#about g20 2023

[marketxcel]

A New Dawn: India charts the course for G20 Summit

G20 decisions hold global implications, impacting economies, industries, and people worldwide. Collaborative efforts among G20 members, invitees, and international organizations underscore a shared commitment to advancing development agendas and sustainable economic growth. India, drawing from its diverse and enriching experience, is poised to lead the way in fostering inclusive and innovative solutions on the world stage.

[formulagroup]

The upcoming G20 Summit is all set to take place in New Delhi on 9 September 2023 to 10 September 2023. It will be graced by numerous global leaders representing the G20 member countries. This edition marks the 18th occurrence of the summit and holds special significance for India as it takes on its inaugural presidency of the event based on the theme of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” – “One Earth, One Family, One Future”.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Mother Jones:

The world’s 3,000 billionaires should pay a minimum 2 percent tax on their fast-growing wealth to raise about $313 billion a year for the global fight against poverty, inequality, and global heating, ministers from four leading economies have suggested.

In a sign of growing international support for a levy on the super-rich, Brazil, Germany, South Africa, and Spain say a 2 percent tax would reduce inequality and raise much-needed public funds after the economic shocks of the pandemic, the climate crisis and military conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.

They are calling for more countries to join their campaign, saying the annual sum raised would be enough to cover the estimated cost of damage caused by all of last year’s extreme weather events.

“It is time that the international community gets serious about tackling inequality and financing global public goods,” the ministers say in a Guardian comment piece. “One of the key instruments that governments have for promoting more equality is tax policy. Not only does it have the potential to increase the fiscal space governments have to invest in social protection, education, and climate protection. Designed in a progressive way, it also ensures that everyone in society contributes to the common good in line with their ability to pay. A fair share contribution enhances social welfare.”

Brazil chairs the G20 group of leading developed and developing countries and put a billionaire tax on the agenda at a meeting of finance ministers earlier this year.

The French economist Gabriel Zucman is now fleshing out the technical details of a plan that will again be discussed by the G20 in June. France has indicated support for a wealth tax and Brazil has been encouraged that the US, while not backing a global wealth tax, did not oppose it.

Zucman said: “Billionaires have the lowest effective tax rate of any social group. Having people with the highest ability to pay tax paying the least—I don’t think anybody supports that.”

Research from Oxfam published this year found that the boom in asset prices during and after the Covid pandemic meant billionaires were $3.3 trillion—or 34 percent—wealthier at the end of 2023 than they were in 2020. Meanwhile, a study from the World Bank showed that the pandemic had brought poverty reduction to a halt.

The opinion piece, signed by ministers from two of the largest European economies—Germany and Spain—and two of the largest emerging economies—Brazil and South Africa—claims a levy on the super-rich is a necessary third pillar to complement the negotiations on the taxation of the digital economy and the introduction earlier this year of a minimum corporate tax of 15 percent for multinationals.

“The tax could be designed as a minimum levy equivalent to 2 percent of the wealth of the super-rich. It would not apply to billionaires who already contribute a fair share in income taxes. Those, however, who manage to avoid paying income tax would be obliged to contribute more towards the common good,” the ministers say.

“Persisting loopholes in the system imply that high-net-worth individuals can minimize their income taxes. Global billionaires pay only the equivalent of up to 0.5 percent of their wealth in personal income tax. It is crucial to ensure that our tax systems provide certainty, sufficient revenues, and treat all of our citizens fairly.”

[zvaigzdelasas]

[DW is German State Media]

Running an administration made up of three staunchly right-wing parties appears to be tedious but it hasn't changed her, says the leader of the post-fascist, radical right-wing Brothers of Italy party.[...]

Over the past year, Meloni, 46, hasn't repeated any of the more radical slogans she was so fond of while campaigning. At home in Italy, she is trying to shape domestic policy according to strict conservative family ideals while on the economic front she has more or less carried on with the relatively successful policies of her predecessor, Mario Draghi. Meanwhile at the European level, she has been almost moderate. One doesn't hear acerbic criticism of the EU from her these days and around the world, she seeks out friends and allies. In fact, she leaves the radical statements to her coalition partners: Matteo Salvini of the right-wing League (in Italian, Lega) party and Antonio Tajani, the country's foreign minister and head of Forza Italia, which was previously led by the late Silvio Berlusconi.[...]

The one thing that doesn't seem to weigh on her daily duties as Italy's leader is the fact that her own party's logo features the eternal flame that sits on the tomb of former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Her partners in Europe also seem to be looking past that. One hears EU administrators in Brussels confess surprise at how "mild-mannered" and "soft-spoken" the Italian leader has become.[...]

At a Rome press conference with Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, head of the centrist Social Democrats, Meloni told reporters that both were in agreement on all of the most important policy areas and that they were looking for pragmatic cooperation. Scholz didn't object. Meloni also seems to have built a rapport with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. [...]

During a recent visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa, von der Leyen and Meloni also seemed to be on the same page when it came to migration policy. That means monitoring borders, reducing arrivals and collaborating more closely with transit countries. Meloni's suggestion that the navy should blockade the coasts of North Africa was the only one that didn't win support from von der Leyen. The two women have already traveled to Tunisia twice to try and wring an agreement out of the autocratic Tunisian president on holding back migrants. Meloni sees that as part of her strategy to focus more on North Africa than previous heads of state have done, in her bid to stem migration.[...]

The heads of the EU and G7 states were actually relieved when Meloni expressed unconditional support for Ukraine in the war with Russia. US President Joe Biden praised Meloni's stance about how defending Ukraine also defends Europe's freedom.

"I hope you'll be nice to me," Biden joked when Meloni visited him at the White House in Washington this summer. Meloni responded with a telling laugh. Only a year ago Biden had branded her election victory a danger to democracy. Meloni let it be known that the pair were on friendly terms again after the one-on-one meeting in Washington. Meloni, who was completely inexperienced in foreign policy, has also been making friends at international summits, such as the recent G20 meeting in New Delhi. The public affection demonstrated by India's nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi prompted excited comments on social media in that country. The names, Meloni and Modi, were melded to create the new label "Melodi."

A win for moderation! /s

24 Sep 23

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

I'm in TARTU, ESTONIA! AI, copyright and creative workers' labor rights (TOMORROW, May 10, 8AM: Science Fiction Research Association talk, Institute of Foreign Languages and Cultures building, Lossi 3, lobby). A talk for hackers on seizing the means of computation (TOMORROW, May 10, 3PM, University of Tartu Delta Centre, Narva 18, room 1037).

#20yrsago Japan jails academic for writing P2P app https://web.archive.org/web/20040512194433/http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/latest/story/0,4390,250207,00.html

#20yrsago Blogger redesign notes https://stopdesign.com/journal/2004/05/09/blogger.html

#20yrsago TheyRule: applying information design to corporate directorships https://theyrule.net

#20yrsago Don’t just protect the unconceived: protect the inanimate! https://fafblog.blogspot.com/2004_05_02_fafblog_archive.html#108411098508640046

#15yrsago Brit MP saw undercover cops egging crowd to riot at G20 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/may/10/g20-policing-agent-provacateurs

#15yrsago Elsevier has an entire division dedicated to publishing fake advertorial “peer-reviewed” journals https://science.slashdot.org/story/09/05/09/1514235/more-fake-journals-from-elsevier

#10yrsago Against the instrumental argument for surveillance https://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2014/may/09/cybersecurity-begins-with-integrity-not-surveillance

#10yrsago Congressmen ask ad companies to pretend SOPA is law, violate antitrust https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/05/pols-ad-networks-pretend-we-passed-sopa-and-never-mind-about-antitrust

#10yrsago Japanese man arrested for 3D printing and firing guns https://kotaku.com/japanese-man-arrested-for-having-guns-made-with-a-3d-pr-1573358490

#5yrsago Americans with diabetes are forming caravans to buy Canadian insulin at 90% off https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/americans-diabetes-cross-canada-border-insulin-1.5125988

#5yrsago Big Tech is deleting evidence needed to prosecute war crimes, and governments want them to do more of it https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/05/facebook-algorithms-are-making-it-harder/588931/

#5yrsago Buried in Uber’s IPO, an aggressive plan to destroy all public transit https://48hills.org/2019/05/ubers-plans-include-attacking-public-transit/

#1yrago KPMG audits the nursing homes it advises on how to beat audits https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/09/dingo-babysitter/#maybe-the-dingos-ate-your-nan

[ukrainenews]

Daily Wrap Up March 2, 2023

Under the cut:

Russian forces continue to press their offensive in the Bakhmut area as Ukrainian forces try to repel ongoing attacks near the key eastern town and nearby areas in the Donetsk region, the Ukrainian military’s General Staff said in an evening update on Thursday.

The US is announcing three new partnerships Thursday in an effort to boost Ukraine’s agricultural sector and help supply the country’s grain to the world

A network of at least 20 torture chambers in the recently liberated southern Ukrainian region of Kherson was "planned and directly financed by the Russian State," war crimes investigators said on Thursday, citing new evidence. The Mobile Justice Team, funded by Britain, the EU and the United States, has been working with Ukrainian war crimes prosecutors across Ukraine and in Kherson since it was reclaimed from Russian forces in November after more than eight months of occupation.

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, spoke for less than 10 minutes on the margins of the G20 meeting in New Delhi today, according to a US state department official. Blinken reiterated to Lavrov that Washington was prepared to support Ukraine’s defence for as long as it takes, the official said, in what is believed to be their first one-on-one conversation in person since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian attacks were reported in Donetsk, Kherson, Poltava, Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Luhansk oblasts in the east, south, center, and north of Ukraine. According to local authorities, five people were killed, and 24 were wounded in the past 24 hours. Russia conducted an air strike on Zaporizhzhia overnight on March 2, heavily damaging a residential building, Acting Mayor of Zaporizhzhia Anatoly Kurtev wrote on Telegram.

“Russian forces continue to press their offensive in the Bakhmut area as Ukrainian forces try to repel ongoing attacks near the key eastern town and nearby areas in the Donetsk region, the Ukrainian military’s General Staff said in an evening update on Thursday.

“They are assaulting the town of Bakhmut,” the General Staff said, echoing an earlier update suggesting Russian presence within the city and not just on the outskirts. CNN reported earlier Thursday that an assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also says Russian forces “advanced within Bakhmut and continued ground attacks around the city.”

Over the last 24 hours, Russian forces launched rocket attacks on the cities of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region, located just five kilometers (about three miles) west of Bakhmut, and Zaporizhzhia, the General Staff said.

“The threat of further missile strikes remains high throughout Ukraine,” the Ukrainian military said.

There were unsuccessful Russian offensive attempts in the Kupyansk and Lyman directions, it added.

In the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, Russian forces continue “to try to create conditions for an offensive” and have fired artillery at more than 40 settlement areas, it said.

Ukraine also responded with 13 strikes over the past day in areas where Russia has personnel and military equipment, the General Staff said, adding that the missile and artillery units hit one Russian ammunition depot.”-via CNN

~

“The US is announcing three new partnerships Thursday in an effort to boost Ukraine’s agricultural sector and help supply the country’s grain to the world, USAID officials told CNN.

The announcement is part of a deliberate effort by the Biden administration to build up Ukraine’s economy and alleviate the global food security crisis which has been exacerbated following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine is regarded as a key bread-basket for much of the world, and the country relies on agriculture to generates more than 40% of total export revenues. The country’s economy shrank by more than 30% in 2022 after Russia’s brutal invasion destroyed infrastructure, hurt businesses and disrupted daily life, according to Kyiv’s economic ministry.

USAID’s new partnerships with Grain Alliance, Kernel, and Nibulon are projected to increase Ukraine’s grain shipping capacity by more than 3 million tons annually, the officials said. Each company has a long history of working in Ukraine.

Working together USAID and these organizations are planning to invest $44 million to support storage and infrastructure expansion in Ukraine’s agriculture sector.

This comes after USAID has announced multiple different initiatives to support Ukraine’s agriculture sector, including programs to specifically target Ukrainian farmers.

A Black Sea Grain deal has also enabled the passage of Ukrainian ships carrying the agriculture products to depart the country, which was a challenge in the early days of the war with Russia preventing the ships from leaving.

The new investments that USAID and its partners are announcing this week will target multiple terminals — Izmail and Reni in Ukraine, both on the Danube, and Čierna nad Tisou in Slovakia— where they expect to see an increase in grain exports. The operations will involve construction to renovate the areas where vessels are loaded.”-via CNN

~

WARNING: Discussion and description of torture.

“A network of at least 20 torture chambers in the recently liberated southern Ukrainian region of Kherson was "planned and directly financed by the Russian State," war crimes investigators said on Thursday, citing new evidence.

The Mobile Justice Team, funded by Britain, the EU and the United States, has been working with Ukrainian war crimes prosecutors across Ukraine and in Kherson since it was reclaimed from Russian forces in November after more than eight months of occupation.

The Kremlin press office did not respond to a request for comment.

Reuters reported on the scale of torture chambers in Kherson in January, when Ukrainian authorities said around 200 people had allegedly been tortured at 10 locations. Survivors told Reuters about being tortured, including electric shocks and suffocation techniques.

Moscow, which has said it is conducting a "special military operation" in Ukraine, has denied committing war crimes or targeting civilians.

The mobile team, established in May 2022 by the Global Rights Compliance humanitarian law firm and backed by international experts, is supporting Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General as it reviews more than 71,000 reports of war crimes nationwide since the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion.

"New evidence collected from recently liberated Kherson reveals torture chambers were planned and directly financed by the Russian State," the team, established by British attorney Wayne Jordash, said in a statement.

Witnesses described the use of electric shock torture and waterboarding by Russian forces. At least 1,000 torture chamber survivors have submitted evidence to investigators and more than 400 people had been reported as missing from Kherson, it said.

Funding a network of torture facilities was part of a Russian state plan to "subjugate, re-educate or kill Ukrainian civic leaders and ordinary dissenters," the team said.

Torture centres were operated by different Russian security agencies, including the Russian Federal Security Services (FSB), local Kherson FSB and the Russian Prison Service, it said.

Reuters was unable to verify the allegations.

An investigation is also underway by the International Criminal Court, part of a both domestic and international efforts to hold those responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide across Ukraine to account.”-via Reuters

Here’s an article from CNN as well, with first hand accounts from people who were captured and put in the torture chambers. 

~

“The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, spoke for less than 10 minutes on the margins of the G20 meeting in New Delhi today, according to a US state department official.

Blinken reiterated to Lavrov that Washington was prepared to support Ukraine’s defence for as long as it takes, the official said, in what is believed to be their first one-on-one conversation in person since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Blinken also called for Moscow to reverse its decision to suspend participation in the New Start nuclear treaty and to release detained US citizen, Paul Whelan.

The official said:

The secretary saw the purpose of this was to deliver these three direct messages, which we see as advancing our interests.

We always remain hopeful that the Russians will reverse their decision and be prepared to engage in a diplomatic process that can lead to a just and durable peace, but I wouldn’t say that coming out of this encounter there was any expectation that things will change in the near term.

Lavrov did not mention the meeting during a news conference he gave after Thursday’s G20 foreign ministers’ meeting.

Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, confirmed the meeting took place, telling CNN:

“Blinken asked for contact with Lavrov. On the go, as part of the second session of the [G20], Sergey Viktorovich [Lavrov] talked. There were no negotiations, meetings, etc.”-via The Guardian

~

“Russian attacks were reported in Donetsk, Kherson, Poltava, Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Luhansk oblasts in the east, south, center, and north of Ukraine.

According to local authorities, five people were killed, and 24 were wounded in the past 24 hours.

Russia conducted an air strike on Zaporizhzhia overnight on March 2, heavily damaging a residential building, Acting Mayor of Zaporizhzhia Anatoly Kurtev wrote on Telegram.

Four people were killed in the attack, and at least eight were injured, according to Prosecutor General's Office. The rescue operation is still ongoing.

Zaporizhzhia regional state administration reported that civilian infrastructure in 14 settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast was under Russian fire. Local authorities received 27 reports about damage to citizens' households and infrastructure sites due to Russian attacks.

Russian attacks killed one civilian in Bakhmut and injured five more in Donetsk Oblast, said Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.

Russia hit 18 settlements and two communities in the region, damaging houses, an administrative building, a shop, and a church, according to Kyrylenko.

Russian troops fired almost 500 projectiles on Kherson Oblast using multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), mortars, tanks, drones, and artillery, according to Kherson Oblast Military Administration.

The attacks wounded 11 civilians in the region, including a 1-year-old child, and damaged houses and apartment buildings in the city of Kherson, the administration wrote.

A Russian missile strike hit civilian areas, including critical infrastructure, in the city of Kremenchuk, Ukraine's central Poltava Oblast, on March 1, the oblast governor Dmytro Lunin reported. There were no casualties, he confirmed later.

Russian troops hit more than seven settlements in Kharkiv Oblast with artillery, MLRS, mortars, and drones, said Oleh Syniehubov, the oblast governor. The attacks damaged houses, outbuildings, and an administrative building, but there were no casualties.

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russian forces attacked the communities of Nikopol and Chervonohryhorivka overnight, damaging power lines, private enterprises, eight high-rises, a few shops, and other infrastructure. No casualties were reported, according to Governor Serhii Lysak.

Russian troops shelled the Kutsurub community on the Black Sea coast in Mykolaiv Oblast with MLRS on March 1, said Vitalii Kim, the oblast governor. No casualties were reported.

Overnight and earlier on March 1, Russian troops used artillery and mortars to strike nine communities in Sumy Oblast bordering Russia, the regional military administration reported. The attacks damaged a residential building and a power line, according to the administration.

Russia struck eight settlements in Luhansk Oblast with artillery over the past 24 hours, the regional state administration wrote. It didn't provide information on casualties or damage.

In Chernihiv Oblast, Russian troops hit the settlements of Yeline and Berylivka close to the Russsia-Ukraine border, according to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces. It didn't provide information on casualties or damage.”-via Kyiv Independent

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Take corruption perception ranking with a pinch of salt, says Brazil comptroller

After Brazil dropped ten places in Transparency International’s annual ranking of perceptions of public sector corruption in 2023, the Federal Comptroller General’s Office (CGU) issued a statement urging the results to be “viewed with caution” and patting the government on the back for its anti-corruption efforts.

Brazil scored only 36 points on Transparency International’s scale of 0 to 100. The score is two points lower than in 2022 and placed the country 104th out of 180. The ranking is based on international assessments that captured the perceptions of experts and businesspeople on the topic of corruption in certain countries.

The Comptroller General’s Office, however, casts doubt about the efficacy of rankings based on “perception,” and claims that international studies are exploring the methodological limitations of such surveys.

“Several international organizations — among them the UN, G20, and the OECD — have discussed coming up with new measures on the issue. Corruption is a complex phenomenon and no indicator can measure all of its aspects,” reads the statement. 

Continue reading.

[pawseds]

"Staying on the case again? Let me get you some tea..."

This blog mostly revolves around the stuff I make about Delta Green, a cosmic horror and investigative conspiracy TTRPG. Specifically, it revolves around the 3 campaigns I'm involved in that take place in the same universe! Sometimes I'll throw in some other art, though. Posts will be tagged based on which game/storyline they came out of, and I'll also reblog game stuff from my other fellow players!

EN/ID/中文 For other art stuff and ramblings: Instagram | Twitter Keep reading for tag/campaign organisation details!

---

M-EPIC

An M-EPIC campaign called 'Bones of the Earth' set in 2008-9 Canada that ran from 2021-2022. The universe the other 2 campaigns are set in; the game that started it all... (Here's all the art and comics made per session. And here's a cool World Andvil my Handler made for M-EPIC/the campaign!)

ITItE

The story of my EPIC PC, Finan Syahputra, and his fiance-now-wife Claretta Tedyono. Has all pre-game (2004-8), in-game (2008-9), and post-game shenanigans (2009+) (the brainrot is so big, it needs its own category). Bigger slice of life/cope with the job feel; Home scenes if you will

Melati/Grief Rice

My homebrew campaign 'Where Red Blooms' set in 2010-2011 Indonesia, with the organisation Melati Merah Nusanara (specifically the Bulan Anggrek Nusantara 'research and security' branch). It started in 2022 and will wrap up early 2024! Here's a fun summary of it by @katastrofish, one of my players (and my homie!!).

SKSD

Scholarly Keepers of Sorcery in Dragonheart is the second sneaky D&D 5e Westmarches campaign, and it's here because I'm playing Dani, @katastrofish's NPC from Melati who I've often roleplayed as, and Fish is playing as their Melati PC, Simon! This is a no-death, magic school campaign set in 2023/4 in which technology is trying to wipe out magic.

GAWE

The first sneaky D&D 4e Westmarches campaign that ran through Sept-Nov 2022. Enter Hrodwyn, who left their flock of sparrow hengeyokai in an effort to find a solution to the cancerous spread of Starblight --or Stellaron -- that kills and mutates organisms, ranging from Hrodwyn's flock to the 5 planets in this universe. I've still got comics and more comic ideas, so I'm throwing it in here lol

Helvetia

A globetrotting homebrew campaign set in 2017-2019 based in Helvetia Ltd, the G20's secret hounds for trouble. It's set in the future of the same world as M-EPIC and Melati with @theroyalzealot as Handler/GM and Hrothgar as my PC (ported from GAWE!).

---

"Don't forget to roll SAN on your way out."

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Matt Davies :: [@MatttDavies]

* * * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 13, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

Russian president Vladimir Putin met with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un today in Russia’s far east. His need to turn to North Korea’s isolated leader is a dramatic fall for Putin, who just four years ago was hobnobbing with then-president Donald Trump at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. Now, thanks to his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin, too, is isolated, charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court, and under an arrest warrant. 

It is no wonder that shortly before he met with Kim, Putin said of Trump’s 2024 presidential run: “We surely hear that Mr. Trump says he will resolve all burning issues within several days, including the Ukrainian crisis. We cannot help but feel happy about it.” Trump has said he will end the war in a day if he’s reelected, and has called for withholding funds to Ukraine until the Department of Justice and the FBI investigate President Joe Biden. 

At the meeting, Putin and Kim vowed to strengthen the ties between the two countries, and Kim expressed total support for Putin as Russia’s isolation grows, calling their stance a “fight against imperialism” and saying at a state dinner that he is “certain that the Russian people and its military will emerge victorious in the fight to punish the evil forces that ambitiously pursues hegemony and expansion.” 

And yet it is Russia that is attacking other nations, including the U.S.: on September 7 the U.S. Department of Justice indicted 11 Russian men for their participation in cyberattacks against governments, businesses, and major hospital chains around the world. The U.S. Treasury Department and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency say the hackers are associated with Russian intelligence services.

Russia is looking for artillery munitions from North Korea to continue its war against Ukraine; North Korea wants ballistic missile technology from Russia to develop its space and satellite program. Kim cannot get that technology elsewhere because of sanctions intended to keep him from developing nuclear weapons. Sergey Radchenko, a senior professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies who studies Russian and Chinese national security, concluded that we might be seeing an alliance between North Korea and Russia that, among other things, is likely to increase North Korea’s assertiveness.

That Putin feels the need to cozy up to Kim indicates the war is not going as he would like. Indeed, last night Ukraine hit the main base for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, in occupied Crimea, destroying two vessels and the port infrastructure. The Ukrainian military claimed responsibility for the strike, underlining its growing strength in Russian-occupied areas.. 

In a major speech today at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Secretary of State Antony Blinken explained the place at which the United States finds itself in both foreign and domestic affairs. He told the audience that the end of the Cold War, a period of competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, along with their respective allies, ushered in “the promise of an inexorable march toward greater peace and stability, international cooperation, economic interdependence, political liberalization, human rights.” That postwar period did, indeed, lift more than a billion people from poverty, eliminate deadly diseases, and usher in a period of historically low conflicts between nations, despite challenges such as the 2008 global financial crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic, and regional conflicts like those in Rwanda and Iraq.

“But,” Blinken said, “what we’re experiencing now is more than a test of the post–Cold War order. It’s the end of it.”

The relative geopolitical stability of the post–World War II years has given way to the rise of authoritarian powers, he said. Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is the most immediate threat to “the international order enshrined in the UN charter and its core principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence for nations, and universal indivisible human rights for individuals.” But the People’s Republic of China “poses the most significant long-term challenge,” he said, “because it not only aspires to reshape the international order, it increasingly has the economic, the diplomatic, the military, the technological power to do just that.”

As partners, “Beijing and Moscow are working together to make the world safe for autocracy,” Blinken warned.

As the competition between the two systems ramps up, many countries are hedging their bets, while the influence of nonstate actors—international corporations, public service nongovernmental organizations, international terrorists, transnational criminal organizations—is growing. At the same time, the sheer scale of global problems like climate change and mass migration is making cooperation across borders more difficult.

The international economic order of the past several decades is flawed in ways that have caused people to lose faith in it, Blinken explained. Technology and globalization have hollowed out entire industries and weakened workers, while laws protected property. Inequality grew dramatically between 1980 and 2020, with the richest 0.1% accumulating the same wealth as the poorest 50%. “The longer these disparities persist,” Blinken pointed out, “the more distrust and disillusionment they fuel in people who feel the system is not giving them a fair shake. And the more they exacerbate other drivers of political polarization, amplified by algorithms that reinforce our biases rather than allowing the best ideas to rise to the top.”

Democracies are under threat, Blinken said. “Challenged from the inside by elected leaders who exploit resentments and stoke fears; erode independent judiciaries and the media; enrich cronies; crack down on civil society and political opposition. And challenged from the outside, by autocrats who spread disinformation, who weaponize corruption, who meddle in elections.” 

The post–Cold War order is over, Blinken said. “One era is ending, a new one is beginning, and the decisions that we make now will shape the future for decades to come.” 

The U.S. is in a position of strength from which it seeks to reinforce a rules-based international order in which “goods, ideas, and individuals can flow freely and lawfully across land, sea, sky, and cyberspace, where technology is used to empower people—not to divide, surveil, and repress them,” where the global economy is defined by fair competition and widespread prosperity, and where “international law and the core principles of the UN Charter are upheld, and where universal human rights are respected.” Such a world would serve humanity’s interests, as well as our own, Blinken said; its principles are universal.  

“[O]ur competitors have a fundamentally different vision,” he said. “They see a world defined by a single imperative: regime preservation and enrichment. A world where authoritarians are free to control, coerce, and crush their people, their neighbors, and anyone else standing in the way of this all-consuming goal.”

They claim that the norms and values that anchor the rules-based international order are imposed by Western nations, that human rights are up to nations themselves, and that big countries should be allowed to dictate to their smaller neighbors. 

“The contrast between these two visions could not be clearer. And the stakes of the competition we face could not be higher—for the world, and for the American people.”

Blinken explained that the Biden administration has deliberately integrated domestic and foreign policy, crafting industrial strategy to rebuild the U.S. and to address the wealth disparities that create deep political resentment, while aligning that domestic strength to foreign policy. That foreign policy has depended on strengthening alliances and partnerships, building regional integration so that regions address their own interests as communities, closing the infrastructure gap between nations, and strengthening international institutions—rejoining the Paris Climate Accords and the World Health Organization, working to expand the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and so on.

Blinken said that such investments will lead nations to stand up to “the Beijings and Moscows of the world” when they claim this system serves the West and try to tear it down, and answer back: “No, the system you are trying to change is our system; it serves our interests.” At the same time, such investments will offer new markets for American workers and businesses, more affordable goods for American consumers, more reliable food and energy supplies, more robust health systems to stop deadly disease, more allies to address global challenges. 

Looking back from the future, Blinken said, “the right decisions tend to look obvious, the end results almost inevitable. They never are. In real time, it’s a fog.”

“We must put our hand on the rudder of history and chart a path forward, guided by the things that are certain even in uncertain times—our principles, our partners, our vision for where we want to go,” Blinken said, “so that, when the fog lifts, the world that emerges tilts toward freedom, toward peace, toward an international community capable of rising to the challenges of its time.” 

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[wushigod]

The world’s 3,000 billionaires should pay a minimum 2% tax on their fast-growing wealth to raise £250bn a year for the global fight against poverty, inequality and global heating, ministers from four leading economies have suggested. In a sign of growing international support for a levy on the super-rich, Brazil, Germany, South Africa and Spain say a 2% tax would reduce inequality and raise much-needed public funds after the economic shocks of the pandemic, the climate crisis and military conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. They are calling for more countries to join their campaign, saying the annual sum raised would be enough to cover the estimated cost of damage caused by all of last year’s extreme weather events. “It is time that the international community gets serious about tackling inequality and financing global public goods,” the ministers say in a Guardian comment piece. “One of the key instruments that governments have for promoting more equality is tax policy. Not only does it have the potential to increase the fiscal space governments have to invest in social protection, education and climate protection. Designed in a progressive way, it also ensures that everyone in society contributes to the common good in line with their ability to pay. A fair share contribution enhances social welfare.” Brazil chairs the G20 group of leading developed and developing countries and put a billionaire tax on the agenda at a meeting of finance ministers earlier this year. The French economist Daniel Zucman is now fleshing out the technical details of a plan that will again be discussed by the G20 in June. France has indicated support for a wealth tax and Brazil has been encouraged that the US, while not backing a global wealth tax, did not oppose it. Zucman said: “Billionaires have the lowest effective tax rate of any social group. Having people with the highest ability to pay tax paying the least – I don’t think anybody supports that.” Research from Oxfam published this year found that the boom in asset prices during and after the Covid pandemic meant billionaires were $3.3tn – or 34% – wealthier at the end of 2023 than they were in 2020. Meanwhile, a study from the World Bank showed that the pandemic had brought poverty reduction to a halt. The opinion piece, signed by ministers from two of the largest European economies ��� Germany and Spain – and two of the largest emerging economies – Brazil and South Africa – claims a levy on the super rich is a necessary third pillar to complement the negotiations on the taxation of the digital economy and the introduction earlier this year of a minimum corporate tax of 15% for multinationals. “The tax could be designed as a minimum levy equivalent to 2% of the wealth of the super-rich. It would not apply to billionaires who already contribute a fair share in income taxes. Those, however, who manage to avoid paying income tax would be obliged to contribute more towards the common good,” the ministers say. “Persisting loopholes in the system imply that high-net-worth individuals can minimise their income taxes. Global billionaires pay only the equivalent of up to 0.5% of their wealth in personal income tax. It is crucial to ensure that our tax systems provide certainty, sufficient revenues, and treat all of our citizens fairly.” The ministers say there would need to be steps to counter the use of tax havens. The levy would be designed to prevent billionaires who choose to live in Monaco or Jersey, for example, but make their money in larger economies such as the UK or France, from reducing their tax bills below a global agreed minimum. If one country did not impose the minimum tax, another country could claim the income. “Of course, the argument that billionaires can easily shift their fortunes to low-tax jurisdictions and thus avoid the levy is a strong one. And this is why such a tax reform belongs on the agenda of the G20. International cooperation and global agreements are key to making such tax effective. What the inter...

[head-post]

Russian FM travels to China to talk about Ukraine, Asia-Pacific region

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived on a working visit to Beijing, Russian media reported.

In Beijing, Lavrov will hold a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. They plan to discuss such issues as co-operation and work in the UN, BRICS, SCO and the G20.

Russian media reported that the ministers “will discuss the situation in Ukraine and the Asia-Pacific region, issues of bilateral cooperation and interaction in the international arena,” quoting Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the previous day that the Russian and Chinese sides were scheduled to have a thorough exchange of views on a number of “hot topics” and regional subjects during the meeting.

Mr. Lavrov’s visit will last from 8 to 9 April. The minister last visited Beijing in October 2023, when the third international forum “One Belt, One Road” was held there.

Read more HERE

[esgjuly]

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism being proposed by the Commission

We as a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the European Union is leading global efforts to combat climate change. The European Green Deal outlines the ambitious EU goal of reducing carbon emissions by 55% from 1990 levels by 2030 and turning the continent into a climate-neutral region by 2050.Our plan to do this includes the July 2021 package, which will solidify the EU's position as a global climate leader and support the EU's climate ambitions. The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) should support the EU's enhanced ambition for climate mitigation. This climate measure ensures WTO compatibility and should reduce the danger of carbon leakage. There is a significant risk of "carbon leakage"—that is, EU-based businesses moving carbon-intensive production overseas to take advantage of lax standards or EU products being replaced by more carbon-intensive.

As one of the leading Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, Such carbon leakage has the potential to significantly weaken global climate efforts as well as EU efforts by shifting emissions outside of Europe. Thanks to the CBAM, the EU's climate goals won't be jeopardized by production shifting to nations with less aggressive policies. The CBAM will level the playing field in terms of carbon prices between imports and domestic goods. The CBAM system, created by WTO regulations and other international commitments of the European Union, will function as follows: If EU carbon pricing regulations manufacture the commodities, importers will purchase. On the other hand, the EU importer can entirely deduct the related cost if a non-EU producer can demonstrate that they have previously paid the price for the carbon used in manufacturing the imported goods in a third nation.

In our role as Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, Some parts of the world, including California, have already implemented Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms, which impose a tariff on specific electricity imports. Numerous nations, including Canada and Japan, are organizing comparable programs. Furthermore, recent research has been conducted by the OECD and the IMF to examine how these policies might aid global initiatives to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The G20 Finance Ministers also emphasized the need for tighter international coordination on applying carbon pricing systems in the communiqué that followed their meeting on July 9–10, 2021.The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism will be phased in gradually and initially only apply to a limited number of goods at high risk of carbon leakage.

Being a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, this is done to give businesses and other countries legal certainty and stability. A reporting system will be in place for such products as of 2023 to allow a seamless rollout and foster communication with foreign nations. Importers will begin making a financial adjustment in 2026.Lastly, as outlined in the December 2020 Inter institutional Agreement on budget and own resources, CBAM income will be used as a potential resource in the EU budget. The EU's primary climate change policy is the Emissions Trading System (ETS), the first global emissions trading program. It limits how much greenhouse gas emissions can be emitted from industrial facilities in specific industries

As a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the system will be adjusted to reflect the amended EU ETS to maintain fairness between enterprises in the EU and those outside it once the entire CBAM regime goes into effect in 2026. This adjustment will specifically address the decrease in free allowances available in the covered sectors by the CBAM. This implies that the CBAM will only start to apply to the covered items progressively and directly about the decrease in the free allowances allotted to those industries under the ETS. Simply put, the CBAM will only apply to the share of emissions that do not receive free permits under the EU ETS until they are fully phased out in 2035.

[redbards]

The long preparation of class struggle from above

(translated from perspektive-online.net)

The Salami Tactic: What sounds like a funny strategy from a party game is a tried and tested means of influencing public opinion in German politics. Whether militarization, the asylum debate, Agenda 2010 or the upcoming budget – over the span of months, rather uncomfortable facts are made acceptable and - at first glance - unobjectable. How the class war is being waged from above and what traps we must not fall into. - An analysis by Fridolin Tschernig

Three days after Russia's attack on Ukraine, the discussion about the introduction of a military draft started again. Since then, the idea of compulsory military service has flared up again and again in Germany. Slowly but surely we are supposed to be prepared for it. However, the population is still rather divided on such issues, not least because the overwhelming majority tends to reject a "war-ready" Germany with a "leading role in Europe".

As a trick, however, the state is discussing compulsory social service in order to be able to introduce compulsory military service via the back door. The idea is to gradually get the population in line and then present them with a fait accompli. If we're constantly being bombarded with confused arguments as to why compulsory military service is absolutely necessary, at some point we won't be so sure ourselves whether compulsory military service is really such a bad thing or not.

As a result, the actual steps towards compulsory military service remained largely opaque to us. A constantly changing discourse, which takes on different forms at different times, can quickly have surprising consequences. It's like the movement of the sun across the horizon: if we look at it every minute, it never seems to change its position. But if we wait three or four hours, it may have already set.

What we have seen since February 2022 in the case of compulsory military service can be seen in many of the attacks from above. Agenda 2010 did not come out of nowhere either: since 1982, social benefits for refugees have been gradually cut. From then on - and later with the Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz („Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act“) - a catalog of cuts and sanctions was drawn up that reduced entitlements to a minimum. Together with extensive agitation by BILD and preparation by politicians, such as the Schröder-Blair-Paper.

We can also see this in the refugee debate. The AfD, whose most important topic is the refugee issue, occupies a special position here. But politicians in general are also working with the media to spread more and more hate speech and lies. We recently saw what this leads to in the discussion about Berlin’s public swimming pools. And on New Year's Eve, we can once again expect increased incitement against migrants. This is how politicians legitimize the intensified terror of deportation and the further abolition of the right to asylum - and there is no great outcry.

The whole thing can also be observed on a small scale: for example, increased police deployment is legitimized long in advance for actions on the street. The propaganda together with the special rights for the police before the G20 summit in Hamburg 2017 or the „Day X“ Demonstration in Leipzig 2023 serve as prime examples. These smaller campaigns are then used again to restrict the right of assembly throughout Germany. But, of course, this will also be done in stages, from state to state.

Last but not least, this also applies to the current discussion about the budget. Massive cuts will be made to social services in the future, that is certain. Politicians have been insisting for months that "we" have to make savings. Cuts have already been made at municipal and state level, youth centers have been closed and much more besides. Here, too, we are being bombarded with the wildest justifications and the first steps have already been taken in the direction of the budget cuts.

But why all this?Why do those in power want to impose their attacks on us piecemeal instead of all at once. Why is so much energy being expended on repeatedly stirring up debates and pushing through the smallest changes through day-to-day legislation? The answer is obvious: to prevent us from reacting.

After Agenda 2010, hundreds of thousands took to the streets to demonstrate against the cuts. Such mass protests in a very short space of time are not at all to the liking of those in power. And so they are trying to prevent similarly large-scale resistance by taking these small steps, massaging opinions and normalizing the issues to the public. The whole thing is called "salami tactics". It describes a process in which a small slice is repeatedly cut from a large whole instead of putting everything directly on the table.

This tactic is used in Germany for all issues. At present, attempts are being made to push through all changes as slowly as possible and as quickly as necessary. But even this tactic is subject to fluctuations: In politically dynamic times, in which the ruling class has to rearm faster and faster, decisions have to be implemented without long preparation. One example of this is Scholz's turnaround. In just a few hours, the entire geopolitical orientation of the Federal Republic of Germany was changed.

In order to understand how the class struggle is waged from above, we cannot avoid taking a long-term view and seeing through the strategy. For example now: We don't know exactly when, how and where cuts will be made. But we do know that we are facing massive cuts in the social sector. The extent of this is being concealed from us. But exposing this is precisely our greatest strength. And that's what we need to focus on again and again.

„The reintroduction of compulsory military service is a decicive signal.“ said Bernd Althusmann (CDU) on 27. February 2022.

„With around 200,000 soldiers, the Bundeswehr is too small.“, opined Patrick Sensburg from the reservist association on 28. April 2022.

„I would like us to have a debate about compulsory social service“, encouraged President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on 12. June 2022.

„It was a mistake to suspend compulsory military service“ – War Minister Boris Pistorius on 27. January 2023.

„Compulsory time strengthens our democracy.“, alleged Steinmeier on 26. Mai 2023.

„It is important and right to initiate the debate on compulsory social leave,“, SPD Commissioner for Care Claudia Moll on 22. July 2023.

„We need this stable backbone more urgently than ever, which is why I brought the idea of compulsory social leave into the discussion.“, Steinmeier said at a „town hall“ on 16. September 2023.

„Now is the time to talk about compulsory service“, added CDU parliamentary group leader Johann Wadephul on 26. November 2023.

And just in time for the Festival of Peace War Minister Pistorius prophesied on 09. December 2023: „The discussion about it [compulsory military service] will pick up speed“.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

I'm touring my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me WEDNESDAY (Apr 11) at UCLA, then Chicago (Apr 17), Torino (Apr 21) Marin County (Apr 27), Winnipeg (May 2), Calgary (May 3), Vancouver (May 4), and beyond!

#20yrsago Report from the spam/anti-spam summit https://web.archive.org/web/20040426071527/http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/spam/story/0,13427,1187654,00.html

#20yrsago Broadcast Treaty threatens the whole world with super-duper DMCA https://web.archive.org/web/20040427223711/http://www.corante.com/importance/archives/002925.html

#20yrsago John Gilmore on Gmail’s terms-of-service https://craphound.com/gilmoreongmail.html

#15yrsago U2’s manager wants the power to cut off your Internet connection https://memex.craphound.com/2009/04/08/u2s-manager-wants-the-power-to-cut-off-your-internet-connection/

#15yrsago Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air: the Freakonomics of conservation, climate and energy https://memex.craphound.com/2009/04/08/sustainable-energy-without-the-hot-air-the-freakonomics-of-conservation-climate-and-energy/ #15yrsago What you should be afraid of instead of terrorists https://web.archive.org/web/20090327073459/https://www.counterpunch.org/goekler03242009.html

#15yrsago Obama DOJ invents radical authoritarian theory to defend Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping https://www.salon.com/2007/08/01/obama/

#15yrsago London cop’s unprovoked attack on G20 bystander who then has fatal heart attack https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/apr/07/video-g20-police-assault

#10yrsago EU’s highest court strikes down mass surveillance under the Data Retention Directive https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/04/data-retention-violates-human-rights-says-eus-highest-court

#10yrsago Online test-proctoring: educational spyware that lets third parties secretly watch and listen to you through your computer https://web.archive.org/web/20140412142717/http://spartandaily.com/119401/online-proctoring-raises-privacy-concerns

#10yrsago My daughter Poesy reviews Hilda and the Black Hound https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lVWEiMbx_E

#5yrsago The BLM’s Burning Man environmental impact statement is terrible, calls for drug searches, dumpsters, and a 19,000,000lb concrete wall https://memex.craphound.com/2019/04/07/the-blms-burning-man-environmental-impact-statement-is-terrible-calls-for-drug-searches-dumpsters-and-a-19000000lb-concrete-wall/

#5yrsago China’s toxic livestreaming culture: the vicarious lives of angry, alienated, uneducated rural gamers https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1003642

#5yrsago The two hidden intellectual moves behind the “progressive” argument against free college https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/05/pete-buttigieg-argues-against-free-college-this-is-why-progressives-cant-agree-about-subsidizing-tuition/

#5yrsago Pledge: I will not participate in any event organized by or including institutions that employ Kirstjen Nielsen https://memex.craphound.com/2019/04/08/pledge-i-will-not-participate-in-any-event-organized-by-or-including-institutions-that-employ-kirstjen-nielsen/

#5yrsago Most browsers — except Firefox and Brave — are eliminating the option to turn off surveilling “hyperlink auditing” https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/software/major-browsers-to-prevent-disabling-of-click-tracking-privacy-risk/

#1yrago Everything advertised on social media is overpriced junk https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/08/late-stage-sea-monkeys/#jeremys-razors

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

China and Brazil extend validity of bilateral visas

The top diplomats of Brazil and China announced on Friday that the two countries had signed an agreement to double to ten years the validity of tourist and business visas for people traveling between the two sides.

In 2023, about 42,500 Chinese tourists arrived in Brazil, according to data from Embratur, the Brazilian tourism board. The number remains well below pre-pandemic levels.

The agreement was signed during a visit to Brazil by China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, as part of a tour of Latin America and Africa. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to visit Brazil in November, when Rio de Janeiro hosts the G20 summit.

The move is part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Brazil and China. Brazil and China established diplomatic relations in 1974, during the military dictatorship. Since the late 2000s, the Asian giant has become Brazil’s outright top trading partner.

Continue reading.