The Daily Populous

Thursday November 11st, 2021 night edition

image for The Afghan military was made up of ‘ghost’ soldiers who didn’t actually exist, and that’s why it collapsed so rapidly: ex-finance minister

“Ghost” soldiers were nonexistent troops or personnel manufactured by corrupt officials to pocket their salary.

The Taliban easily took over major cities before marching into Kabul in August, often without much of a fight.

Payenda also said that when soldiers were killed or deserted their commanders would keep their bank cards and withdraw their salaries.

Biden in a July 8 press conference said the Afghan military was as “well-equipped as any army in the world.”

Biden placed much of the blame on the Afghan military, though he’d expressed “trust” in it just weeks before.

The Afghan military was plagued by corruption and discipline issues for years, and the US government was warned about the problem.

The US made an effort to scrub “ghost” soldiers from its payroll, but issues with the Afghan military persisted. »

Newsmax reporter permanently banned from Twitter for posting Covid misinformation

Authored by edition.cnn.com
image for

New York (CNN Business) Twitter has permanently suspended Newsmax White House correspondent Emerald Robinson for repeatedly posting blatant misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines.

Robinson's account was "permanently suspended for repeated violations of our Covid-19 misinformation policy," a Twitter spokesperson said.

The decision came soon after Robinson's initial suspension was lifted, and was apparently prompted by additional tweets containing vaccine misinformation. »

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s salary is being obliterated by all her fines for refusing to wear a mask

Authored by lgbtqnation.com

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) laughs when asked if she feels any responsibility for the deaths caused by her vaccine misinformation.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has forfeited over a quarter of her congressional salary in fines for her refusal to wear a mask on the House floor.

Her salary is $174,000, which means that the fines have taken 27% of her salary so far. »

Western Sanctions on Belarus’s Potash Industry Test Beijing-Minsk Partnership

Authored by jamestown.org

Western Sanctions on Belarus: Implications for China’s Potash Industry.

The Belarusian potash mining and processing industry has faced serious problems due to international sanctions imposed on the regime following fraudulent presidential elections in summer 2020.

In practical terms, EU sanctions on potash exports have large loopholes, and last year’s sanctions did not disrupt Belaruskaliy’s supplies to China (China Agricultural Holdings, August 21, 2020). »