Today, December 29, the Putin-sponsored government of Georgia will attempt to install the illegitimate president, which the people did not elect. Live blog

There’s a brief documentary on the Shadow Fleet Fueling Russia’s War (24 min)

Invidious link Original YT link

An armada of aging oil tankers is helping to keep Russian oil flowing. Hundreds of vessels are part of a “shadow fleet” that’s allowed the Kremlin to dodge Western sanctions over its war on Ukraine. Bloomberg set out to uncover the traders, intermediaries and investors that make up this network, and how they’re getting rich in the process.

Addition:

Finnish PM calls for tougher measures against Russia’s shadow fleet

Finland’s PM Petteri Orpo (NCP) has called for firmer measures to combat the risks associated with the so-called shadow fleet of Russia, [saying he] had discussions about the issue with his counterparts from Denmark, Estonia, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the European Commission.

[Finnish] President Alexander Stubb, meanwhile, has been in contact with Nato.

International airlines cancel flights to Russia after the passenger plane was shot down, according to media reports.

• Azerbaijan Airlines suspends flights to 7 Russian cities for security reasons
• Kazakhstan’s Qazaq Air suspends flights to Yekaterinburg
• Israeli airline El Al cancels all flights from Tel_Aviv to Moscow

Addition:

Rasim Musabayov, a member of the Azerbaijani parliament’s international relations committee, in an interview with Turan news agency:

“The plane was shot down on the territory of Russia, in the skies of Grozny. It is impossible to deny this. Those who did it must be held criminally responsible and compensation must be paid. If this does not happen, then, of course, relations will move to another level.”

Meanwhile, Putin says that relations between Russia and China have reached “an unprecedented level” as a result of the high level of mutual trust between both countries, as per Chinese state media.

Climate change and the melting of the Arctic ice has intensified interest in Greenland’s natural resources. The island could become the next mini.g frontier. For example, KoBold Metals -a joint venture partly backed by Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Michael Bloomberg- and operated by Bluejay Mining in the UK, has been drlling there for critical minerals since 2022.

The outgoing U.S. administration under President Joe Biden has been offering advice to Greenland officials to draft a mining investment law for some time, all aimed at prodding investment in Greenland at standards considered higher than Chinese-linked rivals.

Or that of Australia. In 2023, Greenland Minerals -which is a 100-percent subsidiary of an Australian mining company- initiated arbitration proceedings against the Governments of Greenland and Denmark for the right to mine in Greenland. The Australian company seeks to gain the right to mine in Greenland or USD 11.5bn in compensation (the sum is almost four times Greenland’s annual GDP).

Access to the Arctic (maybe a similar playbook than China’s pursuing with Russia?) may be a thing, too. Just a few weeks ago, for example, Greenland’s capital Nuuk opened an International Airport, enabling larger plane landings in the country for the first time in their history.

Denmark boosts Greenland defence after Trump repeats desire for US control

The Danish government has announced a huge boost in defence spending for Greenland, hours after US President-elect Donald Trump repeated his desire to purchase the Arctic territory.

Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the package was a “double digit billion amount” in krone, or at least $1.5bn (£1.2bn).

@InevitableList

I thought you might be familiar with Australia’s threats to ban tiktok whilst ignoring the crimes other tech companies commit and making no effort to protect Australians from them.

Are you sure you read the thelucky8’s comment?

Removed by mod

@InevitableList

Your answer has nothing to do with my question.

Isn’t it somewhat strange that Tiktok, whose parent company is forced to closely surveill and censor each politically undesired content in its home country, while it is at the same time not only unable to suppress but reportedly even promotes obviously harmful content on its platforms outside China?

@InevitableList

Isn’t it somewhat strange that Tiktok, whose parent company is forced to closely surveill and censor each politically undesired content in its home country, while it is at the same time not only unable to suppress but reportedly even promotes obviously harmful content on its platforms outside China?

@InevitableList

As AP reports on the same issue:

There has been increasing concern from Albanian parents after reports of children taking knives and other objects to school to use in quarrels or cases of bullying promoted by stories they see on TikTok.

Isn’t it somewhat strange that Tiktok, whose parent company is forced to closely surveill and censor each politically undesired content in its home country, while it is at the same time not only unable to suppress but reportedly even promotes obviously harmful content on its platforms outside China?

[Edit typo.]

@[email protected]

… the 14-year-old student was killed and another injured …

As AP reports on the same issue:

There has been increasing concern from Albanian parents after reports of children taking knives and other objects to school to use in quarrels or cases of bullying promoted by stories they see on TikTok.

Isn’t it somewhat strange that Tiktok, whose parent company is forced to closely surveill and censor each politically undesired content in its home country, while it is at the same time not only unable to suppress but reportedly even promotes obviously harmful content on its platforms outside China?

[Edit typo.]

Today Ukrainian media close to their government report that Russian guided bomb attacks reduced by half since Ukraine may use western weapons inside Russia. I hope Germany’s Scholz reads that.

@Papamousse

This is bad, but this not ‘only’ about profit-making companies.

Tradingeconomics reports:

Higher prices were recorded for services (+11.4% vs. +11.3% in October) and food (+9.9% vs. +9%), notably butter (+34.1% vs +29.7%) and fruit and vegetables (+18.7% vs +13.5%). Meanwhile, non-food product price growth remained steady at 5.7%.

‘We had to stop this’: Woman who grabbed South Korean soldier’s gun speaks to BBC

A chaotic night in South Korea produced scenes most thought were consigned to the nation’s history.

One in particular has caught the attention of many: a woman confronting soldiers who were sent to block lawmakers from entering the National Assembly.

Footage of Ahn Gwi-ryeong, 35, a spokesperson for the opposition Democratic Party, grabbing the weapon of a soldier during the commotion has been shared widely online.

“I didn’t think… I just knew we had to stop this,” she told the BBC Korean Service. Ahn made her way to the assembly building as soldiers descended on it, shortly after the president declared martial law across South Korea.

How South Korea’s Robust Protest Culture Shut Down Martial Law—For Now – [Archived version]

A surge in dramas and literature dealing with the country’s political trauma has helped older generations keep the memory of autocracy fresh.

Back in September, amid simmering tensions between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and the country’s parliament, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung issued a warning: Yoon and his allies were preparing to declare martial law.

The claim was roundly dismissed as alarmist, the irresponsible stuff of conspiracy theories—even by some of Lee’s supporters. But the warning was prescient. On Tuesday, Yoon shocked the world by carrying out exactly what had been warned, declaring that martial law was necessary to save South Korea from “anti-state forces.”

The action instantly prompted scenes of chaos to unfold, with stunned lawmakers, and thousands of ordinary citizens, mobilizing to protest the declaration. Hours later, a unanimous parliamentary vote forced Yoon to back down. Still, his fate remains uncertain. Many are increasingly concerned that Yoon could reinstate martial law once more. Meanwhile, immense crowds continue to gather in Seoul, demanding Yoon’s removal.

Money corrupts; bitcoin corrupts absolutely. Disregarding all of bitcoin’s shortcomings, a financial instrument that brings out the worst in people—greed—won’t change the world for the better.

I disagree with this statement. Blockchain is only a technology, good or bad is what we humans are doing. It depends how we use BTC and other coins, but that’s a human issue rather than a technological one.

@LukeZaz

There aren’t a lot of Chinese citizenry here. But there are a lot of Americans. It so follows that it makes sense to criticize the U.S. more, because many people on Beehaw can actually do something about it, especially in aggregate.

I agree that there are most likely more Americans (or other ‘Westerners’) here than Chinese, yet there are many tankies here with alt accounts on Beehaw. It is them who spread the Chinese propaganda, criticizing the West in general while being silent on China.