The Daily Dose Recap is our way of providing to you an overview of everything that was covered during the show. Here you will have easy access to all of the news that was talked about that day.
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Inflation worries fuel Japanese rush to buy gold
Image Credit: Analysts say consumers until now had not had a strong incentive to move assets out of cash © Masafumi Ogana/The Yomiuri Shimbun via Reuters
The retail price of gold in Japan has jumped to an all-time high as the yen extends its historic slide against the US dollar and cash-laden households rush to find a hedge against inflation.
Buying of yen-denominated gold at the nation’s largest dealer has driven the price of the yellow metal above the ¥10,000 per gramme level for the first time in recent days. It was trading at ¥10,100 on Tuesday, according to retail prices published by Tanaka Kikinzoku, one of Japan’s largest gold retailers.
The retail gold price in Japan — the main reference price for the metal in the country — tracks global spot prices, which have been pushed up by the coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine and tensions between China and the US. It also reflects a sharp fall this year in the yen, which recently passed ¥146.5 against the dollar — a level that last year triggered verbal market intervention by the Japanese authorities.
Currency analysts said the yen was likely to remain weak as long as there was no signal from the Bank of Japan that it was ready to tighten its ultra-loose policy and the gap in interest rate with the US and Europe remained wide.
Economists said the move in retail gold prices, which extends an 18-month rally at gold stores around Japan, was part of a rapid shift in household attitudes to risk as years of deflation have given way to rising consumer prices.
Jesper Koll, an economist and adviser to the Japan Catalyst Fund, an investment fund, said the primary driver for the buying by Japanese households was an urgent search for inflation protection after years without strong incentive to move assets out of cash. “The fact that gold is a non-yen asset helps, but the trigger is inflation,” said Koll.
Japanese households emerged from the pandemic with a record of more than ¥2 quadrillion in accumulated assets or around four times the country’s annual gross domestic product. About half of that was held in cash and deposits — a balance closely eyed by Japan’s securities houses, which are trying to convince customers that inflation is here to stay, and they now need to switch their savings into other financial products. Core consumer price inflation in Japan reached 3.1 per cent last month.
“Inflation in Japan is at a crossroads,” said Tomohiro Ota, senior Japan economist at Goldman Sachs, noting that although consumer prices keep going up, some of the increase is down to temporary government subsidies while consumption growth has stalled since March. Goldman Sachs predicts that Japan’s currency will hit ¥155 against the dollar in the next six months.
Eiichiro Kato, a general manager for Tanaka Kikinzoku’s Precious Metals Retail Department, said that gold had become particularly attractive to customers concerned about the yen’s fall to multi-decade lows and their assets being denominated in yen.
Purchases of gold by central banks, news flow on the US economy and central bank policies were all driving the decision to buy gold in yen in the hope that the dollar-denominated gold price would remain high and stable, he said.
“We do not see many factors that would cause the dollar-denominated price to fall significantly, and we think that the yen-denominated price could rise further if the yen continues to weaken,” said Kato.
However, Hideo Kumano, chief economist at Dai-Ichi Research Institute, warned against reading too much into the rise in Japan’s gold price due to the small size of the market.
“It could prove to be an outlier and the country’s elderly population might not change their behavior and start to consume, even if inflation does remain high,” he said.
-Leo Lewis and David Keohane, Financial Times
Putin outlines economic vision for 21st-century Russia
The role of the Far East in Russia’s economic future and the country’s position in a multipolar world is of utmost importance, President Vladimir Putin stated on Tuesday at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok. According to Putin, the region’s development is Russia’s top priority for the 21st century.
Addressing the plenary session of the EEF, he elaborated that the Far Eastern Federal District comprises 40% of the country's landmass. In recent years, the government has launched several programs aimed at revitalizing the region and boosting its economy, and Western sanctions have accelerated that process, Putin noted.
According to the Russian president, investments in the regional economy are growing three times faster than the national average.
“The growth of investment in fixed capital from 2014 to 2022 was 13% throughout the country, while in the Far East it was 39%,” Putin indicated.
The Russian leader added that production volumes have reflected those figures, with the rate of industrial growth in the Far East also exceeding the national average. Thus, over the past five years, most of the Far Eastern regions were among the top 20 in GDP growth rates, with the Magadan Region leading the pack.
“Over 10 years, the cargo turnover of the Far Eastern seaports increased by 1.6 times, housing commissioning by 1.3 times, electricity consumption by 1.2 times. Annual gold production in the east of the country increased by 1.6 times, coal by 2.8 times,” the president said, noting that it was not just about percentages, but about the fact that “everything is growing exponentially.”
“There are development plans, they were drawn up earlier, so it will be even easier for us to implement them. There are funds, investors are ready to invest,” Putin said.
-RT News
Putin touts huge undiscovered resources in Russia’s Far East
Most of Russia’s Far East has never been prospected for resources, providing the country’s mining industry an excellent opportunity for significant growth, President Vladimir Putin stated on Tuesday.
During his address at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin elaborated that this could ensure Russia's resource sovereignty and establish a foundation for developing new materials, microelectronics, and promising energy sources. He emphasized that it has the potential to foster the growth of domestic environmentally-friendly technologies, nature conservation efforts, scientific advancements, and the creation of high-quality job opportunities.
“The percentage of subsoil exploration in the Far East is, on average, only 35%. Do you understand? Only 35% of the subsoil has been studied. This suggests that there is every opportunity for tremendous growth in the extractive industries, including scarce, strategic types of raw materials that are in demand in the economy of the future,” Putin stressed.
-RT News
Russia has earned twice as much money as West seized – Putin
Russia has already earned double the amount of gold and foreign exchange reserves frozen by the West last year, President Vladimir Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Tuesday.
The EU, US, and their allies have frozen hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of Russian central bank holdings as part of sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict.
“I know that our gold and foreign exchange reserves are frozen. Yes, we have already earned twice as much. But we’re not even talking about this $300 billion, we’re talking about undermining trust in those who did this,” the Russian president argued.
Many economists, including in the West, have warned that the seizure of Russian assets would jeopardize investor confidence in the EU’s banking system and damage the bloc’s status as a global financial center.
Nearly $300 billion of Russian gold and forex reserves have been frozen since the beginning of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine. The Russian central bank’s reserves decreased by 8.4% in 2022, according to official estimates.
In March of this year, the Bank of Russia resumed publishing data on the structure of state reserves. As of August, the country’s gold and foreign exchange funds amounted to $580.5 billion.
-RT News
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Governor sued for trying to kill 2nd Amendment
The governor of New Mexico, who decided to, by executive fiat, kill the Second Amendment, now is being sued for her arbitrary actions.
It is the Second Amendment Foundation that has filed a federal case against Michelle Lujan Grisham, the governor of New Mexico, and other officials.
The charges are that the governor's "emergency order" that prohibits open and concealed carry in Albuquerque and surrounding Bernalillo County, which has been legal, violates the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Also, the 14th Amendment.
The organization announced that it is being joined by the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association, Firearms Policy Coalition and a private citizen, Zachary Fort, who resides in Bernalillo County.
They are represented by Jordon George of Aragon Moss George Jenkins, LLP who has also filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. The lawsuit and motion were filed in U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico.
"Despite her clams to the contrary," said SAF founder Alan M. Gottlieb, "Gov. Grisham does not have the authority to 'suspend' the Second Amendment for an alleged public health emergency or any other reason. Neither do any of the other defendants, nor can they legally enforce such a suspension."
Adam Kraut, the executive director of SAF, said, "Evidently, Gov. Lujan Grisham believes she can disregard the Constitution to further her own political views. We’re taking action to stop this unconstitutional exercise of power in its tracks, because it is a flagrant violation of the right of individual citizens to carry firearms in public for personal defense."
He explained the motion for temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction will stop the state "from further causing injury…"
Other defendants are Patrick M. Allen, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Department of Health; Jason R. Bowie, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, and W. Troy Weisler, chief of the New Mexico State Police. They are all sued individually and in their official capacities.
When the governor imposed the order, the Daily Caller News Foundation reported she was banning non-law enforcement personnel from carrying firearms, either openly or concealed, regardless of whether any individual gun owner has a permit to carry.
She stated that "no person, other than a law enforcement officer or licensed security officer, shall possess a firearm … either openly or concealed, within cities or counties averaging 1,000 or more violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year since 2021."
Multiple legal experts immediate suggested she was out of line, including legal pundit Johnathan Turley warning the order was "flagrantly unconstitutional under existing Second Amendment precedent."
WND reported that the local sheriff, John Allen, didn't respond well to the Democrat governor's power grab.
He called it unconstitutional, and he was joined by others.
The Blaze reported "dozens of gun rights activists gathered in Old Town Albuquerque to voice their displeasure with Gov. Grisham's 30-day suspension of open and concealed carry laws that went into effect in the city of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County."
The report noted, "Many of the protesters openly displayed their firearms in a deliberate defiance of Grisham's decree."
A man was holding a sign addressed to Grisham that read: "Our founding fathers warned us about you." Another sign said, "Gun rights are women's rights."
The protesters' bottom line, based on what one protester said, was, "We will not comply!"
The Gateway Pundit reported there even were calls by state lawmakers demanding impeachment of Grisham.
-Bob Unruh, WND
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Fani Willis bankrolls private attorney for Trump prosecution: 'Certainly unorthodox'
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has paid massive sums to private sector attorneys for their services, and a portion of those relate to investigating and prosecuting former President Donald Trump, according to county records.
Nathan Wade, Willis’s lead prosecutor in the case, has raked in more than half a million dollars from the Fulton County District Attorney's Office from January 2022 to August 2023, according to a payment history.
Christopher Campbell, Wade's colleague at Wade & Campbell Firm, has been paid $116,670 from April 2021 to August 2023, the same records show.
Terrence Bradley, a former colleague of Wade's, was paid $74,480 from May 2021 to June 2022, according to the records.
Wade, a defense attorney who can bill by the hour, was hand-picked by Willis roughly two years ago to serve as special prosecutor in the Trump case. Wade is a former Cobb County fill-in municipal court judge who ran for Cobb County Superior Court and was defeated in 2012, 2014, and 2016. Willis chose Wade over career prosecutors who work on salaries, and while the legalities of that have not been questioned at this stage, some, like Phil Holloway, an Atlanta-based attorney for more than two decades, have found the use of Wade to be "unorthodox."
"It’s certainly unorthodox and appears to be a cash cow for any lawyer paid by the hour," Holloway said. "I’ve been practicing criminal law in Georgia for 24 years, and I’ve never seen such an arrangement."
Willis, who began investigating Trump in February 2021, indicted the former president and 18 co-defendants last month on racketeering charges, alleging they had conspired to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia
One of the co-defendants, former Georgia GOP Chairman David Shafer, highlighted in a court filing on Thursday the hefty payments to private prosecutors, asking for Judge Scott McAfee to schedule a hearing "regarding improper contact by special prosecutor's law firm."
Shafer included in the filing an advertisement he had received from Wade's firm soliciting clients who needed help with criminal defense needs, including "impersonating a public officer," a charge leveled against Shafer.
The advertisement, while sent in the form of a standard mailer, presented an awkward scenario where a private attorney was offering defense services to a person he was prosecuting.
Shafer's attorney in the court filing said it also violated an "anti-contact" rule, noting that "the harassing, or mocking and intimidating nature of the firm’s communication with Mr. Shafer causes grave injury to the appearance of fairness and propriety of this proceeding."
Aside from the advertisement, Holloway observed that Wade could skirt the typical obligations of public servants while working as outsourced counsel.
"For starters, it avoids the statutory requirements for the appointment of assistant district attorneys, who are paid a fixed salary, and also avoids the administration of an oath of office," Holloway said. "The oath of office is intended to protect the public from malfeasance by public officials and carries a criminal penalty if violated."
The use of Wade could also affect morale in Willis's office because in-house staff could feel that Willis finds them "incapable," Holloway warned.
Willis’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story.
Georgia-based defense attorney Andrew Fleischman has also brought attention to the cost of Wade and his firm, writing on social media about how the exorbitant payments have been made "to a dude who has never tried a RICO case."
Fleischman indicated in another social media statement that he found the payments to Wade "troubling," particularly in light of what he described as the "massive backlog of cases" at the district attorney's office.
A person familiar with the Fulton County District Attorney's Office told the Washington Examiner he believed the payments to Wade and the others were not "getting the play that it should" in the media.
"Why is someone who is already on the government payroll not handling this?" he asked of the Trump case.
The person, who otherwise spoke highly of Willis and called her "smart as hell," said the use of Wade "doesn't feel right" and that "these are the taxpayers footing this. It's very strange."
Willis brought Wade on only “after several candidates turned her down,” according to the New York Times. The outlet did not specify which candidates Willis had attempted to bring on, noting that Wade was an "old friend" of Willis's.
Wade also "mentored [Willis] when she briefly served as chief magistrate judge in South Fulton," according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Wade's office did not respond to a request for comment.
-Ashley Oliver, Justice Department Reporter, Washington Examiner
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CIA accused of bribing analysts to change COVID origins lab leak theory to zoonosis: whistleblower
A whistleblower has claimed that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) allegedly offered financial incentives to analysts in order to suppress their findings regarding the possible lab leak origins of COVID in Wuhan, China.
CIA under fire for offering incentives to influence COVID origins lab leak theory, says whistleblower to U.S. House Select Subcommittee
According to a senior-level CIA officer who testified before House committee leaders, the agency allegedly tried to persuade six analysts to alter their stance on the origin of SARS-CoV-2. The whistleblower alleges that the CIA attempted to pay these analysts to switch their position from suggesting that the virus likely originated in a Wuhan lab to support the theory that it had crossed over from animals to humans. A letter outlining these allegations was sent to CIA Director William Burns on Tuesday.
Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic
Chairmen Brad Wenstrup of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic (R-Ohio) and Mike Turner of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (R-Ohio) have asked the CIA’s COVID Discovery Team to provide all documents, communications, and payment details by September 26th.
The House panel chairmen stated: “According to the whistleblower, at the end of its review, six of the seven members of the Team believed the intelligence and science were sufficient to make a low confidence assessment that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China.”
“The seventh member of the Team, who also happened to be the most senior, was the lone officer to believe COVID-19 originated through zoonosis.”
“The whistleblower further contends that to come to the eventual public determination of uncertainty, the other six members were given a significant monetary incentive to change their position,” they said, mentioning that the analysts were “experienced officers with significant scientific expertise.”
Calls for transparency and interviews in ongoing CIA COVID probe
Wenstrup and Turner have also requested records and exchanges between the CIA and various other federal agencies, such as the State Department, FBI, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Energy Department.
In another letter, the leaders of the House committee pointed out that Andrew Makridis, a former CIA chief operating officer, was prominently involved in the COVID investigation. They have invited him to participate in a recorded interview.
As of now, there has been no immediate response from the CIA or Makridis regarding this request.
It’s worth noting that the FBI was the initial U.S. intelligence agency to suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic probably started from a lab leak. Additionally, in February, the Energy Department arrived at a similar conclusion, citing new intelligence as the basis for their assessment.
-Brendan Taylor, Insider Paper
CIA Whistleblower's Devastating Testimony: Spooks Paid Off Analysts to Suppress Wuhan Origins of COVID
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has plenty of explaining to do.
According to the New York Post, a “senior-level CIA” whistleblower has testified to Congress that Agency leaders tried to bribe their own analysts into abandoning their conclusion that the COVID-19 pandemic originated with a lab leak in Wuhan, China.
Instead, CIA higher-ups wanted their analysts to falsely assert that the virus passed from animals to humans.
On Tuesday, Republican Rep. Brad Wenstrup of Ohio, Chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, and Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, Chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, sent a pair of letters to current and former Agency officials.
The first letter, addressed to CIA Director William J. Burns, identified “new and concerning whistleblower testimony regarding the Agency’s investigation into the origins of COVID-19.”
According to the letter, the CIA assigned seven experts to a COVID Discovery Team. After reviewing evidence, six of the seven agreed that COVID-19 likely originated in the Wuhan lab.
CIA leadership, however, subsequently suppressed those conclusions.
“The seventh member of the Team, who also happened to be the most senior, was the lone officer to believe that COVID-19 originated through zoonosis,” the letter read.
That “most senior” member went to extraordinary and corrupt lengths to ensure that his position prevailed.
“The whistleblower further contends that to come to the eventual determination of uncertainty, the other six members were given a significant monetary incentive to change their position,” the letter continued.
Wenstrup and Turner requested all relevant documents and communications by Sept. 26. They threatened to use “additional tools and authorities to satisfy our legislative and oversight requirements” should Burns fail to comply.
The CIA COVID-19 Discovery Team’s “most senior” member was Andrew Makridis, who is no longer with the Agency.
Wenstrup and Turner addressed a second letter to Makridis. This letter also referred to the “new and concerning whistleblower testimony.”
In lieu of documents, however, the second letter requested a sit-down interview with Makridis.
Assuming the story’s veracity, one can scarcely imagine a more damning revelation.
In fact, the whistleblower’s testimony leads to one broad reflection and one obvious question.
First, U.S. intelligence agencies and the deep state in general should prepare for a reckoning. Free citizens cannot tolerate abuses of power by government officials, particularly those not subject to elections.
The template for accountability exists.
Beginning in January 1975, Democratic Sen. Frank Church of Idaho chaired a committee tasked with investigating intelligence agencies’ abuses. The Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, also known as the “Church Committee,” published its final report in April 1976.
The Church Committee uncovered breathtaking abuses dating to the early days of the Cold War.
One such abuse was the unconscionable MK-Ultra program. A CIA document described MK-Ultra as “the code name for a covert CIA mind-control and chemical interrogation research program, run by the Office of Scientific Intelligence.”
Second, if CIA leaders wanted to suppress the truth about the Wuhan lab leak, the question is why.
The Agency did not stand to gain anything obvious from deceiving Americans into thinking that COVID-19 originated in nature.
Did the Agency stand to gain something from diverting Americans’ attention away from the Wuhan lab?
Did the Agency stand to gain something from diverting Americans’ attention away from foreign biolabs in general?
A second Church Committee might give us an answer.
-Michael Schwarz, The Western Journal
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White House Condemns Biden Impeachment Inquiry as Extreme, Unwarranted
Image Credit: AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Jacquelyn Martin
The White House condemned the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden as “extreme” and unwarranted on Tuesday.
“House Republicans have been investigating the President for 9 months, and they’ve turned up no evidence of wrongdoing,” White House spokesman Ian Sams posted on X. “His own GOP members have said so.”
Speaking in the U.S. Capitol Building, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy opened the inquiry on Tuesday by stating that House Republicans uncovered “serious and credible allegations” against President Biden of “abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption.”
Sams claimed the inquiry is “extreme politics at its worst,” and suggested McCarthy should hold a House vote to launch the inquiry, even though former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) did not do so during her impeachment proceedings of former President Donald Trump.
Image Credit: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) displays a signed an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol on January 13, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)
“He vowed to hold a vote to open impeachment, now he flip flopped because he doesn’t have support,” Sams said.
Depending on the inquiry’s finding, a full House vote could occur on articles of impeachment. If approved by 218 votes in the House, the articles would be conveyed to the Senate, where the higher chamber would be forced to hear the evidence during a Senate trial.
Image Credit: Ian Sams, with the White House counsel’s office, speaks to reporters outside of the West Wing of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
McCarthy said House investigators found that Joe Biden lied about his involvement in the family business and that bank records show many payments were directed to Biden family members through shell companies. He also noted an FBI informant file that alleged Joe Biden was bribed by a Ukrainian energy executive.
“Taken together, these allegations paint a picture of a culture of corruption,” he said. “These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption. They warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives.”
“That’s why today, I am directing our house committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden,” he continued. “This logical next step will give our committees the full power to gather all the facts and answers for the American public. It’s exactly what we want to know: the answers.”
“I believe the President would want to answer these questions and allegations as well,” McCarthy added. “I would encourage the President and his team to fully cooperate with this investigation in the interests of transparency.”
Polling appears to necessitate the need for an impeachment inquiry. Sixty-one percent of Americans believe Joe Biden was involved in his family’s business deals with China and Ukraine, according to a recent CNN poll. Only 38 percent say he was not involved, and just one percent say he was involved and did nothing wrong.
-Wendell Husebo, Breitbart News
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US Warns North Korea Against Selling Weapons as Kim Jong Un Visits Russia
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is believed to have crossed in Russia on his armored private train, South Korea’s defense ministry said on Tuesday, amid warnings from Washington against North Korea engaging in an arms deal with Russia.
The Kremlin said on Monday that Mr. Kim was visiting Russia “at the invitation of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin,” without specifying the timing and exact purpose of his visit.
According to North Korean state media, the North Korean leader headed to Russia along with leading officials of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, government, and armed forces.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there would be negotiations involving two delegations, and if needed, the leaders would engage in a “one-on-one format.”
On Monday, Mr. Putin arrived in Russia’s far eastern city of Vladivostok to attend the 2023 Eastern Economic Forum, which is slated to wrap up on Sept. 13.
Neither nation has disclosed information about the purpose of their meeting. U.S. officials believe discussions about a potential arms deal will likely occur during Mr. Kim’s visit.
The United States has urged North Korea not to sell weapons to Russia that could be used against Ukraine.
“We urge the DPRK to abide by the public commitments that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson told South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. DPRK is North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The North Korean and Russian leaders last met in April 2019, during which Mr. Kim also made the 20-hour train ride to Vladivostok, roughly 300 miles from the North Korean border.
North Korea Will ‘Pay a Price’
National security advisor Jake Sullivan earlier warned that North Korea will “pay a price” if it supplies weapons to Russia.
Image Credit: White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks at a press briefing at the White House on April 24, 2023. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)
Mr. Sullivan said that Moscow is seeking support from North Korea because “we have continued to squeeze Russia’s defense industrial base, and they are now going about looking to whatever source they can find for things like artillery ammunition.”
Providing Russia with weapons for its ongoing war against Ukraine “is not going to reflect well on North Korea, and they will pay a price for this in the international community,” the U.S. official added.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said last month that any arms deal between the two countries would directly violate United Nations Security Council resolutions.
“We urge the DPRK to cease its arms negotiations with Russia. And we are taking action directly to exposing and sanctioning individuals and entities working to facilitate arm deals between Russia and the DPRK,” she told reporters.
North Korea has been subject to U.N. sanctions since 2006 over its weapons of mass destruction program.
North Korea, Russia Ties
Mr. Kim’s visit to Russia follows a Russian defense official’s visit to North Korea in late July. Russian Defense Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu visited Pyongyang on July 27 to attend a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the cessation of the Korean War. He was joined by Chinese Communist Party politburo member Li Hongzhong.
The visit was the first known visit to North Korea by a Russian defense minister since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Image Credit: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, with Russian delegation led by its Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visits an arms exhibition in Pyongyang, North Korea on July 26, 2023. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
According to South Korea’s spy agency, Mr. Shoigu may have proposed that North Korea join trilateral military drills with China. It remains unclear whether North Korea accepted the offer.
When asked about the alleged proposal on Sept. 4, Mr. Shoigu didn’t confirm making such a proposal to Mr. Kim but said that the two countries are discussing possible joint military drills.
“Why not? These are our neighbors. There’s an old Russian saying: You don’t choose your neighbors, and it’s better to live with your neighbors in peace and harmony,” he told Russian media outlet Interfax.
Russia’s ambassador to North Korea, Alexander Matsegora, told Russia’s state news agency TASS that he was not aware of any plans for North Korea to participate in trilateral military drills with China and Russia but that, in his opinion, it would be “appropriate” in light of U.S.-led exercises in the region.
Adam Morrow contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
-Aldgra Fredly, NTD
Shock Video: Dystopic Scenes as California Skateboard Event Spirals Into Chaos
A skateboarding event in California spiraled out of control over the weekend as crowds lit fires, discharged fireworks, and attacked police and emergency responders, according to reports.
The chaotic incident unfolded on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Hosted by F**king Awesome World Entertainment and Adidas Skateboarding, Skate Jam Hollywood attracted around 1,500 people as professional skateboarders performed tricks and a punk band played.
But as the evening wore on, attendees began lighting off fireworks and setting fires, prompting a response from local authorities.
Videos and photos showing dystopic scenes have been circulating on social media.
When riot police moved in to break up the wild party, officers were reportedly pelted with bottles and rocks.
A Los Angeles Fire Department truck was defaced with graffiti during the mayhem, KTLA reports.
Three people were arrested and charged with vandalism, according to reports.
-Dan Lyman, Infowars
Explosion At Major US Food Processing Plant Leaves at Least 8 Workers Injured – Corn, Soy Processing Down
At least eight people were injured in an explosion at a processing plant in Decatur, Illinois on Sunday. Five of the wounded remained hospitalized as of Monday.
The fire and explosion happened at an Archer-Daniels-Midland processing complex just after 7pm Central time.
“ADM immediately contacted the Decatur Fire Department, which remains on the scene. Several employees were injured and transported to the local hospital for treatment,” a spokesperson said. “Our thoughts are with our colleagues. We do not have a confirmed cause at this time.”
According to ADM, corn and soy processing is down. It is unclear when the plant can resume operations.
According to Reuters: “A plant that crushes soybeans into soybean oil and white flake for soy protein production was down on Monday, ADM said. An adjacent corn processing plant was also “temporarily down until we can safely resume operations,” the company said.”
DECATUR, Ill. (WLS) — At least eight people were injured at an explosion and fire in central Illinois Sunday.
It happened at the East Plant of the Archer-Daniels-Midland processing complex in Decatur. ADM said the explosion happened at about 7:11 p.m.
Officials told CNN that at least eight people were injured. Five people remained hospitalized on Monday afternoon, ADM said.
Details on the conditions of the injured people were not immediately available.
As of Sunday night, the official cause of the explosion has not been confirmed. Governor Pritzker offered state support services to help the victims of the explosion.
Video shows the smoke from a distance when the explosion occurred:
-David Greyson, Gateway Pundit
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You Will Build Nothing & Be Happy: UN report urges ‘massive emission cuts in construction sector’ by using ‘gov’t regs & enforcement’ to achieve ‘Net Zero’ – Replace ‘concrete & steel’ with ‘stone, timber, & bamboo’
UN Environment Program Press Release of new study with Yale Center for Ecosystems & Agriculture: "Rapid urbanization worldwide means every five days, the world adds buildings equivalent to the size of Paris, with the built environment sector already responsible for 37 percent of global emissions. A report published today by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture (Yale CEA), under the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), offers solutions to decarbonize the buildings and construction sector and reduce the waste it generates." ...
“Until recently, most buildings were constructed using locally sourced earth, stone, timber, and bamboo. Yet modern materials such as concrete and steel often give only the illusion of durability, usually ending up in landfills and contributing to the growing climate crisis,” said Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director of UNEP’s Industry and Economy Division. “Net zero in the building and construction sector is achievable by 2050, as long as governments put in place the right policy, incentives and regulation to bring a shift the industry action,” UNEP's Aggarwal-Khan added.
Government regulation and enforcement is also required across all phases of the building life cycle – from extraction through end-of-use – to ensure transparency in labeling, effective international building codes, and certification schemes...“The decarbonization of the buildings and construction sector is essential for the achievement of the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.Nairobi, 12 September 2023 – Rapid urbanisation worldwide means every five days, the world adds buildings equivalent to the size of Paris, with the built environment sector already responsible for 37 per cent of global emissions. A report published today by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture (Yale CEA), under the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), offers solutions to decarbonize the buildings and construction sector and reduce the waste it generates.
The report, Building materials and the climate: Constructing a new future, offers policy makers, manufacturers, architects, developers, engineers, builders and recyclers a three-pronged solution to reduce “embodied carbon” emissions and the negative impacts on natural ecosystems from the production and deployment of building materials (e.g., cement, steel, aluminium, timber, biomass):
Avoid waste through a circular approach: building less by repurposing existing buildings is the most valuable option, generating 50-75 per cent fewer emissions than new construction; promote construction with less materials and with materials that have a lower carbon footprint and facilitate reuse or recycle.
Shift to ethically and sustainably sourced renewable bio-based building materials, including timber, bamboo, and biomass. The shift towards properly managed bio-based materials could lead to compounded emissions savings in many regions of up to 40 per cent in the sector by 2050. However, more policy and financial support is needed to ensure the widespread adoption of renewable bio-based building materials.
Improve decarbonisation of conventional materials that cannot be replaced. This mainly concerns the processing of concrete, steel, and aluminium – three sectors responsible for 23 per cent of overall global emissions today – as well as glass and bricks. Priorities should be placed on electrifying production with renewable energy sources, increasing the use of reused and recycled materials, and scaling innovative technologies. Transformation of regional markets and building cultures is critical through building codes, certification, labelling, and the education of architects, engineers, and builders on circular practices.
The three-pronged Avoid-Shift-Improve solution needs to be adopted throughout the building process to ensure emissions are slashed and human health and biodiverse ecosystems are protected. The solution also requires, in its implementation, sensitivity to local cultures and climates, including the common perception of concrete and steel as modern materials of choice.
“Until recently, most buildings were constructed using locally sourced earth, stone, timber, and bamboo. Yet modern materials such as concrete and steel often give only the illusion of durability, usually ending up in landfills and contributing to the growing climate crisis,” said Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director of UNEP’s Industry and Economy Division.
“Net zero in the building and construction sector is achievable by 2050, as long as governments put in place the right policy, incentives and regulation to bring a shift the industry action,” she added.
To date, most climate action in the building sector has been dedicated to effectively reducing “operational carbon” emissions, which encompass heating, cooling, and lighting. Thanks to the growing worldwide decarbonisation of the electrical grid and the use renewable energies, these are set to decrease from 75 per cent to 50 per cent of the sector in coming decades.
Since buildings contain materials produced in disparate regions across the globe, reducing “embodied carbon” emissions from production and deployment of building materials requires decisionmakers to adopt a whole life-cycle approach. This involves harmonized measures across multiple sectors and at each stage of the building lifecycle – from extraction to processing, installation, use, and demolition.
Government regulation and enforcement is also required across all phases of the building life cycle – from extraction through end-of-use – to ensure transparency in labelling, effective international building codes, and certification schemes. Investments in research and development of nascent technologies, as well as training of stakeholders in the sectors, are needed, along with incentives for cooperative ownership models between producers, builders, owners, and occupants to the shift to circular economies.
“The decarbonisation of the buildings and construction sector is essential for the achievement of the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. By providing cutting-edge scientific insights as well as very practical recommendations to reduce embodied carbon, the study ”Building materials and the climate: Constructing a new future” advances our joint mission to decarbonise the sector holistically and increase its resilience”, said Dr. Vera Rodenhoff, Deputy Director General for International Climate Action and International Energy Transition of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), which together with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has funded the study.
Case studies from Canada, Finland, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Peru, and Senegal, demonstrate how decarbonisation takes places using “Avoid-Shift-Improve” strategies: developed economies can devote resources to renovating existing ageing buildings, while emerging ones can leapfrog carbon-intensive building methods to alternative low-carbon building materials.
Cities worldwide can drive the implementation of decarbonisation. Many are already integrating vegetated surfaces, including green roofs, façades, and indoor wall assemblies to reduce urban carbon emissions and cool off buildings, increase urban biodiversity and more.
UN Environment Program Press Release of new study with Yale Center for Ecosystems & Agriculture: “Rapid urbanization worldwide means every five days, the world adds buildings equivalent to the size of Paris, with the built environment sector already responsible for 37 percent of global emissions. A report published today by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture (Yale CEA), under the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), offers solutions to decarbonize the buildings and construction sector and reduce the waste it generates.” …
UN plan promises massive emission cuts in the construction sector – the most polluting and toughest to decarbonize…building materials (e.g., cement, steel, aluminum, timber, biomass)…materials that have a lower carbon footprint…[to] promote construction with less materials and with materials that have a lower carbon footprint and facilitate reuse or recycle.
Shift to ethically and sustainably sourced renewable bio-based building materials, including timber, bamboo, and biomass…Priorities should be placed on electrifying production with renewable energy sources, increasing the use of reused and recycled materials, and scaling innovative technologies.
“Until recently, most buildings were constructed using locally sourced earth, stone, timber, and bamboo. Yet modern materials such as concrete and steel often give only the illusion of durability, usually ending up in landfills and contributing to the growing climate crisis,” said Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director of UNEP’s Industry and Economy Division. “Net zero in the building and construction sector is achievable by 2050, as long as governments put in place the right policy, incentives and regulation to bring a shift the industry action,” UNEP’s Aggarwal-Khan added.
Government regulation and enforcement is also required across all phases of the building life cycle – from extraction through end-of-use – to ensure transparency in labeling, effective international building codes, and certification schemes…“The decarbonization of the buildings and construction sector is essential for the achievement of the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
-Marc Morano, Climate Depot