cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/249790

Archived link

Since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, Russians have filed at least 3,500 denunciations against their fellow citizens for their statements, posts, books, and websites — sometimes resulting in high-profile criminal cases. However, the consequences of most of these complaints receive little public attention. Furthermore, many of those filing reports are not public figures but ordinary Russians who meet in anonymous Telegram channels. The independent outlet iStories analyzed the most active of these informant channels and interviewed their members to uncover who they are, what they report, and why they choose to participate in state repression. This is an English translation.

Late last year, Moscow resident Usman Baratov posted a picture of a chicken with the caption: “No eggs for you! Bring the cocks back from the front.” His post was a reaction to the sharp rise in egg prices (over 50 percent), a topic even Vladimir Putin had to address.

Within a month, calls to strip Baratov of his Russian citizenship started appearing on social media. Pro-Kremlin bloggers saw his post as “discrediting” the Russian army, and informers joined the harassment, sending complaints about Baratov to the Russian Investigative Committee and the prosecutor’s office.

One of the most active voices calling for denunciations against Baratov was the anonymous Telegram channel Direct Action. The channel, aiming to “create public outcry,” asked followers to report Baratov to pro-government media in order to ensure he “was no longer laughing.” A few days later, a criminal case was opened against him on charges of “inciting hatred or enmity.” Baratov has now been in pre-trial detention for five months. Thanks to Direct Action, he faces up to six years in prison.

• The 3,500 complaints against Russian citizens is only a minimum estimate based on public posts. The most active groups of anonymous informers emerged only after the start of the full-scale war. Before that, they existed as groups on Russian social media where people would share propagandistic and homophobic memes.
• One of these groups, Direct Action, spun off from a group called Bloodseeker, which posts homophobic and pro-Kremlin content. However, the war and the subsequent repressive policies brought by Russian authorities against their own population led to a surge in denunciations, targeting not only anti-war statements but also LGBTQ+ content, “Russophobia,” drugs, and other topics.
• For serial informers like Ekaterina Mizulina, the head of the Safe Internet League, and Vitaly Borodin, the head of the Federal Security and Anti-Corruption Project, denunciation has become a calling card. Mizulina alone filed 148 reports over just two years, targeting bloggers, journalists, publishers, artists, and other content creators. Lawmakers and activists like this tailor their denunciations to their current agenda, primarily focusing on public figures and their statements.
• In addition to calls for denunciations, these Telegram channels urge followers to harass and spam victims. This June, informants complained about people holding a “photo shoot” in a St. Petersburg cemetery. Channel administrators created dedicated chats to instruct followers on the types of comments to leave on the targets’ social media pages and which posts to report.
• Followers often report back on their successes. By June 7, 2024, members of Direct Action claimed to have blocked 109 pages related to LGBTQ+ topics and the war in Ukraine, including opposition media sites (although it’s not possible to verify whether these pages were blocked as a result of these informants). They also boast about forced public apologies (such as a Belgorod resident’s for supporting Ukraine and criticizing the mistreatment of migrants in Russia), dismissals (like the Higher School of Economics firing a transgender teacher in spring 2022), and misdemeanor charges (including those against Popcorn Books for publishing books with LGBTQ+ characters and a drag performer from Yekaterinburg for singing the Russian anthem while holding a rainbow flag).

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/249116

Here is the study (pdf)

Although Chinese companies are seen as innovative, government subsidies that violate the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are also thought to be behind the high competitive pressure.

German firms estimate the probability of a trade war with China due to the Taiwan conflict in the next ten years to be high at around 70 per cent.

The companies' approval rates for tariffs on subsidized Chinese e-cars and the possible prevention of sensitive technology transfer, which threatens to transfer high technology from German companies to the Chinese military, are also remarkably high.

• Around 80 per cent of German companies consider tariffs on Chinese products, including e-cars, as justified or partially justified, according to a survey by The German Economic Institute in Cologne. The business community's high approval rates for a tougher approach towards China are based on threats its technology could be used by China for military purposes and the "extraordinarily high and widespread subsidies in China", which suggests that "the ability of Chinese firms to offer much lower prices is not the result of fair competition alone", the study authors says.
• "The use of trade defense instruments has nothing to do with protectionism," the study says, adding that "these instruments are legitimized by the World Trade Organization (WTO)". The aim of an anti-subsidy investigation is precisely to distinguish between fair and unfair (subsidy-induced) competitive pressure.
• "Given the lack of transparency of subsidies in Chinese state capitalism, [subsidy investigation] is a certain challenge," the researcher say. However, should the EU investigation infer subsidies that are higher than in reality, China would have the opportunity to provide evidence to the contrary.
• For now, however, "China's subsidization is a violation of the rules and ultimately a protectionist measure". The researchers add: "All too often, statements by high-ranking German politicians suggest that the EU and Germany are putting themselves in the wrong by using anti-subsidy measures. The opposite is the case."
• At least half of the companies (this also applies to the various depicted subgroups) state that Chinese competitors offering comparable products undercut their prices by more than 20 per cent. Chinese companies even enter the market with prices that are more than 30 per cent lower than those of the companies surveyed. This applies to 63 per cent of companies that feel strong competitive pressure from China, but also to 37 per cent of innovative companies, i.e. firms that continuously conduct research and development.
• China's subsidy regime has consequences for industrial employment in Germany, the researchers claim. Although Chinese companies are seen as innovative, government subsidies are also thought to be behind the high competitive pressure.
• The researchers add that in view of China's export offensive, it is "important to show that the EU is prepared, if necessary, to use its toolbox against Chinese distortions of competition and Chinese threats".

After months of public outcry and pressure from the City Council, New York City’s libraries are poised to have their budgets fully restored so that branches may resume seven-day-a-week service, including Sundays, according to three people with knowledge of the budget negotiations.

Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council are set to announce a handshake budget deal on Friday that reverses $58 million in library cuts, the sources said. The three people who spoke to Gothamist provided the information on the condition that their names not be used because budget discussions are private.

Following the publication of this story, the mayor and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams issued joint press releases announcing the restoration of funding for libraries as well as cultural organizations.

This guy or gal is going to need an around the clock security detail.

NYTimes Gift Article, no paywall

PBS/CNN stream:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n89KRvz6Tdw

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday night vetoed a measure that would have increased warnings for Floridians and tourists when a beach or public waterway is polluted.

The bill required the Florida Department of Healthto issue health advisories if water quality failed to meet the agency’s standards and required closing polluted beaches “if it is deemed necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public,” according to a House staff analysis of the bill.

The measure also required municipalities and counties to notify the state health department of unsafe water quality within 24 hours and required counties to post signs warning of unsafe waters, according to the bill.

Not only was the bill bipartisan, it sailed through both the Florida House and Senate with unanimous approval.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s top education official ordered public schools Thursday to incorporate the Bible into lessons for grades 5 through 12, the latest effort by conservatives to incorporate religion into classrooms.