Japan’s Nikkei 225 index plunges 7% as worries over US economy shake world markets

"Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index has fallen as much as 7.1% before recovering some lost ground, extending sell-offs that shook markets last week Japan’s Nikkei 225 index plunges 7% as worries over US economy shake world market." Breitbart

140 combat clashes on front lines in past day

"As many as 140 combat engagements occurred on the front lines in Ukraine in the past 24 hours, with the fiercest fighting taking place in the Pokrovsk sector. Russian forces were also active on the Toretsk and Kupiansk axes. The Russian army carried out airstrikes on Loknia and Myropillia in the Sumy region, Slobozhanske, Lyptsi, Izbytske and Hlyboke in the Kharkiv region, Makiivka, Siversk, Druzhba, Toretsk, Chasiv Yar, Hrodivka, Zoria, Vozdvyzhenka, Ptyche, Oleksandropil, Vremivka, Blahodatne and Urozhaine in the Donetsk region, Bilohiria, Mala Tokmachka and Pavlivka in the Zaporizhzhia region, and Kozatske in the Kherson region.

Six battles were recorded in the Kharkiv sector. Ukrainian forces repelled enemy assaults near Tykhe, Hlyboke and Vovchansk.
In the Kupiansk sector, there were 19 combat clashes, including near Synkivka, Kolesnykivka, Novoosynove, Hlushkivka, Andriivka, Berestove, Stelmakhivka, and Petropavlivka.
In the Lyman sector, the Russian army launched eight attacks near Makiivka, Nevske, and Terny.
In the Siversk sector, Ukrainian defenders repelled assaults by Russian troops near Verkhniokamianske, Ivano-Darivka, Vyimka, Pereizne and Spirne.
In the Kramatorsk sector, 12 battles were recorded near Vasiukivka, Chasiv Yar and Andriivka.
In the Toretsk sector, 20 combat clashes occurred near Pivnichne, Niu-York, Toretsk, and Zalizne.
In the Pokrovsk sector, Ukrainian defenders repelled 45 enemy assaults near Panteleimonivka, Novooleksandrivka, Vozdvyzhenka, Zhelanne, Novoselivka Persha, Kalynove, Mezhove, Karlivka, Svyrydonivka, Skuchne, Ivanivka, and Yasnobrodivka.
In the Kurakhove sector, Ukrainian defenders stopped 11 enemy attacks near Krasnohorivka, Heorhiivka, Panteleimonivka, Kostiantynivka, and Paraskoviivka. Russian forces tried to break through Ukrainian defenses there." Ukrin

Haniyeh's Assassination in Tehran Sparks Mockery of Iran's Security Forces

"Haniyeh was on an official visit to Iran when he was killed. On Tuesday, he met with

Khamenei, attended the inauguration of the new Iranian president, Masoud Peseshkian, and posed for photos in parliament. He was then taken to a special residence in northern Tehran under heavy security.
He was reportedly killed in a targeted attack that night, along with his Palestinian bodyguard.
"In the heart of Tehran, in front of the eyes of dozens of agencies and thousands of security personnel, on the government's most important day, the government's most important guest was killed," wrote human rights activist and political journalist Mehdi Mahmoudiyan online.
Like many others, he mocked the security services for their diligence in other matters, such as enforcing hijab regulations, while allowing this attack to occur just hours after Israel carried out an attack on Hezbollah's top commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut." FW

What Is Ukrainian Intelligence Doing in Africa?

"The defeat in Mali is the worst the Wagner Group has suffered—outside of its operations in the war against Ukraine—since February 2018. At that time, U.S. Army helicopters

destroyed a similar convoy near the Syrian town of Kasham. The coalition of Tuareg rebels operates in northern Mali under the name "Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad." In recent years, Wagner Group's Russian private army mercenaries have fought on the side of the Malian government. Among those killed in the attack was Nikita Fedyanin, the author of the Telegram channel "Gray Zone" with over half a million subscribers. Fedyanin reported on the Wagner Group. Since February 20, there have been several posts on that channel about the offensive in northeastern Mali. Fedyanin allegedly handed over photos to the channel showing that Tuaregs were trained by members of the Ukrainian military intelligence service (HUR). Ukrainian military intelligence service was involved in the attack on Wagner mercenaries in Mali. Ukraine and its allies are doing everything they can to undermine Russia. To fight against the Tuareg rebel coalition, the Malian junta under Colonel Assimi Goita decided to hire the Russian "Wagner Group."
Ukrainian units were engaged in Sudan during the fall: they disrupted the logistics of the rebels, mined roads to Khartoum, and conducted night drone attacks. "Our goal was never to track individual Wagner mercenaries." . "If Ukrainian forces' involvement in Mali is confirmed, it means that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is not limited to Ukrainian territory but extends to other places, especially Africa," said Nina Wilén." FW

As Ukrainian Defenses Collapse, What Can US Patriots Learn From The Conflict?

"A year ago mainstream analysts said Ukrainians troops (with NATO’s help) would soon destroy the Russian military and party on the beaches of Crimea. Today, the establishment admits manpower shortages are a reality and they admit Russia is overrunning Ukraine’s defensive positions all over the front. Soon, Russia will control the entirety of the Donbas region and beyond using attrition warfare.

A big game changer is drones: Small cheap air surveillance with 4K cameras that are difficult to counter. Both Russia and NATO are quickly learning the threat these devices represent on the battlefields of Ukraine, and no, I’m not talking about the exploding FPV drones that chase down soldiers. I suspect most of those videos are fake anyway.
The real danger is in constant air based surveillance, 24/7, around the clock, always watching. Maneuver warfare requires the swift relocation of larger units without the enemy being aware; with cheap drones this is no longer possible. All large scale troop movements can be predicted and countered using nothing more than a handful of $3000 toys.
This is why Russia shifted quickly into attrition tactics. Now, they push their front line forward a few hundred yards at a time instead of trying to gain miles of territory in wild offensives. The DoD thinks maneuver tactics are still viable, but in order to successfully maneuver without the enemy’s knowledge you must fully control the skies. With drones, no one controls the skies anymore. It’s a free-for-all." ZH

US Embassy Implores Americans To Leave Lebanon On 'Any Ticket Available'

"The US embassy in Lebanon has issued an alert warning American citizens to

exit Lebanon on "any ticket available" as the likelihood of a major war between Israel and Hezbollah as well as Iran grows.
A series of international and Western airlines have suspended service to the region as a the specter of all-out war looms. The embassy said that though there have been service stoppages and cancellations, "commercial transportation options to leave Lebanon remain available." ZH

Russia attacks with 4 missiles and 29 UAVs

"The Russians launched two S-300 missiles from the occupied territory of Donetsk Oblast and two Kh-31P missiles from the airspace over the Black Sea.
The Russians also launched 29 Shahed attack UAVs from Cape Chauda in temporarily occupied Crimea, as well as Russia’s cities of Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Kursk."

Pravada

Russian attack on Vinnytsia Oblast: 2 fire trains and 64 firefighters respond to blaze

"Two trains belonging to Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) were engaged in extinguishing the fire caused by a Russian strike on a critical infrastructure facility in Vinnytsia Oblast." Pravda

Somalia beach attack kills 32 civilians, police say

"At least 32 civilians were killed and 63 injured in an explosion on a popular beach in the Somali capital Mogadishu police said, an attack blamed by Somali state media on the militant Islamist group al Shabaab." MS

Recession Triggered: Payrolls Miss Huge, Up Just 114K As Soaring Unemployment Rate Activates "Sahm Rule" Recession

"BLS reported that in July, the US added just 114K payrolls, a huge miss to expectations of 175K and also a huge drop from the
downward revised June print of 206K, now (as always) revised to just 179K. This was the lowest print since December 2020... Cluadia Sahm indicates, a recession has now been triggered. The rule, for those who don't remember is that a recession is effectively already underway if the unemployment rate (based on a three-month moving average) rises by half a percentage point from its low of the past year. And that's what just happened, with the unemployment rate surging 0.6% from the year's low."
ZeroHedge

Global stock market meltdown as fears grow US economy will 'collapse'

"Shares across the world tumbled Friday - as investors panicked over signs of weakness in the U.S. economy.... the US economy is spluttering. That report sent the S&P 500, Nasdaq and the Dow Jones down in pre-market trading - after they had also sunk the day before.

As well as the huge drop in Japan, stock markets were battered in Europe. The declines followed a retreat on Wall Street after weak manufacturing data raised worries the Federal Reserve may have waited too long to cut interest rates, raising risks of a recession.
After the U.S. central bank held steady at a meeting this week, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said a cut could come in September. Worry is mounting that the Fed has kept its main interest rate at a two-decade high for too long in its zeal to stifle inflation by making it more costly to borrow. A rate cut could take months to a year to filter through the economy."
MS

123 combat clashes on front lines in past 24 hours

"Some 123 combat engagements were recorded on the front lines in Ukraine.

According to an update, yesterday the enemy launched one missile strike against the positions of Ukrainian units and populated areas using three missiles, as well as 80 airstrikes, dropping 114 guided aerial bombs. In addition, the enemy launched 4,693 shelling attacks, 93 of them from multiple launch rocket systems.
The Russian army carried out airstrikes outside Vovchanski Khutory, Ternova, Vovchansk, Synkivka, Petropavlivka and Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, Druzhba, Shcherbynivka, Toretsk, Niu-York, Dyliivka, Malynivka, Yelyzavetivka, Myrnohrad, Novohrodivka, Marynivka, Mykolaivka, Karlivka, Vuhledar, Staromaiorske, Makarivka, Urozhaine and Blahodatne in the Donetsk region, Pavlivka and Novoandriivka in the Zaporizhzhia region, and Olhivka in the Kherson region.
Ukraine's combat aircraft and missile and artillery forces launched 15 strikes on Russian troop concentration areas, a military equipment concentration area, and a UAV control post. They also hit two air defense systems and an ammunition depot of the Russians." Ukrin

Graham Pushes Senators To Commit To War On Iran If Israel Attacked

"Senator Graham introduced a bill that if passed would authorize military action against Iran if Hezbollah attacks Israel. The resolution says that the Senate "asserts that efforts to deter Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran are most credible when the President keeps all options on the table, including military force." ZeroHedge

Israelis Brace for Potential Attack by Iran

"Israelis braced for a potential attack by Iran as they headed into the weekend, amid threats by Iranian leaders to retaliate against Israel for a strike that killed Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this week.

Many travelers found themselves stranded by canceled flights, as several American and European airlines suspended service to Israel through early August. Rumors flew of potential Iranian plans — including a missile strike several times larger than the 300 projectiles launched at Israel in April, almost all of which were intercepted....speculation that Iran would attack on the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’Av, the Ninth of Av, a day of mourning on which the destruction of the First and Second Temples is commemorated by fasting. The State of Israel itself is sometimes referred to by Jews as the “Third Temple,” an association that Iran is likely exploiting as a form of psychological warfare." Breitbart

Survey reveals negative views on Ukraine's ruling party

"Ukrainians have expressed the most negative opinions about the ruling Servant of the People

party, the Batkivshchyna party.... according to a survey conducted by the National Democratic Institute (NDI)......The Servant of the People party is seen negatively by 48% of respondents, while 32% have neutral views, and only 13% view it positively. Batkivshchyna fares worse, with 57% of respondents expressing negative views, 31% neutral, and just 9% positive." NV