Noteworthy News

[Thumpalumpacus]

EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius seems to have presaged the demise of NATO (or at least US participation in it). He’s proposing an EU standing army of at least 100 000 troops, which happens to be roughly the number of US troops stationed in Europe. The army wouldn’t replace national armies, but would serve as a complimentary force.

I hope EU leaders take him seriously.

Boru

Not a very efficient scheme.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius seems to have presaged the demise of NATO (or at least US participation in it). He’s proposing an EU standing army of at least 100 000 troops, which happens to be roughly the number of US troops stationed in Europe. The army wouldn’t replace national armies, but would serve as a complimentary force.

I hope EU leaders take him seriously.

Boru

Not a very efficient scheme.

Maybe, maybe not. He seems to have put quite a bit of thought into how to make it work.

Boru

[Thumpalumpacus]

Not a very efficient scheme.

Maybe, maybe not. He seems to have put quite a bit of thought into how to make it work.

Boru

It would introduce yet another chain of command into a situation that already has both national and NATO chains. Simply beef up their forces assigned to NATO and be done with it.

[Angrboda]

Figures showed that the consumer price index (CPI) rose at an annual rate of 2.7% in December, as expected, while core prices excluding food and energy rose 2.6%, a tenth of a percentage point below forecasts.

On the face of it, this is reasonably welcome news. But food prices surged 0.7% on the month, the biggest rise since October 2022, lifting the annual rate of food inflation to 3.1%.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/us-in...026-01-14/

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Figures showed that the consumer price index (CPI) rose at an annual rate of 2.7% in December, as expected, while core prices excluding food and energy rose 2.6%, a tenth of a percentage point below forecasts.

On the face of it, this is reasonably welcome news. But food prices surged 0.7% on the month, the biggest rise since October 2022, lifting the annual rate of food inflation to 3.1%.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/us-in...026-01-14/

I’ve never understood the reasoning behind excluding food and energy from inflation. These are things everybody uses.

Boru

[pocaracas]

https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/us-in...026-01-14/

I’ve never understood the reasoning behind excluding food and energy from inflation. These are things everybody uses.

Boru

Subsidies skew their value.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I’ve never understood the reasoning behind excluding food and energy from inflation. These are things everybody uses.

Boru

Subsidies skew their value.

Most things are subsidized. But even if they weren’t, excluding food and energy costs from inflation figures skews that value. It’s like when a former US president (I disremember which one) decided to count military personnel as ‘employed’ to make that figure look better.

Boru

[Ivan Denisovich]

The Polish government is sending 379 power generators from its strategic reserves to Ukraine, where Russian attacks have left many without heat and power amid freezing winter temperatures.

Meanwhile, the city of Warsaw is sending an additional 90 generators of its own to help protect Ukrainians from the winter freeze. And a public fundraiser in Poland to buy more generators has now received almost 7 million zloty (€1.7 million) in donations.

I have no idea whether this is somewhat significant or drop in the sea but it is still good to see.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

The Polish government is sending 379 power generators from its strategic reserves to Ukraine, where Russian attacks have left many without heat and power amid freezing winter temperatures.

Meanwhile, the city of Warsaw is sending an additional 90 generators of its own to help protect Ukrainians from the winter freeze. And a public fundraiser in Poland to buy more generators has now received almost 7 million zloty (€1.7 million) in donations.

I have no idea whether this is somewhat significant or drop in the sea but it is still good to see.

469 generators will be a significant improvement over no generators.

Boru

[Ivan Denisovich]

The Polish government is sending 379 power generators from its strategic reserves to Ukraine, where Russian attacks have left many without heat and power amid freezing winter temperatures.

Meanwhile, the city of Warsaw is sending an additional 90 generators of its own to help protect Ukrainians from the winter freeze. And a public fundraiser in Poland to buy more generators has now received almost 7 million zloty (€1.7 million) in donations.

I have no idea whether this is somewhat significant or drop in the sea but it is still good to see.

469 generators will be a significant improvement over no generators.

Boru

Or insignificant if thousands are needed. Article itself contains no information on this.