Scientists, who generally wear white laboratory jackets so they are not confused with economists, have a canon of sacred texts. Pride of place is occupied by the journal Nature, which is now a collection of specialised magazines that cover scientific advances in most measurable phenomena. Of course, trades and professions also have their stable of news and reference works while the public have Fox, the Murdoch press and social media.

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who has played a central role in opening negotiations on resolving the Ukraine conflict, is “spreading Russian propaganda” and should be sacked, according to a senior Ukrainian lawmaker.

The head of the Kiev’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Aleksandr Merezhko, made the remark in response to Witkoff’s interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, during which the envoy spoke about the status of former Ukrainian territories that have joined Russia, describing the issue as “an elephant in the room” that “no one wants to talk about.”

“They’re Russian-speaking. There have been referendums where the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under Russian rule,” Witkoff said.

AT WHICH POINT OF TECHNOLOGICAL EVOLUTION DOES THE NEEDS TO HAVE GREATER ORGANISATION OF SOCIETIES BEYOND SIMPLE MUTUAL AID? 

IS THERE A NEED TO MAKE PROFITS IN ORDER TO EVOLVE TO THE NEXT STEP OF WHAT WE WANT, BEYOND WHAT WE NEED? DO WE NEED WARS?

DO WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATION OF DEBT? IS DEBT NECESSARY ON A GREATER SCALE TO SUPPLY PROFITS FOR CORPORATIONS AND WAGES TO THE PEOPLE? IS DEBT A BURDEN ON THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT?

ARE WE ADDICTED TO PROGRESS? ARE WE ADDICTED TO STYLISTIC CONSUMPTION, BEYOND SURVIVAL?

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Mutual Aid, a Factor in Evolution - Peter Kropotkin

Darwinism had emphasized competition as the sole determining factor in evolution. According to Kropotkin, however, Darwin and his successors ignored an equally important, if not more important, factor: mutual aid.

Response to the latest Israeli/US slaughter in Gaza shows the world’s citizens looking into a moral precipice. How will they act? Will they ponder the principles of humanitarian law let alone ideals of a common humanity?

Can there exist any citizens who support Israeli/US brutalities and the cowardly complicity of Western governments, including Australia’s? If so, will they please step forward.

Esoteric Trumpism delves into the profound and often unexplored dimensions of Donald Trump’s political journey, presenting it as a pivotal moment in the grand narrative of Western civilization. Through the lens of Oswald Spengler’s cyclical theory of history, the book explores Trump as a Faustian figure, striving against the tide of decline, embodying the spirit of American exceptionalism and the fierce battle for national identity.

Coal and lignite production in India crossed 1 billion tonnes in 2023-24, as of March 22, in line with the government's target for this financial year. The output was 6.7% higher year-on-year.

The government's mission for 1-billion-tonne output was a milestone set a few years ago, considering the increasing electricity requirements.

How the West Made Trump's Destruction Possible

A guest article by Herfried Münkler on DER SPIEGEL

Donald Trump's geopolitics resembles a gigantic demolition project. The world after him will be a landscape of rubble. And will Europe be a plaything of the great powers?

HERE WE BEGIN OUR TREK THROUGH THE MURKY MAJOR CONTRADICTIONS BETWEEN EUROPE PREPARING FOR WAR AND FIGHTING GLOBAL WARMING…

THOUGH EUROPE HAS A DEFINITE PLAN ON GLOBAL WARMING, ONE CANNOT ESCAPE THAT IT APPEARS TO BE LIP SERVICE TO CALM THE ECOLOGISTS AND THE ENVIRONMENTALISTS, WITHOUT DOING MUCH ELSE...

Households are guaranteed a further $150 in energy bill rebates after the Coalition immediately matched Labor’s budget commitment, despite describing the support as a “Band-Aid to a bullet wound” of high power prices.

In a widely anticipated announcement ahead of Tuesday’s federal budget, the government confirmed on Sunday that it would extend power bill relief until the end of 2025 for all households and about 1m small businesses.

A delivery of second-hand Australian Abrams tanks to Ukraine faces possible complications after US President Donald Trump's recent temporary freeze on military assistance to the war-torn nation. 

Complications are emerging over how aging Abrams tanks gifted to Ukraine by Australia will be sent to the frontline, following Mr Trump's decision to freeze military assistance to the war-torn nation.

As the Defence department acknowledges the international military transfer remains "complex", the ABC can also reveal Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umierov is scheduled to soon visit Canberra to discuss Australia's ongoing support.

Australia must take up the challenge presented by its rift with the United States over trade and foreign policy to strengthen bilateral relationships with other countries in these critical areas. We should also move to capitalise on the opportunities President Donald Trump has created by pulling back on climate commitments and USAID.

John Hewson
Road map to a US reset

A New York Times report on Thursday is either fake or people at the FBI or CIA ran to the paper to undermine their boss, though there’s no real reason both can’t be true.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid the asking price for Itamar Ben-Gvir’s return to the government in advance. Not out of his own pocket, of course, but with the blood of the 59 hostages whose fate could be sealed by the resumption of the war, which has already sealed the fate of hundreds of Palestinians, including women and children.

Russia’s diplomacy chief, Sergey Lavrov has had to deal with eight US secretaries of state, impressing almost all of them. Let’s have a glimpse at his track record with US diplomats.

LAVROV AND COLIN POWELL (2004-2005) Lavrov’s encounters with US foreign policy began with George W. Bush's trusted lieutenant, Colin Powell. Lavrov and Powell discussed global security, focusing on NATO's eastward expansion and the US invasion of Iraq, which Russia opposed.

WHEN SVANTE ARRHENIUS DID HIS CALCULATIONS IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY, HE PREDICTED THAT THE AMOUNT OF CO2 RELEASED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE BY THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION STARTED 50 YEARS EARLIER WAS ENOUGH TO RAISE GLOBAL TEMPERATURES BY ABOUT 2 (TWO) DEGREES CELSIUS. 

WAS HE CORRECT?

To a great degree, Arrhenius was accurate. Yet more than 130 years later, with emissions of CO2 from our industries having gone more than ten folds on his input, our planet has only warmed up by 1.49 degrees Celsius… 

What happened? What is happening and what will happen? 

The industrial revolution changed the Western World, which in turn changed the rest of the human planet…

Yesterday I read the following lines on the Internet – unfortunately without an author’s reference: This has never happened before: a man who has not even been elected chancellor yet negotiates the biggest borrowing in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany with parties that lost the election, in a Bundestag that has long since been dissolved.

If you had described Friedrich Merz’s current behavior to a German 10 years ago, you would have been declared insane and put in a clinic without raising a fuss.

Friedrich Merz, who refuses to form a coalition with the AFD because he accuses them of right-wing extremism, is preparing Germany for war against Russia. The AFD wants peace with Russia, Russia seeks peace, the Americans want peace and Merz opposes all those who seek peace.