A good take on Putin and Netanyahu. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Horrible reality. Very well put.

The 220 top buyers of Trump's memecoin will have dinner with him at his golf club tonight. The average price of admission is $1M per person. Trump is literally selling access to government to the highest bidders.

Good stuff indeed! If you're curious about the conclusion, the workshop identified four urgent tasks: 1. Establishing a consortium like Coders without Borders or a similar collaborative to connect AI developers with democracy movements.

This seems pretty significant, no?

Den beste nyheten i dag, på Norges grunnlovsdag: Den svenske journalisten Joakim Medin er hjemme etter 51 dager i tyrkisk fengsel! www.etc.se/story/joakim...

#FactFriday ➡️ Military spending increased in all world regions, with particularly rapid growth in both Europe and the Middle East. Explore the data: www.sipri.org/databases/milex Accurate, dependable information matters more than ever. Invest in the facts. Support #SIPRI: bit.ly/4gI9QkX

Imamoğlu's lawyer was arrested. Now the lawyer's lawyer has been arrested. What could possibly happen next? 🤔

"So ask yourself the question: what’s the “great honour and glory” of your life? What do you hope one day to look back on?" Inspiring by @rutgerbregman.com www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Turks feeling insulted every time Atatürk is criticized or labeled as a dictator, is one important factor keeping democracy at bay in Turkey.

A thriller of a 1984-type story from China, very well written by @murongxuecun.bsky.social. A shorter version is available at The Guardian with the title " ‘Why would he take such a risk?’ My censor and me" madeinchinajournal.com/2025/04/03/m...

There are weekly, nonviolent protests in Slovakia, against the Russia-leaning prime minister. They build on the successful ousting of a neo-Nazi governor in 2017. "Our key message since December 2024 is simple: 'Slovakia is Europe. We are Europe'." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Her omtales Kongsberg Gruppen som en av de mest omsatte aksjene på børsen. I en verden hvor normale folk ønsker å unngå krig, er det samtidig mest normalt å tjene penger på krig. Dette kunne vi endret på hvis vi ville. e24.no/boers-og-fin...

Turks are leaving X for Bluesky because X is censoring users upon requests from the Turkish authoritarian government.

So, will it be a pro-democracy movement in Turkey or simply a CHP or frustration movement? I'm thinking demanding the release of Demirtaş would be a sign that it's pro-democracy.

There are 35 billionaires in Turkey whose combined wealth is almost three times that of the poorest 42.5 million in the country (i.e. the bottom 50%.) Which puts the current protests in a broader context than simply anti-Erdoğan.

Will we see a peak participation higher than 3.5% of the population in Turkey at a key event?

They're active in construction and energy because that's where the real money is. They use their media ownership to provide regime-friendly news in exchange for huge government contracts in construction and energy.

"the presidency said Medin was 'known for anti-Turkey news,'" but also added “This arrest decision has no connection whatsoever to journalistic activities." So...known for news, not journalistic activities. Makes perfect sense. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

1/7. In case you haven’t been following, here is a short summary of the misnamed Russian-American "peace process" regarding Ukraine.

CHP officially names jailed mayor its presidential candidate

Har deltagit i ett informativt heldagsmöte på Utrikespolitiska institutet om Syrien. Nästa alla Syrienexperter jag hör säger samma sak: Lyft sanktionerna igår! Syrien behöver massivt stöd nu! Al Sharaa är ingen ängel men alternativen är värre. Sverige & EU bör agera omedelbart. Det är sent.

Excellent from @selimkoru.bsky.social kulturkampftr.substack.com/p/turkey-res...

There's a lot of humor in the current protests in Turkey. I'll post some of it in this thread. This poster says "The elves and dwarves didn't like each other, but together they defeated Sauron."

To my Turkish brothers and sisters who might need it these days: Ten tips for keeping your protests nonviolent when some in your group get violent: 1. De-escalate Immediately – Speak calmly to the individual(s) and urge them to stop, reminding them that the protest is nonviolent.

Like peeing your pants to stay warm, as we say in Norway.

A thread about doing science in Trump’s America.

“In my six decades of legal practice, I have never witnessed a trial as unfair as the one against Greenpeace that just ended in the courts of North Dakota … Greenpeace has a very strong case on appeal." www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

There is a robust pro-democracy majority in America, but it needs to be more vocal and take action to defend our shared values.

Men kjære VG, hva ble han dømt for? Fire tiltalepunkter, men hva? Ville dere slått dere til ro med å beskrive en voldtekt, et drap eller skatteunndragelse kun som "en forbrytelse"? www.vg.no/nyheter/i/63...

"If there isn’t [a Tesla Takedown protest] at the Tesla showroom nearest you, you can start one just by showing up with some friends or family, maybe making some cardboard signs." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Trudeau: I want to speak first directly to the American people… your government has chosen to do this to you. Your government has chosen to put American jobs at risk. They have chosen to raise costs for American consumers on everyday essential items…

The Separation of Powers in the US system is squeaking and rattling surprisingly loudly. Only now do they seem to discover all the loose bolts. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

This was the plan all along

Make America a Banana Republic

Er Musk en "sløserijeger"? Det er rent tøv, og at NRK kaller ham det, skaper et inntrykk av at det er sløsing dette handler om. Det gjør det ikke. Det handler om skattelettelser til seg selv i milliardklassen, finansiert ved å kutte i velferd som de fattigste nå får. www.nrk.no/urix/etater-...

Powerful.

What we hear is "Ukraine started the war" and other loud noise. Meanwhile, corruption is quietly legalized and normalized. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

The irony of the richest man in the world almost single-handedly destroying an agency designed to help the world’s poor, so that the U.S. federal budget has more room for another giant tax cut for the richest man in the world and his pals, should not be lost on anyone. [Cartoon by Mike Luckovich]

Don't let Trump flood your zone. Stay focused. Keep your eye on what this corrupt regime is really doing — looting the government to line their own pockets with massive tax cuts and the ability to steer more federal contracts their way.

Får USAs upålitelighet noen innvirkning på Norges EU-motstandere, tro?

Excellent by @rbreich.bsky.social "This is Trump’s game: huge demonstrations of power, wielded unpredictably. (...) He’s doing this for himself and for the world’s oligarchy, which, in turn, is busily siphoning off the wealth of the world." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

“All I know is that it was, apparently, possible to maintain a sense of facts and values — not only not to obey in advance but not to obey at all. If that was possible in the Soviet Union half a century ago, then it is certainly possible in the United States today.” www.nytimes.com/2025/02/08/o...

52% of gen. Z in UK think "the UK would be a better place if a strong leader was in charge who does not have to bother with parliament or elections." I doubt the situation is much better elsewhere. The future looks dark. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

1. Have no leader; making it harder for authorities to disrupt the protests. 2. All demonstrations must be peaceful, and any debris has to be cleaned up. 3. All decisions must be made democratically during hour-long plenary sessions in their university faculties. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Full of admiration for the Serbs who have shown the world, yet again, that nonviolence works.