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Artist: Liz Climo

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s chief interlocutor with the Russian government last month advised a senior aide to Vladimir Putin on how the Russian leader should go about pitching the U.S. president on a peace plan aimed at bringing an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to a transcript of the call published by Bloomberg News on Tuesday.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, according to a transcript of the Oct. 14 call published by the news service, advised Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov that Putin should call Trump to congratulate him for the Gaza peace deal, say Russia had supported it and that he respects the president as a man of peace.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/39334028

Opensource Web Comic by David Revoy.

Keir Starmer’s digital ID system will immediately become a target for foreign powers, ex-MI6 chief Richard Dearlove has warned. The authoritarian proposal, which has proved deeply unpopular so far, would soon be left behind by technology anyway. Dearlove told shithouse merchants GB News: When you aggregate data into one massive base, of course it immediately […]

By Joe Glenton

From Canary via This RSS Feed.

Indian General Strike (2020)

Thu Nov 26, 2020

Image: Farmers gather as they take part in a nationwide general strike to protest against the recent agricultural reforms at the Delhi-Haryana state border in Singhu on December 8, 2020. From Sajjad HUSSAIN

On this day in 2020, the largest strike in world history began in India when 250 million workers from across the country struck both in solidarity with farmers protesting en masse and to demand better working conditions for themselves.

The strike took place following months of protest from Indian farmers, a response to three farm acts passed by the Parliament of India in September 2020. According to protesters, the farm acts would leave small farmers, the vast majority, at the mercy of large corporations. Poor farmers were already desperate before the laws were passed - in 2019 alone, 10,281 agricultural workers committed suicide.

Dozens of farm unions began organizing protests demanding the repeal of these laws. After failing to get the support of their respective state governments, the farmers decided to pressure the Central Government by marching to Delhi en masse.

The farmers arrived at Delhi on November 25th, 2020 and were met by police, who employed the use of tear gas and water cannons, dug up roads, and used layers of barricades and sand barriers to try and stop their march.

On November 26th, 250 million workers from all over the country initiated a general strike in solidarity with the farmer's struggle. According to Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, trade unions issued a twelve-point charter of demands which included "the reversal of the anti-worker, anti-farmer laws pushed by the government in September, the reversal of the privatisation of major government enterprises, and immediate [Covid] relief for the population".

Farmer protests continued for more than a year, featuring mass marches, clashes with police, and many failed negotiations between farmers' unions and the government. Rakesh Tikait, a leader with Bharatiya Kisan Union (English: Indian Farmers' Union) stated in October 2021 that approximately 750 participants have died in the protest.

Among the dead was a Senior Superintendent of Police in the city of Sonepat, who committed suicide, saying he could not bear the pain of the farmers. His suicide note read "Bullets fired from the guns kill only those whom they strike. The bullet of injustice, however, kills many with a single stroke... It is humiliating to suffer injustice."

In a televised address on November 19th, 2021, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that his government would repeal the three acts in the upcoming winter parliamentary session in December. The national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, Rakesh Tikait, stated the protests would only cease once the laws were repealed.

The film actor Deep Sidhu also joined the protests, and was quoted as having told a police officer the following: "Ye inquilab hai. This is a revolution. If you take away farmers' land, then what do they have left? Only debt."

• Date: 2020-11-26
• Learn More: thetricontinental.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Labor, #GeneralStrikes, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/talks-could-have-ended-war-ukraine | Archived

At the first meeting, the Russians presented a set of harsh conditions, effectively demanding Ukraine’s capitulation. This was a nonstarter. But as Moscow’s position on the battlefield continued to deteriorate, its positions at the negotiating table became less demanding. So on March 3 and March 7, the parties held a second and third round of talks [...]

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240615/nyt-claims-to-reveal-2022-russia-ukraine-peace-drafts-key-details-and-missed-opportunities-1118975487.html

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/46275324

China’s aggressive trade stance against Japan appears to kill any chance it has of joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership [CPTPP] trade bloc in the near future.

Archived

Beijing’s confrontation with Japan over a remark about Taiwan has led to a series of retaliatory blows already hurting the Japanese economy.

But China’s sharp response to new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s frank admission that a Chinese attack on Taiwan might trigger a collective self-defence response could also rebound on the People’s Republic.

China has released its ‘wolf warriors’ and ramped up trade pressure on Japan dramatically, warning its citizens to stay away from Japan, while reimposing a ban on Japanese seafood.

[...]

Japanese artists have had concerts in Beijing cancelled or postponed, [...] supposedly because of public dissatisfaction over Takaichi’s remark. Manufacturing giants such as Toyota and Sony also expect “direct blowback” from Beijing [...] Chinese airlines cancelled flights on at least a dozen routes to popular destinations such as Kyoto and Osaka last week, according to a report by the [Chinese state-controlled media outlet] South China Morning Post.

[...]

But there are also signs that China will pay a price for its latest display of petulance.

Its acts of economic coercion are almost certain to derail – or add years – to its bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which Beijing applied for in 2021.

The problem for Beijing is the CPTPP requires a very different approach to the ‘trade wars’ that China has launched against trading partners, such as Australia, several years ago.

Members of the trade grouping must meet three criteria known as the ‘Auckland Principles’ – preparedness to meet the pact’s high standards, a record of compliance and adhering to trade commitments, and concensus, with all existing members agreeing to on new countries wishing to join.

[...]

Nations must agree to non-discriminatory dialogue with other members and transparent decision-making, as noted by Australia’s ABC News, which said the latest flare-up has occurred as the 12 “CPTPP members were meeting in Melbourne to assess new membership bids.”

“On the eve of those discussions, one member state is being economically punished by the country seeking entry,” it said. “That creates a structural problem for China: CPTPP enlargement requires unanimity. And Japan holds a veto.”

[...]

The idea of Japan permitting China to join the CPTPP now is “almost unthinkable,” the ABC report said, not only because of its coercive trade actions, but other factors, such as its behaviour in the East China Sea.

[...]

From Cuong Nguyen

I was speechless when I witnessed this large raven attacking the great horned owl. Both came out OK after that, and the great horned flew away. Shot was taken last year in Ottawa.

From David L Clark

Short-eared Owl made 3 attempts to catch Weasel. Lightning fast Weasel dives down the hole. It even looked like the Weasel was teasing the owl. Neither took the event that serious. Very cool to witness.

“This Is What Our Ruling Class Has Decided Will Be Normal”: Remembering Aaron Bushnell

https://farid.ps/articles/remembering/_aaron/_bushnell/en.html

@palestine #palestine