And you think Alibaba doesn't have a government agency with oversight over their international sales, sourcing, and distribution... Because?
I'll give you a hint: although Canadian oil production is private and American oil refining is private, the government still has oversight on interactions between the two. In fact, they have multiple government agencies governing a transaction between two private businesses. Imagine that.
It's not exactly the end of the world to implement terminator seeds... The reason it hasn't been implemented is because it's not an issue. This is a non-issue that's getting blown out of proportion.
Farmers will opt to maximize profits given all else equal. The license is a cost of goods sold and gets factored in when farmers decide what to plant. Farmers aren't forced to plant golden rice.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces have secured “combat control” of areas where Russian troops entered the northeastern Kharkiv region earlier this month, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said....
No mappers seem to confirm this... There are reports of Ukrainian counteroffensives in the area, but nothing that goes so far as to indicate that Ukraine has taken back control of all of Russia's territorial gains there. If anything, it's starting to look like another stalemate along a new frontline.
Is Zelensky talking out of his ass? Are mappers receiving delayed data? Who knows...
This is the entire reason why countries like China are investing hard into ultra-high-voltage transmission lines.
While regions like Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia have immense wind and solar potential, getting that electricity to the population centers is challenging.
Selling electricity to Eastern Europe, to Northern Africa, hell even to the Middle East is an option if Europe is truly operating an electricity surplus.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to halt the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that recognises the current battlefield lines, four Russian sources told Reuters, saying he is prepared to fight on if Kyiv and the West do not respond....
As long as US officials restrict strikes to avoid Russian nuclear deterrence installations, I don't really see why this wasn't already permitted.
The key US policy consideration in the conflict should be to avoid nuclear escalation. Don't strike nuclear early warning radars, don't strike nuclear silos, and everything else should be fine.
Lai is objectively fucked in his own legislature. Both the KMT and TPP are opposed to the DPP (enough to set aside their own differences)... And they hold the majority in the legislature.
He's deflecting on a fucking non-issue because he doesn't want to admit that his policy of antagonizing China isn't working and the opposition (KMT+TPP) have increasing power.
The facts are that Lai's legislature is a fucking mess domestically. It's breaking out into fistfights, people are trying to steal away bills to prevent them getting passed, and the KMT+TPP are much more unified than expected.
Lai was only elected because of FPTP and he needs to project legitimacy in the face of the KMT+TPP opposition (who, together, received something like 60% of the vote). This is him attempting to do so.
Chinese police hunting international corruption targets were allowed into Australia by the federal police and subsequently escorted a woman back to China for trial, in a major breach of Chinese-Australian police protocols....
Fraud in China has far worse consequences than fraud in Australia. Even if I were to be arrested, I'd prefer it to happen in Australia where I can get off with a slap on the wrist.
The primary purpose of Xi Jinping's three-day visit to Hungary might be to ensure that Hungary can help China gain market share in the EU, as Beijing and Budapest prepare to sign a total of 16 bilateral agreements....
While the developed world rests on its laurels having already developed key technologies that insulate from the worst effects of climate change, the Global South is attempting to push through rapid industrialization to achieve the same effects, bringing with it public infrastructure, electricity, robust food supply, reliable transportation, healthcare...
Meanwhile, the developed world looks at the Global South and says "ah, but why aren't you being greener about it? despicable! how dare you raise emissions?" while simultaneously restricting the free trade of essential green economy components like solar panels and batteries. The fact is, we don't actually care about climate change. Our political entities and economies are not structured to reward innovation in that space, so we simply end up pulling teeth to push through minor advances. Germany used to be a world leader in solar panels before it stagnated due to political pressure. The US used to be a world leader in developing nuclear before it stagnated due to political pressure. Japan used to be the world leader in batteries before it stagnated due to, well, Japan.
At the invitation of H.E. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, H.E. Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, paid a state visit to France from May 5 to 7, 2024. The two heads of state had an in-depth exchange of views on the situation in the Middle East:...
Ukrainian counterintelligence investigators have foiled a Russian plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top military and political figures, Ukraine’s state security service said Tuesday....
Here's a question: why now? Russia has had many opportunities to off Zelensky and has demonstrated the ability to break through Ukrainian air defences near Zelensky. For most countries, assassinating a head of state is considered a huge faux pas because it opens up the opportunity for yourself to be considered a valid target. Even if nothing else, Putin values self-preservation.
Russia has already demonstrated the ability to pierce Ukraine's air defense umbrella not even a kilometer from where Zelensky was. There's no need to do the dirty work of an assassination when Zelensky willingly goes to the front line every few weeks.
Russia has more than enough munitions for local air superiority, even if they can't maintain that across the front line.
Russia on Monday threatened to strike British military facilities and said it would hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons amid sharply rising tensions over comments by senior Western officials about possibly deeper involvement in the war in Ukraine....
An Australian pilot was forced to take evasive action after a Chinese military jet detonated flares close to a Navy helicopter that was operating in international waters near South Korea....
Incident occurred thousands of kilometers from the Australian mainland in the Yellow Sea. It's important to note here that the entire Yellow Sea falls under either China, South Korea, or North Korea's EEZ, although most of it falls under no country's ADIZ because of how the countries bordering the Yellow Sea have negotiated airspace rules.
Australia is getting their panties in a twist. They're fucking flares, a standard component of intercepts when veering near sovereign airspace.
The UN panel to monitor sanctions on North Korea ended in April. Australia has no mandate to monitor North Korea at this time.
The Yellow Sea is also not a body of water for which "innocent passage" is typically needed. It's a dead end body of water.
Moreover, if Australia was on UN business, there's an expectation that they should report their business to Chinese authorities to avoid this exact type of incident.
I'm actually glad you asked. The area where the Australian helicopter was intercepted was in China's EEZ, near China's territorial sea.
Normally, there are no restrictions for aircraft's innocent passage through another country's EEZ. This statement holds for the Yellow Sea, the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea, etc.
However, this is true specifically for innocent passage and overflight. Australia claims they were in China's EEZ to enforce UN sanctions on North Korea. The UN panel for monitoring sanctions on North Korea was disbanded last month, so Australia lacks the UN mandate to justify their presence. Moreover, spying monitoring is very distinctly not innocent passage, and sailing an armed vehicle through is also distinctly not innocent passage. Moreover, the Yellow Sea has no real candidate places to pass to, so Australia is hardly just passing through.
Of course, Australia could have also completed the entire mission within South Korea's EEZ (a country that's allied with Australia),
Or, put another way: if China parked their aircraft carriers 12 nautical miles from Taipei and started flying jets and helicopters within the EEZ but outside of the territorial sea, what do you think the response would be? If China launched a balloon that skirted around Taiwanese sovereign airspace but within Taiwan's EEZ, what do you think the response would be? "Just let it slide"?
Falls under "freedom of overflight," which necessitates that when entering another country's EEZ you must
shall have due regard to the rights and duties of the coastal state
shall comply with the laws and regulations adopted by the coastal state
Per these stipulations, overflight is meant to be for peaceful purposes, not for e.g. spying, military coercion, etc. These are, more or less, the same conditions granted for innocent passage. Moreover, overflight often requires clearing with the government as per local laws and regulations.
There's an open debate in international law as to whether surveillance is considered a peaceful purpose... But if someone dropped sonar buoys ("surveillance") 12 miles out of Honolulu Harbor, you'd probably throw a fit.
Again, as I'll repeat, flares are literally described by the FAA as a way to intercept aircraft. The US has used them against Russian aircraft, but in fact the US also does so to intercept civilian aircraft!
Current statements are that the helicopter was in "breach of Chinese EEZ" (Peter Cronau, ABC) and "within close range of Chinese airspace" (Chinese Foreign Ministry). Notably, the Australians have ignored calls by the British to release videos or GPS data on the incident.
Motherfucker are you dumb, blind, or arguing in bad faith? Literally your own exact motherfucking source says this.
Articles 88 to 115 and other pertinent rules of international law apply to the exclusive economic zone in so far as they are not incompatible with this Part.
In exercising their rights and performing their duties under this Convention in the exclusive economic zone, States shall have due regard to the rights and duties of the coastal State and shall comply with the laws and regulations adopted by the coastal State in accordance with the provisions of this Convention and other rules of international law in so far as they are not incompatible with this Part.
UNCLOS Article 58.2 and 58.3
Jesus Christ if you're going to argue in bad faith at least make an effort.
Australia claims they were flying there for surveillance to enforce sanctions on North Korea. UNCLOS stipulates what internationally lawful uses of the sea are (including freedom of navigation, overflight), and it's difficult to argue that foreign surveillance falls under that definition. Notably, surveillance does not fall under overflight, as overflight stipulates that no activities are conducted over the flyover that are not related to the flyover itself.
Your claim is that military surveillance is an internationally lawful use. That's insane. Your interpretation would allow Chinese and Russian aircraft to surveil within 12 miles of the US mainland, drop maritime survey beacons outside of key harbours (to spot submarines and map out the harbour), and do acrobatics within view of major US cities.
Again, dropping warning flares in front of an aircraft to intercept is standard policy. It's not even worthy of mention most of the time, and it's described in FAA rules.
China's navy is by no means advanced enough to project power halfway across the globe. It's not been designed to do so, either: most of China's navy is designed to repel a naval invasion near Chinese waters.
It's considered breaking news and a gross overstep when China flies over an arbitrary EEZ line in the Taiwan Strait to enter another EEZ for even a second. That should tell you all you need to know about China's confidence in its own capabilities.
The US Coast Guard recently released images of a fleet of four ships of China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) sailing near a US Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) near Alaska's Aleutian Islands
Yemen’s Houthi rebels hit Ukrainian-owned ship in Gulf of Aden, sparking blaze, US says ( www.latimes.com )
U.S. Considers Expanded Nuclear Arsenal, a Reversal of Decades of Cuts ( www.nytimes.com )
A Chinese agency working with Russia has been trying to source drone jammers ( www.cnn.com )
China is flexing its missile arsenal in a new simulation for a mass Taiwan attack as the US watches Beijing's Rocket Force closely ( www.businessinsider.com )
China released a simulation video on Friday of how it could strike Taiwan with waves of missiles....
What Hamas Called Its Female Captives, and Why It Matters ( www.theatlantic.com )
Reading too much into the language seems, at this point, to be less of a danger than reading too little into it....
Hamas launches rocket attack towards Tel Aviv area ( www.bbc.com )
Hamas says it has launched a rocket attack towards the Tel Aviv area in central Israel for the first time in nearly four months....
‘A catastrophe’: Greenpeace blocks planting of ‘lifesaving’ Golden Rice ( www.theguardian.com )
Thousands of children could die after court backs campaign group over GM crop in Philippines, scientists warn...
Zelenskyy says Ukraine has taken back control in areas of Kharkiv region, aerial attacks continue ( apnews.com )
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces have secured “combat control” of areas where Russian troops entered the northeastern Kharkiv region earlier this month, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said....
Germany has too many solar panels, and it's pushed energy prices into negative territory ( markets.businessinsider.com )
Exclusive: Putin wants Ukraine ceasefire on current frontlines ( www.reuters.com )
Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to halt the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that recognises the current battlefield lines, four Russian sources told Reuters, saying he is prepared to fight on if Kyiv and the West do not respond....
The US is thinking about letting Ukraine use its weapons to strike Russia, even if it enrages Putin: report ( www.businessinsider.com )
US officials are considering letting Ukraine strike Russia with US weapons, The New York Times reports....
EU hit as China launches tit-for-tat anti-dumping probe ( www.euronews.com )
Thermoplastics coming from the US, the EU, Taiwan and Japan are sold at prices below fair market value, says Beijing....
Statement from President Joe Biden on the Warrant Applications by the International Criminal Court ( www.whitehouse.gov )
Full statement:...
'Stop threatening Taiwan', its new president William Lai tells China ( www.bbc.com )
Taiwan's newly inaugurated president William Lai has called on China to stop threatening the island and accept the existence of its democracy....
Chinese police were allowed into Australia to speak with a woman. They breached protocol and escorted her back to China ( www.abc.net.au )
Chinese police hunting international corruption targets were allowed into Australia by the federal police and subsequently escorted a woman back to China for trial, in a major breach of Chinese-Australian police protocols....
Is China using Hungary as its bridgehead in Europe? ( www.euronews.com )
The primary purpose of Xi Jinping's three-day visit to Hungary might be to ensure that Hungary can help China gain market share in the EU, as Beijing and Budapest prepare to sign a total of 16 bilateral agreements....
77% of Top Climate Scientists Think 2.5°C of Warming Is Coming—And They're Horrified ( www.commondreams.org )
"I expect a semi-dystopian future with substantial pain and suffering for the people of the Global South," one expert said.
Neom: Forces 'told to kill’ to clear land for eco-city ( www.bbc.com )
Col Rabih Alenezi says he was ordered to evict villagers from a tribe in the Gulf state to make way for The Line, part of the Neom eco-project....
Full text: China-France Joint Statement on the Situation in the Middle East ( www.chinadaily.com.cn )
At the invitation of H.E. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, H.E. Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, paid a state visit to France from May 5 to 7, 2024. The two heads of state had an in-depth exchange of views on the situation in the Middle East:...
Ukraine says it foiled a Russian spy agency plot to assassinate President Zelenskyy ( apnews.com )
Ukrainian counterintelligence investigators have foiled a Russian plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top military and political figures, Ukraine’s state security service said Tuesday....
Russia threatens Britain with retaliation if involvement in Ukraine war deepens ( www.pbs.org )
Russia on Monday threatened to strike British military facilities and said it would hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons amid sharply rising tensions over comments by senior Western officials about possibly deeper involvement in the war in Ukraine....
Al Jazeera office raided as Israel takes channel off air ( www.bbc.com )
Australian helicopter forced to take evasive action after Chinese fighter detonates flares ( www.abc.net.au )
An Australian pilot was forced to take evasive action after a Chinese military jet detonated flares close to a Navy helicopter that was operating in international waters near South Korea....