Category: Asia Union

More Bailouts Needed Soon? Russian Banks Creating Major Counter Party Risk For Large Banks

by Jason Burack of Wall St For Main St

But the counter party risk for large European banks continues to grow the longer this Ukraine war drags on and sanctions against Russia’s economy continue or even get worse.

There are even reports of Russian banks charging customers a 30% conversion fee to convert their Russian Rubles into other foreign currencies.

FULL SHOW NOTES AND LINKS HERE

Over 200 articles, audio podcasts & interviews with experts exclusive for Patrons with 45 new articles & audio podcasts out in the last 31 weeks (and over 12 in the last 10 weeks)!

Plus, you are helping keep the free content free so it doesn’t all end up behind a paywall.

One of the best deals in the research space for only $5 per month! Come and join the almost 900 Patrons chipping in each month over on Patreon behind the paywall! Go to Patreon dot com slash wallstformainst or www.patreon.com/wallstformainst

Read this and Watch Video

Locked-down resident in China’s Guizhou province appeals for help

 

A resident of a locked-down compound in China’s Guizhou province appealed to the outside world for help and exposed attempts by some entities to take advantage of the lockdowns against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) to make money.

A woman who went by the pseudonym Ms. Zhang said the lockdown caused many to starve. Zhang, who lives in the Huaguoyuan community in the southwestern Chinese province, also pointed to the government’s disregard of the food shortage there.

According to the Epoch Times, Huaguoyuan is China’s largest shantytown renovation project. The area spanning 1,000 hectares and 311 high-rise buildings is divided into roughly 20 zones. Huaguoyuan is home to 40,500 businesses and 450,000 residents – including Zhang.

Read More

No more excess liquidity for you…

Read More

China expert says country is preparing to go to war, and very soon

 

A noted expert on China says he sees signs that the Asian behemoth is making preparations to go to war — possibly over Taiwan — and very soon.

Gordon Chang, writing on the 1945 blog, said Communist Party cadres are ordering businesses and entrepreneurs to convert their production over to manufacturing equipment, a sure sign that Beijing is stocking up for war.

“Last month, a Chinese entrepreneur making medical equipment for consumers told me that local officials had demanded he convert his production lines in China so that they could turn out items for the military. Communist Party cadres, he said, were issuing similar orders to other manufacturers,” Chang wrote. “Moreover, Chinese academics privately say the ongoing expulsion of foreign colleagues from China’s universities appears to be a preparation for hostilities.”

Read More

EU foreign ministers to discuss Ukraine aid, measures against Moscow on Sunday

Feb 26 (Reuters) – European Union foreign ministers will come together for a virtual meeting on Sunday to adopt further measures in support of Ukraine and against “aggression by Russia”, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said late on Saturday.

“I will propose a package of emergency assistance for the Ukrainian armed forces, to support them in their heroic fight,” he said on Twitter, adding that the meeting would start on Sunday at 1800 CET (1700 GMT).

Read More

Prophecy News Watch: Iran Could Attack The Gulf’s Lifelines

Tehran has warned Gulf governments that American attacks on Iran’s electrical grid would produce “unlimited retaliation” against countries hosting American military forces.

Those threats cannot be dismissed as empty rhetoric. Earlier in the conflict, Iranian missiles and drones damaged Qatar’s enormous Ras Laffan energy complex, targeted Saudi facilities, set fires at Kuwaiti refineries and forced the United Arab Emirates to shut gas installations.

Iran could attempt to strike American bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It could simultaneously target electrical plants, oil terminals, refineries, pipelines and water-desalination facilities belonging to those countries.

Desalination plants are particularly consequential because several Gulf nations depend heavily on them for drinking water. Even limited disruption could create panic, force emergency rationing and place enormous pressure on governments that want no part in the war.

Israel would almost certainly prepare for renewed ballistic-missile attacks. Municipalities including Ramat Gan, Eilat and Karmiel have opened public shelters after local assessments concluded that the danger of Iranian missile fire over the weekend was no longer negligible. Israeli officials reportedly believe that an American attack against strategic Iranian infrastructure or senior regime figures could cause Tehran to bring Israel directly back into the conflict.

The shelter openings are therefore meaningful. But they are precautionary indicators–not proof that Israel has received the exact time of an impending American attack.

China’s Water Crisis Could Trigger Global Catastrophe

China’s water crisis is nothing new, but it’s gotten worse – and is now on the ‘brink of catastrophe‘ and could trigger a global catastrophe, according to Foreign Affairs.

 

Dried-up riverbed of Jialing river, a Yangtze tributary, China, August 2022
Thomas Peter / Reuters

 

Given the country’s overriding importance to the global economy, potential water-driven disruptions beginning in China would rapidly reverberate through food, energy, and materials markets around the world and create economic and political turbulence for years to come. -Foreign Affairs

For starters, there’s no substitute for water – which is essential for food production, electricity generation and sustaining all life on earth.

In China, which consumes ten billion barrels of water per day (approximately 700x its daily oil consumption), decades of economic and population growth have pushed northern China’s water system to unsustainable levels.

According to the report, the per-capita water supply around the North China Plain at the end of 2020 was nearly 50% below the UN’s definition of acute water scarcity at 253 cubic meters. Other major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, are at similar (or lower) levels. 

Read More

India accidentally fired missile into Pakistan

India said on Friday it had accidentally fired a missile into Pakistan this week because of a “technical malfunction” during routine maintenance, giving its version of events after Pakistan summoned India’s envoy to protest.

Military experts have in the past warned of the risk of accidents or miscalculations by the nuclear-armed neighbors, which have fought in numerous armed clashes, usually over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

Tensions have eased in recent months, and the incident, which may have been the first of its kind, immediately raised questions about safety mechanisms.

“On 9 March 2022, in the course of routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile,” the Indian Ministry of Defence said in a three-paragraph statement.

“It is learned that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan. While the incident is deeply regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident.”

Read More

The Gateway Pundit: Over 10,000 Christians Arrested in China as Xi Jinping’s Communist Regime Escalates Religious Crackdown

by Ben Kew Jul. 12, 2026 7:20 pm

Christians across Communist China are being arrested, detained and effectively “disappeared” for worshipping outside state-controlled churches, according to a major investigation by The Telegraph.

The report details accounts from underground Christians who say police have raided homes in the middle of the night, separated families and imprisoned pastors as the regime intesifies its campaign against independent religious groups.

One Christian identified only as “TJ” recalled police smashing into his home before dragging away his wife.

“They grabbed my clothes and grabbed my hands so I couldn’t move. I could hear my daughter crying so much in the room next door but I couldn’t go to her, I couldn’t hug my wife.”

His wife remains in custody, according to The Telegraph.

China officially permits Christianity only through churches controlled by the Communist Party, where congregations are expected to display portraits of Xi Jinping and demonstrate loyalty to the regime.

Millions instead worship in underground churches, placing them at risk of arrest.

According to The Telegraph, ChinaAid founder Bob Fu estimates more than 10,000 Christians have been arrested during Xi’s rule.

Recent raids reportedly targeted Beijing’s Zion Church and the Early Rain Covenant Church, with dozens detained.

Pastor Jun Yang told the newspaper authorities spent months attempting to build cases against church leaders before arresting members.

“They were trying to look for excuses to see if they could set a trap for me.”

Yang escaped only because he was overseas when police raided his home. His wife was arrested instead.

China’s embassy rejected allegations of persecution, insisting it “manages religious affairs in accordance with the law” and accusing “anti-China forces” of spreading disinformation.

But Christians see little hope while Xi remains in power.

“Once Xi Jinping is still the chairman in China, I don’t think anything will be better and if the persecution is not better, that means we cannot have our church and we are in danger anytime,” he added.