THE DEVIL OF MONEY

We see people of adventure 

who hunt this curse

To lock it in their purse 

each judges one’s misfortune

that to make awful times better 

one would have to stop the blither.

All of you who criticise the spirit of this image, 

have you never paid money any homage? 

These warriors, these scholars, these learned doctors,

These bourgeois, these merchants, this singer,

These soldiers, these workers, these galley rowers, 

In short all of them, I feel much anger.

A whore monkey will become chaste and beautiful 

if the devil fills her bowl with money in full 

so money is needed, I am convinced of it.

Everyone wants to have it, even if it’s just one crown, 

I’m mesmerised by a beautiful system

Full name is spelled De-mo-cra-cy

It demands trust in a ma-jo-ri-ty

A barking pack of dreadful MAGA men

When half of the people plus one are dumb

And the others are super-intelligent like me

Not a chance we have to really be

Anything but full of stark darkly glum

Trump plays to enter all conversations

Like a worm in Robert Junior’s brain

And there’s little we can do so in vain

Against Donald’s crook administration’s

But De-mo-cra-cy will change odds

And my mob to become in charge again

Our superior spirit soon goes down the drain

Following putrid leaders like dead gods

Blinken, Biden, Austin the Thirds

Sullivan, Power — all stinking mad turds

Is this what the majority wants

"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori'*

Is all very well, but I think that before I

Would try it, I'd rather the maxim were amended

Thus-'Patriots are more useful living than when dead.'

FRANCIS HODGSON NIXON, The Lays and
Legends of Peter Perfume (1865).

In deciding to hold off on another interest rate cut, the Reserve Bank’s board appears to be waiting to find out what the past was like. Michael Pascoe reports.

I don’t know where to begin with six of the nine RBA board members, the ones who want to wait for another meeting so they can consider what the Bureau of Stats (ABS) will tell them was happening some three months ago. They have no grasp of the present, so forget about the future.

The same six have no faith in the RBA’s own forecasts. Hilariously, they will only trust the forecasts after they have been proven correct. That’s a key part of why they didn’t cut rates again yesterday – they want the bank’s forecasts to be confirmed by the ABS when it hands them the story of the past, the June quarter CPI due to be published on July 30.

Australia is facing the prospect of a Trump administration review demanding it pay more for submarines under the $368 billion AUKUS pact and guarantee the boats support the US in a conflict over Taiwan.

Sources familiar with the review by Trump’s Undersecretary of Defence, Elbridge Colby, believe he intends to urge major changes to the program before Australia can get the nuclear submarines it has been promised.

The review puts Anthony Albanese in a politically difficult position as the prime minister prepares to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during a six-day trip to China next week.

But the Trump administration is not united behind Colby’s thinking, according to former aides, with foreign policy a major sticking point in the Republican Party.

Amid rising global instability, Washington’s aggressive pursuit of nuclear and geopolitical dominance threatens the foundation of multipolarity—and China knows it.

Washington Warns Beijing and Its Partners: “The Bomb Will Not Save Multipolarity”

Lama El Horr

When Russia recognized the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan last week, it didn’t just open a new embassy – it opened a new geopolitical front. For the first time since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, a major world player has gone beyond informal contacts and embraced Kabul’s de facto rulers as legitimate partners.

On July 1, Taliban envoy Gul Hassan presented copies of his credentials to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko. Two days later, Moscow made it official: the Islamic Emirate was now recognized – diplomatically, politically, and symbolically.

Russia took Afghanistan without firing a shot
In the post-American vacuum, Moscow doesn’t waste time

The clock is ticking to block Annalena Baerbock’s appointment as President of the 80th United Nations General Assembly.

The UN General Assembly is meant to represent the world’s majority.

But while Baerbock was shaking hands with Benjamin Netanyahu, millions of people across the world were marching to demand the end of the Gaza genocide.

A criminal like Baerbock does not — and must not — represent us.

The Dalai Lama – spiritual leader and head of Tibetan Buddhism – turned 90 on Sunday and celebrated in the small Himalayan town of Dharamshala, where he has lived in exile since fleeing Chinese rule in Tibet in 1959.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has dismissed efforts by members of the European Parliament to oust her, branding her critics “conspiracy theorists” and accusing them of acting on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Von der Leyen blames Russia for no-confidence motion
The EU chief has labeled her critics “conspiracy theorists”

Von der Leyen is facing a parliamentary motion of no-confidence in her presidency, which is scheduled for a vote on Thursday after being tabled by Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea. Addressing the parliament during a debate on Monday, von der Leyen said those backing the proposal were following “the oldest playbook of extremists” and were attempting to undermine public confidence in the EU with “false claims.”

Iran-Russia Defense Pact Rejection:

Iran previously declined a formal defense pact with Russia for religious and strategic reasons—they didn’t want to be obligated to support a war they didn’t endorse.

Instead, the January 17 agreement allows for loose military cooperation, including potential Russian air defense support for Iran.

Putin Throwing Bulls**t at Trump? /Lt Col Daniel Davis & Larry Johnson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKVW-Fg8eKg

Iran is realizing it needs better air defenses more than flashy weapons like 5th-gen aircraft, especially given Russia’s success with missile intercepts using systems like the S-500.

Trump’s Flip-Flop on Ukraine Aid:

French President Emmanuel Macron began a three-day state visit to Britain on Tuesday, which will see him address parliament and try to rekindle a purportedly warm relationship with King Charles III.

Macron and his wife Brigitte were greeted off the presidential plane at an air base northwest of London by heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales.

Macron hailed an "important moment for our two nations" on X.

Under President Erdogan, Türkiye has moved away from its earlier identity as a secular, peaceful Cold War ally. Instead, it is now trying to become a strong regional power by following a foreign policy influenced by Islamic values. This question looks at how a country’s image and role are changing in today’s world.

The Hindu Op-ed: Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman foreign policy

Staff from the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) participated in a post-war Gaza real estate venture aiming to turn the enclave into a for-profit trade zone, according to the Financial Times(FT).

The project envisioned artificial islands, blockchain-based real estate, and what was branded the “Trump Riviera.”

Leaked documents revealed the involvement of TBI in a plan to expel Palestinians and lure investors to rebuild the enclave

News Desk

Ever since Israel launched its illegal war of aggression against Iran on 13 June, speculation has swirled around the role played by MOSAIC – a tool created by shadowy spy-tech firm Palantir. 

This software has been deeply embedded within the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) operations, particularly its “safeguarding” mission: inspections and monitoring state compliance with non-proliferation agreements. 

The IAEA's MOSAIC weapon: Predictive espionage and the war on Iran
Backed by US funding and Palantir’s AI tools, the IAEA turned its Iran inspections into a surveillance regime that blurred the line between monitoring and military targeting.