dealer Biden Offered Russia in Prisoner Swap?” HERE)

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McDonald’s Revenue Takes Hit After Russia Exit

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McDonald’s exit from Russia in April sparked a revenue drop at the fast-food giant despite US sales that were goosed by higher prices amid surging inflation.

The company’s overall revenue dipped 3% to $5.8 billion in the second quarter largely because McDonald’s closed its company-owned eateries in Russia and Ukraine after the war broke out. Profits fell by nearly half due to a $1.2 billion charge related to the sale of the Russian business, the company said Tuesday.

Russia was one of the company’s largest international markets, with McDonald’s reporting that it owned 84% of its 847 restaurants in the country.

At the same time, menu price increases fueled a 9.7% increase in global comparable sales including a 3.7% increase in the US but excluding stores that were exited in Russia. (Read more from “McDonald’s Revenue Takes Hit After Russia Exit” HERE)

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Another Catastrophic Biden Failure: Russia Rolling in Cash Due to Ukraine War, Sanctions

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Despite repeated assurances from President Biden and other Western leaders that “the toughest economic sanctions in history” would cripple Russia’s economy and starve its war machine, that hasn’t happened. Russia’s current account, which measures global trade in goods and services, was strong in the second quarter of this year when its trade surplus rose to a record $70.1 billion. The ruble, too, has exhibited remarkable resiliency, ranking as the strongest performing currency so far this year, rising to its highest level against the euro since 2015 and making major gains against the dollar.

What accounts for Putin’s bulging coffers? The simple answer: high commodity prices and Russia’s continued ability to export oil, gas, grain, and even gold to non-Western countries.

The economic picture isn’t as rosy for the countries sanctioning Russia. Europe is struggling to meet its energy needs, driving up inflation and forcing countries at the vanguard of the green movement to backpedal. Germany, for example, whose minister of economic affairs and climate action comes from the Green Party, was forced to reactivate seventeen coal-fired power plants it previously had shut down. President Biden, with inflation sitting at a forty-year high, recently begged Saudi Arabia’s leaders—a regime it had been shunning—to come to the rescue by pumping more crude to help bring down gas prices and ease the inflationary pressure high fuel prices are placing on other goods.

. . . The combination of sanctions and war disrupted energy and grain supplies, creating an economic opportunity that Russia has exploited. Indeed, according to the Helsinki-based Center for Energy and Clean Air, Moscow earned $100 billion in revenue from oil, gas, and coal sales in the first three months of the war alone.

While the Biden administration was drawing down the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to increase available supplies and lower gasoline prices—plunging America’s emergency reserve to its lowest level since the mid-1980s—Russia’s oil exports had bounced back to pre-war levels by May. (Read more from “Another Catastrophic Biden Failure: Russia Rolling in Cash Due to Ukraine War, Sanctions” HERE)

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