Europe is a mess: France having issues with election results, Germany election are in, Washington wont like this

[Moving Target]

my 2 cents:
France is truly in the FAFO stage.....they did dirt for far too long and now its catching up with them when they need the resources the most. im proud that other nations near niger are seeing the same thing. the world needs africa....african reosurces, people, minerals, oil, gold, uranium, etc....one can say china and russia would be no better..but that is until the chinese turn on them....One has to study chinese strategy to understand how they move. they dont go to war unless they have the upper hand. at this point why even go to war with the US when they can just destroy us economically. they bought top soil and shipped it to china, they have large real estate holding here int he US and natural resources held as collateral for them stupid ass loans. how do you think they controlled the port of los angeles....they come in with the money and buy up shit left and right...look at jaimaca, cuba, panama, and i cant remember the country where china took control of the only international airport the country had bc they could repay the loans.
make no mistake, russia and china are just as unscrupulous as france or even the US bc its always a war for resources. and china us sitting like a fat pig right now to other starving nations. china strategy is to subjugate economically, quietly, slyly, whereas the us comes in brute force and no tact...they sent kamala and someone else over to africa to try and smooth things over and its not working. Africa is rising and the greatest fear of the world is to have a united states of africa, utilizing their own wealth and resources and african nations getting treated on equal ground as their major player counterparts.
time will tell whether the new generation will have the support and will to unite and get rid of their colonialist masters. france is trying to hold the embassy as a symbolic gesture but they are too close to the edge of losing it. and before france can send in ground troops, they have to get permission from neighboring vountries to cross their borders to access niger on land, which ECOWAS will have a major say in what happens. if they try and come in by air, then they may succeed but they wont be able to hold anything without being on the ground. and there arent enough people loyal to france to continue extracting the resources from niger without significant personal risk. so in short france is royally fucked if they try military options. they can try economic ones but niger is holding all the cards.

 

[Moving Target]

You see this kind of thinking from certain people who say silly things like, “Thank God I wasn’t born in Africa. I rather believe in Jesus than praying to a bush. And God bless Thomas Jefferson for giving me the opportunity.”

That’s the musing of a rape victim looking at the child made from that traumatic event. You have absolutely no evidence that Russia and China will be worse than the other colonial oppressors.

I don’t give a shit about Taiwan like that. In my mind, they’re the Asian Israel anyway. They are fully capable of kicking any and every ass that looks at them the wrong way. Thank god they aren’t surrounded by antagonistic morons.

russia and china will be just as colonialistic as france...its inevitable. the demand for resources is always there. weaker will always be oppressed by more powerful predators, its the way of the world. no need for historical evidence when a nations interests and existence are at stake. china is suffering populations collapse, economic collapse, youth unemployment, and god forbid that 3 rivers dam burst and take with it the 3 major cities that they need. the entire world is looking at africa for resources, support, wealth extraction. im not going to talk about strategy/methodology (see previous post). the sheer size, resource content, and wealth content of the continent makes it a prime target for warfare, exploitation, and oppression/corruption.
and though taiwan has the latest and greatest in US toys for defense, we ran the scenarios....taiwan would fall within a work week of a full scale chinese invasion. there are even plans to scuttle some fo the key resources in taiwan by taiwan just to spite the chinese and so they wont have access tot he silicon wafers and wafer manufacturing tech that shields taiwan for now. when tsmc is done building their plant in texas and its fuly operational, shiiiiddd,,,china can do what the fuq they want to do with taiwan. bc all of the vital taiwanese personnel will be here in the US. look at the uptick of chinese illegal "immigrants" crossing the border...are they chinese saboteurs, asylum seekers, or mofos being allowed to infltrate to the US without alarming the chinese that all of the relevant chip manufacturers are leaving taiwan......this game is deeper than you know. there is a reason the borders arent closed....and its varied. backdoor deals cut and none of them are going to benefit the american people. just the super wealthy and informed.

 

[HNIC]

You think Russia and China is not going to do far worse those two countries are super desperate right now especially china. But like I said, I agree with how they are handling France right now, because France was getting away with pure murder. United States had realized that they need to take another approach right now. This is why they’re not intervening with different situation.

@easy_b I love you, but I do not think China and Russia will do far worst.
What is Russia and China's colonial history?

 

[easy_b]

@easy_b I love you, but I do not think China and Russia will do far worst.
What is Russia and China's colonial history?

I’m sorry to disagree with you, but they will do far worse, but in the more sneaky way. No I’m not giving America an out. America did some dumb shit, but those two countries are desperate as fuck right now.

 

[Mask]

my 2 cents:
France is truly in the FAFO stage.....they did dirt for far too long and now its catching up with them when they need the resources the most. im proud that other nations near niger are seeing the same thing. the world needs africa....african reosurces, people, minerals, oil, gold, uranium, etc....one can say china and russia would be no better..but that is until the chinese turn on them....One has to study chinese strategy to understand how they move. they dont go to war unless they have the upper hand. at this point why even go to war with the US when they can just destroy us economically. they bought top soil and shipped it to china, they have large real estate holding here int he US and natural resources held as collateral for them stupid ass loans. how do you think they controlled the port of los angeles....they come in with the money and buy up shit left and right...look at jaimaca, cuba, panama, and i cant remember the country where china took control of the only international airport the country had bc they could repay the loans.
make no mistake, russia and china are just as unscrupulous as france or even the US bc its always a war for resources. and china us sitting like a fat pig right now to other starving nations. china strategy is to subjugate economically, quietly, slyly, whereas the us comes in brute force and no tact...they sent kamala and someone else over to africa to try and smooth things over and its not working. Africa is rising and the greatest fear of the world is to have a united states of africa, utilizing their own wealth and resources and african nations getting treated on equal ground as their major player counterparts.
time will tell whether the new generation will have the support and will to unite and get rid of their colonialist masters. france is trying to hold the embassy as a symbolic gesture but they are too close to the edge of losing it. and before france can send in ground troops, they have to get permission from neighboring vountries to cross their borders to access niger on land, which ECOWAS will have a major say in what happens. if they try and come in by air, then they may succeed but they wont be able to hold anything without being on the ground. and there arent enough people loyal to france to continue extracting the resources from niger without significant personal risk. so in short france is royally fucked if they try military options. they can try economic ones but niger is holding all the cards.

Kinfolk…. When I read this, I knew your post was about to be on pernt


In 2008, had a conversation with a dude from the Congo. Dude talked about the actions of the Asian.
Dude said an Asian company was hired to build a arena. The shell was build, then thwy started doing the interior. Something caught his eye, he would always notice dump trucks entering the arena but never saw piles of dirt. His thoughts were the company was shipping the dirt back to China.


So with you stating this got me like

 

[Mask]

@easy_b I love you, but I do not think China and Russia will do far worst.
What is Russia and China's colonial history?

One thing I’ve noticed many African Nations have real respect for Russia.

But you know here in the US we’re taught it’s bad chinaman and bad Russians

to be honest, the way the Russians are viewed they should be the Germans… You know the real killers….

 

[Mask]

These folks don’t stop

“The Prime Minister of the Ukrainian regime, Denys Shmyhal, said that Ukraine will complain to the World Trade Organization if Poland imposes a unilateral ban on the import of Ukrainian grain.”

 

[Mask]

“This year Germany increased its import of Russian oil by 12 times - through India.”

 

[WorldEX]

“This year Germany increased its import of Russian oil by 12 times - through India.”

https://biz.liga.net/en/amp/all/tek...kuyu-neft-cherez-indiyu-import-vyros-v-12-raz

 

[Mask]

France's foreign minister calls for the immediate release of a French official arrested on September 8 by security forces led by Niger's military junta.

The detained Frenchman was identified as Stéphane Jullien, a counselor for French nationals in Niamey and director of a company chosen to represent them and liaise with French diplomatic services in the country.

The circumstances of his arrest and the whereabouts of the French official are unknown.

 

[easy_b]

France's foreign minister calls for the immediate release of a French official arrested on September 8 by security forces led by Niger's military junta.

The detained Frenchman was identified as Stéphane Jullien, a counselor for French nationals in Niamey and director of a company chosen to represent them and liaise with French diplomatic services in the country.

The circumstances of his arrest and the whereabouts of the French official are unknown.

All French personnel should have left soon after the coup. Any French authorities still in that country are on their own.

 

[praetor]

 

[Jackdarippa]

Held hostage?!?! They been telling dem niggas to leave. They refused.

 

[HNIC]

They let the Mofo go, fuck this punk.
Even if these evil bastards invade Niger it will never be the same again. The youth want to see an end to neo-colonialism.

 

[WorldEX]

They let the Mofo go, fuck this punk.
Even if these evil bastards invade Niger it will never be the same again. The youth want to see an end to neo-colonialism.

The pretext and justification for war, as aligned by tone. However the young lions will prevail accross Africa.

 

[Mask]

These folks are something else


“The commission of the European Union refused to extend the embargo on grain imports from Ukraine.”

“Poland will extend the ban on grain imports from Ukraine from midnight, despite the decision of the commission of the European Union to lift the embargo.”

“Hungary banned the import of 24 types of agricultural products from Ukraine, including grain, or also vegetables, meat and honey.”

“Like Poland, Slovakia is also unilaterally extending the ban on grain imports from Ukraine.”

 

[easy_b]

Held hostage?!?! They been telling dem niggas to leave. They refused.

Exactly

 

[Mask]

Held hostage?!?! They been telling dem niggas to leave. They refused.

And still giving them ninjas time

 

[ghoststrike]

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso establish Sahel security alliance​

The Sahel nations sign pact that will allow them to cooperate against threats of armed rebellion or external aggression.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have signed a mutual defence pact, as the three Sahel countries aim to help each other against possible threats of armed rebellion or external aggression.

The charter, known as the Alliance of Sahel States, signed on Saturday binds the signatories to assist one another – including militarily – in the event of an attack on any one of them.

“Any attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one or more contracted parties will be considered an aggression against the other parties,” it says. It also binds the three countries to work to prevent or settle armed rebellions.

“I have today signed with the Heads of State of Burkina Faso and Niger the Liptako-Gourma charter establishing the Alliance of Sahel States, with the aim of establishing a collective defence and mutual assistance framework,” Mali military leader Assimi Goita said on his X social media account.

The Liptako-Gourma region – where the Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger borders meet – has been ravaged by armed rebellion in recent years.

“This alliance will be a combination of military and economic efforts between the three countries”, Mali’s Defence Minister Abdoulaye Diop told journalists in Bamako, the capital of Mali.

“Our priority is the fight against terrorism in the three countries.”

An armed rebellion that erupted in northern Mali in 2012 spread to Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.

Mali military leader Assimi Goita posted about the establishment of the Alliance of Sahel States on X. [Francis Kokoroko/Reuters]

Armed rebellion in Sahel region​

All three states were members of the France-supported G5 Sahel alliance joint force with Chad and Mauritania, launched in 2017 to tackle armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) groups.

They have undergone coups since 2020, most recently Niger, where soldiers in July overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum, who cooperated with the West in the fight against Sahel-based armed groups.

The West African regional bloc ECOWAS has threatened to intervene militarily in Niger over the coup, but the regional bloc has toned down its war rhetoric in recent weeks.

France in talks with Niger officials over troop withdrawal: Reports

Mali and Burkina Faso quickly responded by saying that any such operation would be deemed a “declaration of war” against them.

Relations between France and the three states have soured since the coups.

France has been forced to withdraw its troops from Mali and Burkina Faso, and is in a tense standoff with the military that seized power in Niger. Mali has also asked the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA to leave the country.

Niger’s military rulers have asked France to withdraw its troops and its ambassador, as France has refused to recognize the new military authority.

Meanwhile, Mali has seen a resumption of hostilities by predominantly Tuareg armed groups over the past week, threatening a 2015 peace agreement.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso establish Sahel security alliance

The Sahel nations sign pact that will allow them to cooperate against threats of armed rebellion or external aggression.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[Mask]

“Poland will block Ukraine’s accession to the EU if the issue of grain exports is not resolved, - Polish Minister of Agriculture”

 

[Thegooch]

@easy_b I love you, but I do not think China and Russia will do far worst.
What is Russia and China's colonial history?

It gets no worse than China and Russia.

US and UK Policy is to kill leadership an install puppets to convince (brainwash) the population into believing that current leadership is better than the alternatives.

Russia and China will use scorched earth methods to clear out entire populations by destroying entire cities if necessary to achieve economic and military goals.

The biggest issue the Juntas face is the handover of power back to the government after a coup. An African was explaining this on YouTube anc did an excellent job of why their is a constant loop of failure.

After elections are held he stated some interesting point that I might add too.

After a coup or civil war, brain drains leave a power vaccum of competent leadership. When countries are at war or poor the children aren't being educated. The few that are come from the government that's being ousted from the country

When leadership does take over they are either grossly incompetent due to lack of education. Men with 6th grade educations negotiating trade deals with Chinese that attended Harvard.

Leaders get in power and want to rule like old world Kings. Any criticism of the government is met with harsh punishments and even deaths. Leadership hordes resources to keep power and opposition powerless.

They continue the cycle of be colonial puppets. When the UK and the US starts handling out citizenships/visas to the children of dictators, they quickly go back to the status quo. The children help launder the new colonial pawn states money/resources and the cycle continues.

That's why you have a lot of militaries that say fukk it and stay in power. Usually that fails too because a country is not a military base.

 

[Mask]

The Ministry of Economy of the Ukrainian regime has filed claims against Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia with the World Trade Organization due to their ban on imports from Ukraine.

 

[Mask]

Polish President Duda compared Ukraine to a drowning person and that Poland needs to protect itself from being "drowned by the drowning person"

"I would compare it to something like a drowning person... A drowning person is extremely dangerous because he can pull you to the depths ... He can simply drown the rescuer. Ukraine is behaving like a drowning person clinging to everything he can... but we have the right to defend ourselves against harm being done to us,"


The meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and Poland Vladimir Zelensky and Andrzej Duda, which was supposed to take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York, has been cancelled.

 

[Mask]

“We're dealing a bit with a drowning person. We are the one who saves.

As anyone who has ever been involved in rescuing a drowning person, or anyone who has ever learned about what happens during this situation, knows that drowning is extremely dangerous because it can drag you down to the depths. , has unimaginable strength.

They are due to fear of the personal impact of adrenaline and can simply drown the rescuer clings to everything.

As the proverb says, a drowning man clutches at straws; indeed, a drowning man clutches at everything he can. It's a bit like the situation between Poland and Ukraine today.

Do we need to act to protect ourselves from a drowning person harming us?

Of course, we must act to protect ourselves from a drowning person harming us, because if the drowning person causes harm and utopia, he will not get help. Therefore, we have to look after our own interests here.

This is, above all, our duty and we will do it more effectively and decisively."
~President of Poland, Andrzej Duda”

 

[Mask]

POLAND WILL NO LONGER ARM UKRAINE, after Ukraine complains to WTO over grain ban in Poland

In a series of recent developments, tensions have flared between Ukraine and several European Union member states, leading to significant economic and political repercussions.

On September 15th, the European Commission announced the termination of the import ban on grain from Ukraine. This decision marked the culmination of a previous agreement made in May by the European Union to impose restrictions on the import of Ukrainian grain, confining it to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. The primary objective of these measures was to protect local farmers in these nations who attributed declining prices on their domestic markets to the inundation of Ukrainian grain. While the restrictions allowed Ukraine to transit its products through these five countries, they effectively prohibited their sale on local markets.

The European Commission justified its decision to end the import ban by citing the disappearance of market distortions in the five member states bordering Ukraine. Nevertheless, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia immediately contested the move, sparking controversy, especially in Poland, where elections were impending.

Subsequently, on September 19th, Ukraine filed a formal complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. This complaint was lodged in response to these countries imposing bans on the import of grain and other food products from Ukraine. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal made the announcement, highlighting the ongoing discord within the agricultural sector and further deepening the rift between Ukraine—a major global food supplier—and three European Union member states. The EU has been a crucial supporter of Ukraine as it grapples with Russia’s invasion.

In a divergence from the broader EU stance, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Croatia (the latter joining later) implemented bans on Ukrainian food imports into their local markets. However, they decided to continue permitting these products to transit through their borders to regions where there was a demand for food. These decisions were prompted by the EU’s recent decision to lift restrictions on Ukrainian exports to five member states, including Romania and Bulgaria. Notably, Bulgaria’s government chose to reinstate Ukrainian imports, citing the surge in food costs, which had triggered farmer protests.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic echoed the concerns of the other nations, expressing fears that importing cheaper Ukrainian grain could adversely affect local farmers. Nevertheless, Croatia extended an olive branch by offering its Adriatic Sea ports to facilitate the export of Ukrainian grain to other countries. In response, Ukraine’s Prime Minister criticized these actions as “unfriendly” and launched an investigation into potential discriminatory practices.

Finally, on September 21st, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki unveiled a policy shift concerning arms supplies to Ukraine. He declared that Poland would focus on strengthening its own defense capabilities and cease arming Ukraine. This decision followed the summoning of Kyiv’s ambassador by Warsaw amid the ongoing dispute over grain exports.

Poland, a major supplier of weapons to Ukraine and a steadfast supporter since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, has also provided assistance to approximately one million Ukrainian refugees. The decision to halt arms transfers to Ukraine underscores Poland’s changing priorities, emphasizing the modernization of its own defense capabilities. These interconnected developments exemplify the intricate web of economic, political, and security interests at play in the region.

 

[Mask]

Driving us to ruin’: Netherlands climate protesters fight fossil fuels​

Actor Sieger Sloot was convicted for social media appeals to block a major motorway to protest against billions in subsidies for fossil fuel companies.​

Usaid Siddiqui
Sieger Sloot is taken away by police during a climate demonstration on the A12 highway in The Hague [Courtesy: Eeke Anne de Ruig]
Dutch actor and climate activist Sieger Sloot took to social media, as he typically does, to encourage people to join a protest planned in The Hague in January.

But what Sloot thought was an innocent attempt to organise a non-violent demonstration to demand action to tackle the burgeoning climate emergency led to an eight-month ordeal resulting in a sedition conviction.

The 45-year-old’s posts on Twitter, now known as X, were a call to join a protest organised by the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion to block part of the A12 highway, the main road leading to The Hague.

Formed in 2018, Extinction Rebellion has gained notoriety by employing disruptive tactics targeting roads and airports to denounce the extraction and burning of fossil fuels. The group, also known as XR, boasts more than 1,000 chapters in 88 countries.

Two days before the January 28 protest, local police showed up at Sloot’s home to arrest him, but he was out of town. Six other XR demonstrators, however, were detained the same day.

“It was 7am when my wife and two children were woken up with police officers on my doorstep,” Sloot told Al Jazeera, adding that they entered the house despite repeatedly being told he wasn’t home.

“My wife was really worried. My daughter was crying on the phone [with me]. I had to really try to calm her down. It made me really angry. It’s really unnecessary to incriminate citizens in such an intruding way who are just protesting.”

‘Incredibly short-sighted’​

The following day, Sloot voluntarily showed up at a police station with his lawyer where he was questioned for two hours.

In August, he was convicted and sentenced to 60 hours of community service or alternatively 30 days in jail for sedition. He currently remains free as the sentence is under appeal in a higher court. A request for comment to the public prosecutor in The Hague went unanswered.

Governments in Europe have intensified crackdowns and rhetoric against climate activists participating in civil disobedience.

In April, two Just Stop Oil activists in Britain were given two-and-a-half and three-yearsentences for scaling a major bridge in London and halting traffic for about 40 hours.

In Germany, authorities in May raided the homes of seven people from the climate group Letzte Generation (Last Generation) for allegedly trying to create or support a criminal organisation under a law used to target organised crime and violent groups.

Richard Pearshouse, director of the environment division at Human Rights Watch, said the restrictions across Europe and the United Kingdom have been “incredibly short-sighted”.

“These governments haven’t grasped that we all have a huge interest in more people taking to the streets to demand better environmental protection and more climate action,” he told Al Jazeera.

In March, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the Earth was approaching a “point of no return” because it risks bypassing the globally accepted target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial times.

‘Climate anxiety’​

Sloot, who was born in Rotterdam, said he has followed environmental issues since high school when he researched acid rainfor a class assignment.

Climate documentaries An Inconvenient Truth in 2006 and 2014’s Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret on the meat industry “blew me away”, he said.

In 2022, the actor joined Extinction Rebellion, a decision prompted by his heightened “climate anxiety”.

“I felt loneliness and despair. Mentally it was a burden, and it affected the joy in my life. Everything felt so useless,” he said.

One major reason for his despair was concern for the future of his daughters, ages five and eight.

“Life will go on after I die. It’s totally logical, but for me, it was like an epiphany. I became aware this planet has to be livable for humans for millions of years,” Sloot said.

Sieger Sloot in the Dutch play SeksKlimaat (SexClimate) [Courtesy: Sergio Grigelli]The Amsterdam-based activist said he felt a profound sense of “climate injustice” with Western countries, historically responsible for filling the atmosphere with the most greenhouse gases, far less affected by extreme weather than developing nations.
A 2009 pledge by wealthy countries to provide $100bn a year in climate finance to the developing world by 2020 has not been met, according to a report by UK charity Oxfam.

In fact, money given specifically for climate change in 2020 was less than half of what was reported and was often given in the form of loans that have to be repaid.

On a personal level, Sloot has made several lifestyle changes to reduce his own carbon footprint: adopting a mostly vegan diet, buying fewer and only secondhand clothes, and not taking a plane since 2017.

Sloot’s commitment to activism is evident in his artistic endeavors as well, such as the 2017 theatre comedy SeksKlimaat (SexClimate), a Dutch play about the lives of three friends trying do good during the climate emergency.

He also co-wrote and starred in Superkapitalisten, Super Capitalists, a 2012 play about the 2008 financial crisis.

Actors must be in tune with the pressing issues of their time, Sloot said. “I don’t really see the use of performing Hamlet for the sake of Hamlet. I think theatre should be very contemporary and address urgent matters affecting society,” he said.

Need for ‘a broader movement’​

While individual actions are important, Sloot said he recognises their limitations.

“I can become vegan until I’m only eating grass, but if Shell and the fossil fuel industries aren’t stopped, it’s good for nothing. There has to be a broader movement to pressure our governments to implement stricter policies for companies polluting our air, our soil, our lives.”

Acts of organised civil disobedience such as road blockades are “not only justified but also necessary”, Sloot said.

“Nowadays everything we take for granted – like having a weekend, being able to vote, equal rights for women – none of these things existed 200 years ago. The only way we got there was because of civic disobedience,” he noted.

Sloot is adamant about using every legal manoeuvre to reverse his sentence, worried it could discourage others from exercising their right to peaceful protest.

Sloot addresses a crowd of fossil fuel protesters in The Hague [Courtesy: Carice van Houten]Willem Jebbink, the actor’s lawyer, told Al Jazeera he believes the verdict will not be upheld on appeal.
“It is without precedent in Dutch case law that a peaceful demonstrator was prosecuted and convicted for only calls to join a peaceful demonstration,” he told Al Jazeera.

“Blocking a road is acknowledged as a method to demonstrate by the UN Human Rights Committee, the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the EU,” Jebbink noted.

Pearshouse said climate activism will only ramp up in the future. “We’re going to see more protests – and more desperate forms of protest – until governments start dismantling the industries driving us to ruin.”

Moving forward​

In the meantime, Sloot remains undeterred in his protests, noting the planet is on the “highway to hell” because of the refusal to stop burning hydrocarbons.

After his ordeal with the police, he was slapped with a three-month restraining order from protesting on the A12 highway. Since it expired in May, he has attended three demonstrations while continuing to encourage participation on social media.

On September 9, Sloot joined more than 10,000 people on the A12, where police blasted them with water cannon and about 2,500 were detained. They called for the government to end all fossil fuel subsidies, a cornerstone demand of many Dutch climate activists.

The Dutch government spends nearly $40bn a year on subsidies for the industry, according to a study published this month by The Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations.

“Two years ago, nobody talked about fossil fuel subsidies in the Netherlands. Now it’s one of the biggest topics in the media. That gives me hope,” Sloot said.

 

[Mask]

Greek state workers strike against government labour law plans​

Renee MaltezouSeptember 21, 20234:37 AM EDTUpdated 2 hours ago

ATHENS, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Greek public sector workers including teachers, doctors and transport staff walked off the job on Thursday to protest against labour law changes the conservative government plans, months after it was re-elected.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' government says the overhaul would eliminate undeclared work and boost employment overall, but the opposition says it is an assault on workers' rights and would create "barbaric" conditions.

Trains and buses were operating on reduced hours during the one-day nationwide strike called by Greece's largest public sector union ADEDY. State hospitals operated on emergency staff and many schools closed.

Workers were expected to rally in central Athens and later march to parliament to coincide with a debate and vote.

"We demand the bill's withdrawal," said ADEDY, which represents about half a million workers.

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The walkout is the first against Mitsotakis' government since he was re-elected in June.

The bill would allow full-time employees to get a part-time second job and work up to 13 hours a day unless certain terms apply such as conflict of interest. It also enables employers to implement a six-day working week if needed.

According to the bill, an employee can be fired within the first year of work without warning or remuneration, unless agreed otherwise.

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It allows a probation period of up to six months, but also obliges employers to provide detailed terms of work.

Employers face a fine up to 10,500 euros ($11,175) if they fail to declare an employee's extension of working hours or change of shifts.

The bill introduces fines and a six-month jail term against those who obstruct employees from working during a strike.

Lawmakers with the main opposition, the Syriza leftist party which is expected to elect a new leader on Sunday, said earlier this week that the government was pushing "a secret agenda" against workers.

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Greece's Communist Party KKE has called the bill "monstrous".

($1 = 0.9396 euros)

 

[Mask]

The number of children born in Poland to Ukrainian women in 2022, at 13,738, was double the figure recorded in 2021. Last year saw millions of Ukrainian refugees – almost all of them women and children – flee to Poland following Russia's invasion in February”

 

[Mask]

Polish Prime Minister warned Zelensky to "never insult Poles again like he did at the UN"

 

[Mask]

Niger authorities accused the UN Secretary General of collusion with France

"The UN Secretary-General, with the connivance of France and the francophone heads of state of ECOWAS, did not fulfill his mission by preventing Niger from participating in the 78th session of the UN General Assembly,” said Amadou Abdraman, a spokesman for Niger’s military transitional government.

According to him, Guterres not only refused to take note of the official list of delegates from Niger, but above all “satisfied the fanatical request of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Niger to recall Niger’s permanent representative to the UN.”

Niger strongly condemns the decision of the UN Secretary General and considers it interference in the internal affairs of the state, a government spokesman said.

 

[praetor]

 

[Mask]

The Slovak army is in a deplorable state after the transfer of military equipment to Ukraine - head of the opposition party.

“We have combat aircraft, air defense systems, and lack ammunition,” said ex-Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Before the upcoming elections, he promised to stop many unnecessary arms purchases and stop supplies to Kiev.

 

[Mask]

Burkina Faso junta suspends French magazine over "untruthful" articles

Burkina Faso's military junta on Monday suspended the French news magazine Jeune Afrique for publishing "untruthful" articles that reported tension and discontent within the country's armed forces, it said in a statement.

Jeune Afrique's suspension marks the latest escalation in a crackdown on French media.

The statement accused the publication of seeking to discredit armed forces and of manipulating information to "spread chaos" in the country following two articles published over the past four days.

 

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He basically didn’t have any choice. America do not want anything to do with this conflict so France have no choice but the back down.

 

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Germany's economy is expected to experience its first full-year contraction since the pandemic, as indicated by recent forecasts. However, a revival in consumption is anticipated to drive a recovery in 2024.

Projections from five government-advising institutes suggest a 0.6% decline in output for 2023. This outlook is more pessimistic than those provided by both the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission. In the following year, 2024, Germany is expected to see a growth of 1.3%, supported by increasing wages, reduced energy costs, and the alleviation of supply bottlenecks.