One of the most important elements in determining the nature of any debate is how the parties in question frame the issue. If your preferred framing becomes the norm, then you’re a good way towards winning the argument. At the same time, the contexts people put forward tell us a …
Read More »Taiwan blasts ‘arch criminal’ Beijing over its opposition to island’s parallel bid to join Asia-Pacific trade pact
The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the Chinese officials in a tersely worded statement on Thursday, insisting that “Taiwan is Taiwan, and is not part of the People’s Republic of China” – directly challenging Beijing’s One-China policy, which considers the island a province of the country in rebellion. …
Read More »Moscow to conduct recount of electronic voting after opposition accuses authorities of rigging weekend parliamentary election
That’s according to Alexey Venediktov, a well-known Russian journalist and editor of liberal outlet Echo of Moscow, who was chosen to head the capital’s election observation headquarters. According to business daily Kommersant, the veteran broadcaster explained that the process would not be legal in nature, but rather a “reconciliation of …
Read More »Russia’s elections are an all-important test for Putin’s party. But can opposition activists in the sunny south beat voter apathy?
However, not everyone in the fast-growing southern city seems to have gotten the message. “When does the election actually start?” Bogdan, a 21-year-old student asked. He hasn’t decided who he wants to cast his ballot for yet ‒ or if he’ll go to the polling station at all. “Life is …
Read More »Russian opposition figure Navalny was sent to prison for breaking law & NOT for his political activities, Putin insists
The Russian president and the German chancellor were speaking to reporters during Merkel’s presumably final state visit to Moscow. She is due to stand down next month, prior to the country’s elections. Putin was responding to a question from a German journalist who asked about Navalny’s imprisonment. “As for the …
Read More »Thousands march across France as nationwide opposition to domestic Covid ID shows no signs of fizzling out (VIDEOS)
Huge crowds turned out in Paris on Saturday as riot police attempted to corral the seemingly endless columns of protesters filling the capital’s main thoroughfares. Drumming, chanting and exploding firecrackers could be heard in a Ruptly livestream of the massive demonstration. The protesters could be heard shouting “Liberty!” as they …
Read More »‘Coon Island’ renamed by Australian councilors despite local opposition after name deemed ‘genuinely racist’
On Monday, councilors from Lake Macquarie, a city on Australia’s east coast, voted 8-5 in favor of scrapping the monikers ‘Coon Island’ and ‘Coon Island Point’ following a four-month consolation process. Though the island has been known by the name for around 100 years, it was recently deemed problematic given …
Read More »As US finally drops it’s opposition to Nord Stream 2, it’s clear plans to block the pipeline were always about money, not security
Signing a new agreement with Berlin, the US has put itself behind Germany as its key ally in Europe. Not Ukraine, which has thrown up no end of objections and appeals over the project. As would be expected, there has been a furious reaction in some quarters. Some are hysterical …
Read More »Russia’s ‘liberal’ opposition goes to war again… with itself: Yabloko tells SUPPORTERS of Navalny it doesn’t want their votes
“It was impossible to gather twenty people of whom ten weren’t enemies of the other ten. And if they weren’t, they soon were.” So said the Russian emigre writer Teffi in her short story ‘Gorodok,’ or ‘Little Town’. The aristocratic satirist was parodying the political divisions of the inter-war Russian …
Read More »Top Belarusian opposition figure Babariko, once tipped as successor to Lukashenko, handed 14 years in prison over fraud claims
His supporters believe the charges, launched after he attempted to run against incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko in the 2020 contest, are politically motivated. On Tuesday, state news agency BelTA reported that a court in Minsk had announced the verdict against the former chairman of Belgazprombank, a financial institution owned by …
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