Russian Prosecutors Seek 9.5-Year Prison Term for US Basketball Player Brittney Griner

"A Russian court has found US basketball player Brittney Griner, who was accused of
smuggling the controlled substance hash oil into the country, guilty of the crime. The court sentenced her to nine years in prison and ordered her to pay a one million ruble ($16,600) fine.

Previously, a Russian prosecutor requested a 9.5-year prison term for Griner. This is close to the strongest punishment possible for this type of crime. The prosecutor also requested that Griner be slapped with a one million ruble fine." Sputnik

China Fires Missiles in Taiwanese Waters

"Long-range armed live fire precision missile strikes were carried out on selected targets in the eastern area of the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan acknowledged the missile launches as credible, claiming they detected them instantly." PJM

Japan makes claim about Chinese missiles

"Five Chinese ballistic missiles have landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, Defense
Minister Nobuo Kishi claimed on Thursday. China had earlier scrapped a high-level diplomatic meeting with Japan, and fired a salvo of missiles into waters near Taiwan.

Kishi told Kyodo News that the incident marks the first time that a Chinese ballistic missile touched down in Japanese waters." RT

Ballistic Missiles Soar Over Taiwan, "Hundreds" Of PLA Fighters Breach Airspace, As 5-Day Drills Commence

"China has kicked off its latest round of war drills Thursday aimed at encircling and
pressuring Taiwan in the wake of this week's House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visit to the self-ruled island, the day after she departed and continued on her Asia tour to South Korea. According to China's People's Daily, this has included PLA command dispatching "hundreds" of fighter jets to enter airspace off the northern, southwestern and southeastern airspaces of the island, at a moment Taiwan's defense forces are on a heightened state of alert." ZH

Ireland insists Sabina Higgins letter on Ukraine has not embarrassed the government

"The Irish premier has said the controversy over a letter about the Ukraine conflict written by the president's wife has not caused embarrassment.

Micheal Martin said Sabina Higgins has clarified the matter after she issued a statement in defence of the letter which critics claimed drew an equivalence between the actions of Russia and Ukraine." CNBC

“Widespread Civil Unrest” Looming in UK Over Cost of Living Crisis

"The chance of “widespread civil unrest” occurring in the UK as a result of people being unable to afford to pay their bills due to the cost of living crisis is “inevitable,” according to one campaigner.

With energy prices set to soar even higher in October as a result of the sanctions on Russia, many Brits have resolved to refuse to pay their bills as part of a growing backlash some are comparing to the poll tax riots.

A similar movement under the umbrella of the Don’t Pay organization is now urging people to cancel their direct debits in October if energy prices continue to rise.

Average energy bills in the UK for dual fuel are expected to rise to £3,615 by January 2023, an increase of 283 per cent on March levels." IW

Senate Votes to Add Sweden, Finland to NATO

"The Senate voted to admit Sweden and Finland into NATO.

The Senate overwhelmingly approved the application for both countries 95-1. Democrats and Republicans overwhelmingly approved of the measure, while Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) voted no, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) voted present." Breitbart

Taiwan fires flares at ‘Chinese drones’ flying over heavily-fortified Kinmen Islands

"Suspected Chinese drones flew over Taiwan and hackers attacked its defense ministry website, authorities in Taipei said on Thursday, a day after a diplomatic visit from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi outraged the Communist nation. That has never happened before and a senior ministry official described the potential move as ‘amounting to a sea and air blockade of Taiwan’." MS

To Stop Inflation Protests, Panama Fixes Prices Of Groceries, Medicine

"After enduring weeks of increasingly intense protests, strikes, and highway blockades that led
to fuel and other product shortages, the Panamanian government last week announced it will exert control over the prices of 72 food items, and this week agreed to impose price caps on 150 medicines. The commitment was the culmination of the latest round of Catholic Church-mediated negotiations between the Panamanian government and representatives of a coalition of protesters that included labor unions, civic organizations and indigenous people. The broad protest movement was initially sparked by teachers striking over the higher cost of their commutes, due to higher gas prices." ZeroHedge

Nuclear conflict scenarios back on table – Moscow

"Policies enacted by the US have forced other world powers to revive their nuclear war
planning, senior Russian diplomat Alexey Drobinin has claimed. “Built by generations of negotiators, the framework for arms control and preservation of strategic stability is now being dismantled at the instigation of the US. The Americans have lowered the first-strike threshold in their military doctrine,” Drobinin wrote in an article for the Mezhdunarodnaya Zhizn (International Life) magazine." RT

The impact of the US House speaker’s trip to the island may play out “for years”, a Washington Post columnist predicts

"Citing sources in the US administration, the Post’s foreign policy columnist Josh Rogin
predicted that while the Chinese military could respond to Pelosi’s divisive trip in the short term with “some aggressive moves” such as missile launches, Beijing will probably do its best to prevent the stand-off from spiraling out of control.

The Chinese response “will come in phases and not primarily in the military domain,” Rogin wrote in an opinion piece published on Tuesday, after the US House speaker arrived on the self-governed island which Beijing considers part of its territory. Such a development could “forever change the US-China relationship,” while putting Taiwan under serious pressure, he added.

According to the journalist, some US officials believe that “there is a contingent within the Chinese leadership” who are keen to use Pelosi’s trip as a pretext to change China’s posture in the region while ramping up its military presence. The short-term retaliation could also target Taiwan’s economy and society." RT

Pelosi Arrives In Seoul, But South Korea's President Won't Meet With Her

"Pelosi has arrived in South Korea, continuing her Asia tour - now leaving in her wake a tense
Taiwan situation that's seeing Chinese PLA forces encircle the island with live fire drills - but South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol will not meet with her.

While he had a pre-scheduled "holiday" which was announced in advance, there's been widespread speculation in the region that this was intentional (given weeks ago it was being reported she may go to Taiwan), so that Seoul can avoid bringing down China's wrath. Even Foreign Minister Park Jin happens to be out of the country - so there will be no Pelosi meeting with the nation's top diplomat either." ZH

20+ PLA Jets Cross Median Line Over Taiwan Strait As Chinese Drills Encircle Island

"Less than a half-day after Nancy Pelosi's departure from Taiwan on a US Air Force plane, a large group of 27 Chinese PLA planes breached Taiwan's air defense identification zone Wednesday, crucially with at least 22 of the aircraft reported as having crossed the Taiwan Strait "median line". ZH

Poll Finds Only 1 Per Cent of Americans See Russia as a Major Problem

"A new Gallup poll has found that a mere 1 per cent of Americans view Russia as a major
problem, with far more concern expressed about inflation, bad governance and the state of the economy.

In a revealing illustration of to what degree people have lost interest in ‘the current thing,’ whereas 9 per cent of Americans viewed relations with Russia as the most important problem facing the country back in March, that number has now plummeted.

Broadly in line with how the media has relegated the Ukraine-Russia war to an afterthought (presumably disappointed over naive predictions Russia would be swiftly defeated), Americans have also lost interest." NW

China Summons US Ambassador Overnight, Says Washington "Must Pay The Price"

"China has announced the foreign ministry has summoned US Ambassador to China Nicholas
Burns in order to "protest" Pelosi's landing in Taiwan, where she's due to meet with Tsai Ing-wen in the morning." ZH