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Lula's government intends to confiscate land from arsonists, says Marina Silva.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government is studying legal means to confiscate land from perpetrators of forest fires in the country, the Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, said on Wednesday.

According to the minister, the studies are inspired by the law that allows confiscation against owners who exploit labor analogous to slavery on their land.

Marina did not give a deadline for the conclusion of these studies, nor did she say when a proposal along these lines might be ready, but she defended the need to toughen up the laws that provide for punishments for perpetrators of arson. Currently, she said, the maximum sentence is five years in prison.

“This year and last year there was a 60% drop in deforestation over the two years, but criminals, knowing that the forest is losing moisture and making an alliance with climate change, set fire to the forest in order to destroy the forest without having to clear it,” he said.

A week or so ago I told my comrades here that my University was holding democratic elections. The process lasted for the entire week and was pretty heated up, the incumbent peronists were seeking to hold their positions of power while the Trots ~~got along together and challenged them~~ went each one by themselves, divided their votes and lost. Out of six lists presented, three were ideologically aligned with Trotskyism.

Will they learn from their mistakes? No, of course they wont. Now I will have to suffer two more years of pure peronist sellouts. Great.

Thousands of protesters disrupt Land Forces defence expo in Melbourne's CBD

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-11/live-blog-land-forces-protest-melbourne-israel-gaza/104333922

One burning bin and they have $10 m worth of kitted out piggies and helicopters out in response. Biggest police response to planned protests since the 2000 World Economic Forum

I was listening to CII Radio and Salaamedia on Monday. A guest speaker on the live radio mentioned the massacres are quite literally done just for fun (their words, not mine) and there has not been any clear objective than just wanton extermination. The rhetoric has also become much more bloodthirsty as well as self-sustaining, with the violence itself a catalyst. It was already bad enough a decade ago, but now it's much more directly hostile and slowly becoming more materially violent. Salaamedia even noted that in response to a journalist who escaped to South Africa and gave an interview on Newzroom Afrika, pro-"israeli" individuals were already screaming for her death because hostages. Even preschool aged children who were evacuated to South Africa for ICU are the targets of this violent sentiment.

It was even noted that if the South African government does not take any meaningful action against "israel", the Apartheid violence could slowly become normalized yet again. There is also the possibility of terrorism or targeted attacks against South African heads of state, and though while marginal at the moment, the chance isn't zero. Could there be an upsurge of anti-South African sentiment if say, the Diaper forces assault Ramallah, storm the South African embassy and destroy the Nelson Mandela Square to "send a message"?

The ICC/ICJ is still "on the fence" whether trapping over 2 million people into an area only slightly larger than municipal Johannesburg, starving them, destroying all infrastructure and services, further squeezing them into a critical mass of density, etc. constitutes a genocide. Likely because South Africa already questions the courts' legitimacy almost a decade ago and they're afraid to let it slip in their own words.

("Municipal Johannesburg" referring to the city and it's surrounding large/dense neighbourhoods, disregarding cities such as Soweto and Ekurhuleni that comprise the megacity as a whole. The municipality is almost the size of the Gaza Strip, however 6 million people live in it.)

In two studies, experts reveal enormous deficits in the Bundeswehr's procurement and armaments system. There is a lack of money and speed, some scientists even speak of “state failure”.

“This offers no incentives for the arms industry because it is unclear how much money Germany wants to and can spend on defense after the 100 billion special fund expires,” said lead author and economist Guntram B. Wolff in a telephone conversation with the SZ. This is because defense companies that are thinking about building an additional factory have an investment horizon of ten years.

Give us more money!

Best part:

“At the current rate of procurement, it would take Germany up to almost 100 years to reach the military inventory of 20 years ago.” [...]

According to the scientists, Russia, on the other hand, would be able to provide the same quantities in a much shorter time. Moscow would need around half a year to produce the Bundeswehr's entire stock.

Link

FBI opens investigation into “what appears to be an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.”

According to the press conference held by the FBI and the Secret Service, agents spotted a man with an AK-47 rifle and a GoPro at the fence of the golf course where Trump was.

The Secret Service shot the suspect four times. He fled and got into a black SUV and was apprehended minutes later.

The responses I got earlier were much appreciated. I was feeling like shit and that was a whole bunch of baggage I needed to get off my chest.

Zionist guard getting run over by a truck:
https://xcancel.com/Yemenfrontline/status/1833776627274179036

Is there a collection anywhere of every anti-democratic lawsuit by the “Democratic” Party to keep third-parties off the ballot? At least going back to like 2016 anyway, because I’m sure they’ve been doing it longer than that.

It seems like they’ve done it every election in every important state or district in the past few elections so an aggregate would provide an interesting view.

James Earl Jones, actor of 'Star Wars' and voice of Darth Vader, dies at 93.

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US seeks more genocide in Syria

Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the fiscal year 2025.

The amendment seeks to extend the Caesar Act for an additional four years and incorporates several proposals submitted by the anti-Syrian government group, the "American Coalition for Syria." These proposals include:

• An anti-normalization law with Damascus
• Funding for "stabilization support" in northwest Syria
• Funding for the "White Helmets" organization
• Permanent humanitarian exemptions for food and medicine from sanctions regulations.

El Salvavador police chief disobeys the TrueAnon rules, pays with his life

how many of you mf gonna miss???

"Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy has promised Ukraine 100 years of support. 1) He is lying. 2) So-called Ukraine will not last a quarter of that time. 3) The island called Britain is likely to sink in the next few years. Our hypersonic missiles will help if necessary," -Dmitry Medvedev

Global Times - ‘For the sake of Filipino nation, we should not take any side’: Philippine scholar at Beijing Xiangshan Forum

"We have been historically very friendly with each other for centuries long before the Western colonizers came. Let's go back to where we have been."

This was true for the entirety of Maritime Southeast Asia.

On the other hand, Tabunda suggested that relevant parties should "abandon the 'territorial perspective' on the South China Sea, and adopt a new one similar to China's concept of "pursuing joint development while shelving disputes."

Joint development has proved to be a robust way to ensure peace while negating Western imperialist meddling.

I decided on whim to watch Iranian TV for a few minutes. I found a station IRINN and they were highlighting some drawings regarding Gaza. I missed screenshotting some of the better ones (because it’s live and I can’t go back) but I did manage to get this one, I quite like it:

https://archive.ph/2024.09.13-152140/https://www.ft.com/content/eeb2b9c2-448c-4254-8ffe-7b6a433d45d6

"We feel like there is a mini energy crisis that no one is talking about,” a Greek government official said, ahead of the letter being sent to Brussels on Friday.

Why? Because to acknowledge the energy crisis is to acknowledge the death of German heavy industry. Euros are in for an extremely rude awakening, only to be delayed by the ECB putting rates through the floor. I think even the Greeks know this, otherwise a named official would've said the above quote.

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Looking more and more likely that the West will start striking targets deep inside Russia.

The common refrain that “the west is forcing Ukraine to fight with a hand tied behind its back” is just so bizarre.

If both sides were to fight all out, Ukraine would be destroyed in an hour by a nuclear salvo. Are they just stupid?

Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced that he will push for the repeal of the Amnesty Law for human rights violations committed during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).

RIP Elias Khoury

Lebanese novelist Elias Khoury who dedicated much of his writings to the Palestinian cause and taught at universities around the world, making him one of Lebanon’s most prominent intellectuals, has died. He was 76.

Has anyone read him? I picked up Gate of the Sun recently but haven't started it yet.

Russia’s Su-57 conducts 40+ strikes on Ukrainian targets

These stealth fighters have become a more frequent tool in Russia’s aerial campaign, with increased missile strikes recorded since late February 2024.

Although Russia had previously deployed the Su-57 sporadically, the intensity and frequency of its use have grown significantly. In January, the UK Ministry of Defense reported that Su-57s had been used in Ukraine since at least June 2022, but their early deployment was limited. Now, these jets are playing a more active role, often launching strikes from Russian airspace over Kursk and Bryansk, as well as from occupied Luhansk.

In the past seven months alone, Russian forces have launched over 30 cruise missiles from Su-57 aircraft. Among these are the Kh-69 stealth cruise missiles, designed to destroy small, well-protected targets at ranges exceeding 180 miles [290km]. One notable strike using the Kh-69 occurred on April 11, 2024, when Ukraine’s Trypillia Thermal Power Plant near Kyiv was destroyed.

So the Su-57's stealth capabilities, along with Russian air defence and cover, allow the Su-57 to fly over Luhansk oblast. It can then launch it's stealth cruise missiles from there, thus extending their effective range when compared to being launched from conventional non stealth aircraft that launch the missiles from within Russia proper. A stealth one two punch that is incredibly difficult to stop, a stealth jet launching a stealth cruise missile. With a conventional aircraft launch, you'd at least know where the missile was launched from, and when, before the missile disappears from radar. No such thing with the Su-57. I predicted such a strategy back in April when the strike on the powerplant was first made public knowledge.

In general this kind of "force multiplication" strategy is seen quite a bit with the Russian Air Force. Another example is the MiG-31K fighter jet as a launch platform for the Kinzhal hypersonic air launched ballistic missile. A fighter jet that can fly at over Mach 3 (with the caveat of excessive engine wear) launching a hypersonic missile that flies at Mach 5+. A speedy one two punch that is also difficult to stop.

The Su-57s are also equipped with the Kh-58USHK anti-radiation missile, capable of targeting radar systems from distances of up to 150 miles [240km], depending on launch conditions.

Reading in between the lines here, it is suggested that this made up the other 10 or so strikes. Anti radiation missiles against air defence radars and platforms. Since the Su-57 has stealth capabilities, this would mean that other aircraft would be required to bait the SAM sites and radars so that the anti radiation missiles can accuire a target. Must be a terrible and thankless job to fly as a wild weasel on SEAD missions involving the Su-57. Baiting the SAM sites and radars, but not being able to fire on them yourself.

Quantum computing is pretty much vaporware at this point, right? Kamala says we need to keep up our investments in QC and AI to beat China, but as far as I know, QC has some serious fundamental barriers that we are not able to overcome right now, which prevents the technology from even being used for the things people want it to be used for. So what are we competing for?

I was reading IBM's roadmap for QC development and it could honestly be the RDI Star Citizen promises with how out of sight and reliant they are on the technology improving at an unrealistic pace.

Maybe I'm cynical and have an outside perspective but quantum computing is starting to look like one of those dead ends that everyone looks back on and feels a little embarrassed by the whole thing.