Tweet: > BREAKING: China has announced the end to the following cooperation with the US > > 1) Calls with leaders > 2) Defense meetings > 3) Maritime Security Consultation > 4) Climate Change Talks > 5) Anti-Drug cooperation > 6) Transnational crimes > 7) Illegal Immigration [**Official announcement from the Foreign Ministry of China.**](http://new.fmprc.gov.cn/zyxw/202208/t20220805_10735604.shtml)

::: spoiler Full article *August 2, 2022 at 10:52 a.m. EDT* Some 43 years ago, the United States Congress overwhelmingly passed — and President Jimmy Carter signed into law — the Taiwan Relations Act, one of the most important pillars of U.S. foreign policy in the Asia Pacific. The Taiwan Relations Act set out America’s commitment to a democratic Taiwan, providing the framework for an economic and diplomatic relationship that would quickly flourish into a key partnership. It fostered a deep friendship rooted in shared interests and values: self-determination and self-government, democracy and freedom, human dignity and human rights. And it made a solemn vow by the United States to support the defense of Taiwan: “to consider any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means … a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of grave concern to the United States.” Today, America must remember that vow. We must stand by Taiwan, which is an island of resilience. Taiwan is a leader in governance: currently, in addressing the covid-19 pandemic and championing environmental conservation and climate action. It is a leader in peace, security and economic dynamism: with an entrepreneurial spirit, culture of innovation and technological prowess that are envies of the world. Yet, disturbingly, this vibrant, robust democracy — named one of the freest in the world by Freedom House and proudly led by a woman, President Tsai Ing-wen — is under threat. In recent years, Beijing has dramatically intensified tensions with Taiwan. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has ramped up patrols of bombers, fighter jets and surveillance aircraft near and even over Taiwan’s air defense zone, leading the U.S. Defense Department to conclude that China’s army is “likely preparing for a contingency to unify Taiwan with the PRC by force.” The PRC has also taken the fight into cyberspace, launching scores of attacks on Taiwan government agencies each day. At the same time, Beijing is squeezing Taiwan economically, pressuring global corporations to cut ties with the island, intimidating countries that cooperate with Taiwan, and clamping down on tourism from the PRC. In the face of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) accelerating aggression, our congressional delegation’s visit should be seen as an unequivocal statement that America stands with Taiwan, our democratic partner, as it defends itself and its freedom. Our visit — one of several congressional delegations to the island — in no way contradicts the long-standing one-China policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, the U.S.-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances. The United States continues to oppose unilateral efforts to change the status quo. Our visit is part of our broader trip to the Pacific — including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan — focused on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance. Our discussions with our Taiwanese partners will focus on reaffirming our support for the island and promoting our shared interests, including advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region. America’s solidarity with Taiwan is more important today than ever — not only to the 23 million people of the island but also to millions of others oppressed and menaced by the PRC. Thirty years ago, I traveled in a bipartisan congressional delegation to China, where, in Tiananmen Square, we unfurled a black-and-white banner that read, “To those who died for democracy in China.” Uniformed police pursued us as we left the square. Since then, Beijing’s abysmal human rights record and disregard for the rule of law continue, as President Xi Jinping tightens his grip on power. The CCP’s brutal crackdown against Hong Kong’s political freedoms and human rights — even arresting Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen — cast the promises of “one-country, two-systems” into the dustbin. In Tibet, the CCP has long led a campaign to erase the Tibetan people’s language, culture, religion and identity. In Xinjiang, Beijing is perpetrating genocide against Muslim Uyghurs and other minorities. And throughout the mainland, the CCP continues to target and arrest activists, religious-freedom leaders and others who dare to defy the regime. We cannot stand by as the CCP proceeds to threaten Taiwan — and democracy itself. Indeed, we take this trip at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. As Russia wages its premeditated, illegal war against Ukraine, killing thousands of innocents — even children — it is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats. When I led a congressional delegation to Kyiv in April — the highest-level U.S. visit to the besieged nation — I conveyed to President Volodymyr Zelensky that we admired his people’s defense of democracy for Ukraine and for democracy worldwide. By traveling to Taiwan, we honor our commitment to democracy: reaffirming that the freedoms of Taiwan — and all democracies — must be respected. ::: --- This was the basis of a tweet her account posted as well. She says: > Our visit [...] in no way contradicts the long-standing one-China policy However there is stuff like: > By traveling to Taiwan, we honor our commitment to democracy: reaffirming that the freedoms of Taiwan — and all democracies — must be respected. Can't think of this as anything but a provocation. Also Washington Post being literally just a mouthpiece of the US state. Not that it's new or surprising.

>@IntelWalrus > >👀 Apparent confirmation that SPAR19 is actually heading to Taipei from an ACARS message that was ust sent! Mission controllers asking about IFF encryption also included the flight's destination of 'RCSS' which is Taipei Songshan Airport (ICAO: RCSS). #Pelosi #Taiwan EDIT: Apparently she has landed: https://nitter.42l.fr/IntelWalrus/status/1554478603974447107#m

Original: https://music.163.com/#/album?id=121309421

::: spoiler Article HONG KONG—Billionaire Jack Ma plans to relinquish control of Ant Group Co., people familiar with the matter said, part of the fintech giant’s effort to move away from affiliate Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. BABA 1.32%▲ after more than a year of extraordinary pressure from Chinese regulators. The authorities halted Ant’s $34 billion-plus IPO in 2020 at the eleventh hour and are forcing the technology firm to reorganize as a financial holding company regulated by China’s central bank. As the overhaul progresses, Ant is taking the opportunity to reduce the company’s reliance on Mr. Ma, who founded Alibaba. Mr. Ma, a 57-year-old former English teacher and one of China’s most prominent entrepreneurs, has been the target of government action that appears designed to reduce his influence and the power of his companies. He has controlled Ant since he carved its precursor assets out of Alibaba more than a decade ago. Over time he built it into a company that owns the Alipay payments network with more than one billion users, an investing platform that houses what was once the world’s largest money-market fund, and a large microlending business. Ant was expected to be valued at more than $300 billion had it gone public. Advertisement - Scroll to Continue Diminishing his ownership could put back a potential revival of Ant’s IPO for a year or more. Chinese securities regulations require a timeout on public listings for companies that have gone through a recent change in control. Mr. Ma doesn’t hold an executive role at Ant or sit on its board, but is a larger-than-life figure at the company and currently controls 50.52% of its shares via an entity in which he holds the dominant position. He could relinquish his control by transferring some of his voting power to other Ant officials including Chief Executive Eric Jing, after which they would collectively control the company, some of the people said. Ant told regulators of Mr. Ma’s intention to cede control as the company prepared to convert into a financial holding company, the people familiar with the matter said. Regulators didn’t demand the change but have given their blessing, the people said. Ant is required to map out its ownership structure when it applies to become a financial holding company. The People’s Bank of China has yet to officially accept Ant’s application to become a financial holding company. Any change of control isn’t likely to materialize until Ant’s restructuring is complete. Advertisement - Scroll to Continue Mr. Ma has personally contemplated ceding control of Ant for years, some of the people said. He’s been concerned about the corporate-governance risks arising from being too reliant on a single dominant figure atop the company, those people said. The charismatic founder addressed those risks at Alibaba years ago by setting up a partnership structure to ensure a sustainable succession as its first generation of leaders moved on. He gave up the CEO job at Alibaba in 2013 and stepped down as chairman in 2019 when he retired from the company. He currently holds less than 5% of Alibaba’s shares. The need to end Mr. Ma’s control at Ant gained new urgency as the souring regulatory environment spurred Ant and Alibaba to cut their ties. On Tuesday, Alibaba revealed seven top Ant executives had stepped down from the Alibaba Partnership, the top echelon of management at Alibaba and its subsidiaries. The two companies also terminated long-running commercial and data-sharing agreements that had given Alibaba an edge. Mr. Ma previously held back from giving up control of Ant because he didn’t want to delay the company’s plans for an initial public offering, some of the people familiar with the matter said. The scuttling of those plans—after Mr. Ma laid into financial regulators in a speech—removed that obstacle and created a fresh opportunity for Mr. Ma to resolve the matter, those people said. Advertisement - Scroll to Continue A change in control could mean that Ant will have to wait a while longer before it tries going public again. Chinese securities regulations state that companies can’t list domestically on the country’s A-share market if they have had a change of controlling shareholder in the past three years—or in the past two years if listing on Shanghai’s Nasdaq-like STAR Market. Hong Kong also imposes a waiting period but only for one year. Ant’s scuttled IPO plan included simultaneous listings in the former British colony as well as Shanghai. Ant is in no rush to attempt an IPO again and intends to keep its options open, some of the people said. The company could consider other moves including spinning off units that could in turn be listed themselves, those people said. Mr. Ma controls Ant through an entity called Hangzhou Yunbo Investment Consultancy Co., which in turn controls two vehicles that together own a little more than half of Ant’s shares. Mr. Ma has a 34% stake in Hangzhou Yunbo. The other 66% is split evenly among Ant’s CEO, Mr. Jing, former CEO Simon Hu, and veteran Alibaba executive and former Ant nonexecutive director Fang Jiang. The billionaire originally owned all of the entity. He transferred two-thirds of the shares to the three executives in August 2020 before Ant filed its IPO prospectus. At the same time, Mr. Ma was given veto power over Hangzhou Yunbo’s decisions, according to the prospectus. The arrangement was designed to give the other executives more say in Ant’s affairs without triggering an effective change in control that could delay the IPO, a person familiar with the matter said. Advertisement - Scroll to Continue Mr. Ma could cede control of Ant by diluting his voting power in Hangzhou Yunbo via giving up his veto and transferring some of his stake to other executives, the person said. Mr. Hu, who resigned as Ant’s CEO last year and recently retired, and Ms. Jiang, who left Ant’s board last year, will likely exit Hangzhou Yunbo and be replaced by other Ant executives. In addition to Mr. Jing, Ant’s most senior executives are now Executive Vice President Xiaofeng Shao, and Chief Technology Officer Xingjun Ni. Mr. Shao is also the general secretary of Ant’s Communist Party committee, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Ni was instrumental in founding Alipay in 2004. Mr. Ma’s control over Ant goes back more than a decade to the period when he was CEO of Alibaba. In 2011, it emerged that he had carved the payments business Alipay out of Alibaba without the knowledge of key shareholders including Yahoo Inc. and SoftBank Group Corp. Alibaba argued the transfer was needed for Alipay to secure a Chinese license that might not have been granted if the company had foreign shareholders. Following the move, China’s central bank in May 2011 gave Alipay a license to operate as a payment-services company. Yahoo and SoftBank were later compensated by an agreement that allowed them to share economic interests in Ant through their ownership in Alibaba. In 2014, Ant Financial Services Group was created to hold Alipay and other financial businesses including consumer lending. The company in 2020 changed its name to Ant Group. Write to Jing Yang at Jing.Yang@wsj.com and Raffaele Huang at raffaele.huang@wsj.com :::

Someone shared all episodes from Blowback Season 3 which is behind a paywall as of now. It's about the American invasion of Korea.

Kratos is gonna merk Thor and wield his hammer

Tweets: > The propaganda over Sri Lanka is ridiculous. US state propaganda outlet VOA, British mouthpiece BBC, and Indian media are blaming China for a supposed "debt trap" > > But in reality Sri Lanka owes more external debt to the US-dominated Asian Development Bank, Japan, and World Bank Earlier in the thread (only two tweets in it) he also talks about how media is trying to show the protests as pro-US when they are not: > [Derek J. Grossman] worked at the CIA, DIA, and NSA, and is at Pentagon think tank the RAND Corporation, and he is portraying the protests in Sri Lanka as an anti-China (pro-US) color revolution 🧐

Source is *Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism* by Kristen Ghodsee

[Link to article.](https://www.agweb.com/news/crops/wheat/ukrainian-farmers-destroy-harvest-equipment-keep-russians-taking-crops)

> This bill requires the Department of State to periodically report to Congress on whether and how China's government, the Chinese Communist Party, or any other Chinese entity has provided support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The report must address specified matters, including any efforts to (1) help Russia's government or Russian entities evade sanctions or export controls, (2) provide Russia with technology to support Russia's military or intelligence capabilities, or (3) further Russia's disinformation and propaganda efforts.

Link to tweet: https://n.ramle.be/jairbolsonaro/status/1535057770780962816

Guerrilla History: Indian Farmers' Protest Retrospective w/ Sandeep Rauzi and Santosh Kumar: Dispatch Episode webpage: https://guerrillahistory.libsyn.com/indian-farmers-protest-retrospective-w-sandeep-rauzi-and-santosh-kumar-dispatch Media file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/guerrillahistory/Farmers_Protest.mp3?dest-id=2463146

NATO alleged that Russia messacred civilians in Bucha in cold blood. The images which served as evidence were pretty gut wrenching. You would expect that the media woild talk about it for more than two days but nope. You won't hear about it anywhere. Was there any investigation done into it?

It might a bit conspiratorial on my part but this post is super uninteresting. Feels like some intern at a Marvel PR department made this post on a schedule and then it got upvoted by bots to drive engagement. The comments in the thread are just as uninteresting as the post.

[Link to thread.](https://reddit.invak.id/r/Eldenring/comments/txc8sb/11_years_later_and_we_still_get_wrecked_in_pvp/) At least some replies are funny.