'Institutions kept failing us': Economist Paul Krugman explains America’s pessimism

Economist Paul Krugman with President Joe Biden on August 14, 2023

(Wikimedia Commons)

Alex Henderson

December 20, 2024

ALTERNET

Liberal economist Paul Krugman surprised many of his readers when, after almost 25 years, he retired as a New York Times columnist. And his final column was published on December 9.

Krugman hasn't retired from work altogether, however. He is still publishing his newsletter and making media appearances.


Krugman has repeatedly praised outgoing President Joe Biden for his economic record, often noting that the United States has enjoyed record-low unemployment under Biden. But the economist has also acknowledged that many Americans are feeling pessimistic and resentful nonetheless. And he discussed that pessimism during an appearance on Christiane Amanpour's "Amanpour & Company" aired on December 19.

READ MORE: Economist Paul Krugman: How America went from 'optimism' to a painfully 'grim place'

Krugman told host Michel Martin, "People's beliefs on many subjects are just not very movable no matter how good your argument is…. I think a large part of it is that the people and institutions that we looked up to just kept failing us."

The former Times columnist cited the "horrific financial crisis" of the late 2000s and the Iraq War as two of the main reasons why Americans have grown so distrustful and have a "feeling" that "the system is rigged."

Krugman told Martin that "elites" have become much more brazen, fueling the anger that so many Americans feel.

"I'm not sure why there was more restraint on the part of the powerful in the past," Krugman argued, "but Watergate would barely register as a scandal these days."

Krugman added that although the U.S. did some "horrible" things in the past — for example, helping to overthrow socialist Salvador Allende in Chile in 1973 and install a fascist dictatorship under Gen. Augusto Pinochet — it generally "behaved incredibly well for many decades" despite being an "imperial power."

"And now," Krugman lamented, "we have somewhat lost relative power and also just basically lost our own sense of benevolence — and so, stuff breaks out."

Watch the full video below or at this link.

CEOs are funding one of America's most dangerous shifts

Thom Hartmann, 

AlterNet
December 20, 2024 

'Businessman displaying a spread of cash' [Shutterstock]

“Any person or company investing ONE BILLION DOLLARS, OR MORE, in the United States of America, will receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental approvals.”
—Donald Trump Dec. 10, 2024

The 1986 American Heritage Dictionary defines fascism as:

“fascism (făsh'ĩz'am) n. A system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism.”

We’re about to be there.

The power of government to both reward and punish is awesome. No other entity can legally take money away from citizens at gunpoint and hand it to others it favors. No other entity has the power to deprive people of their freedom and even their lives. No other entity can use both of those powers to regulate how business must be conducted.

When Disney, a $248 billion dollar company, decided to give a $15 million donation to Donald Trump’s presidential library slush fund, they didn’t do so because they were worried about losing a defamation lawsuit.


To the contrary, they would have easily won the case. The judge in Trump’s New York trial came right out and said, in front of God and the whole world:
“The finding Ms. Carroll failed to prove she was ‘raped’ within the meaning of the N.Y. Penal Law does not mean she failed to prove Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape’. Indeed, as the evidence at trial… makes clear, the jury found Mr. Trump in fact did exactly that.”

It’s also extraordinarily difficult for a public figure to sue for defamation, per the Supreme Court’s 1964 Times v Sullivan case, which requires proof of “actual malice,” a very, very high legal standard.

An article in The New York Times this past weekend added this gem of a paragraph, although ABC insists the meeting wasn’t arranged to discuss the defamation claim:

“Debra OConnell, the Disney executive who directly oversees ABC News, dined with Mr. Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, in Palm Beach last Monday, according to two people briefed on their interaction. The dinner was part of a visit by several ABC News executives to Florida to meet with Mr. Trump’s transition team.”

Whether OConnell and Wiles discussed the defamation case or not is almost beside the point; the reasonable assumption is that Disney didn’t decide to pay off Trump because they were concerned about the lawsuit but, instead, because they wanted to be on the inside, rather than the outside, of the group of corporations that will make up the “friends of Trump” as he takes over the reins of government. Disney has already gotten their nose bloody by trying to stand up to Trump’s Mini-Me, Ron DeSantis; they’ve learned their lesson well.

This is, classically, how fascists work. In fascist states, corporations and wealthy individuals fall all over themselves to gain the favor of the fascist strongman leader or they lose out big.

When Putin took over Russia, he essentially said to the richest of the Russian oligarchs, “You can be with me or against me, but there is no middle ground.” Ditto for Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán (who met with Trump in Florida last week), Turkey’s dictator Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (who Trump praised this week), and history’s fascist strongmen from Tojo, Franco, Hitler, and Mussolini to more recent versions like Pinochet, el-Sisi, and Ceaușescu.


And now America. Soon to be the newest fascist state in the world.

This goes way beyond ignoring fascism’s chronicler Timothy Snyder’s warning not to “obey in advance”: The companies whose CEOs are making the pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago right now are actively trying to get on the inside with Trump by nakedly supporting him.

They both fear his punishments (he’d called for ABC to lose its broadcast licenses, for example) and hope for his largess when he instructs his federal agencies to start cutting regulations and going easy on corporate mergers and tax evasion.


For over 240 years, America was administered by presidents who adhered to the idea that they should govern, as then-New York Times publisher Adolph S. Ochs wrote in 1896, “without fear or favor.”

Not only did they not direct the government to help or harm any specific companies or industries, those elected to the White House over the past century or so even put their own personal wealth into blind trusts to avoid even the appearance of using government to enrich themselves.

All of that came to a screeching halt when the most corrupt (and richest) president in American history came into office in 2017. Now, empowered by having gotten away with encouraging outright sedition (among other crimes), Trump is doubling down as he accepts million-dollar “donations” from corporate CEOs.


While it’s unlikely oligarchs who refuse to go along with Trump will begin to fall out of 14th floor windows like in Russia, Trump has already made it clear he’ll use regulatory agencies and the courts to punish them like Orbán does.

This is not the American way. It is, instead, how fascist nations that inevitably morph into dictatorships work. It’s a huge warning signal to us and the world.

It also sets a terrible example for other republics around the world that aspire to our (former) ideals of democracy and fair play in business and government. And it sets our country up to become a sleazy tinpot dictatorship, descending to the ethics and credibility standards of Third World caricatures.


History is taking careful note of those CEOs who are energetically brown-nosing Trump, just as it did with Thyssen and Krupp, who were prosecuted for war crimes in the 1940s.

And to compound this evil, these businesses are adding to the power that Trump is rapidly accumulating as, one after another, they, politicians of both parties, and people across the media bow their heads and bend their knees.

Any company so willing to engage with such tainted government leadership should alarm us all: Going forward, the honesty, reliability, and safety of their products may well be corrupted by their praetorian relationship with Trump’s regulators, rather than responding to the competitive forces of the actual marketplace.

Which is also why, going forward, we’d all do best to avoid their programs, products, and services.

Musk Endorses Neo-Nazi German Party Hours After Sanders Calls Him Authoritarian


Musk is backing a vehemently anti-immigrant, far right party in Germany’s upcoming elections.

By Chris Walker ,

Truthout

December 20, 2024

Elon Musk is seen in the U.S. Capitol after a meeting with Sen. John Thune on December 5, 2024.Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images


Independent journalism like Truthout has been struggling to survive for years – and it’s only going to get harder under Trump’s presidency. If you value progressive media, please make a year-end donation today.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) has called out Republicans for acquiescing to billionaire Elon Musk’s demands to thwart a bipartisan spending bill that was needed to fend off a government shutdown this weekend.

In his comments, Sanders derided Musk — who is co-leading president-elect Donald Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency — as an authoritarian oligarchic.

The bipartisan spending bill that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) negotiated with Democrats would have funded the government through March. However, after Musk urged GOP lawmakers to oppose the bill, Johnson, sensing he wouldn’t have enough support from his own party, scrapped the legislation, and put up a new spending bill without Democratic Party input. That bill also failed to pass after Democrats in the House voted against it, with dozens of Republicans opposing the bill, albeit for different ideological reasons.

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Musk’s influence within the Republican Party is so inviolable that some in the GOP have actually called for him to replace Johnson as Speaker of the House. Musk and Trump have said that Republicans who do not support the spending bills they endorse should be primaried out of their seats in the 2026 midterm elections. Musk has also said that he’s not opposed to shutting down the government until Trump is inaugurated in mid-January.

“Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is threatening to unseat elected officials if they do not follow his orders to shut down the government during the holidays,” Sanders noted in a recent social media post. “Are we still a democracy or have we already moved to oligarchy and authoritarianism?”


Sanders Warns Trump Is a Fascist Who May Let Musk Control the Presidency
Sanders’s warning comes the same day as the Tesla CEO is scheduled to headline a Trump rally in Madison Square Garden. By Olivia Rosane , CommonDreamsOctober 27, 2024

In an earlier post, Sanders derided Musk as being an oligarch who Republicans adhered to.

“The US Congress this week came to an agreement to fund our government. Elon Musk, who became $200 BILLION richer since Trump was elected, objected,” Sanders wrote. “Are Republicans beholden to the American people? Or President Musk? This is oligarchy at work.”

Hours after Sanders’s comments, Musk signaled his support for a neo-fascist political party in Gemarny’s February elections.

In a post on his social media site X, Musk endorsed Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far right, anti-immigrant and antisemitic party that is gaining popularity among conservative Germans.

“Only the AfD can save Germany,” the billionaire wrote.

Musk has previously endorsed other far right figures in Europe, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and United Kingdom Reform party leader Nigel Farage.

Musk has tried to normalize AfD’s views in the past, claiming they “don’t sound extremist” to him and questioning if he was “missing something.”

AfD is vehemently anti-immigration, particularly with regard to Muslims, calling for a “net zero” number of immigrants entering Germany in the coming years. Leaders of the party have repeatedly made racist and antisemitic statements, emphasizing a need to return to a German “identity” and pushing other white nationalist views; AfD leader Alexander Gauland, for example, has described immigration to the country as an “invasion of foreigners” that he and his party intend to fight off.

The party has also called for changes to how Nazi Germany is depicted in historical settings, such as monuments, schools and museums, with Gauland once minimizing the country’s Nazi history as being no more than “just a speck of bird’s muck.” Other AfD members have denied Nazi wrongdoing, including by describing the Holocaust as a “myth.”

Musk’s public support for AfD is just the latest example of the billionaire sharing reactionary viewpoints on X. Musk has, for example, called for the deportation of protesters utilizing the First Amendment to express views he disagrees with. He has also promoted antisemitic, anti-Muslim, transphobic and other bigoted content on his profile, and has shared content denying the Holocaust.

Novelist and political commentator Patrick S. Tomlinson has said that Musk’s support for AfD is illuminating.

“The AfD is Germany’s neo-Nazi party,” Tomlinson wrote on Bluesky. “They are anti-immigration, anti-EU, and unapologetically pro-Putin. The German courts have labeled the entire party extremist. Elon Musk has gone fully mask off.”

Commentator Paul Krugman also weighed in on Musk’s latest endorsement, noting that the billionaire’s statement was “obviously where he was going.”

When it comes to fascist sentiments, Musk “isn’t hiding it at all,” Krugman added.

'Agent of influence': Expert warns Musk's tactics are straight out of ‘Russia’s playbook'

Erik De La Garza
December 20, 2024

Donald Trump and Elon Musk watch the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket in Brownsville, Texas, U.S., November 19, 2024

. Brandon Bell/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo


Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s increasing influence – not just in the United States as a close ally of the incoming president – but around the world is helping to fuel Russia’s war on democracy and mirrors tactics pulled from Vladimir Putin’s playbook, foreign policy researcher Olga Lautman warned Friday.

Using a “strategy of strategic chaos,” and armed with his “immense wealth” and ownership of the social media platform X, Musk has morphed into “an active agent of influence” that he uses “to undermine Western unity and destabilize democratic institutions,” Lautman wrote on her Substack page.

Lautman told readers on Friday that Musk’s endorsement via X of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is another sign of his growing influence in Europe. She urged Democrats to investigate Musk’s “ties to Moscow, his access to U.S. government contracts, and his security clearance.”

“Musk’s meddling extends beyond tweets, with secretive ties and calls to Putin and full control over Trump as he assumes the role of acting president-elect,” Lautman wrote. “By amplifying nationalist agendas, dismantling democratic norms, and aligning with authoritarian figures, Musk’s actions mirror Russia’s playbook for destabilizing Western democracies and advancing its geopolitical goals."

She continued to sound the alarm in stark detail in her article, writing that the actions of the SpaceX and Tesla owner – who was largely seen as effectively tanking the first negotiated congressional spending bill on Wednesday by way of yet another social media post on his platform – benefits one central player: Russia.

“Moscow stands to gain from the erosion of Western democratic institutions and the global rise of the far-right,” she wrote. The researcher added that Musk’s access to U.S. security clearance and numerous government contracts “only deepens the gravity of his actions, as he exploits his position to weaken the very systems that uphold democracy."

“This is nothing short of insanity,” according to Laudman, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis and a senior investigative researcher at the Institute for European Integrity.

She concluded her piece by warning readers that Musk’s growing influence is “increasingly alarming” and that his agenda aligns with “longstanding Kremlin goals of weakening America’s intelligence and security apparatus, as he runs disinformation and destabilization tactics designed to erode trust in public institutions.

'Butter knife to a gun fight': Disinfo researcher claims nefarious link with Trump and Musk

Elon Musk on November 1, 2024 (Wikimedia Commons)

Alex Henderson

December 20, 2024

ALTERNET

With a Saturday, December 21 deadline just around the corner, the United States' federal government appeared to be heading for a shutdown.

Bills that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) supported failed to pass, and some Democrats believed that President-elect Donald Trump and Tesla/Space-X CEO Elon Musk were causing chaos in the House.

In a December 20 post on X, formerly Twitter, journalist Dave Troy accused "Moscow" of promoting dysfunction on Capitol Hill.

Troy tweeted, "Folks think Musk and Trump are engaged in politics, but this is a military operation being executed out of Moscow. If you are playing politics right now, you literally have brought a butter knife to a gun fight."

In a separate tweet posted the same day, Troy argued that Republicans go out of their way to cause "dysfunction."

The Washington Post's Drew Harwell, on X, slammed Republicans who, he said, "make light" of the hardships a shutdown would cause — including Fox News' Sean Hannity and radio host Ben Shapiro, who said a shutdown is "not that big a deal."

In response, Troy tweeted, "The dysfunction and cruelty are the goal. It's a feature not a bug, etc."

December 20 was not the first time Troy accused Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin of encouraging political instability in the United States.

On December 13, Troy tweeted an article he wrote for America2.News and wrote."

Troy posted, "EXCLUSIVE: The Kremlin's 'Project Russia' poses a potent framework for mobilizing illiberal forces against the United States and its allies — and it's all but unknown to Western analysts. We must act to counter it."

On December 19, Democratic strategist Jon Cooper tweeted, "Wow! One GOP lobbyist just told me he thinks Elon is really the one who’s calling the shots — not Trump." And Troy responded, "lol no s—t.'

Medici secret passageway in Florence reopens after refit


By AFP
December 20, 2024

People walk in the Vasari Corridor gallery, in the center of Florence

 - Copyright AFP Andreas SOLARO

A secret passageway built 500 years ago to allow the Medici family to pass through the Italian city of Florence unhindered reopens to the public Saturday after an 10-million-euro restoration.

The Vasari Corridor, which is more than 700 metres (nearly half a mile) long and runs above the famous Ponte Vecchio, has been closed for eight years.

Designed in 1565 by Giorgio Vasari, a commission by Duke Cosimo I to mark his son’s wedding, the corridor begins at what is now the Uffizi Galleries and ends up in the Pitti Palace across the Arno river.

Its 73 windows offer unrivalled views over the city centre, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and will now finally be accessible to the general public.

It had since the 1970s held the large collection of the Uffizi’s self-portraits, but was closed in 2016 to allow for upgrades to meet modern safety standards.

“Now restored to its original simplicity, the corridor presents itself to visitors as a plain ‘aerial tunnel’,” the Uffizi said in a statement on Friday.

It passes above the heart of the city, “just as it appeared when the Florentine rulers used it for quick, safe, and uninterrupted passage between their residence and the seat of government”.

The works, which began in 2022, include new disability access, emergency exits, toilets, energy-efficient LED lighting and video surveillance.

“After an eight-year wait, the reopening of the Vasari Corridor returns a masterpiece within a masterpiece to Florence and Italy,” Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said.

Enabling lower cost EVs through electric motor development


By Dr. Tim Sandle
DIGITAL JOURNAL
December 20, 2024


Renault has big hopes for its little R5 to boost its sales of electric cars, tapping into nostalgia for a popular model of the 1980s and 1990s - Copyright AFP KAREN BLEIER

The electric vehicle (EV) market continues, in general, to grow; however, its growth has slowed significantly in Europe and the U.S. in the first half of 2024. Can the market be reinvigorated?

According to one recent review, growth can be triggered by release of models in a more affordable price range. This is connected to lowering manufacturing costs. Here, the battery rightly takes focus; however, other components such as the electric motor can also contribute to cost reduction.

These factors feature in IDTechEx’s report “Electric Motors for Electric Vehicles 2025-2035: Technologies, Materials, Markets, and Forecasts”. The report analyses the current technology and materials landscape for electric motors in EVs and forecasts the future trends and demands for the next 10 years.

In the study, IDTechEx forecasts that over 160 million electric motors will be required for the EV market in 2035 with approximately 30 percent of the automotive market using rare earth free technologies in the same year.

Improving Performance to Reduce Battery Demands

The first way a motor can reduce vehicle cost is through driving efficiency. Vehicles are generally designed to maximize range on test cycles and in real-world driving scenarios.

The more efficient a motor is, the more range can be obtained from the same battery capacity. For example, if a motor has an efficiency of 96 percent rather than 93 percent, then this could decrease the energy needed for a 75kWh vehicle by around 2.9 percent to achieve the same range.

Materials vs Manufacturing Costs in the Motor

Permanent magnet (motors dominate the EV market with an 85 percent market share in battery electric and plug-in hybrid cars in 2023 according to IDTechEx. The permanent magnets used in these motors contain rare earths and can be very costly.

Magnet free motors, such as wound rotor synchronous motors (WRSM, sometimes called externally excited synchronous motors, EESM), have a lower bill of materials cost due to replacing permanent magnets with copper windings.

Rare earth free magnets are another future solution, these magnetic materials are much less costly, but sacrifice performance. As technology improves, and with the goal of producing a low-cost vehicle, this could be an approach taken.

Could Axial Flux Play a Role?

In the future, axial flux motors could play a larger role in cost reduction. Given their very high power and torque density, the material utilization per kW of power can be significantly reduced. Given most of a motor’s cost is in the bill of materials, this could enable another route to cost reduction. However, axial flux motors have not yet been manufactured at the scale required for the automotive market.

Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would ‘damage democracy’


By AFP
December 20, 2024

Taiwanese lawmakers tackled each other as President Lai Ching-te's party tried to block the passage of bills they say could harm the self-ruled island's 'democratic system' - Copyright AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE/AFP LSIS BRADLEY DARVILL

Taiwanese lawmakers tackled and doused each other with water on Friday as President Lai Ching-te’s party tried to block the passage of bills they say could harm the self-ruled island’s “democratic system”.

Scores of lawmakers from Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party had occupied the podium of the parliament’s main chamber since Thursday night and barricaded themselves inside — piling up chairs to block entrances.

The DPP parliamentarians were attempting to stop three legal amendments proposed by the opposition bloc, which would make it more difficult for voters to oust elected officials who they see as unfit.

“Parliamentary dictatorship,” some DPP lawmakers shouted to criticise the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party and its ally Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) for trying to pass the bills with their majority.

“If the KMT forcefully passes the amendments… Taiwan’s democratic self-checking and self-repairing mechanism will be gone, and it will also cause significant and irreversible damage to Taiwan’s civil society and democratic system,” the ruling party said in a statement.

“At a time when Taiwan’s democracy is being violated and damaged, we must stand up and take action,” it added.

Among the disputed bills was a planned revision to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act pressed ahead by the KMT and TPP to raise the threshold for removing elected officials.

The Beijing-friendly KMT said it would prevent the power of recalls from “being abused” but some DPP lawmakers said they fear the move would revoke voters’ rights to remove unfit officials.

Han Kuo-yu, the current parliament speaker from the KMT, was ousted in 2020 as mayor of southern Kaohsiung city following a failed presidential bid.

Outside the parliament on Friday, thousands of people gathered to protest the bills, shouting “return the evil amendments”, and “Defend Taiwan”.

“I am here to protest the opposition parties for trying to confiscate the people’s rights to recall,” graduate student David Chen told AFP.

Earlier this year, reform bills expanding parliament’s powers pushed by the opposition sparked brawls among lawmakers and massive street demonstrations.

Proponents of the expansion say it is needed to curb corruption, but critics fear the laws could weaken Taiwan’s democracy against the influence of China — which claims the island as part of its territory.

In October, Taiwan’s Consitutional Court struck out the most controversial sections of the law, delivering a partial victory to the DPP which had opposed the reforms.

Google counters bid by US to force sale of Chrome

CAPITALI$T TRANSACTIONALISM

By AFP
December 21, 2024

Google has countered a US call to sell its Chrome browser, suggesting a judge address antitrust concerns by barring the firm from making favorable treatment of its software a condition of licensing - Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP Brandon Bell

Google late Friday countered a US call to sell its Chrome browser, suggesting a judge address antitrust concerns by barring the firm from making favorable treatment of its software a condition of licensing.

Google filed a 12-page proposed order banning the internet giant from requiring favorable distribution or treatment of its software on mobile devices as a condition of licensing popular apps like Chrome, Play or Gemini.

In contrast, the US government in November asked a judge to order the dismantling of Google by selling its widely used Chrome browser in a major antitrust crackdown on the company.

The US Department of Justice urged a shake-up of Google’s business that includes banning deals for Google to be the default search engine on smartphones and preventing it from exploiting its Android mobile operating system.

Determining how to address Google’s wrongs is the next stage of the landmark antitrust trial that saw the company in August ruled a monopoly by US District Court Judge Amit Mehta.

Google has proposed that Mehta bar it from using the licensing desirability of its applications to compel mobile device makers to pre-install its search software or make it the default offering, a court filing showed.

“Nothing in this Final Judgment shall otherwise prohibit Google from providing consideration to a mobile device manufacturer or wireless carrier with respect to any Google product or service in exchange for such entity’s distribution, placement on any access point, promotion, or licensing of that Google product or service,” the proposed order stipulates.

Calling for the breakup of Google marks a profound change by the US government’s regulators, which have largely left tech giants alone since failing to break up Microsoft two decades ago.

Regardless of Judge Mehta’s eventual decision, Google is expected to appeal the ruling, prolonging the process for years and potentially leaving the final say to the US Supreme Court.

The case could also be upended by the arrival of President-elect Donald Trump to the White House in January.

His administration will likely replace the current team in charge of the Justice Department’s antitrust division.

The newcomers could choose to carry on with the case, ask for a settlement with Google or abandon the case altogether.

The trial, which concluded last year, scrutinized Google’s confidential agreements with smartphone manufacturers, including Apple.

These deals involve substantial payments to secure Google’s search engine as the default option on browsers, iPhones and other devices.

The judge determined that this arrangement provided Google with unparalleled access to user data, enabling it to develop its search engine into a globally dominant platform.

Serbia shuts schools amid new protests over station collapse


By AFP
December 20, 2024

Thousands protest outside Serbia's public broadcaster in Belgrade demanding accountability for the railway station tragedy - Copyright AFP OLIVER BUNIC

Serbia’s government closed schools early for Christmas Friday just as teachers and pupils were set to join nationwide protests over the collapse of a train station roof that killed 15 people last month.

University students joined the protest movement in the wake of the tragedy, which had already forced the resignation of construction minister Goran Vesic.

He was later arrested before being released.

But outrage at the deaths in the northern city of Novi Sad has not abated, with many protesters accusing the government of corruption and inadequate oversight.

Serbia’s four education unions had called on teachers and other staff to walk out Friday to support the protests.

“Employees will stop work in solidarity and support of students in the fight for a better and fairer society,” unions said in a letter to pupils’ parents this week.

With pressure mounting, the Serbian government said schools would close early for the winter holidays.

They had already released official documents on the building works at the station and bowed to student demands to raise higher education funding by a fifth in a bid to calm the anger.

“We fulfilled all the (students’) demands. We do not accept additional ones,” President Aleksandar Vucic said earlier this week.

Protesters are demanding the resignation of the prime minister and the Novi Sad mayor over the disaster, and want to see those found responsible prosecuted.

Fourteen people, aged between six and 74, were killed at the scene on November 1 when the roof collapsed after major renovation works on the station.

A 15th victim died in hospital weeks later.

Seven weeks on, tensions remain high with violence breaking out at some protests, with students accusing pro-government football hooligans of targeting demonstrations.

A video widely shared on social media showed opposition leader Dragan Djilas scuffling with supporters of Vucic’s party on Thursday night.

Major reshuffle as Trudeau faces party pressure, Trump attacks


By AFP
December 20, 2024

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hopes a reshuffle could improve his fortunes - Copyright AFP Dave Chan

Michel COMTE

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday shook up his cabinet, changing one-third of his team as political turmoil threatens his leadership and tensions erupt with incoming US president Donald Trump.

The reshuffle came at the end of a chaotic week in Ottawa spurred by the surprise resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland following disagreement with her boss over Trump’s threats to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports.

Her exit, after nearly a decade at Trudeau’s side, marked the first open dissent against the prime minister from within his cabinet and has emboldened critics.

Since then, Trudeau has hunkered down with advisors as he reportedly contemplates his own political future amid calls for him to step down ahead of elections scheduled for October 2025 but expected much sooner.

In Friday’s reset, eight new ministers were appointed to replace those in the 35-member cabinet who have signaled they will not seek reelection, and to relieve others of their double or triple duties in government.

Four current ministers were also given new responsibilities.

Freeland, who also quit her role as finance minister, has said she would seek reelection next year.

– Behind in the polls –

Trudeau’s childhood friend and ally Dominic LeBlanc was already sworn in as the new finance minister hours after Freeland quit.

He also took over the reins from her on negotiating with the incoming Trump administration.

Several cabinet recruits, as they headed into the swearing-in ceremony Friday, declared their confidence in Trudeau.

But part of his caucus has urged him to resign, worried that voter fatigue with his leadership will hamstring the Liberals in the next election.

Trudeau swept to power in 2015 and led the Liberals to two more ballot box victories in 2019 and 2021.

But he now trails by 20 points his main rival, Conservative Pierre Poilievre, in public opinion polls. And his Liberals lost four by-elections this year.

Compounding those woes, Trudeau faces the possibility that Trump in January will slap 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, accusing both of allowing the United States to be flooded with illicit drugs, namely fentanyl, and undocumented migrants.

More than 75 percent of Canadian exports go to the United States and nearly two million Canadian jobs depend on trade.

In her resignation letter, Freeland warned this could lead to a “tariff war” with the United States and urged Ottawa to keep its “fiscal powder dry” while rebuking Trudeau’s spendthrift policies.

Trudeau last month traveled to Florida to meet with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in a bid to head off a trade war.

Trump called the talks over dinner “very productive.”

But since then the president-elect has also landed humiliating blows against Trudeau on social media, repeatedly calling him “governor” of Canada and declaring that the United States’ northern neighbor becoming the 51st US state is a “great idea.”

Political analysts and officials have said the taunts appeared aimed at putting Trudeau on the back foot in bilateral negotiations.

Half of UK businesses hit by cyber breaches in 2024

CUSTOMER PRIVACY BREACH


ByDr. Tim Sandle
DIGITAL JOURNAL
December 20, 2024


A massive cyberattack and data breach hits the Internet Archive - Copyright AFP Stefani REYNOLDS

A review outlines essential practices for UK businesses to enhance their online protection and explains the concept of cyber hygiene and its importance. This comes in the wake of 2023, when 32 percent of UK businesses reported experiencing a cyberattack at least once a week, with cyberattacks projected to increase by 15 percent globally.

Recent data reveals that 50 percent of businesses encountered a cyberattack or security breach in the past year. This is based on the UK Government Cybersecurity Breaches Survey.

In light of recent cyber threats, Milan Bosman, Commercial Director from e-commerce hosting provider Hypernode, has explained to Digital Journal about the significance of cyber hygiene for UK businesses and share essential practices to ensure online safety.

What is cyber hygiene?

Cyber hygiene can be explained as a set of practices to maintain system health and security in relation to a business’s online activities. Like physical hygiene, maintaining cyber hygiene entails a set of regular preventative measures.

Five key practices

Antivirus and antimalware software

Installing antivirus and antimalware is an obvious place to start for protecting against cyber threats. These tools help detect malicious programs that can compromise data. Viruses and malware are constantly evolving, so it is important to also keep this protective software up to date.

Be cautious of phishing

Phishing is a common cyber-attack in which criminals use deceptive emails, messages, or websites to trick individuals into providing sensitive information. It is by far the most common type of cybercrime, with 90 percent of businesses that have experienced at least one type of cybercrime falling victim to phishing. Awareness and caution around possible phishing scams is crucial within all businesses.

Back up and encrypt data

Backing up important data and storing it securely will be helpful in the event of a data loss or ransomware attack. Particularly sensitive data, meanwhile, ought to be encrypted to ensure it can only be accessed by authorised parties.

Secure Wi-Fi, strong passwords, and MFA

While seemingly obvious, these three simple steps, which are often neglected, are absolutely key to good cyber hygiene. Unsecured Wi-Fi networks are vulnerable to attack from cybercriminals who may intercept data or gain access to internal systems. Similarly, weak passwords are susceptible to being hacked. Strong, unique passwords that are different for each online account should be used. MFA (Multi-factor authentication) adds a layer of security to data and internal systems, keeping out anyone who should not be able to access them.

Educating all employees

Perhaps the most important point is that a business’s security is only as strong as its weakest link, and a cyber-attack can target any employee. Providing cybersecurity training to all employees is crucial to ensuring the security of a business as a whole.