cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/21521751

> Summary > > Regardless of Putin’s decision regarding the war in Ukraine, Russia’s economy is facing a crisis due to factors such as sanctions, a shrinking sovereign wealth fund, and a labor shortage. The war has boosted growth, but Russia cannot sustain it without significant economic consequences.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/21986077

> The BRICS Cross-Border Payment Initiative (BCBPI) will use national currencies, instead of the US dollar. Russia’s finance ministry and central bank released a report detailing plans to transform the international monetary and financial system.

> As the chair of BRICS for 2024, Russia proposed the creation of a BRICS Cross-Border Payment Initiative (BCBPI), in which members of the organization will use their national currencies to trade.

> BRICS will likewise establish an alternative messaging infrastructure to circumvent the SWIFT system of interbank communication, which is overseen by the United States and subject to Western unilateral sanctions.

> There are also plans for the establishment of a BRICS Grain Exchange and associated pricing agency, with centers for trade in commodities like grain, oil, natural gas, and gold, which can likewise be used to settle trade imbalances.

> These proposals were outlined in the report “Improvement of the International Monetary and Financial System”, which was co-authored by the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, the Bank of Russia, and the consulting firm Yakov and Partners.

> In February 2024, the finance ministers and central bank governors of BRICS met in Sao Paulo, Brazil. There, the Russian representatives said they would prepare a report “for BRICS countries’ leaders with a list of initiatives and recommendations on ways to improve the international monetary and financial system”.

> Russia’s Finance Minister Anton Siluanov explained the motivation: > > > > "The current system is based on existing Western financial infrastructure and the use of reserve currencies. It is severely flawed and is increasingly used as a tool of political and economic pressure. Another reason for a reform of the international monetary and financial system is the geo-economic fragmentation that became a result of the abuse of trade and financial restrictions."

> The Russian BRICS chairmanship report argued that the international monetary and financial system (IMFS) is not only unjust but also inefficient, as it is a monopoly that suffers “from excessive reliance on a single currency and centralized financial infrastructure”.

> The document noted that the “current IMFS is primarily serving interests of AEs” (advanced economies) – that is, largely the wealthy countries of the West.

> As of 2023, the original five BRICS countries make up 32% of global GDP (measured at purchasing power parity, PPP), but have only 13.54% of voting shares in the IMF.

> On the other hand, the G7 nations hold 41.27% of the voting shares in the IMF, despite the fact that they comprise just 30% of global GDP (PPP).

Archive link

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/32066145

> About 8,000 North Korean soldiers are stationed in Russia on the border with Ukraine, the US secretary of state has said, warning that Moscow is preparing to deploy those troops into combat “in the coming days”. > > Antony Blinken said the US believed that North Korea had sent 10,000 troops to Russia in total, deploying them first to training bases in the far east before sending the vast majority to the Kursk region on the border with Ukraine. > > Blinken told a press conference that the North Korean troops had received Russian training in “artillery, UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles], basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, indicating that they fully intend to use these forces in frontline operations”. > > MBFC > Archive

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/21108638

> > AMY GOODMAN: The Israeli military says it’s hit buildings housing nearly a dozen bank branches of Al-Qard al-Hassan, a financial institution with ties to Hezbollah. Many of the banks were located in residential buildings and held the savings for many Lebanese residents. > > > On Sunday, UNIFIL, the U.N. peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, accused Israel of deliberately demolishing another U.N. observation tower in what UNIFIL described as a “flagrant violation of international law.” > > > JAMIL MOUAWAD: Actually, the situation in Lebanon is incredibly difficult. We currently live in a limbo. Life has come to a halt, basically, with people concerned about when do they go about their normal life, when students will go back to schools, to universities, people will go back to their jobs, but also to their normal life. So, there is a lot of anxiety going on. > > > Yesterday, as you mentioned, Israel attacked directly and bombed financial institutions related directly to Hezbollah. Of course, we all know that Israel has identified any institution, civilian or not, directly affiliated with Hezbollah as a threat, and they are bombing it. Of course, this is only a way to demolish buildings in Lebanon and to further terrorize the Lebanese civilians.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/21637223

> Summary by Brave AI : > >- Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has called for the "voluntary transfer" of Palestinians out of Gaza. > >- Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has previously suggested that not only Gaza, but also parts of Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq should become part of a Jewish state. > >- Ten of the 32 lawmakers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party are participating in a conference discussing building Jewish settlements in Gaza. > >- The Israeli government and Likud Party members have openly discussed their desire to ethnically cleanse Gaza and establish Jewish settlements on the ruins of Palestinian cities. > >- Israeli forces have been implementing a plan to forcibly expel all Palestinians from northern Gaza and starve and kill anyone who refuses to leave. > >- Over 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israel in the past year, the majority being women and children.

Summary by Brave AI : >- Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has called for the "voluntary transfer" of Palestinians out of Gaza. >- Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has previously suggested that not only Gaza, but also parts of Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq should become part of a Jewish state. >- Ten of the 32 lawmakers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party are participating in a conference discussing building Jewish settlements in Gaza. >- The Israeli government and Likud Party members have openly discussed their desire to ethnically cleanse Gaza and establish Jewish settlements on the ruins of Palestinian cities. >- Israeli forces have been implementing a plan to forcibly expel all Palestinians from northern Gaza and starve and kill anyone who refuses to leave. >- Over 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israel in the past year, the majority being women and children.

Summary by brave leo :

• An attack in Lebanon, targeting personal electronics of Hezbollah members, has resulted in significant casualties.

• The attack is widely believed to be carried out by Israel, but Western media such as The New York Times present it as a targeted operation with low risk to non-Hezbollah members.

• The attack is part of Israel's Dahiya Doctrine, which involves disproportionate force on any enemy village, causing significant damage and terror.

• This doctrine was applied in the 2008-9 Gaza onslaught and the 2006 war in Lebanon, leading to accusations of deliberate harm to civilians.

• The recent Gaza onslaught is seen as a full-blown implementation of this doctrine, leading to genocide.

• The international community has criticized Israel's use of booby-trapped objects, which is considered illegal and unacceptable under a global treaty.

Summary by brave leo :

• Yousef and Maisara, residents of al-Shuja’iyya, a neighborhood in Gaza City, chose not to evacuate despite the area being under siege by Israeli forces.

• Maisara, a resistance fighter with the Qassam Brigades, was killed by an Israeli drone in mid-July. Yousef, his best friend and a Hamas supporter, stayed behind to bury the dead and protect the neighborhood from looting.

• Yousef, who was not a member of the Qassam Brigades, wanted to be recruited to fight the invaders head-on. He was inspired by the courage of the fighters he had seen.

• The Israeli army launched two invasions of al-Shuja’iyya, in December and June, suffering heavy losses during the first battle. Yousef and his friends helped the fighters by bringing them food and providing reconnaissance.

• Yousef received military training from a young age through Hamas-organized summer camps, which provided youth with basic training.

• The text highlights the ongoing conflict and resistance in al-Shuja’iyya, with a focus on Yousef’s experiences and desires to contribute to the resistance.