theduran--2020-04-24--By opening wet markets, Beijing threatens itself and the rest of the world

Despite the outbreak of COVID-19 still taking place in full force , Chinese authorities have began gradually opening the so-called “ wet markets ” 1 , where next to traditional animal produce and seafood one can also purchase exotic animal meat – these markets have often served as ground zero for different animal viruses being transmitted to humans .
At the moment , we are aware of the outbreaks of at least three viruses linked with Chinese wet markets : Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci believes the opening of these wet markets is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can not disagree with this , but despite justified criticism from scientists Beijing has decided to open up wet markets to customers , once again threatening not only the health of its own citizens , but also every person on Earth .
While Western countries continue doing everything in their power to stop the virus from spreading , including potentially damaging their economies , China is not willing to do as much as halt the work of a single industry .
Therefore , a reasonable question comes to mind – why has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that these wet markets have been the nests of infection for different viruses3 , decided not to shut them down ?
One of the arguments coming from Beijing ’ s apologists often has to do with Chinese traditional values , which allegedly largely consist of consuming exotic animals and using them in traditional medicine .
Therefore , any issues expressed with these wet markets and their historical significance are being explained by westerners being closed minded or even racist towards the Chinese .
It is true that Chinese traditional medicine and cuisine have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the phenomenon of wet markets is relatively new .
The proportion of wild animals in Chinese cuisine is directly linked with the famine induced by the communist regime in the late 50s and early 60s of the previous century .
The Great Chinese Famine was the consequence of the industrialization policies ( known as the “ great leap forward ” ) implemented by Chairman of the Communistic Party Mao Zedong .
During this time , China ’ s agrarian community was forcefully industrialized , which resulted in the collapse of agriculture and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to its citizens.4 To combat the deadly famine , the Chinese government decided to allow its citizens to raise any animals , including exotic ones , for sale or consumption .
Due to this being the only sphere which was privatized and not rigorously overseen by the authorities , the trade of exotic animals became a booming industry within the weakened economy of communist China .
Naturally , over time , the habits of Chinese citizens changed and increasingly often their daily menus began featuring wild animals .
Only after the Chinese government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pork , beef and chicken did the popularity of using wild animals as food began to gradually decrease .
Thus , we can reasonably conclude that the use of exotic animals as food is not part of Chinese cultural heritage , as argued by Beijing ’ s apologists , but instead the consequence of widespread famine caused by the communist regime .
Although official statistics suggest that nowadays an increasing part of the Chinese public is against consuming exotic animals ( 97 % of those interviewed in 2017 expressed such an opinion ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Chinese people and they have proven to be quite a lucrative business opportunity .
According to estimates by the Chinese government , in 2017 the turnover in these wet markets reached approximately 73 billion US dollars.6 This means that owners of these wet markets have had the opportunity to pressure officials and politicians of the communist party in order to lobby their business interests on the highest level .
As a result of this lobby , Beijing , despite warnings from scientists and Western nations , has decided to take a risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , posing a significant threat to the health and lives of its own citizens along with everyone on this planet .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Despite the outbreak of COVID-19 still taking place in full force, Chinese authorities have began gradually opening the so-called “wet markets”1, where next to traditional animal produce and seafood one can also purchase exotic animal meat – these markets have often served as ground zero for different animal viruses being transmitted to humans.
At the moment, we are aware of the outbreaks of at least three viruses linked with Chinese wet markets:
1. 2004-2007 epidemic of the bird flu (H5N1);
2. 2002-2003 SARS epidemic;
3. current COVID-19 pandemic.
Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci believes the opening of these wet markets is irresponsibility on the side on Beijing.2 One cannot disagree with this, but despite justified criticism from scientists Beijing has decided to open up wet markets to customers, once again threatening not only the health of its own citizens, but also every person on Earth.
While Western countries continue doing everything in their power to stop the virus from spreading, including potentially damaging their economies, China is not willing to do as much as halt the work of a single industry. Therefore, a reasonable question comes to mind – why has the Chinese government, in spite of admitting that these wet markets have been the nests of infection for different viruses3, decided not to shut them down?
One of the arguments coming from Beijing’s apologists often has to do with Chinese traditional values, which allegedly largely consist of consuming exotic animals and using them in traditional medicine. Therefore, any issues expressed with these wet markets and their historical significance are being explained by westerners being closed minded or even racist towards the Chinese.
It is true that Chinese traditional medicine and cuisine have historically employed different exotic animals, however the phenomenon of wet markets is relatively new. The proportion of wild animals in Chinese cuisine is directly linked with the famine induced by the communist regime in the late 50s and early 60s of the previous century. The Great Chinese Famine was the consequence of the industrialization policies (known as the “great leap forward”) implemented by Chairman of the Communistic Party Mao Zedong. During this time, China’s agrarian community was forcefully industrialized, which resulted in the collapse of agriculture and the inability of the state to provide sustenance to its citizens.4
To combat the deadly famine, the Chinese government decided to allow its citizens to raise any animals, including exotic ones, for sale or consumption. Due to this being the only sphere which was privatized and not rigorously overseen by the authorities, the trade of exotic animals became a booming industry within the weakened economy of communist China.
Naturally, over time, the habits of Chinese citizens changed and increasingly often their daily menus began featuring wild animals. Only after the Chinese government was able to renew sufficient production of pork, beef and chicken did the popularity of using wild animals as food began to gradually decrease.
Thus, we can reasonably conclude that the use of exotic animals as food is not part of Chinese cultural heritage, as argued by Beijing’s apologists, but instead the consequence of widespread famine caused by the communist regime.
Although official statistics suggest that nowadays an increasing part of the Chinese public is against consuming exotic animals (97% of those interviewed in 2017 expressed such an opinion)5, wet markets remain popular among the Chinese people and they have proven to be quite a lucrative business opportunity. According to estimates by the Chinese government, in 2017 the turnover in these wet markets reached approximately 73 billion US dollars.6
This means that owners of these wet markets have had the opportunity to pressure officials and politicians of the communist party in order to lobby their business interests on the highest level. As a result of this lobby, Beijing, despite warnings from scientists and Western nations, has decided to take a risk and open the wet markets for customers, posing a significant threat to the health and lives of its own citizens along with everyone on this planet.
[1] https://nypost.com/2020/04/13/chinas-wet-markets-back-in-business-despite-us-calls-to-shut-them/
[2] https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/16/835937420/calls-grow-to-ban-wet-markets?t=1587454319610
[3] https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/mar/18/china-knew-years-bats-caused-disease-yet-left-wild/
[4] https://meaww.com/coronavirus-chinese-wet-markets-origin-history-1970-s-millions-died-of-starvation-under-mao-zedong
[5] http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-02/25/c_138817298.htm
[6] 战略咨询报告/中国野生动物养殖产业可持续发展战略研究报告.pdf
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theduran--2020-04-24--The Development of Solar Power

The Development of Solar Power

Ovеr thе раѕt сеnturу , еlесtrісіtу paved thе wау fоr thе biggest сhаngеѕ and іnnоvаtіоnѕ in оur lіvеѕ .
New inventions and better tесhnоlоgу fоr vаrіоuѕ electricity ѕуѕtеmѕ wеrе аnd are continuing tо bе сrеаtеd that depend оn еlесtrісіtу .
Whіlе thе еаrth ’ ѕ есоnоmіеѕ соntіnuе tо еxраnd and grow , so dоеѕ еlесtrісіtу demand , as еlесtrісіtу hаѕ bесоmе a сruсіаl раrt оf оur lives .
Fossil fuеlѕ ѕuсh аѕ оіl аnd coal gіvе uѕ thе required rеѕоurсеѕ fоr сrеаtіng electricity by оurѕеlvеѕ bу utіlіzіng gеnеrаtоrѕ provided by роwеr рlаntѕ .
Since we lеаrnеd thаt fоѕѕіl fuеlѕ аrеn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ реорlе аnd the рlаnеt , studies hаvе bееn соnduсtеd regarding dеvеlоріng a ѕоurсеѕ оf еnеrgу that are mоrе clean and ѕаfе .
Onе ѕuсh ѕоurсе іѕ ѕоlаr еlесtrісіtу ѕуѕtеmѕ whісh employ thе еnеrgу рrоvіdеd bу ѕunlіght tо сrеаtе the electricity that wе require .
A ѕоlаr electricity system еmрlоуѕ dіrесt аnd іndіrесt tесhnіԛuеѕ fоr utilizing еnеrgу frоm ѕunlіght .
Dіrесt tесhnіԛuеѕ utіlіzе photovoltaics , often саllеd ѕоlаr сеllѕ , whісh are сrеаtеd from slim ѕlісеѕ оf silicon , crystalline gallium arsenide , оr different semiconductor mаtеrіаlѕ fоr сhаngіng ѕun rаdіаtіоn іntо еlесtrісіtу .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ thе рrісе уоu pay for еlесtrісіtу hаѕ dесrеаѕеd tо аррrоxіmаtеlу twеntу tо thіrtу cents fоr еасh kіllоwаtt hоur .
Thе tесhnоlоgу has bееn utilized fоr quite ѕоmе tіmе tо ѕuррlу ѕаtеllіtеѕ wіth еlесtrісіtу .
A solar electricity ѕуѕtеm offers a long tеrm resource for sustainable energy bесаuѕе іt dоеѕn ’ t have any mесhаnісаl components ѕuсh as thоѕе уоu fіnd аt power рlаntѕ .
Nеvеrthеlеѕѕ , how effective thе сеllѕ are іѕ fairly small аnd dереndѕ оn ѕеаѕоnаl сhаngеѕ аnd whаt time оf thе dау іt is .
A ѕоlаr electricity ѕуѕtеm muѕt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rеѕоurсе іf іt ’ ѕ to be utіlіzеd соmmеrсіаllу аnd іn hоuѕеѕ .
Indіrесt techniques work bу соnсеntrаtіng ѕоlаr radiation оn fосuѕіng energy fоr bоіlіng оr hеаtіng ѕресіfіс liquids to ѕuррlу роwеr tо turbines , whісh іn turn сrеаtеѕ еlесtrісаl energy .
A рорulаr tесhnоlоgу іnvоlvеѕ utіlіzіng a раrаbоlіс trоugh thаt іnсludеѕ a lіnеаr раrаbоlіс rеflесtоr whісh fосuѕеѕ thе еnеrgу оbtаіnеd frоm sunlight іntо a rесеіvеr which іѕ рlасеd оn it ’ s focal lіnе .
On thіѕ lіnе , tubеѕ which аrе аttасhеd to thе turbine аrе fіllеd with lіԛuіd for absorbing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sоlаr еlесtrісіtу systems lіkе thеѕе are mоrе еffесtіvе due to the dіrесt uѕе of sunlight .
Additionally , different technologies рrоlоng еffесtіvеnеѕѕ vіа uѕіng solar dіѕhеѕ аnd роwеr tоwеrѕ .
Wе know fіrѕthаnd how fossil fuels аrе аdvаntаgеоuѕ , аnd also in whаt ways they аrе bad .
Switching tо сlеаnеr and sustainable energy іѕ vіtаl to mаkе sure lіvіng оn оur planet continues to bе роѕѕіblе .
Plаntѕ hаvе utilized solar еnеrgу еvеn prior to реорlе іnhаbіtіng thе еаrth .
What rеаѕоnѕ dо wе hаvе for not bеіng аblе to сору іtѕ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wе have a higher dеgrее оf intelligence .
Wе hаvе to quit drіllіng аnd begin gazing tоwаrd thе сlоudѕ .
Sоlаr еlесtrісіtу ѕуѕtеmѕ can оffеr a way for uѕ to асhіеvе this аіm .
Ovеr thе раѕt сеnturу , еlесtrісіtу paved thе way fоr thе bіggеѕt changes аnd іnnоvаtіоnѕ іn our lives .
Nеw inventions and bеttеr tесhnоlоgу fоr vаrіоuѕ еlесtrісіtу ѕуѕtеmѕ wеrе аnd are соntіnuіng to be сrеаtеd thаt depend оn еlесtrісіtу .
While thе еаrth ’ ѕ есоnоmіеѕ continue tо еxраnd and grоw , so dоеѕ electricity dеmаnd , as еlесtrісіtу @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives .
Fossil fuеlѕ ѕuсh аѕ оіl аnd coal gіvе uѕ the rеԛuіrеd rеѕоurсеѕ fоr сrеаtіng electricity bу ourselves bу utіlіzіng gеnеrаtоrѕ рrоvіdеd bу power рlаntѕ .
Sіnсе we learned thаt fоѕѕіl fuеlѕ аrеn ’ t ѕuѕtаіnаblе and аrе dаngеrоuѕ tо реорlе аnd thе рlаnеt , ѕtudіеѕ have been соnduсtеd regarding developing a sources of еnеrgу that аrе mоrе сlеаn аnd ѕаfе .
Onе ѕuсh ѕоurсе іѕ solar еlесtrісіtу systems which employ thе еnеrgу provided by sunlight tо create the еlесtrісіtу thаt wе rеԛuіrе .
A ѕоlаr еlесtrісіtу ѕуѕtеm еmрlоуѕ direct and іndіrесt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dіrесt tесhnіԛuеѕ utіlіzе рhоtоvоltаісѕ , оftеn саllеd ѕоlаr cells , whісh аrе created from ѕlіm slices of silicon , crystalline gаllіum аrѕеnіdе , or dіffеrеnt ѕеmісоnduсtоr materials for changing ѕun rаdіаtіоn into еlесtrісіtу .
By соnnесtіng ѕеvеrаl сеllѕ іntо раnеlѕ , thе price you рау fоr electricity hаѕ dесrеаѕеd to аррrоxіmаtеlу twenty tо thіrtу сеntѕ for each kіlоwаtt hour .
Thе tесhnоlоgу has been utіlіzеd for quite ѕоmе tіmе tо ѕuррlу satellites with electricity .
A ѕоlаr electricity ѕуѕtеm оffеrѕ a lоng term rеѕоurсе for sustainable еnеrgу bесаuѕе іt dоеѕn ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fіnd аt power plants .
Nеvеrthеlеѕѕ , hоw effective thе сеllѕ аrе is fairly ѕmаll аnd dереndѕ оn ѕеаѕоnаl changes аnd what tіmе of thе dау it іѕ .
A ѕоlаr еlесtrісіtу system muѕt сhаngе DC voltage into аn AC соmраtіblе rеѕоurсе іf іt ’ ѕ to bе utіlіzеd соmmеrсіаllу аnd іn houses .
Indіrесt tесhnіԛuеѕ wоrk bу concentrating solar rаdіаtіоn оn fосuѕіng еnеrgу fоr bоіlіng or heating ѕресіfіс lіԛuіdѕ to ѕuррlу power tо turbines , which in turn сrеаtеѕ еlесtrісаl energy .
A рорulаr technology іnvоlvеѕ utіlіzіng a раrаbоlіс trоugh thаt includes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ еnеrgу obtained frоm sunlight іntо a rесеіvеr which іѕ рlасеd оn it ’ s fосаl lіnе .
On this lіnе , tubes which аrе аttасhеd to thе turbine аrе fіllеd wіth liquid fоr absorbing hеаt сrеаtеd bу solar еnеrgу соnсеntrаtіоn .
Solar electricity systems like thеѕе аrе mоrе еffесtіvе duе tо thе dіrесt uѕе оf ѕunlіght .
Additionally , dіffеrеnt tесhnоlоgіеѕ prolong effectiveness via using ѕоlаr dіѕhеѕ аnd роwеr towers .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Ovеr thе раѕt сеnturу, еlесtrісіtу paved thе wау fоr thе biggest сhаngеѕ and іnnоvаtіоnѕ in оur lіvеѕ. New inventions and better tесhnоlоgу fоr vаrіоuѕ electricity ѕуѕtеmѕ wеrе аnd are continuing tо bе сrеаtеd that depend оn еlесtrісіtу. Whіlе thе еаrth’ѕ есоnоmіеѕ соntіnuе tо еxраnd and grow, so dоеѕ еlесtrісіtу demand, as еlесtrісіtу hаѕ bесоmе a сruсіаl раrt оf оur lives. Fossil fuеlѕ ѕuсh аѕ оіl аnd coal gіvе uѕ thе required rеѕоurсеѕ fоr сrеаtіng electricity by оurѕеlvеѕ bу utіlіzіng gеnеrаtоrѕ provided by роwеr рlаntѕ. Since we lеаrnеd thаt fоѕѕіl fuеlѕ аrеn’t ѕuѕtаіnаblе and are dаngеrоuѕ to реорlе аnd the рlаnеt, studies hаvе bееn соnduсtеd regarding dеvеlоріng a ѕоurсеѕ оf еnеrgу that are mоrе clean and ѕаfе. Onе ѕuсh ѕоurсе іѕ ѕоlаr еlесtrісіtу ѕуѕtеmѕ whісh employ thе еnеrgу рrоvіdеd bу ѕunlіght tо сrеаtе the electricity that wе require.
A ѕоlаr electricity system еmрlоуѕ dіrесt аnd іndіrесt tесhnіԛuеѕ fоr utilizing еnеrgу frоm ѕunlіght. Dіrесt tесhnіԛuеѕ utіlіzе photovoltaics, often саllеd ѕоlаr сеllѕ, whісh are сrеаtеd from slim ѕlісеѕ оf silicon, crystalline gallium arsenide, оr different semiconductor mаtеrіаlѕ fоr сhаngіng ѕun rаdіаtіоn іntо еlесtrісіtу. Bу соnnесtіng several сеllѕ іntо panels, thе рrісе уоu pay for еlесtrісіtу hаѕ dесrеаѕеd tо аррrоxіmаtеlу twеntу tо thіrtу cents fоr еасh kіllоwаtt hоur. Thе tесhnоlоgу has bееn utilized fоr quite ѕоmе tіmе tо ѕuррlу ѕаtеllіtеѕ wіth еlесtrісіtу. A solar electricity ѕуѕtеm offers a long tеrm resource for sustainable energy bесаuѕе іt dоеѕn’t have any mесhаnісаl components ѕuсh as thоѕе уоu fіnd аt power рlаntѕ. Nеvеrthеlеѕѕ, how effective thе сеllѕ are іѕ fairly small аnd dереndѕ оn ѕеаѕоnаl сhаngеѕ аnd whаt time оf thе dау іt is. A ѕоlаr electricity ѕуѕtеm muѕt change DC voltage іntо аn AC compatible rеѕоurсе іf іt’ѕ to be utіlіzеd соmmеrсіаllу аnd іn hоuѕеѕ.
Indіrесt techniques work bу соnсеntrаtіng ѕоlаr radiation оn fосuѕіng energy fоr bоіlіng оr hеаtіng ѕресіfіс liquids to ѕuррlу роwеr tо turbines, whісh іn turn сrеаtеѕ еlесtrісаl energy. A рорulаr tесhnоlоgу іnvоlvеѕ utіlіzіng a раrаbоlіс trоugh thаt іnсludеѕ a lіnеаr раrаbоlіс rеflесtоr whісh fосuѕеѕ thе еnеrgу оbtаіnеd frоm sunlight іntо a rесеіvеr which іѕ рlасеd оn it’s focal lіnе. On thіѕ lіnе, tubеѕ which аrе аttасhеd to thе turbine аrе fіllеd with lіԛuіd for absorbing heat сrеаtеd bу ѕоlаr energy соnсеntrаtіоn. Sоlаr еlесtrісіtу systems lіkе thеѕе are mоrе еffесtіvе due to the dіrесt uѕе of sunlight. Additionally, different technologies рrоlоng еffесtіvеnеѕѕ vіа uѕіng solar dіѕhеѕ аnd роwеr tоwеrѕ.
Wе know fіrѕthаnd how fossil fuels аrе аdvаntаgеоuѕ, аnd also in whаt ways they аrе bad. Switching tо сlеаnеr and sustainable energy іѕ vіtаl to mаkе sure lіvіng оn оur planet continues to bе роѕѕіblе. Plаntѕ hаvе utilized solar еnеrgу еvеn prior to реорlе іnhаbіtіng thе еаrth. What rеаѕоnѕ dо wе hаvе for not bеіng аblе to сору іtѕ сараbіlіtіеѕ fоr оbtаіnіng еnеrgу from sunlight when wе have a higher dеgrее оf intelligence. Wе hаvе to quit drіllіng аnd begin gazing tоwаrd thе сlоudѕ. Sоlаr еlесtrісіtу ѕуѕtеmѕ can оffеr a way for uѕ to асhіеvе this аіm.
Ovеr thе раѕt сеnturу, еlесtrісіtу paved thе way fоr thе bіggеѕt changes аnd іnnоvаtіоnѕ іn our lives. Nеw inventions and bеttеr tесhnоlоgу fоr vаrіоuѕ еlесtrісіtу ѕуѕtеmѕ wеrе аnd are соntіnuіng to be сrеаtеd thаt depend оn еlесtrісіtу. While thе еаrth’ѕ есоnоmіеѕ continue tо еxраnd and grоw, so dоеѕ electricity dеmаnd, as еlесtrісіtу has bесоmе a сruсіаl part оf our lives. Fossil fuеlѕ ѕuсh аѕ оіl аnd coal gіvе uѕ the rеԛuіrеd rеѕоurсеѕ fоr сrеаtіng electricity bу ourselves bу utіlіzіng gеnеrаtоrѕ рrоvіdеd bу power рlаntѕ. Sіnсе we learned thаt fоѕѕіl fuеlѕ аrеn’t ѕuѕtаіnаblе and аrе dаngеrоuѕ tо реорlе аnd thе рlаnеt, ѕtudіеѕ have been соnduсtеd regarding developing a sources of еnеrgу that аrе mоrе сlеаn аnd ѕаfе. Onе ѕuсh ѕоurсе іѕ solar еlесtrісіtу systems which employ thе еnеrgу provided by sunlight tо create the еlесtrісіtу thаt wе rеԛuіrе.
A ѕоlаr еlесtrісіtу ѕуѕtеm еmрlоуѕ direct and іndіrесt tесhnіԛuеѕ for utіlіzіng еnеrgу frоm sunlight. Dіrесt tесhnіԛuеѕ utіlіzе рhоtоvоltаісѕ, оftеn саllеd ѕоlаr cells, whісh аrе created from ѕlіm slices of silicon, crystalline gаllіum аrѕеnіdе, or dіffеrеnt ѕеmісоnduсtоr materials for changing ѕun rаdіаtіоn into еlесtrісіtу. By соnnесtіng ѕеvеrаl сеllѕ іntо раnеlѕ, thе price you рау fоr electricity hаѕ dесrеаѕеd to аррrоxіmаtеlу twenty tо thіrtу сеntѕ for each kіlоwаtt hour. Thе tесhnоlоgу has been utіlіzеd for quite ѕоmе tіmе tо ѕuррlу satellites with electricity. A ѕоlаr electricity ѕуѕtеm оffеrѕ a lоng term rеѕоurсе for sustainable еnеrgу bесаuѕе іt dоеѕn’t have аnу mесhаnісаl соmроnеntѕ ѕuсh аѕ thоѕе you fіnd аt power plants. Nеvеrthеlеѕѕ, hоw effective thе сеllѕ аrе is fairly ѕmаll аnd dереndѕ оn ѕеаѕоnаl changes аnd what tіmе of thе dау it іѕ. A ѕоlаr еlесtrісіtу system muѕt сhаngе DC voltage into аn AC соmраtіblе rеѕоurсе іf іt’ѕ to bе utіlіzеd соmmеrсіаllу аnd іn houses.
Indіrесt tесhnіԛuеѕ wоrk bу concentrating solar rаdіаtіоn оn fосuѕіng еnеrgу fоr bоіlіng or heating ѕресіfіс lіԛuіdѕ to ѕuррlу power tо turbines, which in turn сrеаtеѕ еlесtrісаl energy. A рорulаr technology іnvоlvеѕ utіlіzіng a раrаbоlіс trоugh thаt includes a linear parabolic reflector whісh fосuѕеѕ thе еnеrgу obtained frоm sunlight іntо a rесеіvеr which іѕ рlасеd оn it’s fосаl lіnе. On this lіnе, tubes which аrе аttасhеd to thе turbine аrе fіllеd wіth liquid fоr absorbing hеаt сrеаtеd bу solar еnеrgу соnсеntrаtіоn. Solar electricity systems like thеѕе аrе mоrе еffесtіvе duе tо thе dіrесt uѕе оf ѕunlіght. Additionally, dіffеrеnt tесhnоlоgіеѕ prolong effectiveness via using ѕоlаr dіѕhеѕ аnd роwеr towers.
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theduran--2020-04-24--Brexit and how Covid-19 factors into the equation (Video)

The Duran ’ s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the possibility that due to the coronavirus pandemic and a complete stand still in EU-UK trade negotiations , the EU could request an extension to avoid a ‘ no deal ’ Brexit scenario on WTO terms .
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A frustrated Michel Barnier , the EU ’ s chief Brexit negotiator , came close to accusing London of derailing talks on a future EU-UK trade pact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warning that there were “ serious difficulties ahead ” if a ‘ no deal ’ scenario is to be avoided in two months ’ time .
Barnier complained that , with less than two months until a crunch meeting between leaders in June , the week of talks had been “ disappointing ” , with “ no progress on fisheries ” , and that the UK was yet to table any legal proposals on the issue .
“ On this essential topic the UK has not put forward a legal text , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EU will not agree to any future partnership that does not include a balanced and long-term agreement on fisheries.
” “ That should be crystal clear to the UK.
” Already facing a very tight deadline after the UK formally exited the EU on 31 January , the talks on future trade and political relations have almost ground to a halt because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Only one round of face-to-face talks was held by Barnier and UK counterpart David Frost before the spread of the pandemic prompted lockdown on both sides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been scheduled for the weeks beginning 11 May and 1 June before a planned ‘ High Level ’ meeting in June at EU leaders ’ level , where the two sides will take stock of progress .
The mid-June meeting has been earmarked by the UK team as the time when they will decide if a deal can be brokered before the end of 2020 , or if they will leave on ‘ no deal ’ terms .
With both the EU and UK economies facing a major hit as a result of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was important to broker “ a smart agreement to cushion the shock ” .
However , Boris Johnson ’ s government has repeatedly stated that it will reject any extension of the post-Brexit transition period – during which the UK remains part of the single market – beyond December 2020 .
“ The consequence of this decision is that the clock is ticking , ” said Barnier , adding that “ the UK can not impose this short brief timeline but then not make progress on important areas for the EU.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the EU could request an extension to avoid any loss of face by Johnson and avoid a ‘ no deal ’ scenario .
“ We are not closing the door to an extension of the transition period , ” Barnier said but added that no decision on this would be made until early June If an extension is agreed , the UK would be required to make a flat-rate contribution to the budget to retain access to the single market , but would not be party to the next seven-year EU budget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to support the bloc ’ s economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis .
Around 40 video conference calls were held between EU and UK officials this week .
While the EU ’ s 350-page draft text was made publicly available , the UK has published a series of sector-specific proposals but insists on keeping its negotiating mandate confidential .
“ Our objective for tangible progress…has only been very partially met this week , ” Barnier told reporters , adding that “ the UK did not wish to commit seriously on a number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UK officials of seeking to row back on commitments made in the Withdrawal Agreement .
The key points of contention focus on the so-called ‘ level playing field ’ , under which the EU expects that the UK will commit to keeping EU standards on social and environmental policy , as well as state aid , in return for a free trade deal with zero tariffs and quotas .
The UK insists that it must have the right to pursue its own regulatory approach .
Barnier complained that UK officials had “ failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , adding that “ there will be no ambitious trade deal without an ambitious level playing field .
The EU chief negotiator added that the two sides were also “ very far apart on governance ” , while little progress has been made on the role of the European Court of Justice , and on future police and judicial co-operation .
Barnier added that Brussels also required “ clear evidence ” that the UK is advancing with procedures for new customs arrangements between Northern Ireland and the Republic .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the possibility that due to the coronavirus pandemic and a complete stand still in EU-UK trade negotiations, the EU could request an extension to avoid a ‘no deal’ Brexit scenario on WTO terms.
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Subscribe to The Duran on YouTube – Find us on BitChute.
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Via Euractiv…
A frustrated Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, came close to accusing London of derailing talks on a future EU-UK trade pact on Friday (24 April), warning that there were “serious difficulties ahead” if a ‘no deal’ scenario is to be avoided in two months’ time.
Barnier complained that, with less than two months until a crunch meeting between leaders in June, the week of talks had been “disappointing”, with “no progress on fisheries”, and that the UK was yet to table any legal proposals on the issue.
“On this essential topic the UK has not put forward a legal text,” said Barnier, adding that “the EU will not agree to any future partnership that does not include a balanced and long-term agreement on fisheries.”
“That should be crystal clear to the UK.”
Already facing a very tight deadline after the UK formally exited the EU on 31 January, the talks on future trade and political relations have almost ground to a halt because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Only one round of face-to-face talks was held by Barnier and UK counterpart David Frost before the spread of the pandemic prompted lockdown on both sides of the Channel.
Further teleconferences have been scheduled for the weeks beginning 11 May and 1 June before a planned ‘High Level’ meeting in June at EU leaders’ level, where the two sides will take stock of progress.
‘Clock is ticking’
The mid-June meeting has been earmarked by the UK team as the time when they will decide if a deal can be brokered before the end of 2020, or if they will leave on ‘no deal’ terms.
With both the EU and UK economies facing a major hit as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Barnier said it was important to broker “a smart agreement to cushion the shock”.
However, Boris Johnson’s government has repeatedly stated that it will reject any extension of the post-Brexit transition period – during which the UK remains part of the single market – beyond December 2020.
“The consequence of this decision is that the clock is ticking,” said Barnier, adding that “the UK cannot impose this short brief timeline but then not make progress on important areas for the EU.”
Extension question
The slow pace of talks has prompted speculation that the EU could request an extension to avoid any loss of face by Johnson and avoid a ‘no deal’ scenario.
“We are not closing the door to an extension of the transition period,” Barnier said but added that no decision on this would be made until early June
If an extension is agreed, the UK would be required to make a flat-rate contribution to the budget to retain access to the single market, but would not be party to the next seven-year EU budget, now expected to be radically increased to support the bloc’s economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis.
Around 40 video conference calls were held between EU and UK officials this week. While the EU’s 350-page draft text was made publicly available, the UK has published a series of sector-specific proposals but insists on keeping its negotiating mandate confidential.
“Our objective for tangible progress…has only been very partially met this week,” Barnier told reporters, adding that “the UK did not wish to commit seriously on a number of fundamental points”.
He also accused UK officials of seeking to row back on commitments made in the Withdrawal Agreement.
The key points of contention focus on the so-called ‘level playing field’, under which the EU expects that the UK will commit to keeping EU standards on social and environmental policy, as well as state aid, in return for a free trade deal with zero tariffs and quotas. The UK insists that it must have the right to pursue its own regulatory approach.
Barnier complained that UK officials had “failed to engage substantially” on the matter, adding that “there will be no ambitious trade deal without an ambitious level playing field.
The EU chief negotiator added that the two sides were also “very far apart on governance”, while little progress has been made on the role of the European Court of Justice, and on future police and judicial co-operation.
Barnier added that Brussels also required “clear evidence” that the UK is advancing with procedures for new customs arrangements between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
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theduran--2020-04-25--U.S. Again Trying to Control Greenland to Dominate Arctic

In the summer of 2020 , the U.S. intends to open its consulate in Greenland , as well as allocate $ 12.1 million to strengthen its presence on this island .
According to the U.S. ambassador to Denmark , Carla Sands , the North American country will reopen a consulate in the capital city of Nuuk so it can “ serve as our primary platform for increasing our daily interaction with the people of Greenland , ” which is a territory of Denmark .
According to the State Department , the $ 12.1 million tranche is intended for financial aid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the desire previously expressed by U.S. President Donald Trump to buy the territory .
As stated in a Greenland Government ( Naalakkersuisut ) press release , “ the U.S. is focusing on sectors in Greenland that will benefit the economic development of Greenland , including the mineral industry , tourism and education.
” At the same time , the State Department said “ that the United States recognizes that Russia has legitimate Arctic interests .
It ’ s an Arctic Council member .
It ’ s cooperated with the United States and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas , including oil spill response , search and rescue , pollution issues .
That work is continuing ; it ’ s ongoing ; it ’ s welcome .
We have no concerns about it or no objections to it , and we want it to continue .
But we also have concerns about Russia ’ s military build-up in the Arctic.
” The State Department spokesman also said that the United States does “ not accept Beijing ’ s claims to be a near-Artic state ” and that “ its soft power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Although the U.S. says it is concerned by Russia ’ s supposed military build-up in the Arctic , it is likely more concerned by China , a country 1,500 kilometers away from the Arctic but considers itself a “ near Arctic ” state .
Washington can not pass off Russia ’ s interests and legitimacy in the Arctic and is thus trying to a create a “ us verse them ” situation by highlighting to Moscow that China is not an Arctic state .
Although Russia is a militarily powerful state , China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. , and this is of a greater immediate concern for Washington as there is little chance in the short and medium term of a war between Russia and the U.S .
Although relations are hostile , they are not strong enough to eventuate in a military conflict .
However , as the U.S. attempts to use Greenland to counter China and Russian interests in the Arctic , it has not considered Denmark at all , with many political parties across the political spectrum denouncing Washington ’ s moves .
“ The U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Denmark , ” said Rasmus Jarlov , a centre-right MP and former minister .
“ In the end , they might not be present in Greenland at all if they come with this kind of agenda .
It is totally unacceptable.
” Karsten Honge , a leftwing MP , accused the U.S. of trying to drive a wedge between Greenland and Denmark and urged Danish premier Mette Frederiksen to “ draw a line in the ice cap.
” Since 2008 , Greenland has enjoyed strong autonomy , all powers were transferred to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and security .
The largest island on the planet has enormous geostrategic appeal , which the Trump Administration has desperately wanted to take advantage of .
Washington is well aware of the great disadvantage it has in this geostrategic battle against Moscow .
Russia not only controls much more Arctic territory than the U.S. , it is also much better prepared to exploit and control the Arctic .
Paul Zukunf , commander-in-chief of the US Coast Guard between 2014 and 2018 , said in 2017 that it will take the U.S. “ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military capabilities in the Arctic .
The U.S. , Russia and China are competing over the Arctic because as the icecaps melt , a new maritime route that is emerging will allow ships to pass through , considerably reducing journey times between Europe , North America and East Asia , propelling international trade .
In addition , a 2008 study by the U.S. Geology Service indicated that the Arctic potentially has 22 % of the world ’ s undiscovered oil and gas reserves , in addition to precious metals and minerals like gold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diamonds .
However , a U.S. control of Greenland will mean a considerable advantage against Russia to gain access to these precious resources and control maritime laneways .
Greenland itself has large reserves of gas , oil and fresh water .
It is for this reason that Trump believed the purchase of Greenland is a great real estate deal .
But the battle goes beyond Greenland , and focuses on the Arctic .
Eight nations are within the Arctic Circle – Canada , Denmark , Finland , Iceland , Norway , Russia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of them created in 1996 the Arctic Council , a forum in charge of promoting cooperation and coordination .
China is however outside of this circle but will still force its way to try and influence the region .
Although the U.S. is watchful and suspicious of Russia , a part of it is hoping that Moscow and Washington can coordinate against Chinese influence , while at the same time dominate the region for itself .
It is however unlikely that Copenhagen will allow the U.S. to control and/or influence Greenland , despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hegemony in the Arctic .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Submitted by InfoBrics, authored by Paul Antonopoulos, independent geopolitical analyst…
In the summer of 2020, the U.S. intends to open its consulate in Greenland, as well as allocate $12.1 million to strengthen its presence on this island. According to the U.S. ambassador to Denmark, Carla Sands, the North American country will reopen a consulate in the capital city of Nuuk so it can “serve as our primary platform for increasing our daily interaction with the people of Greenland,” which is a territory of Denmark.
According to the State Department, the $12.1 million tranche is intended for financial aid to Greenland and is supposedly not related to the desire previously expressed by U.S. President Donald Trump to buy the territory. As stated in a Greenland Government (Naalakkersuisut) press release, “the U.S. is focusing on sectors in Greenland that will benefit the economic development of Greenland, including the mineral industry, tourism and education.”
At the same time, the State Department said “that the United States recognizes that Russia has legitimate Arctic interests. It’s an Arctic Council member. It’s cooperated with the United States and other Arctic states in a number of areas, including oil spill response, search and rescue, pollution issues. That work is continuing; it’s ongoing; it’s welcome. We have no concerns about it or no objections to it, and we want it to continue. But we also have concerns about Russia’s military build-up in the Arctic.” The State Department spokesman also said that the United States does “not accept Beijing’s claims to be a near-Artic state” and that “its soft power tools generally have a sharp edge.”
Although the U.S. says it is concerned by Russia’s supposed military build-up in the Arctic, it is likely more concerned by China, a country 1,500 kilometers away from the Arctic but considers itself a “near Arctic” state. Washington cannot pass off Russia’s interests and legitimacy in the Arctic and is thus trying to a create a “us verse them” situation by highlighting to Moscow that China is not an Arctic state. Although Russia is a militarily powerful state, China is the true economic rival of the U.S., and this is of a greater immediate concern for Washington as there is little chance in the short and medium term of a war between Russia and the U.S. Although relations are hostile, they are not strong enough to eventuate in a military conflict.
However, as the U.S. attempts to use Greenland to counter China and Russian interests in the Arctic, it has not considered Denmark at all, with many political parties across the political spectrum denouncing Washington’s moves.
“The U.S. is clearly working to undermine the Kingdom of Denmark,” said Rasmus Jarlov, a centre-right MP and former minister. “In the end, they might not be present in Greenland at all if they come with this kind of agenda. It is totally unacceptable.” Karsten Honge, a leftwing MP, accused the U.S. of trying to drive a wedge between Greenland and Denmark and urged Danish premier Mette Frederiksen to “draw a line in the ice cap.”
Since 2008, Greenland has enjoyed strong autonomy, all powers were transferred to Nuuk except foreign and financial policy, and security. The largest island on the planet has enormous geostrategic appeal, which the Trump Administration has desperately wanted to take advantage of. Washington is well aware of the great disadvantage it has in this geostrategic battle against Moscow. Russia not only controls much more Arctic territory than the U.S., it is also much better prepared to exploit and control the Arctic. Paul Zukunf, commander-in-chief of the US Coast Guard between 2014 and 2018, said in 2017 that it will take the U.S. “a generation” to reach Russia’s military capabilities in the Arctic.
The U.S., Russia and China are competing over the Arctic because as the icecaps melt, a new maritime route that is emerging will allow ships to pass through, considerably reducing journey times between Europe, North America and East Asia, propelling international trade. In addition, a 2008 study by the U.S. Geology Service indicated that the Arctic potentially has 22% of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas reserves, in addition to precious metals and minerals like gold, copper, bauxite, zinc and diamonds.
However, a U.S. control of Greenland will mean a considerable advantage against Russia to gain access to these precious resources and control maritime laneways. Greenland itself has large reserves of gas, oil and fresh water. It is for this reason that Trump believed the purchase of Greenland is a great real estate deal. But the battle goes beyond Greenland, and focuses on the Arctic.
Eight nations are within the Arctic Circle – Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the U.S., and all of them created in 1996 the Arctic Council, a forum in charge of promoting cooperation and coordination. China is however outside of this circle but will still force its way to try and influence the region. Although the U.S. is watchful and suspicious of Russia, a part of it is hoping that Moscow and Washington can coordinate against Chinese influence, while at the same time dominate the region for itself. It is however unlikely that Copenhagen will allow the U.S. to control and/or influence Greenland, despite its attempts, thus severely weakening American hegemony in the Arctic.
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theduran--2020-04-25--Coronavirus escalates a pharmaceutical arms race

Submitted by InfoBrics , authored by Lucas Leiroz , research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro… In each era , it is possible to detect a central factor in the struggle for power between nations , which , when achieved , will enable the nation that conquered it to be at an advantageous stage in relation to all the others that have not yet obtained it .
The Argentine scholar Marcelo Gullo called this factor a “ threshold of power ” .
The first threshold would have been the National State , the second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the acquisition of territories during the neocolonial period , the fourth was the atomic bomb and the fifth is not yet perfectly determined , but it is linked to the new technologies of the post-atomic age .
In a world increasingly devastated by the effects of a global pandemic , where all countries invest everything they have in researching medicines and vaccines against the new coronavirus , we can reflect more deeply on what the new and current “ threshold of power ” would be .
In England , scientists started on April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a new experimental vaccine .
The information was confirmed by UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Wednesday .
According to the secretary , the project is receiving state funding of £20 million .
These are his words : “ We will support them to the end and give them the resources they need to improve their chances of success ” .
According to infectologist Andrew Pollard , who leads the research project , the Oxford vaccine center will produce one million doses of the vaccine by September , even though it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which in itself already reveals how much the project is a bet by the United Kingdom .
The English objective is to produce a vaccine before the deadline of one year as stipulated by the World Health Organization , which , undoubtedly , would put the British in an advantage over almost all nations .
Germany also hopes to take advantage on this race .
The German government authorized the first clinical trials of a vaccine against the new coronavirus .
Two hundred healthy people will participate in the first phase of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the development of immunity and want to include more people in the tests in a second step of the experiments .
But the president of the Vaccination Institute warned that the process will take months before any vaccine is approved and become available to the population at health centers in the country .
Leading research to develop the vaccine in Germany are the pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer and the biotechnology company BioNTech SE .
Both companies are also awaiting authorization to start clinical trials in the United States .
China , the first country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ position of relative advantage over the other countries , which were later affected .
Beijing began clinical trials of an experimental vaccine in March , with doses administered to more than 100 volunteers between 18 and 60 years old in the city of Wuhan .
For six months , the volunteers will be followed up , which is why there are no results yet identified regarding the vaccine ’ s effectiveness .
Also in March , the United States began testing an experimental vaccine where the biotechnology company Moderna Therapeutics is conducting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accompanied for the next months .
Russia has announced that it will be ready to start testing its experimental vaccines on humans from June .
Rinat Maksiutov , who runs the Vektor state center , said that he plans to carry out the first phase of testing three vaccines on 180 volunteers from 29 June .
“ Volunteer groups have already been created .
We received more than 300 applications ” , explained Maksiutov .
According to the director , scientists at his laboratory , located in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different technological platforms .
Currently , tests continue to be performed on animals .
The most promising prototypes will be announced until April 30 , when they will be sent for human testing .
There are still other different vaccine projects underway .
As we can see , some of the most powerful nations of the world are in a notorious race to develop their own vaccine , which would represent for the respective State a true pharmaceutical autonomy and an extreme advantage in the era of epidemics .
In fact , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ significant change in the world order , even though we are still far from knowing its greatest effects : we are already in an age of epidemics and pandemics , and the nation that currently obtains pharmaceutical sovereignty will have reached the newest “ threshold of power ” .
During the Cold War , the atomic bomb represented the limit of national sovereignty .
The Soviet Union and the USA competed with each other in a major arms race , in which the nations sought to gain an advantage through war superiority .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ war and possibly biological weapons , the most powerful nations can not be content with nuclear power , but must be concerned with investing in biological and pharmaceutical research for defense purposes .
Vaccine has become synonymous with power .
What we are seeing now is a new arms race , where weapons are the instruments to combat deadly plagues , which will become more and more frequent in a context of globalization and massive circulation of people .
We have entered the age of pandemics and the race for vaccines .
Still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one in which private corporations control these vaccines , as this would put companies at an advantage over nation states .
Interestingly , we are looking at this situation in most of the West .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Submitted by InfoBrics, authored by Lucas Leiroz, research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro…
In each era, it is possible to detect a central factor in the struggle for power between nations, which, when achieved, will enable the nation that conquered it to be at an advantageous stage in relation to all the others that have not yet obtained it. The Argentine scholar Marcelo Gullo called this factor a “threshold of power”. The first threshold would have been the National State, the second was the industrialization, the third was the acquisition of territories during the neocolonial period, the fourth was the atomic bomb and the fifth is not yet perfectly determined, but it is linked to the new technologies of the post-atomic age. In a world increasingly devastated by the effects of a global pandemic, where all countries invest everything they have in researching medicines and vaccines against the new coronavirus, we can reflect more deeply on what the new and current “threshold of power” would be.
In England, scientists started on April 23 the first clinical trials in humans of a new experimental vaccine. The information was confirmed by UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Wednesday. According to the secretary, the project is receiving state funding of £20 million. These are his words: “We will support them to the end and give them the resources they need to improve their chances of success”. According to infectologist Andrew Pollard, who leads the research project, the Oxford vaccine center will produce one million doses of the vaccine by September, even though it is in the period of clinical trials, which in itself already reveals how much the project is a bet by the United Kingdom. The English objective is to produce a vaccine before the deadline of one year as stipulated by the World Health Organization, which, undoubtedly, would put the British in an advantage over almost all nations.
Germany also hopes to take advantage on this race. The German government authorized the first clinical trials of a vaccine against the new coronavirus. Two hundred healthy people will participate in the first phase of the tests. Scientists are trying to verify the development of immunity and want to include more people in the tests in a second step of the experiments. But the president of the Vaccination Institute warned that the process will take months before any vaccine is approved and become available to the population at health centers in the country. Leading research to develop the vaccine in Germany are the pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer and the biotechnology company BioNTech SE. Both companies are also awaiting authorization to start clinical trials in the United States.
China, the first country to control the infection, has a position of relative advantage over the other countries, which were later affected. Beijing began clinical trials of an experimental vaccine in March, with doses administered to more than 100 volunteers between 18 and 60 years old in the city of Wuhan. For six months, the volunteers will be followed up, which is why there are no results yet identified regarding the vaccine’s effectiveness. Also in March, the United States began testing an experimental vaccine where the biotechnology company Moderna Therapeutics is conducting the research. Vaccinated volunteers will also be accompanied for the next months.
Russia has announced that it will be ready to start testing its experimental vaccines on humans from June. Rinat Maksiutov, who runs the Vektor state center, said that he plans to carry out the first phase of testing three vaccines on 180 volunteers from 29 June. “Volunteer groups have already been created. We received more than 300 applications”, explained Maksiutov. According to the director, scientists at his laboratory, located in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, developed the vaccine prototypes based on six different technological platforms. Currently, tests continue to be performed on animals. The most promising prototypes will be announced until April 30, when they will be sent for human testing.
There are still other different vaccine projects underway. As we can see, some of the most powerful nations of the world are in a notorious race to develop their own vaccine, which would represent for the respective State a true pharmaceutical autonomy and an extreme advantage in the era of epidemics. In fact, the new coronavirus has brought us a very significant change in the world order, even though we are still far from knowing its greatest effects: we are already in an age of epidemics and pandemics, and the nation that currently obtains pharmaceutical sovereignty will have reached the newest “threshold of power”.
During the Cold War, the atomic bomb represented the limit of national sovereignty. The Soviet Union and the USA competed with each other in a major arms race, in which the nations sought to gain an advantage through war superiority. Currently, in the context of hybrid war and possibly biological weapons, the most powerful nations cannot be content with nuclear power, but must be concerned with investing in biological and pharmaceutical research for defense purposes. Vaccine has become synonymous with power. What we are seeing now is a new arms race, where weapons are the instruments to combat deadly plagues, which will become more and more frequent in a context of globalization and massive circulation of people. We have entered the age of pandemics and the race for vaccines.
Still, the worst case scenario would be one in which private corporations control these vaccines, as this would put companies at an advantage over nation states. Interestingly, we are looking at this situation in most of the West.
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theduran--2020-04-25--David Sirota Documents More of Joe Biden’s Pervasive Corruption

“ Do You See What Happens , Larry ?
” By David Sirota , at his “ Too Much Information ” Biden signs up Larry Summers , after Summers destroyed the world and now wages a campaign against a wealth tax and against worker power .
Joe Biden infamously promised his big donors that if elected , “ nothing would fundamentally change ” for them .
The news that Biden is being advised by Larry Summers suggests the presumptive Democratic nominee is dead serious about fulfilling that campaign promise .
Summers was the architect of major corporate trade policies that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capacity — a development that left the United States in the unenviable position of begging China ’ s authoritarian regime to help produce the basic goods we need during the coronavirus emergency .
Summers also sculpted Wall Street deregulation and was billed as one of three members of a “ committee to save the world ” — a committee that ended up destroying the world when its bank-coddling policies culminated in the financial crisis .
That didn ’ t stop Summers — he took a lucrative trip through the revolving door into a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that netted him $ 5 million .
After that , he went back into government and fought against proposals to protect homeowners and crack down on the financial industry that had destroyed the global economy .
He was also terrible on climate change .
If Walter Sobchack was around , he ’ d angrily ask : do you see what happens , Larry ?
Do you see what happens when you screw over millions of people ?
And Summers ’ answer would likely be no — he doesn ’ t see .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how many things he ruins , no matter how much pain his policies inflict , he continues to be rewarded — this time by the Democratic nominee for president .
He hasn ’ t renounced any of his past mistakes .
In fact , during a recent speech attacking proponents of a wealth tax , Summers showed he is still the same power-worshiping ideologue — and willfully ignorant of the oligarchic forces that own American politics .
And apparently , that ’ s somehow all fine and good at the highest reaches of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Has Never Heard of The Kochs Following the Bush and Trump tax cuts , America recently hit a milestone in our ongoing journey from capitalism to feudalism : for the first time in history , billionaires are now paying a lower tax rate than ordinary workers .
To start dealing with this — and to generate new revenues and combat economic inequality — lawmakers such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have proposed following European countries and instituting a wealth tax on billionaires .
Polls show this idea is wildly popular among Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one Democratic Party constituency : Summers .
In an October 2019 speech to the Peterson Institute , Summers predicated his opposition to the initiative , in part , on his belief that reducing the overall wealth of billionaires would not reduce their political influence .
“ The arguments around political power have almost no validity , ” Summers declared .
“ The truth is you can become one of the most powerful money people around the democratic party or the Republican party for $ 4 or $ 5 million a year .
Nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wealthiest people in America from being able to come up with a vast multiple of $ 4 or $ 5 million a year.
” He later added : “ I ’ m just looking for some actual credible story of a moment when taking wealth down by 20 percent , say , credibly would produce better balanced political decisions or policy decisions or cultural decisions or anything that you ’ re saying .
I ’ m just looking for one example.
” If campaign contributions were the only form of political influence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least a little sense — because , yes , very rich people will always have a few million dollars lying around to bankroll candidates .
However , we know that political influence goes way beyond elections — and we know it from one of many examples that Summers somehow pretends to be unaware of : the Koch Brothers .
The oil barons and their network of billionaires have spent billions of dollars on an entire architecture of political influence — and they ’ ve done that year after year , resulting in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A wealth tax certainly wouldn ’ t solve the problem of billionaires having such massive resources to totally and completely dominate our politics .
But yeah — the Kochs and other billionaires having 20 percent less money to rig our democracy might be slightly better than things now .
Oh , and it would also raise much needed revenue for stuff like health care and education and every other priority that ’ s been underfunded for decades .
Summers at one point insisted that a wealth tax would prompt billionaires to shelter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where the cash can be used for billionaires ’ political ends .
However , that ’ s a bullshit argument against ever taxing billionaires — if they can just funnel their money into tax shelters and tax-exempt foundations , why even make them pay taxes ?
Hell , why have a tax code at all ?
We already have a problem of political spending being laundered through charitable organizations , and we should fix that with tougher IRS rules .
We shouldn ’ t let the Larry Summerses of the world use it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tax proposal .
Summers Insinuates That Rich People Are Smarter Than Everyone Else Inequality is fueled by many factors — like rapacious monopolies and regulatory capture , as well as deunionization and the attendant loss of worker bargaining power .
But in his speech , Summers let slip that he believes rich people became rich , in part , because they are simply smarter than everyone else .
“ I don ’ t think wealth is a particularly sensible way for judging or assigning taxes on an ability to pay , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ further point that what do we want to encourage or discourage the wealthy from doing ?
Activity A — investing the money in the way they think are most productive based on the fact that they were smart enough to accumulate it in the first place .
That ’ s what we punish hardest with the wealth tax activity day.
” That phrase — “ smart enough to accumulate it ” — is the tell here .
Now sure , there are some geniuses who get rich because they had a brilliant idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who get rich just because they happen to be born into a wealthy family ( and I ’ m not just talking about Donald Trump and his kids ) .
Indeed , one recent report found that about a quarter of people who have more than $ 30 million had some kind of inheritance .
A separate report found that one third of the Forbes 400 were recipients of an inheritance .
And yet , Summers ’ effectively insinuates that a wealth tax is a reckless effort to “ punish ” intelligence .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the founding of the country , that whole trope has been used by American aristocrats to depict populism as the ideology of anti-intellectual know-nothings .
Compared to many other countries — and even compared to eras in its own past — America is not a place where workers have a lot of power .
The conservative crusade against unions and for policies that empower employers has resulted in workers ’ productivity gains becoming outsized profits for corporate executives and shareholders , rather than pay increases for employees .
Of late , this trend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We see corporations pocket small business loans , lay off workers and pay CEOs millions .
We see a company like Disney lay off 100,000 workers while paying out $ 1.5 billion of executive bonuses .
We see Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos raking in $ 24 billion of new personal wealth during the coronavirus emergency , while Amazon warehouse workers get sick and the company makes it difficult for them to get adequate paid sick leave .
One thing that could combat these trends is employee ownership of companies , or at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] emulating the German model of requiring employee representation on the boards that run corporations .
But Summers smears employee-led companies , arguing that they are a bad idea because that model might end up allowing workers to get paid well .
“ When you put workers in charge of firms and you give them substantial control over the firms — see Israeli kibbutzes , see Yugoslav cooperatives , see universities where faculty have a powerful voice — one thing you do not get is expansion , ” he said .
“ You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already there .
That does not seem to me to be an attractive position for progressives to be taking.
” First of all , Yugoslav cooperatives ?
Really ?
Really ?
Setting aside that old-school 1980s red baiting , Summers — the guy billed as a dispassionate empiricist — is also just totally wrong , according to Loren Rodgers of the National Center for Employee Ownership .
“ With all due respect to Larry Summers , in this case he is letting theory obscure his view of the facts , ” Rodgers told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies , and firms with employee stock ownership ( ESOP ) structures .
“ The 6,000 privately owned ESOP companies in the U.S. have over 2.7 million employee-owners , and we have over 45 years of data and research on ESOPs .
In fact , Dr. Summers ’ claim about worker owned businesses not expanding is simply not reflected in that research .
It ’ s quite the opposite : ESOP companies grow faster in both sales and employment and they lay people off at dramatically lower rates .
They also generate much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and they can do that because they have greater productivity.
” It ’ s worth reiterating : these declarations from Summers aren ’ t ancient history from some distant era .
Summers said all these things barely six months ago .
The fact that this guy could have the past policy record he has , and then double down and wage a public campaign against a wealth tax , pretend oligarchs have no power , depict billionaires as a superhuman species of higher intelligence , rabbit punch the effort to give workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be rewarded by the Democratic Party…it is…breathtaking .
It perfectly illustrates how the laws of gravity do not apply to Democratic elites , as long as they show continued fealty to the neoliberal project that has ravaged the economy .
As George Carlin once said , it ’ s a big club and you ain ’ t in it .
But Larry Summers sure is — and membership has its lifetime privileges .
Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author , most recently , of They ’ re Not Even Close : The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and of CHRIST ’ S VENTRILOQUISTS : The Event that Created Christianity .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
25 April 2020, Eric Zuesse posts Sirota’s latest subscription-only exposé:
“Do You See What Happens, Larry?”
By David Sirota [originally at his “Too Much Information”, and then at https://archive.is/WsxWR]
Biden signs up Larry Summers, after Summers destroyed the world and now wages a campaign against a wealth tax and against worker power.
Joe Biden infamously promised his big donors that if elected, “nothing would fundamentally change” for them. The news that Biden is being advised by Larry Summers suggests the presumptive Democratic nominee is dead serious about fulfilling that campaign promise — which is very bad news.
Summers was the architect of major corporate trade policies that ended up offshoring America’s manufacturing capacity — a development that left the United States in the unenviable position of begging China’s authoritarian regime to help produce the basic goods we need during the coronavirus emergency. Summers also sculpted Wall Street deregulation and was billed as one of three members of a “committee to save the world” — a committee that ended up destroying the world when its bank-coddling policies culminated in the financial crisis.
That didn’t stop Summers — he took a lucrative trip through the revolving door into a reportedly part-time job at a hedge fund that netted him $5 million. After that, he went back into government and fought against proposals to protect homeowners and crack down on the financial industry that had destroyed the global economy. He was also terrible on climate change.
If Walter Sobchack was around, he’d angrily ask: do you see what happens, Larry? Do you see what happens when you screw over millions of people?
And Summers’ answer would likely be no — he doesn’t see. He doesn’t see because no matter how many things he ruins, no matter how much pain his policies inflict, he continues to be rewarded — this time by the Democratic nominee for president. He hasn’t renounced any of his past mistakes. In fact, during a recent speech attacking proponents of a wealth tax, Summers showed he is still the same power-worshiping ideologue — and willfully ignorant of the oligarchic forces that own American politics.
And apparently, that’s somehow all fine and good at the highest reaches of the Democratic Party.
Summers Pretends He Has Never Heard of The Kochs
Following the Bush and Trump tax cuts, America recently hit a milestone in our ongoing journey from capitalism to feudalism: for the first time in history, billionaires are now paying a lower tax rate than ordinary workers.
To start dealing with this — and to generate new revenues and combat economic inequality — lawmakers such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have proposed following European countries and instituting a wealth tax on billionaires.
Polls show this idea is wildly popular among Americans — but it is not popular among one Democratic Party constituency: Summers.
In an October 2019 speech to the Peterson Institute, Summers predicated his opposition to the initiative, in part, on his belief that reducing the overall wealth of billionaires would not reduce their political influence.
“The arguments around political power have almost no validity,” Summers declared. “The truth is you can become one of the most powerful money people around the democratic party or the Republican party for $4 or $5 million a year. Nothing in this world is going to stop the wealthiest people in America from being able to come up with a vast multiple of $4 or $5 million a year.”
He later added: “I’m just looking for some actual credible story of a moment when taking wealth down by 20 percent, say, credibly would produce better balanced political decisions or policy decisions or cultural decisions or anything that you’re saying. I’m just looking for one example.”
If campaign contributions were the only form of political influence, then Summers’ argument might make at least a little sense — because, yes, very rich people will always have a few million dollars lying around to bankroll candidates.
However, we know that political influence goes way beyond elections — and we know it from one of many examples that Summers somehow pretends to be unaware of: the Koch Brothers.
“Koch Brothers’ Budget of $8890 Million for 2016 Is on Par With Both Parties’ Spending”
NYT, 26 January 2015
The oil barons and their network of billionaires have spent billions of dollars on an entire architecture of political influence — and they’ve done that year after year, resulting in legislative changes at every level of government.
A wealth tax certainly wouldn’t solve the problem of billionaires having such massive resources to totally and completely dominate our politics. But yeah — the Kochs and other billionaires having 20 percent less money to rig our democracy might be slightly better than things now. Oh, and it would also raise much needed revenue for stuff like health care and education and every other priority that’s been underfunded for decades.
Summers at one point insisted that a wealth tax would prompt billionaires to shelter even more of their money in nonprofits where the cash can be used for billionaires’ political ends. However, that’s a bullshit argument against ever taxing billionaires — if they can just funnel their money into tax shelters and tax-exempt foundations, why even make them pay taxes? Hell, why have a tax code at all?
We already have a problem of political spending being laundered through charitable organizations, and we should fix that with tougher IRS rules. We shouldn’t let the Larry Summerses of the world use it as an argument against a common-sense wealth tax proposal.
Summers Insinuates That Rich People Are Smarter Than Everyone Else
Inequality is fueled by many factors — like rapacious monopolies and regulatory capture, as well as deunionization and the attendant loss of worker bargaining power.
But in his speech, Summers let slip that he believes rich people became rich, in part, because they are simply smarter than everyone else.
“I don’t think wealth is a particularly sensible way for judging or assigning taxes on an ability to pay,” he said. “There’s the further point that what do we want to encourage or discourage the wealthy from doing? Activity A — investing the money in the way they think are most productive based on the fact that they were smart enough to accumulate it in the first place. That’s what we punish hardest with the wealth tax activity day.”
That phrase — “smart enough to accumulate it” — is the tell here.
Now sure, there are some geniuses who get rich because they had a brilliant idea. But there are also some failsons who get rich just because they happen to be born into a wealthy family (and I’m not just talking about Donald Trump and his kids). Indeed, one recent report found that about a quarter of people who have more than $30 million had some kind of inheritance. A separate report found that one third of the Forbes 400 were recipients of an inheritance.
And yet, Summers’ effectively insinuates that a wealth tax is a reckless effort to “punish” intelligence. That’s no accident — since the founding of the country, that whole trope has been used by American aristocrats to depict populism as the ideology of anti-intellectual know-nothings.
Summers Is Openly Hostile to Worker Power
Compared to many other countries — and even compared to eras in its own past — America is not a place where workers have a lot of power. The conservative crusade against unions and for policies that empower employers has resulted in workers’ productivity gains becoming outsized profits for corporate executives and shareholders, rather than pay increases for employees.
Of late, this trend has gone medieval on our collective asses. We see corporations pocket small business loans, lay off workers and pay CEOs millions. We see a company like Disney lay off 100,000 workers while paying out $1.5 billion of shareholder dividends. We see Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos raking in $24 billion of new personal wealth during the coronavirus emergency, while Amazon warehouse workers get sick and the company makes it difficult for them to get adequate paid sick leave.
One thing that could combat these trends is employee ownership of companies, or at least passing Democratic legislation emulating the German model of requiring employee representation on the boards that run corporations.
But Summers smears employee-led companies, arguing that they are a bad idea because that model might end up allowing workers to get paid well.
“When you put workers in charge of firms and you give them substantial control over the firms — see Israeli kibbutzes, see Yugoslav cooperatives, see universities where faculty have a powerful voice — one thing you do not get is expansion,” he said. “You get more for the people who are already there. That does not seem to me to be an attractive position for progressives to be taking.”
First of all, Yugoslav cooperatives? Really? Really?
Setting aside that old-school 1980s red baiting, Summers — the guy billed as a dispassionate empiricist — is also just totally wrong, according to Loren Rodgers of the National Center for Employee Ownership.
“With all due respect to Larry Summers, in this case he is letting theory obscure his view of the facts,” Rodgers told me, citing extensive data about employee-owned companies, and firms with employee stock ownership (ESOP) structures. “The 6,000 privately owned ESOP companies in the U.S. have over 2.7 million employee-owners, and we have over 45 years of data and research on ESOPs. In fact, Dr. Summers’ claim about worker owned businesses not expanding is simply not reflected in that research. It’s quite the opposite: ESOP companies grow faster in both sales and employment and they lay people off at dramatically lower rates. They also generate much greater wealth for employees than traditional businesses, and they can do that because they have greater productivity.”
******
It’s worth reiterating: these declarations from Summers aren’t ancient history from some distant era. Summers said all these things barely six months ago.
The fact that this guy could have the past policy record he has, and then double down and wage a public campaign against a wealth tax, pretend oligarchs have no power, depict billionaires as a superhuman species of higher intelligence, rabbit punch the effort to give workers more power — and then nonetheless still be rewarded by the Democratic Party…it is…breathtaking.
It perfectly illustrates how the laws of gravity do not apply to Democratic elites, as long as they show continued fealty to the neoliberal project that has ravaged the economy.
As George Carlin once said, it’s a big club and you ain’t in it. But Larry Summers sure is — and membership has its lifetime privileges.
—————
Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of They’re Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRIST’S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.
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theduran--2020-04-25--Oil price war started after shouting match between Putin and MbS (Video)

The Duran ’ s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the shouting match phone call between Saudi Crown Prince MbS and Russian President Vladimir Putin that eventually launched a devastating oil price war .
Reports claim that the Saudi crown prince threatened Russian president over production cuts prior to flooding market .
A source for the Middle East Eye reports that ‘ the call ended badly.
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A telephone call last month between Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mohammed bin Salman degenerated into a shouting match just before Riyadh decided to flood the market with oil in a move which sent prices spiralling .
Saudi officials with knowledge of the disastrous call told Middle East Eye that the row threatened to undo months of detente between the two countries , in which a significant arms trade was also agreed .
The call took place just before an Opec+ meeting on 6 March , in which major oil producers failed to agree a deal on cutting production despite falling global demand as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Just before that meeting there was a call between Putin and MBS .
MBS was very aggressive and gave an ultimatum .
He threatened that if there is no agreement , Saudi would start a price war .
“ The conversation was very personal .
They shouted at each other .
Putin refused the ultimatum and the call ended badly , ” the Saudi official said , speaking on condition of anonymity .
Before getting aggressive with Putin , bin Salman checked in with Jared Kushner , President Donald Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been described as “ the prince ’ s most important defender inside the White House ” , according to a second source who also spoke on condition of anonymity .
“ The call [ to Putin ] had Trump ’ s blessing through Kushner .
Kushner did not ask MBS to do it , but Kushner knew about it and did not veto it .
Bin Salman drew his own conclusions , ” the source said .
Oil prices plummeted after the meeting in which Opec , Russia and other countries failed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a day .
Reports of the meeting suggested that Saudi Arabia had tried to “ strong arm ” Russia , with one industry analyst commenting : “ We have just witnessed the perils of backing Putin into a corner.
” The collapsing oil price was initially hailed by Trump , who initially presented it as an opportunity to fill up the US ’ s own reserves with cheap oil .
“ We ’ re going to fill it right up to the top , saving the American taxpayer billions and billions of dollars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ furthering ] that wonderful goal – which we ’ ve achieved , which nobody thought was possible – of energy independence , ” he said .
But the White House subsequently reversed course after protests from US oil producers , many of whom have invested in more costly shale oil extraction and require significantly higher prices in order to break even .
The Saudi row with Putin over oil production undid months of quiet diplomacy between Moscow and Riyadh .
This began when Putin seized on Trump ’ s non-reaction to strikes on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iranian drones and cruise missiles last September .
Speaking in Ankara in September last year after a meeting with Turkish and Iranian leaders , Putin offered to sell Saudi its own air-defence systems .
“ We are ready to provide respective assistance to Saudi Arabia , and it would be enough for the political leadership of Saudi Arabia to make a wise government decision – as the leaders of Iran did in their time by purchasing S-300 and as President Erdogan did by purchasing the latest S-400 ‘ Triumph ’ air defence systems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In mid-January , Saudi Arabia decided in principle to buy the Russian Pantsir S1M SPAAGM air defence system , MEE sources revealed .
“ They did not sign any contracts .
They decided to buy the system , but they put some conditions .
The Saudis wanted part of the Russian system to be manufactured at home .
They were serious about the system .
This was three months after the attack on Aramco , ” the official revealed .
The Russian missile system is relatively new .
It was unveiled at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year .
The Russian MoD describes it as being designed to protect small military and military-industrial infrastructures , engaging aerial targets flying at low altitudes .
The link man in these negotiations was a Putin insider called Kirill Dmitriev , the head of Russia ’ s $ 10bn state investment vehicle RDIF .
Dmitriev told CNBC in October last year that Russia was not trying to fill the void left by the United States in the Middle East .
“ Really we are not talking about , you know , the strategic partnerships @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and what we are doing is not against the US .
It ’ s actually building something that is very positive , ” Dmitriev said .
“ And building something that helps the Saudi economy , the Russian economy – and builds the friendship between our nations.
” He added : “ We had lots of differences during Soviet times .
We had lots of differences in many politics in the Middle East .
But now I can report to you that we made really breakthrough and this is a breakthrough because President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prince Mohammed bin Salman really believed that it ’ s possible to bring Russia and Saudi Arabia closer together.
” RDIF has investment partnerships with two Saudi sovereign wealth funds , the Public Investment Fund ( PIF ) , which is chaired by Mohammed bin Salman , and the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority ( SAGIA ) .
Saudi Aramco has also invested in Russian oil firm Novomet .
Other mutual investment announcements were planned before the atmosphere turned sour over the oil row .
By October last year Saudi Arabia had invested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pledge in Russian energy , infrastructure and technology .
Dmitriev was introduced to bin Salman by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi , Mohammed bin Zayed .
Dmitriev also attended a meeting in the Seychelles which attracted the attention of Robert Mueller , the Special Counsel investigating allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US election .
Dmitriev has been named as the Russian whom Erik Prince had met “ for a drink ” in the Four Seasons hotel on the Indian Ocean archipelago in January 2017 .
Prince , who founded the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now called Academi ) , is now based in the UAE and has close ties and business contracts with the Emirati government .
Prince admitted meeting Dmitriev in testimony to the US Congress but denied it was official .
Prince said he met Dmitriev on the recommendation of UAE officials , but mostly discussed private investments .
“ They said , ‘ Oh , there ’ s this Russian guy that ’ s also here to see us .
Might be useful for you to meet him , ' ” Prince stated to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the meeting was undermined by the Mueller Report .
Mueller revealed that George Nader , a fixer for MBZ and convicted paedophile who is currently in custody in the US facing new child pornography charges , had arranged for them to meet after Dmitriev sought an introduction to a Trump transition team member in order to begin improving US-Russia ties .
The report described Dmitriev as reporting directly to Putin who , it said , he often referred to as his “ boss ” .
By the time Saudi Arabia sought a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ key credentials to conduct negotiations with Saudi Arabia and bin Salman personally .
These were cemented in a bizarre ceremony in which Dmitriev was awarded the Order of King Abdulaziz , the highest civilian honour in the kingdom .
Dmitriev later played a key role in securing a Russian-Saudi agreement on oil , announced on 12 April , when OPEC+ finally agreed to reduce global production by about 10 percent .
By then , the oil price had already slipped to about half of what it was at the time of the rupture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ series of phone calls between leaders in Moscow , Riyadh and Washington .
On 10 April , the Kremlin announced that Putin had spoken to bin Salman and that the “ two had agreed on further Russian-Saudi contacts ” in the context of cutting oil production .
On 12 April , Putin had a telephone conversation with Trump and Saudi Arabia ’ s King Salman to confirm the OPEC+ agreement .
Trump subsequently congratulated Putin and King Salman on agreeing the deal in a tweet .
But the deal was not enough to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Monday , with oil prices in US crude oil futures plunging into negative territory and ending the day trading at - $ 37.63 , with oil storage facilities unable to cope with the surplus supply .
Asked whether he would consider halting US imports of Saudi oil to support the domestic industry , Trump said : “ We ’ ll look into it.
” From yacht to not Dmitriev met bin Salman on 22 February , when the Saudi crown prince began to become concerned at the fall in oil prices , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ By then , the virus became obvious and the oil price started to come down .
He came as an envoy from Putin and discussed these issues .
That meeting was not bad , but MBS expressed concern that our budget can not tolerate the fall in prices , ” an official told MEE .
Dmitriev asked bin Salman whether he could moor his yacht off the shores of Saudi Arabia .
“ Relations at that time were good , ” the source said .
MEE contacted the Saudi and Russian governments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responded to requests for comment at the time of publication .
This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the shouting match phone call between Saudi Crown Prince MbS and Russian President Vladimir Putin that eventually launched a devastating oil price war.
Reports claim that the Saudi crown prince threatened Russian president over production cuts prior to flooding market. A source for the Middle East Eye reports that ‘the call ended badly.’
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Via Middle East Eye…
A telephone call last month between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman degenerated into a shouting match just before Riyadh decided to flood the market with oil in a move which sent prices spiralling.
Saudi officials with knowledge of the disastrous call told Middle East Eye that the row threatened to undo months of detente between the two countries, in which a significant arms trade was also agreed.
The call took place just before an Opec+ meeting on 6 March, in which major oil producers failed to agree a deal on cutting production despite falling global demand as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Just before that meeting there was a call between Putin and MBS. MBS was very aggressive and gave an ultimatum. He threatened that if there is no agreement, Saudi would start a price war.
“The conversation was very personal. They shouted at each other. Putin refused the ultimatum and the call ended badly,” the Saudi official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Before getting aggressive with Putin, bin Salman checked in with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, who has been described as “the prince’s most important defender inside the White House”, according to a second source who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The call [to Putin] had Trump’s blessing through Kushner. Kushner did not ask MBS to do it, but Kushner knew about it and did not veto it. Bin Salman drew his own conclusions,” the source said.
Oil prices plummeted after the meeting in which Opec, Russia and other countries failed to agree on proposed cuts of 1.5m barrels a day. Reports of the meeting suggested that Saudi Arabia had tried to “strong arm” Russia, with one industry analyst commenting: “We have just witnessed the perils of backing Putin into a corner.”
The collapsing oil price was initially hailed by Trump, who initially presented it as an opportunity to fill up the US’s own reserves with cheap oil.
“We’re going to fill it right up to the top, saving the American taxpayer billions and billions of dollars, helping our oil industry [and furthering] that wonderful goal – which we’ve achieved, which nobody thought was possible – of energy independence,” he said.
But the White House subsequently reversed course after protests from US oil producers, many of whom have invested in more costly shale oil extraction and require significantly higher prices in order to break even.
Quiet diplomacy
The Saudi row with Putin over oil production undid months of quiet diplomacy between Moscow and Riyadh. This began when Putin seized on Trump’s non-reaction to strikes on two Saudi Aramco gas separation plants by Iranian drones and cruise missiles last September.
Speaking in Ankara in September last year after a meeting with Turkish and Iranian leaders, Putin offered to sell Saudi its own air-defence systems.
“We are ready to provide respective assistance to Saudi Arabia, and it would be enough for the political leadership of Saudi Arabia to make a wise government decision – as the leaders of Iran did in their time by purchasing S-300 and as President Erdogan did by purchasing the latest S-400 ‘Triumph’ air defence systems from Russia,” Putin said.
In mid-January, Saudi Arabia decided in principle to buy the Russian Pantsir S1M SPAAGM air defence system, MEE sources revealed.
“They did not sign any contracts. They decided to buy the system, but they put some conditions. The Saudis wanted part of the Russian system to be manufactured at home. They were serious about the system. This was three months after the attack on Aramco,” the official revealed.
The Russian missile system is relatively new. It was unveiled at a Russian Ministry of Defence show early last year. The Russian MoD describes it as being designed to protect small military and military-industrial infrastructures, engaging aerial targets flying at low altitudes.
Putin’s link man
The link man in these negotiations was a Putin insider called Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s $10bn state investment vehicle RDIF. Dmitriev told CNBC in October last year that Russia was not trying to fill the void left by the United States in the Middle East.
“Really we are not talking about, you know, the strategic partnerships that Saudi has with the US, and what we are doing is not against the US. It’s actually building something that is very positive,” Dmitriev said.
“And building something that helps the Saudi economy, the Russian economy – and builds the friendship between our nations.”
He added: “We had lots of differences during Soviet times. We had lots of differences in many politics in the Middle East. But now I can report to you that we made really breakthrough and this is a breakthrough because President Putin and King Salman and now Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman really believed that it’s possible to bring Russia and Saudi Arabia closer together.”
RDIF has investment partnerships with two Saudi sovereign wealth funds, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is chaired by Mohammed bin Salman, and the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA). Saudi Aramco has also invested in Russian oil firm Novomet. Other mutual investment announcements were planned before the atmosphere turned sour over the oil row.
By October last year Saudi Arabia had invested $2.5bn of a $10bn investment pledge in Russian energy, infrastructure and technology.
Seychelles meeting
Dmitriev was introduced to bin Salman by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed. Dmitriev also attended a meeting in the Seychelles which attracted the attention of Robert Mueller, the Special Counsel investigating allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US election.
Dmitriev has been named as the Russian whom Erik Prince had met “for a drink” in the Four Seasons hotel on the Indian Ocean archipelago in January 2017. Prince, who founded the American private military contractor firm Blackwater (now called Academi), is now based in the UAE and has close ties and business contracts with the Emirati government.
Prince admitted meeting Dmitriev in testimony to the US Congress but denied it was official. Prince said he met Dmitriev on the recommendation of UAE officials, but mostly discussed private investments.
“They said, ‘Oh, there’s this Russian guy that’s also here to see us. Might be useful for you to meet him,'” Prince stated to Congress.
However Prince’s account of the meeting was undermined by the Mueller Report.
Mueller revealed that George Nader, a fixer for MBZ and convicted paedophile who is currently in custody in the US facing new child pornography charges, had arranged for them to meet after Dmitriev sought an introduction to a Trump transition team member in order to begin improving US-Russia ties.
The report described Dmitriev as reporting directly to Putin who, it said, he often referred to as his “boss”.
By the time Saudi Arabia sought a new partner in Russia, Dmitriev had key credentials to conduct negotiations with Saudi Arabia and bin Salman personally.
These were cemented in a bizarre ceremony in which Dmitriev was awarded the Order of King Abdulaziz, the highest civilian honour in the kingdom.
Dmitriev later played a key role in securing a Russian-Saudi agreement on oil, announced on 12 April, when OPEC+ finally agreed to reduce global production by about 10 percent. By then, the oil price had already slipped to about half of what it was at the time of the rupture.
The deal was agreed amid a series of phone calls between leaders in Moscow, Riyadh and Washington.
On 10 April, the Kremlin announced that Putin had spoken to bin Salman and that the “two had agreed on further Russian-Saudi contacts” in the context of cutting oil production.
On 12 April, Putin had a telephone conversation with Trump and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to confirm the OPEC+ agreement. Trump subsequently congratulated Putin and King Salman on agreeing the deal in a tweet.
The big Oil Deal with OPEC Plus is done. This will save hundreds of thousands of energy jobs in the United States. I would like to thank and congratulate President Putin of Russia and King Salman of Saudi Arabia. I just spoke to them from the Oval Office. Great deal for all! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2020
But the deal was not enough to prevent oil markets sliding to historic lows on Monday, with oil prices in US crude oil futures plunging into negative territory and ending the day trading at -$37.63, with oil storage facilities unable to cope with the surplus supply.
Asked whether he would consider halting US imports of Saudi oil to support the domestic industry, Trump said: “We’ll look into it.”
From yacht to not
Dmitriev met bin Salman on 22 February, when the Saudi crown prince began to become concerned at the fall in oil prices, according to MEE’s sources.
“By then, the virus became obvious and the oil price started to come down. He came as an envoy from Putin and discussed these issues. That meeting was not bad, but MBS expressed concern that our budget cannot tolerate the fall in prices,” an official told MEE.
Dmitriev asked bin Salman whether he could moor his yacht off the shores of Saudi Arabia. “Relations at that time were good,” the source said.
MEE contacted the Saudi and Russian governments, and RDIF, but none had responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.
This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.
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