| Time |
Event |
| 8:49a |
|
| 8:49a |
|
| 8:49a |
Apple store strike authorized, MD
Workers at the first
unionized Apple store
have voted to strike.
I wish them well as individuals, but the products they sell are so unjust that wish
those jobs would disappear instead of being better paid.
|
| 8:49a |
Whistleblower for Covid-19 semi-released
Zhang Zhan, who reported on the early days of Covid-19 in China, was jailed for doing
so. Now she has supposedly been released, but it seems she is being
held
incommunicado outside of formal prison.
This is common in China. The government's statements are meant to tell you what to
think, not to describe reality.
|
| 8:49a |
London weakening on money laundering, UK
40% of the world's laundered money is estimated to flow through the UK and some
former colonies. The UK has failed to insist that those
former
colonies reveal the true owners of the dummy corporations they set up, often for money laundering.
If the UK cuts them off entirely, they could continue supporting
business deceit
as
they do now, but without being able to relate to other countries
through
the UK, they might find their scheme ineffective.
|
| 8:49a |
National security from climate chaos, UK
*UK
is failing to put climate crisis at centre of national security measures, MPs told.*
I'm sure many governments are being lobbied to get this wrong ;-{.
|
| 8:49a |
|
| 8:49a |
Tory MPs moving to Labour: ongoing, UK
The defection of a right-wing Tory to the Labour Party demonstrates
that Starmer views the party as a mere
faction,
united only by the idea that by working together they can win power.
|
| 8:49a |
Labour agreement with Unions, UK
*Labour and unions reach agreement on
workers’
rights proposals. Labour commits to deal agreed last year, following weeks of tension.*
|
| 8:49a |
Hunger-strike against Thai-royalty
*Political activist [Netiporn Sanae-sangkhom], held in Thai jail,
dies
after 65 days on hunger strike.*
She faced prosecution for allegedly insulting the king. It seems that the Thai
monarchy's definition of "insulting the king" is far broader than the normal
definition of "insult" in English.
|
| 8:49a |
Time to vote in a polarized India
Modi's party is accused of
bullying opposition candidates to drop out of the race.
Modi has not gone as far to making democracy an empty shell
as
Putin went 17 years ago, but it's basically the same story. India is no democracy and we should
not treat it as one.
|
| 8:49a |
Atlanta police training in Israel, GA
Students at Emery University in Atlanta have linked the
violent
repression of rallies for the Palestinians of Gaza with
violent
repression of protests against Cop City.
I think the relationship between the bombardment and siege of Gaza and Cop City is
rather tenuous, but the two instances of repression have a considerable relationship
as described by the article linked above.
|
| 8:49a |
|
| 8:49a |
"Green revolution" plan questioned, AUS
Australia plans to invest $23bn in a future
industrial policy.
I am not one of those who claims that it is foolish to have an industrial policy, but
there is always the risk that is used to hide a giveaway to big business. This one
includes an investment in hydrogen production, and it sounds like renewable
production is only the second step.
What is the first step of
hydrogen production?
Is it production from fossil fuels? That's the way that already works, but investing
in boosting the amount of that is only going to make the climate crisis worse.
|
| 8:49a |
New gas-fields for home and export, AUS
Australia's government has
surrendered to fossil gas.
The previous right-wing government was embarrassingly subservient, and it looked like
the Labor government would be better. But no, it's the same track that leads to gigadeaths.
|
| 8:49a |
RWing extremists attack aid convoy, ISR
Fanatics of the Israeli violent "settler" movement
attacked
an aid convoy, which was traveling from Jordan to Gaza; its route passed through
occupied Palestinian territory and then Israel.
The attack took place at a checkpoint where it was going to cross from Palestinian
territory into Israel. These checkpoints are run by Israeli forces, who evidently
chose not to defend the convoy from the fanatics. Such noninterference with mob
violence against Arabs is
quite usual
for them.
Some Israelis openly demand to starve Gaza until HAMAS frees all the hostages. I
don't think that has any chance of success; HAMAS will not yield so that Israel will
forbear to kill thousands of Palestinian hostages. But if Israel wants to be judged
as morally superior to HAMAS, it must save them.
Let's not lose sight of
where we want to end up.
|
| 8:49a |
Cease-fire-deal text that HAMAS OKed
Here is
the cease-fire deal
that HAMAS agreed to, two weeks ago. It includes releasing all the hostages. Israel did not accept it.
Let's not lose sight of
where we want to end up.
|
| 8:49a |
Tanks enter Rafah, Gaza
Israeli tanks have entered Rafah's
residential
zones. This could result in killing thousands soon enough.
A UN vehicle was attacked, with casualties. I wish we could identify who attacked it.
Let's not lose sight of
where we want to end up.
|
| 8:49a |
|
| 8:49a |
Egypt's new intent in the Gaza crisis
Israel closed the Rafah aid crossing from Egypt into Gaza, and is
claiming
that Egypt closed it. It says that reopening it is up to Egypt. But this is not
true and Egypt vociferously denies it.
Who is this supposed to fool?
|
| 8:49a |
Famine plus blocked food aid, Gaza
UNWRA
has run out of food in southern 2/3 of Gaza, so it can't distribute any more.
Israel is not letting in any more food, having captured and closed the Rafah crossing.
Let's not lose sight of
where we want to end up.
|
| 8:49a |
Canada wildfires
Wildfires in Canada
damaged
fiber optic cables and cut off communication with large areas.
Without land lines and cash, everyone was screwed.
This is not one of my reasons for having cash on hand and always paying cash —
I don't think fire damage to Boston's underground cables is likely. But in many
places it is another good reason to make a habit of using cash. You can
make sure that the stores you buy from are accustomed to cash payments and realize
that they will lose business if they don't let you pay that way.
|
| 8:49a |
Wildfires near tar sands, CAN
Northern Canada is
again
beset by dangerous wildfires, including near Ft McMurray, a main center of tar
sand oil extraction.
There is poetic justice in greenhouse-fueled wildfires burning Ft McMurray. I hope
the people there reflect on what they have done to cause wildfires like these.
|