Lee Ardis

‘A Stunning Breach Of Security’: China Turns To New Tactic To Boost Military Using Ex-British Pilots

Communist China has been using headhunters in South Africa to recruit ex-British military pilots to train pilots in China’s People’s Liberation Army, which has left Western officials scrambling to put an end to the practice.

Officials have said China has lured away dozens, potentially around 30 ex-military pilots, from the U.K. by paying them salaries of around $270,000 per year.

The New York Times reported that the U.K. is now working with allied nations to put an end to Beijing snatching away ex-military personnel due to the national security risks that it poses to the nations.

While none of the ex-military pilots appeared to be breaking criminal laws by helping the Chinese, British officials were determined to “tighten the controls on retired service members” to protect against them helping foreign adversaries in activities that could violate espionage laws, The Times said.

Read more at: www.dailywire.com

RETIRED U.S. GENERALS, ADMIRALS TAKE TOP JOBS WITH SAUDI CROWN PRINCE

Hundreds of veterans have taken lucrative foreign jobs that U.S. officials approved — but fought to keep secret

More than 500 retired U.S. military personnel — including scores of generals and admirals — have taken lucrative jobs since 2015 working for foreign governments, mostly in countries known for human rights abuses and political repression, according to a Washington Post investigation.

In Saudi Arabia, for example, 15 retired U.S. generals and admirals have worked as paid consultants for the Defense Ministry since 2016. The ministry is led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, who U.S. intelligence agencies say approved the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Post contributing columnist, as part of a brutal crackdown on dissent.

Saudi Arabia’s paid advisers have included retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones, a national security adviser to President Barack Obama, and retired Army Gen. Keith Alexander, who led the National Security Agency under Obama and President George W. Bush, according to documents obtained by The Post under Freedom of Information Act lawsuits.

Others who have worked as consultants for the Saudis since Khashoggi’s murder include a retired four-star Air Force general and a former commanding general of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Saudi Arabia Strengthens Ties With China After Snubs, Begging From Biden

Leaders from Saudi Arabia and China said on Friday that the two nations will strengthen cooperation on energy after the Islamic kingdom’s falling out with the United States.

Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and Chinese National Energy Administration Director Zhang Jianhua said during a teleconference that both countries are committed to stable long-term crude oil supplies, of which China is the world’s largest importer, according to a report from Reuters.

The news comes as relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia, long considered a key economic ally in the Middle East, are strained due to President Joe Biden calling the nation a “pariah” during the 2020 election cycle in response to the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who had been critical of Saudi rulers. Democratic lawmakers have since questioned the wisdom of the United States’ continued alliance with the country.

Saudi Arabia recently moved to restrict global petroleum output alongside other OPEC members, leading to a worldwide surge in oil prices. The Saudi government later revealed in a statement that Biden had requested for the kingdom to delay the production cut until after the upcoming midterm elections.

Read more at: www.dailywire.com

Here’s How Much Power Bills Could Rise This Winter

Winter fuel costs for many Americans could surge 28% this year from a combination of colder weather and higher energy prices.

According to the most recent winter fuels outlook from the Energy Information Administration, the average household primarily using natural gas for space heating will spend $931 on power from October to March, marking a $206 increase since last year.

“Higher forecast energy expenditures are the result of higher fuel prices, combined with higher heating demand because of a forecast of slightly colder weather than last winter,” the agency explained. “On average, we expect wholesale commodity natural gas prices to be higher this winter compared with last winter, which leads to higher prices for both natural gas and electricity in the retail market.”

Read more at: www.dailywire.com

Elon Musk Predicts How Long Global Recession Will Last

Elon Musk predicted a global recession that could last until 2024.

In a Twitter exchange Thursday, Musk predicted that a global recession would last until Spring of 2024. Musk’s prediction follows comments he made earlier this week saying that many of the major economies are already in recessions. It also follows warnings from fellow titans of industry Jeff Bezos and Jamie Dimon, who have also warned in recent days about a coming recession.

The exchange began with a tweet from Billy Markus, the creator of the Dogecoin cryptocurrency. “[O]h wow coronavirus numbers are actually pretty low [I] guess all we have to worry about now is the impending global recession and nuclear apocalypse,” Markus wrote on Twitter.

“It sure would be nice to have one year without a horrible global event,” Musk replied.

Then a Twitter account called Tesla Owners Silicon Valley replied to Musk, asking how long and how bad the recession would be.

“How long you think the recession will last,” Tesla Owners Silicon Valley asked.

“Just guessing, but probably until spring of ‘24,” Musk replied.

Read more at: www.dailywire.com

A Russian fighter jet fired a missile while shadowing a Royal Air Force recon plane on patrol over the Black Sea, UK says

A Russian fighter jet recently released a missile “in the vicinity” of a Royal Air Force reconnaissance plane conducting a patrol mission in Eastern Europe, UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace said Thursday.

The unarmed RC-135W Rivet Joint was in the middle of a routine patrol over the Black Sea on September 29 when two armed Russian Su-27 fighter jets “interacted” with the surveillance aircraft, Wallace told lawmakers in London while delivering an update on the war in Ukraine.

“It is not unusual for aircraft to be shadowed, and this day was no different. During that interaction, however, it transpired that one of the Su-27 aircraft released a missile in the vicinity of the RAF Rivet Joint beyond visual range,” Wallace said, adding that the interaction lasted about 90 minutes.

The RAF Rivet Joint returned to its base once the patrol finished, Wallace said, and he’s since communicated his concerns with his Russian counterpart, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, “in light of this potentially dangerous engagement.”

Boston University researchers claim to have developed new, more lethal COVID strain in lab

Researchers at Boston University added a spike protein from the Omicron variant with the original Wuhan strain, which has an 80% kill rate.

Researchers at Boston University say they have developed a new COVID strain that has an 80% kill rate following a series of similar experiments first thought to have started the global pandemic that began in China.

The variant, a combination of omicron and the original virus in Wuhan, killed 80% of the mice infected with it, the university said. When mice were only exposed to omicron, they experienced mild symptoms.

The research was conducted by a team of scientists from Florida and Boston at the school’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories.

Damage from weather, climate disasters could exceed $100B in 2022, NOAA says

Just 15 events have killed more than 340 people in 2022.

Damage from weather and climate disasters in 2022 could exceed $100 billion in the U.S. by the end of the year, according to estimations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

So far this year, 15 events — including the recent Hurricanes Fiona and Ian — have incurred damages of more than $1 billion, NOAA announced on Tuesday. It is the 8th consecutive year in which the U.S. has endured 10 or more billion-dollar disaster events.