Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Researchers in a landmark new study have discovered a sequence within the Pfizer mRNA vaccine that produces an “unintended immune response” in the body, which experts are calling a massive “developmental and regulatory failure.”

Synthetic Messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA), such as that used in Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, enables the body to create a specific spike protein mimicking SARS-CoV-2. The body reacts to the foreign protein and generates protective immunity, which theoretically neutralizes the real virus when it enters the body.

“Researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Toxicology Unit have discovered that the cellular machinery that ‘reads’ mRNAs ‘slips’ when confronted with repeats of a chemical modification commonly found in mRNA therapeutics. In addition to the target protein, these slips lead to the production of ‘off-target’ proteins triggering an unintended immune response,” said a press release for the study published in Nature on Dec. 6.

The MRC team redesigned the mRNA vaccine to prevent further harmful immune responses from the spike proteins.

“The researchers identified that bases with a chemical modification called N1-methylpseudouridine—which are currently contained in mRNA therapies—are responsible for the ‘slips’ along the mRNA sequence.”

When the MRC team collaborated with researchers from the Universities of Kent, Oxford, and Liverpool, they found an unintended immune response occurred in one-third of the 21 patients in the study who were inoculated with the Pfizer mRNA vaccine.

Re-Engineering mRNA

The team reengineered the error-prone genetic sequences in the synthetic mRNA to avoid these unintended and “off-target” effects.

“We can remove the error-prone code from the mRNA in vaccines so the body will make the proteins we want for an immune response without inadvertently making other proteins as well. The safety concern for future mRNA medicines is that misdirected immunity has huge potential to be harmful, so off-target immune responses should always be avoided,” said Dr. James Thaventhiran from the MRC team, who is also a practicing clinician at Addenbrooke’s hospital.

Biochemist Professor and MRC team member Anne Willis said that the redesigning work presents “both a concern and a solution for this new type of medicine.”

Ribosomes in cells produce proteins from natural and synthetic mRNAs, and a precise positioning of the ribosome on the mRNA is needed to make the right proteins. The ribosome ‘reads’ the mRNA sequence three bases at a time, and any tiny deviation that happens here “massively distorts the code and the resulting protein,” said the Cambridge press release.

When the ribosome misreads the mRNA and ends up with unintended amino acids, the mutation is known as a frameshift.

“When the ribosome is confronted with a string of these modified bases called N1-methylpseudouridine in the mRNA, it slips around 10% of the time, causing the mRNA to be misread and unintended proteins to be produced—enough to trigger an immune response. Removing these runs of N1-methylpseudouridine from the mRNAs prevents ‘off-target’ protein production.”

This research was funded by the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome LEAP R3 program, and supported by the NIHR Cambridge BRC. As for competing interests, two of the authors in the study are inventors on a pending patent application (2305297.0) related to mRNA technology.

Fundamental Failure

Although the MRC team insisted that the unintended immune responses were found to have no ill effects, expert responses to the study claimed the safety concern revealed a more fundamental failure of the scientific and regulatory communities in approving the COVID mRNA vaccines.

“The formation of these off-target proteins is not disclosed in the package insert for COMIRNATY,” said a commentary on the study published in ResearchGate. “The finding that unintended proteins may be produced as a result of vaccination is sufficient cause for regulators to conduct full risk assessments of past or future harms that may have ensued.”

Authors said that according to WHO guidelines for mRNA vaccines, “manufacturers should provide details of ‘unexpected ORFs’ (Open Reading Frames),” referring to cellular modification on a DNA level.

“Given that this study was conducted under the auspices of the United Kingdom Government, we must assume UK regulators, manufacturers, and international regulatory agencies, including FDA, were apprised of the data many months ago.

“We await their account of what steps they have taken to investigate why the formation of off-target proteins was not discovered sooner, what toxic effects they may have caused, and what steps they are taken to prevent harm in the future and to inform the public of these findings.”

The Epoch Times reached out to Pfizer, Moderna, the FDA, and the CDC for comment.

Social Responses

In a Dec. 6 post on X, Dr. Jonathan Engler said: “This is devastating. A design flaw in the mRNA injections results in them making random proteins which will be massively pro-inflammatory. Because the product is distributed throughout the body, this happens everywhere. This likely explains the huge variety of immune disorders reported in association with these products.”

Supporters of the study claimed that critics were making an issue unnecessarily.

“Frameshifts are uncommon but naturally occurring events in, for example, viral infections,” said Edward Nirenberg, a medical publisher. “These give rise to protein products that can also be targeted by the immune system.”

“Coronaviruses have evolved to require frameshifting as part of their replication cycle to make their proteins.”

Immunologist Marc Veldhoen said in an X Post: “Some well-known anti-vaxers are making claims that the ribosome slip/frameshift causes a stop codon to be missed and an own mitochondrial protein to be made, risking autoimmunity. It´s important to know that the mRNA in COVID-19 vaccines do not contain other protein codes.”

Emergency Physician Kashif Pirzada MD said in an X post: “This is a big deal. Novavax produces much milder reactions in people compared to the mRNA shots, and also presents a more conventional protein-based vaccine option in our polarized information environment. I usually get floored by the mRNA shots, not so with Novavax.”

Novavax is “probably” the safest COVID-19 vaccine compared to other brands, according to cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough, who added that he still would not recommend the shot due to high cardiac risks posed by COVID vaccines.

The three major classes of COVID-19 vaccines are mRNA, vector, and protein subunit vaccines. The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines use mRNA technology, while AstraZeneca and Janssen come under the vector category. Novavax is a protein subunit vaccine.

There are multiple studies pointing to people suffering from adverse events after being vaccinated.

An October study suggested that COVID-19 vaccines could trigger rheumatic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases that involve inflammation manifesting in the joints, tendons, bones, and muscles due to an unknown cause. This includes conditions like arthritis, vasculitis, lupus, and adult-onset Still’s disease.

Research has shown that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines can reduce a beneficial gut bacteria called Bifidobacteria, the presence of which is associated with higher immunity against pathogens and cancer.

In a recent interview with the “American Thought Leaders” program, clinical pathologist Dr. Ryan Cole said that DNA contamination in some of the mRNA vaccines could be linked to a rising incidence of cancers, micro-clotting, and autoimmune diseases.

Via ReMix News,

Germany is facing an unprecedented influx of illegal immigration from predominantly Islamic nations that hate Western culture, and mainstream parties must solve the problem before voters trust more radical groups to take control, a former German minister has warned.

Jens Spahn, who served as CDU health minister in Angela Merkel’s fourth cabinet from 2018 to 2021, warned in no uncertain terms of the consequences of mass immigration from areas that refuse to respect Western liberal ideals.

“We currently have a thousand migrants entering Germany irregularly every day. A thousand every day,” he said in an interview with Bild deputy editor-in-chief Paul Ronzheimer.

“Many people are not aware of the magnitude of the task involved when hundreds of thousands, indeed millions, of people come to us from such a cultural area,” he added, criticizing what he described as a distorted portrayal of reality by the mainstream media.

“One percent of the world’s Afghan population now lives in Germany,” Spahn continued, claiming Afghanistan is partly in the Middle Ages “and that leaves its mark” on Germany.

German politicians in Angela Merkel’s former party are finally talking tough on immigration, coincidentally as the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) continues to surge in popularity.

At the same time, however, @JensSpahn reiterates his party’s refusal to work in coalition… pic.twitter.com/sH7ypzRHZd

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) December 7, 2023

It is “the Islamic cultural area” in which “hatred of Jews, agitation against gays, the lack of equal rights for men and women are too often part of everyday culture,” he explained.

There are “not very many Muslim-majority countries” where people of other faiths have an easy life, women have equal rights “or gays and lesbians somehow enjoy minority protection,” he added.

Despite numerous conservatives and more radical parties, including the Alternative for Germany (AfD) sounding the alarm on illegal immigration for years, the CDU has remained less vocal on the consequences of such a policy that it, itself, pushed under former Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Now, with the AfD surging in the polls, the CDU is seeking to wrestle back control of the narrative and push for a hardline government approach.

“On all topics, whether it’s migration or dealing with Islam, all I ever hear is why everything can’t be done,” Spahn said indignantly.

“We can tell people for another 10 years why we can’t do everything. But at some point, we’ll be in such a mess that others might solve it quite radically.”

The CDU/CSU only has one more opportunity to get to grips with the problems if it participates in government in the future.

“This is our last shot, so to speak,” warned Spahn emphatically, otherwise “we will be over too, because if we also lose credibility on these issues, then perhaps only the radicals will remain.”

…

Read more here…

Authored by Pepe Escobar,

Russia will not initiate a diplomatic dialogue. A sense of threat is very real in Russia. Diplomatic channels conveyed this message to the Americans.

And then, casually, almost as an afterthought while meeting Donbass heroes, Putin announces he will run for President again in next March’s elections. Considering his massive popularity – at least 80% nationally – he’s bound to remain in power until 2030.

Welcome to VVP-2024. Plenty of time for serial meetings with his dear friend Xi Jinping. The Russia-China strategic partnership – in charge of paving the road to multipolarity – is scheduled to be rocking more progressively than Emerson, Lake and Palmer in Tarkus (“Have you walked in the stones of years?”)

These have been heady days in dazzling, snowy Moscow. To start with, let’s go on a roll call of all those indicators which are being reluctantly admitted even by rabid NATOstan media.

A manufacturing boom is in effect in a semi war economy. Investments are up, up and away – including by dodgy Russian oligarchs who can’t park their funds in the West anymore.

Tourism is up and up – including legions of Chinese tour groups and everyone and his neighbor from West, Central and South Asia. There’s an oil and gas export boom – as EU clients continue to buy gas via Turkey or to the delight of New Delhi, Repackaged in India oil.

The yuan replaces the U.S. dollar and the euro.

Import substitution rules – while in parallel Made in Turkey or Made in China products replace Europeans.

Last January, the IMF was betting that the Russian economy would shrink by 2.3%. Now this outpost of the Treasury Department admits Russian GDP will grow by 2.2%. Actually it’s 3%, according to Putin himself, based on figures provided by the “Disrupter” (as described by a Western rag), Madame Elvira Nabiullina.

Behind the Moveable Feast’s curtains

I have been privileged to be part of key meetings on everything from the latest in the Ukraine-Belarus front to still secret, top-flight studies on the ideal mechanism to bypass the U.S. dollar in payment settlements.

A small group of us, invited by the International Russophile Movement (MIR), were treated to a detailed visit to the astonishing Sretensky monastery complex, defined by mega cool guy Larry Johnson as an unparalleled architectural jewel where one may experience “the palpable presence of God.”

Then there was the requisite ritual, long, languid dinner with a stunning Princess in unmatchable Patriarch’s Ponds – Moscow’s Soho; talking to the young, future generation planning a new ground-breaking think tank in St. Petersburg; the mesmerizing Russia exhibition at the VDNKh – complete with a four-story underground bunker built by Rosatom to highlight the history of the Russian nuclear program.

Yes: there are replicas of the supersonic TU-144, the K3 Leninsky Komsomol nuclear submarine and even the Tsar Bomba. Not to mention Gagarin’s rocket lighted as if it’s starring on a psychedelic trip.

The spirit of Christmas in on at Red Square – complete with skating rink and countless Christmas trees from every Russian region displayed at GUM.

Welcome to the true multipolar Moveable Feast; and in the era of genocide in every smartphone, unlike Hemingway’s time a century ago, that’s not exactly taking place in gloomy and fearful Paris.

Dialogue at the highest diplomatic level, coordinated by MIR, followed Chatham House rules: we may talk about the – priceless – information debated and disclosed, but identities and affiliations should not be revealed.

That allows us to stress a few crucial points.

High-level Russian diplomacy was stunned to discover that Europe was much more dogmatic than many believed. “A new generation” is needed for dialogue to resume – but that does not seem to be in the cards anytime soon.

Embassies should work as mediators. Yet that’s not the case – especially when it comes to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

Russia will not (italics mine) initiate a diplomatic dialogue. A sense of threat is very real in Russia. Diplomatic channels conveyed this message to the Americans, behind closed doors.

On the wishful thinking by has-beens such as former NATO secretary-general Anders “Fogh of War” Rasmussen, bragging on blocking St. Petersburg out of the Baltic Sea: “This is something that may end up very badly.”

The abyss of NATO’s humiliation

Amidst what has been correctly described as “sovereign- organized hypocrisy”, there were glimpses of a possible united intellectual initiative between Russia, the Global South and a few dissident Americans and Europeans to steer the collected West into accepting multipolarity. Yet what reigns for now is what was defined as “dark patterns” – including a question still without an answer, posed by the gold, platinum and rare earth analytical standard, Alastair Crooke: how come the West was so supine to Woke-ism?

Much was learned about Russian adaptability to sanctions and the strengthening of the national character, parallel to the economy. So Nabiullina was right after all: no wonder Russians feel more self-confident than before.

Still there are no illusions when it comes to the multi-layered Hegemon-led Hybrid War: “Russia must be punished – and for many generations. Russians should know their place”. That mindset is not going away. So it takes a unified Russia under Putin and the Orthodox Church to fight something so “existentially serious”.

And then there’s the deep dimension of the Special Military Operation. What’s going on in the Donbass steppes is seen as a spiritual challenge as well. So the Hegelian spirit had to be evoked: people as a whole committed to victory – even more now as the Hegemon is completely freaking out staring at the abyss of NATO’s cosmic humiliation.

Considering all of the above, no wonder in each of my long walks in the middle of the Moscow night there was always a Milky Way of thought swirling by. Then I’d stop in one of my favorite digs, pour the last chilled vodka, and toast to galactic multipolarity. Far away but yet within reach.

Authored by Todd Hayen via Off-Guardian.org,

We now are all suffering from acute trauma, in a trauma nation.

I would venture to say in a trauma world, but I am not certain of conditions in countries such as India, Indonesia, much of the Middle East or the like. I do think the trauma I am speaking of is present in most of Europe, the UK, North America, Israel, Australia and probably in many other places. Anywhere the vaccine rollout occurred, as well as anywhere that experienced lockdowns, social distancing, school closures, etc. That leaves few places trauma-free.

What is trauma?

The Oxford Dictionary defines it as a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. If this is accurate then my only response is “duh”—of course we have all been traumatized. There is no doubt that we have all experienced a deeply distressing and disturbing experience. Many experiences, in fact, over many, many years.

But have we all experienced these traumas?

And have all of us experienced the same number of traumatic events, and have we all responded the same way to them? No, of course not. We are all individual human beings, and the traumas are also varied, and each has a unique impact. Let me present this idea in rather broad strokes. First, I will divide us all into two groups that each have roughly similar ideas and beliefs. You know where I am going with this, so without further ado, here they are: Sheep and Shrews. (Click here if you are not familiar with my sheep/shrew terminology.)

I do not think I need to spend time defining these two groups. There are of course outliers in addition to the main group—those who are quasi-sheep, those who are quasi-shrews, and those who really don’t fit into either group. But just for simplicity’s sake let’s say there are only two groups—and you and I belong in one or the other.

I will start with these two distinctions in order to say that each of these groups experience the trauma that has come to all of us in different ways.

The Sheep for the most part experience this trauma internally. They don’t really know what is happening. They may say, “oh my, Covid was horrible, the pandemic really affected me.” But they are only describing the fake version of the crises—the ridiculous infection rate, the ubiquitous fear of death, the ventilators, the hospitals, the lockdowns, the fake drugs, the social distancing, the masks. Vaccines coming on the scene were not part of the sheep trauma, they were actually the savior that descended from heaven to save the hoards from sure destruction. Now, for sheep, the trauma is largely over—the external fake one at least. The internal one is really just starting, but they still don’t know it.

Day after day I see psychotherapy clients who are sheep that describe depression, anxiety, listlessness, lethargy, meaninglessness, purposelessness, sadness, feeling lost, confused, on and on. Now, I have to admit, I cannot be sure if this is terribly unusual. That is typically the common complaints that come into my office, even before the Covid debacle. But it does seem to have a different quality to it. There is more of a glassy-eyed-ness to it all. Is this due to the toxins in the vaccine? Is it due to a collapsing economy, a collapsing culture, or a collapse of humanity? Is it due to the radical shift that has come in the previous three years, like ubiquitous masks, working at home, etc. “There’s something happening here . . . But what it is ain’t exactly clear . . .” (Remember that song? The next line is: There’s a man with a gun over there . . . Telling me I got to beware . . .” Oh my.)

This is sheep trauma. And sheep trauma will get worse and worse until it works its way to the surface, like a splinter that finally, after much invisible pain, works its way out. But unlike a splinter, when this trauma comes out it isn’t going to be easy to just wipe it away. It will then become conscious, like the Shrew trauma, which is mostly conscious. Is it better for the trauma to be conscious? In some ways it is, but in many ways trauma becoming conscious can be devastating.

So, on to the next group—the Shrews. We’ve got it bad folks. As if I even have to tell you that. And don’t kid yourself, this is bonafide trauma, with a capital “T”, right here in River City.

I would add to Oxford’s minimalist definition of trauma, “helplessness.” It is a hallmark of serious trauma—there isn’t much you can do about it as it digs its heels in, deeper and deeper.

Our world is falling apart. Sure, it has always been tenuous. But now, it is literally falling into the ashes. Up is down, down is up, it is truly Superman’s Bizarro World. Everywhere we turn there is trauma, we’ve lost most of our friends—friends we may have had for decades. Gone. And usually gone in an ugly way. We have lost family. Same deal. Gone. We may even live in a house divided. Sheep and shrew, living together. If this is the case, you may even doubt your own sanity at times—possibly a lot of the time.

Cognitive dissonance is always a concern and pops up around every corner. People you used to trust, at least maybe a little bit, are suddenly suspicious, or downright frightening. They say one thing, you know another. Nothing seems to match up. Nearly every source of information you used to rely on is now suspect. This at first may seem like a game. It also can seem, at times, to be a relief. Now you don’t have to trust anything. You no longer have the burden of trying to figure out what to trust and what not to trust—now you don’t trust anything at all if it is in the mainstream. This means things as simple as television and magazine advertising, billboards, the labels on cereal boxes, the headlines in newspapers, the smiling woman at Costco giving out free samples. Everything gets a cocked head response from you, like what your dog does when it hears a strange sound.

I was walking through a local farmer’s market one of these past Saturdays. It was a nice sunny, crisp, fall day. There was a cool breeze, and people seemed to be happy and having a good time. Then I spotted a family of four coming toward me. A mom and dad, and two little girls, about the ages of 5 and 7. All in masks. The whole moment collapsed for me. No longer did I feel like it was a nice day, or that I was strolling along with fellow neighbors, or even fellow human beings. A feeling of threat came over me, and anger began to creep up my spine. I no longer understand these people, I no longer feel safe amongst them. They now actually present a danger to me. I am traumatized.

OK, fine, so what? Well, this gets under your skin day in and day out. We keep thinking we are going to wake up from this nightmare but like Ground Hog Day, it just goes on and on. Nothing is relieved. When you hear of a won court case then in the same moment you hear of a shrew arrest. When you see a nice commercial about happy smiling people and giggling infants, within the same minute you will see beheaded babies in Gaza. Neither one of these images is trustworthy, nothing is trustworthy. The whole world has gone to hell.

That is trauma.

What makes it worse is our isolation.

Shrews are definitely not the majority group. And even though we hear there are indeed many of us, it doesn’t really seem that way, in reality. Where are all of the shrews? They are around, of course, but we don’t yet have regular, and local, meeting places where we can gather and talk, and argue, and share, and love each other. We need to start creating this for ourselves. We are not only isolated as humans, but we are isolated because we have no connection with anything out there that isn’t pure SHEEP. Everything we see, hear, and read, is SHEEP. The world accommodates sheep, like the Invasion of the Body Snatchers pod world—you can’t tell who or what is ours.

It all revolves around the vaccinated, the sheep, the followers, the blind. We are left behind. We live in a trauma nation.

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration could not provide information on a confirmed side effect of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, according to a newly disclosed document.

FDA staffers said in the document, from 2021, that one of the agency’s top surveillance systems was unable to provide details on heart inflammation after Pfizer vaccination.

The FDA’s Sentinel program was described in the document as “NOT sufficient to identify the outcomes of myocarditis and pericarditis due to reasons identified.” Pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium, or the membrane around the heart.

There weren’t enough people in the program to assess the risk for 12- to 30-year-olds, the population discovered to be most at-risk from post-vaccination myocarditis, or heart inflammation, FDA staffers said. Assessing whether people who suffered from the condition had recovered, and following them long-term, was also not feasible because the program’s data sources “do not have sufficient longitudinal data on patients,” they said.

Studying subclinical myocarditis, or heart inflammation without clinical symptoms, was also not able to be done with the data “because of the absence of a definition of subclinical myocarditis and unknown background incidence of troponin abnormalities,” the document stated.

Months before the document was prepared, U.S. authorities had learned of a large number of myocarditis cases following Pfizer vaccination in Israel, a fact they hid from Americans. The U.S. military also recorded cases just weeks after the vaccines were rolled out in late 2020. And additional cases were reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which is managed by the FDA and another agency.

“It is shameful that the Sentinel Program electronic database that FDA officials use to monitor reported vaccine side effects appears to have failed to adequately assess the magnitude of risk of heart inflammation (myocarditis and pericarditis) in children and adults aged 12 to 30 that occurred after receipt of Pfizer COVID shots. It also looks like heart inflammation cases were not appropriately followed up to find out how many people suffered permanent heart damage,” Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center, told The Epoch Times in an email.

The FDA declined to comment.

The document also said that information on post-vaccination myocarditis, pericarditis, and subclinical myocarditis would be coming from studies that Pfizer was conducting, in lieu of FDA surveillance.

Several of those studies have been completed, but the FDA and Pfizer are refusing to release the results to the public. The FDA and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed the Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax vaccines cause myocarditis and pericarditis. Outside research has found myocarditis and pericarditis happen primarily in young males, while a recent study indicated subclinical myocarditis is more prevalent than previously thought.

The document was sent to the Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency (PHMPT), which sued the FDA after it refused to release documents relating to its authorization of Pfizer’s vaccine. It was part of the final tranche from the FDA, which the agency was required to produce by a federal court.

Monitoring Systems

The CDC and the FDA have repeatedly claimed the COVID-19 vaccines are closely monitored. The CDC on its website, for instance, says that the vaccines were subject to “the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history.”

But the failure of Sentinel to provide data on a known risk is just one piece of data that undercuts that claim, according to Elizabeth Brehm, a partner at Siri & Glimstad LLP, which represents PHMPT.

VAERS, for instance, is repeatedly described by officials as being unable to provide vaccines cause any conditions. V-safe, another surveillance system, “doesn’t directly monitor specific adverse events,” Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, a top CDC vaccine safety official, wrote in one email that has been made public. The Vaccine Safety Datalink, run by the CDC, is a closed system, which outside researchers cannot access without approval. A fourth system only has CDC officials and researchers funded by the agency consulting on individual cases. They often encourage patients to receive additional vaccines even if they have experienced an adverse event.

“Without a diagnosis, these types of consultations can be very unfulfilling for the provider and patient; the assessment of causality is typically ‘indeterminate’ as to whether a vaccine caused or contributed to an adverse event,” a CDC official wrote in another email about that system.

“When you really look at the ‘system’ collectively and what they say about it themselves, the question remains: what is an adequate safety surveillance system used by our authorities that provides reliable data to FDA and CDC concerning vaccines?” Ms. Brehm told The Epoch Times via email.

The CDC has said government systems have been useful, including helping detect the problem of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome after Johnson & Johnson vaccination and providing information on myocarditis after Pfizer and Moderna vaccination.

Additional documents are still forthcoming in a separate legal case brought against the FDA over documents relating to its authorization of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.

By John Cheng, Bloomberg Markets Live reporter and strategist

A historic slump in Hong Kong’s $4.6 trillion stock market is rippling through the city’s financial industry.

Thirty local brokerages have closed down this year, after a record 49 shut up shop in 2022, according to Hong Kong stock exchange data. That comes as Wall Street banks lay off dealmakers due to a plunge in initial public offerings.

The Hang Seng Index is heading for a fourth year of declines, the longest losing streak in the gauge’s history, and touched a one-year low last week. Average daily turnover is down 14% compared with the five-year average and the IPO market having its worst year since 2001.

The prolonged slump and the job losses are adding to questions about the future of the city’s position as Asia’s top international finance center in the wake of Hong Kong’s extreme pandemic curbs and Beijing’s imposition of national security legislation.

“This wave of shutdowns and layoffs at brokerages is the worst I’ve ever seen,” said Edmond Hui, chief executive officer of Hong Kong-based brokerage Bright Smart Securities. “The key lies in improving the liquidity of the market. Now everyone is struggling. I simply don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.”

Small-and medium-sized brokerages, whose revenue mainly comes from trading commissions and margin businesses, are bearing the brunt of the market downturn. According to a survey of local brokers by the Hong Kong Securities Association earlier this year, more than 72% suffered losses last year, with at least a quarter planning to scale down their operations this year.

Hong Kong stocks have the widest bid-ask spreads — the price difference between offers to buy and sell stocks — in Asia Pacific markets, said Tony Cheung, an execution consulting specialist at Instinet. That’s increased trading costs for institutional investors, he added.

Despite analyst projections at the start of the year that Chinese shares would see a recovery after the country ended its Covid Zero restrictions, investor sentiment turned persistently downbeat. A struggling economy, weak consumption, strained US-China ties and a property crisis sent foreign funds fleeing.

The lack of liquidity shows “institutional interest in Hong Kong and China is declining to a new low,” said Qi Wang, UOB Kay Hian chief investment officer in wealth management. “Global investors have divested a big chunk of their Hong Kong holdings in the last two years. Many now consider China ‘irrelevant’ from a global portfolio view.”

A drought in deals is adding to the sense of a market in trouble. This year is poised to be the worst for Hong Kong debuts since 2001, just after the dotcom bubble burst, with $5.1 billion of IPOs. That’s a fraction of the $52 billion raised three years ago, and down 84% from the past 10-year average of $31 billion.

Just last month, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. shocked investors by terminating plans to spin off and list its $11 billion cloud business. The company, which cited US restrictions on chip sales to China for the reversal, said it’s also suspending a listing for the popular grocery business Freshippo.

Banks are downsizing as a result. In the past year, Wall Street banks including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley have conducted multiple rounds of layoffs in Hong Kong. UBS Group AG cut about two dozen investment bankers in Asia, mainly China-focused roles based in Hong Kong and including several managing directors, Bloomberg News reported in October.

“This hiring market in 2023 is probably the toughest hiring market I would say since the global financial crisis,” said John Mullally, a Hong Kong-based managing director at recruiting firm Robert Walters, referring to the local financial services industry in general. “In 2024, I think there will be more cuts.”

The ongoing slump, particularly in a year when global equity markets have gained, is turning Hong Kong into an also-ran. Japan’s stock market is now $1.5 trillion larger than Hong Kong’s — the biggest gap since 2009. The Topix has surged 23% this year, compared with a 17% retreat by the Hang Seng Index. Hong Kong is also at risk at being displaced by India, which is just $518 billion less, around the smallest discount on record based on data going back two decades.

Hong Kong’s government has taken steps to arrest the downturn and stimulate trading. This includes reversing a stamp duty hike on stock trades introduced in 2021, as well as plans to ensure markets stay open during severe weather such as a typhoon.

Yet local officials can do little about the city’s high borrowing costs, which follow US moves due to the local currency’s peg to the greenback, or the weakness in mainland China’s economy.  

“Cutting stamp duty is only a cosmetic change,” said Chi Lo, investment strategist for Asia Pacific at BNP Paribas Asset Management. To revive Hong Kong’s stock market, US monetary policy needs to shift from tightening to loosening and Beijing needs to introduce more aggressive easing, he added.

Wall Street banks are lowering their expectations on Chinese stocks. Morgan Stanley in August downgraded China to equal-weight, while last month Goldman Sachs cut its recommendation on Chinese stocks listed in Hong Kong due to modest earnings growth.

“The length and severity of this cyclical downturn of the Hong Kong market could continue to weigh on its status as a global financial center,” said Vivian Lin Thurston, a portfolio manager at William Blair Investment Management. “Only if and when the macro and underlying corporate fundamentals start to improve, could it see improved performance and increased liquidity.”

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Japan has approved the world’s first self-amplifying mRNA (sa-mRNA) COVID-19 vaccine, although the manufacturer has not published safety or efficacy data for the shot.

Tokyo-based Meiji Seika Pharma received approval for manufacturing and marketing its Kostaive sa-mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, the company announced in a Nov. 28 press release. The mRNA in the vaccine is designed to self-amplify when delivered into cells, which generates a “strong immune response and the potential for extended duration of protection.” The vaccine is intended for primary immunization (2 doses) as well as booster immunization in adults. Kostaive is the “world’s first approved product applying self-amplifying mRNA technology,” according to the press release.

Both mRNA and sa-mRNA are RNA vaccines that use a virus’ genetic code against it. When an mRNA vaccine is injected into an individual, the mRNA instructs cells to make a specific protein and thus stimulates immune response. An sa-mRNA vaccine takes this concept further by making multiple mRNA copies, which ends up generating more spike protein.

Toby Young, general secretary of the Free Speech Union, a public interest group, pointed out in a Nov. 30 X post that the sa-mRNA vaccine was approved in Japan “despite only testing it on 800 people, no control group and only checking antibody levels not infection rates. Medicine regulation died with Covid.”

A phase 3 study compared the Kostaive ARCT-154 vaccine to Pfizer’s Comirnaty mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. The pre-print study, which has not been peer-reviewed, was posted in July at MedRxiv.

The study, funded by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, followed a primary phase study that analyzed the safety and efficacy of the Kostaive vaccine. The results of that study have not been published; the manuscript is “in preparation,” according to the phase 3 study report.

The trial was conducted among 828 people between December 2022 and February 2023. This is a far lower number of participants than Pfizer’s phase 3 study, which involved over 40,000 individuals. The small scale of Kostaive trial has raised questions about its validity.

According to the pre-print study, Kostaive recipients reported a slightly lower number of localized reactions—such as localized pain or swelling—compared to Comirnaty. However, Kostaive recipients reported higher numbers in specific adverse events such as chills, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, malaise, nausea, and myalgia, or muscle pain.

According to Meiji Seika Pharma, the phase 3 clinical trials for booster shots showed that Konstaive elicited “higher and longer-lasting neutralizing antibody titers against the original strain” as well as an Omicron subvariant, compared to Comirnaty.

The vaccine was developed by San Diego-based Arcturus Therapeutics. Meiji Seika Pharma licensed the vaccine for sale in Japan via Melbourne-based CSL Seqirus in April this year.

The company is collaborating with Arcalis, an mRNA vaccine manufacturing firm, to establish manufacturing capabilities in Japan. Meiji Seika Pharma is working towards commercializing Kostaive in 2024.

Risks of sa-mRNA

As sa-mRNA vaccines produce copies of mRNA and thus boost the production of proteins, some experts are worried about the consequences they can have on the human body and concerned that any negative effects from mRNA vaccines could be amplified by injecting sa-mRNA shots.

During testimony at the European Parliament last month, cardiologist Peter McCullough said that “there’s not a single study showing that the messenger RNA is broken down” in the human body once it is injected. Since the vaccines are “made synthetically, they cannot be broken down.”

The spike protein from the mRNA vaccines has been found circulating in the body as long as six months from vaccination, he pointed out.

Dr. McCullough said that the spike protein is “proven” in 3,400 peer-reviewed manuscripts to cause four major domains of disease—cardiovascular, neurological disease, blood clots, and immunological abnormalities.

In a recent Epoch Times article, molecular biologist Klaus Steger noted that “a small amount of saRNA [sa-mRNA] results in an increased amount of produced antigen.”

“Due to increased antigen levels, one injection of saRNA—whether linear or circular—may cause adverse events comparable with repeated (booster) injections of modRNA.”

Mr. Steger had previously pointed out that BioNTech’s “mRNA” vaccines are made not with messenger RNA but with modified RNA (modRNA).

A study published in the journal Trends in Biotechnology in June this year admitted that the “main challenges involved in the global authorization [of sa-mRNA vaccines] are potential safety concerns regarding the replicative character of these vaccines.”

“As for all self-amplifying vaccines, concerns have been raised over adverse events in vulnerable individuals. For example, replicon [sa-mRNA] vaccines could persist in immunocompromised individuals as clearance may be less efficient,” it said.

The use of sa-mRNA vaccines in pregnant women also poses risks, especially if the vectors used in the vaccines come from viruses that cause congenital infections, like the Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus, the study said.

“Additional preclinical and clinical studies are required to safeguard the implementation of replicon vaccines in vulnerable individuals,” it cautioned.

Commenting on the Kostaive vaccine, Mike Donio, the founder of science education website Science Defined, said in a Nov. 30 X post, “I’ve been saying for a while that the first generation Covid vaccines were only the start of a coming wave of mRNA therapies.”

“First, they told us that the mRNA wouldn’t persist in cells for a long time. Now they’ve unleashed self-amplifying mRNA, which means it replicates itself. Wonder how long that will last? Maybe forever? Now tell me how they don’t want to at least try to mess with our genetics.”

The Epoch Times reached out to Meiji Holdings for comment.

Authored by Ron Faucheux via RealClear Wire,

Second presidential terms are like half-chewed gum – the zest and flavor are gone. Hence the phrase “second-term curse.” We’ve had 17 presidents who were elected and reelected. History shows us that the second act usually falls short.

Why is this? For starters, popular mandates tend to dissipate over time, and public familiarity tends to curdle into boredom or contempt. Second terms often lack purpose and are tarnished by missteps, scandals, and hubris. Usually, the best presidential appointments are made in the first term.

If either Joe Biden or Donald Trump is nominated, no matter which one wins the general election, we’re in for a second term in January 2025. Sharply negative views have already accumulated around both men; neither would have the benefit of a truly fresh start.

While Trump’s second term would be nonconsecutive, the first since Grover Cleveland’s, it would still fit within the second-term paradigm, especially if he uses it to exact revenge on his enemies, as some pundits predict.

Either Biden or Trump would start a second term as a lame duck and may have to battle impeachment, probably for things done in the first term. Old cuts and scars will deepen alongside new wounds. Trump will have criminal trials on his docket and may try to pardon himself, which could launch a long, bruising court fight. Biden will likely face investigations into a range of matters, including his son’s business dealings.

During Thomas Jefferson’s first four years, he doubled the size of our young nation with the Louisiana Purchase, the shrewdest real estate deal in history. The Embargo Act, which devastated a fragile economy, came in his second term.

Grover Cleveland’s first term ushered in good government reforms. He opposed the spoils system, created the Interstate Commerce Commission, and modernized the Navy. Although he won the popular vote for reelection, he lost the Electoral College vote. Four years later, he won a second, nonconsecutive term, which was overwhelmed by two economic depressions and numerous labor strikes.

Woodrow Wilson’s first term was marked by the passage of significant economic reforms. His second was dominated by World War I, which he promised to avoid, and the attempted ratification of his beloved League of Nations, which he fumbled. He also suffered a severe stroke, incapacitating him during the last 16 months of his presidency.

Franklin Roosevelt took on the Great Depression during his first four years. Social Security, immense public works, bank deposit insurance, labor laws, securities regulation, and rural electrification became realities. His second term started with the botched attempt to “pack” the Supreme Court, followed by another economic downturn and a clumsy bid to purge the Democratic Party of New Deal skeptics. Of Roosevelt’s four terms, his mistake-prone second, most historians agree, was least impressive. His third was consumed by World War II, and the fourth lasted less than three months.

Richard Nixon’s top foreign policy achievements occurred during his first term. His second term was engulfed by Watergate, and that led to an inglorious resignation.

Ronald Reagan’s course correction for America happened mostly during his first term: renewing national confidence, reducing taxes and spending, fighting inflation, building up the military, and breaking the PATCO strike. While his second term set the stage for the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was distracted by the Iran-Contra affair.

Bill Clinton’s first term set into motion economic policies that would carry his presidency. This provided second term cushion – although a big chunk was squandered on the Monica Lewinsky scandal and impeachment.

George W. Bush’s first four years were momentous: responding to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, launching wars in Afghanistan and Iran, and passing big tax cuts. It was in his second term when the bungling of Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath wrecked his administration’s reputation for competence, and that, in turn, poisoned perceptions of his war management.

In his first term, Barack Obama passed Obamacare and major economic stimulus programs. Osama bin Laden was also captured and killed. His second term focused on fixing Obamacare and trying to sell a range of policies, domestic and foreign, that never won much public confidence.

If either Biden or Trump wins, we’ll have a second-term presidency. As The Old Philosopher, Eddie Lawrence, might have said, “Something else to look forward to, hey Bunkie?”

Ron Faucheux is a nonpartisan political analyst. He publishes LunchtimePolitics.com, a public opinion newsletter, and is the author of “Running for Office,” a tell-all book for political candidates.

The US Space Force’s Boeing X-37B unmanned, reusable space plane will be launched atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on Sunday evening. 

The mysterious spaceplane is built by Boeing and operated by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and the Space Force. Its last mission ended a little over a year ago after spending 2.5 years in low-Earth orbit. 

“The X-37B continues to equip the United States with the knowledge to enhance current and future space operations,” Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said in a statement. 

Saltzman continued: “X-37B Mission 7 demonstrates the USSF’s commitment to innovation and defining the art-of-the-possible in the space domain.” 

With each successive top-secret mission, the X-37B spends long and longer time in orbit:

• OTV-1: launched on Apr. 22, 2010 and landed on Dec. 3, 2010, spending over 224 days in orbit.
• OTV-2: launched on Mar. 5, 2011 and landed on Jun. 16, 2012, spending over 468 days in orbit.
• OTV-3: launched on Dec. 11, 2012 and landed on Oct. 17, 2014, spending over 674 days in orbit.
• OTV-4: launched on May 20, 2015 and landed on May 7, 2015, spending nearly 718 days in orbit.
• OTV-5: launched on Sept. 7, 2017 and landed on Oct. 27, 2019, spending nearly 780 days in orbit.
• OTV-6: launched on May 17, 2020 and landed on Nov. 12, 2022, spending over 908 days in orbit.

The liftoff window begins at 8:14 p.m. EST (0114 GMT) at Launch Complex-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. 

Democrats are furious with all of Elon Musk’s space accomplishments. 

SpaceX is tracking to launch over 80% of all Earth payload to orbit this year pic.twitter.com/DMf5tpG0kI

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 6, 2023

Even Jeff Bezos had to hire Musk for rocket launches.