Statecraft
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Baltic independence hero says West lacks resolve against Putin
Baltic states are getting more and more attention in global press; Europe seems to be waking up - finally - to all the warnings that had been sent over the last few decades.
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Preparing for a Less Arrogant America
An interesting read. I don't fully agree with the following statement: > And like the proverbial lunatic who tries the same thing over and over thinking he might get a different result, U.S. policymakers never seem to learn the right lessons, he argued.
The context here is all the attempts at regime change in the Middle East. I think there's a good chance the regime was just an excuse enabling the military industry to keep moving forward.
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Kursk incursion boosts Ukrainian morale after grim year
If nothing else - a morale boost is the least that's coming out of the Kursk operation
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Ukraine attacks Moscow in one of largest ever drone attacks on the Russian capital
Moscow getting some of its own, well deserved, medicine
- www.theregister.com UK's £3.4 billion 'electricity superhighway' gets the green
500 km transmission cable promises enough power for two million homes, or a heck of a lotta GPUs
Looks like a nice project, but placing
clean energyandnatural gasin the same sentence feels... disingenuous. - www.bbc.co.uk Trump trial live: Donald Trump found guilty in historic criminal trial - BBC News
He becomes the first former - or serving - president to be convicted of a crime, as he bids to return to the White House.
Truly one of the grander events in politics. US might start slowly but surely rebuilding its image on the international stand if it can keep this up.
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Post Office scandal live: Ex-Post Office investigator to face questions as inquiry resumes - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk Post Office scandal live: Ex-Post Office investigator to face questions as inquiry resumes - BBC NewsAfter a new law to quash hundreds of convictions was announced on Wednesday, an inquiry into the scandal resumes in London.
Proper cocked up cover up. Now live!
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The EU’s carbon border tax and the fragmentation of global trade
This feels sensible. There will always be naysayers, there will always be exports to poorer countries, but arguing against such a policy makes it sound like protecting the status quo for the sake of it.
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Ukraine Has a Pathway to Victory
It's a theoretical pathway, but it's a nice read overall for someone who's not into warring all that much. I've found the explanations understandable.
- apnews.com The UN secretary-general invoked 'Article 99' to push for a Gaza cease-fire. What exactly is it?
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked a rarely exercised power to warn the Security Council of an impending “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
Most likely nothing is going to come out of this, but I guess it's still a nice political gesture.
- www.theregister.com Europe signs off on €1.2B for homegrown cloud project
Vendor to speak unto vendor with first results expected in 2027
I do wish EC pulls this off. It would great having an actual home-grown competitor to cloud providers. EU does data protection better than anyone else, this would very much be a symbiotic relationship.
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Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
Regular archivers are sad today, I've upload the PDF of the article page here. ___ A fairly strongly worded opinion article by a clinician and associate professor.
Let's hope she's wrong, but the argument she provides sounds plausible.
- www.reuters.com 3M, DuPont defeat massive class action over forever chemicals
A U.S. appeals court on Monday handed 3M , Corteva Inc subsidiary E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co and other manufacturers of toxic so-called "forever chemicals" a big win in their fight against legal liability for the substances, rejecting a lower court's ruling that would have allowed about 11.8 mil...
> "Seldom is so ambitious a case filed on so slight a basis," wrote Circuit Judge Raymond Kethledge, noting there are thousands of companies that have manufactured PFAS but just 10 listed as defendants in the case.
How on earth did that happen? It's such a disappointment, but at the same time I understand the judicial system has to follow the law and apply it equally.
Why was the lawsuit so limited in the first place?
- www.politico.eu What London’s mayor learned when he took on the cars
Sadiq Khan is facing protest, death threats for the expansion of his city’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).
This is an incredibly shit article trying to play reader's emotions. I do not agree with the execution of ULEZ expansion.
But death threats? Defacing? What the actual fuck, people?
- foreignpolicy.com Beijing Tightens Its Grip on the Critical Minerals Sector
The West has taken steps to slash its dependence on China, but it still commands supply chains—for now.
Normally I prefer specialization, but these industries are massive enough to still have economy of scale benefits even after duplicating efforts across continents.
It's probably also a nice boost to local economies.
- www.reuters.com Abortion rights advocates, Democrats score wins in US elections
Democrats and abortion rights advocates notched a string of electoral wins, including in conservative Ohio and Kentucky, in an early signal that reproductive rights remain a potent issue ahead of the 2024 race.
Finally some sanity prevailing!
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Blinken says Israel should not reoccupy Gaza; G-7 backs ‘humanitarian pauses’
It seems US is starting to push back a little. Can't say I blame them.
- foreignpolicy.com The Inevitable Fall of Putin’s New Russian Empire
What history tells us about collapsed empires trying to restore their former possessions.
Archive.org fails to bypass firewall, ghostarchive fails altogether, archive.today is not happy with my work IP today. Would appreciate anyone posting an archive link of sorts for everyone as I've found the write up very interesting.
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Israel orders siege on Gaza Strip; Hamas says it struck Jerusalem, Tel Aviv
This is such a shitshow. The only thing that would surprise me at this point would be an actual end of the conflict. ___ \[WSJ\] - Iran Helped Plot Attack on Israel Over Several Weeks | Archive
\[BBC\] - How Hamas staged Israel lightning assault no-one thought possible
\[Reuters\] - How Hamas duped Israel as it planned devastating attack
\[FP\] - What You Need to Know About the Israel-Hamas Violence | Archive
\[FT\] - ‘We need to conquer Gaza’: Netanyahu faces demands for ground offensive | Archive
\[FT\] - Israel says it has regained control of towns outside Gaza | Archive
\[Politico\] - Israel war with Hamas escalates; total death toll tops 1,100
\[AP\] - Live updates | Israel says it’s at war after surprise Hamas attack
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The increasing absurdity of staying in Russia | Financial Times
www.ft.com The increasing absurdity of staying in Russia | Financial TimesWestern companies still in the country face an ever harder time repatriating profits and risk state seizures
> including German retailer Metro and US cigarette maker Philip Morris.
I'm suprisingly OK with Philip Morris staying there and poisoning them. Sort of feels like an underground resistance.
Screw all the other companies, though. Reap what you sow and all that.
- foreignpolicy.com Attention-Seekers and Autocrats Are a Combustible Mix
Geopolitical provocateurs can cause serious diplomatic headaches.
Wankers. Wankers everywhere.
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What is happening with US Government?
It seems every couple of years it's in danger to shut down. Is this a genuine thing, a political play or something else?
- ground.news Separatist government of Nagorno-Karabakh says it will dismantle itself by January 2024
The separatist government of Nagorno-Karabakh announced Thursday that it will dissolve itself and the unrecognized republic will cease to exist by the end of the year, and Armenian officials said more than half of the population has already fled.
The first I've heard of it was yesterday(?) when the military defeat happened. Seems like it dissolving itself.
- foreignpolicy.com The EU Is Letting Hungary and Poland Erode Democracy
Brussels must take harsher measures against ruling parties in Budapest and Warsaw if it’s serious about upholding democratic norms.
I'm sort of torn on this. I really like the idea of all member states having an equal say on things, but at the same time Hungary and Poland's fairly extreme stance is holding the whole bloc back.
Is there a democratic way to solve this? I'm not aware of one.
- www.reuters.com Taiwan reveals first domestically made submarine in defence milestone
Taiwan unveiled its first domestically developed submarine on Thursday, a major step in a project aimed at strengthening the island's defence and deterrence against the Chinese navy, though it won't enter service for another two years.
Haven't paid much attention to Taiwan other than the constant threat from China. A domestic sub is a massive development for a military complex.
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Troops stormed a prison. They found inmates had built a luxury resort.
That's certainly one way to run a prison.
- www.reuters.com How Kim Jong Un’s meeting with Putin could shake up North Korea-Russia relations
The coming meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could help reshape how the reclusive and distrustful North has dealt with its partners in Moscow and Beijing.
archive.today ___
I'll repeat myself. Winnie-the-pooh meets poo-tin.
- www.bbc.co.uk Pay matches price rises even as unemployment climbs
Wages are no longer being squeezed by inflation, but there are signs the jobs market is beginning to turn.
archive.today ___
I'm not sure I like the graph (and the whole report). It feels like it prices stopped growing, the representation in the chart would go down as it would be compared to a growing base number as time goes on.
- www.bbc.co.uk Government may have broken law over sewage - watchdog
The UK's independent watchdog has been investigating Defra and the EA for failure to meet environmental law.
archive.today ___
Shit in rivers - bad.
- www.politico.eu Putin wants more land. The EU is racing to get there first
European Union expansion is back on the agenda for Ursula von der Leyen but rapid growth is going to hurt.
ghostarchive.org ___ Would be lovely if things were actually kicked off. By the time these countries join post-covid economic downturn will be in the past.
- www.ft.com EU downgrades growth forecast and raises inflation expectations | Financial Times
Revised figures come as ECB prepares for pivotal decision on interest rates this week
- www.ft.com UK parliamentary researcher denies China spying claims | Financial Times
MPs call for Beijing to be designated a ‘threat’ after police say two men have been arrested on espionage allegations
- www.lrt.lt Lithuania condemns Russian ‘elections’ in Ukraine’s occupied territories
Lithuania on Monday condemned the elections held by Russia over the weekend in the temporarily occupied territories of U...
- www.lrt.lt Eastern flank to see largest NATO military exercise since Cold War
NATO will hold the largest military exercise since the Cold War on its eastern flank next year to practice repelling a R...
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- www.reuters.com North Korea's Kim to visit Russia for talks with Putin
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will soon visit Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin, the two countries confirmed on Monday, a potentially landmark summit amid Moscow's deepening isolation over the war in Ukraine.
winnie-the-pooh to visit pootin.
- www.wsj.com The Three Roadblocks Keeping Ukraine Mired in War
Slow gains on the battlefield, a cautious West and Putin’s record of breaking deals have contributed to a deadlock that Kyiv fears plays in Russia’s favor.
