WALES - Wales epitomizes the government application of global warmism by using diesel generators to charge its new fleet of electric garbage trucks: Cardiff Council started transitioning to electric vehicles for its waste collection in 2021 as part of its efforts to hit net zero by 2030. But it was forced to admit that it was charging the vehicles using diesel generators after a local resident spotted the backup power.

RUSSIA - The Kremlin today bluntly threatened use of nuclear weapons in the wake of the Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow's skyscraper zone. Three drones struck an elite office building and residential skyscraper in Moscow early Sunday morning in what Russia's Defence Ministry has branded an 'attempted terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime'. Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president and Putin ally, has warned there is 'simply no other way out' and said that Kyiv should 'pray to our warriors' that they do not 'allow the global nuclear fire to flare up'. Moscow said it had brought down three Ukrainian drones early on Sunday that had been trying to attack the capital. It also claimed its forces had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to attack Russia-annexed Crimea with 25 drones overnight.

CHINA - Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, one of the oldest active statesmen in the world at 100, made a visit to Beijing and met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping earlier this month. Although Kissinger’s time in office is controversial in many respects, not least due to allegations of war crimes in a host of Asian countries, China in fact views him positively. Why? Because Kissinger was one of the key figures in the construction of the US-China diplomatic relationship which followed on from Richard Nixon’s groundbreaking visit to the country in 1972 and his meeting with Mao Zedong. This marked one of the biggest geopolitical shifts of the 20th century, leading to the opening up of China and its integration into the global economy. For this legacy, Beijing is extraordinarily grateful to Kissinger and treats him as an “old friend.” This of course, provides the backdrop as to precisely why he is visiting now, and what this means politically.

SOUTH AFRICA - Apartheid was never truly abolished in South Africa, the races were just reversed. One could even argue it is worse today. On Saturday, Julius Malema, the leader of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) party, led a huge crowd in chants of “Kill the Boer.” The term Boer is an Afrikaan and Dutch term referring to white farmers. As the Gateway Pundit has reported previously, white farmers are facing potential genocide thanks to “leaders” like Malema. His supporters say they are ready to kill or die for the white-owned land. The video shows Malema dancing and then he begins singing in Afrikaans before switching to English. He can be heard shouting the following words multiple times: Shoot to kill. Kill the Boer! The farmer! He concludes his sick rant by making gun noises. The bloodthirsty audience echoes his cries throughout.

GERMANY - The changes aim to align procedures in the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, with a recent strengthening of equal opportunity laws that apply to the government overall. The Bundeswehr needs people to fill its ranks, as part of Germany's efforts to bolster its military capabilities in response to Russia's war in Ukraine. "Women are still under-represented in the Bundeswehr," Steffen Hebestreit, the government spokesperson, told reporters on Wednesday. Representation, going by the government definition, is when the share of women exceeds 20%. Defense officials want women to comprise at least half of the medical corps.

USA - Christian leadership in the US has typically been seen as a male occupation. The right for women to be ordained and serve as faith leaders has been hard-won over decades, and in several major factions, like the Roman Catholic and Southern Baptist churches, women are barred from the highest levels of leadership. However, among mainstream denominations that do ordain women, a sea change is occurring. More women are entering seminary and other theological programs with the intent of becoming priests. As it follows, more women are also occupying those roles after being ordained. Experts say one of the main reasons for the increase is that women of faith are looking at their religious traditions and sensing a need for change.

NIGER - Niger became the latest African nation to topple its “democratically elected” US-backed government this week, as civil unrest spreads from coast to coast across the continent. Coast to coast, a corridor of coups brings turmoil in Africa. Africa’s coup belt spans the continent: a line of six countries crossing 3,500 miles, from coast to coast, that has become the longest corridor of military rule on Earth. This past week’s military takeover in the West African nation of Niger toppled the final domino in a band across the girth of Africa, from Guinea in the west to Sudan in the east, now controlled by juntas that came to power in a coup — all but one in the past two years. Until this past week, Niger was the cornerstone of the Pentagon’s regional strategy. At least 1,100 American troops are stationed in the country, where the US military built drone bases in Niamey and the northern city of Agadez, one at a cost of $110 million. Now, all of that is in jeopardy. Russia is offering to conduct trade in local currencies, which will further erode the strength of the US dollar globally.

SAUDI ARABIA - Saudi Arabia is set to host international peace talks on Ukraine next month involving the US, EU and countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America, diplomats have told the Wall Street Journal. Russia is excluded from the gathering, which is being organized by the Western powers and Ukraine, the outlet reported on Saturday. Some 30 countries have been invited to take part in the event in Jeddah on August 5 and 6. During the Russia-Africa Summit in St Petersburg on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was confident that “all differences must be solved at the negotiating table.” Moscow is willing to look for a diplomatic solution, but “the problem is that they are refusing to talk to us,” Putin said, referring to Ukraine and its US and NATO backers.

CHINA - Chinese automakers are looking to flood the United States market with cheap Electric Vehicles (EVs) as President Joe Biden’s administration has made a rapid all-electric, green energy push without having first ensured domestic manufacturing capacity. According to Axios, Chinese automakers like BYD Co Ltd, Li Auto, Xpeng Motors, Nio Inc, and Geely are looking to the US market to sell cheap EVs to Americans as the Biden administration makes its push for an all-electric economy. Chinese automakers will likely follow the same script as Japanese and Korean brands decades ago: Use imports to exploit a void in the US market, learn quickly and then go deeper with factories on American soil.

USA - The United States has announced a historic $345 million military aid package for Taiwan which for the first time will come from existing US military stockpiles instead of purchases through the foreign military sales program, the White House announced Friday. The Pentagon has signaled for much of the year that it intended to prepare such a passage after Congress authorized $1 billion for military aid to be provided to Taiwan under what is known as a Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA). The announcement will likely draw criticism from China which considers Taiwan to be a breakaway province and which has escalated tensions around the island in recent years. That includes demonstrations of its maritime and airborne capabilities as it edged closer to Taiwan territory beyond the Taiwan Strait. The difference from existing arms sales agreements with Taiwan is that the weapons systems will arrive there in quick order as opposed to having to wait years for them to be built from scratch.

USA - More and more states in the US are implementing digital ID systems, raising more concerns that these digital systems could turn into backdoors for government surveillance and erode personal privacy. At least eight states already have state-sponsored apps where people can store their digital IDs. These include the Mobile ID app in Arizona, Delaware, Mississippi and Oklahoma and the myColorado app, which provides proof of identification, age and address anywhere in Colorado. These apps are designed to work with a state government to set up a process for verifying a person’s identity digitally.

USA - On July 18th the US Department of The Treasury revealed that the top foreign holders of US Treasury bonds / debt are selling off their holdings at an alarming rate. Japan, which is #1 holder reduced its US Treasury bonds by $30.4 billion in May. China reduced its holdings of US Treasury bonds by $22.2 billion in May. This marks the second consecutive month of reduction and brings its total holdings close to the historical low of 801.5 billion dollars. China has been steadily reducing its holdings since August of last year. But here is the surprising news that everyone should start paying attention to. In April at least 19 countries globally have sold off US Treasury bonds leading to a reversal in the flow of funds invested in US Securities.

UK - Only half of Gen Z and millennial adults plan to start a family, as financial pressures and global anxieties continue to deter young adults from having children, a new survey reveals. The research, which polled 1,000 British adults between 18 and 34 who haven’t yet started a family, also found that one in four respondents have already decided against having a baby ever. Only 55 percent of participants say they plan to have children in the future, while 20 percent are unsure. The most common reason, given by 49 percent of respondents, was their desire to focus more on themselves. Financial issues followed closely, cited by 47 percent, and fears about the state of the world were raised by 38 percent of the participants.

UNITED NATIONS - United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced on Thursday that the era of global warming has ended and the era of global boiling has arrived. Gutterez claimed that July 2023 will set records for being the hottest month on record. Of course, his statements were meant to scare the West to invest in more Chinese windmills and solar panels and to destroy the energy sector in the United States. And it’s all based on lies. It is as if the heatwaves in 1936 never happened. The percentage of the US that reaches 100F this year is currently at a record low. The elites won’t tell you that. The five hottest July 25ths in the US were 1934, 1901, 1940, 1936 and 1952. US summers are much cooler now than they were prior to 1960. They’re lying to you. The temperatures in 1936 were much worse than this year.

GREECE - A video posted yesterday by the Swiss weekly Die Weltwoche provides an aerial view of the Greek island of Rhodes, revealing an isolated fire, but not a widespread conflagration. The video appears to have been shot by a Swiss aeroplane passenger (or perhaps pilot?) on the previous day. Referring to dramatic reports in the media, Weltwoche writer Christoph Mörgeli comments: “Someone flying over the island at 10,000 meters [33,000 feet] above sea-level, and who thus has a good overview, gets a much less dramatic impression. Although a cloud of smoke can be clearly seen on the video shown here, there is no sign of a burning island or a gigantic conflagration.” At the end of the clip, the videographer makes the same point more succinctly. “According to the media, all of Rhodes is burning,” he says. “It’s nuts the **** that they tell us.”