https://nitter.net/Lowkey0nline/status/1742833466730050012#m

Jean-Luc Brunel, a co-conspirator of Jeffery Epstein, was found hanged in his prison cell, where the security cameras were not working.

He is pictured here on Epstein's private island wearing a hat which reads "Israel Army."

What a coincidence

Cuba Reduces Mortality to 7.1 Children Per 1,000 Live Births

Most deaths were related to perinatal diseases, pulmonary hypertension, intrauterine growth removedation, and prematurity.

On Wednesday, Cuban authorities indicated that their country closed out 2023 with a slight decrease in infant mortality, recording 7.1 per 1,000 live births.

This figure represents 74 fewer deaths than in 2022 when a rate of 7.5 was reported, according to the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap).

The provinces with the highest rates are La Habana (7.9), Santiago de Cuba (8), Guantanamo (9), and Mayabeque (9.1). The lowest reports were from Pinar del Río (3.1), Artemisa (3.9), Holguín (4.7), Sancti Spíritus (4.8), Villa Clara (5.7), and Matanzas (6.9).

Frank Garcia, head of the Maternal and Child Care Program (PAMI), indicated that most infant deaths were related to perinatal conditions, pulmonary hypertension, delayed intrauterine growth and prematurity.

Cuba has maintained one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the Americas for years, which in 2018 it was 4.0; in 2019, it reached 5.0; and in 2020, it was 4.9.

Birth rates continued to decline in 2023 in Cuba, where 90,374 live births occurred compared to the 95,402 babies born in 2022, reinforcing the trend towards population aging and the projection that it will be one of the countries with the highest number of older adults by 2050.

Figures until 2021 have revealed that the aging rate is 21.6 percent, the birth rate is 8.9 per 1,000 inhabitants, and fertility values have reached their lowest number in the last 60 years, according to data from the Center for Population and Development Studies.

im drukn. death tomilei long live communism

The rules on this megathread say: "Using April 1st as an excuse to post fake headlines, like the death of Kissinger while he is still unfortunately alive"

Fortunately, Pissinger is now dead.

Harvard president just resigned amidst plagiarism scandal. Is this linked to the anti-semitic accusation not too long ago?

Is this how they’re going to play it: if you don’t toe the party line, we will sink your career? And they’re making an example out of Harvard it seems.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/harvard-president-gay-resigns-harvard-crimson-student-newspaper-2024-01-02/

100 Chilean lawyers accuse Netanyahu of war crimes, file complaint at ICC: Report

About 100 Chilean lawyers, most of whom are of Palestinian origin, have filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court regarding the crimes of the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip, the Wafa news agency has reported.

The complaint alleges charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli army on Palestinians.

“They are demanding that Benjamin Netanyahu bear criminal responsibilities, to impose an immediate ceasefire,” said Francisco Shahwan, the chairman of the foreign relations committee.

The complainant is calling for the issuance of an arrest warrant against Netanyahu and other officials and soldiers responsible for these crimes, Shahwan added.

👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

Alaska Airlines grounds 737 Max 9 planes after section blows out mid-air

https://web.archive.org/web/20240106125734/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67899564

The Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 turned back 35 minutes into its flight to California after an outer section, including a window, fell off on Friday.

Evan Smith, one of the 171 passengers on board, said: "There was a really loud bang towards the left rear of the plane and a woosh noise - and all the air masks dropped.

"They said there was a kid in that row who had his shirt was sucked off him and out of the plane and his mother was holding onto him to make sure he didn't go with it."

Diego Murillo said the gap was "as wide as a refrigerator".

Fellow passenger Elizabeth Lee added: "Part of the plane was missing and the wind was just extremely loud. but everyone was in their seats and had their belt on."

Jessica Montoia described the flight as a "trip from hell" adding a phone was taken out of a man's hand by the wind.

Related: Over pilots' objection, Boeing seeks safety exemption for MAX 7

🔗 https://web.archive.org/www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/boeing-wants-faa-to-exempt-max-7-from-safety-rules-to-get-it-in-the-air/

🐻💬 https://hexbear.net/post/1543091?scrollToComments=false

🤓💬 https://web.archive.org/web/20240105210257/https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38882358

Boeing asked the FAA to exempt its 737 MAX 7 from certain safety regulations. Without the exemption, an engine anti-ice system defect will keep the jet from being certified.

103 people killed, the Israeli fascists are out of their minds if they think Iran is gonna let that slide, fuckin murderous scumbags

In "the west is doing great" news, 3078 Danish companies went bankrupt in 2023. This is the highest number of bankruptcies since 2010.

Interesting development.

According to Maldivian media reports, 2 israeli-affiliated oil tankers were targeted by unknown drones in the west and northwest of Maldives in the past few days.

Initial reports indicate that both tankers were seriously damaged by explosions. The oil tankers were supposed to pass through the Strait of Bab al-Mandab.

The oil tankers were targeted by drones at a distance of 2,000 kilometers, reportedly from thr Bab al-Mandab area.

A blizzard has hit Denmark, giving the largest amount of precipitation ever recorded on a single day in January. Traffic is severely affected in many parts of the country, trains ferries and busses are cancelled and emergency services are having to bring food, water and fuel to motorists who has been stuck in their cars for up to 19 hours. In the worst affected parts of the country municipal elder care is disrupted and authorities are worried about isolated elderly people but getting their medication. Military vehicles has been deployed to assists emergency services, two of the army's Piranha vehicles have got stuck themselves.

PAY BACK OK?

Swap: if Javier Milei does not negotiate, Argentina will have to pay China more than US$5 billion in 2026

Sources who participated in the last negotiation confirmed to Ámbito that the agreement expires within two years and that if it is not revalidated, the section that has already been used for the currency exchange must be paid.

A few days after Javier Milei assumed the presidency, Ámbito announced the Chinese government's decision to reverse the release of the last tranche of the swap that Sergio Massa and Alberto Fernández had negotiated. But that's not all, this medium was able to corroborate from sources who participated in that negotiation that the currency exchange expires in August 2026 and that, if a new agreement is not reached by then, Argentina would have to pay more than US$5.000 million to replace the yuan that was used. The situation caused internal friction in the Government due to ideologized diplomacy.

The bilateral relationship with China under the administration of La Libertad Avanza did not start in the best way. President Xi Jinping responded quickly to the grievances that Milei launched at the Asian giant during the campaign and backed down with the release of fresh funds that were going to provide oxygen of US$6.5 billion to the liquidity of the Central Bank to face imports or debt payments, as happened previously with the International Monetary Fund.

The snubs to the second trading partner escalated with the praise of different members of the Government for Taiwan and were reflected in the resignation from the BRICS, which was made official at the beginning of this week but what Ámbito anticipated a month before. At the same time that Argentina renounced participating in the emerging bloc, countries as dissimilar as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ethiopia and Iran joined as full partners.

This step aside, which was communicated by letter with texts copied to the presidents of the founding countries, leaves the country without the possibility of accessing funds from the New Development Bank that already finances infrastructure works for more than US$38.5 billion in everyone. It is also presumed that it would complicate the progress that had been made with the Development Bank of Brazil and would not pave the way for the arrival of Saudi dollars.

What could happen with the swap?

The economic team is not enthusiastic about the hyper-ideological view that Diana Mondino gives to foreign relations. Firstly, because several of the current officials participated in the negotiations to renew the swap during Mauricio Macri's government, but also because, if the link with China is cut, Argentina will have to replace the yuan that was used last year.

This is about US$5,000 million that the Fernández government used to accelerate imports of inputs. To this we must add the interest: the rate paid to China is confidential, but it has always been clarified that it is below what the IMF currently charges and analysts estimate that it is around 6% annually. High sources who participated in the last negotiation confirmed to Ámbito that the current agreement expires in August 2026 and that, if a new extension is not negotiated by then, you must pay.

It is not a minor fact. The accumulation of reserves is a central point of the economic program, especially if one considers eliminating exchange restrictions. Furthermore, there is so far no evidence that the markets are willing to provide the Government with fresh funds. Debt with the Monetary Fund, with the Paris Club, with private creditors, lawsuits in foreign courts and more. The maturity schedule does not look easy for the coming years.

Original article in Spanish

Hell yeah we owned these commies huh!

Move Aside Iskander-M: The North Korean-Supplied KN-23B is Now Russia’s Top Tactical Ballistic Missile | Military Watch Magazine

On January 4 White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the U.S. intelligence believed Russia was using North Korean ballistic missiles in its ongoing war effort in Ukraine. While not elaborating on the exact missile class used, confirmation that the missile had a 900km range strongly indicated that it was the KN-23B - an asset which it was speculated since mid-2022 that Russia could seek to acquire for its own forces. The only other North Korean missile with such a range, the Hwasong-9, is an advanced Scud derivative from the mid-2000s which is thought to have been developed primarily for export to Syria and built in limited numbers, and was long since considered to have seen production ended despite its many unique and innovative features. The KN-23B is a serious contender for the title of the world’s most capable class of surface-launched short range ballistic missile - a category which includes all surface-to-surface ballistic missiles with ranges under 1000km.

Following the service entry of the original KN-23 in 2019, the KN-23B was developed as a larger variant with an extended range and enlarged warhead. It was first test fired on March 25, 2021 under supervision of the Academy of Defence Science. The state run Korean Central News Agency reported that the academy had concluded after the test: “the reliability of the improved version of the solid fuel engine was confirmed through several engine ground jet tests and their test firing processes, an that the irregular orbit features of low-altitude gliding leap type flight mode already applied two other guide projectiles were also re-confirmed.” Due to its larger size the new missile system uses a ten-wheel transporter erector launcher where the original KN-23 and the Iskander both used eight-wheel launchers. While the original KN-23 was widely compared to the Russian Iskander-M short range ballistic missile system, the former had significant advantages most notably its 700km engagement range - where the Iskander’s 9K720 missiles could only engage targets 500km away. Notable differences included the Korean missile’s approximately 20 percent larger size than its Russian counterpart, its smooth base, and its much larger cable raceway indicating a far greater fuel capacity. These advantages are significantly greater for the even larger KN-23B.

A central similarity between the KN-23 and the Iskander-M is that both use missiles with semi ballistic depressed trajectories with apogees of around 50 km and with the ability to conduct extensive in flight manoeuvres throughout their entire flight paths. This not only makes their missiles extremely difficult to detect or track, but also allows them to use their fins to manoeuvre much better than missiles on standard ballistic trajectories. These capabilities proved sufficient that the American AEGIS anti missile system proved unable to even detect KN-23 missile launches – which was confirmed by South Korean sources after a test launch in October 2019. The KN-23B retained these features, but provided an extended range of 900km and was reported to deploy a 2500kg warhead, compared to the Iskander-M 9K720 missile’s warhead weight of up to 700kg. This means each missile will be capable of doing considerably more damage to targets ranging from infantry formations to fortifications.

Acquiring the KN-23B not only provides Russia with a significant increase to its capacity for launching highly precise and reliable missile strikes on Ukrainian targets, adding much of the capacity of North Korea’s very large missile industry to its own, but it also provides a missile capable of engaging targets an area 324 percent as large as the Iskander can from the launch point. The KN-23B will thus allow Russian units to strike targets far further behind Ukrainian lines than the Iskander-M could, as demonstrated on December 30 and again on January 2, and provides options for engaging a much wider range of targets from each launch site. Furthermore, while Russian units have taken to launching multiple 9K720 missiles from Iskander systems at Ukrainian frontline units to maximise casualties, the KN-23B’s much larger warhead could allow comparable amounts of damage to be achieved much more efficiently. The KN-23B can thus be considered the most capable asset of its kind in the Russian arsenal by a significant margin, and one which the Russian Armed Forces could conceivably be seeking to acquire as fast as North Korean industry is able to supply them.

Ancap Update:

Argentine government cuts 500 employees from state radio The contracts were valid until the end of 2023 and were not renewed; the measure is part of Milei's reform package.

Weeks after Argentine President Javier Milei devalued the country's currency by 54%, investors are predicting that the Argentine peso will come under heavy pressure, a sign that the market is becoming discouraged by his initial measures.

US senators say ‘arbitrary’ Israeli inspections slowing aid delivery

Two US senators have said that the delivery of much-needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza is being stymied by an arbitrary Israeli inspections regime.

Democratic Senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley visited the border between Egypt and Gaza on Saturday, where a warehouse is full of vital supplies rejected by Israeli authorities, including water testing equipment and medical goods.

“The warehouse was a testament to the arbitrariness” of the process, Van Hollen said.

“What struck me yesterday was the miles of backed-up trucks. We couldn’t count, but there were hundreds,” Merkley told a group of reporters in Cairo.

in cope news...

Hamas Used Gaza Hospital as a Command Center, U.S. Intelligence Says

this is a story in the 'paper of record' who's headline is about 'new intelligence' and literally the only 'new intelligence' is another unnamed official saying 'yeah we believe the same thing as before'. one would think that the CIA could at least ask the IDF to make something up, but they've probably lost faith since the badly faked phone intercepts and the smoking gun that was the calendar written in arabic. this shit really shows how much the lean business model has seeped into everything, including propaganda efforts. I guess it makes sense though, why waste time creating bullshit evidence if you're going to have to waste more time defending the evidence. easier to just have some anonymous drone say 'see my previous email' to the nyt

"Just go to trade school, bro."

Turns out trade school is also expensive in my area, and with some of the requirements I knocked out. Getting a second degree in a STEM field would ironically be cheaper. Speaking of money, has anyone else noticed this tactic from porky where they just assume everyone is a multimillionaire? Look at all the articles where some real estate invooster is screaming at millennials "EVERYONE HAS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS DIPSHIT, IT CAME FREE WITH YOUR FUCKING BEING ALIVE!"

LMAO, apparently there's a possibility Orban might replace Charles Michel as president of the European Council

From The Guardian, https://archive.is/E5RRQ

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah: We are not afraid of war. We are ready for it. We are not deterred. And when it is waged against us, then our national interests lie in going all in, to those who speak of national interests.

It's the new year and the ICJ has already proven its illegitimacy over the weekend, as the court states it could take years to determine whether or not the situation in Gaza constitutes a genocide. What it has achieved is validated the statements levied against the ICC by South Africa for the past decade. It's "complicated", or in simpler terms,

Infinite on the west. Oh and Death to America

It looks like Israel is airstriking further into Lebanon in response to Hezbollah dealing massive damage to the Meron base, which seems like a major base of operations for the Israeli military and has radars and jamming equipment that help their aerial operations. Latest airstrike is south of Tyre.

Germany wants to send more fighter jets to Saudi Arabia

Because the Saudi fight against the Houthi rebels also helps Israel, according to Baerbock.

The previous position was articulated in this amazing, classic Baerbock speech in front of the Green party congress from 2022:

Firstly, we are not directly sending weapons to Saudi Arabia. There are no weapons deliveries from Germany to Saudi Arabia, where human rights are trampled upon. [Applause.] Secondly, yes, we, in a joint project, which is an old contract, which others before us have signed. This was *sighs* very hard for us, for Robert [Habeck] and me, but we cannot just sit there and "schwupps" *snaps fingers*, this old contract magically disappears, is gone. But it is there. And it is difficult to balance that, because we want and need more European arms cooperation, as otherwise 100 billion [special budget for the military they just passed] will in no way be enough. And I don't want to cut even more social services, and that Lisa [Paus, family minster] does not have the funds for the children, which she desperately needs.

In case you can't understand this genius: They were, in fact, sending weapons to Saudi Arabia, but it was through an old joint European arms deal, but "they had to", because money ... err ... think of the children! You wouldn't want the children to go hungry do you? They would never sign new contracts with those evil Saudis. Never! Oh would you look at that they just did.

Death to Israel

Down with the Zionist Entity

It will be destroyed. From the river to the sea Palestine will be free

B-1 bomber crashes at South Dakota Air Force base, crew ejects safely

Their wunderwaffen sure crash a lot, curious.

BBC - Putin vows to intensify attacks on Ukraine... Putin said the war was turning in Moscow's favour and he wanted the war to end quickly, but only on Russia's terms.

If you had the war ending in 2024 on your bingo card...

Brazil to require visas from citizens of Australia, Canada, USA

Lula Resumes Visa Requirements for USA, Canada and Australia The visa waiver was determined by Bolsonaro in 2019.

President Lula decided to resume the visa requirement for tourists from the USA, Australia, and Canada to enter Brazil.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) has already communicated the representations of these countries that their citizens will be demanded to follow the same rules established for Brazilian citizens.

The new government had been studying the impact of the measure on tourism, with the possibility of resuming the principle of reciprocity, historically adopted by the Itamaraty.

Former President Jair Bolsonaro announced the revocation of the visa requirement in March 2019, on the eve of his trip to the US to meet then-President Donald Trump.

The visa waiver applied to those traveling to Brazil for tourism, business, transit, and artistic and sports activities. It also extended to persons "in exceptional circumstances in the national interest".

The governments of Brazil and Japan had agreed on the reciprocal exemption of visitor visas for holders of regular passports traveling for a period of up to 90 days. The exemption came into effect on September 30, 2023 for an initial period of three yeas. The measure allows Brazilian and Japanese tourists to visit Japan and Brazil without a visa.

This understanding is the result of an announcement made by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's visit to Japan last May, about extending the exemption to Brazilians, thus allowing the Brazilian government to impose the same measure on Japanese citizens, in line with the Brazilian migration policy, which is founded upon the principles of reciprocity and equal treatment between States.

The exemption will contribute to strenghtening human ties and the relations between the two countries in the year marking the 115th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Brazil.

We’re in the mid 20s now? The whole decade’s been mid so far, amiri- gets justifiably sniped

Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are officially in BRICS, as of yesterday.

FAIR: Media Obsession With Inflation Has Manufactured Discontent

2023 is over, and with it, the great inflation surge of the last few years has essentially come to an end. As the progressive economist Dean Baker trumpeted shortly before Christmas, “This Economy Has Landed, We Are at the Fed’s Target” (Beat the Press, 12/22/23). Inflation is now at 2.6%, according to the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure, and is trending further downward. Remarkably, since the Fed began raising interest rates in the spring of 2022, unemployment has maintained a historically low level of below 4%.

Contrast that with the US’s last experience with an extended period of elevated inflation. That was the double-digit inflation of the late 1970s/early 1980s, which the Fed fought by sending unemployment skyrocketing—from 6% in 1979 to a peak of nearly 11% in 1982. With inflation tamed in the fall of 1984—down to 4.3%—President Ronald Reagan declared “Morning in America.” At the time, the misery index, a rough gauge of societal suffering that sums inflation and unemployment, clocked in at nearly 12%. Today, the same index sits around 7%. If the fall of 1984 was morning, we’re well into the day. The dark, turbulent night is not only behind us; it’s been over for a while.

That’s not how most of the American public seems to feel, though. People continue to rate the economy stunningly poorly, given its performance of late. The University of Michigan’s Index of Consumer Sentiment, for instance, most recently registered 61.3, versus 100.9 during “Morning in America.” In other words, consumer sentiment is currently 39% lower than it was at a time when the misery index was 41% higher. Meanwhile, Joe Biden has a lower approval rating than any president going back to Jimmy Carter at the equivalent stage of their presidencies (New York Times, 12/28/23). Biden is, in fact, 15 percentage points lower than Reagan, whose economy at the same period of his presidency was, in key respects, significantly worse—unemployment, for instance, was 8.3%.

...

... there’s another fundamental cause of economic discontent that should be getting more attention: corporate media’s single-minded obsession with inflation, which has left the public with an objectively inaccurate view of the economy.

FAIR has stepped up to the batting plate with their own possible explanation for why everybody hates the economy despite macroeconomic indicators being so positive - that the media has been too negative about the economy and so everybody is just seeing that analysis and going "Huh, the economy must suck even if my life personally is fine." A swing and a very large miss for FAIR.

But how could this discontent possibly be?! We have done the soft landing! Inflation is way down! Look at our GDP! Idiotic. Inventing macroeconomic figures to quell the misery index will not actually make the underlying problems go away. So now we're in a situation where the actual state of the economy isn't being measured, causing immense confusion for navel-gazing dipshit economists.

The US economy does, in fact, very much fucking suck if you aren't in the top 1-10%. Student loan repayments restarted in October. Fake job listings are inflating the figures. Delinquency rates are at their highest level in almost 30 years. 12.8% of American households were food insecure in 2022, up from 10.2% in 2021. In early 2023, there were record levels of food bank usage despite record low unemployment. US life expectancy is declining. The impact of letting coronavirus rip through the population continues to work in the background. Despite all the hopes, AI almost certainly will not deliver the bourgeoisie to the new promised land of high productivity, as the crisis there continues. Some states are trying to reintroduce child labor.

US Gross Domestic Income has been stagnant since October 2022. US manufacturing PMIs also haven't been positive since October 2022. It's been over a year straight of decline. The post-pandemic boost is well behind us. The US economy is being supported by marginal expansions in services PMI, with the composite coming at 50.9 for December 2023, or 0.9 above stagnation. The services PMI is being supported by healthcare, education, and technology - the last of which received major subsidies due to the Inflation Reduction Act and the Chips and Science Act. The most high-tech sectors are growing, but everything more fundamental is mired in the longest continuous slump in two decades. Non-financial sector corporate profits are falling.

All of this, while the US has been manipulating its vassals to try and get them the best possible economy. They started a war with Russia and then blew up Nord Stream to weaken Europe and force them to buy more energy and goods from the US. They are trying to isolate China via protectionist sanctions designed to boost the US economy instead. All of this warmongering and blood, and it gets the US an economy that is, if you're being very optimistic, merely stagnating (and in actuality is declining).

You know what hasn't declined? The stock market, which is at all-time record levels.