Germany asks China not to supply Russia with dual-use goods that can be used for war. German Vice Chancellor raised this issue during his visit to China, expressing concerns about the economic relations. He mentioned that the EU will not bypass sanctions against Russia. Trade between China and Russia increased by over 40% last year, with more than half of this growth accounting for energy resources. #Germany#China
In 2023, all 9 of the world's nuclear-armed nations (incl Israel) increased nuclear weapons spending at a rate of $250 million/day. The largest rise was by the U.S. at 18% incr over 2022 to $51.5 billion--that's $98,000/minute, more than the other 8 countries combined.
Global hunger could be eradicated by 2030 for less than what these countries will spend on nukes. Homelessness, drug rehab, daycare for children of working parents could all be resolved with this kind of money. Of course, if they use the nukes (which is becoming increasingly likely with all the bellicose talk and provocative actions around Ukraine, Iran, China, and N. Korea), hunger, housing, childcare, education, will be the least of our concerns.
Who profits most directly from this weapons build-up? In this order:
Honeywell
Northrop Grumman
BAE
Airbus
Boeing (1 reason why they put so little effort into making their passenger jets safe)
Most people in petrostates want quick switch to clean energy, UN poll finds
Most people in the world’s biggest fossil fuel producing countries want their countries to transition quickly to clean energy to fight the climate crisis,
according to the largest ever climate opinion poll, conducted by the UN.
Many of these states have profited heavily from fossil fuel exploitation,
but the 77-nation poll shows their citizens are deeply concerned about the impacts of global heating on their lives.
Putin promised unspecified technological help to #NorthKorea, which could advance its #NuclearWeapons prgm.
As Putin’s #Russia & #Xi’s #China deepened confrontation w/the West over the past decade, they were united w/the #US on at least one #geopolitical project: dismantling or at least containing North Korea’s #nuclear arsenal.
A drone photo shows a flooded area in Fujian province, south-east China. Southern China was reeling from heavy rains that triggered landslides killing at least nine people, knocking out power for entire villages and burying crops
According to the Leiden Ranking of the volume of scientific research output, there are now six Chinese universities or institutions in the world top ten, and seven according to the Nature Index. They may not be household names in the West yet, but get used to hearing about Shanghai Jiao Tong, Zhejiang and Peking (Beida) Universities in the same breath as Cambridge, Harvard and ETH Zurich.
Fünf Jahre Haft für MeToo-Aktivistin und Journalistin in China
Ein Gericht in China hat eine bekannte Journalistin und Frauenrechtlerin wegen Anstiftung zum Umsturz zu fünf Jahren Haft verurteilt. Huang Xueqin hatte auch über die regierungskritischen Proteste in Hongkong berichtet. Von Eva Lamby-Schmitt.
They know that the words of US and Israel is not even worth a dog fart so they want to sign an agreement with international backers in order to have some kind of guarantees. Not that any of those countries will lift a finger to help the Palestinians when (not if, but when) Israel breaks the agreement.
An employee checks his mobile phone as he walks past displays of robot heads, at the office of humanoid robots developer Ex-Robots in Dalian, Liaoning province, China, June 6. REUTERS/Florence Lo
I've reviewed 'China in Global Capitalism: Building International Solidarity Against Imperial Rivalry' by Kevin Lin, Rosa Liu, Eli Friedman, and Ashley Smith: https://niklas.reviews/china-in-global-capitalism
In #China wurden 2023 mehr als 6 Mio. #EAutos verkauft. BYD ist weltgrößter EAuto-Hersteller. 34% aller deutschen Autos werden in China verkauft und CDU, CSU und ÖVP diskutieren im Ernst über eine Verbrenner-Zukunft und riskieren damit unseren Wohlstand. https://youtu.be/2dhWfmyoGDY
An asylum-seeking migrant from China rests on a rock while waiting to be transported by the U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the border from Mexico into the U.S. in Jacumba Hot Springs, California, U.S. June 4, 2024. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/ File Photo
World’s biggest solar farm goes online, big enough to power a country
"A recent report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) described #China’s drive towards #renewables as “extraordinary”, with the country commissioning as much solar capacity last year as the entire world did in 2022.
“China accounts for almost 60 per cent of new renewable capacity expected to become operational globally by 2028,” the report stated."
"We are witnessing a historic process -- Russians are leaving for the first time in two centuries," independent Azerbaijani analyst Elhan Shahinoglu told AFP.
The proximate causes of the current conflicts in #Ukraine, the #MiddleEast, the #SouthChinaSea and even #Armenia might be different, but the bigger picture showed an interconnected battlefield in which #PostColdWar certainties had given way to “great-power competition” in which authoritarian leaders were testing the boundaries of their empires. #Russia#China#XiJinPing
Clipped from an interview that took place 1+ years ago, 170% private debt v GDP in US is a huge vulnerability. Per his work regarding debt’s role in financial instability, we’re in a crazy place, as the safe limit is 30% . Wages suffer from the debt overhang in the wake of a crisis as companies pay down debt.
mainstream economics is blind to all this, yet their theory guides US policy. It has to go.
...hypothesis in international finance that suggests differences in nominal interest rates reflect expected changes in the spot exchange rate between countries.")*