alanjjohnstone
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tit for tat
China has banned BBC World News from broadcasting in the country, its television and radio regulator announced. China’s State Film, TV and Radio Administration said BBC World News reports about China were found to “seriously violate” broadcast guidelines, including “the requirement that news should be truthful and fair” and not “harm China’s national interests”.
Back to pets again
There are 7.5 million cats in the UK and they are estimated to kill about 100 million animals a year. The toll is billions in the US and 230 million in Australia. Mammals such as mice, rats and rabbits make up two-thirds of the UK kills, a quarter are birds such as sparrows and blackbirds, and the rest are frogs and lizards.
Feeding pet cats meaty food and playing with them to simulate hunting stops them killing wildlife, according to a study. Eating grain-free food led to the cats depositing a third fewer mouse and bird corpses on doorsteps.
Martina Cecchetti, at the University of Exeter, who conducted the tests, said, “However, meat production raises clear climate and environmental issues, so one of our next steps is to find out whether specific micronutrients could be added to cat foods to reduce hunting.”
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/feb/10/instagram-removes-anti-vaxxer-robert-f-kennedy-jr
Anti-vaxxer Robert F Kennedy Jr has been banned from Instagram for repeatedly sharing false claims about Covid-19 and the safety of vaccines.
The EU provided crowd control training to specialist Myanmar police units. Specialist crowd control units which received EU training have been involved in policing the protests and have been among those accused of using excessive force against demonstrators including firing water cannons, rubber bullets and live ammunition.
The irony being
“…The project, initiated in 2012, provided training and equipment to help modernise Myanmar’s military-controlled police force along the lines of “international best practice and respect for human rights”…”
I had a choice of topic threads for this article.
Any definition of antisemitism that includes anti-Zionism would threaten scholarly inquiry, constitutionally protected political speech, and the ability of non-profits to support projects in and for Palestine
Protests continued across the country for a sixth straight day on Thursday.
Hundreds of workers lined a road in the capital Naypyitaw in support of the civil disobedience movement, chanting anti-junta slogans and carrying placards supporting Suu Kyi. Hundreds of protesters also demonstrated outside the Chinese embassy in Yangon, accusing Beijing of supporting the military junta despite Chinese denials. Protesters also demonstrated near the embassies of the United States, Russia and France as well as the offices of the United Nations. The French ambassador went out to meet them to state his support for democracy and for the release of detainees.
In keeping with the creativity of recent demonstrations, where some protesters have worn ball gowns and costumes, rallies in Yangon included men and boys dressed in short skirts. “We don’t take off our skirt until we get democracy back,” one sign read.
Hmmm?… will members be wearing a tutu in November for COP26?
The Indian government is considering finalising the rules for a new set of labour codes that could provide companies with the flexibility of reducing the total number of working days in a week to four. However, it would mean that employees will have to work 12 hours in a shift, instead of the standard nine. The 48 hours-per-week limit, however, shall remain. “It is sacrosanct,” maintained Mr Chandra, India’s Labour and Employment Secretary
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/india-four-day-work-week-new-labour-code-b1800331.html
Ending fossil fuels will be economic suicidal for some countries.
The think-tank Carbon Tracker says some countries could lose at least 40% of total government revenue. The dependence on oil and gas revenue is very marked for some countries – more than 80% for Iraq and Equatorial Guinea. For another seven including Saudi Arabia the figure is more than 60%. Some countries face very large losses of total revenue. For seven countries, including Angola and Azerbaijan the predicted loss is at least 40%. For another 12, including Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Algeria it is in the range of 20% to 40%.
It estimates the cumulative total revenue loss for all oil-producing countries by 2040 will be $13 trillion (in 2020 dollars).
This report also calls for the rest of the world to support the transition.
Saved again
The depletion of the ozone is now in reverse once more.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ozone-layer-chemical-killing-emissions-b1800393.html
China’s birthrate drops
https://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2021/02/chinas-falling-population.htmlIn some regions around the world there is a shortage of testing kits.
South Korea will start testing their pets for covid-19
Once the darling of the Labour right, Chuka Umunna has been hired by the US bank JP Morgan.
There is also a repeat of what happened in South Africa during HIV/AIDS, Tanzania’s president is refusing to roll out any vaccination programme and is telling people to use local traditional medicines instead.
Andrew Yang – little different from any other US politician. Yang is vying for the NY Jewish vote in a campaign to be mayor. No surprise then that he decides to equate BDS and criticism of Israel with anti-semiticism.
https://forward.com/opinion/462603/andrew-yang-mayoral-race-new-york-city-jewish-community/
It is likely under Biden the pro-Palestinian boycotts of Israel will be criminalised. His UN ambassador says it verges on anti-semiticism. Strange that the african-american boycott campaigns were not declared racist anti-white.
“…these were all “rich farmers” resisting reforms…”
The average monthly income of a farm household in Punjab, according to the last NSS survey, was Rs. 18,059. The average number of persons per agricultural household was 5.24. So monthly per capita income was about Rs. 3,450. Lower than the lowest paid employee in the organised sector.
The corresponding figures for Haryana (farm household size 5.9 persons) was Rs. 14,434 average monthly income and roughly Rs. 2,450 per capita.
From Gujarat where the average monthly income of the agricultural household was Rs. 7,926. With an average of 5.2 persons per agricultural household, that’s a monthly per capita of Rs. 1,524.
The all-India average for the monthly income of an agricultural household was Rs. 6,426 (about Rs. 1,300 per capita).
All these average monthly figures include income from all sources. Not just from cultivation, but also from livestock, non-farm business and income from wages and salaries.
https://thewire.in/rights/farmers-protest-modi-government-gulag
