Ever make propaganda so bad that you are marked for death?

Context: https://streamable.com/dyrw56

*The Ukraine

Yahya Saree leaving a stage rally in a scooter, Ansarallah say fuck cars

https://twitter.com/kaisos1987/status/1735702350654791976

so the US is sending a general and his staff to more directly command and control the Ukrainian war effort. this makes me think of gylippus, the spartan general who was sent to sicily to help syracuse against the athenian invasion. he either was integral to syracusean victory, helped, or at least didn't derail their victory. I can't off the top of my head think of high profile examples of individual generals sent to help allies/proxies that have fucked things up or otherwise lost spectacularly. I can think of proxy wars like this like vietnam, afghanistan (soviets and americans), but I don't know of specific generals that were defeated and left with a reputation for failure in the same way that gylippus' place in history is the opposite. Are there any like this?

I've read about the general idea behind warrant canaries before, but I've never actually looked at one in action so I don't know what an issue is supposed to look like.

In the sidebar of the /c/feedback community, there's a link to the "Hexbear Warrant Canary". I've never looked at this before, but I was curious so I clicked it, and I can't get anything to load other than "Connection timed out Error code 522". Does this indicate that the canary is dead, or is this a purely technical error?

Theory question: Can the paroxyisms of Western Zionists (the non-cynical ones at least) in seeing in every scarf, watermelon & placard the start of a new Holocaust be considered an effect of the contradiction of the base (Imperialism) & the superstructure (We are morally superior for not abetting genocide) being forced into a personal sharp opposition by current events?

United Nations Relief and Works Agency says it's the deadliest year for Palestinians killed in West Bank.

🔺 West Bank 271 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli Security Forces, including 69 children - deadliest year for Palestinians killed in West Bank since UN began recording casualties.

🔺 Gaza At least 288 people in UNRWA shelters have been killed.

Nitter

A few good Canada news/media sites:

Thenarwhal.ca - enviromental, resource sector stories with a fair amount of focus on indigenous perspectives. Great photography too

Readthemaple.com - Canada geopolitical news and analysis

Thetyee.ca - West Coast progressive liberalism, libs but good on most topics

Alberta advantage podcast https://albertaadvantagepod.com/ - I'm not sure if they are explicitly communists but they are definitely good, lots of Canadian labour history

https://www.thecanadafiles.com/ - more Canadian foreign policy/geopolitics news

https://pvonline.ca/ - media outlet of Canada's cool CPC, the communist party of Canada

🔻 bunch of good news from the Resitance 🔻

Also this Video 🔻 Nitter

EU-China relations: European firms are reluctant to speak up on China as Brussels seeks to de-risk

As the European Union moves forward with plans to de-risk ties with China, it is encountering a familiar problem: getting businesses to go on the record with their gripes about the world’s second largest economy. Fear of retaliation from Beijing and a reluctance to air what could be highly sensitive trade secrets among competitors are combining to give officials a headache when gathering evidence to support Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s economic security strategy.

...

Executives see huge risks in speaking out for fear of falling foul of opaque new anti-espionage and foreign relations laws in Beijing. Reports abound of Western companies being raided in China for flouting laws that Western business groups believe are vague and ill-explained. Nor do businesses want to put their heads above the parapet when discussing their own de-risking plans – shorthand for not having all your production and sourcing eggs in a single Chinese basket – lest it endanger their operations in China.

...

Some firms that continue to bank big profits in China simply do not see the point in complying with Brussels’ efforts. As the world becomes increasingly bifurcated and supply chain risks proliferate, a common refrain among some corporate executives is: “What’s in it for us?” The chilling effect makes building legislation difficult – but not impossible. Plenty of other companies see what is coming down the road in terms of Chinese industrial overcapacity and are willing to cooperate – but often under certain circumstances.

Survey data suggests that some businesses – perhaps sensing the rocky road ahead – are not waiting around for EU legislation and are autonomously de-risking their own operations. According to a report by Deloitte and the Federation of German Industries this month, around one-fifth of 100 German multinationals plan to “friendshore” their production lines out of China and into other Asian countries. In the words of one major company’s chief executive: “We are de-risking without too much noise”.

But with persistent inflation, recessionary winds and stiff competition from American and Chinese state support, the survey also showed that few of those firms were likely to come back to Europe. “Almost half of responding companies expect the attractiveness of Germany, compared with other industrial locations, to decline from slightly to significantly over the next three years,” read the report.

what happed to @LargePenis@hexbear.net ?

Brazil's Electoral Prosecutor's Office calls for Sergio Moro's impeachment

In an opinion sent on Thursday (14) to the Electoral Court of Parana, prosecutors Marcelo Godoy and Eloisa Helena Machado defended the impeachment of Senator Sergio Moro (Brazil Union) for abuse of economic power.

Brazil Union succeeded the ARENA, the governing party of Brazil’s military dictatorship.

The opinion asks the court to recognize the "practice of abuse of economic power, with the consequent annulment of the slate elected to the majority position of Senator of the Republic and decree the ineligibility of Mr. Sergio Fernando Moro and Mr. Luís Felipe Cunha", his first deputy.

This is the judge who arrested Lula on false corruption charges. The same man who went to the US, inside the CIA building, to receive a round of applause for arresting Lula and trying to destroy Brazil's construction, engineering, chemical and petrochemical industries.

This man supported Bolsonaro, was the justice minister in his government, and later tried to be a presidential candidate, but backed down to support Bolsonaro instead. He literally stole his political party's money for his own use, much like George Santos.

But for the average lib, Lula's arrest was totally normal and not politically motivated.

EU Commission: Green light for RWE compensation
The energy company RWE can collect several billion euros from the federal government for its coal phase-out. The EU Commission announced on Monday that the funding of 2.6 billion euros did not constitute a violation of EU state aid rules. Although the compensation payment is state aid, it is necessary so that RWE can phase out its lignite-fired power plants. The commission found that the current net value of lost profits was greater than the value of compensation. As a result of the decision, the compensation can now be paid out staggered as planned until 2030.

Paying them 2.6 billion, so they stop digging coal. Hilarious. And this is only for the plants in west Germany, if the commission accepts the compensation for the plants in the east that would be an additional 1.75 billion.

Btw RWE made 2.7 billion euros in profits last year. Without taxes and stuff they made 6.3 billion, 751 million of which are down to their coal/nuclear branch.

Interestingly enough I also looked at some older annual reports of theirs, for example in 2019 their coal/nuclear profits were only 306 million. So compared to the 621 million they now will get guaranteed from the government each year until 2030, when they have to close their coal plants, this doesn't look too shabby for them if you're asking me.

Milei modified a Macri's decree so that his ~~wife~~ sister Karina could take a position in his government (spanish only)

The president-elect made his decision official in the Official Gazette presented this Monday, in one of the first decisions he made as head of state.

Decree 93/2018, which had been approved by Mauricio Macri during his term of office between 2015 and 2019 to limit appointments in the State of direct relatives of officials, was repealed by President Javier Milei and replaced by another one, as reported in the Official Gazette. Thus, with this modification, the new President was able to appoint his sister Karina as Secretary General of the Presidency.

The decree of the former president and leader of the PRO sought to guarantee transparency in the public function. "I know that with this measure we are going to lose very valuable collaborators of the team. That makes me very sad. But we always said that we wanted a more transparent country," Macri assured in January 2018.

Milei, in Decree 12/2023 published today, repeals that prohibition. Although it maintains the limitation for the hiring of direct relatives in the State, it raises exceptions to the appointments made by the President. Among the arguments, it details that it is the power of the President "to appoint and remove ambassadors, ministers plenipotentiary and chargés d'affaires with the agreement of the Senate".

"He alone appoints and removes the head of the cabinet of ministers and the other ministers of the office, the officers of his secretariat, the consular agents and the employees whose appointment is not otherwise regulated by this Constitution", it is mentioned.

In this regard, it stated that "it is necessary to limit the prohibition established by Decree No. 93/18 to those appointments or hires made within the framework of Laws Nos. 20,744 and 25,164 and Decree No. 1109/17, thus exempting the appointments made by the President of the Nation by virtue of the powers conferred upon him".

Once this decree was signed, yesterday, Javier Milei proceeded with the swearing in of his cabinet in a ceremony behind closed doors and without official transmission. One of the protagonists was his sister, whom he himself explicitly chose as "his right hand", or "The Boss", since the beginning of his political campaign. At the moment of presenting his position and reciting the appropriate words for the oath, he could not hold back the tears, and even paused to take a breath and continue.

????

"Karina Elizabeth Milei, do you swear by God and the Fatherland, on these Holy Gospels, to perform with loyalty and patriotism the duties of Secretary General of the Presidency of the Nation to which you have been appointed, fulfilling and enforcing the Constitution of the Argentine Nation as far as you are concerned?", read Milei between nerves and emotion.

In her turn, Karina Milei answered: "Yes, I swear". "If you do not do so, God and the Nation will demand it," Milei ended.

I was very confused just now. I got a notification on my phone that just said PFLP. I guess I set a reminder that today is the anniversary of the founding of the PFLP.

Brazil’s Senate approves Lula ally as new Supreme Court justice

Brazil’s Senate approved the appointment of Justice Minister Flávio Dino on Wednesday to take a seat on the country’s Supreme Court.

Dino, a former leftist state governor who cracked down on supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro after they rampaged through government buildings last January, was approved for the court of 11 justics on a vote of 47-31.

The vote, which came after a full day of speeches by senators in a divisive hearing, underscored that the opposition led by the rightist Bolsonaro is not strong enough to block the agenda of his leftist successor, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Dino will replace former Chief Justice Rosa Maria Weber, who stepped down in September after turning 75, the age limit for the nation’s Supreme Court justices.

Dino, who was a federal judge for 12 years before starting his political career, governed Brazil’s northeastern state of Maranhao in 2015-2023. His decisions to impose curfews and movement restrictions during the pandemic made him an antagonist of Bolsonaro, who argued against strict measures against COVID-19.

“He is one of the few Brazilians who has had jobs in the executive, the legislative and the judiciary,” Sen. Weverton Rocha said before the vote. “He clearly suits the supreme court well. He knows how to behave in every role he has had.”

Sen. Magno Malta, an evangelical leader and staunch Bolsonaro supporter, voted against the appointment over Dino’s past in the country’s communist party and as a member of the Brazilian Socialist Party.

“He has never hidden he is a communist, a marxist,” Malta said. “We are taking a communist to the Supreme Court. His team is the left, it is against everything I believe in.”

Dino is the second Supreme Court justice appointed by Lula, who is in his third term as president, who also was in the top post in 2003-2010. Cristiano Zanin, once Lula’s lawyer, was approved to join the court in July on a 58-18 vote in the Senate.

Feminist activists have criticized Lula for not naming a woman to replace Weber on the high court. Its only female member now is Justice Carmen Lúcia.

Senators also approved Paulo Gonet as Brazil’s prosecutor-general on a 65-11 vote. He will replace Bolsonaro-appointee Augusto Aras.

Lula says his government managed to put a "communist" on the Supreme Court.

"You don't know how happy I am today. For the first time in the history of this country, we've managed to put a communist on the Supreme Court, a comrade of the quality of Flávio Dino," said the President of the Republic.

Dino is due to be sworn in as a Supreme Court minister officially on February 22. Until then, the former governor of Maranhão and senator will remain in charge of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. He will take over the position vacated by Rosa Weber, who retired at the end of September.

The Biden administration "Red light! Green light!" shtick rolls on.

White House walks back Biden remarks that Israel was losing international support over Gaza bombing

The White House went on the defensive Wednesday afternoon over Joe Biden’s eye-raising comments to Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel was losing international support because of its “indiscriminate bombing”, and that Netanyahu should change his hard-right dominated government.

John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council, attempted to downplay the remarks of the US president at a lunchtime press briefing from the White House.

Biden’s comments were the sharpest public disagreement yet between the allies over the conduct and future of the war against Hamas.

Kirby was evasive when asked if it was the official US government position that Israel was indiscriminately bombing civilians:

The president was expressing concerns about the civilian casualties that we’ve seen. It’s reflective of our constant efforts to urge the Israelis to be as precise and careful as possible. We know they’ve stated their intent to reduce the casualties and they have acted on that. They are making efforts and they are taking steps, but we want to see, of course, more results in that regard. That’s what he’s referring to.

Similarly, Kirby avoided a question about what specific changes in the Israeli government Biden wanted to see:

It’s not for us to to dictate terms to a foreign sovereign government. Israel is a democracy. And the Israeli people get to decide what that government looks like and they did. And we respect that. That’s what democracy is all about. We’re not dictating terms to the Israelis one way or the other.

- The Guardian

Argentine Government Announces a Total Crackdown On Protests

The new "Security Protocol" precedes potential widespread discontent in a country where nearly 45 percent of the population is poor.

On Friday, social and political groups in Argentina rejected the "Security Protocol" announced by Security Minister Bullrich, labeling it as unconstitutional.

"If the streets are taken, there will be consequences," Bullrich declared in anticipation of street protests following the economic policies promoted by the far-right President Javier Milei.

"The four federal forces and the penitentiary service will intervene in the face of blockades whether partial or total. The law is not fulfilled halfway. The law is either fulfilled or not," she said.

In the case of blatant crimes being committed, Argentine security forces will intervene immediately, using force progressively in proportion to the resistance people pose.

"Streets are not to be taken. We will restore order to the country so that people can live in peace," Bullrich affirmed, warning that the Milei administration will penalize those who make, organize, instigate, or are accomplices to blockades.

It will also inspect the facilities of organizations suspected of promoting protests, establish a ban on marching with covered faces, or bringing children to protests. If participants are foreigners with temporary residence, they will be reported to the Immigration Directorate.

The far-right regime also threatened to make groups related to the organization of protests pay for the costs of the deployment of federal security forces.

These repressive measures precede potential widespread discontent in a country where nearly 45 percent of the population is poor.

In the short term, Argentinians will have to cope with a year-on-year inflation rate of 161 percent, which could escalate to hyperinflation of 15,000 percent in the coming years, as acknowledged by Milei himself.

Leaders of workers' organizations such as Vanina Biasi, Gabriel Solano, and Eduardo Belliboni upheld the constitutional right to protest, emphasizing that the Milei regime "lacks legal authority" to prevent it.

"What bothers them is that people protest against the measures of their government," said legislator Myriam Bregman from the Left Front and Workers (FIT), who recalled that far-right activists previously blocked roads to protest against progressive governments.

The leader of the Public Workers' Association (ATE), Rodolfo Aguiar, emphasized that social conflicts should not be resolved by the police or the judiciary but by those who govern because that's why they were elected.

"The measure announced by the minister aims to address the consequences and not the causes of the protests. If they don't want conflicts, then the government should stop economic adjustments and increase salaries."