World News Thread

[RoseMorninStar]

I have no idea. I've been fighting metaphorical fires on the homefront.

I hope Rosie is doing OK. Or is it still the workplace issue? Not to be nosy.

[River]

I have no idea. I've been fighting metaphorical fires on the homefront.

I hope Rosie is doing OK. Or is it still the workplace issue? Not to be nosy.

Both, with a soupcon of other nonsense. I should probably post in the Kvetching thread. I've got a couple juicy ones.

[N.E. Brigand]

Not sure which thread this belongs in but:

Tonga's volcano sent tons of water into the stratosphere. That could warm the Earth. (NPR)

I had hoped that the eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai in January would cool the planet for a couple years (as the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines is believed to have done), but because this explosion was underwater, and thereby increased the amount of water vapor in the earth's atmosphere by about 10%, where it will remain for 5-10 years, this eruption is instead likely to warm up the Earth.

[N.E. Brigand]

Reuters reports that "CIA chief told Bolsonaro government not to mess with Brazil election, sources say."

"The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director last year told senior Brazilian officials that President Jair Bolsonaro should stop casting doubt on his country's voting system ahead of the October election, sources told Reuters. The previously unreported comments by CIA Director William Burns came in an intimate, closed-door meeting in July, according to two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Burns was, and remains, the most senior U.S. official to meet in Brasilia with Bolsonaro's right-wing government since the election of U.S. President Joe Biden."

The presidential election is scheduled for Oct. 2. The chief opposition leader, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva --usually referred to as "Lula" -- has led Bolsonaro in the polls by about 10 points pretty consistently for the past 18 months. Lula, a socialist, was previously Brazil's president from 2003 to 2010. He was later tried and convicted on corruption charges and served about 19 months in prison before the nation's supreme court overturned his conviction on grounds of the original court not having proper jurisdiction and the original judge being biased.

[Frelga]

Does anyone understand what's happening in Iraq?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Not really. Superficially I know there is violence resulting from the announcement that Moqtada al-Sadr was leaving politics related to a power struggle between rival Shi'ite groups including his supporters. But I don't really understand why it is happening.

[Frelga]

The problem with following people who are well informed in international security and such is that they don't bother to provide context. I have the context for Ukraine, but I'm clueless about Iraq.

[N.E. Brigand]

Nine people have been infected with -- and three of those people have died from -- a "pneumonia of unknown origin" in the Tucumán region of Argentina. Eight of the nine infected people (and thus two of those who have died) are health care workers, all from the same clinic. Tests are negative for Covid, influenza, hantavirus, and "25 other" possible pathogens.

[RoseMorninStar]

Nine people have been infected with -- and three of those people have died from -- a "pneumonia of unknown origin" in the Tucumán region of Argentina. Eight of the nine infected people (and thus two of those who have died) are health care workers, all from the same clinic. Tests are negative for Covid, influenza, hantavirus, and "25 other" possible pathogens.

What is this, the seven plagues?

[River]

Meanwhile, in Pakistan, an area larger than Colorado is underwater.

The planet is displeased with us.

[RoseMorninStar]

[Frelga]

The scale of that disaster is staggering. 33 million people have been reported to be displaced. Enormous losses to livestock. Where does one even start after that?

[RoseMorninStar]

The scale of that disaster is staggering. 33 million people have been reported to be displaced. Enormous losses to livestock. Where does one even start after that?

This, from a CNN article:

Pakistan is responsible for less than 1% of the world's planet-warming gases, European Union data shows, yet it is the eighth most vulnerable nation to the climate crisis, according to the Global Climate Risk Index.

And it's paying a hefty price -- the South Asian country faced dramatic climate conditions this year, from record heat waves to destructive floods -- as the climate crisis exacerbates extreme weather events.

[Túrin Turambar]

The scale of that disaster is staggering. 33 million people have been reported to be displaced. Enormous losses to livestock. Where does one even start after that?

To put it in context, it's almost the entire population of Canada. Imagine everyone in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and every other town or city of any size needing to leave their homes and flee.

[narya]

Meanwhile, in Pakistan, an area larger than Colorado is underwater.

The planet is displeased with us.

No, Emergency Management 101: All disasters are man made.

[Túrin Turambar]

Complaining about editorial standards in News Limited tabloids in either Australia or the U.K. is a mug's game, but I just want to note that in the year of our Lord 2022 the Sydney Herald Sun published a column in which the author complaints about having to see "coloured people" on TV.

Herald Sun headline.jpg (47.94 KiB) Viewed 1397 times

[Impenitent]

I'm following the Crickey case but I missed this outrighr piece of bigotry.

[River]

I can't believe that isn't satire, Túrin. It reads like Steven Colbert's old act. Except it isn't satire, is it?

[RoseMorninStar]

It's very bizarre. Some white men must feel very threatened.

[Sunsilver]

No, this guy is for real. Unfortunately, you need a subscription to the paper to see the column. However, I did find a commentary that quotes more bits from him here: https://junkee.com/steve-price-old-whit ... ure/336504