Oui ou non: New Caledonia set for fresh vote on independence from France - Guardian

Sunday's vote could lay the foundations for the birth of a new nation in the Pacific after surprising support emerged in 2018 referendum

It's the final week of campaigning and two flags fly above the competing rallies, concerts, and campaign meetings: the French tricolour and the multi-coloured flag of Kanaky.

On Sunday, voters in New Caledonia will go to the polls for a second referendum on the political future of the French Pacific dependency.

More than 180,000 long-term residents of New Caledonia are registered to vote "Yes" for independence or "No" to remain within the French Republic.

Voting is not compulsory, so turnout will be crucial. Supporters and opponents of independence are on the streets this week in a final effort to mobilise their bases and convince uncertain citizens to participate on referendum day.

The Nouméa Accord signed in 1998, provided for up to three referendums to be held in the archipelago: in 2018, 2020 and 2022.

Polls have closed and counting has begun (New Caledonia is UTC+11, one hour ahead of Sydney and one hour behind Auckland). Turnout was 79.63%, six points above from the first referendum two years ago.

EU justifies buying surveillance drones for Belarus - Euractiv

The EU has bought 15 surveillance drones for Belarusian authorities, prompting alarm they could be used against pro-democracy protesters.

Lithuanian police handed over the equipment to the Belarusian State Committee for Forensic Science on 16 September - in the middle of a brutal police crackdown, which has seen thousands of people snatched off the streets, beaten, and tortured.

And the EU foreign service paid for them out of an €850,000 neighbourhood project being handled by Latvia and Lithuania.

The security cooperation appeared to go against the EU's vocal support for the pro-democracy movement.

For its part, Lithuania said the drones were delivered in September due to "contract procedures".

But Vilnius "suspended all payments to the Belarusian side related to joint EU-Belarus projects as of 9 August", when the protests broke out.

The drones had not been used for anything yet, the EU foreign service added.

Exclusive: Top German official hushed up report on China's influence - Axios

Business interests have long shaped Germany's relationship with China, to the detriment of human rights concerns and even national security.

Details: The highly sensitive report, completed in 2018, examined the Chinese government's attempts to influence every level of German government, society and business, according to two former U.S. intelligence officials.

• It cast a particularly harsh light on the intimate ties between German business and the Chinese government.
  
• But before it could be widely disseminated within the German government, as had been intended, a high-ranking official intervened.
  
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel also saw the report, but few others did, said one official.

Minority of Europeans think US election will be free and fair - poll, YouGov
n = 1,000

Rotten to the core

Wilders can shake hands with Trump, Orban, LePen and UK's Farage.

Minorities are hardest hit by the SARS Covid-2 pandemic, so Wilders puts the blame of delayed hart and cancer operation for White citizens on immigrants. So tiresome ...

Gatver, Walgelijke van Wilders. Terwijl Nederlanders vechten voor hun leven cirkelt Wilders als een aasgier rond de lijken om zijn zieke ideologie te delen. Dieper kun je niet zakken in het moeras van racistische drek en xenofobie. #corona pic.twitter.com/vUjvb1NZNZ

— Farid Azarkan (@F_azarkan) October 11, 2020

reportage
Top EU court backs French pesticide ban
ruling
Judgment in Case C-514/19

Member States may take unilateral protective  measures if they have previously raised concerns about  an active substance with the Commission and the Commission does not adopt protective measures.
[...]
As regards whether the implementing regulations can  be regarded as measures taken by the Commission in response to France's communication, the Court notes that EU legislature thus established a specific emergency procedure that is closely linked to the emergency procedures laid down in the harmonisation regulation. The implementing regulations were not adopted on the basis of the emergency procedures of the harmonisation regulation, but on the basis of other provisions of that regulation. The Court therefore  takes the view that those implementing regulations cannot be regarded as measures taken by the Commission in response to France's communication.

The Netherlands goes into partial lockdown; face masks will be compulsory https://t.co/bvT5tzAV8X

— DutchNews.NL (@DutchNewsNL) October 13, 2020

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

EU court adviser says Poland, Hungary turnover taxes are legal
"High turnover does not necessarily lead to high profit, but high turnover is a prerequisite for high profit."
'Five Eyes' alliance demands ways to access encrypted apps
"While encryption is vital and privacy and cyber security must be protected, that should not come at the expense of wholly precluding law enforcement, and the tech industry itself, from being able to act against the most serious illegal content and activity online."

Meanwhile in France: this right-wing MP explains that teaching Arabic at school "is a mistake" because "school has to be neutral". Again in this country, Arabic is so sidérée to be some sort of dangerous threat to the Republic 🤷🏻‍♀️ https://t.co/4mkXW77b8o

— Rim-Sarah Alouane (@RimSarah) October 15, 2020

Der erhobene #Mittelfinger für alle ohne #Maske verschwindet, aber die Kampagne von Senatswirtschaftsverwaltung und @visitberlin zum Tragen von Masken in der Öffentlichkeit wird fortgesetzt. https://t.co/RdL9bjQYj8

— Tagesspiegel (@Tagesspiegel) October 14, 2020

Coronavirus: Berlin withdraws ad giving the finger to anti-maskers  - DW

The German capital's tourism authority has withdrawn a controversial advertisement in which an elderly lady gives the middle finger to individuals who do not wear masks.

Visit Berlin and the Berlin Senate on Tuesday launched the advert, entitled "We obey the corona rules," aiming to prevent further spread of the coronavirus and to highlight the importance of safeguarding the health of the elderly.

Above the image of the woman wearing a floral-patterned mask and giving onlookers the finger. The poster reads: "A finger-wag for all those without a mask."

Exclusive: EU taps Chinese technology linked to Muslim internment camps in Xinjiang - DW

Two EU institutions are using technology produced by China's Hikvision, a firm that has been accused of providing surveillance equipment to Muslim internment camps in the country's northwest Xinjiang province.

Hikvision describes itself as "the world's leading video surveillance products supplier."

The Chinese tech giant has its European base in the Netherlands and has not been subject to any EU sanctions or blacklist measures.

Officials at the European Parliament and the European Commission acquired the company's thermal imaging cameras as part of the fight against the spread of the new coronavirus.

The gadgets can detect a high temperature or fever, which is a common symptom of COVID-19.

Anyone with a temperature of more than 37.7°C (99.86°F) is denied entry.

Berlin's new airport finally opens: A story of failure and embarrassment - DW

The Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (BER) was slated to open on June 3, 2012. It wasn't the first time the project missed its deadline, but it was the most memorable.

So great was the anticipation, public broadcaster rbb planned to go live for 24 hours covering it. So great was the disaster thereafter, the German satire site, The Postillon, proposed a new grammatical form for discussing the airport's conditional opening -- an event repeatedly kicked down the tarmac never to actually happen.

Just before the opening date, inspectors reported some 120,000 defects, including fire safety issues, automatic doors that didn't open and sagging roofs. Around 170,000 kilometers (106,000 miles) of cable installed in and around the airport were found to be dangerously wired. Some lights couldn't turn on; others couldn't turn off.

It has taken more than nine years, and a series of well-paid airport company managers, to sort out the problems at Berlin's new international airport -- also called Willy Brandt Airport, after the late leader of West Berlin and then West Germany. And now that airport officials say it is ready for takeoff, few airplanes are likely to do so. The coronavirus pandemic has thrown the airline and travel industries into disarray.

Full & effective implementation of Withdrawal Agreement will always be an absolute priority for 🇪🇺

It is the result of long EU-UK negotiations & the only way to protect Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement, guaranteeing peace and stability on island of Ireland. #InternalMarketBill https://t.co/92cq1tY6Nj

— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) October 1, 2020

Britain will take back 'full control' from the EU on Jan. 1, says PM Johnson
"'we will take back full control of our money, our borders and our laws,' he told parliament, repeating a mantra that helped him win an election last year"

Could Flemish fishermen still be able to fish in English waters post 31 December 2020? -  flandersnews.be

Belgium's Ambassador to the EU Willem Van de Voorde quoted a 354-year-old treaty during discussions on Wednesday between member states' ambassadors to the EU on the future access of European fishing fleets to UK waters ones the Brexit transitional period comes to an end at midnight on 31 December.

To the confusion of the some of those at the meeting and the delight of others Mr Van de Voorde quoted a treaty signed in 1666 by the then King of England Charles II. The treaty granted 50 Flemish fishermen from Bruges (West Flanders)   "eternal rights" to fish in English waters. Mr Van de Voorde suggested that this was an important historical footnote that emphasised the long relationship between Flemish fishermen and British waters.

The treaty entitled "Privilegie der Visscherie" (Privilege of fisheries) was signed in 1666 when Bruges was part of the Southern Netherlands and under Spanish control. It was a show a gratitude on the part of Charles II for the hospitality that he was given when he stayed in Bruges during the interregnum that followed the decapitation of King Charles I and his own restoration to the English throne.

Speaking as a celebrity I think this number is too low. To maintain celebrity standards it should be at least double that🤨 https://t.co/jZEBaqKhEh

— Jim Spence (@JimSpenceDundee) October 10, 2020

EU identity cards will not be enough to enter UK from October 2021, GB-EU Border Operating Model

"Identity cards are among the least secure documents seen at the border and ending their use will strengthen our security as the UK takes back control of its borders at the end of the transition period," stated a UK government press release.

Under the scheme, Hauliers will need a Kent Access Permit to proceed to the border.

Richard Burnett, the chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, warned that "firms moving goods across borders will have to undertake customs processes whether there's a deal or no deal."

Hospital bosses urge NHS England to drop 'unfair' fines as Covid admissions rise

The number of people waiting more than a year to start hospital treatment is at its highest since 2008 and almost 90 times higher than at the same time last year. In August, there were 111,026 people who had waited more than 52 weeks to start hospital treatment, up from 1,236 in August 2019.

It's the 16th of October here in the US, which means, I presume, per Boris's final and official plan, as announced  couple of weeks go, that the UK has Brexited.

Boris Pantomime

Brexit: Trade talks with the EU are over, says No 10

A historic gamble on a Trump win or worst case an impasse in election result ...

US election: what a Biden or Trump victory could mean for Britain | The Guardian |

I voted against the Boris Johnson govt's Internal Market Bill which breaks the law & the EU Withdrawal agreement that it already signed. Govt defeated in the House of Lords by 395 votes to 169. No doubt, the govt will use House of Commons vote to overturn.https://t.co/kc0dTUHXtH

— Prem Sikka (@premnsikka) October 20, 2020

Appeal court quashes UK policy of removing migrants with little warning [_link]

— The Guardian (@guardian) October 21, 2020

AstraZeneca shares turn negative after Brazilian health authority says volunteer in Covid vaccine study dies

FDA has vaccination trial on hold, UK and Oxford plough ahead.

... only when it suits us.

UK presses for use of faster passport gates at EU airports post-Brexit https://t.co/TZqNWVcSQi

— The Guardian (@guardian) October 23, 2020

England's schools to receive fewer laptops for distance learning [_link]

— The Guardian (@guardian) October 24, 2020

Secrets and lies: untangling the UK 'spy cops' scandal

Those duped into having relationships with undercover police are hoping for answers from the inquiry.

The existence of a squad of police officers sent deep undercover in political groups was so top secret that many of the UK's most senior officers were completely oblivious until they began reading reports in the Guardian 10 years ago.

When Lisa Jones - who uses a pseudonym - and her friends established that Kennedy was a police officer who had been spying on climate change activists, the story caused a firestorm, collapsing a major trial and quashing the convictions of environmental activists who had been prosecuted for conspiring to shut down one of the UK's biggest power stations.

Senior officers tried to quell the outcry, insisting Kennedy was merely a rogue officer. In fact, the opposite was true. Kennedy was just the latest foot soldier in a very long line of undercover police who had been routinely infiltrating political groups, mostly on the left, since as far back as 1968.

Police spying inquiry to examine targeting of UK black justice groups [_link]

— The Guardian (@guardian) October 28, 2020

Advisers made last-minute push to get reluctant Trump to Walter Reed

(CNN) - Marine One was idling on the South Lawn Friday as President Donald Trump's advisers were inside the White House making a last-minute push to get him to board the helicopter.
The President, who had recently tested positive for coronavirus, was reluctant to go to the hospital, multiple sources familiar with what happened later told CNN. Though Trump had developed symptoms and was now on experimental drugs, he didn't want to be "hospitalized," he said.

Aware of his hesitancy to appear seriously ill or convey the serious nature of his condition, Trump's aides now appear to be scrambling to provide a portrait of a mildly ill commander-in-chief. But on Friday, medical officials were concerned about his vitals and thought it would be better to monitor his response with the vast resources that Walter Reed National Military Medical Center provided. Trump was told the facility was a more prudent place for him to be in case his condition deteriorated.

"The White House is fully committed to providing transparent and regular updates on the President's condition and recovery," Judd Deere, a White House spokesman, said in a statement.
A decision was made by senior officials to schedule his departure after markets closed to avoid an inevitable tumble, two people familiar with the matter said.

Covid-19 makes us think about our mortality. Our brains aren't designed for that. https://t.co/ofFrHjt6gL

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 4, 2020

archived decision fatigue

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

Biden Rolls Out Ads Highlighting Catholic Faith
poll smoke & transmogrification

"Jeez. The reason I was able to stay sequestered in my home is because some Black woman was able to stack the grocery shelf."
-Joe "a lil racism is fine" Biden pic.twitter.com/LMqu7zE9g3

— Nate's Liver - Commentary (@SilERabbit) October 5, 2020

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

"Third World" refugee here. I have a PhD in English and I won a Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. What have you done? @LaurenWitzkeDE https://t.co/QLS8pRToKq

— viet thanh nguyen (@viet_t_nguyen) October 10, 2020

Almost the whole country is in the "Uncontrolled Spread" category https:/t.co/BuuW28dyJl 1 pic.twitter.com/sVPx8Tncp5

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) October 18, 2020

RED WAVE!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 8, 2018

Deaths, hospitalizations and at least 68 COVID-19 cases after weeklong church event

At least two people are dead, four hospitalized and at least 68 positive cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed following a weeklong convocation event at a church in North Carolina.

The week of events took place at the United House of Prayer for All People in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Fast Reverse to the Past

US signs anti-abortion declaration with group of largely authoritarian governments | The Guardian |

The US has today signed an anti-abortion declaration with a group of about 30 largely illiberal or authoritarian governments, after the failure of an effort to expand the conservative coalition.

...
The "core supporters" of the declaration are Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia and Uganda, and the 27 other signatories include Belarus (where security forces are currently trying to suppress a women-led protest movement), Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Sudan, South Sudan, Libya.

Secretary Pompeo said in his remarks, "Under President Trump's leadership, the United States has defended the dignity of human life everywhere and always. He's done it like no other President in history. We've also mounted an unprecedented defense of the unborn abroad. ... Today, we're taking the next step, as we sign the Geneva Consensus Declaration. At its very core, the Declaration protects women's health, defends the unborn, and reiterates the vital importance of the family as the foundation of society."

So Trump and his Cabinet are pro-life? 😖

An estimated 299,028 excess deaths occurred from late Jan through Oct 3, 2020, with 198,081 (66%) excess deaths attributed to COVID-19. The largest percentage increases were seen among adults aged 25-44 years and among Hispanic or Latino persons. [_link]

— Athalia Christie (@AthaliaChristie) October 20, 2020

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: Major cities hit as heavy fighting continues - BBC

Azerbaijan's second-largest city, Ganja, has been shelled by Armenian forces, as heavy clashes continue over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The enclave is officially part of Azerbaijan but run by ethnic Armenians.

The self-proclaimed authorities there say they hit Ganja's military airport after Azerbaijani forces shelled the region's capital, Stepanakert.

Azerbaijan says no Ganja military sites were hit. More than 220 people have died since clashes began a week ago.

Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war over Nagorno-Karabakh in 1988-94, eventually declaring a ceasefire. However, they have never reached a settlement over the dispute.

trailing Pompeo's dismissal and a détente with China on establishments of de Holy See ...

Pope says free market, 'trickle-down' policies fail society https://t.co/SXspIzdoJJ pic.twitter.com/aTkVPygG3w

— Reuters (@Reuters) October 4, 2020

"FRATELLI TUTTI", 4 Oct 2020
archived Eric Li, The Coming War on China (2016)

In China there are a lot of problems, but at the moment, the Chinese, the party state, has proven an extraordinary ability to change. I mean, I make the joke: In America you can change political parties, but you can't change the policies; in China you cannot change the party, but you can change policies. So in the sixty-five or sixty-six years China's been run by one single party. Yet the political changes that have taken place in China, in this past sixty-six years have been wider and broader and greater probably than any other major country in modern memory. China is a market economy, and it's a vibrant market economy, but it is not a capitalist country. Here's why: There's no way a group of billionaires  can control the Politburo as billionaires control American policy-making. So in China you have a vibrant market economy, but capital does not rise above political authority. Capital does not have enshrined rights. In America capital, the interests of capital and capital itself, has risen above the American nation. The political authority cannot check the power of capital. And that's why America is a capitalist country, but China is not.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

Japan's Suga, under fire, defends rejection of scholars for science panel
"'The constitution of Japan has a specific article just for academic freedom, which is ... a direct result of wartime control of academia and science by the militarists,' said Sophia University professor Koichi Nakano."
archived Fri Aug 28th, 2020

UK court overturns Venezuela judgment in $1 billion gold tug-of-war

The Court of Appeal granted the Nicolas Maduro-backed Banco Central de Venezuela's (BCV) appeal and set aside July's High Court judgement [...] Monday's decision means the case now goes back to the High Court for it to determine more definitively which of the two rival leaders is in charge.

US-Eng. law: Appellate ct remands, or reverses with instructions, inferior ct decision; BCV gold remains in BoE custody pending "reasoned" judgment, STT.

NG, KR to vie for WTO leadership
"Former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and South Korean trade minister Yoo Myung-hee are the final candidates"
archived Fri Sep 18th, 2020

Deepest thanks @NobelPrize for honouring the World Food Programme with the 2020 #NobelPeacePrize.

This is a powerful reminder to the world that peace and #ZeroHunger go hand-in-hand. [_link]

— World Food Programme (@WFP) October 9, 2020

1. Big news out of Canada: Abu Huzayfah has been arresten on a terrorist "hoax" charge. The narrative tension of our podcast "Caliphate" is the question of whether his account is true. In Chapter 6 we explain the conflicting strands of his story, and what we can and can't confirm [_link]

— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) September 25, 2020

Story in Gray Zone ...

Fake news hoax exposed: NY Times podcast star lied about joining ISIS

The real Abu Huzayfah al-Kanadi has been identified as a 25-year-old man living in Toronto named Shehroze Chaudhry. He was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on September 25, and faces up to five years in prison under Canada's terrorism hoax laws.

Callimachi has earned fame by marketing herself as a journalistic expert on ISIS and violent Islamist extremism.

FREE UNLOCKED new Radio @TheWarNerd--we talked to Nagorno-Karabakh journalist @LikaZakaryan about life under bombardment in Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh.

This ep is open to all, courtesy of our great RWN subscribers.https://t.co/Zw2W4S1cYx

— Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) October 13, 2020

Purity of Sinjar and Yazidi women

Yazidi mothers of ISIS children face impossible choices | Arab Weekly |

After Isis, Yazidi women forced to leave their children behind | The Guardian |

The Middle-East wars and unseen suffering after Western war parties abandoned the region.

Non-lethal Assistance and the Syrian Conflict: Lessons from the Netherlands

Obama authorizes secret support for Syrian rebels | Reuter- August 2012 |

Netherlands puts Syria on notice for human rights abuses | DW - Sept. 19, 2020 |

After assistence and funding of Jihadist rebel groups to overthrow Bashir Assad ...

Dutch minister refuses US offer to help repatriate ISIS women and their children in Syria | Kurdistan24 |

My earlier diary about the Yazidi religion ...

Bombing The Iraqi Minorities Back to the Stone Age

Labour dominant in New Zealand ...  

Thank you to all of our incredible supporters who gave us their votes. We couldn't have done it without you. Now, let's keep moving ⏩ pic.twitter.com/2hXTSsaKYe

— New Zealand Labour (@nzlabour) October 17, 2020

Election 2020: 'Back to work,' says Ardern

Bolivia election: Evo Morales's leftwing party celebrates stunning comeback

At the grand strategic level, evidence suggests there is no trade off:
Countries that were unable to control their corona outbreaks have tended to suffer the most economic painhttps://t.co/8eeCfPQsxl pic.twitter.com/R3wHF66n2t

— Adam Tooze (@adam_tooze) October 19, 2020

cartesian death, birth, union

Chechen Freedom fighters, the Second Generation

Abdullakh Anzorov, Paty's killer 'was in contact with jihadist in Syria | The Guardian |

Le Parisien newspaper reported that Anzorov had contact with an as yet unidentified Russian-speaking jihadist in Syria who was located through an IP address that had been traced back to Idlib, a jihadist holdout in north-western Syria (Idlib).

FranceInfoTV said the killer, who arrived in France aged six with his Chechen parents and had been granted asylum and a residence permit until 2030.

A Western alliance making war against the Soviets Russians at their frontier ... a set policy of NATO.

Omar the Chechen: The notorious, red-bearded IS commander | MEE |

A fierce, battle-hardened warlord with roots in Georgia and a thick red beard, Omar al-Shishani is one of the most notorious faces of the Islamic State group.

Shishani comes from the Pankisi Gorge region that is populated mainly by ethnic Chechens.

He fought as a Chechen rebel against Russian forces before joining the Georgian military in 2006, and fought Russian forces again in Georgia in 2008.

He resurfaced in northern Syria in 2012 as the leader of a battalion of foreign fighters, said Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, research fellow at the Middle East Forum, a US think-tank.

Boston bombers: retribution for US wars

Dutch fund Syrian Jihadist spokesperson because these terror groups were allied with the West to remove Bashir Assad as president of Syria.

Dutch Gov't Admits Support for Salafist Jihadists in Syria

Goldman Sachs Charged in Foreign Bribery Case and Agrees to Pay Over $2.9 Billion

According to Goldman's admissions and court documents, between approximately 2009 and 2014, Goldman conspired with others to violate the FCPA by engaging in a scheme to pay more than $1.6 billion in bribes, directly and indirectly, to foreign officials in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi in order to obtain and retain business for Goldman from 1MDB, a Malaysian state-owned and state-controlled fund created to pursue investment and development projects for the economic benefit of Malaysia and its people.

archived Sun Dec 9th, 2018

Libya's rival forces sign permanent ceasefire at UN-sponsored talks | The Guardian |

Rival forces in Libya have agreed a permanent nationwide ceasefire including the departure of all foreign fighters and mercenaries from the country for a minimum of three months.

"The parties have signed a complete countrywide permanent agreement with immediate effect. The parties agreed to the departure of all mercenaries and foreign fighters from Libyan territory, air, land and seas for three months." Military trainers will also leave.

The main frontline is between Sirte on the coast and Al Jufrah in central Libya.

The ceasefire includes the full opening of land and air routes, efforts to curb hate speech, an exchange of prisoners and plans to reconstruct the Petroleum Facilities Guard, an oil company and militia body linked to the eastern warlord General Khalifa Haftar that is seen as a threat to the stable flow of oil from Libya.

...
The surprisingly high level of progress in Geneva means the focus now shifts to whether the external actors will end the supply of arms to the warring factions, and agree to withdraw their troops.

Turkey has sent as many as 4,000 Syrian mercenaries [Jihadists from Idlib] to support the UN-recognised government in Tripoli headed by the prime minister, Fayez al-Sarraj. Mercenaries from the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organisation, have supported general Haftar, and a steady flow of weaponry has been sent by the United Arab Emirates in blatant breach of the UN arms embargo.

Israel to maintain Azeri edge in Karabakh war | Asia Times |

The world of military arms sales is crashing in on itself.

The current war that's raging in the Caucus involves:

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, America, Russia, and Israel. pic.twitter.com/Es5hbu95gz

— Ettie 🇵🇸🕊 (@BengxlChai) October 5, 2020

Arms, oil and Iran - Israel's role in Nagorno-Karabakh | Mondoweiss |

Turkey and Qatar's brotherhood of the boycotted | The National |

Turkish contractors in the Middle East have lost an estimated $3 billion in the past year, the head of the Turkish Contractors Union noted last week. Fashion retailers Mango and Zara are looking to move production out of Turkey because Saudis and other Gulf citizens are refusing to buy clothes made there.

...
When Turkey faced a sharp economic downturn in 2018, Qatar fast-tracked a $3bn currency swap and $15bn in investment. Trade between the two leapt 85 per cent that year. More recently, Turkey has expanded its military footprint, opening a new base outside Doha last year that hosts 5,000 Turkish troops.

"The Turkish military presence in the Arab Gulf is an emergency," the UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Anwar Gargash, said last week.

Sheikh Tamim says he views Erdogan as a father

In Libya, where Turkey and Qatar back the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, Mr Erdogan last week questioned the credibility of the latest ceasefire, suggesting that the civil war there is set to continue for some time. Sudan's allies in the Gulf have sought to counter any Turkish influence there for years, and the recent decision of the transitional military council in Khartoum to normalise relations with Israel suggests that those efforts are proving successful.

We applaud Sudan's decision to normalize relations with the state of Israel. President @realDonaldTrump's vision of peace, security, and prosperity in this region, and in the world is coming to fruition. pic.twitter.com/Bb3USiaF90

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) October 24, 2020

Chileans Are About to Vote on Rewriting Their Whole Constitution. Will It Turn a 'Social Explosion' Into a New Plan for the Country? | TIME |

* Updated result (22:58)
With 90% of the votes counted, Apruebo has 78.24% while Rechazo has 21.76%.

* President Maduro reacts to preliminary results (22:30)
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, reacted to the preliminary results on the referendum. "The great avenues are now open to build a better society. Long live Chile! Long live Allende!"

Thousands of people celebrate the victory of Apruebo in Plaza Italia/Dignidad.#ChileDespertó[_link] pic.twitter.com/Ha3vzFzdsq

— Chile Today News (@ChileTodayNews) October 26, 2020

Celebrations as Chile votes by huge majority to scrap Pinochet-era constitution  | The Guardian |

Storm Alex: Heavy rains cause severe flooding in France and Italy - BBC

At least two people have died and at least 25 are missing after a powerful storm hit southern France and north-western Italy.

Named Alex, it brought fierce winds and torrential rains causing severe floods.

A number of villages suffered serious damage around the southern city of Nice. Its mayor described it as the worst flooding in living memory.

In northern Italy, roads and bridges were swept away by floodwater, while several rivers overflowed their banks.

The once "temperate" climate of Western Europe is becoming increasingly brutal.

Discovery in Ireland ...

Stenogrammitis myosuroides

Brussels confronts EU countries over pesticides and animal welfare - Politico.eu

In 27 letters to national governments, EU Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides demanded that EU countries "ensure immediate and full compliance with EU requirements" linked to the Farm to Fork strategy, which aims to make the food system more sustainable by 2030 as part of the Commission's flagship European Green Deal.

"I would like to confirm our determination to take decisive legal action in case of systematic non-compliance," Kyriakides wrote in letters she sent to EU agriculture ministers in May, on the same day that the Commission unveiled its Farm to Fork strategy, which pegged lofty targets to reduce the risk and use of pesticides by 50 percent and revamp the EU's animal welfare legislation.

An interesting detail:

Data is not available for all 27 EU countries, however. The letters the Commission sent to France, Croatia, Portugal and Romania were redacted of the parts containing specific warnings, when received by POLITICO.

In an explanatory document accompanying the redacted letters, the Commission said it agreed to expunge key parts of these four letters at the countries' requests because revealing their content could "be detrimental to the serenity of the ongoing discussions" between Brussels and EU capitals. It could also "constitute a source of misperception in public opinion," the Commission wrote.

"detrimental to the serenity of the ongoing discussions", heh?
Could it be related to Macron's government plan to re-introduce the once banned neonicotinoid pesticides?

French National Assembly to debate controversial neonicotinoid bill - Euractiv

MPs will debate today and tomorrow (5-6 October) the temporary re-authorisation of `bee-killer' insecticide neonicotinoid for the beet crop industry, a key sector of the French economy which has been in crisis for several months.

Neonicotinoids were banned in 2018.

France's former Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot declared in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche that the reintroduction of neonicotinoids was "not a solution [...] My foundation has estimated the losses for this year at €77 million for beet growers. Let's compensate them in exchange for the implementation of practices: longer rotations, reintroduction of hedges...".

Auschwitz survivor Zilli Schmidt: Fearing new Nazis today - DW

The 96-year-old Zilli Schmidt has made it her mission to tell the world what was done to the Romani people by the Nazi regime. She warns of contemporary parallels -- and strikes a chord with many of her listeners.

It is September 2020 when Zilli Schmidt walks into Kulturhaus RomnoKher in the western German city of Mannheim, to attend a reading of her book about her memories as a survivor of the Auschwitz death camp. "Your visit is a gift," is a common expression of gratitude among the many people who turn out to greet her.

The book is entitled God had plans for me: To keep alive the memory of the German Sinti and it tells of happy childhood days, as well as her incarceration, hunger, guards shooting at small children and mass murder.

In an interview with DW, she explains that it is her mission to say what the Nazis did to the Sinti, one of Europe's Romani tribes. "They were all gassed, my entire family, all my people." She says all the talk after the war was about the Shoah: "The Jews were all sent to the gas chambers. And all the Sinti are still alive?" She pauses: "Nobody was still alive."

Cellmate could expose sensitive user information such as names, phone numbers, birthdays and location data.

"Jacinda-mania has taken hold on the Left, but New Zealand's Prime Minister has pursued a disastrous Covid policy," writes @RossjournoClark https://t.co/bftD8m4Q95

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) October 17, 2020

Sputnik 1

Sputnik 1 ("Elementary Satellite 1") was the first artificial Earth satellite. The Soviet Union launched it into an elliptical low Earth orbit on 4 October 1957. It orbited for three weeks before its batteries died and then orbited silently for two months before it fell back into the atmosphere. It was 58 cm (23 in) in diameter and a polished metal sphere with four external radio antennas to broadcast radio pulses. Its radio signal was easily detectable by radio amateurs, and the 65° inclination and duration of its orbit made its flight path cover virtually the entire inhabited Earth. The satellite's unanticipated success precipitated the American Sputnik crisis and triggered the Space Race, part of the Cold War. The launch was the beginning of a new era of political, military, technological and scientific developments. The name "Sputnik" is Russian for spouse/traveling companion or satellite when interpreted in an astronomical context.

Indian fan who revered Trump as a God dies of cardiac arrest | The Hindu |

An ardent fan of US President Donald J. Trump died of a massive cardiac arrest at Toopran in Medak district on Sunday.

Bussa Krishna (32), a native of Konne village in Bacchannapet mandal of Jangaon district, was worried over Trump's health as soon as he heard that the US President tested COVID positive.

A friend shared this on fb and I can't stop laughing. This one's for you, fellow math nerds. pic.twitter.com/6DKINl2kg0

— Michael Baym (@baym) October 21, 2020

Austria postal service prints coronavirus-themed stamp on toilet paper
"It is not the first time the Austrian postal service has come up with an innovative response to current affairs."

RT

Calling famous classical music composers just by their last names can be "harmful" nowadays, according to an article published in US liberal magazine Slate. The piece was instantly mocked online.

[...]

"What silliness at Slate!" one tweet read. "Dede isn't the musical equal of Beethoven. Fame not racism allows us to identify the composer by surname alone. That goes for Dante, Chaucer, Shakespeare, too. And artists and scientists like Picasso and Einstein, also."

My Resignation From The Intercept

The same trends of repression, censorship and ideological homogeneity plaguing the national press generally have engulfed the media outlet I co-founded, culminating in censorship of my own articles.https://t.co/dZrlYGfEBf

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 29, 2020

AOC is the cover of the Dec 2020 issue, STT.

Greenwald

But the glaring irony that I'm being censored for the first time in my career -- and that it's being done by the news outlet that I created with the specific and explicit purpose of ensuring that journalists are never censored by their editors -- is disturbing to me in the extreme. What a healthy and confident news organization would do -- as the New York Times recently did with its own Pulitzer-winning 1619 Project -- is air the different views that journalists have about the evidence and let readers decide what they find convincing, not force everyone to adhere to a top-down editorial line and explicitly declare that any story that raises questions about Biden's conduct is barred from being published now that he's the Democratic nominee.