At least we have each other

Edward's weekly news roundup & open thread (June 4, 2023)

The stuff of nightmares. Spotted in Batumi, of all places.

Gamarjoba. Welcome to Edward Slavsquat’s Weekend Link-Dump & Open Thread. You have permission to shill any and all links in the comments section.

Let’s dive in.

News from Russian media

• The birth rate in Russia over the past five years has decreased by almost a quarter—by 23.7%, according Anna Kuznetsova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights. She noted that the birth rate is falling every year. [Kommersant]

• Starting on June 1, 2023, Russian banks, the Central Bank, any companies and individual entrepreneurs, notaries, state and municipal authorities, will be required to transfer the biometric data of Russians to the Unified Biometric System without the consent of people. For now, the biometric data will be limited to face scans and voice recordings. [newsdigest.d3.ru]

• Acting head of the LPR Leonid Pasechnik signed a decree on the formation of the government of the Lugansk People’s Republic. [RIA Novosti]

• The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) accused Apple of collaborating with US intelligence to use iPhones to spy on Russians. [Lenta.ru]

• From May 23 to May 29, prices in Russia rose by 0.08%. Inflation in annual terms amounted to 2.41%, according to the Ministry of Economic Development. According to the Central Bank, inflation in 2023 will be 4.5-6.5%, down from the projected level of 5-7% in February. [Vedomosti]

• Sberbank launched the first ATM in Russia that does not use bank cards. To use the ATM, clients scan a QR code on their smartphone, and then select the desired operation on his or her digital device. [By the Way]

• China’s Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui said that Beijing’s attempt to mediate between Moscow and Kiev has hit a dead-end. [Kapital-rus.ru]

• “Grain prices in Russia are falling, food is massively exported from the country—we are feeding our enemies. At the same time, the retail price of flour, cereals and bakery products in the Russian Federation remains unchanged or even grows.” [Free Press]

• Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced that diabetes and cardiovascular diseases will not be included in the list of diseases that would exempt someone from military service during mobilization. [MK.ru]

• Moscow is using the digital technologies of a “smart city” in many areas, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said: “The developed communications infrastructure in the capital allows you to quickly receive information from different devices, analyze it and quickly troubleshoot.” [VM.ru]

• State Duma deputies have prepared a bill that would ban medical sex reassignment operations, excluding the treatment of anomalies in children. [RBK]

• Katyusha published an in-depth analysis of the outcome of the 76th World Health Assembly, and what awaits Russia if the Pandemic Treaty is ratified. The outlet concluded that the WHO is part of a “war being waged against [Russia] at all levels,” and said Moscow must not allow itself to become subordinate to “vaccinators, gene-modifiers and perverts.” [Katyusha]

• The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has required Ukrainian banks to provide information on all card payments of the population, regardless of their amount. [1prime.ru]

• Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development launched a registry that will automatically collect reports from industrial enterprises that emit more than 150 thousand tons of CO2 per year. The carbon reporting system will help monitor Russia’s progress towards achieving “carbon neutrality by 2060.” [Ministry of Economic Development]

• Residents of a district in Chukotka are reportedly being asked to show IDs when buying eggs, due to a shortage of poultry products. The region’s acting governor demanded an end to the practice, which he said was reminiscent “of the 90s.” [Gazeta.ru]

• Three dozen Russian banks have already connected to the payment system CIPS (Cross-Border Interbank Payment System), the Chinese analogue of SWIFT. [RIA Novosti]

• In May, the Ministry of Finance sold 2.59 billion yuan and almost 3.9 tons of gold from the National Wealth Fund (NWF) to offset the budget deficit. The NWF still has a hefty reserve of 12.353 trillion rubles (€9.054 billion, 285.7 billion Chinese yuan, 517.1 tons of gold, and 228 million rubles). [TASS]

• The Russian government has opened the northern seaport of Tiksi, located on the coast of the Laptev Sea in northern Yakutia, to foreign ships. “The decision will make it possible to create conditions for launching an investment project for the construction of a deep-water port-hub near the village of Naiba. Its cargo turnover may reach about 30 million tons per year,” the government said in a statement. [Nakanune]

Links from around the interwebs

• BRICS are constructing a Digital World Brain to achieve UNs Agenda 2030 [The Pharos Chronicle – Jacob Nordangård, PhD]

• “We won’t remember what it felt like to choose our own interaction with society or sculpt our place within it. What it was like to live unprompted.” [Walking With Goats]

• The Belt and Road Turns Into a ‘Debt Trap’ for Beijing [Asia Sentinel]

• I Must Not Fear: Not Even A.I. [Mathew Crawford’s Rounding the Earth]

• The UN’s SDG16 Disinformation Campaign [Iain Davis]

• “Pfizer once again caught committing research fraud.” [The Daily Beagle]

• When No One Can Work, What Will We Do? [Tessa Fights Robots]

• Did You Know That Poroshenko Offered Russia the Donbass, But Putin Refused It? [Rolo Slavskiy]

Edward’s recent media appearances

Czech writer Cecílie Jílková (a recent interviewee) asked me some questions for her outlet Reporters Online. The interview is in Czech but a basic machine translation seems to work just fine.

Modeste Schwartz passed through Tbilisi recently. While he was here, we chatted about Russia and the WHO.

Last month I also made a guest appearance on the Realist Report, and spoke with D. W. Shumway about Russia-related topics.

Upcoming Edward events

I will join Jesse Zurawell on his TNT radio program “Perspective” on Tuesday, June 6.

For those who might be interested in listening in, the show is from 7-8pm (UTC)/2-3pm (ET)/10-11pm Khachapuri Time.

I also urge you to follow Jesse’s excellent Telegram channel.

On June 8, I will be chatting with John OLoughlin. I don’t know if it will be livestreamed, but I will post the resulting conversation in next weekend’s open thread.

I am always happy to speak with podcast hosts and give interviews. You can find my contact details on this blog’s About page.

Have a relaxing Sunday, friends.

— Riley

Please familiarize yourself with our commenting policy before leaving a comment.

Take advantage of Edward’s SUMMER OF BLOG-LOVE SALE — 30% OFF AN ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION! $38 for 12 whole months of exclusive and profound blog content. Only $3/month—how could you possibly say nyet? You can’t even buy a fish taco for $3.