New preamble:
Palestinian resistance groups have launched an operation in and around Gaza to fight the genocidal settler state oppressing them. Thousands of rockets have been launched towards the so-called state of Israel, overwhelming the Iron Dome. Settlers and the troops protecting them are being killed in the settlements surrounding Gaza, with many caught by surprise in the first few hours of the operation.
Palestinians are taking many Israeli settlers and soldiers hostage and bringing them back to Gaza. An Israeli general, Nimrod Aloni, has been confirmed captured. Palestinians are also taking military and civilian equipment back. Drones and MANPADS appear to be in use, and a number of Merkava tanks have been destroyed/disabled and their occupants removed and taken hostage. Palestinian forces appear to be heading in two main directions so far: southeast in the direction of Be'er Sheva, and along the coast in the direction of Ashkelon, but settlements all around Gaza have been assaulted and taken. It is obviously unknown how far they intend to go, or what their intermediate goals are.
Israel is bombing the Gaza Strip with aircraft, destroying buildings. It appears that their intelligence on the location of Palestinian forces outside of Gaza is very poor, and haven't been able to meaningfully strike them. Netanyahu has given a statement declaring that Israel is in a state of war. Iran has issued statements in support of the uprising, and Israel has responded with hostility to those comments. In all, the IDF appears to still be in a shockingly bad state hours after the assault began.
Old preamble on Antarctica:
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Much of the information for this news post, including both the images in the preamble, came from this article at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, which has been circulating in the media lately.
Image has been taken from this article.
Antarctica has had a uniquely bad year.
While the sea ice extent in the last 50 years or so has been very gradually declining, it has done so very slowly on average - by 0.1% per decade. This began to change in 2016:
Even so, this year is different, showing a remarkable decrease in the maximum sea ice extent. It is unconfirmed (I think) but this year may be the first in which the maximum extent fails to reach 17 million square kilometers - and is more than one million square kilometers lower than the previous record low maximum in 1986.
The fall in sea ice has been linked by some researchers to warming in the uppermost ocean layer caused by lateral and upward mixing of warmer water. The ocean is a gigantic heat sink, and has been absorbing much of the excess heat that humanity has generated via the greenhouse effect. But put enough heat into a heat sink and it will eventually fill up.
These changes in sea ice extent is no mere abstract climate worry or scientific curiosity. It is having a direct, catastrophic impact on the Antarctic's ecosystem. Emperor penguin colonies have had trouble breeding, so much so that:
...there is high probability that no chicks had survived last year in four of the five known emperor penguin colonies in the central and eastern Bellingshausen Sea. This was because the sea ice had melted well before chicks would have developed waterproof feathers. ... Today's report says about one-third of the 62 known emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica were affected by partial or total sea ice loss between 2018 and 2022.
And, last year, scientists conducted a study on the two plants that are able to grow near Antarctica, looking at a single Antarctic island for simplicity, and found that the populations of these plants had exploded in the last decade - growing as much in the last decade as they had in the last 50 years - due to rising air temperatures. It was warm enough for the scientists to wear shorts and remove their shirts.
The Country of the Week is Syria! Feel free to chime in with books, essays, longform articles, even stories and anecdotes or rants. More detail here.
Here is the map of the Ukraine conflict, courtesy of Wikipedia.
The weekly update is here!
Links and Stuff
The bulletins site is down.
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Add to the above list if you can.
Resources For Understanding The War
Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don't want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it's just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists' side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Telegram Channels
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
Pro-Russian
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster's telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a 'propaganda tax', if you don't believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Pro-Ukraine
Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.
Last week's discussion post.
Weekly Update for September 25th to October 1st
one massive effortpost per week and they're only getting bigger and bigger. 8200 words if you're curious
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Global:
The latest Geopolitical Economy Hour, this time on the competing world summits lately.
Shouldn’t the United Kingdom and France relinquish their permanent seats at the United Nations?: The Thirty-Ninth Newsletter, by Vijay Prashad.
Trade between blocs has been declining while trade within blocs has been staying the same or increasing since 2022; in recent years, the two have usually been in lockstep.^BNE^ Households around the world have lost a collective €6.6 trillion in 2022 - the biggest drop since 2008.^EN^ Ukrainian teams are boycotting UEFA competitions after a ban on Russian children competing was lifted (the ban is still present on adult teams).^EN^ According to a report by Human Rights Watch looking at IMF loan programs, the austerity they implement undermines human rights inside those countries.^EN^
Oil prices continue to rise; as of the 29th of September, Brent prices are around $96 per barrel.^EN^ $100 Oil Is Bad For The Economy (And For OPEC+) High oil prices = lower demand = lower oil prices. And as the article notes, it's not just (or even primarily) big economies getting affected by this - developing countries are already facing major challenges and now also have to endure very high oil prices. Not good. The Russian oil cap is not working, admits Janet Yellen.^RT^
De-dollarisation and Internationalisation of Other Currencies: Geopolitics and Implications for Dollar Diplomacy The perilous path from Western domination to de-dollarisation.^MR^
Europe:
As many as 98% of Europeans live in areas with highly damaging fine particulate pollution that exceeds guidelines of the WHO.^BNE^ The Australian Minister for Resources have urged the EU to invest in Australia's critical minerals sector, which would be necessary for any serious effort to decouple (sorry, "de-risk") from China.^Bilaterals^ Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is still attempting the truly Sisphyean task of trying to get Europeans to stop licking American boots for just a few seconds and destroying their own economies.^CGTN^ The EU says that Twitter is the biggest source of disinformation and fake news.^DW^ Biden is to host EU leaders in late October to resolve a dispute over steel tariffs.^Euractiv^ Eurozone inflation dips to 4.3% in September, compared to 5.2% in August.^DW^
No, Europe Isn't Being Swamped by Migrants. The Schengen zone is being steadily assaulted by countries re-introducing internal border checks due to fear of migration.^Euractiv^ Dead and missing migrants in the Mediterranean tripled this summer compared to the same period last year.^AN^
Austria continues to block Romania from entering the Schengen zone over migration fears, and Romania is looking into unconventional means to bypass it.^Euractiv^ Austria is to vote against the EU glyphosate re-approval.^Euractiv^
Plans for Bulgaria’s massive €800 million project to build a battery park to store ‘green’ electricity, included in the country’s recovery plan and one of the world’s largest, have been scrapped; they are instead going to build a much smaller project and provide subsidies for companies that want to build a power storage system.^Euractiv^ Bulgaria's parliament has decided to continue using Russian oil until at least October 2024, abandoning a former intention to ban it by the end of this year.^Euractiv^
Finland has launched round-the-clock border checks to prevent Russian vehicles from entering its territory via cross-border roads from Norway.^Euractiv^
France's former envoy to Niger has returned to Paris and met with the French Foreign Minister, where he was thanked for his great work.^AN^ In response to that Australian minister, France has signed a critical minerals cooperation agreement with Australia and then Canada.^Euractiv^ Macron is offering Corsica more autonomy.^EN^ Hundreds of animal skulls, many from endangered species from Africa, are being seized at a Paris airport.^EN^
The German economy is set to shrink by 0.6% in 2023^EN^, but are optimistic for 2024;^DW^ though things look bleak overall.^PD^ Inflation has fallen to its lowest level^FT^ (4.5%) since the Ukraine war began.^EN^ The government is calling for a summit with industry leaders to try and combat the housing crisis.^EN^ Germany's Chancellor Scholz hinted at tightening controls on the Polish border in the wake of a bribes-for-visas scandal at the Polish foreign ministry; Poland is rather annoyed at him for this.^BNE^ Criminals are literally stripping the copper out of Germany's walls.^DW^ Foreign truck drivers are staging a hunger strike as a last resort measure to draw attention to their exploitation.^Euractiv^ Scholz says that Germany has too many refugees at the moment.^DW^ Over 3000 people died this year due to high temperatures.^DW^
A quarter of Greece's annual farming production has been wiped out by Storm Daniel, and the mud and silt settling will make the region unproductive for at least five more years.^BNE^ Storm Elias has now come along and damaged areas just hit by Storm Daniel.^TS^ Syriza elects Goldman Sachs banker Stefanos Kasselakis as party leader.^WSWS^ Lacking moral, political and representative legitimacy: the election of Kasselakis.
The Hungarian government has threatened the country's banks that unless they show they will increase lending it will impose a higher windfall tax on the sector.^BNE^ The central bank continues to bring interest rates down.^BNE^
An article on how Prime Minister Meloni, who runs an administration made up of three right-wing parties, has largely continued the policies of her liberal predecessors even at the EU-level (which she bitterly criticized while campaigning), with immigration numbers only increasing under her lead,^EN^ although she is notably trying to shift social issues to be more conservative.^DW^ Italy is getting nurses from India rather than improving national working conditions.^Euractiv^ Italy has set up its first center for asylum seekers deemed to have come from "safe" countries.^EN^
The Netherlands is the EU's largest importer of products linked to deforestation (such as soy, palm oil, and cocoa).^Euractiv^
North Macedonia's government will hold the first ever green bond issue in the amount of €10 million on October 3rd.^BNE^ Research estimates that integrating LGBTI people into the economy could potentially contribute approximately $360mn annually to the combined GDP of Serbia and North Macedonia, which are, at least compared to their eastern European neighbours, relatively LGBTQIA+ friendly.^BNE^
Poland has stated that they cannot afford to reject nuclear energy in their green transition,^Euractiv^ and Poland's proposed nuclear power plant project has received the environmental go-ahead.^BNE^ Russian coal is still entering Poland despite being one of the most anti-Russian countries in the EU.^Euractiv^
Portugal has put its national airline, TAP, up for sale, with Germany's Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, British Airways, and Spain's IAG expressing enthusiasm.^EN^ Thousands of Portuguese people are protesting for the right for affordable housing.^EN^
Serbian President Vucic urged the NATO-led peacekeeping mission KFOR to take charge of all security matters in northern Kosovo instead of the local police.^BNE^ The Kosovo government has published two pieces of evidence that Serbia was behind what the EU called a ‘terrorist attack’ in northern Kosovo over the weekend.^Euractiv^ Albania has stated that it does not align with the EU in regards to Serbia and Kosovo.^Euractiv^ The US has warned of Serbian military buildup on Kosovan border.^BNE^
Part 2
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Slovakia's election is on the 30th of September;^BNE^ the two parties (liberal Progressive Slovakia and populist and more anti-Ukraine Smer) are neck-and-neck,^BNE^ and Russian propaganda is flooding in.^EN^ The Smer party has won the election with 23% vs the Progressive Slovakia's 18%. It is likely that the third-place party at 14.7% will side with Smer.^BNE^
Slovenia is going to send more police to the border with Croatia.^Euractiv^
Spain is unable to form a new ruling coalition without regional separatist parties, as Feijoo has recently experienced first-hand^DW^, but he is unwilling to give any concessions to them so he will likely not be the next Prime Minister,^MP^ meaning that Sanchez, who just lost the election, might very well end up the next Prime Minister anyway.^EN^ Tens of thousands of people protested in Madrid over reports that Prime Minister Sanchez could grant amnesty to Catalan separatists.^MP^
A mosque in southeastern Sweden has been destroyed by arson.^MEE^ Sweden's former PM and leader of the opposition is open to using the military to combat gang violence.^Euractiv^
Switzerland's glaciers are melting at a record rate - losing as much ice in the last two years that had been lost between 1960 and 1990.^DW^
Ukraine's central bank wants to cut interest rates to 18% by the end of the year, as inflation slowed to 8.6%.^BNE^ Hungary has said that Ukraine is unlikely to join the EU because of the war.^EN^
The United Kingdom has firmly given up even the vague idea of climate-friendly policy^Nature^ and are going all-in on North Sea oil and gas again.^DW^ Sunak’s trade deal with India will not include legally enforceable commitments on labor rights or environmental standards.^Bilaterals^ British exporters face hefty EU carbon tax bill after Sunak weakens climate policies.^FT^ Scotland's waters have been gripped by a Category 4 marine heatwave since March, which is causing mass marine mortality due to sea lice outbreaks.^EN^ The UK has signed a MoU on trade with Washington state, and wants to sign one with Florida next.^Bilaterals^
A US tech firm has been lobbying UK councils and police forces to scale up surveillance using an AI-powered platform used against Black Lives Matter protestors.^NC^ Many doctors, nurses and other personnel who enter professional training never join the full-time workforce; a health thinktank has suggested writing off student debt for those who agree to stay in the NHS for 10 years.^FT^ The UK Health Secretary has accused striking medics of withholding cancer treatment.^FT^ The UK housing market has seen its first annual price drop in over a decade.^EN^ The Bank of England is planning a permanent lending facility for non-banks such as insurers and pension funds.^FT^ The majority of drivers support 20mph speed limits despite the Conservatives pushing back on plans to enact more 20mph zones.^OD^ Asylum seekers claim they are put in isolation for feeling depressed.^OD^
Western Asia:
The China-Arab trade fair has concluded with deals worth a total of $23 billion in various sectors.^SCMP^ Chinese high-end EV brand Zeekr expands into the Middle East.^FT^ America is proposing new sanctions that target US allies normalizing Syria's government, including proposals that would force them to inform the US of any meetings with Syrian ambassadors, and a review of all transanctions and donations over $50,000.^MEE^
Various Armenian experts expect Pashinyan to ride out the storm despite being weak and unpopular, because the opposition is even weaker.^BNE^ The Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh has dissolved itself; it will officially no longer exist from January 1st, 2024.^BNE^ Tens of thousands of people are streaming into Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh;^BNE^ at least half of the Armenians have already fled;^EN^ now over three quarters have fled^Euractiv^, at least 65,000 people;^BNE^ now over 100,000 people have fled.^CGTN^ A UN mission has arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh for the first time in 30 years to assess humanitarian needs.^EN^
Plans for doubling Azerbaijan's gas flows to Europe on hold as Europe has yet to confirm that they'll take the gas.^BNE^ Azerbaijan has arrested a Russian-Armenian billionaire fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh, who briefly held a top political job in the state.^FT^
Georgia's economy could grow by 6% this year.^BNE^ The IMF has formally suspended its programme for Georgia after the National Bank of Georgia shielded from US sanctions a former official close to the ruling party's founder.^BNE^
Iran has warned Turkey and Azerbaijan not to take advantage of Armenia's current weakness to try to secure a land bridge between the two countries across Armenia’s Syunik region.^BNE^ Erdogan and Aliyev are entertaining the possibility of creating a land corridor via Iran rather than through Armenia (via the proposed Zangezur corridor), and that "Iran currently considers this positively".^BNE^ Iran and the Maldives have resumed diplomatic ties after seven years.^CGTN^ Iran has successfully put its Noor-3 satellite into orbit.^DW^ Iran has dismissed over 50 university professors in the last two years as the government tightens control over higher education.^MEE^
The US is refusing to give any kind of compensation to hundreds of Iraqi prisoners kept in detention centers like Abu Ghraib.^SP^
Israel's Tourism Minister has become the first Israeli minister to lead a delegation to the kingdom as part of a UN event.^CGTN^ Israeli police will be allowed to use Pegasus spyware to investigate a mass shooting of Palestinian citizens.^MEE^
Saudi Arabia has agreed to grant the UN greater oversight of its nuclear activities, as the kingdom also demands that the US assist them in creating a civilian nuclear programme.^MEE^ Saudi Arabia's new ambassador to the Palestinian Authority has made his first visit to the West Bank.^FT^
The Syrian first lady, Asma al-Assad, has thanked China for standing by Syria.^SCMP^ Files Expose Syrian ‘Revolution’ as Western Regime Change Operation/ Syria won some big symbolic victories in China, but what material benefits will actually follow?^MEE^ I am curious about this as China has been notoriously anxious to supply goods to sanctioned countries, though obviously it doesn't always stop them (in the case of Russia for example)
Erdogan has said that he will let Sweden into NATO if the US keeps its promise to sell F-16s to Turkiye; this statement comes in the wake of a corruption scandal involving a US senator, Menendez, who has opposed selling F-16s to Turkiye,^Euractiv^ and the Quincy Institute imagines Erdogan happy.^RS^ In Turkiye's Akbelen Forest, villagers and activists are fighting to protect the environment from a massive coal mine.^ENN^
Four main hurdles remain for a Yemen peace deal. First is salary payments for public sector employees in the Houthi-controlled areas (where most of Yemen's population lives); there are concerns that this will fund Ansar Allah's military activities. Second is the distribution of Yemen's national oil and gas revenues. The third is Houthi demands that the Saudis permit the full reopening of airports and seaports. The fourth issue is the Houthi's access to funds in Yemen's Aden-based central bank. However, there is also the overarching problem that even if the Houthis and Saudis agree to make peace, then domestic enemies and rivals inside Yemen might still battle the Houthis and the war will continue in another way.^RS^ Tracking women’s mental health amid trauma in Yemen.^Nature^
Central Asia:
The construction stage of the two-and-a-half-decade-old China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway project was set for activation this autumn,^BNE^ but has now been indefinitely postponed by China, which Kazakhstan will like as it means they can keep their custom fee income in Astana.^BNE^
Why, so they can give whoever did it a medal?
Part 3
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America’s War in Afghanistan Devastated the Country’s Environment in Ways That May Never Be Cleaned Up 450 needy families receive China-donated assistance in west Afghanistan.^PD^ Afghanistan's currency was the best-performing in the world in Q3 2023, and the third best this year so far (behind the Colombian peso and the Sri Lankan rupee).^FT^
Kazakhstan is ready to increase oil deliveries to Germany over the long term, and described Germany as a strategic partner country and invited Scholz to visit Astana.^DW^ More on the charm offensive by Germany here^Euractiv^ and here.^EN^
Kyrgyzstan is facing an energy crisis in the winter after the government announced in July that there is a state of emergency in the energy sector that would last for over three years.^BNE^ Lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to allow the president to overturn the Constitutional Court rulings, which were deemed to contradict "moral values", which has prompted criticism that parliament is a mere rubber-stamp now.^EN^
Pakistan's crackdown on smuggling across the Iranian border is impacting millions who depend on it.^DW^ The Pakistan rupee is set to be the best performing currency worldwide this month after the government took measures against illegal dollar transactions.^MEE^ China is apparently balking at proposals from Pakistan to expand cooperation in their shared China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), revealing growing problems in the key Belt and Road Initiative project.^CGS^ Over 50 people have been killed in a suicide bombing as people gathered outside a mosque to celebrate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.^DW^
Russia has done a little trolling and placed the President of the ICC on the country's wanted list, in retaliation for the ICC placing Putin on their list.^PD^ Russian crude exports increase 50% despite sanctions by the G7.^Euractiv^ Navalny loses appeal over 19-year prison sentence.^EN^ Russia is increasingly using China’s currency to evade sanctions,^FT^ and Russia is suffering from success as China is sending so much shit to them that there are 150,000 excess containers stacked up.^RT^ The Russian elite have said that "the worst is over" in regards to the economic pain.^BNE^ Russia's lithium reserves are probably both larger than Australia's (the lithium superpower of the West) and have lower production costs than Australia.^NC^ Putin has eased entry rules for Ukrainians, allowing them to enter Russia even if their national passports have expired, as well as other documents (including, for children under 16, a mere birth certificate).^RT^ Russia may soon exempt volunteers who fight in Ukraine from paying income tax, which members of the Russian military proper already do not have to pay.^RT^
Tajikistan's president has handed control over border airports (which have remained essentially idle since the fall of the USSR) to the armed forces, which may be a response to bellicose remarks from the head of Kyrgyzstan's security service.^BNE^
Uzbekistan and American global conglomerate General Electric have signed a $69 million agreement for the renewal and maintenance of power plants,^BNE^ and the strengthening of military cooperation with the US.^BNE^ The government has announced the privatization of a profitable subsidiary of Uzbekistan Railways, which forms a part of the CKU railway project.^BNE^ Uzbekistan and China have concluded agreements worth $1.4 billion in the energy and engineering sectors,^BNE^ which includes (I think) a proposal for Chinese EV producer BYD to build a plant in Jizzakh region.^BNE^
Eastern Asia and Oceania:
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews resigns amid developing political crisis in Australia.^WSWS^
CW: mention of child abuse.
Horrific abuse of children at Kinchela Aboriginal Boys Training Home from 1924 to 1970, involving the physical, sexual, and psychological abuse of hundreds of children.^WSWS^
CW ends.
The youth employment crisis is important, but does not signal an impending collapse of China (so long as it is adequately managed).^SCMP^ China's manufacturing PMI rose to 50.2 in September from 49.7 in August, indicating expansion once more after five months of contraction.^SCMP^ Trading Evergrande shares was suspended in Hong Kong.^DW^ China has opened its market to Colombia beef, with concerns from Brazil.^MP^ Xi has told the children of fallen policemen to follow their "heroic fathers" (that is, become policemen themselves, he's not telling them to die).^SCMP^ Xi will post an article on handling Chinese modernization issues properly which will be out by the time this update is published.^CGTN^ The anti-corruption drive has enetered its second decade; tens of thousands of officials have been brought down in that time and some of them have snared senior figures that Xi previously personally selected for promotion.^SCMP^
China has openened its first 350 km/h cross-sea high-speed railway, connecting various cities including Fuzhou and Xiamen.^CGTN^ They have also launched their first smart suspended monorail line in Wuhan.^CGTN^ China plans to build a giant chip factory driven by a particle accelerator, in accordance with its lithography technique, steady-state microbunching.^SCMP^ China is planning a second satellite megaconstellation to compete with SpaceX's Starlink.^SCMP^ China has stepped up cooperation with the International Rice Research Institute to promote the quality of rice varieties,^CGTN^ and has produced the world record peanut test crop, producing nearly 30,000 pounds of crop per hectare.^SCMP^
The DPRK has handed Travis King back over to the United States.^CGTN^ The government has opened the country up to foreigners in accordance to regulations, with a 48 hour quarantine period.^CGTN^ The government has enshrined nuclear weapons in its constitution, effectively ending any hypothetical negotiations that would involve them giving them up.^DW^ South Korea's unification minister has accused Russia and CHina of undermining sanctions on the DPRK; he also says that South Korea is trying to push China to put pressure on the DPRK's nuclear program.^FT^
The monsoon in India has badly impacted Himachal Pradesh with over 400 fatalies, and both heavy rainfall and haphazard urbanization playing a role.^MB^ Bhadrakumar continues to talk about India and current events in diplomacy,^IP^ and so is Naked Capitalism.^NC^ India and Taiwan may sign a deal for Indian workers to come and bolster the infrastructure and agriculture sectors.^RT^
Indonesia has banned all transactions on social media platforms, which has dealt TikTok a major blow as TikTok Shop's largest market is in Indonesia and involves 6 million sellers.^FT^ TikTok is unhappy about this and is sending a team to Jakarta to talk to the government.^SCMP^ Environment, rights and the palm oil dispute between Indonesia and the European Union. A new financing tool that allows Asian governments to force coal plants into early retirement is set to launch in Indonesia soon.^CCN^
Japan is beginning its second round of water release from Fukushima after detecting no problems in the first release.^TS^ More South Korean firms are heading to Japan than China for the first time since the 1980s.^SCMP^ Temperatures across Japan reach unusual autumn high of more than 35C.^EN^
Malaysia to double palm oil exports to China in effort to dodge EU restrictions.^FT^
The pro-China candidate has won the Maldives election, beating the pro-India candidate.^DW^
Myanmar and the DPRK may be cooperating, as both are under sanctions.^DW^
An interview by Global Times with Nepal's Prime Minister, Prachanda.^GT^
The Solomon Islands has joined the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) days after its leader, Sogavare, snubbed an invitation to meet Biden at a Pacific summit; Tanzania and El Salvador have also joined, pushing the number of countries to 109.^SCMP^
Korea Zinc, the world's largest zinc smelter by output, is expanding into the nickel business to try and reduce the West's dependence on China for nickel.^FT^
Part 4
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Sri Lanka fails to reach agreement to unlock next IMF bailout tranche.^FT^
In Vietnam, a climate activist has been sentenced to 3 years in prison for tax fraud.[^DW^](Climate activist sentenced to 3 years in prison)
Africa:
Africa’s Sahel is undergoing a second decolonisation as nations overthrow neo-colonial rule
Algeria and Morocco fought in the UN over the Western Sahara, with Algeria claling for a referendum on the fate of the territory.^AN^
Dozens have been killed in Benin when a warehouse for smuggled fuel exploded (Benin's informal economy relies on smuggled Nigerian fuel).^DW^
Botswana has launched community clinics on wheels that will offer HIV testing and other health services.^TS^
Burkina Faso's anti-France government has foiled an attempted coup; people gathered in the streets in support of the current leaders.^AN^ Is Burkina Faso edging closer to the Wagner mercenaries? Burkina Faso suspends French media "Jeune Afrique" magazine.^AN^ Traore has said that security is a greater priority to elections, which sounds fairly reasonable given all the coups.^AN^
The former Prime Minister of Burundi is in court, accused of undermining national security and insulting the President.^AN^
The president of the Congo, President Nguesso, is strengthening ties with China.^TS^
The DRC's state-owned cobalt company may be revving into action after a long period of inactivity.^AN^ The DRC wants to become one of the world's largest battery producers in 2030 or 2040, and also wants to make electric vehicles, and so will require a shitload of infrastructure and funding as right now it basically just exports cobalt to other countries to make batteries out of.^DW^
The Egyptian government has announced that presidential elections will be held in December and the results will be announced in mid-January.^AN^ In the meantime, dozens of people are being detained in a crackdown.^MEE^ Egypt and Iran have agreed to revive a joint bank after a decade.^BNE^ Egypt has signed a currency swap agreement with the UAE.^TS^ The new US Senate Foreign Relations chair is planning to block some military aid to Egypt until it improves its human rights.^MEE^
Eswatini is having parliamentary elections; the country is an absolute monarchy with no political parties, and where the Prime Minister, Cabinet, and judges are appointed by King Mswati III, and the politicians being voted on are all loyal to the king.^AN^
The US has suspended aid to Gabon as they review the situation.^AN^ Gabon's new prime minister has outlined plans for a "national dialogue" which would pave the way for drawing a new constitution.^AN^ The curfew in Gabon has been relaxed slightly.^AN^ Residents of Gabon haven't seen visible improvements yet post-coup, but some are confident that things will improve in the coming months or at least are willing to wait and see.^AN^
There have been protests in Ghana over the cost of living crisis and their leaders's moral decay; weirdly enough, Ghana is also the African country most indebted to the IMF.^AN^
Kenya and the US have signed a defense agreement ahead of a potential deployment of 1000 security officers to Haiti to combat gang violence (after everybody else awkwardly shuffled and averted their eyes when asked by the US if they wanted to send cops there).^AN^ The Communist Party of Kenya have condemned this.^HL^ Construction on a 1000 MW nuclear power plant will begin in 2027.^BNE^ Kenya's Chinese-built expressway nominated for regional award.^PD^ Kenya has given the WHO a patch of land for the establishment of a regional public health emergency response center.^TS^
Liberia is siding with China on the One China Policy, which is an interesting stance as President Weah usually sides with the West on issues like Xinjiang.^CGS^
Authorities in eastern Libya have announced the creation of a fund for the reconstruction of Derna.^AN^ 8 officials have been arrested for their role in the flood disaster.^AN^ Media completely ignores NATO war role in Libya chaos, notably by the Quincy Institute. Libya and Italy are discussing ties and cooperation,^TS^ and flights have resumed between them after 10 years.^AN^ Marshal Haftar, who rules eastern Libya, met with Putin in Moscow - which is kind of fascinating as this guy is one of the most CIAest CIAers to have ever CIAed.^AN^
The Malian government has postponed the presidential vote in early 2024 that was supposed to bring back civilian rule, with new dates to be announced later; parties in Mali are obviously upset.^AN^ The Wagner group swears that the Soviet-era plane that crashed a week ago had nothing to do with them.^AN^
Chinese battery groups invest in Morocco to serve western markets.^FT^ Climate change is threatening argan forests, the source of argan oil, a substance used in the beauty industry, which has been a big source of money for the country and the women farmers who harvest it.^MEE^
Namibia has suspended imports of South African chickens due to avian flu outbreaks.^AN^ Chinese-invested uranium mine in Namibia makes progress toward environmental sustainability.^PD^
Niger has said that they are awaiting official acts by France after Macron announced that French troops will withdraw from the country by the end of the year.^AN^
Nigeria's light rail project will be completed in eight months by their Chinese contractor.^CGS^ President Tinubu has offered a temporary minimum wage hike for lower-paid workers, as well as promises for cheaper public transport and more social security, two days before major unions are due to begin an indefinite strike in protest against the cost of living.^AN^
A suicide bomber has killed dozens in Somalia.^AN^
South Africa's Foreign Minister went to Washington to meet Blinken for discussions and stuff.^AN^ South Africa has launched a new HIV prevention method: a vaginal ring that diffuses an antiretroviral drug.^AN^
Putin held talks with the leader of South Sudan, President Kiir.^CGTN^
The Sudanese date industry (the country is 7th in the world for date production and it makes up 40% of their GDP and 80% of their labor force) has been hit hard by the war, with farmers unable to access financing.^AN^ The obvious solution is for the United States to put more sanctions on Sudan, as that has done a remarkable job so far of ending conflicts.^CGTN^
Tanzania has exterminated five million birds, Quelea Quelea, to protect rice fields.^AN^
Uganda is in talks with the World Bank to reverse their loan freeze that the World Bank enacted when the government launched its harsh anti-LGBTQIA+ law.^BNE^
Chinese telecoms company ZTE is going to build a smartphone factory in Zambia.^BNE^
Zimbabwe is officially the riskiest country in Africa to do business in, with Ethiopia, the DRC, Cameroon, and Uganda also quite risky.^BNE^
Part 5
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North America:
Ding, dong the efficiencies defence is dead, an article on the Canadian Competition Act. More gravesites have been found near a former residential school.^TS^ Meanwhile, the Trans Mountain Oil Pipeline in British Columbia is running into ever more problems and First Nations groups are coming out strongly against it.^MR^ Northvolt, a major European battery manufacturer, is building its first factory outside of the EU, in Canada (and its fourth factory overall).^FT^
Canada got their spat with India out of the news by then having their parliament plus Zelensky give a standing ovation to a Waffen-SS member, the volunteer militia of the Nazi party, though this is just one small look into Canada's extremely fascist-friendly history.^GZ^ Trudeau has done the very sensible step of simply blaming it all on Russia, while Poland is taking advantage of the event by saying they want the Nazi extradited (this won't actually happen).^PW^ The speaker, Rota, who introduced the Nazi, has resigned.^EN^ Canada’s top general won’t apologize for applauding the Nazi.^GZ^ Kremlin Spokesman Peskov has called the whole thing "outrageous".^TS^ Apparently this Nazi was allowed to settle and work in the UK after WW2, and was part of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, and then emigrated to Canada in 1954.^PW^ The University of Alberta has shut down an endowment fund named after Hunka.^RT^ How Thousands of Ukrainian Nazis Were Smuggled Into Canada after WW2. The concidences behind Canada's Nazi-honoring debacle are deeply unsettling.^Jacobin^ This article is on the two case studies of Hunka and Freeland's grandfather.
Articles on the FTC case against Amazon, which I can't imagine will result in anything meaningful.
Dianne Feinstein is now dead, although "alive" might be too generous a word for what she's been for the last couple years.^WSWS^ Dianne Feinstein helped lead the Democratic party's neoliberal turn.^Jacobin^
A US steel company is developing a 500 MW nuclear fusion plant to power their production, via a company with the backing of the CEO of OpenAI, and two Facebook co-founders.^BNE^ Microsoft also wants to use nuclear power to power their facilities.^BNE^ The TSMC chip fabrication site in Arizona having trouble and delays (side-note: the article contains the lovely line "And while TSMC does not share Biden’s love for unions", lol).^SCMP^ There has been record growth in the energy storage sector, but few are celebrating as growth is still extremely limited.^ICN^
Thousands of water utilities across the Great Lakes region and nationwide will decide in the next three months whether to join two multibillion-dollar, class-action settlements against the largest producers of toxic PFAS chemicals that have tainted drinking water supplies.^CoB^ The Sunrise Movement has launched it Green New Deal for Schools Campaign in 50 highschools.^CD^ Why Medical Debt Forgiveness Drives Are Not Enough Universities axe diversity statements in wake of US Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action.^Nature^ Poverty in Puerto Rico has risen to the point where over half of all children live in poor households.^GPE^ Maui's indigneous community is fighting landgrabs by capitalists after the wildfires.^MEE^ US home insurers are leaving climate risk areas.^OD^ The US leads the World in solitary confinement, which destroys prisoners' mental health.^MR^ US public schools are seeing significant enrollment drops; NYC lost more than 100,000 students since the pandemic hit.^PD^ In Washington State, activists fight to save Elwha River watershed from clear-cut logging. Californian lawmakers want to suspend gas tax as gas prices surge.^PD^ A month of rain fell on New York City in a day, causing widespread flooding.^DW^ An article on NYC's food waste problem, and America's problem more broadly.^ICN^ An article on Oregon Senate Bill 85, which places a moratorium on factory farms' ability to use unlimited amounts of groundwater, which was the product of years of organizing.^SP^
The US government has announced that 472,000 Venezuelan refugees and asylum-seekers will be eligible for legal immigration status and work permits. An attacker threw Molotov cocktails at the Cuban embassy in Washington DC, with no injuries or damage.^PW^ China is not in fact buying up American farmland for nefarious purposes; in fact, no foreign countries really are.^SCMP^ We've gotta expand the immigrant DNA database, which takes DNA from everybody in immigrant detention and has the DNA of 21 million people, says the FBI.^SP^ US House Republicans have opened the first impeachment inquiry hearing against Biden.^CGTN^ And we're doing the fucking government shutdown thing again. Can we just skip to the part where Biden gives the Republicans everything they want, rather than going through days and days of shitty media coverage?^FT^ The Hypocritical, Phony Outrage About Chinese Spying The FCC is coming back.^FAIR^
Latin America:
Avian flu has reached the Galapagos islands.^Science^
The president of Paraguay has said that he will halt the Mercosur-EU talks if there is no deal by December.^Bilaterals^ Vietnam wants a trade deal with Mercosur.^Bilaterals^ New container line linking EU main ports with Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.^MP^ Back to Business As Usual: The US Is Once Again Vigorously Stirring the Pot in Its Own “Backyard”
The Economy Minister has proposed to scrap income tax for all but a fraction of registered voters as the ruling government tries to generate some popularity ahead of the election in October where the weird libertarian guy who wants to destroy the economy to save it might win.^FT^ The Senate has greenlit the reform.^MP^ The black market is once again rising.^MP^ Argentina can probably join the New Development Bank.^TS^ Argentina wants to create a national park on the Falklands.^TS^ The UK and US support the sovereignty of the British Falklands, but Spaniards, Germans, and Italians favor Argentina's claim.^MP^
Evo Morales has announced his bid for the presidency of Bolivia, which he held prior to the right-wing US-backed coup (and the counter-coup in which his party was reinstated by Luis Arce took his place). Arce has called Morales the "king of cocaine".^MP^
Brazil's government is proposing using money from the Amazon Fund, a way for countries to invest in the Amazon, to pay for a road going through the Amazon^Ecologist^ to connect Manaus and Porto Velho.^CCN^
Chile’s Communists elect a new leader, Barbara Figueroa, who was formerly the ambassador to Argentina.^PW^
Colombia's Petro is going to China to meet with Xi, to discuss the future of Bogota's subway which is currently being handlded by a Chinese consortium.^TS^
Costa Rica is planning on declaring a state of emergency^MP^ due to a wave of migrants going to the US.^DW^
Abortion in Cuba and the Attacks against It
Violence has become so bad in Ecuador that schools are returning to online schooling so that children are less at risk of being shot.^MP^
El Salvador's Bukele has now rounded up and imprisoned 70,000 people in the name of stopping crime, which has caused his approval to skyrocket while the families of the incarcerated express concern over the suspended civil liberties.^RNN^
An article on Guyana, which recently found its fortune in the oil industry to become the Norway of South America - and whose leaders are becoming nervous that the bonanza may be truncated by oil phaseout plans (he shouldn't worry, the West is a bunch of deeply unserious puppets of the fossil fuel industry).^MP^
Mexico's AMLO has said that elections in the US are a contest to see who says the most atrocities and who is the most brazen in threatening Mexico; no lies detected.^PD^
Part 6
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Nicaraguan court hands down prison sentences to two women opposing Ortega.^MP^
A report by a US embassy in Paraguay discusses trying to influence President Pena to curb China's increasing presence in the country.^SCMP^ Paraguay and the US have extended an agricultural trade deal until 2025.^MP^
An article on Trinidad and Tobago, the largest producer of oil and natural gas in the Caribbean.^TS^ The European Commission has proposed classifying them as a non-cooperative country in the fight against illegal fishing.^TS^
Venezuela has evicted over 14,000 illegal miners from Yapacana Park.^TS^ The Venezuelan Amazon reforestation plan has begun.^TS^ Maduro has met with the Qatar Foreign Minister to cooperate on stuff.^TS^ Venezuela and Guyana are fighting over their disputed territory again.^TS^
War:
How America Hides the Human Toll of its Forever Wars
Avoiding the War on Terror Would Have Saved Over 10 Million Lives at Home and Abroad
Seymour Hersh: A Year of Lying About Nord Stream
A book by Sam Roggeveen of the Lowy Institute, "The Echidna Strategy: Australia's Search for Power and Peace", which argues that Australia doesn't need submarines and military ties with America and instead proposes aggressive diplomacy and the creation of defenses to turn the continent into a spiky echidna (like the West is trying to do with Taiwan).^RS^
Chinese commentators are obviously rather dismissive of the US's recent rhetoric in the Pacific^CGS^, going over the countries' colonial legacies.^CGTN^ China, Japan, and South Korea have agreed to revive their summit at the "earliest convenient time".^SCMP^ Taiwan has unveiled its first domestically manufactured submarine.^DW^ The PLA conducted ground exercises on their side of the Taiwan Strait.^GT^ The US has recognized two Pacific nations, the Cook Islands and Niue, to counter China.^DW^ The Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands has called on the US to show more respect to Pacific leaders.^PD^ China and the Philippines had an incident in the South China Sea to do with a barrier being removed^SCMP^ or something, I don't fucking know.^CGS^ China has sent its security chief to Germany for talks.^SCMP^ Turns out that Western companies are rather reluctant to actually start decou--derisking from China.^FT^
The Czech government wants to buy 24 F-35s from the US.^CGTN^ the US is to loan Poland $2 billion for military modernization.^DW^ The Marshall Plan: first as tragedy, then as farce. An NPR report on how depleted uranium really isn't that bad is, uh, wrong.^FAIR^ Gaetz tried to rally up support to ban sending cluster munitions to Ukraine once again, and once again failed by 160-269 (with, notably, 26 more Democrats than last time).^RS^ Most Americans probably don't actually care about Ukraine either positively or negatively, let alone follow the conflict, and polls that suggest otherwise have obvious problems.^FAIR^ Finland is making quiet deals with landowners to enable the military to build barriers on its border with Russia.^RT^
Russia claims to have destroyed a German-crewed Leopard tank, whose occupants claimed to be from the Bundeswehr.^CGTN^ Russia has sunk to a new low in its disinformation campaign by bringing back a commander from the dead that Ukraine truthfully said that it killed.^DW^ Russia launched another wave of drone strikes.^DW^ It's really funny at this point because the media writes like 30 articles whenever a Ukrainian drone manages to crashland into a fucking cabbage field in Crimea on its way to a depot that it would have mildly damaged anyway, but entire drone strike raids by Russia are covered by a few mainstream sites maximum, so you get this weird impression that Ukraine is somehow doing better than Russia in hitting key targets even though Russia has such a massive advantage that you may as well be comparing a pinprick to being stabbed by a broadsword. The IAEA has told Russia to leave the ZNPP, in a truly catastrophic blow for Putler.^DW^ Putin met with one of the most senior former commanders of Wagner, Troshev, to discuss how best to use volunteer units in the Ukraine war.^Euractiv^
An article on how NATO can't make negotiations with Russia. Not "there's no willingness or trust", but almost literally cannot. NATO doesn't really have the ability to enter into treaties because of its structure. Any negotiations will be between the US and Russia directly.^NC^ Russia has formally withdrawn from the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, as Western members paralyzed the institution in the wake of the war in Ukraine.^RS^ The American empire asks us to simultaneously believe that the war was completely unprovoked and that the war, just by pure coincidence, advances the strategic interests of the US.^SP^
Labour:
Biden’s Picket Line Visit Doesn’t Mean He Is On Our Side
The Writer's Guild of America has reached a tentative deal with studios after five months of striking.^DW^ After a five day strike, Inghams Chickens’ workers win better pay and conditions.^GL^
Canadian autoworkers ratify deal with Ford.^GL^ Workers internationally are standing with US autoworkers.^MR^ 7000 autoworkers at two more assembly plants walked off the job on Friday.^LN^ The first tire plant workers to organize in 40 years have won a contract.^LN^ Las Vegas-area hospitality workers vote by 95 percent to strike casinos at mass rally.^WSWS^ Workers at Ontario, California Amazon facility to vote on joining Amazon Labor Union.^WSWS^ French unions hold nationwide protest against police violence, with 80,000 people taking part.^WSWS^ Thousands protest in Germany against the crisis in education, calling for substantial improvements.^WSWS^ University and College Union (UCU) members at just 42 UK universities, less than a third of universities nationally, began another round of strikes Monday for five days over pay and conditions.^WSWS^ 1,700 nurses have been on strike for eight weeks at the Robert Wood Johnson hospital complex in New Brunswick, New Jersey.^PW^ Food delivery workers in New York City must be paid at least $18 per hour, Acting Supreme Court Justice Nicholas Moyne ruled on Thursday.^RT^ New York City school bus workers form rank-and-file committee.^WSWS^ Sri Lanka workers begin sit-in strike at government-owned company to defend jobs.^WSWS^
Under new contract, former UPS air drivers in Northern Virginia working in record heat for nearly 50 percent less pay.^WSWS^ The NYT has platformed one of the largest union-busting firms in the country.^FAIR^ Scabs have been deployed at GM parts distribution centers.^LN^ Quebec unions plot betrayal of contract struggle of 650,000 public sector workers.^WSWS^
Left and Right:
Germany bans neo-Nazi group Artgemeinschaft for indoctrination of children.^DW^ Police Seek a Radio Silence That Would Mute Critics in the Press
I Was the Only US Official Imprisoned Over the Torture Program — Because I Opposed It
Jacobin interviews Jeremy Corbyn, where he compliments Chris Smalls, talks about Thatcher and her legacy, the impact of unions and why he believes them to be the future, how the Green Industrial Revolution should be pro-worker rather than guilt-tripping people, and why the Left should be for negotiations and peace in the conflict in Ukraine (even if they hate Russia).Jacobin^ Jacobin also talks about the lessons of Orban crushing the Left; somebody with more knowledge can dunk on it if they want (or perhaps Jacobin has achieved a rare W).^Jacobin^
A piece on the Israeli Communist Party.^RNN^
Sánchez asks EU socialists to follow ‘Spanish example’ to stop far-right in June 2024.^Euractiv^
All Black feminisms ain’t created equal
Decolonising development with Frantz Fanon
There Is No Middle Class
Part 7
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LGBTQIA:
Content Warning - this section is not usually good news.
An article on the Ghana LGBTQIA+ situation (not good), with a case study of a man from Ghana who was the victim of a violent hate crime, who then reported it to the police and refused to take an out-of-court settlement.^OD^ A popular Iraqi transgender personality Noor BM was shot dead in Baghdad.^Advocate^
Romania’s Social Democrats reluctant to recognise same-sex marriage
NYPD Officers May Be Cleared in Killing of Gay Black Man, According to Draft Report
Bomb Threats Target LGBTQ+ Events Across the U.S. Over the Weekend
California Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs 9 Pro-LGBTQ+ Bills Into Law
Gavin Newsom Vetoes Bill Requiring Custody Decisions Involve Affirming Children’s Gender Identity
Montana State Rep. Zooey Zephyr Says She's 'Thankful' After Judge Blocks Trans Care Ban Sylvia Swayne Aims to Make History as Alabama’s First Trans State Representative Kentucky and Tennessee Bans on Trans Care for Youth Upheld in Court Florida School District Bans LGBTQ+ Books From K-8 Libraries ‘I was arrested for protecting a pub from the far-right’
The conservative ‘debate’ over trans rights is no debate at all
Cancel culture? Trans-inclusive writers say they face abuse and censorship.
Climate:
Hydrogen: A reality check. Belgium prepares harbours for massive green hydrogen imports.^Euractiv^
Governments are starkly divided over plans for a loss and damage fund, with two months to go until it is due to be established.^CCN^ The International Energy Agency calls on countries to bring forward net zero targets and rely less on fossil fuel technofixes like carbon capture.^CCN^ Carbon capture is mainly used to extract more fossil fuels from the earth, rather than permanently locking away carbon,^DS^ and has other problems like potential escape of CO2 and the potential for earthquakes and groundwater contamination.^ICN^ Italian oil giant Eni knew and did not care about climate change in the 1970s, based on a report on the "catastrophic" climate risk of burning fossil fuels.^DS^ The rate of decarbonisation is falling dangerously short of what is required for a safe future climate.^Ecologist^
The cruise industry is saying that LNG is a solution to emissions, when it very obviously isn't.^CCN^ Antarctic winter sea ice hits 'extreme' record low.^DW^ A new report finds aluminum manufacturing worldwide emits more than a billion tons of carbon dioxide annually, as well as chemicals called perfluorocarbons that warm the planet for 50,000 years.^ICN^ Is the Great Barrier Reef dying, "in danger", or just "under serious threat"? Hmm...^MR^ Is China at peak oil? Maybe.^CGS^ More offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico,^CD^ which organizations are unhappy about.^CD^ Biden Creates the American Climate Corps, 90 Years After FDR Put 3 Million to Work in National Parks
A report from the Tufton Street group Civitas claimed that achieving net zero emissions will cost the UK £4.5 trillion, or £6,000 per household, by 2050, though came to that conclusion through embarrassing mathematical errors (confusing megawatts and megwatt-hours) and just false statements (claiming that onshore wind turbines will cost £1.3 million per MWh when in reality it is only £50-70), and even if you use their figures, they still do the maths wrong.^DS^
Megaherbivores like elephants, rhinos, wild water buffaloes, and gaurs could potentially be used to combat invasive plant species.^MB^
An article on how infectious diseases could change as the climate continues to change.^Science^
A Chinese scientific expedition has reached the summit of Cho Oyu, the sixth tallest mountain on the planet, to investigate environmental changes in the region.^SCMP^
Science and Technology
Months after hospitalization for COVID-19, MRIs reveal multiorgan damage.^Science^
Chinese scientists set a record in water desalination with solar power, which is more green and efficient and capable of filtering significantly more water than similar methods.^SCMP^ Enhanced optoelectronic coupling for perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells.^Nature^ An article on "inverse" vaccines, which, in contrast to regular vaccines which train your body to attack something (a virus or bacteria), instead train your body not to attack something, which could be very useful for treating autoimmune diseases.^DW^
An article on digging up ancient, 35 million year old animals in Amazonia.^Nature^ Uniquely preserved gut contents illuminate trilobite palaeophysiology.^Nature^ Scientists have found a way to compress liquids - on a technicality.^Nature^ The weak equivalence principle, which essentially states that anti-matter does not experience anti-gravity and instead is regularly attracted to regular matter (but is quite hard to actually prove because antimatter doesn't like to exist), has been tested and it looks like it's true.^Nature^
The first image from China's Wide Field Survey Telescope is of the Andromeda galaxy, available in the article. Earthworms boost crop yields significantly, adding the equivalent of one slice of bread for every loaf for wheat alone. LEGO is giving up on a plan to make its bricks out of recycled polyethylene terephthalate plastic bottles, but is working on finding other sustainable alternatives. A volcanologist monitors water safety and volcanic activity on the Congo-Rwanda borders, where violence is common. And an image of the inside the sample-return capsule from the NASA mission OSIRIS-REx, which took samples from an asteroid three years ago and just landed back on Earth.^Nature^
Miscellaneous Analysis:
JPMorgan’s Settlements Reach $365 Million Over Civil Claims It Banked Jeffrey Epstein’s Sex Trafficking of Minors; Criminal Charges Could Lie Ahead
Bank of America’s Unrealized Losses on HTM Debt Securities Total $106 Billion; 34 Percent of All Such Unrealized Losses Reported by 4,645 Banks
The Perfect Storm Hits Big Banks: Tumbling Deposits, Rising Unrealized Losses, and Higher-for-Longer Interest Rates
Why Are People Frightened That Kids Will Learn About Sex? Why The Problem Isn’t Single-Parent Families
Precariousness and surveillance: digital platforms, ever richer thanks to Europe’s poorest regions 'Torture and barbarism' endemic in porn industry, finds study
“Welfare for Markets: A Global History of Basic Income” – book review
Dipshittery and Cope
South Africans’ support for Russia is rooted in misplaced nostalgia, in which the author argues that South Africans are too stupid to tell the USSR and Russia apart.
How China can avoid the Japan trap. My brother in christ, China is the biggest economy, largest industrial power, and may quite possibly, within years and not decades, possess the most powerful military on the planet (with a little help from Russia).
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Trailblazing LGBTQ+ Rights Advocate, Dies at 90.
Maybe politics should be more mindful.^FT^
I Love My Trans Comrades!
Can’t wait for them to report back that we’re all going to die from climate change 2.5 years sooner than expected
I’d love to read this one but archive doesnt actually get through the pay wall and they want 20 fucking dollars a month!?!?! Who the fuck pays that kind of money for a single news source ???
Source on the BKU project seems to be broken