Malala And Greta Thunberg: Two Global Icons Spurned In Their Own Countries – OpEd

 October 27, 2022  Eurasia Review 

By Raza Shahani

Two teenage girls, Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan and Greta Thunberg from Sweden, swiftly came under the global spotlight due to their life-risking campaigns for the girl’s education and the climate change – two noble causes –, respectively. Within the few years of their campaigns, they have succeeded in magnetizing millions to their causes across the world. Thus, they have emerged as the powerful voices echoing on the streets, in the legislative houses and on the international forums world over. However, unfortunately, they are spurned in their own countries, by their own people. 

In fact, the Taliban rank and file had escaped to Pakistan in the face of the US attack on Afghanistan in 2001. The Taliban foot-soldiers had gathered in the Af-Pak tribal areas on the Pakistani side. Plus, they kept crossing Af-Pak border back into Afghanistan to attack the US-led coalition forces. This embarrassed the US. The US demanded the Pakistani government to operate against the Taliban gangs. Pakistan succumbed to the US pressure and conducted cleansing operations in 2002. The Taliban retaliated against the Pakistani government. Besides, in the process, the Pakistani Taliban, who used to support the Afghan Taliban against the US, banded together and formed the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in 2007.

Accordingly, the TTP envisioned overthrowing Pakistani government, to establish caliphate in Pakistan and to institute the Islamic laws. To attain its agenda, the TTP began fighting the Pakistani forces in the Federally Administrative Areas of Pakistan, especially made Sawat Valley the center of its operations. The Taliban demolished state installations, mainly girls’ schools and the hospitals. They banned girls’ education, entertainment activities, and for that matter forbidden women’s walking out of home. 

At this time of gloom, Malala Yousafzai, an 11-year-old girl, came out, raised the voice against the Taliban’s demolishing of schools and the other brutalities. Moreover, she was banished to a far-flung area as an internally displaced person in the face of the state forces’ operations against the Taliban militants in her home town. Thus, within a few years, she became a powerful advocate of education, especially of the female education in a region the Taliban swept through. Unfortunately, on Oct 9, 2012, at the tender age of 14, the Taliban gang singled out Malala on a school bus back to her home from the school and shot two bullets in her head. 

In fact, even before she was shot, Malala had already assumed fame as an education activist across the globe. Thus, a global sympathy poured out just the news of the Taliban’s shooting her reached the masses. Resultantly, critically injured Malala was hurriedly flown to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, UK, to receive a perfect treatment. Luckily, Malala survived the Taliban bullets and returned to the normal life after an intense care at the hospital, perfect specialist treatment and many surgeries. But her sacrifice for the protection and the promotion of the girls’ education was duly paid. That incident of shooting her earned her international fame and soon she became a global icon. As a fact, she was revered with an opportunity to address the UN General Assembly in 2013, and she was rewarded with the most prestigious prize in the world – Noble Peace Prize – in 2014.

However, the majority of the Pakistanis, her country fellows, hate her. She is despised and labeled as the stooge of the West, especially of the US and Israel – a typical conspiratorial blame, ubiquitous in Pakistan. On the other hand, the Taliban, their sympathizer and admirer politicians, religious extremist influencers, religious extremist outfits, organizations and their fundamentalist religious philosophies are cherished in Pakistan.

The TTP – an umbrella militant organization – is a feral militant organization. It has wiped out thousands of the Pakistani army soldiers and the common innocent people – children, women and the old. Consequently, The Pakistani army and the air force have been fighting the Taliban militants since 2001, and up to date. However, the Pakistani military hasn’t been able to remove a single head of the Pakistani Taliban. It was the US drone strikes that have been eliminating the successive TTP leadership. The US drone strikes killed the Pakistani Taliban founder, Nek Mohammad and in a series Baitullah Mehsud, Hakimullah Mehsud and many others. Ironically, the Pakistani state, government and the society furiously react to the every US drone attack that kills the Taliban leaders. Needless to say, they had exuded rage upon the killing of the Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as well.

Moreover, Imran Khan who had spent his prime-age-time-period in Europe, America and the non-Muslim world with an entirely western life style unleashed the fury over the killing of the TTP chief, Hakimullah Mehsud who was the butcher. In addition, Khan asked his party government in Khaber Pakhtunkhuwa to pass a resolution the KP assembly to block NATO supply routes to Afghanistan. In a similar fashion, Afia Sidique, a Pakistan citizen who is serving an 86-year imprisonment upon her involvement in killing the NATO forces is held in high esteem and adored with the title “daughter of the nation.

Besides, when the government decided to negotiate the Taliban as they had already shot Malala and killed thousands, demolished schools, hospitals and the other infrastructure worth of millions, the Taliban nominated Khan the one member of their negotiating team. Although Khan had apologized the Taliban to be their team member, he ensured them that he would facilitate the dialogue. 

Even though Khan was an aggressively pro-Taliban politician, and the society feared the Taliban most yet he was elected the prime minister in 2018 general elections. Though the Pakistan National Assembly ousted Khan through the vote of no-confidence before he completed his full tenure, he is the most popular politician in Pakistan and is one the top influential in the Muslim world. However, Malala, a noble laureate, can’t move freely in Pakistan.

In fact, like Malala, Greta Thunberg is also a global figure. She is a teenage Swedish girl. She is a climate activist. Her climate campaign has aroused millions to protect the Earth mother. In 2019, she was nominated for the Noble Peace Prize. However, Greta too, like Malala, is disowned in her own country. 

Sweden is one of the most democratic, progressive and happiest country in the world. In Sweden, around half a dozen political parties contested the 2022 elections. One of the contestant parties was the Green Party of Sweden, which could secure only 18 seats in the 349 member house. The Green party participated in the last elections with the manifesto promising a clean and green Sweden, and the Europe. However, the results of the elections displayed the surge in the vote percentage for an extremist and anti-migrant party. Thus, as Malala in Pakistan, Greta’s philosophy was defeated in her own country, by her own people. 

The societies and the states the usurping communities, classes, groups, outfits and the individuals preponderate and rule hate the truth and the reality. They monopolize the state and the state resources. Since the state resources use to be on their hand, they propagate their usurping ideas, narratives and information effectively compared to any other revisionist socio-political group or individual. In this situation, the resistant socio-political groups and their ideas, narratives and information are suppressed at the state level and loathed in the society. Thus, in these states and the societies the truth is a despicable thing and the fake and the lies are sacralised.

Raza Shahani Teaches at the Department of Pakistan Studies, Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur, Sindh, Pakistan

 Stuff photographer wins New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year

Ella Morgan, Oct 27 2022

Taranaki-based photographer Andy MacDonald has been named New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year, marking the third consecutive year a Stuff photographer has taken out the prize.

MacDonald was awarded the prestigious title for a portfolio of images covering social stories, landscapes and wildlife.

“The images were full of colour, action and meaning,” said New Zealand Geographic publisher James Frankham.

READ MORE:
* Stuff photographer scoops New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year award
* 'In the right place with the right lens': Stuff photojournalist Alden Williams wins prestigious award
* Wellington photographer takes out New Zealand Geographic photographer of the year award

“It’s the result of hard graft as a photojournalist, and the eye of an artist looking for patterns, juxtaposing subjects, making angles.”

Macdonald receives a $30,000 Heritage Expeditions voyage for his win.

He also won the Lightforce Aerial category at the New Zealand Geographic awards.

ANDY MACDONALD/SUPPLIED

Stuff photographer Andy MacDonald has been named New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year for his portfolio of images covering social stories, landscapes and wildlife.

In addition to MacDonald’s big win, Stuff photographers also took out awards across three other categories.

Ryan Anderson won Electric Kiwi Young Photographer of the Year for his portfolio of social documentary photography.

Ricky Wilson claimed the Lumix Society award for his image of a dressing room at a drag cabaret on Auckland’s Karangahape Road.

ANDY MACDONALD/SUPPLIED

New Zealand Geographic publisher James Frankham said that MacDonald’s photos were “full of colour, action and meaning”.

The Resene Built Environment category was won by Mike Scott for his photo of a silhouette on a bridge in Hamilton.

More than 6000 entries were submitted to seven different categories in this year’s contest – the largest number of submissions in the competition’s history.

“2022 marked a change for Kiwis, a cautious re-emergence from social distancing into a world of gradually increasing freedoms,” Frankham said in a statement.

ANDY MACDONALD/SUPPLIED

MacDonald’s images were the “result of hard graft as a photojournalist”, said New Zealand Geographic publisher James Frankham.

“We were flooded with images of quiet hope, resurgent social gatherings, and in particular, photographs of nature that were dramatically backlit or featured figures dwarfed in their landscape – images of the natural world that evoked awe, scale and the intrinsic power of land and sea.”

Finalists’ work is being showcased at a free public exhibition at the Britomart Precinct in downtown Auckland, and is also available to view on the New Zealand Geographic website.

ANDY MACDONALD/SUPPLIED

Stuff photographer Andy MacDonald has been named New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year.

New UK Prime Minister’s Cabinet Raises Rights Concerns

Rishi Sunak Needs to Reaffirm Britain’s Commitment to Human Rights

Yasmine Ahmed
Director, United Kingdom

HRW

@YasmineAhmed001


Rishi Sunak makes his first speech as British prime minister outside 10 Downing Street, London, October 25, 2022. 

© 2022 KGC-254/STAR MAX/IPx via AP Photo

These are unprecedented times in modern British politics. Rishi Sunak has become the third Prime Minister in less than two months, taking the helm during a political, social, and economic tempest. The task ahead of him is herculean, with an estimated 8 million people in the UK struggling to pay their bills and the country's reputation widely derided in international media.

Touted as the candidate who could steady the ship, Sunak's cabinet appointments have already sparked concerns about the direction of his government, particularly regarding human rights.

Among Sunak’s most controversial appointments is Suella Braverman who returns as home secretary, just six days after resigning for breaching the ministerial code. Braverman infamously told a reporter during her previous term that it was her “dream” and “obsession” to see asylum seekers expelled to Rwanda. If this weren’t concerning enough, last week, in a column for the Telegraph last week, she urged the UK government to “take a firm line on trans ideology” and called for measures that would limit the “impact” of modern slavery laws and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). If the UK were to withdraw from the ECHR, something Braverman has called for and Sunak has suggested he would consider, it would join Russia as the only other country that has done so.

Joining Braverman is Dominic Raab, who returns to the role of Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister less than two months after he was sacked by former Prime Minister Truss. Another critic of the ECHR, Raab is perhaps best remembered for tabling the controversial and widely criticized bill of rights. This bill would repeal and replace the Human Rights Act, which gives life to the ECHR in UK domestic law, and undermine rights protections in the UK. Although the plan was shelved briefly under Truss’ leadership, it remains before Parliament, ready to be resurrected. This mustn’t happen. At a moment of incredible upheaval, now is not the time to strip people of their rights and renege on the UK’s international commitments.

Rishi Sunak has promised to rule with compassion, a statement that seems at odds with these appointments. If his government is to “have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level,” he needs to stand up for human rights and reaffirm his commitment to the ECHR and Human Rights Act.

UN Officials: Syria Facing `Acute Violence’ and Worst Economic Crisis

Wednesday, 26 October, 2022 

Lebanese army soldiers stand guard as Syrian refugees prepare to return to Syria from Wadi Hmayyed, on the outskirts of the Lebanese border town of Arsal, Lebanon October 26, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Asharq Al-Awsat


Syria is facing “acute violence,” the worst economic crisis since the war began in 2011, and a rapidly spreading cholera outbreak with more that 24,000 suspected cases reported throughout the country and at least 80 deaths, UN officials said Tuesday.


UN special envoy Geir Pedersen told the UN Security Council that the conflict remains “very active” across the country despite the “strategic stalemate” that has blocked efforts to launch a political process between the government and opposition.


He pointed to infighting between armed opposition groups in Afrin in northern Aleppo province in recent weeks, pro-government airstrikes in the northwest, violence in the northeast, security incidents in the southwest, airstrikes attributed to Israel on airports in Damascus and Aleppo, and discovery in the northeast of one of the largest ISIS arms caches since its so-called caliphate fell in 2017, The Associated Press reported.


In recent weeks, Pedersen said, the Syrian currency, the pound, “lost a tremendous amount of its value … which in turn saw food and fuel prices jump to even higher record prices.” And he warned the economic crisis “will only get worst for the vast majority” with winter approaching and additional funding needed urgently.


Reena Ghelani, director of operations for the UN humanitarian office, told the council that “communities in Syria are caught in the middle of a spiraling security, public health and economic crisis” that has left many “struggling to survive.”


She said the cholera outbreak is made worse by Syria’s severe water shortage, and compounded by insufficient and poorly distributed rainfall in many places, severe drought-like conditions, low water levels in the Euphrates River and damaged water infrastructure.


“The crisis is likely to get even worse: The outlook from now to December suggests an increased probability for below-normal precipitation and above-normal temperatures,” Ghelani said. “If this materializes, it will further exacerbate an already dire water crisis.”


She said a three-month plan to respond to the cholera outbreak, coordinated by the UN, needs $34.4 million to assist 5 million people with water, sanitation and hygiene needs and 162,000 with health services. The UN will make available about $10 million but “much more is needed,” she said.


The water scarcity has also impacted crops with the lowest wheat harvest since the war began as well as the livelihoods of farmers under threat, Ghelani said.


In addition, the rate of food insecurity “is spiraling out of control,” malnutrition rates are rising, and “Syrians today can afford only 15% of the food they were able to purchase three years ago,” she said.


With winter approaching in weeks, Ghelani said, the number of people across the country needing assistance to survive the cold has increased 30% from last year, including some 2 million in the northwest, mostly women and children living in camps with limited or no access to heating, electricity, water or sewage disposal.


Humanitarian organizations have launched winterization efforts, but the program is “grossly underfunded,” Grelani said, pointing to the sector that provides shelter, blankets, heating, fuel, winter clothes and other non-food items which is only 10% funded.


A 2012 UN road map to peace in Syria approved by representatives of the United Nations, Arab League, European Union, Turkey and all five permanent Security Council members calls for the drafting of a new constitution and ends with UN-supervised elections with all Syrians, including members of the diaspora, eligible to participate.


At a Russia-hosted Syrian peace conference in January 2018, an agreement was reached to form a 150-member committee to draft a new constitution. It took until September 2019 for the committee to be formed, and after eight rounds of talks little progress has been achieved so far.


UN envoy Pedersen said he continues “to work to unblock obstacles to reconvening the constitutional committee” and is pushing key parties “to engage on step-for-step confidence building measures to help advance” the road map.

Swedish military takes another look at Nord Stream blasts


The new inspection was initiated at the behest of the Swedish navy and was independent of the ongoing Swedish criminal investigation into the leaks. The navy would not say what it was looking for.

https://p.dw.com/p/4Ij0A

Sweden's Armed Forces said on Wednesday it had begun new inspections in the Baltic Sea at the sites of suspected explosions that ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines last month.

"The Swedish Armed Forces are this week carrying out complementary seabed surveys at the gas leaks with minesweepers," the armed forces said on Twitter. "The investigation is done at our own initiative and is not part of the police investigation."

Military officials did not want to be drawn into what sparked the new probe. "I can't comment on what we are looking for, why we are there; but we had the need to come back to do an additional search," a spokesperson for the military said.

Swedish prosecutors and police earlier this month wrapped up a crime scene investigation with the help of the navy and coast guard.
Nord Stream 'explosions' caused damage

Both Sweden and Denmark have concluded that "powerful explosions" had caused "extensive damage" to pipelines bringing gas from Russia to Europe.

The four leaks detected at the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines have caused major environmental concerns as well as compounded issues for Europe's increasingly tight energy supply.

The Nord Stream pipelines were already at the center of political tensions prior to the leaks. Moscow cut natural gas supplies to Europe in a suspected retaliation for sanctions against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

European leaders believe the leaks are the result of sabotage and have said Moscow is to blame.

The Kremlin has, in turn, blamed Washington, saying the US was trying to ensure EU reliance on the US as an energy partner instead of Russia. The administration of US President Joe Biden has categorically denied this claim.

lo/sms (AFP, Reuters)

Swedish Military Conducting New Investigation at Nord Stream Bombing Site



October, 27, 2022 

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Two minesweepers from the Swedish Armed Forces arrived at the site of the Nord Stream subsea network to carry out new examinations of the damaged pipes.

The Swedish crime scene investigation was completed some time ago, but the military has now decided that it needs to supplement the material which has already been collected.

“We felt the need for completion, and to do more research,” Swedish Navy spokesman Jimmie Adamsson told the country's media, Sputnik reported.

The Navy said that the ships at the scene of the explosion are the HMS Vinga and the HMS Sturkö.

“Their main job is to search for mines or to go down with submarines. There is no connection to mines in this case - the connection is that they are equipped to carry out work and investigations underwater,” Adamsson said, refusing to comment on previous finds and whether the Swedish military is looking for something in particular.

The investigation is expected to be completed later this week.

In late September, powerful explosions rocked the pipelines of the Nord Stream network, which plays an important role in transporting Russian gas to Europe, with massive leaks of fuel and “unprecedented” damage reported by the operator.

Moscow branded the attack international terrorism, and the European Union and national leaders said that the gas link was sabotaged. The Swedish and Danish authorities also voiced suspicions of sabotage, citing recorded explosions in the area, but both forbade Russia to investigate the attack.

Denmark, Germany and Sweden have all launched separate investigations into the leaks — Denmark and Sweden because the explosions occurred in their economic zones, and Germany because that is where the pipelines terminate. However, they have remained tight-lipped over their findings and conclusions.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russia is working through diplomatic channels to gain access to the investigations on Nord Stream, but has so far come up against a wall of resistance. The spokesman also stressed that the Kremlin has no new data on the subject, since Russia is currently deprived of the opportunity to take part in the investigations.

Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the investigation of terrorist attacks can only be considered reliable and objective if Moscow participates in it.

Footage shot off the coast of the Danish island of Bornholm by Swedish media earlier this month showed a massive half-meter-wide gash in one of the pipes. Traces of a powerful explosion are also visible on the seabed floor.

Since explosions on the Nord Stream pipeline network, several European nations have tightened security around key infrastructure. Swedish security authorities have urged energy infrastructure operators to up their preparedness and vigilance. And in neighboring Norway, the authorities boosted security at oil and gas installations, deploying the Home Guard.

Recently, it was reported that three German frigates will stay in Norway after NATO drills to protect the Nordic country's oil and gas installations.

Ever since the EU slapped Russian energy with sanctions because of the war in Ukraine, Norway has replaced Russia as the EU's biggest energy supplier, harvesting record revenues and drawing accusations of profiteering and preying on fellow European nations in their hour of need.

Damaged Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline in re/insurance dilemma

 25th October 2022 - Author: Kassandra Jimenez-Sanchez

As the mystery surrounding the explosions that damaged undersea gas pipelines between Russia and Germany remains unsolved, Nord Stream 1’s re/insurers are trying to figure out how to handle potential claims worth hundreds of millions of dollars, reports Reuters.

According to industry sources familiar with the matter, Munich Re and syndicates within the Lloyd’s of London market are among the major underwriters for Nord Stream 1, the pipeline bringing gas to Europe under the Baltic Sea.

They added that it was unclear whether they would renew its cover. If this is to happen, the possibility of the Nord Stream 1 ever being repaired and restarted becomes more remote.

Although no claims have been filed for the pipeline damage, sources told Reuters that Nord Stream 1’s underwriters could deny any submissions on the grounds of self sabotage or war, neither of which are generally covered by insurance.

There is still speculation regarding who was behind alleged sabotage hat severed the pipelines at the centre of an energy crisis prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The only fact is that the damage was caused by powerful blasts, which was confirmed by Danish police.

Although damage would not affect the renewal of a property insurance policy, it could lead to higher premiums, according to Tim Shepherd, a Mayer Brown litigation partner.

Stakes are high for underwriters of the Nord Stream’s pipeline system, which according to its website, was built with €7.8 billion ($7.6 billion) of investment.

The news agency has not been able to identify all its underwriters. However, another source has said that Swiss insurer Zurich, also had exposure to Nord Stream 1.

“Even if you are taking a small size (of cover), it is a big risk,” one of the four industry sources said. It added, “The issue is going to be what happens if you can’t prove it is a state sponsor (responsible for the blasts), you end up with a massive claim for damage.”

Nord Stream 1’s major shareholder, with a 51% stake, is a subsidiary of Russian energy group Gazprom, a company subjected to US, UK and Canada sanctions as well as some restrictions by the European Union.

Two Reuters sources have said that renewal of Nord Stream 1 cover by the Lloyd’s syndicates would be challenging given the risk of tighter sanctions on Gazprom, which would prevent paying claims.

German energy companies Wintershall and E.ON hold 15.5% each. French energy provider ENGIE has a 9% stake. An E.ON spokesperson said Nord Stream 1’s operating company was responsible for operational issues, including insurance.

“Nord Stream AG remains in close contact with relevant authorities about the recent incident. Due to prevailing uncertainties, we as a shareholder continuously monitor developments and are in close contact with the other relevant stakeholders,” the spokesperson said.

Dutch natural gas infrastructure company N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie, which also has a 9% stake, said it would assess the situation as soon as there was more clarity.

According to Reuters, to avoid any claims, lawyers have said that Nord Stream’s insurance companies will need to prove their policy doesn’t cover the damage from the blast.

While property policies generally exclude malicious damage, policyholders often purchase additional coverage, which is likely in Nord Stream’s case, according to legal and insurance sources.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the United States and its allies blew up the pipelines, an allegation that has been dismissed by the White House. US resident Joe Biden has said damage to Nord Stream was a deliberate act of sabotage.

Moscow has denied any involvement, but the West has pointed fingers at Moscow. Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Nordic leaders had told their European partners it was still impossible to say at this stage who was behind the damage.

If a Western state actor was found responsible, Reuters highlighted, the damage might be designated as an act of terror, which one broking source said might be covered by insurance.

However, if Russia is implicated, insurance companies could argue it was “self-sabotage”, given Gazprom is state owned. If this is the case, as it was a deliberate act by the policyholder, they would not be allowed to file an insurance claim, David Pryce, managing partner at Fenchurch Law, explained.

Additionally, if Russia is found to be involved in the Nord Stream 1 damages, it would be considered an act of war, something that is typically excluded by insurance policies Reuters stated.

Europe Under Control Of US Mafia – OpEd

Nord Stream Gas Pipelines. Credit: RFE/RL

 October 20, 2022 

By Margaret Kimberley

Who benefits from the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines which connect Germany to natural gas in Russia? The U.S. has the means, motive, and opportunity and was publicly opposed to the project for many years. Yet the crime victims are strangely silent about identifying the probable perpetrator.

“And ultimately this is also a tremendous opportunity.  It’s a tremendous opportunity to once and for all remove the dependence on Russian energy and thus to take away from Vladimir Putin the weaponization of energy as a means of advancing his imperial designs.  That’s very significant and that offers tremendous strategic opportunity for the years to come…” – Secretary of State Antony Blinken

On September 26, 2022 both the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were damaged in an explosion which spewed natural gas into the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Poland. There was never any serious consideration that the cause was accidental. Sabotage was immediately suspected.

Of course, the United States blamed Russia, but Russia has no reason to sabotage the Nord Stream 2 pipeline which they spent millions of dollars building, only to have it go unused after what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine. The United States was vehemently opposed to the project and the Trump and Biden administrations publicly said as much many times.

When Germany’s chancellor, Olof Scholz , visited Washington in February of this year Joe Biden publicly said that the U.S. would “bring an end” to Nord Stream 2 if Russia crossed the border with Ukraine. In his odd way, Biden again gave the game away. The instigation of the Ukraine crisis was meant to shut the project and sanction Russia.

Of course, Germany and other European countries depend on Russian natural gas, but the U.S. has a solution. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), fracked gas, produced in the U.S. is presented as the substitute. The idea of ending Nord Stream 2 killed two birds with one stone, hurting Russia and helping the U.S. fracking industry all at the same time.

The disruption to Europe’s energy markets caused prices to soar and Europeans to bitterly complain. Before the pipeline explosion Germans took to the streets demanding that their government’s sanctions policy be jettisoned and their fuel supplies returned to normal. Shortly after the protest demands became quite vocal, the pipeline exploded.

One would think that Europeans would be outraged to see their already limited energy supply cut even further but they are strangely quiet. Sweden announced that it wouldn’t participate in a Joint Investigative Team because of fears that national security would be compromised. That’s a strange position to take considering that a terror attack took place near that country.

The countries involved are more than likely silent because they know that their super power ally, the United States, was involved in the sabotage. They murmur about Russia being the culprit but they also know that makes no logical sense whatsoever.

Europe is under the thumb of the United States, which is determined to turn allies into impoverished vassal states. France is suffering from fuel shortages created by sanctions against Russia and a general strike has been called. Italians are also protesting high fuel prices and are calling for an end to that country’s EU and NATO memberships. But these governments dare not complain.

The U.S. runs a protection racket not unlike that of its infamous organized criminal gangs. The state is reminiscent of characters in the movie Goodfellas, who promised partnerships with local businesses only to loot them and then set them on fire. The Biden administration is akin to a mafioso boss. European governments do nothing but grovel out of fear, which is just what the criminal gang wants.

The truth of U.S. “partnerships” with allies has been revealed as a gigantic fraud. In reality these countries are living under occupation and now there is no pretense that they will be treated any differently from other countries living under U.S. control. Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, and the UK all have U.S. troops stationed on their soil. Germany has gold reserves held by the Federal Reserves. They are not truly independent and the Nord Stream sabotage shows it.

Russia isn’t the only country the U.S. is trying to weaken. The hegemon has come out of the closet. It has no friends, only enemies and puppets and all end up being treated badly. Europe went along with the scam only to see the ruble rise in value and the euro decline. It turned out that Russia had a strong economy while the Europeans were very weak.

The war in Ukraine isn’t going their way either. Russia has mobilized thousands of new troops and is shelling Ukrainian infrastructure at will. The tables have turned in every respect.

Europe is like an abused wife, living in fear but not knowing how to leave her tormentor. The Biden administration’s team of foreign policy incompetents blow up pipelines in desperation and don’t think about the consequences. American LNG firms will make a killing, but Russia may carve up Ukraine. Europe will be much worse off.

Of course, Biden and company do not behave in a predictable or rational manner. No one knows what they will do. If they would sabotage pipelines, they might also make good on Biden’s outbursts about nuclear war. Their desperation and criminality have brought the entire world to the brink.

Margaret Kimberley

Margaret Kimberley's is the author of Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents. Her work can also be found at patreon.com/margaretkimberley and on Twitter @freedomrideblog. Ms. Kimberley can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgendaReport.com."

Twitter is losing its most active users, internal documents show

PUBLISHED TUE, OCT 25 2022
Sheila Dang

KEY POINTS

Twitter is struggling to keep its most active users engaged, which underscores a challenge faced by Elon Musk as he approaches a deadline to close his $44 billion deal to buy the company.

“Heavy tweeters” account for less than 10% of monthly overall users but generate 90% of all tweets and half of global revenue.

The research also found a shift in interests over the past two years among Twitter’s most active English-speaking users that could make the platform less attractive to advertisers.


The Twitter logo is seen on an iPhone mobile device in this illustration photo on 12 October, 2022.
STR | Nurphoto | Getty Images

“Is Twitter dying?” billionaire Elon Musk mused in April, five days before offering to buy the social media platform.

The reality, according to internal Twitter research seen by Reuters, goes far beyond the handful of examples of celebrities ghosting their own accounts. Twitter is struggling to keep its most active users — who are vital to the business — engaged, which underscores a challenge faced by the Tesla chief executive as he approaches a deadline to close his $44 billion deal to buy the company.

These “heavy tweeters” account for less than 10% of monthly overall users but generate 90% of all tweets and half of global revenue. Heavy tweeters have been in “absolute decline” since the pandemic began, a Twitter researcher wrote in an internal document titled “Where did the Tweeters Go?”

A “heavy tweeter” is defined as someone who logs in to Twitter six or seven days a week and tweets about three to four times a week, the document said

The research also found a shift in interests over the past two years among Twitter’s most active English-speaking users that could make the platform less attractive to advertisers.

Cryptocurrency and “not safe for work” (NSFW) content, which includes nudity and pornography, are the highest-growing topics of interest among English-speaking heavy users, the report found.
At the same time, interest in news, sports and entertainment is waning among those users. Tweets on those topics, which have helped Twitter burnish an image as the world’s “digital town square,” as Musk once called it, are also the most desirable for advertisers.

Twitter declined to specify how many of its tweets are in English or how much money it makes from English speakers. But the demographic is important to Twitter’s business, some analysts say.

The platform earned more ad revenue from the United States alone than all other markets combined in its fourth quarter, according to its investor letter, and most ads in the United States are likely targeting English-speaking users, said Jasmine Enberg, an analyst at Insider Intelligence.

Twitter’s study examined the number of heavy tweeters in English who displayed an interest in a topic, based on the accounts they followed, and how that number of users changed over the past two years.

Twitter was motivated to investigate “disturbing” trends among users that may have been masked by overall growth in daily active users and better understand the decline in the company’s most active users, the documents said. The study made no specific conclusions about why heavy users of the platform are declining.

Asked to comment on the internal documents’ findings, a Twitter spokesperson said on Monday: “We regularly conduct research on a wide variety of trends, which evolve based on what’s happening in the world. Our overall audience has continued to grow, reaching 238 million mDAU in Q2 2022,” the spokesperson said, using an acronym for monetizable daily active users.

‘Not safe for work’ content

The number of heavy users interested in NSFW and cryptocurrency content grew, the research found.

Twitter is one of the few major social media platforms that permits nudity on its service, and the company has estimated that adult content constitutes 13% of Twitter, according to a separate internal slide presentation seen by Reuters. The presentation did not elaborate on how the figure was calculated.

Advertisers generally steer clear of controversy or nudity for fear of damaging their brands. Major advertisers including Dyson, PBS Kids and Forbes suspended advertising due to accounts that were soliciting child pornography on Twitter, Reuters reported in September.

In response to the September story, Twitter said it “has zero tolerance for child sexual exploitation” and was investing more resources into its work against such material.

Twitter’s most active English-speaking users were also increasingly interested in cryptocurrencies, reaching an all-time high in late 2021, the internal documents showed. But interest in the topic has declined since the crypto price crash in June, and the study noted cryptocurrencies may not be an area of growth in the future.

Current and former Twitter employees who spoke with Reuters said they feared Musk’s calls for less content moderation and his reported plans to gut the staff, which they said will exacerbate the deterioration of the quality of content.

“Devastating’ losses

Topics that have traditionally made Twitter a popular platform for its millions of users are now in decline among the most active English-speaking users, the documents show.

Interest in world news, as well as liberal politics, showed spikes during major events such as the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. But the categories have since lost the highest number of heavy Twitter users and have shown no signs of recovery, the report said.

Twitter is also losing a “devastating” percentage of heavy users who are interested in fashion or celebrities such as the Kardashian family. These users are likely decamping to rival platforms such as Meta Platforms’ Instagram and ByteDance’s TikTok, a Twitter researcher wrote.

The study also expressed surprise about the decline in interest for e-sports and online streaming personalities, which were previously growing quickly across Twitter. “The big communities are now in decline,” the report said.

“It seems as though there is a significant discrepancy between what I might imagine are our company values and our growth patterns,” one Twitter researcher wrote.

Twitter employees hit out at Elon Musk’s plans to cut 75% of staff

Staff at the social media platform have reportedly written an open letter about the billionaire’s proposal


By Rachael Davies
2 days ago

Twitter employees have slated Elon Musk’s reported plans to replace or remove the jobs of 75 per cent of the social media platform’s workforce if his deal to buy it proceeds.

The billionaire’s plans, which were reported in The Washington Post last week, would account for 5,500 of the 7,500-strong workforce. Mr Musk previously described Twitter’s workforce as bloated, saying it had a “strong, left-wing bias”.

Before the deadline to agree on a deal on Friday, October 28 , TIME reports that it has seen a draft of an open letter that Twitter employees plan to circulate.

The employees demand that Mr Musk commits to preserving the company’s existing workforce. They argue that he should not discriminate against employees based on their political beliefs. There are also demands that the potential buyer must commit to fair severance policies and clearer communication about working conditions.

“Elon Musk’s plan to lay off 75% of Twitter workers will hurt Twitter’s ability to serve the public conversation,” reads the letter. “A threat of this magnitude is reckless, undermines our users’ and customers’ trust in our platform, and is a transparent act of worker intimidation.

“We demand to be treated with dignity, and to not be treated as mere pawns in a game played by billionaires.”

The identities and number of people who have signed the as-yet-unpublished letter have not been made public. Employees have reassured possible signatories that “signatures will not be made public unless we have critical mass”.

The letter outlines the potential damage cutting the workforce so drastically, citing the impact that Twitter has on communities around the world. This includes “uplifting independent journalism in Ukraine and Iran”.

Many people have expressed concern about issues with content moderation and network outages if key teams are left understaffed. It has not yet been confirmed if or when the open letter will be made public, having only been reviewed by TIME so far.