this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2025

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102

Bulletins and News Discussion from January 13th to January 19th, 2025 - From Mar-A-Lago to Nuuk - COTW: Denmark (including Greenland) (hexbear.net)

submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by SeventyTwoTrillion@hexbear.net to c/news@hexbear.net

986 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Image is of Donald Trump Jr. in Greenland, proudly demonstrating what he's learned in his standing lessons.

The imperial core is continuing the process of self-cannibalization as the interimperial wars between Europe and the US over resource and territorial control continue. Greenland, populated with less than a hundred thousand heavily exploited people, is the newest territory to fall under Trump's gaze. The main draw is the mineral resources present there, of which it boasts nickel, copper, cobalt, and platinum, and much more than remains unexplored under the ice. But the ice is melting, and profit must be made. There is an additional element of wanting Arctic territory to counter Chinese and especially Russian interests and aims; Russia is increasingly eyeing the northern Arctic route as an alternative to more vulnerable routes through the Suez Canal or around Africa, and is investing heavily in icebreakers for that purpose.

However, even if Europe possessed the desire to resist American annexations - and they absolutely do not, at the end of the day - they do not even have the ability. Denmark may, to a lesser or greater extent, make angry sounds and talk about national honour or some such, but their military would be trampled underfoot by even the New York Police Department, let alone a concerted military effort by the US. If Trump wants Greenland, he will have it. This will naturally increase the grumbling in Europe about reconsidering the Transatlantic alliance, and that grumbling may, in the medium-term future, as the American Empire continues its decline, lead to meaningful results. But in the short term, Europe shall have to bear whatever Trump throws at them, for they obviously cannot now ally with Russia, who was the natural counterweight to American interests for decades before 2022.

Last week's thread is here.
The Imperialism Reading Group is here.

Please check out the HexAtlas!

The bulletins site is here. Currently not used.
The RSS feed is here. Also currently not used.

Israel-Palestine Conflict

If you have evidence of Israeli crimes and atrocities that you wish to preserve, there is a thread here in which to do so.

Sources on the fighting in Palestine against Israel. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:

UNRWA reports on Israel's destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.

English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news.
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.

English-language PalestineResist telegram channel.
More telegram channels here for those interested.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Sources:

Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don't want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it's just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists' side.

Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.

Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:

Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.

https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster's telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a 'propaganda tax', if you don't believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.

Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:

Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.

(page 2) 50 comments

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[–] vegeta1@hexbear.net 55 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Blue MAGA trying to cope give Biden credit like didn't circumvent congress to send weapons for this genocide. How many issues has he circumvented congress on? Just demonic

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[–] MarmiteLover123@hexbear.net 55 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (10 children)

While this comment is a bit out there, I beg everyone to hear me out: the strongest sign I've seen that the potential ceasefire in Gaza is expected to go ahead and last for the next few months, has to do with the activities of Ansar Allah (known as the Houthis in mainstream western media) and their latest operations, with regards to the types of missiles that they are using in their attacks. Now again I know that might sound mad, but I'll explain my thoughts below.

My analysis

Ansar Allah are an interesting party to follow because they have operated, throughout this confrontation with Israel to try stop the genocide in Gaza and ease the pressure on them, on a first in last out model. They were some of the first to fire directly at Israel, launching Qadr ballistic missiles at the port of Eliat in Israel on the 6th November 2023, resulting in the first instance of space combat in history when Israeli Arrow-3 interceptor missiles intercepted it. They also began operations against Israel on the 19th October 2023, before Israel even launched their full invasion of Gaza on the 27th. So they will, I assume, be one of, if not the last, groups to cease fire on Israel. Which makes their recent operations interesting.

I'll start with their operations against US Navy aircraft carrier battle groups. Ever since the attack that resulted in the US Navy downing their own F/A-18F aircraft via friendly fire, Ansar Allah have exclusively used cruise missiles and drones to attack the carrier groups and no Anti Ship Ballistic Missiles (ASBMs). I think it's been four times in a row now that they've attacked the US Navy without using ASBMs, according to their own press releases. This is extremely odd in my view, considering that Ansar Allah made use of these weapons in the past in large numbers. The first attack can be explained by a change of strategy, but four times in a row, without achieving the same results as the first attack? Their Iranian designed Manoeuvrable Re-entry Vehicle (MARV) equipped ASBMs are the most sophisticated and modern anti ship weapons in the Ansar Allah and Iranian arsenal, in fact Ansar Allah are the first group in history to use ASBMs in warfare. So why have these weapons disappeared from the battlefield?

Secondly, we can look at their recent attacks against Israel. In the last few weeks, Ansarallah started using Zulfiqar series ballistic missiles in their attacks against Israel and not just Palestine-2 ballistic missiles, as confirmed by their own press releases and photos of missile debris from a new type of missile. The only missile in the Zulfiqar series that has the range to hit Israel from Yemen is the Haj Qasem missile, named after Qasem Soleimani. The debris found a few weeks ago matched this missile. And today, a missile booster stage that got lodged in the attic of a house in Israel was removed, and this booster stage matches the Haj Qasem missile, I'll post an image below. Also a cruise missile was launched against Israel, the first in a long time as usually only ballistic missiles and drones are used.

So Ansar Allah is now using Zulfiqar series ballistic missiles cruise missiles on attacks against Israel, and not exclusively using Palestine-2 missiles and drones as they did previously. Now while both the Haj Qasem and Palestine-2 ballistic missiles are MARV equipped, the Palestine-2 is the more advanced missile. I've seen it described as a battlefield prototype using technologies from both the Kheibar Shekan series and the Fattah-1 missiles, the most advanced operational missiles in Iran's arsenal, with highly manoeuvrable and aerodynamic MARVs capable of long glide phases, and a sustainer rocket motor attached to the MARV itself on the Fattah-1. This is why Iran and Ansar Allah call these weapons hypersonic weapons. Fattah literally means "the opener". These are special purpose weapons. By contrast, the Haj Qasem missile is a way of extending the range the common MaRV of the Zulfiqar series missiles to 1400+km by fitting it to a giant booster stage, this same MARV is used on the Zoheir, original Zulfiqar, Dezful and Haj Qasem. So it's more of a general purpose weapon.

With the trend of Ansar Allah using less sophisticated weapons to carry out their recent attacks now being established, the question is why is this happening. Is Iran no longer giving Ansar Allah the shipments of the parts and materials needed to assemble and manufacture these weapons because they expect a ceasefire? Or have Ansar Allah themselves made the decision to stop producing these weapons because of an upcoming ceasefire? I think such is a definite possibility.

Ballistic missiles with a long enough range to hit Israel from Yemen are expensive, and highly advanced bespoke weapons like the Palestine-2, even more so. We're taking about hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even millions of dollars per missile. Iraq bought SCUD B missiles for 1 million US dollars per missile (including long term support) back before the Gulf War. That works out to over 2.5 million US dollars per missile today. And solid fueled MARV capable missiles are more sophisticated than SCUDs. The first MARV capable missile, the United States' Pershing II missile, the cost per unit works out to 10 million US dollars in today's money, when adjusted for inflation. ASBMs require advanced terminal guidance systems in the warhead itself such as radars and electro optical sensors that can survive atmospheric re-entry, this is obviously very expensive. Yemen is one of the poorest countries on earth, they will not spend the money and resources required to produce or acquire such missiles unnecessarily. If there's a ceasefire on the horizon, there's no need for these weapons or to burn through the stockpiles of the most advanced stuff, deterrence can be established using cheaper and less sophisticated systems, at least for now.

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[–] CyborgMarx@hexbear.net 55 points 3 months ago

I just found something spooky

The vote difference between Trump and Harris is almost exactly the same amount as the pre-genocide population of Gaza, 2.2 million votes/people

[–] totalyNOTaPIRATE@hexbear.net 55 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

David Lynch died at 78 Im sad hexbear users kitty-cri

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[–] MarmiteLover123@hexbear.net 55 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

It appears that the latest round of negotiations for a ceasefire deal between Gaza and Israel, which started in earnest late in December last year, are closer than ever before to a ceasefire.

One of the final stumbling blocks, the release of female Israeli soldiers and their classification in a hostage release/exchange deal (should female Israeli soldiers be released at the same time/in the same group as male soldiers and military aged males (18-50 years old), or at the same time as civilian women, children and elderly men over 50) has been worked out in the latest draft proposal.

Latest reporting states that a decision has been made, female Israeli soldiers will be released alongside civilians and the elderly in the first phase of a hostage exchange deal, with male Israeli soldiers and military aged Israeli males being released at a later date, in a second phase of a potential hostage exchange and ceasefire agreement. The hostage "exchange rate" for the first stage involving female Israeli soldiers and civilians/the elderly is said to be 50 Palestinian prisoners for every female Israeli soldier, and 30 Palestinian prisoners for every Israeli civilian or elderly male.

So a compromise was reached: female Israeli soldiers now enjoy the same classification as civilian women, children and elderly men in a hostage exchange, but at the cost of more Palestinian prisoners being released. I won't comment on the ethics of that... Anthony Blinken is set to release his proposal for the third stage of the ceasefire agreement, the rebuilding and governance of Gaza, later today. Let's hope that he doesn't screw everything up. Can't believe that the whole deal now hinges on Blinken
not messing it up.

Al Jazeera, 14 January 2025: Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel, Hamas at ‘closest point’ – Qatar

Relevant excerpt

Israeli media have leaked details of the potential ceasefire deal which will reportedly be implemented in three stages:

In the first stage, 33 Israeli captives being held in Gaza will be released. In turn, Israel will free 50 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for each female soldier, and 30 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the remaining civilians being held captive. The reports also say Israel will completely withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor – the strip of land between the borders of Gaza and Egypt – at the end of the first phase of the deal.

The second stage will start 16 days into the ceasefire and will focus on negotiations to release the remaining men and soldiers held in Gaza.

The third stage of the deal will address long-term arrangements, including discussions on establishing an alternative government in Gaza and plans to rebuild it. Other details about the reported deal focus on security, with checks said to be carried out by an international body, and Israel allowing one million Palestinians back in the northern Gaza Strip.

Reuters, 14 January 2025: Main points of the Gaza ceasefire proposal

Relevant excerpts

HOSTAGE RETURN.

In the first stage, 33 hostages would be set free. These include children, women including female soldiers, men above 50, wounded and sick. Israel believes most are alive but has had no official confirmation from Hamas.

The first stage would last 60 days. If it proceeds as planned, on the 16th day from the deal taking effect, negotiations would start on a second stage during which the remaining living hostages - male soldiers and younger civilian males - would be released and the bodies of dead hostages returned.

In return for the hostages, Israel will free from its jails more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including convicts serving long sentences for deadly attacks.

Hamas fighters who took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel would not be released.

TROOP WITHDRAWAL.

The withdrawal would be phased, with Israeli forces remaining in the border perimeter to defend Israeli border towns and villages.

There would be security arrangements at the Philadelphi corridor bordering Egypt, along the southern edge of Gaza, with Israel withdrawing from parts of it after the first few days of the deal.

Unarmed North Gaza residents would be allowed back, with a mechanism to ensure no weapons are moved there. Israeli troops will withdraw from the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza.

The Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza will start to work gradually, allowing the passage of those who are sick and humanitarian cases out of the enclave for treatment.

Axios News, 14 January 2024: Blinken to present post-war plan for Gaza on Tuesday

relevant excerpt

Blinken's plan is based on establishing a governing mechanism that will include the involvement of international community and Arab countries that could also send troops to Gaza to stabilize the security situation and deliver humanitarian aid.

The speech will call for reform of the Palestinian Authority, while making clear the PA must be a part of any future government in Gaza.

The Israeli government wants Arab countries to be involved in a post-war Gaza but has so far refused to agree to any day-after plan which includes the involvement of the Palestinian Authority.

Blinken's speech will also reiterate the principles he laid out in Tokyo early in the war and that object to any permanent Israeli occupation of Gaza, the decrease of its territory or the forced transfer of Palestinians from Gaza.

[–] StillNoLeftLeft@hexbear.net 54 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Related to news. The national news of Finland has taken the time out of their Russia = bad focus to tell us plebs that Rednote is bad and heavily state controlled and nobody should use it.

Seeing a status quo maintenance piece about the TikTok ban and Rednote is a great example of the vassal state status that we now occupy.

Edit. The source our state media is using on this is China Digital Times.🤡

They have a label plastered all over their newssites that claims them to be "responsible journalism".

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[–] Socialism_Is_The_Alternative@hexbear.net 54 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Today’s news from occupied Palestine and Syria.

Social media users react to ceasefire with mix of relief, joy: https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/01/15/740983/Gaza-won-Netizens-react-Hamas-Israel-ceasefire-genocide

The fascist and genocidal Tel Aviv massacred another 62 Palestinian civilians today, as the ceasefire negotiations continued: https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/01/15/740980/Israel-Kills-62-Palestinians-despite-ceasefire-deal

Zionist aircraft have now intentionally attacked the “HTS” in Syria for the first time, killing two members in Quneitra province. I wonder how these new rulers in Damascus will respond to this blatant aggression. One frustrating aspect of the previous Syrian government is that they did not shoot back after these kinds of thuggish Zionist attacks: https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/01/15/740976/Syria-Israel-HTS-airstrike-Quneitra-Assad

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[–] ClathrateG@hexbear.net 54 points 3 months ago (7 children)

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/15/statement-from-president-joe-biden-14/ turns out they could have done it at any time, huh

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[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 54 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (4 children)

David Lynch, Visionary Director of ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Blue Velvet,’ Dies at 78.

In January 2025, Lynch evacuated his Los Angeles home due to the Southern California wildfires; Deadline Hollywood reported that these events preceded a terminal decline in his health, and on January 16, 2025, Lynch's family announced that he had died at the age of 78.

Director-writer David Lynch, who radicalized American film with with a dark, surrealistic artistic vision in films like “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive” and network television with “Twin Peaks,” has died. He was 78.

Lynch revealed in 2024 that he had been diagnosed with emphysema after a lifetime of smoking, and would likely not be able to leave his house to direct any longer. His family announced his death in a Facebook post, writing, “There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us. But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.'”

The “Twin Peaks” TV show and films such as “Blue Velvet,” “Lost Highway” and “Mulholland Drive” melded elements of horror, film noir, the whodunit and classical European surrealism. Lynch wove tales, not unlike those of his Spanish predecessor Luis Bunuel, which proceeded with their own impenetrable logic.

A four-time Oscar nominee, Lynch received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 2020. After years spent as a painter and a maker of short animated and live action films, Lynch burst onto the scene with his 1977 feature debut “Eraserhead,” a horrific, black-humored work that became a disturbing fixture on the midnight movie circuit. His outré and uncompromising style quickly won the attention of the Hollywood and international movie-making establishment.

He was hired by Mel Brooks’ production company to write and direct “The Elephant Man,” a deeply affecting drama about a horrifically deformed sideshow freak in Victorian England who became a national celebrity. The feature captured eight Academy Award nominations, including Lynch’s first for best director.

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[–] Coolkidbozzy@hexbear.net 53 points 3 months ago (3 children)

phase 1 of the ceasefire is only a 12 period/day with no ground/aerial operations sadness-abysmal

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[–] NinjaGinga@hexbear.net 53 points 3 months ago (8 children)

Qatar PM announces ceasefire to begin 19 Jan, specific time to still be negotiated.

— ❗️🇮🇱/🇵🇸/🇶🇦/🇪🇬 BREAKING: The Prime Minister of Qatar officially announces a hostage deal and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip!

The initial ceasefire is temporary (1st phase of 43 days) and will transition into a permanent ceasefire when all the requirements are met.

The ceasefire will begin on Sunday.

The war in Gaza is over.

@Middle_East_Spectator

Glory to the Resistance!

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[–] grandepequeno@hexbear.net 53 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Psaki: I'm assuming he didn't bring up his intention to publicly say he was going to annex through economic means Canada

Trudeau: When I started to suggest there could be a trade for Vermont or California, he immediately decided that it was not not that funny anymore.

You know he's lying because Trump would 100% jokingly trade off California for Alberta or some shit

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[–] Boise_Idaho@hexbear.net 53 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Burkina Faso Bans Colonial-Style Wigs for Judges in Decolonisation Effort:
https://www.telesurenglish.net/burkina-faso-bans-colonial-style-wigs-for-judges-in-decolonisation-effort/

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[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 52 points 3 months ago

The United States takes steps in the right direction, but the blockade remains. - Cuban Goverment

Cuban Goverment

On January 14, 2025, the U.S. government announced the decision to: 1) exclude Cuba from the State Department's list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism; 2) make use of the presidential prerogative to prevent action in U.S. courts against lawsuits filed under Title III of the Helms-Burton Act; and 3) eliminate the list of restricted Cuban entities that designates a group of institutions with which U.S. citizens and institutions are prohibited from engaging in financial transactions, which has had an effect on third countries.

Despite its limited nature, this is a decision in the right direction and in line with the sustained and firm demand of the government and people of Cuba, and with the broad, emphatic and reiterated call of numerous governments, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean, of Cubans living abroad, of political, religious and social organizations, and of numerous political figures in the United States and other countries. The government of Cuba thanks everyone for their contribution and sensitivity.

This decision puts an end to specific coercive measures that, along with many others, cause serious damage to the Cuban economy, with a severe effect on the population. This is and has been an issue in Cuba's official exchanges with the U.S. government. It is important to point out that the economic blockade and a good part of the dozens of coercive measures that were put into effect since 2017 to reinforce it remain in force, with full extraterritorial effect and in violation of International Law and the human rights of all Cubans.

To cite just a few examples, the illegal and aggressive persecution of fuel supplies that Cuba has a legitimate right to import continues. The cruel and absurd persecution of Cuba's legitimate international medical cooperation agreements with other countries continues, threatening to deprive millions of people of health services and limiting the potential of Cuba's public health system. Cuba's international financial transactions or those of any nationals that are related to Cuba remain under prohibition and retaliation. Merchant ships docking in Cuba also remain under threat.

On the other hand, every U.S. citizen, company and subsidiary entity of a U.S. corporation is prohibited from trading with Cuba or Cuban entities, except for very restricted and regulated exceptions. Harassment, intimidation and threats against the national of any country that intends to trade with or invest in Cuba continue to be official U.S. policy. Cuba continues to be a destination that the U.S. government prohibits its citizens from visiting.

The economic war remains and persists in posing the fundamental obstacle to the development and recovery of the Cuban economy with a high human cost for the population, and continues to be a stimulus to emigration.

The decision announced today by the United States corrects, in a very restricted way, aspects of a cruel and unjust policy. It is a correction that occurs now, on the verge of a change of government, when it should have been made years ago, as an elementary act of justice, without demanding anything in return and without fabricating pretexts to justify inaction, if it was desired to act correctly. In order to exclude Cuba from the arbitrary list of State sponsors of terrorism, it should have been enough to acknowledge the truth, the total absence of reasons for such designation and the exemplary performance of our country in the fight against terrorism, which even U.S. government agencies have admitted.

It is known that the government of that country could reverse in the future the measures adopted today, as has happened on other occasions and as a sign of the lack of legitimacy, ethics, consistency and reason in its conduct against Cuba.

To do so, U.S. politicians do not usually stop to find honest justification, as long as the vision described in 1960 by then Assistant Secretary of State Lester Mallory, and the goal he described of subduing the Cubans by means of economic encirclement, misery, hunger and desperation, remains in force. They would not stop at justifications as long as that government continues to be incapable of recognizing and accepting Cuba's right to self-determination, and as long as it continues to be willing to assume the political cost of international isolation caused by its genocidal and illegal policy of economic asphyxiation against Cuba.

Cuba will continue to confront and denounce this policy of economic warfare, the interference programs and the disinformation and discrediting operations financed every year with tens of millions of dollars from the U.S. federal budget. It will also remain willing to develop a relationship of respect with that country, based on dialogue and non-interference in each other's internal affairs, despite differences.

Havana, January 14, 2025

[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 52 points 2 months ago (9 children)

Under Brazil's presidency, BRICS announces the entry of Cuba, Bolivia and six other countries as partners. The countries join the bloc as partners, with a lower status than full members, but with the possibility of participating in summits and thematic meetings. According to Friday's announcement, the following countries have joined the BRICS as partners:

Belarus

Bolivia

Kazakhstan

Cuba

Malaysia

Thailand

Uganda

Uzbekistan

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[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 52 points 3 months ago (5 children)

A major agreement has been reported between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages.

According to American and Israeli media, the concluded agreement provides for a preliminary six-week stage , during which a ceasefire must be observed, a partial withdrawal of the Israeli army must be carried out, and an exchange of hostages must be carried out. The agreement provides for:

Ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, partial withdrawal of the IDF and the return of local residents to the north of the region.

Gaza will receive 600 trucks with humanitarian aid .

Hamas will release 33 captured Israelis in stages.

Israel, in turn, will release 30 Palestinian prisoners for each kidnapped person and 50 for each female soldier.

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[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 52 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Hollywood actor James Woods, who has repeatedly called for the Gaza Strip to be wiped off the face of the Earth, has lost his home in the Los Angeles fires. He burst into tears on CNN as he spoke about the loss.

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[–] CTHlurker@hexbear.net 52 points 3 months ago

Btw the IMF has an online library where you can download a bunch of their analysis (analyses?) of various regions of the world. Presumably you can learn a lot about how the vampires all think, and where they see potential faultlines in the financial empire of the United States. Same with the world bank, which has a quarterly commodities forecast which talks about the potential price developments in wheat, oil and others.

This is not to encourage people to take their word as gospel, but it's probably a decent idea to know how these specific institutions looks upon the world, since their ideology is so dominant among the ruling elites of the world.

[–] Alaskaball@hexbear.net 51 points 3 months ago

FEATURING!

The News Megathread Imperialism Reading Group: Week 1 - January 13th to January 19th, 2025

IF YOU WANT TO BE HUGE THEORY NERD THAT DUNKS ON HOGS WITH YOUR BEAUTIFUL COMMUNIST PROBAGANDA DRENCHED BRAINS WITH THE EASE AND FEAST UPON THE CORPSES OF YOUR ENEMIES WITH THE ELEGANCE OF A BEAUTIFUL PURPLE EMPEROR BUTTERFLY NOW'S YOU CHANCE TO GET THE NOGGIN MARINATION GOING!

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO 72T'S POST WHERE IT SAYS

Welcome to the first week of the Imperialism Reading Group!

This will be a weekly thread in which we read through books on and related to imperialism and geopolitics. How many chapters or pages we will cover per week will vary based on the density and difficulty of the book, but I'm generally aiming at 30 to 40 pages per week, which should take you about an hour or two.

The first book we will be covering is the foundation, the one and only, Lenin's Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism. We will read two chapters per week starting from this week, meaning that we will finish reading in mid-to-late February. Unless a better suggestion is made, we will then cover Michael Hudson's Super Imperialism, and continue with various books from there.

Every week, I will write a summary of the chapter(s) read, for those who have already read the book and don't wish to reread, can't follow along for various reasons, or for those joining later who want to dive right in to the next book without needing to pick this one up too.

This week, we will be reading Chapter 1: Concentration of Production and Monopolies, and Chapter 2: Banks and their New Role.

Please comment or message me directly if you wish to be pinged for this group. (Meaning you poke 72T not me. don't make me play telephone!)

https://hexbear.net/post/4272887

[–] iridaniotter@hexbear.net 51 points 3 months ago (1 children)

AFD intimidating immigrants with fake deportation tickets

Article

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[–] plinky@hexbear.net 51 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (4 children)

seems fairly brazen from iran (if true/not old stuff), i would assume they would have suspended this part of the operations. kinda darkly funny how open hts is about its preferences

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[–] MarmiteLover123@hexbear.net 51 points 3 months ago (2 children)

On Greenland, it looks like the USA already got some of what they wanted recently, I made a comment on it earlier, I'll just repost it here.

US lobbied Greenland rare earths developer Tanbreez not to sell to China, Reuters, January 9 2025

Article excerpts

Greg Barnes, CEO of privately held Tanbreez Mining, said U.S. officials who visited the project in southern Greenland twice last year had repeatedly shared a message with the cash-strapped company: do not sell the large deposit to a Beijing-linked buyer.

Barnes ultimately sold Tanbreez to New York-based Critical Metals (CRML.O), as part of a complex deal that will be complete later this year. Tanbreez aims to mine 500,000 metric tons annually of the crimson rare earths-containing mineral eudialyte as soon as 2026.

"There was a lot of pressure not to sell to China," Tony Sage, CEO of Critical Metals, told Reuters. Barnes accepted payment of $5 million cash and $211 million in Critical Metals stock for Tanbreez, far less than Chinese firms offered, Sage said.

Barnes said offers from Chinese and other parties were not relevant because they had not clearly outlined how they could pay.

Neither executive disclosed which officials they met with or identified the Chinese companies that made offers.

Moving onto the next section

Critical Metals applied for funding to develop a rare earths processing facility from the U.S. Department of Defense last year, but the review process has stalled ahead of Trump taking office on Jan. 20. Sage said he expects talks to resume after Trump's inauguration and that Trump's transition team has already contacted him.

"We're already in discussions with the U.S. to sell (rare earths) to the U.S. and build the processing plant in the U.S.," he said.

Critical Metals' third-largest investor is brokerage firm Cantor Fitzgerald (CNTOR.UL), led by Howard Lutnick, who Trump nominated to run the U.S. Commerce Department. Sage said he has never met or talked to Lutnick, but acknowledged Cantor's investment is a positive for his company.

The Tanbreez deposit is about 30% heavy rare earths, which are used widely in defense applications. The site also contains gallium, which China imposed export restrictions on last year.

Critical Metals has held supply talks with defense contractor Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), and has upcoming talks with RTX (RTX.N), and Boeing (BA.N), Sage said.

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[–] Parsani@hexbear.net 51 points 3 months ago

BREAKING: Blinken sheds single tear upon news of a ceasefire

[–] john_brown@hexbear.net 51 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

DJI has removed geofencing that prevented their commercial (civilian) drones from being flown in restricted airspace (military bases)

With this update, DJI’s Fly and Pilot flight app operators will see prior DJI geofencing datasets replaced to display official Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data. Areas previously defined as Restricted Zones (also known as No-Fly Zones) will be displayed as Enhanced Warning Zones, aligning with the FAA's designated areas. In these zones, in-app alerts will notify operators flying near FAA designated controlled airspace, placing control back in the hands of the drone operators, in line with regulatory principles of the operator bearing final responsibility.

DJI drones are just free drones traveling the land now

[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 51 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Authorities in the Republic of Korea (ROK) are attempting to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol for the second time over his brief declaration of martial law in December. Up to 1,000 police officers have been deployed, currently attempting to enter Yoon’s residence.

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[–] whatdoiputhere12@hexbear.net 50 points 3 months ago

no fucking way trump told bibi to pound sand

[–] FuckyWucky@hexbear.net 50 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (9 children)

WaPo endorses most of Trump's right-wing cabinet picks

https://x.com/kenklippenstein/status/1878822276122214676

[–] FuckyWucky@hexbear.net 51 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

reducing deficit and increasing growth (GDP) are straight up incompatible. since they are all themselves multi-millionaires or billionaires, deficits won't be reduced by increasing taxes on the rich (who hoard wealth and don't consume/contribute to GDP). the only other way to reduce deficit is through raising taxes (on the not top 5%ers) or cutting spending. neither of which help with 'growth'.

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[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 49 points 3 months ago (4 children)

Marco Rubio says the U.S. may put Cuba back on the list of countries that sponsor terrorism Removal of the Caribbean country from the list was announced in the last days of Joe Biden's Democratic administration.

“I have no doubt that (Cuba) meets all the requirements to be considered a state sponsor of terrorism,” Marco Rubio said on Wednesday before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing as secretary of state.

The statement was made just one day after President Joe Biden announced the removal of Cuba from the list of “State Sponsors of Terrorism”. “Nothing that the Biden administration has agreed to in the last 12 to 18 hours is binding on the next administration, which begins on Monday,” he said.

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[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 49 points 3 months ago (6 children)

So, what is up with BadEmpanada? Seems like some neoliberal polandball youtuber got angry at him, and BadEmpanada fans trolled the guy so hard, he thinks BadEmpanada owns 200 different twitter accounts.

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[–] carpoftruth@hexbear.net 49 points 2 months ago

today's nakedcapitalism roundup on the gaza ceasefire is worth a look. the triumphalism of unsurprising given how desperate any normal person is to see even a pause in the israeli genocide, but celebration seems quite premature given modern history and the incentives of various parties to fuck things up or look the other way while people fuck things up.

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/01/gaza-ceasefire-deal-still-not-approved-by-knesset-and-why-should-the-world-trust-israel-to-comply-if-so.html

[–] carpoftruth@hexbear.net 49 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Here is an update on the story of the south African illegal miners stranded underground. Pretty grim, I can't imagine what it must be like underground there. It's a tomb.

https://www.business-standard.com/amp/world-news/at-least-78-dead-at-abandoned-south-africa-gold-mine-toll-expected-to-rise-125011501286_1.html

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[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 48 points 3 months ago (6 children)

End of fact checks only applies to the US, says Meta to the Brazilian government.

The company claims to be “committed to human rights” and that it is seeking a “balance” between freedom of expression and security. Meta said that the end of the company's fact-checking program on social networks will initially only take place in the United States. According to the company, the initiative will be tested and improved before expanding to other countries.

“Meta hereby clarifies that it is currently shutting down its independent Fact Check Program in the United States only, where we will test and improve Community Notes before beginning any expansion to other countries,” says the document sent to the Brazilian government.

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[–] HidamariSou@hexbear.net 48 points 3 months ago (18 children)

So, why would Trump care about a ceasefire? What are his interests here?

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[–] Redcuban1959@hexbear.net 48 points 3 months ago (3 children)

China announces the largest trade surplus the world has ever seen: almost US$ 1 trillion. The highest Chinese surplus so far had been US$ 838 billion - in 2022.

China exported almost US$ 1 trillion more goods than it imported in 2024. A spokesman for the General Administration of Customs said that the country exported US$3.58 trillion in goods and services, and imported US$2.59 trillion - creating a surplus of US$990 billion, a world record. The highest Chinese surplus so far had been US$838 billion - in 2022.

Chinese factories produce a third of all manufactured goods in the world. More than the United States, Japan, Germany, South Korea and the United Kingdom combined, according to 2022 data from the United Nations. In the last decade, China has gone from importing cars to becoming the world's largest exporter. Chinese companies produce almost all the solar panels sold on the planet. At the same time, the Chinese have been importing less. The Chinese government spokesman said that if other countries hadn't politicized trade, China would have imported more.

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[–] Torenico@hexbear.net 48 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Argentina’s Health Ministry announces 1,400 layoffs

The latest round of dismissals came as a surprise for most of the already-reduced workforce. ‘It’s a bloodbath.’

Argentina’s Health Ministry announced in a press release on Wednesday that it would not renew the contracts of 1,400 workers. The ministry cited a “reorganization of its competencies and the reorientation of health policies.” The ministry’s communiqué described the layoffs as “a resource optimization” that would affect national hospitals. The decision resulted from “the identification of hiring irregularities during the previous administration, duplicate roles, and non-compliance with tasks,” the communiqué added, saying they had already fired 30% of the ministry’s “political positions.”

President Javier Milei celebrated the layoffs on X with his usual catchphrase: “Afuera.”

“We keep going with the chainsaw. The End,” he wrote.

These are not the first cuts Milei’s administration has made in the health sector. Medical doctors nationwide held protests throughout 2024, saying their salaries were virtually frozen, and the government stopped giving some medications for free to retirees. In 2024, the Milei administration fired 120 workers from the Posadas National Hospital. In its 2025 budget proposal, the government put forward a minimal increase for the country’s national program combatting HIV, STIs, Hepatitis, and Tuberculosis, which Act Up Argentina condemned as equalling a 76% cut when considering inflation.

Some workers had been notified of the impending layoffs: on Tuesday, 130 employees at the Baldomero Sommer National Hospital, located in the Buenos Aires province, got the news. “The notices are coming in right now. It’s a bloodbath,” Leonardo Fernández Camacho, the union’s representative of the Laura Bonaparte Mental Health Hospital, told the Herald on Wednesday evening. Fernández Camacho said there were “more than 100 layoffs and counting.”

I would almost say there are virtually not enough people to open the hospital tomorrow,” he added.

Last year, the government announced it would partially shut down the Bonaparte Hospital, the only national government-owned public hospital dedicated to addictions, but backtracked on it after widespread protests.

A source from the ATE state workers union told the Herald that other affected areas include the Malbrán Institute—an award-winning microbiological research center—the ANMAT—the government agency that monitors the efficacy, safety, and quality of drugs, food, and medical device — and the ministry’s central headquarters. The ATE source also confirmed to the Herald that they will hold an assembly on Thursday and then speak with Health Minister Mario Lugones.

And they celebrate shit like this, not only they don't give a single fuck about the people they're sending straight into poverty -- they celebrate it, they have the courage to show how proud and happy they are about it. I swear to God, if it's even out there, that this will not be forgotten nor forgiven. One day they will finally find out that their actions have consequences, that they can't escape them.

The social fabric is being torn apart, I see a lot of poverty and misery just about everywhere now. Entire families struggling to secure some food and a shelter, and I'm not even talking about a proper house. Material conditions are worsening, society as we know it is being destroyed slowly but surely... all in the name of Capital.

It can't go on like this, it's impossible, it's against nature itself. Despite the shit times, the setbacks, the defeats and the deaths, we will have the final word.

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[–] miz@hexbear.net 48 points 3 months ago

Yemen targets US carrier in Red Sea as Washington 'gears up' for escalation | The Cradle

[–] RaisedFistJoker@hexbear.net 48 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (18 children)

is it foolish to dream that china will help the reconstruction of gaza? If anyone is capable of rebuilding urban sprawl its china, but would that be too active of a role to play for them?

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