We know what’s coming and we are prepared.
🇨🇳❌🇪🇺 China hits back at the EU and bans the export of medical equipment to the European Union
This is a retaliatory measure taken by Beijing after the EU banned Chinese companies from purchasing European medical equipment
Chinese medical equipment are found in hospitals all across Europe and North America. Experts believe many if not all of them have "backdoors" integrated potentially allowing their Chinese manufacturer to reconfigure the apparatus or even turn it off.
Rare earth metals are essential in the manufacturing of medical equipment. China already has monopoly on the processing of such elements. Last April, the Chinese ministry of commerce imposed export restrictions on seven rare earth metals as a result of Trump's tariffs: samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium. These can be sold to foreign companies who have a special license registered with the Chinese state.
Samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium are not just used in defense (key components in the manufacture of F-35 fighter jets, Virginia class submarines, radar systems etc.) but are essential materials in medicine.
Yttrium is used in the development of phosphors including red phosphors for LEDs and cathode ray tubes), electronic filters, electrolytes, electrodes, and superconductors.
Gadolinium and dysprosium are two key rare earth element used as a contrast agent in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans. Their ability to enhance signal intensity helps doctors visualize tissues, organs, and blood vessels more clearly, particularly in detecting tumors.
Scandium-44 is a radioisotope that emits positrons, making it suitable for use in PET scans. PET imaging helps visualize metabolic processes in the body, allowing for the detection of diseases like cancer and heart disease.
Samarium, Terbium and Lutetium are used in cancer treatments being capable to destroy cancerous cells due to their radioactive nature, though each element is used for a particular type of cancer, Terbium being used to treat bone cancers, Lutetium being used to treat prostate cancer and Samarium is used as a painkiller and substitute for opioids in patients with late stage cancer.
China has the power to shut down hospitals in Europe and North America and leave thousands of Europeans and Americans without access to machines that can detect cancers and cancer treatments and the EU (and the U.S.) are trying to pick a fight with Beijing without developing a rare earth metal processing industry and alternative supply chains.
Donald Trump's trade war with China during his first term, which was fought over rare earth metals, showed itself how bad for the medical field is as China heavily restricted the export of rare earth metals in 2018. This will repeat with Europe instead of the U.S.
@CIG_telegram
WOW 🚨 The Republican Party is protecting Ilhan Omar from accountability
Rep Nancy Mace “I tried to subpoena her immigration records, her brother husband's immigration records, and IT WAS REPUBLICANS that killed my motion”
It’s a Uniparty. One Big Club.
https://x.com/WallStreetApes/status/2029691279555305592?s=20
Iran War & Fuel Rationing – are “Energy Lockdowns” on the way?
The war in Iran is having the impact that most people with any sense knew it would have: The price of oil is going up, and the supply of oil is going down.
Of course, whether or not the latter of these is actually true we will never know, and it’s beside the point. Oil companies will natural take the slightest excuse to price gouge and contrive scarcity for the basest of profit motives.
It also serves a political motive as well, since we know the global political machinery is –
against free travel…...
Read full article ...
https://off-guardian.org/2026/03/16/iran-fuel-rationing-are-energy-lockdowns-on-the-way/
That means that of the 2.1mn tonnes of urea — the world’s most widely used nitrogen fertiliser — that would normally have been loaded for export over the past two weeks, about half has been disrupted.
At the same time, more than 1.1mn tonnes of fertiliser and fertiliser inputs, including 570,000 tonnes of urea, is currently stuck in the Gulf, either being loaded or already on ships, according to Kpler data.
Nitrogen fertilisers, which underpin about half of global food production, are made from ammonia using natural gas, which has soared in price since the war began last month.
The shortages have begun during the northern hemisphere’s planting season, leading industry executives to warn of lower harvests for staples such as rice.
If the disruption continues, “this will be much worse than 2022”, said Veronica Nigh, senior economist at The Fertilizer Institute, a US-based trade group. “The longer the conflict goes on, the more dire the situation will become.”
The Middle ...
With reference to the University of Kent meningitis outbreak. All exams being conducted atm are to be taken online. Campus is open as usual. Outbreak was traced to a canterbury nightclub called club chemistry , popular with students in which 2 students (1- UKC student, 1- Faversham college student) have sadly died.
