They argued that under the current system, households without solar could be unfairly burdened with the cost of augmenting power networks to cope with the increase of new panels, which was already placing a strain on the network in states with heavy solar penetration such as South Australia…
Month: October 2023
Taking control of strata levies as interest rates rise – ABC listen
Is it possible to take control of these costs, and how might getting involved with your owners corporation or body corporate help?…
Homelessness in Los Angeles on the rise up 9 per cent year-on-year – ABC News
This month, Los Angeles council voted to turn a car park into a 33-unit homeless shelter. But with 14,000 people sleeping in vans and cars it may not be enough to stop the problem…
Rental squeeze pushes Gold Coast couple from house tenancy to unknown future in ‘home on wheels’ – ABC News
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-21/housing-rental-gold-coast-couple-van-life/102984844
The majority of our wage was going to pay rent on this bricks-and-mortar house and we couldn’t get ahead,” Ms Bowman said. “So we thought, let’s push it all down and live in a van, go to van life…
Putin names culprits behind anti-Jewish riot in Dagestan — RT World News
https://www.rt.com/news/586214-putin-speech-gaza-israel/
30 Oct, 2023 18:32
Putin names culprits behind anti-Jewish riot in Dagestan
The US is seeking to incite chaos in order to hold on to hegemony, the Russian president has claimed
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government, via a video conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. © Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov
Sunday’s anti-Semitic riot in Russia’s Republic of Dagestan was inspired by Western intelligence services from the territory of Ukraine and is part of a broader effort to destabilize the world, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.
Putin was speaking at a meeting convened with the entire Russian leadership, including the cabinet and both speakers of parliament, to discuss western attempts to sow division in the country. The meeting follows an anti-Jewish riot in the Republic of Dagestan, sparked by fake news on a Ukraine-linked Telegram channel claiming that ‘refugees’ from Israel were scheduled to arrive in the Muslim majority region.
“The events in Makhachkala were inspired through social networks, including from the territory of Ukraine, by agents of Western special services,” Putin said in his opening remarks at the evening meeting.
Telegram has already banned ‘Utro Dagestan’ (Dagestan Morning), the channel linked to Ukrainian intelligence which had called for storming the Makhachkala airport in search of “Jewish refugees.” Around 150 people took part in the riot.
The Russian president noted that the horrific imagery coming out of Gaza is fueling an emotional response, adding that the “collective punishment” of civilians that Israel seems to have chosen is “absolutely not justifiable.”
However, he noted that the “ruling elite of the US and its satellites” are behind the current conflict in the Middle East and other places around the globe, in an effort to sow chaos and prevent the rise of a multipolar world order.
Read moreUkraine-linked anti-Jewish riot in Russia: What is known so far
According to Putin, Moscow’s position on that conflict is clear – there can only be peace with the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
“How do you help Palestine by attacking families?” the Russian president wondered, pointing to rioters in Dagestan waving Palestinian flags while storming the airport.
Putin argued that Russia is not just leading the effort to create a truly multipolar world of sovereign countries, but literally fighting for it on the battlefields of Ukraine – and that many volunteers from Dagestan are taking part in that struggle already.
Russia is the bulwark for all of those who fight for their independence and freedom, against those who spread chaos and conflict and their “useful idiots,” Putin concluded.
Ukraine was quick to declare the Makhachkala airport riot as “proof” of Russian bigotry and anti-Semitism. However, Russia’s Muslim leaders have condemned the riot as unacceptable, as has the head of Dagestan, Sergey Melikov. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that the unrest was “obviously” incited from abroad.
German police arrest MP amid ‘Nazi symbols’ probe — RT World News
https://www.rt.com/news/586200-germany-afd-lawmaker-arrested/
30 Oct, 2023 17:55
German police arrest MP amid ‘Nazi symbols’ probe
AfD lawmaker Daniel Halemba is accused of incitement and use of the swastika
Daniel Halemba attends the constituent meeting of the AfD parliamentary group in the Bavarian state parliament on October 18, 2023. © Getty Images / DPA / Peter Kneffel
German police have arrested Daniel Halemba, a newly elected Bavarian lawmaker with the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The politician was caught in the Stuttgart area early Monday, prosecutors said.
The 22-year-old MP, the youngest politician ever elected to the Bavarian parliament, is suspected of incitement and use of banned symbols of “unconstitutional organizations,” namely, the Nazi swastika. The investigation into Halemba is linked to the Teutonia Prague student fraternity, which was raided by the authorities in Wurzburg, Bavaria last month.
The group is suspected of using Nazi-associated memorabilia and symbols, while neighbors repeatedly complained that fraternity members were shouting “Sieg Heil” during their assemblies. During the raid, forbidden symbols were recovered from the fraternity’s compound, according to the authorities.
Apart from Halemba, who has openly admitted to being a member of the fraternity and was at the compound during the raid, German law enforcement has identified four other suspects. All of them are accused of incitement and possession of Nazi memorabilia.
READ MORE: ‘We have arrived’ – Germany’s far-right AfD
The MP, however, has denied the allegations, telling the Suddeutsche Zeitung after the raid that no “incriminating material” had been found. Katrin Ebner-Steiner, the AfD’s parliamentary leader in Bavaria, condemned the MP’s arrest, calling it “an indictment” of democracy.
Halemba’s lawyer, Dubravko Mandic, dismissed the allegations as well, saying there is “no truth” to them, while signaling that the arrest of his client will be challenged. “He is an elected member of parliament and, in my opinion, he has a claim against the government and the ministry of justice that they no longer execute the arrest warrant,” Mandic told the German Press Agency.
Halemba’s arrest comes as he was set to begin his tenure in the Bavarian parliament. The politician is among 32 MPs elected in the Bavarian state elections earlier this month from the AfD, making it the largest opposition party in the state.
Civil war 2.0? A troubling number of Americans believe political violence is acceptable — RT World News
https://www.rt.com/news/585969-us-democracy-political-violence/
30 Oct, 2023 21:28
Civil war 2.0? A troubling number of Americans believe political violence is acceptable
A recent poll shows democracy isn’t cutting it for a lot of US citizens anymore
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. © Brent Stirton / Getty Images
A new poll shows that Americans from both sides of the aisle favor shelving democracy and inflicting violence on their opponents, as trust in the government hits new lows. But is there a viable alternative for desperate Americans to another civil war?
On September 17, 1787, as the Founding Fathers were leaving the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia after they had just finished laying the groundwork for the new nation, someone asked Benjamin Franklin, “Doctor, what have we got? A republic or a monarchy?” Franklin responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.” That sugar-coated warning has never seemed more relevant than today, as the Republicans and Democrats are beginning to show serious contempt not only for their political rivals, but for democracy itself.
According to an October poll from the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, 31% of Donald Trump supporters and 24% of President Joe Biden supporters believe that democracy is “no longer viable” and that America “should explore alternative forms of government to ensure stability and progress.” The fact that so many Americans see democracy as a failing enterprise is a troubling sign, especially given that ‘democracy’ constitutes a large part of the American people’s sense of pride and national identity, right up there with baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet (even though the United States is more of a constitutional republic, but don’t tell anybody). When people have lost faith in their national mythologies, nihilism and hopelessness will quickly fill the void.
Read moreWhat Biden’s ‘new world order’ really means
It would be interesting, and most definitely entertaining, to hear what sort of government the American people would opt for instead of ‘democracy.’ After all, the options are rather limited and not terribly attractive. Plato, writing in ‘The Republic’, described the five main types: aristocracy (rule by the elite minority); timocracy (rule by military, like in the days of Sparta); oligarchy (rule by the wealthy); democracy (rule by the people); and tyranny (rule by a despot). Judging by the results to the next question in the survey, it appears that many Americans are prepared to succumb to the strong arm of tyranny to resolve their myriad problems.
Before continuing, a brief word on statistics, since this piece is loaded with them. As I was researching this article, I found myself questioning the questions from the Center for Politics more than the results of the poll itself. Polls have a powerful, yet subtle way of shaping our grasp of the current realities, not only by the results they provide, but by the very questions they pose. For example, imagine if you were stopped on the street by a pollster armed with a clipboard and asked, ‘would you like to see the government take a greater role in the fight against wombats?’ You will naturally assume that wombats have become an issue, possibly in your own neighborhood, even though the nearest marsupial may live some 5,000 miles away. At the end of the day, the entire neighborhood will be talking frantically about the ‘threat of wombats.’ Is it possible that the pollsters ask certain questions to ‘prime’ the subconsciousness of the voters to prepare them for challenging political initiatives down the road (like gun control, for example, or wealth distribution)? In any case, since some of the questions found in this rather limited poll were never asked of the American people before, it is difficult to ascertain to what degree the answers are indicative of a genuine problem (The survey was conducted from Aug. 25 to Sept. 11 with 2,008 registered voters. It has a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points).
The Republicans and Democrats have enjoyed a duopoly on power since the Whig president Millard Fillmore left office in 1853. Since then, the two parties have had their share of bad blood between them, no doubt. The main difference between then and now, however, is not only the sheer number of new issues, but how radicalized those issues have become. Just several decades ago, the major disagreements dividing the two parties were abortion rights, civil rights, taxes, war, and a pinch of feminism. Today, the Democrats, once the party of labor and social justice, have thrown their support behind so-called ‘progressive’ issues never heard of before, like an open border, critical race theory, transgenderism, and the promotion of alternative sexual lifestyles found in the LGBTQ+ movement and its 57 (at last count) genders. Clearly, we’re not in Kansas anymore. To complicate matters even more, one side in this political showdown owns the bulk of the media, while the other side owns most of the guns. If there were a better way for a country stumbling into a civil war than that, I really don’t know what it is.
Judging by the survey’s responses (and questions), there are many hot button issues that could ‘go nuclear’ someday. For example, when presented with the statement, ‘the government should have the authority to restrict the number and types of firearms available to the public, irrespective of interpretations of the Constitution,’ Democrats responded favorably at 74% to the Republicans’ 35%. And this one: ‘Government policy should require corporations to have diversity at all levels of leadership.’ Once again, the Democrats took the lead (69%-43%). On the question of immigration reform, instead of the pollsters simply stating, ‘the government should build a wall on its southern border,’ the statement instead read, ‘Legislation should be enacted that restricts illegal immigrants’ access to both jobs and social benefits such as healthcare, welfare, and education.’ Despite the deceptive verbiage, 70% of Republicans and 32% of Democrats supported that statement. Strangely, the survey mentioned nothing about the teaching of alternative sex and transgender lifestyles to schoolchildren, which ranks as one of the most controversial issues for Americans today.
Read moreThe US can ‘certainly’ fund two wars – but should it?
When asked whether it is acceptable to employ violence to stop political opponents from achieving their goals, 41% of Biden supporters and 38% of Trump supporters responded in the affirmative. Meanwhile, 41% of Trump supporters and 30% of Biden supporters said they favor either conservative or liberal states seceding from the union. Hmm. Violence and secession. Where have we heard that before? Anyone with a basic grasp of History 101 knows that America’s last effort at secession culminated in the Civil War (1861-1865) as the Confederate States of America attempted a divorce from Washington. The result was the bloodiest conflict in US history that left up to 850,000 combatants from the Union and Confederate armies dead. Since then, the closest America has had to a ‘secessionist movement’ is in the form of Californians and New Yorkers fleeing their crime-ridden, high-tax states for conservative country, namely Florida and Texas.
So, what does all this mean? Many people will look at these results and quickly conclude – possibly with great satisfaction – that America is walking into the mother of all divorces, another civil war. But a lot has changed since 1861. On the one hand, the average American has more to lose, but on the other, there are more outlets for venting disagreements. It is, after all, much easier and safer to shout at your political opponents on X than to take up arms, even if you believe that political violence is acceptable. Besides, you can always just move – to a state that shares your political colors or to even to that fancy ‘American village’ for families of conservative immigrants that’s apparently about to go under construction just outside of Moscow in Russia.
But with new generations after the baby boomers and Gen X become poorer and more desperate and moving further in time from experiencing first-hand the horrors of armed conflict, and the political climate getting progressively hotter without any sign of pressure relief ahead, nothing is off the table at this point.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
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Oil prices could hit $157 – World Bank — RT World News
https://www.rt.com/news/586207-world-bank-israel-oil-food/
30 Oct, 2023 17:35
Oil prices could hit $157 – World Bank
The organization warned millions could go hungry if hostilities between Israel and Hamas continue to intensify
Continued escalation of Israel’s war with Hamas could push oil prices into “uncharted waters,” the World Bank warned in its Commodity Markets Outlook on Monday.
The World Bank cautioned that while the war’s effect on oil prices had been limited thus far, the future “would darken quickly if the conflict were to escalate.” The organization’s report outlined three potential futures based on the level of disruption escalating hostilities might cause in global oil supply.
A “small disruption,” removing 500,000 to 2 million barrels of oil from circulation per day, would be mostly absorbed by the market, the bank predicted. Prices would inch up from the current $90 per barrel to between $93 and $102, canceling out the $9 drop it had previously predicted by next year in the face of slowed economic growth.
Read moreWTO warns global economy could lose 5% of GDP
A “medium disruption,” the equivalent of the US’ 2003 war in Iraq, could see prices increase between 21% and 35%, with 3 to 5 million barrels per day taken out of supply – leaving oil priced between $109 and $121 per barrel, the report stated.
A “large disruption,” which the bank likened to the Arab oil embargo of 1973, with 6 to 8 million barrels eliminated from supply per day, could see prices surge between 56% and 75%. This would drive the cost per barrel up to between $140 and $157.
Higher oil prices would translate to spiking food prices, exacerbating current food insecurity and causing millions to go hungry, World Bank deputy chief economist Ayhan Kose explained. “If a severe oil price shock materializes, it would push up food price inflation that has already been elevated in many developing countries” as a result of the Ukraine conflict, he said.
Nearly a tenth of Earth’s population – over 700 million people – were undernourished by the end of 2022 due to disruptions in commodity markets caused by the conflict, he added.
World Bank chief economist Indermit Gill urged policy-makers to “be vigilant,” warning that “the global economy would face a dual energy shock for the first time in decades – not just from the war in Ukraine,” which he called “the biggest shock to commodity markets since the 1970s,” but from the Middle East as well if the war in Gaza continues to escalate.
While oil prices have increased 6% since Hamas’ attack on Israel earlier this month, agricultural commodities and precious metals have “barely budged,” the World Bank reported.
Israel expanded its ground assault on Gaza on Monday, with tanks reportedly advancing on Gaza City from multiple directions. Over 8,000 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced under the most intense bombing of Gaza in Israel’s history.
EU state introduces food cards for the poor — RT World News
https://www.rt.com/news/586196-estonia-introduces-food-cards/
30 Oct, 2023 14:26
EU state introduces food cards for the poor
These items will allow families to purchase basic necessities, according to the Ministry of Social Affairs
FILE PHOTO © Getty Images / TommL
Estonia has introduced food cards for those in need as the country aims to reduce the strain on food banks and social workers. The move was announced by the Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs on Monday.
According to the ministry, the cards will be distributed starting October 30 and will replace the previous food aid package system. Using these cards, the 28,936 people currently relying on food aid programs will be able to make grocery purchases at Rimi retail stores across the country.
Under the new system, each eligible family will be issued one card and each person will be given €30 (about $31) per quarter. The money must be used within that time period and any remaining balance will not transfer over into the next quarter. The card can only be used to buy food and basic necessities and isn’t eligible for the purchase of tobacco products or alcohol.
The food card system was initially announced back in January and received a test run in April across three cities, including the capital of Tallinn. The new system was created as a replacement to a food aid package scheme, under which, food was distributed to the poor through Food Banks which collected unsold groceries in stores and individual donations. These were then transferred to social workers and charitable organizations that distributed the food to those in need.
Read moreEU corporate bankruptcies surge to highest since 2015 – report
However, this system put a strain on the food banks and required significant resources to maintain. It was also inefficient with people often receiving products that they did not want or need. The head of the Ministry of Social Affairs Tea Varakku has stated that the new card system has proven to be an effective solution to the issue and insisted it should be used across Europe.
The introduction of the new food card system comes as Estonia’s economy has continued to decline with GDP dropping for a sixth consecutive quarter. It decreased by 2.5% in the third quarter of 2023, compared to last year.
Additionally, the country has been strained by the influx of Ukrainian refugees, most of which continue to be unemployed, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs. As reported by the Foresight Center think tank, as many as 27,000 Ukrainians are believed to have attempted to enter the Estonian labor market, yet, two thirds of them remain unemployed.
Additional survival tricks 